Smoky Mountain News | November 27, 2019

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

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019 Vol. 21 Iss. 26

HOLIDAY GUIDE INSIDE

CONTENTS On the Cover: When small schools like Western Carolina University play against the nation’s football titans like the University of Alabama, they come away with much more than just huge purses. (Page 3) Western Carolina University quarterback Tyrie Adams takes the field against Alabama Nov. 23. Bill Killillay photo

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Schools, community work to help vulnerable kids ....................................................8 Haywood County jail reaches capacity ......................................................................10 Peer support inside jail helps inmates have hope ..................................................12 Rain quells Cold Mountain Fire at 200 acres ..........................................................14 NAACP hosts diversity training day for educators ................................................16 Health News ......................................................................................................................19

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Celebrating family, longevity and all that’s possible ..............................................20

A&E Sister Sadie to play Art of Music Festival ................................................................24

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Outdoors Haywood County man works to save N.C.’s native wolf ......................................42

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The A, B, C and Ds of chickadees ..............................................................................55

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dents and an endowment of $885 million.

Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium holds 101,821 people.

There aren’t even 101,821 people within the seven-county region home to Western Carolina University in tiny Cullowhee, North Carolina, population 6,228.

Founded as Cullowhee Academy in 1889, Western Carolina became a teachers college in the 1920s and a university in 1968.

Enrollment hovers around 12,000 students who benefit from the growing school’s $66 million endowment.

The football team, nicknamed the Catamounts in honor of a purportedlyextinct wildcat still rumored to roam the rugged mountain hollers of Southern Appalachia, plays at Bob Waters Field at A.J. Whitmire Stadium, capacity 13,742. Since 1931 the Cats have posted an all-time record of 307-435.

Mark Speir, in his eighth year as WCU’s head coach, has guided the Catamounts to three seven-win seasons but has a career record of 32-51. This year, his team has just three victories and a host of tough losses to Mercer, N.C. State, Chattanooga, GardnerWebb, Citadel, Wofford and Furman.

Saban has thus far put together yet anoth-

er double-digit win season, with just one defeat to date — on Nov. 9, the Tide got rolled in an important SEC West matchup by the Tigers of Louisiana State University, who handed them their first home loss in their last 32 games.

Smarting, Alabama hit the road to beat up on Mississippi State the next week but lost star junior QB Tua Tagovailoa for the season to a hip injury.

Dejected, perhaps — but not defeated — the Tide headed back to Title Town, on the playoff bubble and eager to avenge that rare home loss in a matchup against Western Carolina expected to be so lopsided that Vegas oddsmakers wouldn’t even post a line.

David versus Goliath? Sure, but there’s a reason they actually play the games instead of just ranking all the teams during the preseason and awarding the national championship to the one with the most votes.

“You walk in that stadium on Saturday, and it’s a big stadium,” said Speir. “There’s a lot more concrete, but it’s still 100 yards plus 10 in each end zone, and the same lines as our field back home.”

S EE WCU, PAGE 4

Every season, players from small schools step onto some of the biggest stages of their athletic careers when they travel to face the most storied college football programs in the nation.

Smoky Mountain News

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER or nearly all of its 128-year history, the University of Alabama’s football program has been synonymous with gridiron excellence. Thousands of young men have gone there to play the game they love, and played it to win.

Boasting a 73 percent winning percentage over almost 1,300 games, Alabama has laid claim to 14 division titles, 31 conference titles and 17 national championships while producing legendary NFL stars like Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Cornelius Bennett and Derrick Thomas, along with at least one legendary coach — Paul “Bear” Bryant.

Nick Saban has been chasing Bryant’s legacy since becoming the Crimson Tide’s head coach in 2007 after a long college coaching career and stints with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins. At Alabama he sports a 151-22 record, six Southeastern Conference championships and five national championships. Since his second year, all of Saban’s squads have spent at least part of the season ranked at No. 1.

The school itself — overshadowed by its athletic accolades for more than a century — reports an enrollment of almost 40,000 stu-

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: Western takes on ‘Bama

Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams had a tough day in Tuscaloosa.

Bill Killillay photo

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“We don’t call it a money game, we call it an opportunity game.

Whenever anybody says, ‘Who’s your money game?’ I always say, ‘Well, our opportunity game this year is Alabama, because it’s a great opportunity for us to go up there.”

— Mark Speir, WCU head football coach

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Gary Ayers, the voice of the Catamounts, goes through his pregame show in BryantDenny Stadium Nov. 23. Bill Killillay photo WCU, CONTINUED FROM 4

Smoky Mountain News

The field dimensions are about where the similarities end. Every season, players from small schools step onto some of the biggest stages of their athletic careers when they travel to face the most storied college football programs in the nation.

“We had all the confidence that we were going to go play well, that we would go in there and compete,” said Speir, who’s not talking about leading the Cats against No. 5 Alabama — he’s talking about his role in one of the greatest sports upsets of all time.

On Sept. 1, 2007, Speir was the defensive line coach for Appalachian State University when his Mountaineers walked into Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and shocked the world by knocking off No. 5 Michigan in front of 109,000 rabid Wolverines fans and millions more watching television.

John Holt, associate head coach at WCU, happened to be Appalachian State’s starting right guard that warm, sunny fall afternoon.

“It was a great experience,” said Holt. “I mean, we had a really good team playing a really good team. We had a good day that day.

It was an exciting time for our program.”

Nobody expected App State to win that game.

“Except us,” Holt said.

Coach Speir’s duties placed him in the press box, but he clearly recalls how subdued the Michigan crowd was when the clock ran down on his team’s unlikely 34-32 victory 4 that came after App blocked a last-second

field goal attempt that would have won the day for Michigan.

“They had a police car that at halftime would take us around to our locker room and I wasn’t waiting on that police car after the game, I was getting to that field as quick as possible,” he laughed. “So I literally went through the stands. I had a unique perspective because I went through the stands and nobody left that stadium. You had 110,000 fans in dead silence watching about 70 guys down there going crazy. I just remember how silent and awestruck they were.”

That’s why David shows up, sling in hand, but because of what happened to Goliath Michigan that day is a rare outcome there’s another reason why teams like App State and Western Carolina play teams like Michigan and Alabama.

“I think this year’s contract is $525,000,” said Randy Eaton, WCU’s athletic director.

WCU as a whole operates on a yearly budget of roughly $220 million. Of that, about $13 million is spent on athletics and of that the largest chunk, about $2 million, is spent on football. As such, WCU’s appearance at Alabama represents more than a quarter of the program’s annual revenue.

“We’ll fund about 30 players who get to go to school here at Western Carolina because of the paycheck that we get from that ball game,” said Speir.

In the Southern Conference, of which WCU is a member, home teams basically keep all the revenue they generate on game day during the 12-game season. In addition

to ticket sales, they get a percentage of concession sales, but on a yearly basis, they also collect significant revenue from corporate sponsorships and fundraising by the school’s boosters, the Catamount Club.

“Our corporate sponsorship generates a little north of $400,000 a year,” Eaton said.

“Our Catamount Club, that’s really tied more to parking and tickets and those kinds of amenities that fans want, so we’re up at about $1.6 million a year that we generate from the annual fund. For concessions, our share may be $30,000 a year, and for ticket revenue, we’re probably looking in the neighborhood of $80,000 average per game in a good year.”

Of course, game day revenues are hugely dependent on how the team’s been performing of late.

“We’ve been fortunate that our fan base has followed us over the last couple of years,” he said. “Last year, I think we led the conference in attendance. For me, it was very gratifying. We had a three win season and still led the conference in attendance.”

Even during a successful season, there’s another variable that can affect the program’s bottom line.

“It’s been tough this year,” said Eaton.

“Weather plays a big role. It’s a big factor for us. We had one game where we had a threeand-a-half hour lightning delay and we had another game where it was — if you remember Forrest Gump when he said sometimes it was raining upwards — it was one of those days.”

Indeed, two of WCU’s last three homecoming games have been held in weather fit

for neither man nor beast — cold, gusty and rainy.

“This year, we really took it on the chin.

As far as ticket sales, we still sold a lot of tickets but a lot of our returning fans, fraternities and sororities decided to stay at their tailgate.

So there were probably 4,000 or 5,000 people still out in the parking lots when the game kicked off,” he said. “I would say somewhere in the neighborhood of probably 70 to 75 percent of our revenue is generated on game day by single-game sales, not season tickets, so the weather plays a huge role in our attendance, especially when the team’s in a little bit of a slump competitively.”

Whether it’s due to wins or weather, the unpredictability of game day revenue makes guaranteed games like Bama that much more important for small schools like WCU. “I got here in December of 2011 and in February, I met with then-Chancellor [David] Belcher who gave me my welcome basket and said, ‘Oh by the way, Randy, here’s $1.7 million I’m spending every year on athletics, and I’m not going to do it anymore. Figure it out,’” Eaton recalls. “So for Speir, I think it was his second year, we played three money games that year. We were at Auburn, at Virginia Tech and at Middle Tennessee State.

That probably generated about $1.4 or $1.5 million, off of those three games.”

Those games certainly boosted the program’s bottom line — as they do with basketball as well — but that strategy is a doubleedged sword that hurts programs as much as it helps.

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Mark Speir, Western Carolina University head football coach.

WCU photo

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oney aside, there are a number of other good reasons small schools like WCU and App State end up taking punishment from the best of the best, year in and year out.

“We don’t call it a money game, we call it an opportunity game,” Speir said.

“Whenever anybody says, ‘Who’s your money game?’ I always say, ‘Well, our opportunity game this year is Alabama, because it’s a great opportunity for us to go up there. It’s an opportunity for our program to be in the national spotlight.’ When you play a Michigan, or in our case an Alabama, everybody in the country wants to know who Alabama’s playing that week.”

Eaton sees these games as an opportunity of another sort.

“It is a huge learning opportunity for those young people,” he said. “Our women’s basketball team was in New York last year and the coach built it into her budget to stay an extra day so they could do the Statue of Liberty and Times Square and some things that a lot of our young people, if it weren’t for this opportunity, may never get to experience.”

This year’s Alabama trip is Speir’s third with WCU against Saban’s vaunted program.

“In 2015, we go down there at the end of the year, just like we are this year, and we were the only school to that point that scored on the opening drive. It was eight, nine minutes into the second quarter and it’s a 17-14 game,” he said. “That did a lot for our school, a lot for our alumni and a lot for the confidence of our program. For a half, we went in there and played with the best team in the country.”

An image of that moment has been seared into Randy Eaton’s brain, a grainy memory of a Title Town scoreboard that for just a few minutes in time read WCU 7, Alabama 0.

“There were hundreds of pictures by our fans of that scoreboard and somebody put it on Twitter and for about 45 minutes, we were the number one trending tweet, worldwide,” he said. “People that don’t understand social media are like, ehhh, no big deal. Yeah — that is a big deal, when you’ve got more people for 45 minutes looking at Western Carolina University for whatever reason. As long as it’s a good reason, it’s positive exposure for the insti-

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S EE WCU, PAGE 6

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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

“As you try to build a competitive program, you can’t do that any longer,” he said.

“You want to be able to play regional opponents that help drive fan interest, but also games that are winnable. If we were sitting here talking right now and we only had three losses versus only having three wins, we would be in the hunt for that at-large [playoff] berth if not the automatic bid in the Southern Conference.”

These big games are also becoming less and less necessary, financially, according to Eaton.

“As our Catamount club and our fundraising efforts increased, I was able to bring down those money games to place those teams in a position where they can be more competid tive,” he said. “This year we’ve got two guaranteed games [including a 41-7 drubbing at the hands of the N.C. State Wolfpack on Sept.

9] but after this year, through 2025, we’ve only got one guaranteed game a year.”

Becoming more competitive isn’t just about titles and trophies; the effect of having a well-known program translates directly to a school’s enrollment, even among students who will never shoot a free throw or strap on y a helmet and shoulder pads.

“Back in 2011, 2012 when I got here, this was still very much a suitcase college,” said Eaton. “When you came on this campus on a Saturday afternoon, half the student parking lots — if not a little more than that — they were empty because kids were going home to Greensboro or Raleigh or Charlotte or wherever, every weekend.” n Building a game day experience has been a priority for Eaton, and is especially impord tant when impressionable first-year students, fresh out of high school, arrive each fall. d “We try to get our freshman involved and t now they don’t go home as much,” he said. t “They learn staying on campus can be enjoyy able. And what has that translated to? Now, t when you look on a Saturday, even a nonfootball Saturday, we’ve got 90 percent of the cars still in the lots. That’s affected our retention rate, which is the number of freshmen that come back. So just that one year we went from about 70 to 80 percent, a huge differential which has helped the institution grow by keeping those kids here and our graduation rates jumped because of that.”

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WCU, CONTINUED FROM 5

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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

tution and for a school our size and in our location, that is exposure. You can’t pay for it. You can’t afford to pay for something like that.”

That visibility helps spread national, even international awareness among those who don’t even realize WCU exists, much less that it fields scholarship football players.

“We put as much into this ballgame as we do our first one, or any Southern Conference game,” Speir said. “These players, you know, they want to go win their battles on national TV because everybody in the United States of America will see some clips of Alabama playing Western so these guys say, ‘Hey, I might be on that clip and I want to be doing my job.’”

Doing one’s job against some of the nation’s top college football players can be a tall order for players at smaller schools, but Speir breaks the game down to a series of oneon-one matchups.

“For me, it’s about you winning your individual battles,” he said. “You’re going to have maybe 60 to 70 plays. You know you’re not going to go in there against a five-star recruit from Alabama and win 40 plays out of 60. But if you can go in there and win 20 to 25 of your 60 plays, that gives a young man a lot of confidence. They say, ‘I went against the best that this country has to offer, and I won my share of battles.’”

Coach Holt shares Speir’s mentality, at least in part because it’s what got him through that warm, sunny fall afternoon in Ann Arbor 12 years ago.

“The biggest thing,” said Holt, “is just to play the next play. Make it simple. Don’t make it about a big game. Just make it about the next play. Don’t think about your opponent.

You’re playing yourself every game, every 6 practice, every play. Focus on what you’re

going to do right now, whether it’s at some practice, or it’s the first play of the game.”

And as with most battles, the end result has a lot to do with how much preparation — especially mental preparation — has taken place before the battle even begins. In the locker room, nobody’s thinking about money or freshman retention rates.

“I think any football player can agree with me on this, that once you get the first play in, once you get that first hit in, then it’s game time,” said Caleb Ferguson, a redshirt sophomore running back. “You’re nervous up until that first hit, and then when that’s over, then you’re fully locked into the game. You’re not worried about the extra stuff.”

Ferguson is just one of several players on the small college team’s roster who in turn came from a small Western North Carolina high school — Tuscola High School, in Haywood County.

Ferg, as he’s called, is joined by other small-school WNC alums like Micah Nelson, a freshman DB from Murphy; Joaquin Layno, a freshman DL from Cherokee County; Dillon Luther, a freshman OL from Asheville’s Erwin High School; Caleb Woodard, a senior TE from Bryson City; and Terran Brown, a freshman DL who played for Haywood County’s Pisgah High School against Ferguson in one of the country’s greatest high school football rivalries.

“I think it’s really important, actually,” Brown said. “It’s probably really crucial because not a lot of people even know that we are here, kind of like the whole App StateMichigan thing, and I think this can really launch us into that next level, that next mode of professionalism.”

The opportunity even includes some of WCU’s cheerleaders like Liz Liner, herself a Pisgah grad.

“It’s a great experience because we’re being surrounded by a bigger stadium, a bigger crowd,” said Liner. “It’ll be great to show off our stunts and our cheers on our sidelines because there will be a bigger audience and maybe it’ll put our name on the map and get us ready for [the national cheer competition in] Daytona.”

That opportunity would also normally extend to WCU’s marching band, but they wouldn’t be making the trip to Tuscaloosa for the Nov. 23 game because they were already in New York City, preparing for yet another national appearance at the Nov. 28 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. hen game day dawned in Title Town the only thing clear was that it would be nothing like that warm, sunny fall afternoon in Ann Arbor 12 years ago.

Driving rain had ceased just a few hours before kickoff, and beneath thick grey clouds temperatures dropped as winds picked up steadily throughout the game, which was as Vegas oddsmakers predicted an utter blowout.

Alabama racked up 231 yards on the ground and 310 in the air en route to a 66-3 trouncing of Western Carolina University.

Western managed just 179 total yards of total offense along with five turnovers.

Four of those were interceptions thrown

by Catamounts quarterback Tyrie Adams, who faced intense pressure all day and was sacked four times.

“We showed at times that we can move the ball,” said Adams from the locker room after the game. “We put together some really good drives. We just weren’t able to finish unfortunately, due to turnovers and just being careless with the ball at times. That can get you in trouble when you play a school like this.”

Alabama capitalized on two of those

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“It’s great for our young men to be able to play a team like the University of Alabama.

It brings great exposure to not only Western Carolina University, but also our fans get to experience something like this.”

— WCU Chancellor Kelli Brown

University of Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (above, left) adds to his game-high 101 receiving yards. Tuscola High School grad Caleb Ferguson (above, right) signals a fair catch during WCU’s Nov. 23 game at Alabama. Bill Killillay photos

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he said. “If we do that, then I don’t see why we couldn’t beat anybody that we have scheduled next year.”

Newly-minted WCU Chancellor Kelli Brown took in the game along with a lessthan-capacity crowd that was still probably larger than WCU would see at every home game in Cullowhee combined. Uninterested in the unseasonable weather, the lackluster opponent, the backup quarterback and the unusually uncertain playoff picture, maybe 40,000 people stayed home, or stayed at their tailgates.

“It’s great for our young men to be able to play a team like the University of Alabama. It brings great exposure to not only Western Carolina University, but also our fans get to experience something like this,” said Brown, from a Bryant-Denny skybox right next to the WCU radio crew. “We’ve got fans here from all over. They’ve driven in from Nashville, Tennessee, from Georgia, from North Carolina, to be able to be here to see our Catamounts play.”

After the game, the Cats’ busses received a police escort eastbound onto Interstate 20 for the five-hour ride back to Cullowhee with that great big check and all those experiences, all those memories made earlier that day in Title Town.

No matter how valuable all those things may be to some, they don’t mean quite as much to the young men who have spent their lives playing a game they love, a game they play to win.

“It’s not going to be a lot of playing on the bus,” Adams said. “I don’t think it’ll be too uptight, but it’s still not going to be a lot of playing around and everything because we still lost a football game, no matter who we played. We still lost a football game at the end of the day.”

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interceptions in the first quarter and shot out to a 17-0 lead, but widened that to 38-0 by the half on the strength of three TD passes by the injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s backup, sophomore Mac Jones.

The second half saw the Cats, playing their last game of the season, finally get on the board with a 38-yard field goal by Julian Pietz. Other than that it was all Alabama, who added four more scores including a career-first touchdown toss by Tua Tagovailoa’s younger brother Taulia.

WCU’s Caleb Ferguson didn’t see any snaps at running back, but was on the receiving end of almost every one of Alabama’s kickoffs after scores.

“We could have performed better coming out of the first quarter,” said Ferguson. “We had too many turnovers to begin with, but I’d say overall we did the best we could. We kept fighting throughout the fourth quarter and we played for our seniors today, so we just gave our all for them.”

Adams, in his last game as a Catamount, thinks it was an important learning opportunity for his teammates who will return next year.

“The biggest thing I think that I’d be able to transfer to the people that’s coming up is that they never quit, that they never stop fighting no matter what,” he said. “I think you’ve seen that late in the season with this team, we kept fighting, got some late wins even though nothing was going our way. That’s a characteristic that you can teach and it’s contagious. I wish the best of luck to the upcoming classes in Western Carolina University.”

Ferg will likely be one of those guys, and already seems to have benefitted from the advice of Speir, Holt and Adams.

“I would say that we need to prepare for each game like we’re going to play Alabama,”

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Student homelessness high in WNC Schools, community work to help vulnerable kids

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER or most kids, this is the season of anticipation, a magical time of year marked by stuffed turkeys, Christmas cookies, presents under the tree — and the promise of some long, lazy breaks from classes and homework.

But some children don’t have any Thanksgiving feast to look forward to, or cause to celebrate days off of school.

Statewide, 1.6 percent of public school students were homeless according to 2014-15 data, with a higher rate of 2.5 percent nationwide. But parts of Western North Carolina exceed both rates.

In 2014-15, Haywood County had the largest percentage of homeless students of the four counties in The Smoky Mountain News’ coverage area, with 3.94 percent, followed by Jackson County with 3.53 percent, Swain with 1.89 percent and Macon with 0.45 percent.

Jackson and Haywood counties had slightly lower numbers in 2018-19 — 3.08 percent and 3.45 percent, respectively — while the figures at Swain and Macon grew over the intervening years, to 2.50 percent and 1.70 percent, respectively. According to homeless services coordinators in these counties, the true number of homeless students is likely higher than reported.

“There is a fairly large degree of difficulty in identifying students and families who are defined as homeless for educational purposes because of confidentiality,” said Regina Gilchrist Ash, Title I director for Swain County. “The stigma that families might see, feel and deal with thinking of themselves as homeless is often hard to overcome.”

“Particularly in a mountain rural culture, people want to take care of their own — and they don’t always,” added Laura Dills, homeless liaison for Jackson County. “I feel confident we have more students than those numbers who are homeless.”

Homeless figures are based on reports from teachers, parents and students, as well as on the results of a survey students receive at the beginning of each school year, asking about their living situation. But families don’t always self-report, and when their status changes throughout the year they don’t always update the school on their situation.

Swain County just implemented the survey concept in the 2018-19 school year, and its census of homeless students more than doubled in that year, rising from 20 in 201718 to 49 in 2018-19.

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DEFINING HOMELESSNESS For the purposes of the public schools, “homelessness” has a broader meaning than being forced to sleep in a tent or on a concrete sidewalk. The McKinney-Vento Homeless 8 Assistance Act applies the term to students

who lack a “fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence.” It includes kids who are living in a hotel or motel, sleeping on someone else’s couch or living in an unsheltered location like the underside of a bridge or a car.

Until the 2016-17 school year, the definition also included kids in foster care.

Haywood County saw its homeless student census drop substantially after that population was removed from the count.

“A lot of our number of foster care was due to Broyhill (Children’s Home), so Jackson, Macon, etc. may not be as affected because they don’t have a large children’s home like we do,” said Aleasa Glance, student services director in Haywood County.

Between 2015-16 and 2016-17, Haywood’s count fell from 408 to 281, while Swain’s dropped from 31 to seven. Macon and Jackson actually grew, with Macon’s census increasing from 41 to 47 and Jackson’s from 77 to 103. However, the 77 figure in Jackson was an aberration from its typical census —

son who’s temporarily staying with a friend between selling a home and buying another one would not be considered homeless, because that person would have the means to seek other shelter should the friend kick them out. A family that’s staying with friends because they got evicted and would otherwise be sleeping in their car, however, would be considered homeless.

That’s the type of situation that applies to most homeless youth in Jackson County — 60 percent of the 110 students classified as homeless in 2018-19 were doubled up with another family or moving from place to place due to economic hardship. Another 18 percent were living in a hotel or motel; 5 percent moved into the district after fleeing natural disaster elsewhere, 3 percent were living in a camper or a tent due to economic hardship and 1 percent were living without shelter.

Another 13 percent were tagged as “unaccompanied homeless youth,” meaning they’re not being taken care of by a parent or

worker in the system for 24 years.

“In your brain and your heart, you take them home,” she said.

REASONS AND RESULTS It’s difficult to lose touch with these students, but it’s not an unusual occurrence.

Often, families struggling with homelessness are more mobile than most, moving from place to place as economic circumstances dictate.

“A lot of it is just lack of a full-time established job for a parent,” said Dills. “So the parent is moving around from job to job, or the parent doesn’t make enough money so they get kicked out of where they’re living.

They get evicted, but they may not be on the path to get HUD assistance or Rapid Rehousing assistance, so they just fall through the cracks. We have a lot of drug use among parents. That’s where we see a lot of our students who are unaccom-

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Help homeless students

Jackson County’s upcoming Stuff the Bus fundraiser aims to collect food, cash and hygiene products for students in need. JCPS photo that low number could have been due to some external factors such as a change in personnel, said Dills. The 103 homeless students identified in 2016-17 represented a significantly lower number than the 127 identified in 2014-15.

For most families, homelessness is a temporary experience — the census indicates the number of students who were homeless at any point in the school year, even if their housing situation stabilized by the end of it.

As defined by the law, homelessness is always related to economic hardship — a per-

guardian. That’s a population that especially concerns Dills and other school system employees who work with homeless students.

During the last school year Dills once worked with four children ranging from second through eighth grade whose mother left them on their own and didn’t come back — the children lived with an older sibling last year but didn’t return to school this year, so nobody in the school system knows where they are now.

The hardest thing is “when they’re just gone,” said Dana Tucker, behavioral specialist for Jackson County Schools and a social

• Jackson County Public Schools will hold its annual Stuff the Bus fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14 outside Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church in Dillsboro during the Dillsboro Lights and Luminaries. The goal is to collect enough food and snack items to fill 300 to 350 gallon-sized bags; hygiene items to give to students who need them; and cash and gift cards worth $10,000 to help meet immediate student needs throughout the year.

• Bryson City United Methodist Church is collecting food items for holiday food boxes that will go to families in need this Christmas. Items must be delivered to the church by Dec. 13, with office hours 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday. 828.488.2680.

• Restoration House in Bryson City provides food, clothing and other assistance on an ongoing basis and has just opened the Sweet Dreams Homeless Shelter, which is raising funds to buy sleeping bags for those who need shelter when Sweet Dreams is at capacity.

Restoration House can be reached at 828.538.4540.

• The Haywood County Schools Foundation has a needy children’s fund that is always accepting donations. www.hcsf.haywood.k12.nc.us or 828.456.2400, ext. 2117.

• Macon County Public Schools encourages community members to volunteer in the schools and to donate clothing and other necessities. 828.524.3314.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Each school in Jackson County has a ‘comfort closet’ stocked with hygiene products for students who need them. JCPS photo needs are not being met, it is hard to pay attention to academic needs. Basic needs become the priority.”

That fact might make it easy to assume that homeless students are more likely to drop out or otherwise fail to graduate than are their counterparts from more stable environments. But that is not the case, said Dills.

“One of the things that I always find very interesting and pleasant in a way is our students who are homeless either have excellent attendance or they have very, very poor attendance. There’s not much middle ground,” she said. “The majority of our homeless students actually have really great attendance, and I think that’s because school is a stable, warm environment with food and nurturing people for them, so they want to come.”

The graduation rate for homeless students

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panied homeless youth.”

It’s not always about drugs, though.

“We see a lot of parents who are really good parents,” said Dills. “They’re trying to meet the needs of their children, but they can’t ever get ahead.”

Moving into an apartment, for example, requires a deposit as well as first month’s rent and utility hookup costs. For a family living on the edge, financially speaking, a minor emergency like a broken car battery or a week off of work due to sickness or injury can wipe out a savings account.

For children, lack of consistency is one of the biggest challenges of homelessness, and it makes school hard.

“The absence of routine is the greatest barrier and the hardest for us to control, because they are literally trying to survive,” said Dills. “Research shows that when basic

Sometimes, students need more than just a few meetings with the counselor. Dills recalled one student who was only two months away from high school graduation but had to leave home for safety reasons.

The student was too old for foster care and ended up sleeping on the street. The student ended up getting invited to stay with a sympathetic school counselor while community members rallied to make a deposit on a rental unit that was close enough to town that the student could walk to work.

With help from the counselor, the student created a budget, graduated from high school and secured an internship.

Swain County also saw a situation recently that required a greater community response.

At the beginning of the school year, the school system found out about a family with young and infant children living in a borrowed tent.

Swain County Schools worked with the Bryson City United Methodist Restoration House to raise money to buy a small camper trailer, find a campground to park it and provide food and clothing.

While special cases call for special fundraising efforts, school systems have ongoing programs in place to help students who are homeless or otherwise in need, as well as partnerships with other community organizations that assist families.

Jackson County, for example, holds its Stuff the Bus fundraiser each year to collect food, hygiene items and money to help students in need — this year’s donation drop-off will be 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14 at the Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church in Dillsboro.

Organizations in various counties donate prepackaged food that students can take home to eat over holiday breaks, and schools also do their best to provide hygiene items, food and school supplies to students in dire need.

The more secure homeless students can be in their access to these basic needs during what is doubtless a turbulent time in their lives, the greater their chance of success academically. And while there is no silver bullet to breaking the cycle of poverty, education is perhaps the closest thing.

“I feel very strongly that education is an equalizer,” said Dills, “so when you have atrisk families, at-risk students, giving them the best access to a good education is what can make them have the same opportunities and options as their peers who grow up in higherincome homes.”

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in Jackson County is typically north of 90 percent, said Dills, which is about the same as that of the general student population.

However, these students do need more support than the general population to thrive and reach their potential after graduation.

That’s why school counselors are so important, especially when it comes to helping homeless high schoolers apply for college scholarships.

“These people are really vital in their lives, because even if they’re still living with their parents, their parents are just trying to provide basic day-to-day needs,” said Dills.

Student homelessness by the numbers

* Figure is approximate. Data supplied by Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain school districts

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Jackson Swain Macon Haywood 2014-15 • Homeless students.............127 .......................38 ........................20 .......................280 • Total population................3,602 ...................2,008 ...................4,405 ..................7,100* • Percentage homeless.........3.53 .....................1.89 ....................0.45 ....................3.94 2015-16 • Homeless students..............77 ........................31 ........................41 .......................408 • Total population................3,641 ...................1,970 ...................4,406 ..................7,100* • Percentage homeless.........2.11 ....................1.57 ....................0.93 ....................5.75 2016-17 • Homeless students.............103 ........................7 .........................47 .......................281 • Total population................3,698 ...................1,975 ...................4,379 ..................7,100* • Percentage homeless.........2.79 .....................3.54 ....................1.07 ....................3.96 2017-18 • Homeless students.............108 .......................20 ........................59 .......................191 • Total population................3,632 ...................1,975 ...................4,405 ...................7,117 • Percentage homeless.........2.97 ....................1.01 ....................1.34 ....................2.68 2018-19 • Homeless students.............110 .......................49 ........................75 .......................245 • Total population................3,573 ...................1,963 ...................4,416 ...................7,094 • Percentage homeless.........3.08 ....................2.50 ....................1.70 ....................3.45

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Haywood jail reaches capacity

ARTS & CRAFTS Sheriff warns CHRISTMAS SHOW commissioners of a December 6-7, 2019 needed expansion

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR aywood County commissioners may have to start seriously considering expanding the detention center now that the average daily inmate population is close to — and sometimes over — capacity levels.

Sheriff Greg Christopher went before the board Nov. 18 to give an update on the jail and the programs that have been implemented to better manage the number of inmates coming in and out of the facility. While efforts to reduce recidivism rates have proven successful, the number of pre-trial detainees continue to rise, especially among the female population.

In March 2013, the average daily jail population was 109 inmates and as of Nov. 8, 2019, the average daily population was 112, according to Christopher.

“The male population is about the same, but the females are up from 22 in 2013 to 30 now,” he said, which is a 36 percent hike.

“This is not only becoming a problem in Haywood County but throughout the state of North Carolina.”

Female jail populations are increasing around the region, according to sheriffs in Swain, Macon and Jackson counties. When most of the jails were built — between 10 to 20 years ago — they were only designed with one female pod because the female detainee population was minuscule. Since male and female inmates have to be segregated, the jails haven’t accommodated the female inmate growth. Several detention centers in Western North Carolina have had to transport female inmates to other counties due to the overflow, but it costs more money to house inmates out of the county.

The maximum capacity at the Haywood detention center is 149 — 109 in the main jail facility and only 31 of the beds are in the female pod. The jail annex building can house 40 inmates, but it’s a dorm style facility and doesn’t meet the same security measures as the main jail. It is currently used to house low level male offenders — those who defaulted on child support or have a bond of $5,000 or less and considered to be a low flight risk.

“We can’t put females in that (annex) pod because we can’t separate them according to their charges. We have women with serious felonies including murder and some are in there for trespassing. We have to keep them segregated from each other,” Christopher said.

Another factor contributing to the jail’s overflow is the number of inmates serving out their prison sentences in the local jail.

Christopher said it wasn’t an issue when he was first elected in 2013, but now the Department of Corrections is also dealing with maximum capacities.

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The Haywood County Detention Center has a maximum capacity of 149, and Sheriff Greg Christopher recently told commissioners an expansion will be needed in the near future. File photo “Now there’s a backlog of people who have already been sentenced and ready to go to the Department of Corrections but there’s no place for them so we have to hold on to people sentenced in the court system until DOC calls us or sends a bus to pick them up,” he said. “We had 12 as of today.”

The cost to house an inmate is about $80 a day, but the state only pays counties $40 a day to house a state inmate.

At the first of the month, Christopher said he reached out to 12 other sheriff ’s offices to check on their housing situation. Eleven said they are sending inmates to other county facilities, which is costing them $60 to $120 a day.

“I get a phone call every day from detention centers asking if we have room to keep their inmates,” he said. “And we found out of the 12, three are housing more females than what capacity allows. Unfortunately our female capacity today was 30 so we’re teetering on that line.”

JAIL PROGRAMS Christopher said the daily jail population numbers would likely have increased more than it has if it weren’t for all the programs that have been put in place to curtail the growth. He’s been a major supporter of having a jail ministry program to allow volunteers from different denominations come into the jail to minister and provide assistance.

“Over 600 volunteers from varied denominations have been trained in safe practices, detention center policy and procedure,” Christopher said. “Our churches are phenomenal. We have 60 churches that work with us and not only while they’re inmates but when they get out and begin the process to get better. Everybody in addiction needs accountability and this is what our churches are doing for us.”

Indeed, more than 95 percent of the people in jail awaiting a court date are suffering from some form of addiction and/or a mental

illness or a combination of both. Christopher said many of the women in jail were caught up in a situation where they were found holding drugs for their male partner.

Seeing these trends and high rates of recidivism is what led Christopher to look for a way to help people transition back into society after being released from jail. Around the same time he took office in 2013, the county was in the process of acquiring the former state prison that sits next door to the detention center.

County Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley said the original idea was to use the former prison to expand beds at the jail, but as it turned out, it couldn’t be used for that because county jails and state prisons have different sets of standards and regulations.

Then the county was faced with an increase in homelessness, which is how the idea of the Haywood Pathways Center was born. The county turned over the former prison to the newly formed nonprofit, and with the help of local churches, community organizations and a $50,000 grant, the facility was renovated into a shelter for the homeless, people fighting addiction and people needing help after being released from jail.

“We hear a lot of bad things about things in the community, but there’s a reason we have Pathways,” Ensley said. “We hear about the bad apples, but we don’t realize how many people and families have been helped to get them through homelessness. I believe in faithbased programs because they work. We’re not perfect and sometimes we need a second chance and sometimes we need a third or fourth chance and our communities and churches have made it happen. It’s saved taxpayers thousands if not millions of dollars.”

Thanks to a grant obtained by Pathways, two peer support specialists have been embedded in the detention center for the last 18 months to help inmates work toward recovery and to come up with a transition plan for when they’re

bers and think it’s bad, but it’s not considering the population growth … given that to have these numbers is great. It shows the effectiveness of those ministries,” said Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick. “That being said, I think it’s going as good as it can, but eventually I think we will need another pod.

It was built to be able to build on a new pod.”

OTHER COUNTIES Macon County is also discussing the need for a new detention center to make more room for inmates. The current 75-bed jail — built 20 years ago — is not big enough to meet the demand in Macon County. The detention center is regularly at capacity, and the county is shelling out more than $500,000 a year to house its inmates in other county jails.

In 2013-14, the jail had an average daily population of 52.5 inmates — 10.6 of whom were female. In 2016-17, the average daily population has increased to 98.25 inmates — with 22.3 of those being female. Since 2013, the Macon County Detention Center budget has nearly doubled as a result of a higher inmate population, unpredictable medical expenses and the cost of transporting

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released. Some transition to Pathways, some transition to a rehab facility and others are sentenced and transition to a state prison — but wherever they go, they have more skills, resources and coping mechanisms than they did when they were first incarcerated.

Christopher said the peer support specialists have worked with more than 244 inmates so far and have saved taxpayers about $80,000 a year since their salaries are covered by grants.

“The ability to offer hope, support, guidance, transitional housing and employment, while allowing people to re-enter our communities as employed and contributing members benefits both the former inmate and many times, their families,” he said.

(Read more about the peer support specialist program on page 12) Other programs inside the jail include Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and Lifeworks classes for skill building. There’s also an Overdose Prevention Group with an education facilitator that works 20 hours per week inside the jail thanks to a grant through the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition.

Haywood County is also the recipient of a state grant through VAYA Health to start a

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Medically Assisted Treatment Program (MAT). Christopher said they are in the process of reviewing best practices and talking with other detention centers that are already working a MAT program.

FUTURE EXPANSION

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Even with all the measures being put in place to reduce the jail population, Christopher said it may be time for the county commissioners to seriously begin thinking about adding an additional pod to the jail.

“It’s wonderful to see the numbers haven’t increased any more than they have — and that’s because of the community groups and churches — but I’m afraid eventually we’ll have to talk about adding a pod,” he said.

Commissioners agreed that an expansion has been put off for long enough and it is probably time to begin coming up with a plan for the future. The detention center was constructed in 2005 for about $12 million with room to add on another pod.

“Some people would look at these num-

inmates to be housed in other counties.

Macon commissioners approved a $2.6 million budget for the jail for 2018-19, which has gradually increased each year from $1.8 million in 2013-14.

Swain County has a 109-bed facility that was completed in 2008, but today Sheriff Curtis Cochran said the jail is occasionally close to or over capacity. Last year the average jail population was 75 to 80 inmates a day and the occasional overflow is usually due to more females. The detention center can house only 25 female inmates, and that’s if they utilize cells that are intended to isolate inmates who are sick.

In Jackson County, the average inmate population has increased from 58 in 2013-14 to 64 in 2017-18, and the jail budget has also crept up from $1.4 million in 2013-14 to $2.1 million in 2017-18. The overall average population hasn’t overwhelmed Jackson’s 72-bed facility yet, but the exploding female inmate population has forced the jail to house females in other counties since it only has eight beds for female inmates.

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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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Peer support inside jail helps inmates have hozpe

CJ Deering, a peer support specialist inside the Haywood County Detention Center, reads a letter from a former inmate now serving a prison sentence. Jessi Stone photo

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR J Deering sat at her desk inside the Haywood County Detention Center when she got a surprise phone call from a woman who had been sentenced to prison nine months ago.

“That’s wonderful, honey,” Deering says in a loving motherly voice. “I think that’s a great idea. We can’t wait to see you.”

The woman called to tell Deering of her plans to return to Haywood Pathways Center once she’s completed her prison sentence in December.

“She said it’s the only place she feels comfortable,” Deering continued. “And where she wants to continue her recovery.”

It may not seem like much, but Deering and others working with Haywood Pathways Center know it’s a huge win considering many people released from jail tend to go right back to the negative behavior that landed them in jail in the first place. So often the men and women who are awaiting trial at the 12 local jail suffer from mental health and/or

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addiction, which led them to committing a crime. Without guidance, support and new coping skills to help them toward recovery, those people will continue to be caught up in the criminal justice system.

That’s where Deering’s work as a peer support specialist becomes such a vital resource — to not only help people overcome their obstacles but to also decrease recidivism rates at the local jail. In the short time that particular woman was in the Haywood County Detention Center, Deering was able to make a big enough impact on her life that she wanted to come back to Pathways to continue her journey to a better life.

Haywood County native Taylor Eubanks, a 25-year-old mother of two, is well known to local law enforcement and was a frequent guest at the detention center for the last few years.

“I started getting high at 14 and have had a drug addiction for half my life. I stayed in Haywood getting high with people I grew up with and I’ve been in and out of jail numerous times, always on drug-related charges,” she said. “I ended up with 13 felonies pending and

a handful of misdemeanors, but this last time was the first time I wanted to do something different. I knew if I go to prison, I still don’t know any different — I don’t know how to live a normal life when I get out. All I know is how to hustle and make quick money to get high.”

She knew she wanted the chance to go into a rehab program instead of going to prison, but she had no idea what it would take to get into a facility. Deering was able to walk her through the process, from filling out the paperwork, getting a drug and alcohol assessment through Meridian Behavioral Health Services, writing a personal essay and going through a telephone interview.

Had she not been guided through that long process, Eubanks was looking at a 44month prison sentence that would take her away from her children for another three and a half years. Instead, Superior Court Judge Bradley Letts suspended her sentence under the condition she complete a rehab program and 18 months of probation.

“Judge Letts is an amazing person because he’s open minded about recovery. He doesnt

think prison fixes the problem, and I’m so thankful he saw I really wanted to change this time,” Eubanks said. “CJ was such an asset while I was in jail — I would have sat there another two months waiting and I’d already been there 65 to 70 days. They wouldn’t let me bond out unless I was going straight to rehab.”

Eubanks went to Black Mountain for rehab on Nov. 14, 2018, and was there until Feb. 14, 2019. She was released early because she completed all her classes and was allowed to go home to see her parents and children.

With 14 months of sobriety under her belt, she’s now repairing relationships and working on plans for the future.

“I have a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter and my drug addiction took me away from them. I left them with my mom so I could get high,” she said. “I’m 14 months clean and if you’d asked me 14 months ago where I’d be today, I’d had said I’d be in prison. But I’ve changed and it’s such a better life on this side of it.”

The work she did with Deering in jail and the continued work she did in rehab taught her about things she had never considered — the triggers that led her to drugs, working through negative emotions and learning healthy coping skills to replace the unhealthy ones she’s known all her life.

With a clearer mindset and a new lease on life, Eubanks wants to take the skills she’s learned during her recovery process and help others find their way toward a better life. She has been volunteering with No Wrong Door, a new nonprofit in Franklin that provides resources for people suffering from mental illness and addiction, and she recently completed the required training to become a certified peer support specialist.

“I see the need for it. CJ showed me the ropes because I didn’t know how to do anything in recovery. I didn’t know about NA or AA. I had no coping skills — my coping skills were drugs. I didn’t know how to deal with my emotions, but now I’ve developed a better mindset,” she said.

In addition to working with No Wrong Door in Franklin, Eubanks has also talked to Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher about coming back into the jail — but this time to help the other girls find hope for recovery.

“Hopefully by February I’ll be working in the jail with the girls I used to get high with.

They know me and I feel like if they see me and see that I can do it then they’ll know they can do it too. And I’ll help them in any way I can,” she said. “I know you can’t help everybody, they’ve got to want to change, but 90 percent of them don’t know how or they don’t understand the process and I feel like they haven’t seen enough success stories to want it yet.”

Eubanks said she used to resent the fact that the deputies and police officers in this county would “stay on her” and arrest her every time she’d get caught up in drugs, but now she says she’s thankful they picked her up when they did and more thankful the last time was her wakeup call.

“Sheriff Christopher knows me so well.

He’s seen the worst of me and seen me at the bottom, and when I saw him Friday he told me how proud he was of me and how thankful he was I’m coming

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back to help others,” she said.

It’s these kinds of success stories that make the job worth the frustrations, Deering said. While it was an adjustment for her to learn how to work within the rules and regulations of the criminal justice system, she said the process has been much easier because of the support she’s gotten from the sheriff and his staff.

While Deering has so many success stories of women getting out of jail and turning their lives around, she’s also seen the peer support work have a positive impact on the culture and environment of the women’s pod.

There isn’t as much aggression amongst the women, which can be challenging when the pod is at capacity.

“We’re doing 12 step groups, drug classes, guided meditations, which the girls love, and journaling has been really helpful for them as a way to process their thoughts and feelings.” she said. “In general, the culture of the pod for the women has calmed down because of the personal interaction and the journaling and just being in a more supportive environment instead of a punitive one.”

It also helps the women to know they aren’t alone in their battles with addiction.

They learn empathy for one another, and Deering is a positive example of what it looks like to live a life of sobriety. They talk about their goals and dreams, they write letters to God and they’ve had breakthroughs while discussing shame and trauma.

“Some girls are here longer than others and they come back time and time again, but there seems to be a self-governing culture that has been created in the pod since this program started. They don’t feel so isolated from the rest of the world,” Deering said. “I don’t think they’ve ever been encouraged and they’ve never met anybody in recovery before. I never knew anyone in recovery until someone took me on that path when I was younger, and now I’m doing that for them.”

Mandy Haithcox, executive director of Haywood Pathways Center, said she’s been pleased with how the pilot program has played out inside the detention center — recidivism rates have dropped and more people are finding help through rehab or the Pathways program.

“I think the program has exceeded our expectations,” she said. “No one knew what having professional advocates in the jail was going to look like, but it’s been amazing for people who haven’t had a way to communicate with the outside world.”

The state grant that funded the two jail peer support positions was not renewed for another year because of budget cuts.

However, Deering’s position is now being funded through a contract with Vaya Health and a recent $75,000 grant from the Haywood Healthcare Foundation will help fund the other jail position as well as the two peer support specialists working inside the pathways shelter.

For anyone who would like to offer support for the program, Deering said she’s always in need of composition books for journaling and more AA and NA workbooks.

Donations can be made to Haywood Pathways Center by visiting www.haywoodpathwayscenter.org.

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Rain quells Cold Mountain Fire at 200 acres Crews continue to monitor embers

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fire in the Shining Rock Wilderness Area burned about 200 acres last week after a 911 call at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, alerted authorities to the blaze, but heavy rain Saturday helped halt its growth.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but there was no lightning in the area at the time the fire began. It’s likely the fire was the result of human activity, said Public Information Officer Bruce MacDonald.

No structures were damaged, and while the fire did affect a small amount of private property, it was otherwise confined to federal land in the Pisgah National Forest. The Shining Rock Wilderness, including its 53 miles of trails, from Thursday morning through Monday night, Nov. 25. As of press time Monday evening the closure area had been reduced to include only the area east of Deep Gap within the Shining Rock Wilderness. The closure area includes the Cold Mountain Summit Trail.

While no growth in the fire area is expected, firefighters will remain on site for the time being to monitor conditions and containment lines.

“We’re cautiously optimistic, but we’re not at the point now where we can call it good and walk away,” Public Information Officer Bruce MacDonald said in a Nov. 25 phone interview.

The blaze was named the Cold Mountain Fire after the iconic area it affected, a place that serves as the setting of the National Book Award-winning novel Cold Mountain and movie of the same name. The Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office estimated the fire to be between 20 and 30 acres at 9:30 a.m.

Thursday morning, with a U.S. Forest Service press release that evening stating that it had grown to about 106 acres. By midday Friday, the Forest Service estimate was 126 acres.

While the estimated fire size jumped up to 200 on Saturday, MacDonald said that

Smoky Mountain News

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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increase was not due to any actual fire growth but rather to more precise calculations. A heavy rain fell most of the day on Saturday, allowing incident managers to spend time more precisely mapping the area.

The rain “really knocked it down,” said MacDonald. “They (firefighters) did go out there yesterday afternoon (Sunday) by the heat of the day. There were a couple things still smoking, which wasn’t a complete surprise.”

Larger fuels can hold heat for a while, and fuels located in places that are sheltered from the rain can also remain active even after heavy precipitation. On Monday, crews further surveyed the area to determine where those smoking fuels were located — fuels in the fire’s interior cause little occasion for worry, while fuels located closer to the perimeter require closer monitoring.

At the top of everybody’s mind is the cautionary tale of the Chimney Tops Fire, a 2016 blaze that, like the Cold Mountain Fire, began just before Thanksgiving and was judged to be at low risk of metastasizing. But that prediction did not hold — a Nov. 28 windstorm brought the fuels to deadly life, creating a firestorm that swept down the mountain to burn much of Gatlinburg and cause 14 deaths.

During the briefing Monday morning, MacDonald said, incident managers reminded crews about the Gatlinburg disaster to instill the need to continue monitoring the fire closely.

“That was on everybody’s mind,” said MacDonald.

However, if the fire continues on its current petering-out trajectory, it will likely prove beneficial to the area in the long run.

While the fire did include some high-intensity burns, those occurred in concentrated areas of especially flammable fuels, MacDonald said. For the most part, the flames were low and slow, going downhill.

“Moving down the hill it burns very low intensity, and actually sometimes doing just the kind of burning we’re trying to do with prescribed burning,” said MacDonald.

Prescribed burning is a tool land managers use to prevent fuel buildups that can lead to destructive wildfires and to restore

Flames rise from Cold Mountain.

USFS photo

As of press time, the Shining Rock Wilderness Area was closed east of Deep Gap. USFS map fire-dependent landscapes, boosting plant and wildlife diversity. However, it’s expensive — finding the money to conduct needed burns is a perennial struggle for the Forest Service and other land management agencies.

While evaluation is ongoing, trail damage is not expected as a result of the fire.

Most of the flames occurred away from trails, MacDonald said.

The western counties saw some significant drought this fall, with the N.C. Drought Monitor logging the first severe drought designation since April 25, 2017. Rains in the later part of October alleviated the drought,

with conditions now restored to normal throughout Western North Carolina with the exception of a small area in southern Clay, Macon and Jackson counties labeled as abnormally dry. However, no major fires were reported in the region while drought conditions prevailed — the Cold Mountain Fire was the first significant blaze this fall, beginning after normal conditions had returned.

About 30 firefighters worked on response, representing the U.S. Forest Service, N.C. Forest Service, Haywood County Emergency Management, Cruso Fire Department and National Park Service.

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CCC offers $500 prize for student art The Haywood County student art talent exhibit, “Recycle Your Art Out,” will open this year at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in the lobby of the Clyde Town Hall.

“Recycle Your Art Out” is sponsored by the Commission for a Clean County (CCC), the county’s land-based environmental stewardship board. The exhibit features life-size sculptures made by Haywood County students from recycled trash. The theme this year is: Environmentally Beneficial Insects.

The six schools participating — Tuscola and Pisgah High Schools, Bethel, Canton and Waynesville Middle Schools and Shining Rock Classical Academy — will have their work partially judged by how close they stick to the theme.

Dr. Bill Nolte, Superintendent of Schools, will present the award plaques to each school’s art class. A first prize of $500 will be awarded to one of the art classes. The winning class will be chosen by three judges who will view all exhibits a few days before the public opening.

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Smoky Mountain News

Haywood TDA accepting applicants

Park Models & Homes

Heating help offered in Haywood Households in Haywood County containing a person aged 60 or more, or someone receiving disability benefits and services through the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services can apply for help covering the cost of heating their homes starting Monday, Dece. 2. All households can apply from Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020 through Tuesday, March 31, 2020 or until funds are exhausted.

The federally funded Low-Income Energy Assistance Program provides eligible households with a one-time payment to their heating vendor to offset the high cost of heating during the cold-weather months.

Depending on the household’s primary heating source, the payment will be $300, $400 or $500.

To be eligible, a person must have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets eligibility criteria; meet an income test; have resources, such as savings and checking accounts, cash on hand, at or below $2,250 and be responsible for their heating costs.

Apply in person at the Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency at 157 Paragon Parkway, Suite 300 Clyde, NC 28721.

Country Meadows

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

The Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office would like to make citizens aware of an unusual scam reported to the office recently.

It appears that some phone scammers copied the sheriff ’s office’s automated menu and applied it to the phone number 828.338.8818. This phony number has been disconnected already.

Scammers pull people into calling this number because the scammer makes the call to someone first and then leaves a voicemail asking the person to call them back. The scammers use a legitimate sheriff ’s office employee name when leaving the voicemail which makes it even more tricky.

The woman who reported the scam said the scammer told her she had a failure to appear for jury duty and she will need to pay a bail bondsman upwards of $750.

Sheriff ’s Office spokesperson Lindsay Regner said their office will never ask you to make a payment over the phone or suggest you pay someone over the phone when it involves HCSO business.

“The best thing to do is just hang up — but you can also ask hard questions and say you would be glad to visit the office to handle business in person, and be adamant about it,” she said.

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Volunteers will wrap gifts for donations to Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation from Dec. 1 through Dec. 24, at Mast General Store in Waynesville.

Volunteers who enjoy wrapping gifts are being sought to help with Sarge’s Gift Wrap project during the holidays. One hundred percent of the donations go toward taking care of homeless dogs and cats at Sarge’s. Gift wrappers are asked to sign up now at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508094 da8a72ba7fb6-mast.

To help with this worthwhile project, Sarge’s need donations of white tissue paper, bows, gift bags and dispenser scotch tape rolls. These items may be dropped off at Sarge’s Adoption Center, 256 Industrial Park Dr., Waynesville or at the Mast General Store in Waynesville after Dec. 1.

For information, call 828.246.9050 or visit www.sargeanimals.org.

Guidelines and application forms for the 1% Partnership funding can be found at www.haywoodtda.com. Click on Funding, then click on Partnership Funding and open the 1% 2019-20 Guidelines & Forms. The deadline for submitting applications is 5 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 20. Applications are to be submitted to the Haywood County TDA, 1110 Soco Road, Maggie Valley, NC, 28751.

The funding will be awarded in January 2020 and must be used by June 30, 2020. For more information, contact Lynn Collins at 828.944.0761 or lynn@visitncsmokies.com.

*No Fee Checking requires at least one direct deposit per month or maintain a $500 balance.

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Haywood NAACP hosts diversity training day for educators

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR new kind of professional development training session hosted by the Haywood County Chapter of the NAACP left local educators with a lot to think about as they return to their classrooms.

More than 30 Haywood educators met at the Folkmoot Friendship Center on Friday, Nov. 22, to hear from a number of regional experts who presented workshops focused on cultural diversity, implicit bias, nonviolent communication and more.

Developed by the NAACP chapter’s education committee, the training day offered teachers a deeper look into the issues they are dealing with in the classroom every day that have little to do with testing and curriculum and more to do with creating an open dialogue with students about difficult topics and fostering an inclusive school community.

Russell Binkley, chair of the education committee, said the NAACP members had heard stories from several parents about issues within the school system and wanted to provide a resource for public school teachers. With help from a teacher education partners grant, the NAACP put together the program.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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“We value you and we know how hard this work is,” he told teachers.

Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte said he was happy that NAACP reached out to him about the new staff development opportunity. He sees it as a great opportunity to take a first step toward being a more united school community.

FIGHT FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Before teachers broke out into different sessions, the NAACP presented a keynote speaker, North Carolina’s NAACP President Dr. Rev. Anthony Spearman, to discuss the history of public education in the state.

Spearman spoke about the importance of our own stories and how they may change over time as some aspects become more important and others fade over time as we change and grow. But changing certain facts about our history or leaving certain things out doesn’t make it any more or less true.

“And if you go too far down that road, it will make you absolutely crazy. That’s what psychiatry is all about, isn’t it? Telling the story of your past and someone else until you get it right and come to terms with it and accept even its most bitter realities,” he said. “But neither history nor psychiatry is simply about

accepting the past, but rather about confronting it and ultimately changing it. And the way you tell the story matters a great deal.”

The same is true for North Carolina’s sordid past when it comes to providing an equal and adequate public education for all students regardless of skin color or socio-economic status. By explaining the past as a series of decisions, mistakes and opportunities lost, Spearman said the future presents a chance to take responsibility for those mistakes and learn from those losses.

“The fight for public education has always been just that — a fight — and it remains so in a time when conservatives opposed to public education persist in their historical attacks on public schools and public school teachers, and more often than not, what you’ll find fueling the fight is a thing called race,” he said.

Spearman then rehashed the struggle black southerners have endured in their quest for public education and the right to vote, including North Carolina’s laws in the 1800s making 39 lashes the punishment for teaching slaves to read or write, literacy tests, the grandfather clause and the fact that universal public education was considered a “Negro idea” by white conservatives following emancipation.

“The wealthy planter class before and after the Civil War believed firmly that to provide schooling to the children of the poor, black or white, violated the divinely ordained dominion of wealth and intelligence,” he said.

Even after the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 that found racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, Spearman said the South evaded the law for another 17 years.

These injustices weren’t that long ago in the grand scheme of history, and the attitudes and repercussions of that suppressive history live on today as North Carolina struggles to keep up with the rest of the nation when it comes to public education. While research has shown that schools with a more diverse population and small class sizes perform better, Spearman said state conservative are still finding ways to segregate student populations through private school voucher programs and community charter schools.

“The 20 cities with the most segregated public schools are the 20 most economically depressed cities in America,” he said. “Mixed schools along with reduced class size are the only thing that we know works. The school privatization movement continues with the removal of the cap on charter schools, which greatly advanced re-segregation and everexpanding voter systems and so-called achievement districts and other means of getting public tax dollars into the hands of private corporations.”

Spearman said people must resist pitting diversity against parental responsibility or school excellence because

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A group of Haywood County educators participate in an activity during a recent staff development training offered by the Haywood NAACP Chapter. Jessi Stone photo diversity and school excellence go hand in hand. He encouraged people to come together to continue the fight for public education.

“If we cherish our children, black, white, Asian and Latino, wealthy or otherwise, we cannot turn toward the segregation or move away from diversity and inclusion,” he concluded.

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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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Nolte thanked Spearman for providing a “very painful but accurate history.”

“That’s where we’ve been, that’s what we want to change,” he told teachers. “As a school system and as public school employees, we can’t really act politically, but we have to understand what has happened in our state when we are dealing with people of diversity. Our task now is to go into these sessions and figure out what we can do in our classrooms with our children — not only our children of color but our children with gender orientation issues, our children who look the same but some are wealthy and some are very poor and our growing Hispanic population and the struggles they have.”

Teachers then broke out into different groups to attend the workshops. Dr. Candy Noltensmeyer, a communications professor at Western Carolina University, led a workshop on “Unpacking Implicit Bias.” While explicit bias is hard to miss, implicit biases are the attitudes people hold toward others without conscious knowledge.

Noltensmeyer led the group of teachers through a privilege walk exercise in which all teachers started out in a straight line and answered questions about their upbringing that forced them to move back a step or move forward a step. Questions like “Do work holidays coincide with the religious holidays your family celebrates? Do you like the way your race or ethnic group is portrayed in the media?

Did your family have more than 50 books in the house when you were growing up?

By the end of the exercise, some teachers found themselves at the front of the group while others found themselves at the back of the line.

“These are questions you might not think about within your family that gave you

opportunities or disadvantages,” she said.

“You may not consider some of these things privileges but you realize not everyone had the same access growing up.”

Alex Masciarelli, principal at Junaluska Elementary School, said the activity helped the teachers reflect on their own upbringing and realize their normal wasn’t the same as others.

When he looked around at where his colleagues were standing at the end, he was surprised at the disparities. Yet, they had all overcome those challenges to become educators.

“I was surprised some of my peers were raised in challenging situations, but to also look at what they’ve been able to accomplish,” he said. “It gives you a little bit of hope — that people, and our students, can come from difficult situations and make them into something positive.”

Another workshop on Culturally Responsive Teaching expounded on that concept by encouraging teachers not to focus on what a student is lacking, but to focus on what strengths they bring to the table. This “asset vs. deficit” thinking will help teachers not pigeonhole a student just because they’re poor or just because they are raised by a single mom. It seems simple, but sometimes it’s easy to use those deficits as an excuse for gaps in achievement and learning opportunities.

“So maybe a student’s dad is not involved, but maybe he also has a very committed mother and aunt that are very involved so let’s focus on that as an asset,” Masciarelli said. “It’s about changing the way we look at situations sometimes and coming from the positive instead of the negative.”

Masciarelli said it was definitely one of those days that left teachers with a lot of things to think about and hopefully some new ideas of how to address the growing number of issues that young students today are dealing with at home and at school.

“We look at Haywood County and we think there’s isn’t much diversity because the county is 98 percent white, but we have a lot of socio-economic diversity that impacts our students,” he said. “Will I be able to take things into school tomorrow? Maybe not, but this kind of training helps shape our mindsets and helps us be better teachers in different situations.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

HCC-ADVISING@HAYWOOD.EDU HAYWOOD.EDU 828.565.4125

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Health

Smoky Mountain News

Nursing students obtain stroke certification Region A Nursing Consortium second-year students recently obtained stroke certification as part of the health care concepts class.

Students in the consortium are from both Haywood Community College and Tri-County Community College.

Because of this certification, students can accurately quantify physical and neurological symptoms of stroke. Developed by the National Institute of Health, this certification requires a 100 percent accurate assessment of six video case studies.

All 50 second-year students are now certified. This benefits the communities of Western North Carolina not only when they graduate, but since many of these students currently hold health care-related jobs, this is an immediate benefit to the industry and patients.

HCC is currently accepting applications for admission to the nursing program for the fall 2020 semester. For more information, visit www.haywood.edu or call 828.627.2821.

Understanding the impact of trauma RENEW Bryson City, a volunteer nonprofit agency committed to addressing the negative impact of drugs on the community, will host a program focused on understanding the impact of trauma on people and society from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Bryson City Methodist Church, 76 Main. St. Speaker Becky Haas is a nationally known ACES/trauma trainer who will share how to create a healthy community. The film “Resilience” will be shown. The event is sponsored by Appalachian Community Services, Great Smoky Mountain Railroad and Vaya Health.

Reservations are required by Dec. 1. Call 828.488.4455.

HRMC receives ‘A’ rating in safety Haywood Regional Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Haywood Regional Medical Center’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.

“We are very pleased with the score of A for Haywood Regional,” said Susan Mahoney, RN, CNO. “This places us among the top tier of hos-

pitals across the country when it comes to patient safety.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. To see HRMC’s full grade details, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

Summit Charter receives health nurse Summit Charter School, a tuition-free K-10 public charter school in the CashiersHighlands plateau, recently received a grant from the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation to fund a full-time school nurse for one year.

Zandra Wingfield has fulfilled the full-time position and started on Oct. 16. This is the first time the school has had the funding capacity to hire a nursing position. Summit strives to graduate students who are academically prepared, engaged in the community, healthy, and strong in character.

“We are extremely grateful for the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation’s generous support of our whole-child focus at Summit,” said Head of School Kurt Pusch. “For the first time in our school’s history, Summit is able to staff a full-time school nurse to directly serve student and staff wellness on our campus. We believe that as a community school, being able to provide this level of care on campus is an important service to our families, students, and staff, resulting in long-term benefits to our students’ growth and development.”

New orthopaedic provider at Harris Harris Regional Hospital recently hired Dr. Joshua Wu, who will be offering orthopaedic services to patients in Sylva, Franklin and the WNC region.

Dr. Wu is the second orthopaedic physician to join Harris Regional Hospital this year as the hospital continues to grow its orthopaedic and sports medicine program.

“Dr. Wu has is an excellent addition to our hospital team,” said Steve Heatherly, CEO of Harris Regional Hospital. “Orthopaedic care is a priority for Harris Regional Hospital and ensuring our patients have access to the care they need. Dr. Wu will help us strengthen our footprint in this region as the leading provider for orthopaedic and sports medicine care including outpatient rehab services for our adult and pediatric patients.”

Wu graduated from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He completed his residency at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Virginia and a fellowship at MAHEC in Asheville.

Appointments can be made by calling 828.586.553.

SCC receives $70,000 for health sciences Thanks to a recent grant award of $70,000 from the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation, Southwestern Community College will soon purchase a new simulation mannequin to be used by the college’s Health Sciences programs.

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The mannequin can be programmed to mimic many ailments and diseases. It is also designed to behave just as a human patient would under those circumstances. The mannequin is part of SCC’s goal to outfit its new $20 million Health Sciences Building, scheduled for completion in 2021. SCC has outgrown its Balsam Center, which was built in 1988 to house four healthcare training programs. The college now has 14 Health Sciences programs, and this building will allow Southwestern to add three more.

“The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation is pleased to support this initiative as it addresses two of our key focus areas for improving the health and wellbeing of our surrounding communities: education and access to healthcare,” said Robin Tindall, HCHF Executive Director.

To learn more about HCHF, visit www.highlandscashiershealthfoundation.org.

Survivors of suicide support group

Survivors of suicide loss are invited to attend the Haywood Chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss support group from 6:30 to 8 p.m. the first Monday of each month at the Fllowship Hall of Hazelwood Prebyterian Church.

Everyone in the group, including the facilitators, have had someone close to them take their life and knows how devastating that experience can be. For more information, call Nancy at 910.528.0169.

Grant writing assistance available

Dogwood Health Trust has announced a fund to help local organizations hire grant writers.

It’s called the Leverage Fund, explains Antony Chiang, Dogwood’s new CEO. “We believe WNC is home to a host of creative, innovative problem-solvers whose daily demands make it difficult to pay attention to national funding opportunities,” said Chiang.

“The Leverage Fund will provide organizations and collaborations in our region with the capacity and technical assistance to overcome those barriers.”

The fund will help match local nonprofits, government agencies and other organizations with a professional grant writer — and pay their salary. It will be available to groups applying for $100,000 or more from national or state sources that will ultimately improve health outcomes for residents of the region. The fund will also pay for costs associated with writing the grant such as travel and meeting costs.

Dogwood also announced it will host three listening sessions to share more information on how to apply for the fund, including at 2 p.m. Dec. 6 at Clay County DSS and cohosted

by Nantahala Health Foundation. RSVP by emailing leveragefund@dht.org.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Celebrating family, longevity and all that’s possible L

Facts learned from impeachment hearings To the Editor: Those of us who watched the impeachment inquiry testimony and some of the factual news reports afterward learned a number of facts. Here are a few.

1. He did it. Trump abused his power for personal benefit. Based on multiple accounts, Trump withheld meetings and military aid from Ukraine to get the Ukrainian president to announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Whether you choose to call that a bribe, extortion, or quid pro quo, it remains an abuse of power. Ambassador Gordon Sondland clearly stated under oath that this is the case. Testimony of other witnesses supported this fact.

2. The extortion almost worked until the whistleblower complaint got discovered by Congress. The Ukrainian president had even scheduled an interview to announce the bogus investigation, but when word got out about the extortion, the interview was canceled. Eventually most of the aid got released and the jig was up.

3. Trump was not interested in actually doing anything about corruption. The requirement on the Ukrainian president was to announce an investigation. He was not asked to actually begin an investigation,

When he emerges from his room with his standard travel kit — phone, earbuds, a body pillow, drum sticks and a practice pad — and then proceeds directly to the backseat of the car without so much as a nod to either parent, I can see that I’ll be spending the drive in quiet reflection, or more likely playing my own music, plugging my phone into the car stereo via an aux cord.

Soon, we’re on the road and settling in for the drive, orbiting silently in our own space like two planets spinning around the sun. I think maybe I’ll meditate, try to wrestle down some recent disquiet. This lasts about five Columnist minutes, maybe three, before I shuffle through my downloads and find Neil Young, a longtime traveling companion.

“You can’t be 20 on Sugar Mountain, Though you’re thinking that You’re leaving there too soon, You’re leaving there too soon.”

I’m singing full throttle, in the song down to the marrow, right there with the barkers and the colored balloons, but Jack’s got his earbuds in tight, lost in his own jam, impervious to this particular embarrassment. Good then.

Since I’ve allowed for the very real possibility of traffic snarls on I-40 and/or I-77 and there are none, we arrive a good half hour early. Only a few cars are here already. In an

Chris Cox

illie is my dad’s big sister. He’s been gone for nineteen years — from a heart attack, in bed, while smoking his last cigarette — but Lillie keeps on going. Today is her 86th birthday, and we are having Thanksgiving a few days early to celebrate both. There will be 52 people there, which would be a decent chunk of Sparta’s population, except that a lot of the family has moved off, most to find work, some to find love, a few to find that great adventure of the unknown.

I left 35 years ago for all of those reasons, I guess, but I always look forward to coming back, jumping off I-77 onto Highway 21, gliding past Elkin and then on up the mountain toward Roaring Gap, up, up, up, until I can feel Sparta seeping in like water, filling certain hidden chambers in me that always seem to empty out if I stay away too long.

By the time I hit the Glade Valley Flats, I often feel like I never left at all. An old girlfriend used to say that my accent got twangier and my expressions stranger when I was in Sparta.

“It’s like you’re a different person there,” she would say.

That may be true, but I’m also a different person than I used to be there, and so is the town itself. The factories are mostly gone, a lot of the old businesses are gone, the tobacco fields are gone, even the red-eyes and water dogs are gone from the rivers. John R, my dad’s older brother and ace fisherman, said there are no red-eyes left to catch.

It’s a three-hour drive from our house to Sparta, almost all of it interstate. Tammy has to work and our daughter is driving up from UNC-Charlotte, since she doesn’t go on break until Wednesday. So it’s just me and my son in the car, three hours up and three hours back. Will there be any conversation? Tammy guesses maybe 20 minutes if I’m lucky.

hour, Janie’s driveway and yard will resemble a used car dealership, four generations of family inside gathering for the blessing, a birthday song, a grand feast, and a long drink of the love that has seen us through countless celebrations and heartaches, for all of our lives.

It seems no time at all, really, since I was part of the youngest generation, doted on by my Aunt Lillie, who kept me often and fed me popcorn in bowls the size of a wash basin with a huge glass of Doctor Pepper with ice to wash it down while we watched “The Price Is Right” and “Dialing for Dollars.” She worked for years at Hanes, often sending me home with brown paper bags filled with new T shirts and underwear. I found it strangely satisfying to take home my bag of shorts and T shirts and put them away in my chest of drawers, knowing they were a gift from her, that she may have had a hand in making them.

These days, she doesn’t see too well and she has had a few nasty falls, but she abides with gratitude and with grace.

“I’ve had a good life,” she says. “The Lord has been awful good to me.”

Kids swarm the room, except for Roman, my great nephew, born just a few weeks ago. My sister holds him, and will not give him up, even to eat, not yet. His older brother, Vincent, now 3-years-old, holds a tiny plastic dinosaur in each hand. He can, and does, name just about every dinosaur there ever was, lifting the Spinosaurus over his head.

“Can he fly, Vincent?” I ask him.

“Yes, he can,” Vincent says, grinning, and for the moment, everything seems possible.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. jchriscox@live.com)

LETTERS according to people directly involved in the negotiations. Getting political dirt was the only motivation.

4. Trump and Republicans are promoting a Russian propaganda lie. The story that Ukraine had anything to do with the 2016 election was cooked up by Soviet President Vladimir Putin and Russian intelligence. One of the most impressive witnesses testified under oath that the Ukraine story was orchestrated by Russia to stir up dissent in the U.S. and that repeating that lie did a disservice to the country. The intelligence department has briefed Senators of the fact that Russia started the lie about Ukraine. Despite this, many Republicans keep repeating this lie that Trump likes. Trump is biased against Ukraine because Putin, Rudy Giuliani, and other keep telling him the lie that Ukraine supported Hillary and attacked him.

5. The hold on the military aid probably was against the law. Congress had passed a law decades ago requiring aid that had been appropriated and approved by Congress had to be released and could not be held by the president.

6. The hold on military aid had a negative effect on our national security. The hold weakened Ukraine in dealing with Russia both militarily and diplomatically. The hold also made the U.S. appear to be an unreliable ally to

every other country on the planet. Other countries are not as likely to trust the U.S. and commitments we make.

7. EU ambassador Sondland, Rudy Giuliani, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and others were acting outside the normal diplomatic channels and excluded career diplomats

from what they were up to. Trump was directing the rogue group assigned the task of digging up or making up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden. All three — Sondland, Giuliani, and Pompeo — were in direct con-

S EE LETTERS, PAGE 21

Hannah McLeod

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ART AFTER DARK

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the Ottoman Empire, which is modern-day Turkey. The U.S. has long tiptoed around the prospect of recognizing the event as a genocide in order to preserve relations with Turkey. When then U.S. Ambassador to Armenia stated in 2005 that “the Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th century,” he was recalled and forced to retire.

So when the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to approve a resolution to formally recognize the Armenian mass killings as genocide, it was a belated recognition of Armenian people, history, and culture. It was also a step in the right direction for official American foreign policy. However, watching Rep. Ilhan Omar, (DMinn.) vote “present,” as opposed to “yay/yes,” and Sen. Lindsay Graham (RS.C.) block the resolution from a vote in the Senate, highlights the politics that too often sway our foreign policy. Omar voted “present” because, in her words “accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as a cudgel in a political fight.”

Graham blocked the Senate vote at the behest of the White House following a meeting with President Erdogan of Turkey concerning the end to an arms deal with Russia. Both leaders allowed politics to stand in the way of their decisions about foreign policy.

We should depend on non-partisan entities, like the State Department, and the professionals and academics who run them to guide our foreign policy. The ability to have a coherent, just foreign policy does not fall along party lines. It falls along moral lines.

But the politicians that run our country are too steeped in politics, domestic and foreign, to make rational and moral decisions about how to treat and interact with the rest of the world. As we look back in our nation’s history, perhaps the easiest way to grasp, to understand the people in charge of our nation is to look at how we treated the rest of the world. In what ways we looked out for those who weren’t a part of our nation, to those who weren’t entitled to or guaranteed the protections we are by our government. And though this administration falls in a long line of many other political, amoral administrations, it will be remembered as one who put America first in a way that disregarded the rights of humans around the world to further the interests of the United States of America.

(Hannah McLeod lives in Waynseville. mcleodh828@gmail.com)

To the Editor: Our NC 11th Dist. Rep. Mark Meadows suggested that he is bored with his job when he stated recently that “... it’s hard for me to stay awake and listen to all of this,” and “we were probably checking our Twitter feed more than we were paying attention” while referring to testimonies before the House Intelligence Committee.

In October 2018 Meadows stated in a local interview that “I’ve gone from not running on term limits to being a strong advocate for term limits. I think that four terms, really, for a House member should be about right.” In January of this year, Meadows co-sponsored H.J. Res. 20 to limit House of Representatives to only three terms.

Rep. Meadows is in his fourth term; he’s had the job longer than he thinks he should; and he’s bored with it all. Do Western North Carolina a favor, Mark, and show us you mean what you say about term limits.

We have a good replacement: a military veteran who’s interested in protecting our WNC environment; believes in our founding fathers’ system of checks and balances; and knows that WNC workers can’t really live on $7.25 per hour. He’s Maj. Steve Woodsmall.

John H. Fisher Hendersonville

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

he past few weeks have demonstrated the dark direction the United States is taking in foreign policy. Our country declared Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank legal, and the Senate blocked a resolution by the House to recognize the Armenian mass killings that Guest Columnist took place during WWI as genocide.

Politics, domestic and foreign, are guiding our foreign policy far more than the information, history, and morality that should.

The West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip all remain effectively under the control of the Israeli government. However, these lands are outside the recognized borders of Israel. They belong to, and are still inhabited by, the Palestinian people.

Under International Humanitarian Law, specifically the fourth Geneva Convention, it is illegal for any occupying state to transfer their own civilians into an occupied territory.

It is also illegal to forcibly move the protected population from, or even within, the land they occupy. Israel has disregarded these international laws since it began forging settlements in occupied territory following the war with Jordan in 1967. It is important to note that the United States has done almost nothing to stop their expansion and expulsion process. The only administration in the last 50 years to take a stand against Israeli settlements was that of George H.W. Bush.

For one year that administration withheld a $10 billion housing loan intended to help absorb Soviet Jews. Other than that, nearly every administration has had a blind, “all in” support for Israel despite their crimes.

By declaring the Israeli settlements “legal,” the U.S. is not only breaking with international law, we are also abandoning any promise of peace among Israelis and Palestinians in the region. Encroaching settlements limit land available to the Palestinians. Buffer zones, barriers, fences, and imminent conflict that come along with those settlements restrict everyday movement, commerce, and freedom. The more settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, the less chance there is of a viable Palestinian state left to negotiate with.

The Armenian Genocide took place between 1915 and 1923, when roughly 1.5 million Armenians were murdered within

tact with Trump in doing his bidding outside of standard diplomatic channels.

8. You did not need to listen to the hearings to know that Trump is trying desperately to cover up what happened.

He has ordered virtually everyone to ignore subpoenas in violation of the Constitution and the law. Patriotic career, non-partisan diplomats came forward to testify under oath about what they knew, did, heard, and saw. Only because of patriots who place country above loyalty to a cult leader do we know about what happened.

9. Facts don’t matter to Republicans.

This became abundantly clear in interviews with a variety of Republicans in both the House and Senate. Distressingly, facts do not appear to matter to a lot of Republican voters either. The lengths to which people are going through to either deny that which is irrefutable or claim that it doesn’t matter or is normal is astounding.

Bill Clinton got impeached because he denied getting oral sex from a woman.

The case today is of a president abusing his power to get personal gain at the expense of the country and an ally and then doing everything in his power to cover it up. Only Putin and Russia benefit from Trump’s actions. I leave you with the facts to draw your own conclusions.

Norman Hoffman Waynesville

Do us a favor, Meadows: retire opinion

Politics too often beats our morality

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM 20

WHERE ART DANCES WITH NATURE 98 N. MAIN ST. • WAYNESVILLE NC • MON-SAT: 10-5:30 SUN: 1-4 828.456.1940 • W W W.T WIGSAN DLEAVES.COM

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3 E JACKSON ST. • SYLVA, NC

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

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

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

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

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

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

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

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY 50 N Main Street, Waynesville.

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

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

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

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

CHURCH STREET DEPOT 34 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

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

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

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

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

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

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly.

Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

THE CLASSIC WINESELLER 20 Church Street, Waynesville.

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

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

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

828.926.1820 Winter hours: Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet.

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

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

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

FERRARA PIZZA & PASTA 243 Paragon Parkway, Clyde.

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

FIREFLY TAPS & GRILL 128 N. Main St., Waynesville 828.454.5400. Simple, delicious food. A must experience in WNC. Located in downtown Waynesville with an atmosphere that will warm your heart and your belly! Local and regional beers on tap. Full bar, vegetarian options, kids menu, and more.

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

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

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

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St., Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving dinner 5 to 9 p.m.

Tuesday through Thursday. 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes. Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors.

Reservations accepted. www.frogsleappublichouse.com.

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

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

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

Historic full service soda fountain.

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

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

All ABC permits and open year-round.

Children always welcome. Take-out menu.

Excellent service and hospitality.

JOEY'S PANCAKE HOUSE 4309 Soco Rd Maggie Valley.

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

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

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner.

The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

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

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

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

828.586.3555. Open Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with Sunday Brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Hand-tossed pizza, house-ground burgers, steak sandwiches & fresh salmon all from scratch. Casual family friendly atmosphere.

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

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

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

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

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT 2804 Soco Road, Maggie Valley.

828.926.0425. 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Daily specials including soups, sandwiches and southern dishes along with featured dishes such as fresh fried chicken, rainbow trout, country ham, pork chops and more.

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

with all the fixings, $11.95. Check out our events and menu at rendezvousmaggievalley.com SAGEBRUSH STEAKHOUSE 1941 Champion Drive, Canton 828.646.3750 895 Russ Ave., Waynesville 828.452.5822. Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Carry out available.

Sagebrush features hand carved steaks, chicken and award winning BBQ ribs. We have fresh salads, seasonal vegetables and scrumptious deserts. Extensive selection of local craft beers and a full bar. Catering special events is one of our specialties.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN SUB SHOP 29 Miller Street Waynesville 828.456.3400. Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A Waynesville tradition, the Smoky Mountain Sub Shop has been serving great food for over 20 years. Come in and enjoy the relaxed, casual atmosphere. Sub breads are baked fresh every morning in Waynesville. Using only the freshest ingredients in home-made 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.

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

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Family style dining for adults and children.

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

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

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

PIGEON RIVER GRILLE 101 Park St., Canton.

828.492.1422. Open Tuesday through Thursday 3 to 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday noon to 9 p.m.; Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

Southern-inspired restaurant serving simply prepared, fresh food sourced from top purveyors. Located riverside at Bearwaters Brewing, enjoy daily specials, sandwiches, wings, fish and chips, flatbreads, soups, salads, and more. Be sure to save room for a slice of the delicious house made cake.

Relaxing inside/outside dining and spacious gathering areas for large groups.

VITO’S PIZZA 607 Highlands Rd., Franklin.

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

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley 828.926.0201 Home of the Maggie Valley Pizzeria. We deliver after 4 p.m. daily to all of Maggie Valley, J-Creek area, and Lake Junaluska. Monday through Wednesday: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. country buffet and salad bar from 5 to 9 p.m. $11.95 with Steve Whiddon on piano. Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 11:30 to 8 p.m. 11:30 to 3 p.m. family style, fried chicken, ham, fried fish, salad bar, along

WAYNESVILLE PIZZA COMPANY 32 Felmet Street, Waynesville.

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

Daily Specials: Soups, Sandwiches & Southern Dishes

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

Breakfast : Omelets, Pancakes, Biscuits & Gravy!

Breakfast served all day!

OPEN DAILY 7 A.M. TO 8 P.M. SUNDAY 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M. CLOSED TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY 2804 SOCO RD. • MAGGIE VALLEY

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

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

Closed Tuesday

Sunday 12-9 p.m.

Sandwiches • Burgers • Wraps 32 Felmet Street

828.926.0425 • Facebook.com/carversmvr Instagram- @carvers_mvr

(828) 246-0927

Wine • Port • Champagne Cigars • Gifts

828-452-6000

20 Church Street Downtown Waynesville

MON.-SAT. 11AM–8PM

classicwineseller.com MONDAY - SATURDAY

10:00AM - 6:00PM

34 CHURCH ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.246.6505 twitter.com/ChurchStDepot

THANK YOU, HAYWOOD COUNTY,

FOR VOTING US

#1 BURGER! facebook.com/ChurchStreetDepot

828-246-6996 429 Hazelwood Avenue Waynesville

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

Sunday: 12- 9 p.m. • Monday: Closed

101 PARK ST. CANTON 828.492.1422 PIGEONRIVERGRILLE.COM

Monday, Tuesday Wednesday Thursday, Friday Saturday Sunday Brunch

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

WEDNESDAY 5-9 P.M.

THURSDAY 5-9 P.M.

SUNDAY 11 A.M-3 P.M.

Rib buffet, fried chicken, vegetables, and a twenty-three item salad bar!

Piano Man & Angie

Buffet Brunch

$11.95

Country Buffet

$11.95

featuring turkey and dressing

$12.95

Smoky Mountain News

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.

MAGGIE VALLEY RESTAURANT since 1952

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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.

Carver's

828.926.0201 At the Maggie Valley Inn • 70 Soco Road, Maggie Valley

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Smoky Mountain News

Since I laid my burden down Sister Sadie.

Sister Sadie to play ‘Art of Music’ festival

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER n just seven years together, the members of Sister Sadie have risen into the upper echelon of the modern bluegrass scene.

From a Grammy nomination for “Best Bluegrass Album” (for “Sister Sadie II”) to a handful of appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, 2019 was a milestone year for the group.

This past September, the band received the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award for “Vocal Group of the Year” — the first all-female act in the history of the IBMAs to do so.

Initially formed at the legendary Station Inn (Nashville) in 2012 as a one-off showcase of all-star pickers-n-grinners, the sold-out performance transitioned into a full-time gig, one taking over the airwaves and stages across the country and around the world.

Featuring guitarist DaleAnn Bradley (fivetime IBMA “Female Vocalist of the Year”), mandolinist Tina Adair, banjoist Gena Britt, fiddler Deanie Richardson and bassist Beth Lawrence, the ensemble is about keeping one foot in musical tradition and one in melodic innovation.

I

Want to go?

The Balsam Range Art of Music Festival will take place Dec. 6-7 in the Stuart Auditorium at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. A full schedule of events is as follows:

“It always feels like sibling harmonies to us when we sing together.

And that’s just something that you don’t have with everybody — to find that is pretty magical.”

— Tina Adair

Smoky Mountain News: With Sister Sadie, you didn’t put any expectations on it, but you also didn’t put any limitations on it either.

Tina Adair: Exactly. We certainly didn’t expect anything more than what we were doing [at The Station Inn]. But, we’re happy and proud that we have gotten to people out there that like to hear us. We have so much fun together, and that’s what it’s about — making music, having fun, and loving on the people around you. Life is too short and we need to laugh more, you know?

SMN: What is it about harmony singing that really appeals to you?

TA: I’ve been singing harmony all my life.

It’s just something magical that happens. It’s

such an emotional experience for me. I’ll always say my voice was my first instrument because I’ve been singing since I was 3. I know that the other girls [in Sister Sadie] are the same way. For us to sit around and work on the [vocal] blend and harmonies, it always feels like sibling harmonies to us when we sing together. And that’s just something that you don’t have with everybody — to find that is pretty magical.

SMN: And I notice such a carefree spirit in the band, where bluegrass as a genre can sometimes come across as rigid and stuffy in its presentation.

TA: That’s true. From the first day that we ever played together seven years ago, it felt like we’re just having fun. We made a pact with each other that when it’s not fun anymore, then we won’t do it. And, essentially, bluegrass music is such a raw and organic form of music anyhow, so we just let it happen naturally [onstage and in the studio].

SMN: Why bluegrass? What is it about that “high, lonesome sound” that speaks to your heart?

TA: I think some of it has been instilled in me, even from the time my mom was expecting me. I believe in that. I mean, she played guitar and sang on the stage while she was carrying me — it’s a part of [my] soul. Bluegrass is where my heart is at.

• Tuesday, Dec. 3: The Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/country) will play at 7:30 p.m. at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Pre-kickoff event. Free and open to the public.

• Wednesday, Dec. 4: Second annual “Bluegrass Boogie” at 7:30 p.m. in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. Performance by J Rex & His High Mountain Pals, as well as special guests. Sponsored by The Smoky Mountain News. Pre-kickoff event. Free and open to the public.

• Thursday, Dec. 5: To officially kick off the festival, there will a special performance starting at 6 p.m. at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Members of Balsam Range and special guests. The event will also feature a traditional Southern Appalachian barbeque included in the ticket price. Fresh beer will also be available. Tickets are $25 in advance ($28 at the door) and can be purchased in advance at www.folkmoot.org or by calling 828.452.2997.

• Friday, Dec. 6: Art of Music Festival, Day One. Doors at 6 p.m. Performances by Balsam Range (7 p.m.), Mike Snider, Tim O’Brien, and Balsam Range with studio musicians. Tickets now available.

• Saturday, Dec. 7: Art of Music Festival, Day Two. Doors at 6 p.m. with Whitewater Bluegrass Co. Performances by Sister Sadie (7 p.m.), Darrell Scott, and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra with John Driskell Hopkins (of Zac Brown Band) and Balsam Range. Tickets now available.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets to the Art of Music Festival, visit www.balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com.

A SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT TO

GUIDE

Shop Small Give hometown stores first chance for gifts Theater, music make memorable moments

Crafty experiences Gifts for four-legged family members

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS HOLIDAY GUIDE

Give hometown stores first chance for gifts L n By Scott McLeod ocal potter Brad Dodson of Mud Dabbers Pottery in Balsam has, over the years, recommended several very good books.

Last week he was singing the praises of Beartown, and as he described the story I immediately thought of someone for whom that book would make a great Christmas gift. I got to the office, emailed Allison Lee at Blue Ridge Books and News in Hazelwood.

She ordered it and then called me Friday when it arrived.

I have no idea how the price at my local bookstore will compare to what Amazon may have charged me, and I don’t care. I find myself shopping online more than I should, but I also make a conscious habit of buying local whenever what I need is available. And at Christmas, I become somewhat rabid about the shop small, love the locals, “insert slogan here” about the importance of supporting our local, privately owned businesses.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Crafted in Carolina

Panacea Coffeehouse

But shopping at our local stores isn’t something you do just to help them out. It’s just more fun, more unique and much more creative.

Think for a minute about what makes Western North Carolina the place all of us — and apparently plenty of others — want to call home. It’s the total package that includes the awe-inspiring outdoors and the collection of

Holiday GUIDE

local retail stores, galleries, restaurants, breweries, and other businesses that make our small towns just cool places to hang out. If we don’t support them, especially this time of year, the chains and big boxes will gobble them up. That’s just a fact.

When I was talking to Brad, we were in one of our local coffee shops,

Panacea in Frog Level. I love that place and have penned some of my favorite columns from inside that space. Our conversation started because he told me how hard he had been working at his pottery shop, and I imagine it was because he is stocking up on Christmas inventory. As he works, he listens to books on tape and so gets plenty of time to go through some good books.

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As I started thinking about this column urging people to shop local, I kept thinking about Brad. Most of us have heard how a dollar spent locally multiplies six times through the economy, versus how big boxes send most of that to shareholders. Brad is the perfect example. That guy uses his skill and his kilns — not to mention his time — to help many nonprofits and other organizations,

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Mobile pet grooming Mobile pet grooming has become the norm in many areas.

Mobile pet grooming can reduce the potential stress on animals, and tends to be very convenient for customers, particularly seniors and others who have mobility issues.

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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

especially those having to do with running and kids. The more his shop succeeds, the more he does for this community and more the youth of this community benefit.

That’s how it works with most small businesses owned by locals. We donate money, time and/or product to nonprofits, school groups, youth sports, and more. I can mentally go through our office here at The Smoky Mountain News and Smoky Mountain Living and come up with more than a dozen boards, nonprofits, youth groups and PTOs who all benefit from our staff, people who know how important it is to give back to the community they call home. It’s the same for small businesses up and down main streets or located in some strip center in Cashiers, Franklin, Sylva, Bryson City, Canton, Maggie Valley or Waynesville.

I know there’s Shop Small Saturday coming up Nov. 30, which happens to be sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But don’t wait until then and don’t limit yourself to that one day. Support our local merchants by shopping where you live. You’ll help ensure that this remains a bustling, vibrant and great place to call home.

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

We will be open till 7 on Fridays and Saturdays leading up to Christmas and will close at 5 on Christmas Eve

HOLIDAY GUIDE

Specialty pet services The American Pet Products Association says the demand for high-end pet grooming and other services is substantial.

In addition, personalized training, behavioral consulting, portrait photography, dog sitting, and upscale spa treatments like pet Reiki and massage are booming.

Offering hand crafted chocolates, peanut and cashew brittle, & fudge.

Custom and premade gift boxes.

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Natural pet products Just as people are interested in protecting the health of the planet and their own personal health, so, too, are they extending this concern to companion animals. Natural pet products, which can include natural flea and tick remedies, holistic foods, organic items, and all-natural grooming products, can make great gifts.

Home Entertainment & Recreation 452.5534 | 2566 Asheville Rd. | Waynesville 27

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Crafty experiences for holiday gifts

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

HOLIDAY GUIDE

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ne of the challenges each holiday season is coming up with novel gifts for loved ones. For those who seemingly have it all and might not need another Santa sweater, an experience gift might be the perfect fit. Giving experiences can be fulfilling for gifters and show recipients that the gift was given ample thought. There are no shortages of experiences to offer. However, people who enjoy arts and crafts may enjoy being on the receiving end of a crafty experience this year.

• Glass-blowing: Glass-blowing is an art form that turns molten glass into colorful and eye-catching pieces.

Blown glass can be transformed into everything from wine goblets to ornaments. Instructors can teach gift recipients how to form glass into desired finished products and decorate them with swirls, patterns and colors. Check with local glass-blowing artisans (many are located in tourist centers and seaside towns) to find out if they offer experience gifts.

• Paint and sip: Paint and sip businesses are thriving, as scores of novice artists produce impressive artwork while sipping a glass of vino. A friend or a family member who aspires to be the next Bob Ross will likely enjoy a paint and sip gift.

• Farmhouse style crafts: Businesses that teach individuals how to create crafts take them through the step-bystep process of turning raw wood boards and shelves into stained and stenciled farmhouse-inspired pieces.

With clever sayings like “Home is where our story begins” or “Smith Family, Est. 2019,” it’s never been easier to create custom pieces in just a few hours.

• Pottery: Pottery studios can now be found as stand-alone buildings or as franchised establishments in area shopping malls. Recipients can choose among various projects and walk away with a painted and fired treasure that can be displayed for years.

• Brewing: With the rise of craft breweries, apprentice shops have turned up across the country. A craft beer experience gift may be just what a budding brewer needs to start creating his or her own beers. Craftinspired experience gifts can be customized for people with a wide range of interests.

Or, if you can find a shop that provides the actual experience of making a gift, shop for hand-made regional crafts among the dozens of stores and galleries located in Western North Carolina.

Gifts for the outdoorsy types People who can’t resist sleeping under the stars will appreciate gifts that make camping excursions even more special. Any new gear, whether it be sleeping bags/pads, water filtration devices, tents, fuel, packs or cooking supplies also make great gifts for campers. A high-quality cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven is a great gift that can last for years.

Hiking adventures The right gear can make a hike even more enjoyable. A durable hiking pack, compass or GPS tracker, comfortable hiking shoes, polarizing sunglasses, hammoc, and/or hiking food packs make great gifts for seasoned or even novice hikers. Tickets for transportation to Appalachian Trail trailheads, or other notable trails across the country, also can be fitting gifts.

Cycling treats Cycling can be a recreational pursuit, a means of commuting or a great way to shed a few pounds. Gifts focusing on cycling can appeal to all ages.

Gifts can include cleaning and lube kits, a mini tire inflater, portable repair tools, a bike phone mount, a wearable bicycle cable lock and a bicycle storage rack.

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS HOLIDAY GUIDE

facebook.com/smnews

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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HOLIDAY GUIDE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

Live theater, music can be a memorable gift experience

T

he experience of live theater and music is unlike any other.

Watching actors and musicians perform live on stage can be a wonder to behold, and many people even vividly recall the first play or concert they attended. No matter if one is a lover of the arts or simply enjoys a night out on the town, this experience can make a perfect holiday gift. Here are a few helpful suggestions: • Enroll in a discount ticket program.

Explore the possibilities of discounted tickets through employers, schools or professional organizations. Groups offer perks like enrollment in entertainment plans that are affiliated with theaters across the country.

Participation in these clubs can offset the cost of tickets.

• Tap into a person’s interests.

Theater shows run the gamut from serious dramas to lighthearted musicals. Find a show that you think fits the recipient. Many new musicals are

based on pop culture and can entertain just about anyone. And concert calendars run the gamut for aging superstars to up-and-coming artists.

• Look close to home. You don’t have to stray far from home to find quality performances, and in Western North Carolina both music and theater options abound. Buy someone a tick-

Holiday GUIDE

et to a local show or go big and find a nearby arena concert or traveling Broadway show.

• Throw in a bonus. Ensure lasting memories by including a real vinyl album (they are making a comeback), a soundtrack, script, book on which a show was based or a book about a band or music personality, posters or another memento of the show.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Holiday Open House All Locally Handmade.

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Dec. 6, 7 & 8

Fri. & Sat. 10-6 • Sun. Noon-5

Free pottery cup & refreshments while supplies last!

Give the gift of health this holiday!

Purchase 3 Gift Certificates and receive a $25 Gift Card FREE. Shop our boutique of locally made goods, fair trade artistry and high quality herbs.

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828.456.1916 www.muddabbers.com 30

MASSAGE • ACUPUNCTURE AYURVEDA • YOGA • FACIALS MANICURE & PEDICURE

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HOLIDAY GUIDE

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SELECT SCARVES

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2 consignment shop

Name brand clothing and shoes for the entire family.

Jewelry, Purses, Home Decor, Appliances, Electronics, Housewares, Cherokee Souvenirs, Vinyls, DVD's, VHS, CD's, Cassettes. Books, Tools, Sports Equipment, Antiques, $1-$5 Clearance Room, Seasonal Decor and MORE! OF TREASURES

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Visit Lake Junaluska for a music-filled weekend of festive activities!

Enjoy holiday concerts, a craft show and decorations along the lake.

Friday, Dec.13

Saturday, Dec. 14

Saturday, Dec. 14

Saturday, Dec. 14

Handel’s Messiah 7:30 p.m.

Appalachian Christmas Craft Show (FREE) 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Summer Brooke & Mountain Faith Band 2 p.m.

Lake Junaluska Singers Christmas Concert 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

HOLIDAY GUIDE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS

DECEMBER 12-15, 2019

Lake Junaluska Singers

Handel’s Messiah

Craft Show

GET TICKETS! Tickets to each concert are $18 general admission and $23 reserved seating. lakejunaluska.com/christmas

800-965-9324

Summer Brooke & Mountain Faith Band 32

Things to do this holiday season

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SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS HOLIDAY GUIDE Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Sunday, Dec. 1. 828.586.2719. he towns in Western North • The annual “Christmas On the Carolina always hold holiday Green” will be held Friday, Nov. 29, at celebrations that encourage the Village Green in Cashiers. The locals and visitors to come downtown park feature thousands of twinkling and shop in the local galleries, retail lights from Thanksgiving weekend stores and other establishments. until New Year’s Day. Santa will visit These events present families with with children of all ages from 2 to 5 the perfect opportunity to slow p.m. at the Gazebo of The Village down, walk around, and enjoy the Green. Bring your wishes and a camholiday season while finding the perfect gift in one of locally owned businesses in your town.

Dillsboro Lights & Luminaries.

• Dillsboro Lights & Nick Breedlove photo Luminaries. For the 36th year this event returns to the streets of downtown from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6-7 and 13-14. Experience the magic as the entire town is transformed into a winter wonderland of lights, candles, laughter and song. Over 2,500 luminaries light the way to shops and studios.

Horse and buggy rides available each night. Shopkeepers provide live music and serve holiday treats with hot cider and cocoa.

Carolers sing and children visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Live Nativity at Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church. Free shuttle service from Monteith Park. For more information, visit www.visitdillsboro.org • “A Night before Christmas" is on Saturday, Dec. 14 from 6-9 p.m. in downtown Waynesville. Shops, galleries and restaurants open.

Live music, caroling, Bethlehem era for a photo. Tree Lighting celemarket lace, live Nativity, old-fashbration from 5 to 6 p.m. “Christmas ioned wagon rides, Santa and Mrs. On the Green” will also feature warm Claus, storytelling, luminaries and drinks and tasty treats, including smore. downtownwaynesville.com more making around The Village • Maggie Valley will kick off the Green fire pit. Stores will stay open holiday season on Saturday, Nov. 30, late for Christmas shopping and sevwith Shop Small Saturday. Businesses eral restaurants will feature live throughout Maggie will have great music. gifts for holiday shopping. Pick up www.villagegreencashiersnc.com. the map with all the participating • The old-fashioned “Cowee businesses. www.maggievalley.org or Christmas” will be held from 9 a.m. call 828.926.1686. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the • Bryson City celebrates all day on school in Franklin. Alongside the Saturday, Dec. 7, starting with Macon County Holiday ARTSaturday, Breakfast with Santa” from 8 to 10 there will be an arts and crafts show, a.m. at the Rescue Squad Building. live holiday music, face painting, chilPancake breakfast ($5). Bring your dren’s activities, holiday food, own camera. 828.488.3681.

“Grandpa’s Woodshop,” and much “Christmas Bazaar & Cookie Walk will more. The studios at Cowee School, start at 9 a.m. at 76 Main Street.

Arts and Heritage Center will be Homemade cookies and treats, open with special activities throughpecans, handcrafted art and other out the day. Admission and parking items for Christmas gifts. are both free. www.coweeschool.org.

828.488.8970. 45th annual Christmas • The annual “Fireside Sale” will Parade will be held at 2 p.m. in be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. downtown. www.greatsmokies.com.

Saturday, Nov. 30, at the John C. • Sylva celebration begins on Campbell Folk School in Brasstown.

Saturday, Nov. 30, with photos with Stroll through the beautifully decoSanta from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the rated Keith House and shop for holiSundog Building on Main Street. day gifts made by local and regional Winter Market will also occur during artists. 800.FOLK.SCH or the day within downtown Sylva busiwww.folkschool.org. nesses. Parade is at 3 p.m. on

affairsoftheheartnc.com

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arts & entertainment

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

CASUAL FINE DINING WITH LIVE MUSIC COVERED PATIO LATE NIGHT MENU

KITCHEN 743 TUESDAY THRU SUNDAY FROM 5PM UNTIL...

SUNDAY BRUNCH 10AM TO 2PM

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Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

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FULL BAR SERVING BEER, WINE, COCKTAILS NOW OPEN 10 AM-7 PM MONDAY-THURSDAY 10 AM- 10 PM FRIDAY-SATURDAY

WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT Entertainment Schedule Nov 30 | Keil Nathan Smith | 7-10PM $5 | Appalachian Smoke Food Truck

Smoky Mountain News

Dec 6 | PAWS Fundraiser Western Carolina Writers | 7-10PM Appetizer Buffet

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Dec 7 | The Maggie Valley Band 7-10PM | The Daily Grinder Food Truck Dec 13 | Karaoke | 7-10PM Fat Belly's Food Truck Dec 14 | Holiday Special w/ Tricia Ann Pearl | 7-10PM | Appalachian Smoke Food Truck Dec 20 | Western Carolina Writers 7-10PM | Appalachian Smoke Food Truck

Often I have thoughts and dreams, lying silent on my tongue

HOT PICKS 1 2 3 4 5

The second annual “Bluegrass Boogie” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

The 32th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts ith the recent “10-year and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 challenge” on p.m. Nov. 29-30 inside the Ramsey Center at Facebook — where Western Carolina University. folks compare photos of The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About themselves from 2009, as a Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 29-30 way to celebrate the end of in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville. this decade next month — I was curious and tracked The annual “Christmas On the Green” will be down what I was up way back held from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at the when.

Village Green in Cashiers.

The photo I came across is Cowee School (Franklin) will present The Balsam the main image in this colBee (live dulcimer music) from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. umn. That was me in 2009. I 3 and 5. remember when the photo was taken, too. It was during scraping by to survive. He worked at an elea music festival in Burlington, Vermont. mentary school. I was substitute teaching in The dude next to me is my cosmic soul my old high school. brother, Andrew Wyatt. We traveled the At that point, for me, it seemed impossientire United States over the course of three years, covering music festivals from Maine to ble to find financial stability in the field of writing and journalism. But, I was young California, Wyoming to Arkansas. and ambitious, too stubborn to ever walk I was 24 years old in that photo. Two away from my true love and calling that is years out of college, one year since I had left wandering and writing (especially about live my first journalism gig at a small newspaper music). on the backside of the Grand Tetons in I remember $45 a day to substitute teach, Eastern Idaho. Andrew lived right over the and some $40 per freelance article for the Teton Pass in Jackson, Wyoming. We became fast friends over cold beers and simi- local paper: both gigs were sporadic in nature, and as to when I would finally get lar dreams of being professional journalists. the paychecks in the mail. It was a hard pill Well, coming into 2009, I had returned to swallow, to go far away to college, graduto my native North Country (Upstate New ate, run around the country, have all those York). Andrew was still back in Jackson. The wild adventures, and then to find yourself economy had tanked and we both were

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seemingly back at the starting line of your hometown.

And yet, quitting was never an option, not even when I was sleeping in the back of my old truck on the side of the road in the middle-of-nowhere, eating Spaghetti-Os cold out of the can. It was a case of lukewarm cheap beer and just enough gas to get to the next music festival, next possible opportunity to make the connections that would lend itself to a career in this industry.

That year (2009) was really a line in the sand for me. I had, in that time and place, decided I was going to pursue the written word, come hell or high water. I found myself living in a large storage closet in my parent’s farmhouse in Plattsburgh, New York.

Sure, there were guest rooms in the farmhouse, but I wanted to disappear into my cozy nook filled with music and books, my thoughts put down on paper underneath Christmas lights strewn along the ceiling of the closet.

By that late spring of 2009, Andrew had found his way to Plattsburgh by chance. He ran out of money and options, and my parents opened their home to him, offering him a guest room until he could get back on his feet (as we then roamed America soon again).

That year also brought an incredible woman into my life, an old friend from back in my high school days, who would become the love of my life. It was the only time I ever was completely sold on the idea of marriage, w of spending my entire life with another human being.

After traveling around America and covering festivals with Andrew from late May through October 2009, I circled back to the Adirondack Mountains and we began dating. It was one of the happiest periods of my existence.

A year later, she was gone, heading in her own direction, while I took my broken heart and hit the road again, shooting out into destinations unknown in search of love and compassion, all while seeking out the written word wherever I could tap into the inspiration to jot down honest emotions and sentiments to share with the rest of society, to radiate into the ether.

A decade ago? Seems just like yesterday looking at that photo. Where has all that time gone? Myself in 2009 would never believe where I ended up, personally and professionally, these many years later.

My old self would tell me I was lying about finally getting a dream job in the mountains of A Western North Carolina, of being able to survive financially with my work, of interviewing my musical heroes, and finally writing for Rolling Stone — my ultimate goal.

I think of all the changes — the good, the bad, and the ugly — of the last decade, and I don’t regret a single thing. Lots of mistakes, of course. Lots of triumphs, too. But, I some- w how managed to hold steady, to push through to the other side, whatever and wherever that may be.

Onward to the next decade, the pursuit of bigger hopes and lifelong dreams, of drinks held high and in unison with loved ones, laughter and smiles all around. j Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

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On the beat

Legendary singer, actress at HPAC

Granny’s Mason Jar.

WCU traditional music series Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White and Tony Rice, they will demonstrate their expertise while performing duets and solo tunes.

Sponsored by WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center, the First Thursday concerts and jam sessions will continue through the spring, with programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month.

The events are free and open to the public. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, which also are open to those who just want to listen.

For more information, call the Mountain Heritage Center at 828.227.7129 or visit mhc.wcu.edu.

WCU ‘Sounds of the Season’ holiday concert

A ticketed event, proceeds benefit the School of Music Scholarship Fund.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for WCU faculty and staff, and those 60 and older, while students and kids remain at $5. Group rates are available for advance purchase only.

For tickets, call 828.227.2479 or visit arts.wcu.edu/sos.

The second annual “Bluegrass John Hartford.

Boogie” will be held at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 4, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville.

Hosted by The Smoky Mountain News, live music will be provided by J Rex & His High Mountain Pals, a rollicking bluegrass/string act, which features members of Ol’ Dirty Bathtub alongside special guests throughout the evening.

Steeped in that “high, lonesome sound” of Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys, J Rex & His High Mountain Pals also have thick threads of John Hartford, Jimmy Martin and Old & In The Way running through its sound.

This will be an unofficial kickoff event for the Balsam Range Art of Music Festival.

The event is free and open to the public.

Haywood Choral Society holiday concert Under the direction of Kathy Geyer McNeil, the Haywood Choral Society will perform its holiday concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 1, at the Waynesville First United Methodist Church.

The concert will feature British choral composer Bob Chilcott’s “Wenceslas.” In addition, the 94-member chorus will perform traditional and contemporary works of the holiday season.

Admission is free. Donations are welcomed. For more information, visit www.haywoodchoralsociety.org.

Andrew Peterson.

Franklin welcomes Andrew Peterson Dove Award-nominated recording artist, songwriter, filmmaker and awardwinning author Andrew Peterson will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at

the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Peterson will present his “Behold The Lamb Of God” tour. Logging multiple soldout events each year since its inception in 2000, the Christmas tour has become a yearly tradition for Peterson and his band, as well as families and churches across the nation who look forward to attending each holiday season, recounting the Christmas story through song.

Peterson launched his “Behold The Lamb Of God” tour nearly two decades ago to present a musical rendition of the Christmas story and to reinforce the true meaning of the season.

In 2004, the success of the tour led Peterson to record the award-winning album, “Behold The Lamb Of God: The True Tall Tale Of The Coming Of Christ.”

Tickets start at $25. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.524.1598 or visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

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Smoky Mountain News

The annual “Sounds of the Season” concert will be presented by Western Carolina University’s School of Music on Sunday, Dec. 8, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee.

The holiday musical tradition begins at 3 p.m. and will include performances by WCU’s Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, University Chorus, Concert Choir and Civic Orchestra, along with Balsam Brass and the Cullowhee Wind Quintet.

The family friendly concert concludes with a holiday sing-along and an appearance

by Santa Claus.

“The performance is enjoyable for everyone and is always one of the most popular events on the calendar,” said Lyn Ellen Burkett, WCU assistant professor of music and an event organizer. “The holiday spirit just comes alive through the songs by ensembles, large and small, and magic fills the air.”

Ready for the ‘Bluegrass Boogie’?

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Series will continue with Granny’s Mason Jar at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

The performance by the two guitarists who make up Granny’s Mason Jar — Jared “Blue” Smith and Aaron Plantenberg — and the open jam session that follows will be held at the headquarters for Homebase College Ministry, located on the east side of the WCU campus at 82 Central Drive.

Smith and Plantenberg are helping to maintain the tradition of flatpicking, Merle Travis-style picking and other traditional acoustic guitar styles. Following in the footsteps of bluegrass and folk music masters Doc

Beloved singer and actress Maureen McGovern will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

arts & entertainment

Maureen McGovern.

McGovern is elegantly sophisticated one moment, powerfully gutsy the next and always translucently pitch perfect. She is a superstar with a lifetime of music that spans Broadway, Grammy nominations and an Oscar-winning international No. 1 gold record, “The Morning After from The Poseidon Adventure.”

Other hits include, “Can You Read My Mind” from “Superman,” the Oscar-winning “We May Never Love Like This Again” from “The Towering Inferno.” She also starred in the films “Airplane!,” “Airplane II: The Sequel” and “Joseph: King of Dreams” with Ben Affleck.

Her Broadway credits include the “Pirates of Penzance,” “Three Penny Opera” with Sting, and “Little Women,” among others. The multi-Grammy nominee is known as “The Stradivarius Voice.”

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

arts & entertainment

On the beat • Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Heidi Holton Nov. 29, Heatherly Nov. 30, Scott Stambaugh 4 p.m. Dec. 1, Gabe Myers Dec. 6 and Ditch Symphony Dec. 7. All shows are free and begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host an acoustic jam with Main St. NoTones from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 28 and Dec. 5. Free and open to the public. www.blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Boojum Brewing Company (Waynesville) will host a bluegrass open mic every Wednesday, an all-genres open mic every Thursday, DJ Point 5 Nov. 30, “Bluegrass Boogie” with J Rex & His High Mountain Pals 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4. Arnold Hill Dec. 6 and Andrew Thelston Band Dec. 7. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• Cowee School (Franklin) will present The Balsam Bee (live dulcimer music) from 4 to 6 p.m. Dec. 3 and 5. Fundraiser for the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center. www.coweeschool.org.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will have an Open Mic night Nov. 27 and Dec. 4, and a jazz night with the Kittle/Collings Duo Nov. 28 and Dec. 5. All events are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.innovation-brewing.com.

• Isis Music Hall (West Asheville) will host The Lost Chord (Moody Blues tribute) 7 p.m. Nov. 27, Nikki Talley & Jason Sharp (Americana/folk) 7 p.m. Nov 29, WVL Radio Theater: “It’s A Wonderful Life” 8:30 p.m.

Nov. 29, Angela Perley (Americana) 7 p.m.

Nov. 30, Paula Hanke & Peggy Ratusz (Etta James tribute) 8:30 p.m. Nov. 30, Shannon Hoover (Jaco Pastorius tribute) 6 p.m. Dec. 1, Caroline Keller Band & Hannah Miller (Americana/country) 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1, Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions w/Thomas Cassell Band 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 and Peppino D’Agostino (jazz/world) 7 p.m. Dec. 4. www.isisasheville.com.

828.926.9464 or www.facebook.com/ legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.

• Mad Anthony’s Taproom & Restaurant (Waynesville) will host Langston Kelly (oneman band) 7 p.m. Dec. 6. All shows are free and open to the public. 828.246.9249.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host the “Stone Soup” open mic night every Tuesday, Scott James Stambaugh Nov. 29, Frank & Allie Lee (folk/Americana) Nov. 30, Aly Jordan (singer-songwriter) Dec. 6 and Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Dec. 7. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m. www.mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host Sugar Lime Nov. 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

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

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

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host an open mic night at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, Darren & The Buttered Toast (soul/funk) Nov. 29 and Tea 4 Three Nov. 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host A. Lee Edwards Nov. 29, Sweet Charity Nov. 30, Gary Carter Dec. 6 and Limited Distance Dec. 7. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. www.rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Legends Sports Grill (Maggie Valley) will host music semi-regularly on weekends.

• Salty Dog’s (Maggie Valley) will have Karaoke with Jason Wyatt at 8:30 p.m. on

Tuesdays and Fridays, Mile High (classic rock) 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, and a Trivia w/Kelsey Jo 8 p.m. Thursdays.

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

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

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host Bluegrass Thursdays w/Benny Queen at 6:30 p.m., Troy Underwood 8 p.m. Nov. 29 and Zuzu Welsh 8 p.m. Dec. 6.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host Bluegrass w/Nitrograss Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and 28 Pages 9:30 p.m. Nov. 29.

W

• The Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic Night” on Mondays, f U karaoke on Thursdays and semi-regular music on Fridays and Saturdays. All events i at 9:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.456.4750. f a • Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music. Shows are at 6 p.m. W unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the t p public. 828.743.6000 or U www.whitesidebrewing.com.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host Hope Griffin Nov. 29, Ed Kelley w/Steve Goldman & Melissa Dec. 6 and Billingsley Dec. 7. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless oth-

erwise noted. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

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On the street

Western Carolina University.

WCU celebrates the holidays Tickets are $5 for WCU students, $10 for faculty/staff, other students and seniors, and $15 for general admission. For more information or information about group sales, contact the Bardo Arts Center at 828.227.2479. Tickets also can be purchased online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

Activities at “Holidays at the UC” include a photo with Santa and holiday mini-golf for $1, Build-A-Buddy for $9, or the Ultimate Holiday Pass, which includes all activities for $15.

There will be workshop stations with giant building blocks and a “traditions room” where participants will learn about holiday traditions from other countries. All funds will go to Miracles at WCU, which supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

For more information on “Holidays at the UC,” visit dca.wcu.edu.

Items needed for holiday auction

used to upgrade equipment and resources in the genealogy library. Items may be dropped off at the Society Library (200 Main Street, Bryson City) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Items will be accepted through noon Wednesday, Dec. 4. For more information, call 828.488.2932.

The old-fashioned “Cowee Christmas” will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the school in Franklin.

Alongside the Macon County Holiday ARTSaturday, there will be an arts and crafts show, live holiday music, face painting, children’s activities, holiday food, “Grandpa’s Woodshop,” and much more.

The studios at Cowee School, Arts and Heritage Center will be open with special activities throughout the day. Admission and parking are both free. www.coweeschool.org.

DONATE

SHOP VOLUNTEER WALNUT VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER 268-267

331 Walnut Street Waynesville

Sylva Garden Club fundraiser The Sylva Garden Club will be hosting a fundraiser “Christmas Tea & Crafts” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the First Presbyterian Church of Sylva.

Suggested donation is $15 per ticket.

Tickets are available from SGC members and at the door. In addition to tasty treats and fellowship, pecans and Christmas décor will be available for purchase. All proceeds go directly to fund SGC beautification projects.

Email nballiot@gmail.com for further information.

Smoky Mountain News

The Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society (SCGHS) is asking area businesses and individuals for your help.

The annual “Holiday Shopping Auction” is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5. This is an evening of live music by Jesse Stephens & Friends, fun and frivolity and an opportunity to do your holiday shopping by purchasing unique gifts via a silent auction.

The “auction-party” is open to everyone and there is no charge to attend.

Items are needed for the auction, which include handmade crafts, artwork, subscriptions, sports equipment, tickets to area attractions, gift cards, gift baskets, and much more.

Note that all items donated should be new or of a quality that you would be willing to give to someone as a gift. The SCGHS is a nonprofit, so donated auction items are tax deductible. The SCGHS will provide the donor a receipt upon request.

The proceeds from the auction will be

Christmas at Cowee School

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

December means it’s time to get ready for the holiday season, and Western Carolina University’s Arts and Cultural Events series is kicking things off in a big way.

The ACE series continues Tuesday, Dec. 3, with a “A Christmas Carol” being performed at 7 p.m. at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. On Wednesday, Dec. 4, and Thursday, Dec. 5, the annual “Holidays at the UC” will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. at the A.K. Hinds University Center.

A new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” features the portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge by 40-year theater veteran Scott H. Severance in a story of redemption.

Scrooge, an unrepentant and miserly man, changes his ways after a series of revelations from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce is putting the finishing touches on the 2019 Christmas Parade in anticipation of another great event that, along with Winter Wonderland, will officially ring in the holiday season.

The parade will be held at 3 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 1. Entries will line up along Church Street beside First Baptist Church.

The parade route will begin by pulling out on the top of Town Hill beside Town Hall.

The route will proceed down Main Street turning left at the Lazy Hiker Brewing Company onto Porter Street. Then turn left onto Palmer Street disbanding at Highlands Road. Each entry can choose their own location to disband.

“The Magic of Christmas” will be this year’s theme. Remember no Santas are allowed on any float other than the traditional Santa float.

The Ugly Holiday Sweater Dash will also return this year. This is a benefit for Macon County Care Network and will be hosted before the start of the Christmas Parade.

The dash starts at 2:45 p.m. Registration is now available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce or at 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Franklin Town Hall. Entry fee for the dash is five canned goods per “Dasher.”

Finishers of the dash will receive a completion certificate. Pets are invited to take part in the dash but must be on a leash at all times. Pet owners are encouraged to dress up their pets in an ugly sweater.

Candy will be passed out by folks walking alongside their float entry. The Parade Committee reserves the right to remove any entry it deems inappropriate.

Float entry forms can be picked up and returned at the chamber office located at 98 Hyatt Road. The entry fee is $25 for all entries. Deadline for entry is 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 27.

828.524.3161.

arts & entertainment

Franklin Christmas Parade

828.246.9135 haywoodhabitat.org 37

arts & entertainment

On the street Lighting up Maggie Valley The Town of Maggie Valley will kickoff its holiday season on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Business owners in Maggie Valley are teaming up with the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Maggie Valley to create a fun, free event to celebrate the holidays and herald in winter fun.

Shop Small Saturday — businesses throughout Maggie will have great gifts for holiday shopping. Pick up the map with all the businesses and check out what activities that will be going on in the businesses and at Town Hall.

Then, follow Santa Claus as he enters town at 2:30 p.m. through the valley ending up at Maggie’s Town Hall for photos with your family from 3 to 6 p.m.

The event will finish with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. in front of Town Hall in Maggie Valley.

For more information, visit www.maggievalley.org or call 828.926.1686.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Bryson City celebrates Christmas There will be a wide range of holiday events celebrating Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 7, in Bryson City.

• “Breakfast with Santa” will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Rescue Squad Building. Pancake breakfast ($5). Bring your own camera. 828.488.3681.

• “Christmas Bazaar & Cookie Walk will start at 9 a.m. at 76 Main Street.

Homemade cookies and treats, pecans, handcrafted art and other items for Christmas gifts. Old fashioned cookie

walk. Stop by and meet Gin-Gin the Gingerbread Man and pick up that special something for you or someone on your Christmas list. Presented by the United Methodist Women’s Group. For more information, call 828.488.8970.

• The 45th annual Christmas Parade will be held at 2 p.m. in downtown. www.greatsmokies.com.

• “Santa at the Museum” will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Swain County Heritage Museum. Bring your camera or cell phone to commemorate this fun event. Cookies and cocoa served in the lobby.

• The “Polar Express” will depart throughout the day from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. For more information on departures or to purchase tickets, click on www.gsmr.com.

Smoky Mountain News

The 36th annual “Lights & Luminaries” will return to the streets of downtown from 5 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6-7 and 13-14.

Experience the magic as the entire town is transformed into a winter wonderland of lights, candles, laughter and song. Over 2,500 luminaries light your way to shops and studios. Horse and buggy rides available each

night. Shopkeepers provide live music and serve holiday treats with hot cider and cocoa.

Carolers sing and children visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Live Nativity at Jarrett Memorial Baptist Church.

Free shuttle service from Monteith Park.

For more information, visit www.visitdillsboro.org.

Nick Breedlove photo

• “Pictures with Santa” will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center. 828.524.3161.

• The seventh annual “Christmas Cheer Breakfast” will be held from 8 to 11 a.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7, at the First Presbyterian Church in Waynesville.

ALSO:

• “Christmas in the Mountains” will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center.

“Breakfast with Santa” will be from 9 to 11 a.m. with reservations required ($5 per person). 828.479.3364.

• The “Polar Express” will depart on select times through Dec. 31 from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot.

For more information on departures or to purchase tickets, click on www.gsmr.com.

Cashiers ‘Christmas On Green’

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‘Lights & Luminaries’ returns to Dillsboro

The annual “Christmas On the Green” will be held Friday, Nov. 29, at the Village Green in Cashiers.

Join the festivities for “Christmas On the Green,” Cashiers favorite holiday tradition. The 13-plus acre park in the heart of Cashiers will feature thousands of twinkling lights from Thanksgiving weekend until New Year’s Day. This is the sixth year that The Village Green will be making spirits merry and bright.

“Christmas On the Green” kicks off on Nov. 29. Santa will visit with children of all ages from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Gazebo of The Village Green. Bring your wishes and a camera for a photo with the jolly couple.

The evening continues with holiday music for the Cashiers Christmas Tree Lighting celebration from 5 to 6 p.m. “Christmas On the Green” will also feature warm drinks and tasty treats, including s-more making around The Village Green fire pit.

The magic holiday sparkle happens when the switch is flipped to illuminate the beautiful 60-foot spruce in the center of the village of Cashiers. This year, retailers and businesses in the village core are joining in the festivities and holiday lights display. Stores will stay open late for Christmas shopping and several restaurants will feature live music.

Parking is available at the entrance near the Gazebo, off of U.S. 64 East, and at the entrance to Village Commons on Frank Allen Road in Cashiers.

For more information, visit www.villagegreencashiersnc.com.

Chancel Choir Christmas musical The chancel choir at First United Methodist Church will present a Christmas musical at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the church sanctuary in Sylva.

The choir will perform “Joy Has Dawned, a Christmas Celebration” by Lloyd Larson.

Tommy Ginn is director of the cancel choir.

The Christmas story will be narrated by Bill and Lynne Johnson. Adult and children church members will portray the nativity scene.

The Sylva Bells, a community hand bell choir, under the direction of Lori Merservey, will play holiday selections prior to the concert.

Following the musical, heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served in the church’s Christian Life Center for all to enjoy. Various instrumental groups will present Christmas music at this time.

The public is invited to attend this evening of music, joy and fellowship, First United

Methodist Church’s gift to the community.

First United Church, Sylva is located at 77 Jackson St., in downtown Sylva. For more information, call 828.586.2358.

‘Christmas in Sylva’ The annual “Christmas in Sylva” holiday will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in downtown.

The events are as follows: • 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29: Tree lighting.

Gathering place is at the fountain by the Historic Courthouse steps. Concert by Summer & Bray of Mountain Faith.

• Saturday, Nov. 30: Photos with Santa from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sundog Building on Main Street. Winter Market will also occur during the day within downtown Sylva businesses.

• Sunday, Dec. 1: Christmas Parade at 3 p.m. Parade will start at the Historic Courthouse and go down Main Street.

For more information, call 828.586.2719.

On the wall

• Haywood Community College professional crafts fiber student Miranda Heidler and graduates Mitsu Shimabukuro and Hannah Watson currently work in the “Of Threads, On Place” exhibition at the Asheville Area Arts Council. This selection of historical and contemporary textiles will run through Nov. 29 and is located at The Refinery Creator Space at 207 Coxe Avenue in Asheville. The event is open to the public and free of charge. www.ashevillearts.com.

‘Fall at Fines Creek’ by Kelley Jakelis.

Haywood Arts calendar now available

‘It’s a Small, Small Work’ exhibit The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be held through Jan. 4 in HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville.

The 2019 exhibit will feature 60 artists and almost 240 individual works of art for sale. The show provides a unique opportu-

nity for budding artists to exhibit their work, as well as the opportunity for more seasoned artists to test their boundaries.

All pieces submitted are exactly 12 inches or smaller in every dimension, including base, matting, and frame. All artwork is for sale, priced at $300 or less, and must have been created in the last two years. Commission will be the gallery’s usual 60 percent (artist) to 40 percent (HCAC) split.

The Haywood County Arts Council’s small work show was launched in 2008 to demonstrate that original artwork is affordable and fun. Most businesses, homes and apartments can accommodate smaller works of art — and the show promotes buying local and regional work to help support artists in Western North Carolina.

For more information, visit www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present, “Resounding Change: Sonic Art

Christmas ornament, card workshop The “Craft Therapy: Christmas Ornaments and Cards” workshop will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Participants will be making Christmas ornaments and cards. One of the themes of Craft Therapy is for the community to exchange leftover crafting items with each other. Some supplies will be available but participants are encouraged to bring as many supplies with them as possible.

For more information, call the library at 828.586.2016. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

Stecoah Drive-About Tour The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 29-30 in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

With their studios open to the public, the

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian’s exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters,” features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April.

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

self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, beeswax lanterns and pillar candles, original paintings and drawings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more.

The Schoolhouse Café at Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center will be open during both days of the Artisans Drive About. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

‘Hard Candy’ holiday craft show The 32th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 29-30 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

This mountain tradition has grown to more than 100 original artisans who sell their work at great prices. Expect a dazzling display of fine hand crafted creations such as Father Christmas dolls, fresh mountain greenery, and folk dolls.

Admission is $5 for a two-day pass.

Children under 12 are free. Parking is also free. For more information, call 828.524.3405 or visit www.mountainartisans.net.

Smoky Mountain News

Gallery & Gifts.

Russell Wyatt, Donald Raff, Denise Seay, Beverly Sloan, Marnie Brooks, Journal Thomas and Peter Brown.

The $15 calendar is available for purchase beginning on Monday, Dec. 2, at the Haywood County Arts Council Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. www.haywoodarts.org.

ALSO:

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

Contact Morgan at 828.550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

The Haywood County Arts Council has announced the eight local photographers who have been selected for publication in the 2020 “Seasons of Haywood County” calendar.

This 12-month calendar features 13 photos of beautiful Haywood County. The photographers included are Kelley Jakelis,

• Stonehouse Pottery (Waynesville) will be doing an Open Studio Tour and Sale the first Sunday of each month to help support our local nonprofits. Each month highlights a different artist and that artists chooses his or her nonprofit. Stonehouse Pottery and the artist then give a portion of the proceeds as a donation to that nonprofit. For the month of November, artist David Stone has chosen Memory Care, Haywood Clinic, as his nonprofit. Stone has early onset Alzheimer’s and has shown significant improvement in his disease through the rehabilitation process of working in clay.

and the Environment.” This exhibition will be on display through Dec. 6. It features sound-based artwork that encourages visitors to listen more closely to the natural world and to think about how sound is being used in a time of environmental crisis. To learn more, visit bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

arts & entertainment

• The “Christmas in the Mountains” indoor arts and crafts show will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Stecoah Valley Center. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

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arts & entertainment

What Are Cannabinoids?

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

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

Alzheimer’s Migraines Asthma Breast Cancer

Diabetes Crohn’s Disease

Prostate Cancer Menstrual Cancer

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

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

479 DELLWOOD RD. WAYNESVILLE

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

828.452.0911 | facebook.com/kimspharmacy

On the table

Yoga and mimosas The Yoga and mimosas class will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Bryson City Wine Market.

A great way to start your weekend. Don’t forget to bring your sippy cups.

Class is $10 per person.

Space is limited.

RSVP by calling 828.538.0420 or find them on Facebook by searching: Bryson City Wine Market.

Bosu’s tastings, small plates Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host an array of wine tastings and small plates throughout the week.

• Mondays: Free tastings and discounts on select styles of wine that changes weekly.

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

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

• Saturdays: Champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Secret Wine Bar will be

Smoky Mountain News

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, and 2 to 5 p.m.

Nov. 30 and Dec. 7 at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

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

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

ALSO:

On the stage ‘Miracle on 34th Street’

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open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a free wine tasting from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information and/or to RSVP for ticketed events, call 828.452.0120 or email info@waynesvillewine.com.

A special holiday stage production of the classic “Miracle on 34th Street” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13-14, 16, 20-21 and at 4 p.m.

Dec. 15 and 22 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy’s. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy’s customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for.

Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy’s vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing.

Especially at stake is one little girl’s belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy.

Box office opens one-hour before show time. Only cash is accepted at the door. There will be a 15-minute intermission with locally

made goodies. All concessions are $1. For more information, click on www.smctheatre.com.

Admission is $14 for adults, $8 for children under 17. For advance tickets, click on smctheatre.eventbrite.com.

• “Kids at HART” will present “Holly Jolly Christmas” at 7:30 p.m.

Dec.13 and 2 p.m. Dec. 15 and 21-22 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Festive holiday review. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for kids. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on www.harttheatre.org.

ALSO:

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

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

Join Improv WNC on Facebook or just call 828.316.8761.

Books

Smoky Mountain News

41

Learning to listen: A review of Chris Arnade’s Dignity B see begging for money in the streets of Asheville, the ones we pass outside Open Door Ministries in Frog Level in Waynesville,

Jeff Minick

ack in the mid-1970s, I was working as a receiving clerk at the Old Corner Bookstore in Boston. I was making $90 a week, maybe a little less, $40 of which went to the room I rented on Joy Street on the backside of Beacon Hill. Though I had a degree and two years of graduate school under my belt, I also had no car, no insurance, and no savings. I was living that way because I wanted to become a writer, and the job afforded me that time, and because I wanted to live in Boston for a year, Writer which I did.

I never regarded myself as impoverished because life blessed me with limited desires and wants. My income met my needs. Besides, if too much trouble came my way, I knew I could always head back to North Carolina and find a job more suited to my education. I never thought of myself as poor. Despite those low wages, I never thought of myself as anything other than middle class.

I had choices and I made choices.

But what about those who don’t have choices? Those souls destitute from infancy?

Those people living in towns where the factories have closed, where Main Street features shuttered businesses, where the unemployed are made to feel like beggars, where reality means waking up every day hoping to find change for a cup of coffee or enough money for a fix?

In Dignity: Seeking Respect In Back Row America (Sentinel, 2019, 284 pages), Chris Arnade introduces us to those Americans whose choices are few, the human beings at the bottom of the economic ladder. In these photographs and Arnade’s prose we encounter men and women just like those we

the broken and busted people we find in almost every town and city in America.

Arnade captures the people we see on our streets, but don’t really see.

Dignity is Arnade’s photo-essay of these people, ranging in its coverage from the Bronx to Milwaukee’s North Side, from Lewiston, Maine to Selma, Alabama. Black, white, brown: poverty and homelessness don’t pay much attention to skin pigmentation.

In all Arnade’s travels, an enormous per-

WCU reissues pre-park Great Smokies book Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library has published a reissue of a book that chronicles the personal experiences of hiking, camping and adventure in a pre-park Great Smoky Mountains.

Mountain Days, A Journal of Camping Experiences in the Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, 1914-1938 was authored by Paul M. Fink, an outdoorsman, writer and park advocate and has long been out of print.

The book is a historical look at the early trails and camps of the Smokies, along with a firsthand perspective and archival photos.

The WCU edition includes a foreword by Ken Wise, director of the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Project at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

“The basis of the book was a journal Fink kept,” said Liz Harper, WCU special and digital collections librarian, and the publication

centage of the poor he encounters are either on drugs or alcohol, or are recovering addicts.

To pay for their habits, they prostitute themselves, collect disability, steal, or beg money.

And where do these back row Americans go to find physical comfort, companionship, and solace?

To McDonald’s and to churches.

“Often the only places open, welcoming, and busy in back row neighborhoods were churches or McDonald’s. Often the people using McDonald’s were the same people using the churches, people who sat for hours reading or studying the Bible at a table or a booth.”

In fact, McDonald’s is a main character in Dignity. In town after town, city after city, Arnade visits the local McDonald’s to find the people he wants to interview, the down-and-out pilgrims who come to that restaurant for heat in the winter, air-conditioning in the summer, cheap food, coffee, a restroom, a resting place from life on the streets. To those critics among us who sniff at McDonald’s — and if you are one of them, here you and I part company — you might want to remember that fastfood joints are indeed gathering places for the lost and the lonely, for the down-and-outers, for the hard-pressed.

Bear in mind, too, that these restaurants allow low-income families to enjoy a meal and

project leader. “It is unique and insightful, and the WCU edition is the first widely accessible version.”

Fink was a Jonesborough, Tennessee, resident who lived from 1892 to 1980 and wrote extensively about the region and history throughout his lifetime. He contributed articles on camping to outdoor magazines, including Field and Stream and Outdoor Life. He was inducted into the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame this year for his pioneering work in routing the famous 2,220-mile trail through east Tennessee and Western North Carolina.

UT Knoxville holds the original manuscript for Mountain Days, which was originally published in an edited form by East Tennessee State University. In addition to more photos, the WCU reissue is true to the manuscript.

“It was a tremendous pleasure to reissue this book, and it was only made possible by generous collaboration between UT Knoxville, East Tennessee State University and the Fink family,” Harper said.

“The book is a joy to read Fink and his companions often set out on trips for the sake of exploring, taking getting lost in stride, lament-

a night out together. Rather than snobbish condemnation, McDonald’s and all the other restaurants like it should receive rewards and applause for offering the poor and the downtrodden a safe place and cheap food.

Religion also offers solace for many of these people. Though not a man of faith himself, Arnade “tried to go to as many denominations as possible — Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Evangelical.” In his “Introduction,” he notes “They feel disrespected — and with good reason. My circles, the bankers, business people, and the politicians they supported had created a world where McDonald’s was often one of the only restaurant options — and we make fun of them for going there …We tell them their religion is foolish and that they shouldn’t be able to earn a living unless they leave their hometowns.”

At the end of Dignity, Arnade offers some thoughts that deserve full quotation: “We have created a society that is damningly unequal, not just economically but socially. We have said that education is the way out of pain and the way to success, implying that those who don’t make it are dumb, or lazy, or stupid.

“This has ensured that all those at the bottom, educationally and economically — black, white, gay, straight, men, and women — are guaranteed to feel excluded, rejected, and most of all, humiliated. We have denied many their dignity, leaving a vacuum easily filled by drugs, anger, and resentment.”

Two pages earlier, Arnade writes, “We need everyone — those in the back row, those in the front row — to listen to one another and try to understand one another and understand what they value and try to be less judgmental.”

Dignity is an excellent first step in that understanding.

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

ing when they have to work instead of hike, and carefully inventorying each ounce of food they packed. Fink and his companions’ passion for the outdoors, for documenting and exploring the Smokies, and their dauntless spirit are evident throughout the journal.”

A grant from the Thomas W. Ross Fund to Hunter Library made the reissue project possible. WCU’s University Marketing designed the cover, while UT Knoxville provided the text of the manuscript, transcribed from the type-written original. The text and photographs were reset by the University of North Carolina Office of Scholarly Publishing Services.

Hunter Library’s first reissue was Twenty Years of Hunting and Fishing in the Great Smokies, by Samuel Hunnicutt, with few copies of the 1926 original publication remaining. One of those surviving copies is one once owned by Horace Kephart and now held in the Kephart Collection of the library.

The WCU edition is now being sold by the University of North Carolina Press and through Amazon. For more information, call 828.227.7474 or email specialcollections@wcu.edu.

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

42

wolves had been reported in Haywood County since the early 1900s, a gap of nearly 100 years.

“They ended up transferring most of those red wolves to the eastern side of North Carolina or back into captivity,” said Lile.

Today, the world’s only wild population of red wolves exists in a five-county area of Eastern North Carolina, and that population is in trouble. From the peak of 150 individuals, the wild population has dropped down to fewer than 20, though an additional 220 red wolves still live in captivity.

The red wolf ’s plight struck a chord with Lile.

“I hadn’t even heard of the red wolf and known what was going on until my senior year of college after living in North Carolina my whole life and being a wildlife advocate for other species,” he said. “I just really wanted to raise that awareness with other people who may not have heard of the red wolf.”

BALANCING THE ECOSYSTEM

RALLYING AROUND THE RED WOLF Haywood man works to save N.C.’s native wolf Between coyotes and gray wolves in size, red wolves measure about 26 inches at the shoulder and weigh between 50 and 80 pounds. Monty Sloan photos

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hristopher Lile, 23, was just months away from graduating to begin a career in wildlife conservation when he first learned that North Carolina has a native wolf population. He was sitting in a senior-year class at Gardner-Webb University, and a Defenders of Wildlife representative was speaking about the red wolf.

“I was just kind of blown away, because I had not really heard of the red wolf before,” said Lile, who grew up in Haywood County. “I was from this state and didn’t know there was a wolf species living in it.”

C

A TROUBLED PAST Lile was also fascinated by the red wolf ’s story.

Habitat loss, conflicts with humans and hybridization with coyotes had nearly caused the red wolf ’s extinction before efforts were made to reintroduce it. It was declared extinct by 1980, with 400 individuals pulled from the

wild. Of those, only 17 were judged to be pure red wolves rather than coyote hybrids, and of the 17 only 14 were used in a captive breeding program that eventually resulted in a 1987 reintroduction to the Alligator River area of Eastern North Carolina.

The effort was successful, with the red wolf population eventually reaching a peak of 150 individuals. The animal once ranged across the entire Southeastern U.S., from eastern Texas down into Florida and all the way up into Pennsylvania, so in 1991 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attempted another reintroduction, this time in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That effort did not end well.

“They were having reproduction problems,” said Lile. “They weren’t able to find enough food.”

So, they came down out of the mountains onto flatter land, where the hunting is easier but the potential for conflicts with humans is greater. It’s possible that flat ground is the red wolf ’s preferred habitat, but nobody knew for sure — before the reintroduction, no red

Lile began working with Defenders of Wildlife on letter writing campaigns and messaging surrounding the red wolf ’s plight. He’s been doing that for the past two years while also traveling all over the world to gain firsthand experience in wildlife conservation. He’s done wildlife-related work in Madagascar, Tanzania and at Wolf Park in Indiana, where he was recently hired as program coordinator.

Lile continues his work for Defenders, dividing his time between Waynesville and Indiana — and over the coming months, he has a slate of red wolf events planned for his home region.

“Everything in wildlife and nature is very interconnected, and if you remove one piece it’s very damaging to the rest of the ecosystem, but wolves in particular are a crucial piece in the ecosystem to keeping everything else in check,” he said.

Red wolves outcompete coyotes and foxes.

Unlike those species, they don’t eat groundnesting birds, so those birds do better when wolves are around, Lile said. Wolves also cull the weak and sick animals from their prey populations and enjoy eating nutria, an invasive South American rodent that flourishes in eastern North Carolina.

“There’s not necessarily a whole lot of conflict in terms of they weren’t ever going after people’s pets, there’s never been a report of a red wolf attacking a human, nothing like that,” said Lile. “The conflict really lay in people’s perceptions of red wolves.”

That’s the common position of wildlife biologists and wildlife advocates, but not necessarily of the people who have red wolves as their neighbors.

“They and their friends the coyotes are only detrimental to the habitat,” wrote Dare County resident Ross Riley in public comments to the Fish and Wildlife Service. “The quail are rare now, rabbits are rare and the spotted fawn survival rate is very low. We don’t see herds of deer any more. The deer

Support the red wolf A lineup of events over the coming month will give Western North Carolina residents the chance to learn more about the red wolf’s plight and to take a hand in supporting the animal’s recovery. n Read for the Red Wolf: Blue Ridge Books in Hazelwood is currently hosting an informational display about the red wolf, with books about the animal for sale as well. The display will remain through Nov. 29. n Red wolf statue unveiling: Presentations from the WNC Nature Center and Defenders of Wildlife will accompany the statue unveiling at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at the WNC Nature center in Asheville. The event will occur during the nature center’s “A Winter Tale” event and is free with admission to the center. n Tea Time to Save the Red Wolf: Guests will enjoy an afternoon tea and buffet while learning about the red wolf, with sessions at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m. at Nettie’s Bakery in Hazelwood. A limited number of tickets is available for $20, with proceeds benefiting onthe-ground conservation work. Purchase tickets from Nettie’s Bakery. n Red wolf art exhibit: Details on this art show are forthcoming, but it will be held the spring. n Concert for Conservation: Inspiring music and engaging presentations will be offered at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 29, at First United Methodist Church Waynesville. Donations are welcome and will be used to advance red wolf conservation.

remaining are largely nocturnal. Turkeys are not able to expand their territory.”

Due to the fragile and limited nature of the red wolf population, there is little research specific to the red wolf, said Lile. However, when red wolf numbers were at their pea, deer populations seemed to stay about the same as they had historically. Research on gray wolves out west shows that the predators’ presence affects the behavior of their prey animals.

“With wolves in the ecosystem, prey (such as deer) move around more and act like historic ungulates, not meadow potatoes, which influences their fitness in a positive way and exposes the sick and weak to predation,” Lile said. “This in turn helps prevent overgrazing, which has a ripple effect on the rest of the ecosystem.”

Red wolf opponents, meanwhile, say that there are enough predators already in Eastern North Carolina.

“We have unlimited bears, the greatest bear density in North America. We have coyotes that are multiplying like rats. We should have our alligator population open for cull.

We don’t need another apex predator,” Riley wrote. “Our local habitat should not be fodder for your ‘experiment.’ We live here, you’ll just transfer to your next ‘opportunity’ and we’ll be stuck forever with your poor choices.”

F

Project proposed to aid bog turtle edge of the existing bog. Priority would be given to areas where encroachment is more advanced and that have been identified as important bog turtle habitat. Work would be conducted by contract crews working under supervision of U.S. Forest Service and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wildlife biologists, with chainsaws and hand tools used. No herbicides would be used or ground disturbance occur, with work happening between Oct. 15 and April 15.

Send comments to comments-southernnorth-carolina-nantahalanantahala@fs.fed.us; Steverson Moffat, NEPA Planning Team Leader, Nantahala Ranger District, 123 Woodland Drive, Murphy, N.C. 28906; or 828.837.5152.

AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

Christopher Lile spends time with some of the grey wolves at Wolf Park in Indiana.

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of money invested into that project, why would other states think it’s going to be successful there?”

With that in mind, Lile is looking to rally North Carolinians around their native wolf, in March organizing the first annual Concert for Conservation, held at the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville and featuring a variety of local musicians. The free concert took up a love offering to support red wolf conservation efforts and ended up raising $6,000.

His original vision was to use the concert to benefit a different species each year. But the response was so positive and the red wolf ’s need so great that he decided to feature the red wolf for a second year. The second annual Concert for Conservation is slated for 4 p.m. Sunday, March 29, 2020, once more at FUMC, and Lile is planning multiple other red wolf-related events in Haywood and Buncombe counties leading up to the event.

“After going across the sea to Tanzania and Madagascar to study primates, I kept realizing every time I came back to North Carolina that I didn’t have to travel very far to try to educate people or protect a critically endangered species,” said Lile. “If we can’t protect a critically endangered species from extinction in North Carolina or the United States, how are we going to do it in Madagascar or Tanzania?”

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Smoky Mountain News

extremely dangerous because if a hurricane comes through Eastern North Carolina and wipes out all the red wolf populations in the wild, you have no red wolves left.”

Defenders of Wildlife would like to see new pockets of red wolf populations eventually established throughout its historic range. But the North Carolina program’s success will be critical to achieving that end.

“To even think about releasing wolves in those areas before North Carolina wolves are taken care of is a little bit ridiculous,” said Liles. “It’s just getting ahead of ourselves and it’s allowing North Carolina to give up on our population, which then is going to make other states not want to have red wolf populations. Because if North Carolina can’t do it after 35 years and a lot

Endangered bog turtle. Dontaed photo

10 COUPON

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Riley wrote his comments in response to a Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to drastically cut back on protections and management of the red wolf population. First published June 28, 2018, the proposed rule would stop management of red wolves living on private lands and restrict conservation efforts to certain public lands in Hyde and Dare counties. Outside those public lands, red wolves could be killed with no hunting restrictions.

A final rule had been expected by Nov. 30, 2018, but the Fish and Wildlife Service decided to extend the time allotted to review the decision after a Nov. 5 federal court ruling found that the rollback would violate the Fish and Wildlife Service’s mandate to recover the species in the wild. No final rule has been released, and no timeline has been has been published.

The federal ruling came after years of conflict between the Fish and Wildlife Service and environmental groups, with those groups bringing a 2012 lawsuit against the government arguing against allowing nighttime hunting of coyotes in the reintroduction area, because red wolves can easily be mistaken for coyotes in the dark. In 2014 the groups came to an agreement that involved cessation of nighttime coyote hunting those five counties. In 2016, the Fish and Wildlife Service suspended reintroduction efforts supporting the existing wild population.

While some comments criticized the red wolf ’s presence in Eastern North Carolina, most expressed pro-red wolf sentiment.

According to an analysis from the Wildlands Network, Wolf Conservation Center, Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Welfare Institute, the proposed rule drew 108,124 comments, of which 99.9 percent favored stronger federal protections for red wolves.

The red wolf population is dangerously small, said Lile, and it’s also dangerously concentrated.

“Ideally you would not have just one wild population of red wolves,” he said. “That’s

& receive a $

outdoors

A plan to cut down encroaching trees and shrubs in the White Oak Bottoms bog near Standing Indian Campground in Macon County is accepting public comment through Dec. 9.

The plan, put forth by the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest, is to remove woody vegetation up to 6 inches in diameter at breast height from the bog in an effort to improve habitat for the critically endangered bog turtle. Native to the eastern U.S., the turtle has suffered habitat loss that has been devastating to its numbers. Woody species lower the water table in boggy areas, making the habitat less hospitable for bog turtles.

Under the proposal, encroaching trees and shrubs would be cut and dragged to the

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43

outdoors

Girls on the Run WNC 5K Runners and volunteers are wanted to support the Girls on the Run of WNC 5K starting at 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Asheville Outlets.

This season, more than 450 girls in third through eighth grade, hailing from seven WNC counties, have trained with volunteer coaches at 30 sites over the past 10 weeks toward this end-of-season 5K. In the face of social pressures and societal challenges, Girls on the Run empowers young women to embrace their full potential. Through research-based curricula, activities and games, GOTR gives girls the tools they need to thrive on every level.

“The 5K is a true celebration for girls, coaches, and families across the region,” said GOTR of WNC Executive Director

Karen Wallace-Meigs. “It is a culmination of all that has been learned in our program. It is certainly one of the most colorful and joyful 5K events in the area.”

Runners and walkers of all ages are invited to participate alongside the girls in this chip-timed race. Advance registration is $30 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger. Day-of registration is $40 and begins at 9 a.m. Strollers are welcome, but pets are not allowed. A variety of volunteer roles are available.

Register for the race at www.runsignup.com or contact Hannah Robinson, Hannah.robinson@girlsontherun.org, to volunteer. All proceeds benefit the GOTR of WNC scholarship fund, which aims to make the program accessible to girls regardless of their ability to pay the entrance fee. GOTR of WNC began with 20 girls in 2002 and has now served more than 15,000 girls.

Shoot hoops on the holidays Two basketball camps will be offered at the Waynesville Recreation Center this winter, one Dec. 30-31 and the second Jan. 2-3. Sessions will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Kevin Cantwell, former head coach at Appalachian State University and associate head coach at Georgia Tech, will direct the camp. Participants will undergo training drills to assist in learning or improving ball handling and shooting skills, with skills taught in a fun and competitive environment and campers placed into groups based on age and ability.

Cost is $100 per camp or $175 for both camps. Applications are available at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Kevin Cantwell, academy7@live.com or www.kevincantwellbasketball.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

2,000 feet through the Fisher Creek watershed, which used to serve as Sylva’s water source, a sweeping view at the top.

Cost is $8; contact 828.456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

A challenging hike in Sylva’s Pinnacle Park will be offered starting at 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 3, from the Waynesville Recreation Center.

The 7-mile roundtrip ascends more than

Tuck TU chapter to meet The Tuckaseigee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the United Community Bank in Sylva.

Attendees should bring a favorite dish to share, with ham supplied by the board. A chance to win a new fly rod handcrafted by chapter member Jim Mills will follow.

Sylva outdoors store celebrates one year Black Balsam Outdoors in Sylva will celebrate its one-year anniversary with music and drinks from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7.

In addition to entertainment, the

evening will feature a raffle to benefit Friends of Panthertown, a nonprofit that works alongside the Nantahala National Forest to protect the Panthertown Backcountry Recreation Area near Cashiers.

Black Balsam Outdoors is located on Main Street in downtown Sylva. Raffle tickets will be sold at the store up to the day of the event.

Plans set for 2020 Assault on BlackRock

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44

Hike Pinnacle

W W W. b l u e r i d g e m o t o r c y c l i n g m a g a z i n e . c o m

The Humane Society of Jackson County will receive all proceeds from the 10th annual Assault on BlackRock, with the 2020 date set for Saturday, March 21, at Pinnacle Park in Sylva.

The grueling course traverses about 7 miles of trail with more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Tshirts are guaranteed for runners registering prior to March 1, with prizes awarded to top finishers.

Cost is $25, or $30 on race day. Register online at www.ultrasignup.com.

Winter bike league resumes in Asheville The Asheville Winter Bike League has begun its 2019-20 season, with structured group rides offered weekly starting at 10 a.m. every Saturday through Jan. 25.

According to the website, the rides “are not designed to drop riders, but neither do we coddle the masses. The goal is to ride at a smooth and steady tempo, not too fast or

too slow, avoiding rapid accelerations and decelerations, for the entirety of the ride.”

Riders are asked to donate $5 to help cover the cost administration, swag and endof-season prizes. Donations are accepted at sign-up. Routes will begin at various places in Buncombe and Transylvania Counties, with the next one slated for Saturday, Nov. 23, at Bold Rock Cider in Mills River.

Sign-up required. Register at idaph.net/idream-athletesfoundation/asheville-winter-bike-league.

Outdoor industry director to speak in WNC Amy Allison.

Registration to open soon for science fair Registration for the 2020 Region 8 Western Regional Science fair will open on Monday, Dec. 2, with the fair slated for Feb. 13-14 at the Western Carolina University Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

The fair is the largest STEM event in Western North Carolina, attracting more than 250 projects from more than 25 school’s across 16 counties. Students are welcome to attend regardless of whether they are submitting a project, with a speaker session, scavenger hunt and opportunity to view projects available to all attendees.

Grades three through five will attend the

Feb. 13 event and grades six through 12 will attend Feb. 14. Registration information is

outdoors

North Carolina’s new Outdoor Recreation Industry Office director will attend the Smoky Mountain Host’s annual Meeting and Education Seminar, which will be held 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 5, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee.

“Amy will be a valuable resource and collaborative partner for Southwestern North Carolina and Smoky Mountain Host as we move forward in growing the outdoor economy in our region,” said David Huskins, managing director of Smoky Mountain Host.

This meeting of the region’s lead destination marketing organization will focus on developing a strategic plan for growing Western North Carolina’s outdoors economy. Recently hired to the director position, Amy Allison was previously the marketing director for Eagles Nest Outfitters in Asheville and is a co-founder and board chair of the Outdoor Gear Builders of WNC. In her new position, she is responsible for promoting the state’s outdoor industry recreation assets while identifying and recruiting companies interested in relocation or expanding here. North Carolina’s outdoor recreation industry employs 260,000 people and generates an annual $28 billion in consumer spending.

To register for the seminar, contact Karen Whitener at 828.200.1221.

available at www.sciencefair.wcu.edu or by calling 828.227.7397.

Committee advances conservation bills The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted on Nov. 19 to advance two key conservation bills.

• The Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act would provide mandatory funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses oil and gas revenues for land conservation projects nationwide. If the bill ultimately becomes law, it would complete the second half of a major victory for public lands and outdoor recreation that began with permanent authorization of the fund in early 2019. The House Natural Resources Committee approved a companion bill in June.

• The Restore Our Parks Act would establish a fund to pay $1.3 billion per year for the next five years toward the National Park Service’s more than $11 billion deferred maintenance backlog. A House version of the bill also addresses backlogs in the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 45

Santa Claus prepares to rappel down Chimney Rock. outdoors

Donated photo

Santa to visit Chimney Rock

Smoky Mountain News

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

Old Saint Nick will visit Chimney Rock State Park Saturdays, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, practicing his chimney-climbing game on the iconic rock as Christmas festivities abound.

Santa will rappel down the Chimney at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m., taking a break at the top of every hour to meet visiting children with Mrs. Claus.

The day will also include breakfast with the elves from 8 to 11 a.m., Mrs. Claus read-

46

ing her favorite Christmas story at 10 a.m., complimentary Santa photos and one-of-akind wish lists typed up on a vintage typewriter.

Christmas music will be performed 11 a.m. to noon, and an assortment of other activities, including animal encounter demonstrations, holiday craft stations and complimentary cookies and hot chocolates will be available.

The event is free with park admission.

Decorate the natural way Make Christmas decorations from natural materials during a free event offered 1 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.

Participants of all ages will make twig stars, pinecone ornaments and more. 828.526.2623.

Make your own wreath mobile technology to help you get a lot less mobile.

Log on. Plan a trip.

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The Haywood County Master Gardeners will hold their annual wreath-making event

Saturday, Dec. 7, providing an incredible selection of fresh greenery, natural embellishments and knowledgeable Master Gardeners to teach the ropes.

Sessions will be held 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3:30 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Office in Waynesville. Space is limited, and payment must be received by Monday, Nov. 26.

Cost is $25 for one 16-inch wreath and $20 for each additional wreath. Participants should bring their own pruners and gloves, or they can purchase gloves for $6. Bows are available for $5 and bows for $3 or $5.

Proceeds fund horticultural projects and grants in Haywood County.

Space is very limited. Call 828.456.3575.

Tea and crafts to support Sylva garden projects A Christmas Tea and Crafts event from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the First Presbyterian Church of Sylva will benefit the Sylva Garden Club.

In addition to enjoying tasty treats and fellowship, attendees can purchase pecans and Christmas dÊcor. Suggested donation is $15 per ticket, with all proceeds funding the garden club’s beautification projects. nballiot@gmail.com.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Small Business Saturday is on Nov. 30. Opportunity to support local small businesses. #shopsmall.

• The Cullowhee Planning Council will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 2, in the Hospitality Room at the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Hearing is in regard to one Planned Unit Development request. Purpose is to give the public a chance to express opinions.

• Haywood Community College will hold an open house at the Regional Business Advancement Center from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 144 Industrial Park Dr., in Waynesville. 564.5128.

• The Jackson County Branch of the NAACP will host a community event to discuss white supremacy from 8:30-4 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the University Center on Western Carolina University’s campus in Cullowhee.

Child care and transportation, if needed, will be provided. cjrhogue@gmail.com.

• RSVPs are being accepted for a Restaurant Enrichment Meeting & Luncheon hosted by the Jackson County Department of Public Health from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 at Southwestern Community College’s Burrell Building. Restaurant owners and staff connect with JCDPH Environmental Health staff, learn about specific topics and network. RSVP: 587.8250. Info: 587.8246 or travismonteith@jacksonnc.org.

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older.

Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com.

452.1329 or 550.3662.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Registration is underway for the spring semester at Haywood Community College in Clyde. www.haywood.edu, hcc-advising@haywood.edu or 627.2821.

• Registration is underway for Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment’s workshop entitled: “Proactive Strategies for Preventing Employee Hiccups During the Holidays,” which will be offered from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5, at WCU Biltmore Park in Asheville. Instructor is Jon Yarbrough of Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLC. Early-bird registration is $85 by Nov. 30. After, it’s $99.

For info and to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

• Registration is underway for a “Better Communication Through Creative Play for Marketing and Sales Professionals” workshop offered by Western Carolina University’s Office of Professional Growth and Enrichment from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, at WCU’s Biltmore Park location in Asheville. $99. Info or to register: pdp.wcu.edu or 227.7397.

FUNDRAISERS AND BENEFITS • Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society is seeking items for its annual Holiday Shopping Auction that is scheduled for Dec. 5. Handmade crafts, artwork, subscriptions, sports equipment, tickets to area attractions, gift baskets, gift cards and more accepted.

Proceeds will upgrade equipment and resources in the genealogy library. Items accepted until 4 p.m. on Dec. 3 in the Heritage Museum, 200 Main Street, next to the Fly Fishing Museum on the square in Bryson City.

• The Sylva Garden Club will be hosting a fundraiser “Christmas Tea & Crafts” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the First Presbyterian Church of Sylva.

Suggested donation is $15 per ticket. Tickets are avail-

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. able from SGC members and at the door. In addition to tasty treats and fellowship, pecans and Christmas décor will be available for purchase. All proceeds go directly to fund SGC beautification projects. Please email nballiot@gmail.com for further information.

• Waynesville Pizza Company is holding a basket raffle through Dec. 20 to benefit Haywood County Animal Shelter. Tickets are $5 for 1 or $20 for 5 and can be purchased at Waynesville Pizza. Basket value is more than $500 and includes donations from local businesses and artisans.

• Stonehouse Pottery (Waynesville) will be doing an Open Studio Tour and Sale the first Sunday of each month to help support our local nonprofits. Each month highlights a different artist and that artists chooses his or her nonprofit. Stonehouse Pottery and the artist then give a portion of the proceeds as a donation to that nonprofit.

HEALTH MATTERS • Thursday evening Restorative Yoga with Reiki energy healing is set for 6 p.m. on Dec. 5 at Sylva Yoga.

• Al-Anon, a confidential support group for friends and family members of alcoholics, meets at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesdays at Grace Episcopal Church in Waynesville.

440.724.5994.

• Haywood County Health & Human Services Agency will hold a monthly night clinic from 4:30-6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at 157 Paragon Parkway in Clyde next to Tractor Supply. Annual exams, birth control, child health, lab testing, immunizations, STI/STD exams and counseling. Appointments: 452.6675.

• Co-Dependents Anonymous, a support group for those wishing to create more fulfilling relationships with themselves and others, will meet from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House, 566 S. Haywood St., in Waynesville. http://coda.org.

• The Haywood Chapter of Survivors of Suicide Loss meets from 6:30-8 p.m. on the first Monday of each month at the Fellowship Hall of Hazelwood Presbyterian Church in Waynesville. Info: 910.528.0169.

• The WNC Ostomy Support Group will meet from 6-7 p.m. every second Monday at the Jackson County Center Cooperative Extension’s Meeting Room, 876 Skyland Dr., Suite 6, in Sylva. Group is for people living with a urostomy, ileostomy, colostomy or a continent diversion.

Facilitated by Certified Ostomy Nurses.

• An Essential Oil class will be offered at Lazy Hiker/Mad Batter Kitchen in Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 11. Lacking sleep, digestive issues, mood imbalance, in pain. Call or text Wende Goode at 246.2256 to reserve your space at class and receive a free trial sample of oil tailored to your personalized health need.

Limit of 12 participants. Call even if you are unable to attend class but still interested in learning more and receiving a sample.

• Gentle Yoga for Cancer is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville.

Info: MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer or 452.8691.

• “Nourishing You” – an introductory “Yoga for Cancer” class, is offered from 1:30-2:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Haywood Breast Center in Waynesville. Taught by Kim Mulholland, Mindful Yoga for Cancer Duke Integrative Medicine Trainer. Info: 452.8691 or MyHaywoodRegional.com/YogaforCancer.

Smoky Mountain News

• Jackson County Department of Public Health is offering diabetes self-management education as well as medical nutrition therapy. Info: 587.8240 or http://health.jacksonnc.org/wic.

• The Haywood County Senior Resource Center holds a dementia caregivers support group from 4:30-6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday each month in Waynesville.

356.2800 or www.haywoodseniors.org.

• “Riding the Waves of Cancer” meets from 2:30-4 p.m. on Thursdays at the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center. Physician referral from an oncologist or cancer doctor is required: Myhaywoodregional.com/yogaforcancer. 452.8691.

• Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) meets at 5:30 p.m. on Fridays at the Friendship House on Academy Street, behind and adjoining the First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Group of persons desiring healthy and fulfilling relationships. 775.2782 or www.coda.org.

• The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood donors due to an emergency shortage. To schedule an appointment or donate, use the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 800.RED.CROSS (800.733.2767).

• The Jackson County Senior Center will offer a Caregiver Education Class at 10 a.m. on the third Monday of every month in the Board Room of the Department of Aging in Sylva. 586.5494.

• The Haywood County Dementia Caregivers' Support Group has change the location of its meetings. The group will meet at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). The meetings are scheduled from 4:30 PM until 6:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday. 926.0018.

• Community First Aid and CPR classes are offered from 6-10 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month at Haywood Community College in Clyde. Info: 564.5133 or HCC-CPRraining@haywood.edu.

• Nutrition counseling and diabetes education are offered through Macon County Public Health in Franklin.

349.2455.

• Western Carolina University’s student-run, Mountain Area Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic will be open from 6-8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays of each month. 227.3527.

• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) holds a support group for family, friends, and those dealing with mental illness on the 1st Thursday of each month in the 2nd floor classroom at Haywood Regional Medical Center at 6:30 p.m.

• HIV and syphilis testing will is offered during normal business hours at Jackson County Health Department.

• “Laughing Balsam Sangha,” a meeting for Mindfullness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, meets will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Mondays at 318 Skyland Drive in Sylva. Included are sitting and walking meditation, and Dharma discussion. Free admission.

335.8210, and “Like” them on Facebook.

• Adult Children of Alcoholics and Dysfunctional Families (ACA) meets at noon on Saturdays at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center at 171 Main St. in Franklin. 407.758.6433 or adultchildren.org.

• The Jackson County Department of Public Health will offer a general clinic from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 587.8225.

• A Food Addicts Anonymous Twelve-Step fellowship group meets at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays at Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville. www.foodaddictsanonymous.org.

• Big Brother/Big Sister, a one-evening preparation class for children who are about to greet a new baby into their family, is offered for children ages 3-10 at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440.

47

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 • Mothers Connection, an ongoing social gathering for mothers and their babies, meets from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays excluding holidays at Haywood Regional Medical Center. 452.8440.

• A support group meeting for those with Parkinsons Disease and their caregivers will be held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Free childbirth and breastfeeding classes are available at Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva. Classes are offered bimonthly on an ongoing basis. Register or get more info: 586.7907.

• A free weekly grief support group is open to the public from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at SECU Hospice House in Franklin. Hosted by Four Seasons Compassion for Life Bereavement Team. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• A free, weekly grief support group will meet from 12:30-2 p.m. on Thursdays at the SECU Hospice House in Franklin. 692.6178 or mlee@fourseasonscfl.org.

• “ECA on the Move!” – a walking program organized

by Jackson County Extension and Community Association – meets from 9-10 a.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. It’s an effort to meet the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 10,000 steps per day. 586.4009.

• A Tuesday Meditation Group meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

RECREATION AND FITNESS • Sylva Yoga will host a Winter Wonder Yoga Workshop from 3-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, in Sylva.

Relaxing, reflective, joyful practice celebrating the solstice and the returning of light.

• Rumba and line dance lessons will be offered this fall through the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. Rumba classes are from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Line dancing is offered from 2-3 p.m. on Wednesdays. For more info and date ranges, call 356.7060 or 550.3170.

• An hour yoga class is offered at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Maggie Valley Wellness Center. $15 for a single class, or $55 for a package of four classes.

944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Dance Tonight Haywood offers weekly evening classes Foxtrot or Tango (Mondays 6) and Carolina Shag (Mondays 7), Salsa (Tuesdays, Beginners 7 p.m. & Advance 8 to 10 p.m.), Swing (Wednesdays, Beginners 7 p.m. & Advance 8 p.m.) and Waltz (Thursdays, Beginners 7 p.m. & Advance 8 p.m.), Open Ballroom (Fridays, 7 p.m. & practice dance from 8 to 9:30 p.m.), and Argentine Tango Practica/Tea Dance (Sundays, 2 to 5 p.m) at 61 ½ Main Street in Canton. For times, prices and to RSVP, call 316.1344.

• Tai Chi & QiGong classes are being offered at 7 p.m. on Mondays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde.

450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

wnc calendar

• A Tai Chi for Arthritis, Level 1, class is being offered at 11:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. 450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• A Tai Chi for Arthritis, Level 2, class is being offered at 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde. 450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• Tai Chi for Beginners is offered at 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde.

450.3741 or paul@pcasper.net.

• The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is now offering pickleball on four indoor courts from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Equipment provided; free for members or daily admission for nonmembers.

456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• ZUMBA! Class with Monica Green, are offered from 6-7 p.m. on Monday & Wednesday, at the Canton Armory. $5 per class. 648.2363 or parks@cantonnc.com.

• ZUMBA is offered at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville on Thursdays at 6 p.m. with Patti Burke. Check Facebook page Patti Burke Zumba Students for additional information such as holiday or weather related cancelations. $5 per class.

• There will be several ballroom and Latin dance classes offered on Sundays and Mondays at Frog Level Brewing in Waynesville. Classes for beginners, intermediate and all levels. $10 per class. For more information, click on www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Flow + Center Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays at Maggie Valley Wellness Center.

944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• Gentle Vin Yin Yoga is offered from 9-9:55 a.m. on Fridays through November at Maggie Valley Wellness Center. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

• The Safekids USA/Blue Dragon Taekwondo School is offering self-defense classes from 9-10 a.m. on Saturdays. $5 per class. For females 14-older. Classes are at 93 Jones Cove Road in Clyde.

• Karaoke is happening at 8 p.m. on Saturdays at Harmon’s Den Bistro at HART Theatre in Waynesville.

• The Maggie Valley Wellness Center is offering two yoga classes from 9-9:55 a.m. on Wednesdays through March: Gentle Flow with Candra and Gentle Vin Yin with Jamie. 944.0288 or maggievalleywellness.com.

• A wide variety of yoga classes are offered daily through the Waynesville Yoga Center. For updated, current listings, visit: http://waynesvilleyogacenter.com/class-schedule.

• Ultimate Frisbee games are held from 5:30-8 p.m. on Mondays at the Cullowhee Recreation Park.

Organized by Jackson County Parks & Recreation.

Pick-up style. 293.2053 or www.rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Pickleball is from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday nights at First Methodist Church in Sylva. $1 each time you play; equipment provided. 293.3053.

• The Canton Armory is open to the public for walking from 7:45-9 a.m. on Monday through Friday unless the facility is booked till spring. 648.2363. parks@cantonnc.com.

POLITICAL • The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a Quasi-Judicial Hearing (cell tower) at 4 p.m. on Dec. 10 in room A201 of the Jackson County Justice Center in Sylva.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will have a work session at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 12, at the Jackson County Justice Center, Room A227, in Sylva.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a Public Hearing (Cashiers Ordinance Amendment) at 5:55 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Cashiers Rec Center.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12, at the Cashiers Rec Center.

• The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a regular meeting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Room A201 of the Jackson County Justice Center in Sylva.

• Tickets are on sale now for the 27th annual Charles Taylor Holiday Dinner, which will be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, at the Expo Center at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Asheville. Hosted by Charles Taylor and family. Taylor is the longest-serving Republican Congressman in Western North Carolina history. Hear from national speakers and meet federal, state and local candidates. Tickets: $65 per person. 243.2187 or tasmothers@yahoo.com. Send checks to Taylor, P.O. Box 7587, Asheville, NC 28802.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS

• Yoga classes designed specifically for those who have experienced trauma are being offered at the Fitness Connection in Waynesville. www.sonshineyoga.com.

• Susanna Shetley, author of the recently published picture book “The Jolt Felt Around the World,” will hold an author event from 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Blue Ridge Books, 428 Hazelwood Ave. in Waynesville. Refreshments and art activity for kids.

• Tai chi is offered from 10:45-11:45 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday at Haywood Regional Health

• A poetry reading is held at 2 p.m. on the last Saturday of each month at Panacea in Waynesville.

Quality Trailers, Quality Prices

Bring poetry, essays and writings. poevampyre@gmail.com.

• The North Carolina Writers' Network-West will sponsor The Literary Hour at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of the month. at the Keith House on the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. This reading is free of charge and open to the public.

• Waynesville Book Club at 5:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month 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.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES • The Mexican Train Dominoes Group seeks new players to join games at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Book Club is held at 2 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800 • A Hand & Foot card game is held at 1 p.m. on Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Senior Sale Day is on the third Friday of every month at the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore. Patrons 60 and older get 20 percent off all purchases.

Proceeds benefit the Sylva Library.

• Pinochle game is played at 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• Mah Jongg is played at 1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

camps that will be offered this winter at Waynesville Recreation Center. led by former Appalachian State head coach Kevin Cantwell. Camps are held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Dec. 30-31 and Jan. 2-3. $100 per camper, or attend both camps for $175. Applications available at Waynesville Recreation Center; make checks payable to Cantwell. Info: academy7@live.com or www.kevincantwellbasketball.com.

• Mother Goose On the Loose early childhood curriculum will be featured in a Reading Adventures Storytime program that’s offered at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Blends rhyming with movement, storytelling, simple songs, music and sensory play. 488.3030.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old.

Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

KIDS FILMS • “Frozen II”, is showing Nov. 27-Dec. 5 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”, will be showing on Dec. 6-19 at The Strand on Main through Nov. 21 in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”, will be showing Dec. 19-26 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets.

Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• A Canasta card game is set for 1 p.m. on Mondays at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• “Frozen II”, will be showing on Dec. 20-26 at The Strand on Main in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• A Parkinson’s Support Group is held at 2 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation will offer a series of nature-themed films and documentaries shown at 6:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of March in Highlands. For info on each show, call 526.2221.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Southwestern Community College is offering a PARI Robotics Camp from Dec. 6-8 at the Learning Center at PARI in Rosman. Open to middle school and high school students in Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties as well as the Qualla Boundary. Learn about electronics and sensors, how to program instructions and think through problems to find solutions within the capabilities of a robot. $50 deposit required. $50 deposit; Smoky Mountain STEM Collaborative grant covers two nights of lodging and all meals. R_neff@southwesterncc.edu or 339.4357.

• Registration is underway for a pair of basketball

• A family movie will be shown at 10:30 a.m. every Friday at Hudson Library in Highlands.

A&E HOLIDAY • The 32th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov.

Puzzles can be found on page 54 These are only the answers.

pricing starting at $499

48

and Fitness Center. It’s also offered from 1-2 p.m. on Thursdays. Taught by Bill Muerdter. For info about the classes or HRHFC memberships and offerings, call 452.8080 or visit MyHaywoodRegional.com/Fitness.

Trailer Center

financing available, ask for details

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

Cultural Arts Center, 121 Schoolhouse Rd. in Stecoah.

479.3364 or StecoahValleyCenter.com.

Saturdays at Papou’s Wine Shop in Sylva. www.papouswineshop.com or 631.3075.

• The Town of Maggie Valley on Saturday, Nov.30 will host shop small Saturday Santa Claus will arrive at 2:30 with photos being taken at the town hall from 3 to 6 p.m. and ending with the Christmas tree lighting at 6 pm. Pick up the map with all the businesses and check out what activities that will be going on in the businesses and at Town Hall. www.maggievalley.org or 926.1686.

• The 15th annual Christmas Worship in a Stable will be held from 5:30-6:10 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the 3rd Generation Barn Loft Farm at 84 Frank Mann Road, outside of Canton. In Casual service, Christmas carols, scripture readings, storyteller, special music and lighting.

• “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.

• The annual “Fireside Sale” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. Stroll through the beautifully decorated Keith House and shop for holiday gifts made by local and regional artists. More treasures await in the Music Studio, and don't miss the Craft Shop's annual sale. Free admission. Call 800.FOLK.SCH or www.folkschool.org.

• The “Spirit of Christmas” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, in downtown Bryson City. Join friends and neighbors for caroling at the lighting of the 50-foot-tall town Christmas tree at the corner of Main and Everett. 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.

• “Santa at the Museum” will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Nov. 30 on the second floor of the Swain County Heritage Museum in Bryson City. Warm cocoa and cookies, and letter writing to Santa downstairs.

• The annual “Christmas in Sylva” holiday will take place Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in downtown. Tree lighting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29 with a concert by Summer & Bray of Mountain Faith. Winter Market will be held at the farmers market on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 11 am to 3 pm with photos with Santa being offered. Activities will conclude with the Christmas Prade being held at 3 pm on Sunday, Dec. 1.

586.2719.

• The Haywood Choral Society, under the direction of Kathy Geyer McNeil, will perform its holiday concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, at Waynesville First United Methodist Church, 566 S. Haywood St. haywoodchoralsociety.org or find the group on Facebook.

• The Franklin Christmas Parade is set for 3 p.m. on Dec. 1 in downtown Franklin, starting at Town Hall and ending at Highlands Road. An Ugly Sweater Dash is at 2:45 p.m; prizes for fastest dasher and ugliest sweater.

• First United Methodist Church will offer two Advent studies during the Christmas Season: A Sisters Advent Study from 4:45-6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Dec. 3-17; and a lunch hour Advent study on Trevor Hudson’s “Pauses for Advent” from noon-1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Dec. 418, at 66 Harrison Ave., in Franklin. 524.3010 or firstumcfranklin.org.

• Breakfast with Santa is from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, 121 Schoolhouse Rd. in Stecoah. 479.3364 or StecoahValleyCenter.com.

• First Presbyterian Church will hold a “Community Christmas Cheer Breakfast” from 8-11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, in Waynesville. Family photos with Santa, Christmas music by the Tuscola Band, carols and bells with the Presbyterian choir and a Craft Guild holiday boutique. 734.9003, 926.1421 or fpcwaynesville.org.

• Christmas in the Mountains, an indoor art and craft show and sale with visiting artisans, is set for 9 a.m.2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Stecoah Valley

• The annual “Sounds of the Season” concert will be presented by Western Carolina University’s School of Music on Sunday, Dec. 8, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee. The holiday musical tradition begins at 3 p.m. and will include performances by WCU’s Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, University Chorus, Concert Choir and Civic Orchestra, along with Balsam Brass and the Cullowhee Wind Quintet. The family friendly concert concludes with a holiday sing-along and an appearance by Santa Claus. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for WCU faculty and staff, and those 60 and older, while students and kids remain at $5.

Proceeds benefit the School of Music Scholarship Fund. 227.2479 or arts.wcu.edu/sos.

• Reservations are being accepted for “Appalachian Christmas,” which is Dec. 12-15 at Lake Junaluska.

Festivities include Handel’s Messiah, featuring the Lake Junaluska Singers, other musical entertainment and a craft show. Lakejunaluska.com/Christmas or 800.222.4930.

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

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

• A game day will occur from 2-9 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Papou’s Wine Shop & Bar in Sylva. Bring dice, cards or board games.

586.6300.

• A wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

Free with dinner ($15 minimum). 452.6000.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Tickets are available now for a performance of “A Christmas Carol,” which will be on stage at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in the University Center Theater at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission.

Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

• Tickets are available now for Holidays at the University Center, which will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 4-5, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

• The Otto Children’s Christmas Party is set for 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, at the Otto Community Center, 60 Firehouse Rd., in Otto. Games, prizes, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, crafts, photos with Santa, music, decorations and caroling.

MUSIC

C U LT U R E

• Andrew Peterson will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 5, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $25.

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 524.1598 or click on www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Series will continue with Granny’s Mason Jar at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 5, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 227.7129 or mhc.wcu.edu.

• Tickets are on sale now for the Balsam Range Art of Music Festival, which is Dec. 6-8 at Lake Junaluska. The award-winning bluegrass group will perform alongside other top bluegrass and acoustic musicians.

Lakejunaluska.com/balsamrange or 800.222.4930.

• Tickets are on sale now for the second session of the Mountain Memories Performance Series: “A Mountain Christmas,” set for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14, at Queen Auditorium at Folkmoot in Waynesville.

Storytelling, music and dance. Tickets: $20; available at Folkmoot.org.

• Tickets are available now for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers, which is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 13, in the University Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

ADVENTURE

FOOD+DRINK

FOOD & DRINK • The “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec 31 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City.

Full service all-adult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville is offering lunch on Saturdays, “Lunch with us” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring fresh seasonal menu with outdoor seating weather preminting. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Bryson City Wine Market offers flights from 4-7 p.m. on Fridays and from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Flight of four wines for $5.

Smoky Mountain News

• Pictures with Santa will be offered from 5-6:30 p.m. on Dec. 6 at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center, 98 Hyatt Rd. in Franklin. 524.3161.

• The chancel choir at First United Methodist Church will present a Christmas musical at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8, in the church sanctuary, 77 Jackson St. in downtown Sylva. “Joh Has Dawned: A Christmas Celebration” by Lloyd Larson. 586.2358.

• 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.

• The second annual “Bluegrass Boogie” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, in The Gem downstairs taproom at Boojum Brewing in Waynesville. This will be an unofficial kickoff event for the Balsam Range Art of Music Festival. The event is free and open to the public.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

• Volunteers will wrap gifts for donations to Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation from Dec. 1-24 at Mast General Store in Waynesville. Volunteers are being sought: https://tinyurl.com/w4s6bv6. Info on Sarge’s: 246.9050 or www.sargeanimals.org.

• Chimney Rock State Park will host family friendly, Christmas-themed events on Dec. 7 and Dec. 14.

Photos with Santa, and local poet Eddie Cabbage will type out kids’ Christmas wish lists on his vintage typewriter and parchment paper.

ChimneyRockPark.com.

Tickets: $5 for WCU students, $10 for non-WCU students and WCU faculty and staff and $15 for general admission. Available at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu or 227.2479.

wnc calendar

29-30 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville will host five for $5 Wine Tasting from 5 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Come taste five magnificent wines and dine on Chef Bryan’s gourmet cuisine. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Secret Wine Bar is hosted by Bosu’s in Waynesville on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Contact for more information and make reservations. 452.1020.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville. 452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

Bosu’s will host a Cocktails & Lunch on Saturday’s.

Serving house-made champagne cocktails from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. www.waynesvillewine.com • A free wine tasting will be held from 2-5 p.m. on

MAGAZINE READ, SUBSCRIBE & LEARN MORE GSMNP photo

smliv.com

49

wnc calendar

CLASSES AND PROGRAMS • The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 29-30 in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville. Studios will be open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. www.stecoahvalleycenter.com • Western North Carolina Cribbage Club meets at 6:30 p.m. every Monday. Info: 926.3978.

• The Weekly Open Studio art classes will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville, Instructor will be Betina Morgan. Open to all artists, at any stage of development, and in the medium of your choice. Cost is $25 per class. There will also be a Youth Art Class from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Cost is $15 per class. Contact Morgan at 550.6190 or email bmk.morgan@yahoo.com.

• Leon Jones will give a talk about his time in Peru at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room in Franklin. Slide presentation.

• A Holidays Creation Event, an opportunity to make holiday decorations from natural materials, is set for 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Highlands Nature Center, 930 Horse Cove Road in Highlands. 526.2623.

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

• Glass ornament classes will be held in 30-minute time slots from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on consecutive Saturdays, Dec. 7 and 14, at Green Energy Park in Dillsboro. Cost: $35 per time slot. Create one glass art ornament. Register: 631.0271. www.jcgep.org. Walkins welcome.

• Reservations are being accepted for the annual Master Gardener Wreath-Making Event, which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Cooperative Extension Office, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118, in Waynesville. Sessions are from 9:30 a.m.-noon and 13:30 p.m. Cost: $25 for one 16-inch wreath (materials included). Additional wreaths are $20 each. To reserve your spot, send a $25 check to Extension-Wreath Workshop, 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 118, Waynesville, NC 28786. Questions: mgarticles@charter.net or 456.3575.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • The Stecoah Drive About Self-Guided Tour of Studios and Galleries in Robbinsville and Bryson City is set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Nov. 29-30.

StecoahValleyCenter.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Haywood Community College professional crafts fiber student Miranda Heidler and graduates Mitsu Shimabukuro and Hannah Watson currently work in the “Of Threads, On Place” exhibition at the Asheville Area Arts Council. This selection of historical and contemporary textiles will run through Nov. 29 and is located at The Refinery Creator Space at 207 Coxe Avenue in Asheville. www.ashevillearts.com.

50

• The Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center is pleased to present, “Resounding Change: Sonic Art and the Environment.” This exhibition will be on display through Dec. 6.

• The next SADC pop-up gallery, titled “The Blending of Tradition and Modernity in Culture Groups,” will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, at Viva Arts Studio in Sylva. The exhibition will feature artists of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, who offer perspectives on the blending of tradition, culture and modernity from a wide variety of contexts and experiences.

• Acrylic and watercolor painter Linda Blount and acrylic painter Jason Woodard will have their works showing in the auditorium of the Waynesville branch library through January 2020. The showcase is provided by the Haywood County Arts Council/Haywood County Public Library through the collaborative “Art Works @ The Library” program.

• Cherokee Indian Hospital is issuing a “Call to Artists” for the new Analenisgi Inpatient Unit. The mission is to create community pride and ownership using a variety of culturally significant, healing art mediums. Enrolled EBCI members will be given preference. Mediums can include, but are not limited to, paintings (oil, acrylic, pastels, watercolor) photography, fiber arts, metal, mixed media and sculpture.

Please email legendweaverstudios@gmail.com if you want the formal “Call to Artists” application and information.

• Sons of the American Legion will present a Turkey Shoot at 9 a.m. every Saturday through April at 171 Legion Dr. in Waynesville. $2 per round; refreshments provided. Weather permitting. 456.8691.

• The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be held through Jan. 4 in HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville. The 2019 exhibit will feature 60 artists and almost 240 individual works of art for sale.

• The “Gobble on the Green” 5K turkey trot and onemile kids fun run is set for 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively, on Thursday, Nov. 28, at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers. Cost: $30. Pre-race packet pick-up is from 4-6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, also at the Village Green. www.villagegreencashiersnc.com, 743.3434 or director@cashiersgreen.com.

www.haywoodarts.org or 452.0593.

• Applications are being accepted for artists who want their work included in monthly gallery exhibits or retail spaces through the Haywood County Arts Council. HaywoodArts.org or GalleryGifts@HaywoodArts.org.

• The Museum of the Cherokee Indian has recently opened a major new exhibit, “People of the Clay: Contemporary Cherokee Potters.” It features more than 60 potters from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Cherokee Nation, and more than one hundred works from 1900 to the present. The exhibit will run through April 2020.

• New artist and medium will be featured every month at the Haywood County Senior Resource Center in Waynesville. 356.2800.

FILM & SCREEN • “Ford v Ferrari”, is showing through Dec. 5 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Knives Out”, is showing through Dec. 5 at Smoky Mountain Cinema in Waynesville Plaza. Visit www.fandango.com or http://smokymountaincinema.com/ for showtimes, pricing & tickets. Info. on Facebook or 246.0588.

• “Harriet”, is showing at The Strand on Main through Nov. 28 in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• “JoJo Rabbit”, is showing at The Strand on Main Nov 29-Dec. 5 in Waynesville. 38main.com.

• The Second Tuesday Movie Group meets at 2 p.m. in the Waynesville Library Auditorium. For info, including movie title: 452.5169.

Outdoors • The Tuckaseigee River Chapter No. 373 of Trout Unlimited meets at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at the United Community Bank, 1640 E. Main St. in Sylva.

• Amy Allison, the new director of the state’s Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, will attend the Annual Meeting & Education Seminar of Smoky Mountain Host, which is Dec. 5 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort Hotel in Cherokee. Registration info: visitsmokies.org or 200.1221.

• Black Balsam Outdoors will celebrate its one-year anniversary with music and drinks from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, on Main Street in downtown Sylva.

• The Asheville Winter Bike League will offer structured group rides at 10 a.m. every Saturday through Jan. 25. $5 donation requested. Sign up required: https://tinyurl.com/yx5byb8h.

• The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Hatchery Supported Trout Waters is open from 7 a.m. until onehalf-hour after sunset until last day of February. Info: https://tinyurl.com/yae8ffqn.

COMPETITIVE EDGE

• Girls on the Run of WNC 5K is set for Sunday, Dec. 8, at the Asheville Outlets. Cost: $30 adults, $15 ages 12under before Dec. 7 at https://tinyurl.com/u57nc63; Race day registration is $40. Volunteers: Hannah.robinson@girlsontherun.org or https://tinyurl.com/w4mbysk.

Info: www.gotrwnc.org/5K.

FARM AND GARDEN • Garden workdays are held from 3 p.m. until dusk every Wednesday at Cullowhee Community Garden, 65 S. Painter Road. Weeding, mulching, general garden maintenance. 587.8212.

• The Haywood County Plant Clinic is open every business day at the Haywood County Extension Center on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and more. Info: 456.3575.

HIKING CLUBS • A guided Black Friday hike to take in views of Panthertown Valley will start at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 29, from the Salt Rock Gap Trailhead. Six miles.

Led by Friends of Panthertown volunteer Mike Kettles.

Free for members; nonmembers are asked to join or make a donation. Join: www.panthertown.org/join.

Sign up for the hike: friends@panthertown.org.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate-tostrenuous 3.5-mile hike with a 940-foot elevation change on Saturday, Nov. 30, up Shortoff Mountain near Highlands. Info and reservations: 743.1079.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will take an easy threemile hike with an elevation change of 300 feet on Saturday, Nov. 30, to Jones Knob on the NC Bartram Trail. Info and reservations: 526.6480.

• High Country Hikers, based out of Hendersonville but hiking throughout Western North Carolina, plans hikes every Monday and Thursday. Schedules, meeting places and more information are available on their website, www.highcountryhikers.org.

• Carolina Mountain Club hosts more than 150 hikes a year, including options for full days on weekends, full days on Wednesdays and half days on Sundays.

Non-members contact event leaders. www.carolinamountainclub.org • Mountain High Hikers, based in Young Harris, Ga., leads several hikes per week. Guests should contact hike leader. www.mountainhighhikers.org.

• Smoky Mountain Hiking Club, located in East Tennessee, makes weekly hikes in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as surrounding areas. www.smhclub.org.

• Benton MacKaye Trail Association incorporates outings for hikes, trail maintenance and other work trips.

No experience is necessary to participate. www.bmta.org.

• Diamond Brand’s Women’s Hiking Group meets on the third Saturday of every month. For more information, e-mail awilliams@diamondbrand.com or call 684.6262.

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.

• An RV camping club, the Vagabonds, camps one weekend per month from April through November. All ages welcome. No dues or structured activities. For details, write lilnau@aol.com or call 369.6669.

• The Cataloochee Chapter of Trout Unlimited meets the second Tuesday of the month starting with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. at Rendezvous restaurant located on the corner of Jonathan Creek Road and Soco Road in Maggie Valley. Come early and eat if you like. 631.5543.

• A challenging, seven-mile hike of Pinnacle Park will be offered starting at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3, from the Waynesville Recreation Center. 2,000-foot incline. Cost: $8. Info: 456.2030 or tpetrea@waynesvillenc.gov.

• 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. starting at the Flame. www.cherokeerunners.com.

• The Nantahala Hiking Club will hold its annual holiday party from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13, at the Franklin Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Bring an hors d’oevres to share and beverage of your choice.

369.7352.

• The Jackson-Swain Master Gardeners’ Association meets at 9:30 a.m. every second Wednesday at the Jackson Community Services Building on Scotts Creek Road in Sylva. Mike Glover at 736.2768 or lmgofish@gmail.com.

• Nantahala Hiking Club holds monthly trail maintenance days from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on every fourth Saturday at 173 Carl Slagle Road in Franklin. Info and to register: 369.1983.

• Pigeon Valley Bassmaster’s Club will meet at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at J&S Cafeteria, Enka, Exit 44 off I-40. 712.2846.

• Hike of the Week is at 10 a.m. every Friday at varying locations along the parkway. Led by National Park Service rangers. www.nps.gov/blri or 298.5330, ext.

304.

• Friends of the Smokies hikes are offered on the second Tuesday of each month. www.friendsofthesmokies.org/hikes.html.

• Nantahala Hiking Club based in Macon County holds weekly Saturday hikes in the Nantahala National Forest and beyond. www.nantahalahikingclub.org

• Macon County Horse Association meets at 7:30 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the Macon County Fairgrounds Alumni Building. Education program and business meeting. ddoster@fs.fed.us.

• Haywood Bee Keepers Association meets at 7 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the NC Ag center on Raccoon Road. hcbees.org.

• Smoky Mountain Beekeepers meet at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of every month at the SCC Swain Center in Bryson City on Almond School Road. Open to anyone interested in honeybees. 554.6935.

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Concessionaire- SEASONAL Responsible for the daily duties of the Depot Café or Concession Train Car including but not limited to: food prep, customer service, cash handling, inventory control, merchandise, supply restocking, and facility upkeep.

Musician- SEASONAL The Musician provides musical entertainment and customer service for the passengers.

Retail Sales Associate/Museum Attendant- SEASONAL Responsible for providing customer service, totaling bills, accepting payments and making change for customers in retail store. Assisting passengers at the model train museum.

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 53

Smoky Mountain News

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019

SUPER

54

CROSSWORD

CURRANT OPTIONS ACROSS 1 One-sixth of a fl. oz.

4 Fess (up) 7 Hikers' trails 12 -- Lankan 15 Suffix with 83-Down 18 Alternative to a barrette 20 Moral code 21 One getting toasted, e.g.

23 Waldorf -- (New York hotel) 24 1970s TV spinoff 25 Clingy mollusk 26 Start of a riddle 29 RSVP card encl.

30 Saudi export 31 Sup in style 32 Farrow of "Alice" 34 Indian kings 38 Buy and sell 41 Nonstandard contraction 42 Riddle, part 2 47 Casino stake 48 Claimed psychic gift 49 Engraving tool 50 Germany's Merkel 51 Clothing 53 Skylights?

55 Vigor, muscially 56 Riddle, part 3 60 Tachometer inits.

63 Cuts down with an ax 64 Furiousness 65 Stein quaff 66 Giga- times 1,000 67 Eon division 68 Riddle, part 4 75 Rationalist Descartes

76 77 78 81 83 84 85 90 91 92 93 94 96 97 101 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119

Render blank Japanese condiment Eye in awe Comic actress Oteri Devour Grassy tract End of the riddle Ever so slightly Directed (at) Pasta tube Yang go-with White bird Really good bud, in brief Zeus' mother Riddle's answer Like the Dalai Lama Filch Babka nuts Shoulder bone Bitterly pungent Rider not in a seat Always, in verse Submitted texts: Abbr.

Rotor noises Chicken -- (varicella) Carders' requests

DOWN 1 Becomes liquid 2 Younger Obama daughter 3 "For -- sake ..." (start of an urgent appeal) 4 Other, in Zaragoza 5 Nintendo console released in 2012 6 Patricia of "Hud" 7 Not let up 8 Playwright -- Fugard 9 -- McAn shoes 10 Camouflage

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 22 27 28 33 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 52 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 61

Healing sign Blocking more sunlight Actress Lively or musician Hitchcock Dumbstruck Nickname for boxer Tyson Watchman Golf ball prop Regatta athletes Ending for Motor or Rock Capital of Qatar More quirky "-- girl!"

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Vassal of old Beech, e.g.

Certain sib, in dialect Marcher's flute Big tanks River in Germany Junk dealer's transaction Takes a close look at

62 66 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 78 79 80 81 82 83 86 87 88 89 94 95 96 98 99 100 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109

Group in "GoodFellas" QBs' stats Numb Misfires from QBs: Abbr.

Actor Christopher Made a misplay, say Hammering target Pulitzer, e.g.

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Cut with acid Garr of "Tootsie" Scraping tool Choir part Big-screen film format China's Mao -- -tung

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

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The naturalist’s corner

These common backyard feeders apparently have a lot to say.

Don Hendershot photo

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

The A, B, C and Ds of chickadees ll birders, backyard feeders and most other people know chickadees. These small, noisy, gregarious black and gray fluff balls are found in nearly any habitat, from the deepest wilderness area to urban parks and streets. There are seven North American species of chickadees, Carolina chickadee, Poecile carolinensis, blackcapped chickadee, P. atricapillus, boreal chickadee, P. hudsonicus, chestnut-backed chickadee, P. rufescens, grey-headed chickadee, P. cinctus, mountain chickadee, P. gambeli and Mexican chickadee, P. sclateri.

One of the things all chickadees have in common is they talk a lot. Chris Templeton and co-authors from the University of Washington published a paper back in 2005 noting they had recorded more than 500 “chick-a-dee” calls. This particular study was done in a raptor rehabilitation center using black-capped chickadees. Researchers found the birds responded with different calls (words?) depending on what raptors were around and how close they were. Small dangerous predators like sharp-shinned hawks

A

elicited more and more excited “dees” than say a large predator like a bald eagle.

Dr. Christopher Sturdy, a Canadian researcher said in the Canadian Journal of Zoology chickadee calls were an “avian language.” He said the notes were analogous to “phonemes” (the smallest component of human words.) According to Sturdy, a call would be like a human word and a series of calls would be comparable to a human sentence.

Researchers believe this chickadee language may have evolved because of the social nature of chickadees. After nesting season chickadees band together in small social groups of between two and eight birds, traveling and foraging together.

Chickadee language is a way for these bands to communicate with one another.

Dr. Todd Freeberg of University of Tennessee has studied chickadee calls and believes the similarities between chickadee talk and human talk is obvious. According to Freeberg, chickadees are able to differentiate between seven different known note types and can add complexity and impetus by repeating notes several times.

Freeberg also thinks there’s a bit of grammar accompanying chickadee language. A

and C notes are always placed at the beginning of the call (sentence) and D notes are found at the end. And this order or linguistic axiom is ignored less than 0.4 percent of the time.

Freeberg also believes chickadees have regional dialects. This is not a new concept to birders. It is widely recognized, more northern ovenbirds have a distinctive twosyllable song — “teach–er!” while our ovenbirds seem to mange only a loud “teach.”

Freeberg studied and recorded flocks of chickadees in Tennessee and Indiana and found the common “D” note of Tennessee chickadees was basically absent in Indiana.

While this research (chickadees) is just budding, when you look across the spectrum at other creatures like dolphins, whales etc – and the communication research being done it’s not too farfetched to think all creatures talk to each other.

If you’re a birder, a backyard feeder, hiker or just someone in tune with nature, next time you’re out, listen and see if you can understand what the chickadees are saying.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist.

His book, A Year From the Naturalist’s Corner, Vol. 1, is available at regional bookstores or by contacting Don at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)

Nov. 27-Dec. 3, 2019 Smoky Mountain News 55

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