If there’s one thing dogs love, it’s exercise, and getting out and moving is especially important for dogs living at animal rescues, many of whom spend much of their day in a cage. That’s why Sarge’s Animal Rescue has begun taking some of their dogs on Monday hikes as part of their Adventure Trails program. Seen here is volunteer Anne with Gary, the pup she was walking. (Page 28) Sarge’s Animal Rescue photo
News
Murphy gaming expansion set to open in spring........................................................4
Just days remain in 2024 candidate filing period ......................................................5 Cherokee Editorial Board ordinance withdrawn........................................................6
Public hearing set for Franklin social district................................................................8 Program encourages shoppers to patronize local businesses ............................9 Judge rules on motion to dismiss claims in police shooting suit........................10 Macon schools to consider policy on Narcan..........................................................12 Mountain Projects calls for participation in housing surveys................................13
The next chapter: New owner at Blue Moon Books..............................................14 Gift will create endowment for WCU’s interior design program........................15
Opinion
Adjusting to life in a meat locker..................................................................................18 It only takes one person to change a life....................................................................19
Christmas in Appalachia..................................................................................................20
Outdoors
Misfit Mountain seeks to help animals and owners alike......................................29 Up Moses Creek: The Red Maple................................................................................34
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Murphy gaming expansion set to open in spring
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER
The Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino and Hotel in Murphy is abuzz these days as 200 on-site construction workers hustle to finish a $275 million expansion project expected to open in 2024.
“It’s a great story for us,” said General Manager Lumpy Lambert. “We’re excited about the end product.”
That end product, the casino’s first major expansion since it opened in 2015, will add 25,000 square feet to the gaming floor, including 400 new slot machines, 12 table games, a 10table World Series of Poker room and a 22-seat casino bar. The project also includes a 1,700-stall parking garage that will connect via sky bridge to the hotel complex, which will get a new 296-room tower, indoor pool, fitness center and 12,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant.
When ground broke on the project Sept. 29, 2022, it was expected to be done in early 2024 within the $275 million budget. The casino expansion remains on track to meet those benchmarks. General contractor Robins & Morton has not had to tap into any of the contingencies built into the budget, Lambert said, and the casino expansion is expected to open in late April or early May. The hotel is scheduled for completion in late fall or early winter next year.
“Everything is going extremely well, knock on wood,” Lambert said.
“We don’t need to knock on wood. We’re not like those other jobs you read about that gave everybody up on this COVID inflation and everything,” added Jimmy Peady, senior director of design and construction for Caesar’s Entertainment. “We’re able to manipulate the design and our use of trade contractors across the region and land this thing within the budget in the schedule we’re working toward.”
Through the plywood doors that now mark the entrance to the new casino space spreads an enormous, high-ceilinged room that will be the new gaming floor. Once the project is done, a plywood wall at the back of the room will come down, joining the new space to the existing gaming floor. To the right of the entrance extends a long hallway leading to an elevator shaft, which will serve a yet-to-be-built parking deck. Connected to the right side of the gaming floor are spaces that will serve as the bar and poker room.
“They’ve done a really excellent job thus far getting it dried in,” Lambert said. “We got heat inside the facility, so that’s making it much more manageable for their team.”
Right now, the space is still very much a construction zone. Drywall remains unpainted as crews work to finish mudding and sanding. Floors are concrete, ceilings a grid of metal. The beeps, clatters and smacks of construction work
punctuate every conversation. But Lambert and Peady think the final product will be something to admire.
“We’ve got a new carpet coming in, which means we get to replace the existing [gaming floor] carpet after the first of next year,” Peady said. “It’s got bits of mountain scenes and some other tips of the hat I’d say towards the area and the tribe. We’ve got wood slats coming for the ceiling. I wouldn’t say we’re copying the existing gaming floor. We’re complementing it and improving it.”
Once complete, Lambert expects the expansion to add about 100 jobs to the casino’s existing 1,000 positions, while about 900 people have worked on the construction site over the past year. The casino had struggled to fill vacancies in the wake of the pandemic, recording 140 unfilled positions in July 2021, but vacancies have since fallen below pre-pandemic levels. There are currently about 50 open positions, Lambert said, and that number includes the roughly 30 people that typically enroll in the casino’s table games training class.
The expansion project is unfolding amid a pivotal moment for the tribe’s gaming enterprise, which is seeing its two-decade monopoly on the region’s gambling market come to an end. Temporary casino facilities are now open in Bristol, Virginia, and Kings Mountain near Charlotte. In 2023, total per capita distributions — payments tribal members receive in December and June each year as shareholders in the casino enterprise — fell compared to the 2022 total.
Lambert expects that the expansion will help the casino reassert its place in the competitive landscape.
“We recognize competition’s here,” he said. “We’re embracing it, and we’re going to continue to do our part and do the best we can to make sure that the guest experience is as best as it can be, and what will drive that is our
service. Our employees provide great service to our guests, and our guests choose to come back because of that service that they receive from our employees.”
Lambert also pointed out that, apart from the new amenities, the Valley River experience will improve once construction ends because guests will have an easier time finding parking once they arrive. The areas where the new gaming floor, parking deck and hotel tower are being built were previously parking areas, creating a temporary parking shortage.
“Right now, our guests are choosing not to come to us and not fight the disruption of construction, and that’s been kind of a given,” Lambert said. “And we just know that we’ve got our work cut out for us to get that Knoxville customer to come back to us, keep the Atlanta customer coming to us, Chattanooga, and certainly our 100-mile radius, two-hour drive, we cater to anyhow.”
About 200 construction workers are currently on the project. Holly Kays photo
As seen from the air, progress continues on the $275 million expansion project. Robins & Morton photo
Lumpy Lambert, executive director of Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino, shares progress from the construction site Dec. 11. Holly Kays photo
A rendering shows what the 22-seat bar on the new gaming floor will look like once complete. Donated image
Just days remain in 2024 candidate filing period
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
North Carolina’s candidate filing period for the 2024 General Election ends at noon, Friday, Dec. 15, and if the previous two weeks are any indication, there won’t likely be a lot of contested races in Western North Carolina.
First-term Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) has filed for reelection, as has Hayesville Republican Christian Reagan. A Buncombe County legislator, Democrat Caleb Rudow, announced his intent to run two weeks ago, but hasn’t yet filed.
Incumbent District 43 judges Justin Greene (DSwain), Monica Hayes Leslie (D-Haywood) and Kaleb Wingate (RHaywood) have filed to retain their seats and are currently unopposed.
Virginia Hornsby (RMacon) has also filed and will face Jackson County Republican Andy Buckner in the Primary Election.
remain unopposed.
Another pair of Republicans, Jenny Lynn Hooper and Michael Jennings, have filed for the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. Jennings is competing for the seat held by Democrat Mark Jones, while Hooper will face Republican Tom Stribling in the Primary Election — if Stribling files.
Clint Irons, a Republican, and Wes Jamison, an independent, have both filed for seats on the Jackson County Board of Education in District 3. Rainy Brake, also a Republican, has filed in District 1.
Sen. Kevin Corbin (RMacon) and Sen. Ralph Hise (R-Mitchell) both filed for their seats, but right now only Hise has an opponent, Avery County Democrat Frank Hughes III.
Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) is in for House District 118 and will face Democrat Evelyn Davidson of Madison County.
In District 119, Rep. Mike Clampitt (RSwain) remains completely unopposed.
House Majority Whip Karl Gillespie (RMacon) has filed for his District 120 House seat, as has Andrews Democrat Nancy Curtis.
The only candidates to file for the two available seats on the Haywood County Board of Commissioners are incumbent Republicans — Chair Kevin Ensley and Vice Chair Brandon Rogers. Both filed shortly after the filing period opened and
Woodhouse returns as NC-11 GOP chair
Henderson County resident Michele Woodhouse has been reelected as chair of the North Carolina Republican Party’s 11th Congressional District after stepping down from the post late in 2021. Woodhouse, a Detroit native with roots in Jackson and Macon counties, won the district election held at Tuscola High Scholl in Waynesville on Dec. 9 by a wide margin and will serve a two-year term. She was first elected in April 2021, but left to run for Western North Carolina’s congressional seat when then-congressman Madison Cawthorn (RHenderson) announced he would run for Congress in 2022 in a newly-drawn district.
In Macon County, Republican Barry Breeden filed for the County Commission District 3 seat currently held by fellow Republican Paul Higdon, who also filed. Josh Young, also a Republican, has filed in District 2. That seat is currently held by first-term incumbent Republican Danny Antoine.
Swain County Republican Eric Watson has filed for a seat on the Swain County Commission, as has Tanner Lawson, another Republican.
Candidate filing continues through noon on Dec. 15. The 2024 Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, March 5. The deadline to register to vote in the 2024 Primary Election is Friday, Feb. 9. For more information, visit ncsbe.gov.
Courts, however, struck down that map, leaving Cawthorn little choice but to run in the district that originally elected him. Cawthorn, along with Woodhouse and several others, lost in the 2022 Republican Primary Election to then-Sen. Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson), who went on to earn his first term in the House by defeating Buncombe County Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara in November 2022. Woodhouse secured the nomination with endorsements from chairs of the district’s largest counties — Buncombe, Haywood and Henderson. Elected alongside Woodhouse were Reagan Bunch (vice chair) of Clay County, Patrick Ward (second vice chair) of Madison County, Wally Booth (treasurer) of Transylvania County and Hunter Clark (secretary) of McDowell County.
— Cory Vaillancourt, Politics Editor
Cherokee Editorial Board ordinance withdrawn
Council, chiefs will retain appointments
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER
An ordinance seeking to change the makeup of the Cherokee One Feather’s editorial board made it back in front of Tribal Council on Thursday, Dec. 7, following a lengthy work session held Nov. 21. But One Feather Editor Robert Jumper, who had submitted the legislation, immediately asked that it be withdrawn.
“With the level of disagreement with the direction that the Editorial Board was going, we decided to withdraw rather than have it killed or modified into something that might not provide the benefit that we were seeking,” Jumper told The Smoky Mountain News via email.
The Editorial Board, which is enshrined in tribal law, is charged with developing written guidelines and policies for materials published in the tribally owned Cherokee One Feather. Under current law, the board is made up of One Feather staff members, one member appointed jointly by the chief and vice chief, one member appointed by Tribal Council and a staff member from the Office of the Attorney General. Board members serve indefinitely but can be removed for cause by a majority vote of the remaining member.
The ordinance, first introduced to Tribal Council in November, sought to eliminate the two chief and Tribal Council appointees and replace them with four community members, two appointed by the sitting board and two by the Cherokee Community Club Council.
“The goal of our request is to have more community involvement,” Jumper told Tribal Council Nov. 21. “It’s not uncommon in newspapers and media outlets to have the staff be the board that does that [editorial] direction. But in our case, we’re owned by the tribe, so we want our community involved in those decisions.”
The Editorial Board ordinance was last revised in 2018. That revision took the tribe’s director of marketing and public relations off the roster and gave the executive and legislative branches one appointment each. Additionally, at that time, language was removed from the ordinance requiring that “all news articles, editorials or other matters dealing with controversial subjects shall be submitted to the editorial board for consideration and approval prior to publication.”
“We had good intentions, but it wasn’t a good plan,” Jumper said of the 2018 revision. “I think you guys [on Tribal Council] are so good and studious in your deliberation of the code, and what we did was basically infuse politics into the board. It wasn’t a good fit for The One Feather because [Cherokee Code Chapter] 75 says we shouldn’t be politically influenced.”
Painttown Rep. Dike Sneed asked Jumper
whether any Council member had ever attempted to coerce him to do anything he believed to be wrong following the 2018 revision. Jumper said no such thing has happened, but that that’s not the point.
Community Club Council to select people they felt might best represent tribal members — that might mean they have a master’s degree in journalism, but it also might mean they’re simply wise, connected members of the community.
build the editorial board,” he said. “It’s not always been functional, and it’s been a chore to get it functional. I would ask that, if we can, to do a more controlled process as we start transitioning that power.”
“That was why we asked to set aside two seats for the editorial board to select,” he said. “We can determine two seats that they know journalism, they know policies, they know procedures, but what we’re looking for from the Community Club Council is who they think would best represent the commu-
Joining the Editorial Board is a learning curve, Jumper said, and with so many members, all of whom would be unpaid, it could prove difficult to achieve a quorum as often as required. He suggested adding only two community appointees to start with and considering more next year.
“It’s not that direct influence that we’re really concerned about because it would be a very public influence,” he said. “It’s more the subtle things of maybe appointing someone that might be able to be fed direction, for example. Perceptions are as bad as fact in the media, so people can be not doing anything bad at all, but the perception of it will kill them. So what we want to do is avoid any perception of political influence.”
first Council member to offer feedback. He said he wasn’t against the substance of the proposal but that he couldn’t vote in favor until the ordinance included language outlining the process the Community Club Council would use to make its appointments.
“I would have to agree with Richard on that,” said Birdtown Rep. Boyd Owle. “Any time you have a position out there or a board or something like that, you got all kind of people that apply for it from the community there. Some are certainly qualified for it, and
Owle then suggested a significant change to the ordinance that would give the Community Club Council six appointments rather than two, one for each township. Several other Council members voiced support for that idea, and Principal Chief Michell Hicks said it would be “healthy” to give each community a voice on the board.
“I attended the Community Club Council for three hours last night,” he said. “There was a lot of feedback around open communication and continued transparency. I think we have to find avenues to where our people have a voice and their comments and questions are heard. I think those are elements
“We decided to withdraw rather than have it killed or modified into something that might not provide the benefit that we were seeking.”
— Robert Jumper
However, that offering did not gain traction on Council.
“I do think it’s a little bit forward to assume you would have an issue with attendance or a quorum without ever seeing this possibility roll out,” said Painttown Rep. Michael Stamper. “If there was a situation where we put this into place and you had zero to six show up, then yeah, concerns would be validated. But just to state that you have those concerns up front before ever hearing anybody, I think that’s a little presumptuous on your part.”
“I appreciate that, Councilman,” Jumper replied. “I have a little over 10 years’ experience trying to build the board, so it’s not coming from my personal opinion, it’s coming from experience. It is a challenge when you have appointees — unpaid appointees — to establish a quorum.”
Rather than risk the ordinance accruing unwanted floor amendments, the Editorial Board chose to request that it be withdrawn from consideration.
some are not … of course you want the best person for the position, and you got to have qualifications for it.”
Jumper explained that he hadn’t written any such stipulations into the ordinance because The One Feather wanted the
that are important for this process.”
But Jumper balked at the idea of making such a large change so quickly. Owle’s suggestion would bring the board from eight positions to 14.
“We’ve been very, very careful how we
“There may be a point in time when expanding to a larger complement on the Board will be appropriate, but it needs to be a reasoned, staggered implementation,” Jumper told SMN. “We will discuss the board makeup further internally and try to come up with a version that will satisfy the Council and meet our goals.”
Cherokee One Feather Editor Robert Jumper discusses proposed changes to the Editorial Board ordinance with Tribal Council during a Nov. 21 work session. EBCI image
Public hearing set for Franklin social district
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER
The Town of Franklin will move forward with a public hearing for its proposed social district, despite inaction from the county on the town’s request to include three parcels of county property.
At its Dec. 4 meeting the Franklin Town Council heard public comments from multiple people in support of the Main Street social district, including several downtown businesses.
The proposed district would run from Town Hall down both sides of Main Street to the intersection of Porter Street to include Lazy Hiker. It would also include Stewart Street and the connection alleyway, Phillips Street where it connects Stewart to Main, Iotla Street to the alleyway at Crabtree General Store.
“We’ve checked statistics for this time frame compared to last year’s same time frame and there’s no increase in police calls. We checked everything, including traffic accidents in the district.”
— Chris Hatton, Sylva Police Chief
When Graham Norris of Lazy Hiker spoke in support of the Franklin social district at Franklin’s December meeting, he cited the success of the social district in Sylva, where Lazy Hiker also has a location.
Sylva approved the ordinance for a social district in February 2022. The town started with a test period during which the social district was limited to Friday through Sunday. During this time the town studied both economic impact of the social district as well as its effects on policing and incident reports in the downtown area.
After six months of this limited social district, Sylva officials found no increase in police calls, and expanded
the hours of the social district to seven days per week.
“We’ve checked statistics for this time frame compared to last year’s same time frame and there’s no increase in police calls,” Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton told the Sylva Town Board at the time. “We checked everything, including traffic accidents in the district.”
district held the during Thanksgiving weekend.
“We had nothing but a great experience, and I would expect the same thing in Franklin as well,” McCall said. Joe Griffith, of 80s Flashback Weekend, said he thought a social district would benefit both the fundraising event and businesses on Main Street.
Per legislation enacted in 2021, a social district allows for consumption of on-street and outdoor consumption of alcohol under controlled parameters. Those include a specific and delineated geographic area where the alcohol may be consumed and the requirement that it was sold by a participating ABC-permitted establishment. The social district must have signage indicating where people are allowed to drink alcohol, which businesses are participating and during what times the social district is active. The district must also have branded cups that are permitted outdoors. There are currently 38 municipalities that have social districts in the state with Sylva being the closest one to Franklin.
Cory McCall of Outdoor 76 also voiced his support for the social district. Like Norris, McCall has experience running a business within a social district. In Clayton, Georgia, where Outdoor 76 also has a location, there was a temporary social
Because county commissioners did not take action on the town’s request to include the brick area adjacent to the courthouse and both Gazebo and Clock Tower squares in social district, the map for the proposed social district now excludes those areas. These areas are all county property. Among other businesses, this would likely exclude Las Margaritas from being included in the social district.
“This is a big hurdle, obstacle, step, whichever you wish to refer to it as, because if you can’t have alcohol in the two main squares, then the only place anybody would be able to sit would be on the sidewalk,” Owens said during the discussion with commissioners at their November meeting about including county property.
The public hearing will take place during the Jan. 2 Town Council meeting.
This map shows where the social district would exist in Franklin. Donated photo
Courting disloyalty
New program encourages shoppers to patronize Waynesville businesses
BY KYLE P ERROTTI
N EWS E DITOR
The disloyalty card is here and it’s, in a sense, exactly what it sounds like.
Plenty of businesses use punch cards or reward systems that offer freebies for frequent customers, but the Disloyalty Card program has re-envisioned that concept on a grander scale. People shopping can get a card from any participating business. For every purchase at one of 19 participating businesses — a number that is poised to grow — the card is stamped. Once the card accumulates 14 stamps, the costumer can redeem it for a discount or free item at one of the participating shops. Many merchants offer a 10% discount on any purchase, which can actually lead to some huge savings, considering some businesses like art galleries allow them to be used on high-priced items. Essentially, it encourages people to be loyal not to any one business, but rather to patronize a wide variety of Waynesville businesses — hence the cheeky name “disloyalty card.”
The program was dreamed up by Blake Yoder, who moved here a couple of years ago from South Carolina. He said it’s exciting because it gives the people the opportunity to shop and redeem rewards from one of several businesses instead of just one, which should stimulate the local economy on a broader scale.
“You may have the [Blue Ridge] Beer Hub give away a free pint, you may get a keychain from Axe & Awl,” he said. “The idea that it’s
fungible and changeable. It was something that we wanted to provide as a tool for the businesses rather than being too prescriptive on how the program runs.”
Yoder recalled seeing a similar program for several coffee shops in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood a few years ago, and the idea stuck with him.
“When I started thinking about small quick ways to kind of unite the community around small business, that just came top of mind and I was like, ‘oh, what if we kind of like tried to expand on this idea beyond a specific sector,’” he said.
Yoder took the idea to Spencer Tetrault, who owns Axe & Awl Leatherworks, which opened just over two years ago. The two frequently share ideas, Tetrault said, and they range from absurdly ambitious to relatively humble. He noted that they both identified the disloyalty program as a winner right away. The men, along with some other key partners, started hammering out the details in late October, and now the idea has come to fruition.
Another Waynesville business that helped get the Disloyalty card program off the ground was the Print Haus, which offered to print the first batch of materials for free. However, now that Tetrault and company are paying for future print runs, there is a onetime $20 fee for a business to join the program. For that, a business will get a decal, 75 cards, 10 brochures and an ink pad and a stamp. Then they’re ready to get started.
Tetrault noted that while there are currently 19 businesses actively participating in the program, there are a few more that are in the process of joining in.
“It’s just in its infancy now, but we think this can go far,” Tetrault said.
“The sheer excitement we’ve seen from people participating already has been pretty awesome,” he added. “We’ve had folks pop in with four or five stamps already, so it’s working.”
Yoder said it’s been fun to see different merchants who provide all kinds of different goods and services jump on the bandwagon
Here are the businesses currently participating in the Disloyalty Card program:
828 Market on Main
Affairs of the Heart
Ava & Arden
Axe & Awl
Blue Ridge Beer Hub
Cultivate Garden Shop
Curatory Co-Op
Dyno Detailing
The Funky Fern Emporium
Grebleknud Meat Company
Haywood Arts Council
Mountain Vibes Kava
Orchard Coffee
The Print Haus
Salon Puppy
Soul Sisters Depot Station on Main
Twigs & Leaves Gallery
Waynesville Chiropractic
and come together to embrace the program.
“It’s been really nice kind of breaking down some of the maybe silos or barriers that are maybe invisible to most but it’s kind of connecting a lot of corridors together,” he said.
Any customers with questions about the disloyalty card can inquire at a participating business, and any business interested in participating in the program can visit thedisloyaltycard.com/inquiry to get started.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
• Sunday - Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Bar open until 6pm
• Thursday - Saturday
11am - 8pm
Dinner Menu begins at 5:00 pm
Experience a Casual, Relaxing Atmosphere
perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch.We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.
Here’s what the disloyalty cards look like in downtown Waynesville’s Twigs & Leaves Gallery. Donated photo
Judge rules on motion to dismiss claims in police shooting suit
BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF W RITER
The court has made its decision in the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office’s request to dismiss many of the complaints in a lawsuit stemming from the 2022 shooting of Jason Harley Kloepfer at his home near Murphy.
“The court denied a few things I thought it might grant and granted a few things I thought it might deny, but overall it’s right where we expected the outcome to be,” said Ellis Boyle, attorney for Kloepfer and his wife Alison Mahler, also a party in the lawsuit.
Kloepfer was seriously injured in the Dec. 13, 2022, shooting that occurred after a neighbor called 911 claiming she was concerned that he had hurt Mahler. Citing a potential hostage situation, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the Cherokee Indian Police Department’s SWAT team, which arrived in the early morning hours. Despite the CCSO’s initial statement to the contrary, home security video shows Kloepfer coming to the door with his hands up, in compliance with police orders. However, as he stood there three CIPD officers fired their weapons at
him, severely injuring him and narrowly missing Mahler.
In June, Kloepfer and Mahler filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Western North Carolina seeking millions in damages, and a special prosecutor is currently considering findings from the State
have many of the roughly 400 claims against them dismissed. The Dec. 4 ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn Jr. dismissed about 60% of these claims, but because many of the dismissed claims were redundant, their absence won’t have much impact the final outcome.
Bureau of Investigation to determine whether criminal charges are warranted. The lawsuit named 31 defendants, including 17 associated with the CCSO.
The CCSO defendants had sought to
Kloepfer had sued each of the parties in both their official and individual capacities, but in its motion to dismiss filed in August, the CCSO defendants had asked to dismiss claims against the CCSO itself and official
capacity claims against all CCSO employees except Sheriff Dustin Smith, for all counts except for the intentional infliction of emotional distress claims. Kloepfer and Mahler had not argued that point. Because the employees all worked for the same responsible organization, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, it wasn’t necessary to bring official capacity claims against all of them.
“Having the claim against the sheriff is all you need,” Boyle said. “It covers all of them.”
However, the parties had disagreed on other aspects of the motion. The CCSO had asked to dismiss claims against Detective Nolan Queen and Deputies Jessica Stiles, J.T. Gray, Jason Hall, Don Latulipe and Paul Fry on the grounds that Kloepfer has not alleged these officers were present when the shooting occurred. However, Cogburn agreed to allow these claims to go forward to the discovery phase of the lawsuit. If discovery shows these defendants weren’t involved in the “alleged conduct” underlying the claims, the plaintiffs must voluntarily dismiss them, Cogburn wrote.
Cogburn also allowed Kloepfer and Mahler’s claims of unlawful detention to move forward, denying a CCSO motion to dismiss that stated “there are no factual allegations to support an unlawful detention claim.” Mahler has alleged that, after EBCI officers shot Kloepfer, CCSO deputies handcuffed her and took her to the sheriff’s office, where she was kept “locked in a small room for hours under guard.” Cogburn ruled that the lawsuit F
The lawsuit is filed in the U.S. District Court in Asheville. File photo
gave defendants fair notice of the claim and facts supporting it.
However, Cogburn agreed with the CCSO’s argument that public official immunity protected the defendants from being sued in their individual capacity for certain claims — negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligent hiring and supervision/retention. But despite the CCSO’s request to the contrary, he allowed the punitive damages claims brought against defendants in their individual capacities to move forward.
Finally, Cogburn ruled that Smith has not waived governmental immunity to the official capacity claims against him by purchasing liability insurance. However, immunity is waived up to the amount of the surety bond covering Smith, meaning that the claims can move forward.
Cogburn’s ruling also removed one defendant from the lawsuit
my counsel, Ann-Patton Hornthal, for her extraordinary work on my behalf,” Brown said in response to a request for comment.
Cogburn’s decision still allows many significant claims to move forward, Boyle said.
“The civil rights claims based on the constitutional violations remain completely intact against both the sheriff’s defendants and the tribal defendants, so those are pretty serious,” he said. Also “serious,” are the unlawful detention and gross negligence claims. Meanwhile, the court’s decision to retain the punitive damages claim, which could result in a substantial monetary award should a jury see things Kloepfer’s way, was also an important win, Boyle said.
“The civil rights claims based on the constitutional violations remain completely intact against both the sheriff’s defendants and the tribal defendants, so those are pretty serious.”
—
Ellis Boyle, attorney for Kloepfer and Mahler
County Attorney Darryl Brown, who at the time was also serving on contract as attorney for the CCSO. Kloepfer and Mahler alleged that Brown’s role in preparing the press release sent hours after the shooting, which was later shown to give a false version of the night’s events, amounted to defamation of character. Brown, in a filing separate from the rest of the CCSO defendants, moved to dismiss the claims. Cogburn granted that motion, finding that Kloepfer did not “sufficiently allege actual malice by Brown” and that various legal immunities and privileges protect Brown from suit.
“I have no comment other than to thank
Now that Cogburn has decided which claims can proceed, the CCSO defendants will have to provide an answer to the civil complaint Kloepfer filed in June. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians defendants, who did not move to dismiss, filed their answer in August. After that, Boyle said, the court is likely to issue a scheduling order that will trigger processes like depositions and written discovery to take place. As of press time, no further deadlines or hearings have been set in this case. The attorney representing all CCSO defendants other than Brown did not return a request for comment.
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Jason Harley Kloepfer and his wife Alison Mahler smile in a photo taken in 2019. Jason Harley Kloepfer/Facebook photo
Macon schools to consider policy on Narcan
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER
Macon County Schools will follow the example of several other school districts and consider a policy on administration of Narcan.
“We’ve developed that policy for a couple of different clients,” Board Attorney John Henning told school board members during their Dec. 11 meeting.
Over the years, several parties have inquired with Henning about whether the school system should have a policy for administering Narcan, a brand of the medication naloxone which acts as an antagonist to opioids in the body. When someone is experiencing an overdose of opioids and their systems are failing, Narcan can be administered, interfering with the opioid’s
ability to bind to neurons and quickly stopping the overdose process.
“There are two things that, from a legal standpoint, favor erring on the side of administering Narcan if you find somebody who you think is in need of it,” said Henning. “One, there’s a good Samaritan law and if you’re in good faith trying to help somebody, you’re not really subject to civil process, you’re not going to be subject to the criminal process and all that. Two is that [Narcan] does not affect people that don’t have opioids in their system.”
The policy would outline that the people administering Narcan have been trained in how to do so.
“We want our nursing staff and healthcare to be the ones that administer it first, if it’s needed, rather than school employees
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that are not trained health care providers,” said Henning.
First responders have Narcan on hand and all school resource officers in Macon County also carry Narcan. However, this policy would make it even more readily available if or when it is needed.
Henning noted that there can be a social stigma around Narcan but made clear that by adopting a policy around its administration, school districts are in no way encouraging or even excusing drug use.
“You’re not encouraging anybody to use drugs,” Henning said. “That’s not what this is about. It’s about saving lives when they become endangered by those things that we certainly are against and have always been against and will continue to educate against.”
any staff or students who might accidentally pick up something contaminated with fentanyl or be exposed in some other way.
Jackson County Schools adopted a similar policy earlier this year after the Jackson County Department of Public Health received a grant to prevent opioid misuse and overdose. The grant allowed for the purchase of naloxone and training for staff.
“It’s about saving lives when they become endangered by those things that we certainly are against and have always been against and will continue to educate against.”
— John Henning, Macon School Board Attorney
“Better to have [a policy] than not,” said school board member Diedre Breeden.
School Board Chairman Jim Breedlove agreed that while social stigmas may exist, the important thing is that the school system could save a life that is at risk.
“It may be the difference between life and death for a possible student,” Breedlove said.
Another administrator noted that while Narcan is important for saving someone who is overdosing, it is also vital for the health of
According to its policy each school principal was responsible for designating one or more school personnel to receive training annually from a school nurse, or other qualified representative of the health department, on storage and emergency use.
The board unanimously agreed to direct Henning to work on creating a policy for Narcan use in the Macon County School system. Any such policy will come back before the board for discussion and multiple reads prior to adoption.
Macon School Board. File photo
Mountain Projects calls for participation in housing surveys
Three surveys from Mountain Projects that aim to help the nonprofit develop a housing plan, identify housing projects that will meet the community’s needs and provide information to pursue funding through state, federal and private sources is now open.
The surveys are confidential and anonymous. There are three separate surveys — one for workers in the real estate industry, one to assess community housing needs and one for employers.
Mountain Projects asks that anyone interesting in completing the survey should do so by Dec. 31.
Statewide holiday ‘Booze It & Lose It’ enforcement campaign underway
This holiday season, the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program joins local and state law enforcement to urge drivers against impaired driving.
The statewide “Booze It & Lose It” campaign, which begins today and ends on Jan. 1, aims to raise awareness and deter people from driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and all impairing substances.
“Festivities this time of year often involve alcohol consumption, which unfortunately leads to an increased risk of impaired driving,” said Mark Ezzell, director of GHSP. “More than 25% of all N.C. crash fatalities in 2022 involved drivers who were under the influence of alcohol.”
According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, 471 alcohol related crash fatalities occurred in 2022. The “Booze It & Lose It” campaign is a sobering reminder that there are severe consequences for reckless behavior.
Now until Jan 1., law enforcement agencies throughout the state will increase the number of sobriety checkpoints and patrols in heavily trafficked areas. These checkpoints reinforce the message that there is a zero-tolerance approach toward driving under the influence.
“The most important thing is to have a transportation plan before consumption of alcohol or drugs,” said Jennifer Lichtneger, executive director of NC Mothers Against Drunk Driving. “It is essential to plan a safe ride before heading out. If you wait until after you’ve been drinking, you will already be too impaired to make the right decisions.”
Plenty of options are available to help drivers arrive safely at their destination, like designating a sober driver or calling a taxi or rideshare service. Visit ncdot.gov to search for all available public transportation in any North Carolina city or county.
Jackson County license plate agency to close Office will reopen under new contractor
The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles’ license plate agency in Jackson County will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 15.
The agency, located at 454 E. Main St. in Sylva has been operated by Barry and Debra Woods since 2021.
An application for a new contractor is
open, and there are plans to open another office in that same location. In the meantime, there are three nearby license plate agencies offering service Monday through Friday.
• Bryson City: 101 Mitchell St.; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Waynesville: 80 Waynesville Plaza; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Franklin: 353 Westgate Plaza; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LPAs offer vehicle registration services and title transactions, as well as vehicle license plate renewals, replacement tags and duplicate registrations. Currently 124 LPA offices operate in the state.
The next chapter
New owner at Blue Moon Books
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF W RITER
One of Haywood County’s used bookstores is entering its next chapter with a change of ownership and a continuation of tradition.
“After starting Blue Moon from the bare floors and sharing our love of books with the community for the past year and a half, we are passing the torch to our dear friend, and former employee, Rachel Sease,” said Bonnie and Greg Owens, owners of Wall Street Books. “We are looking forward to this new chapter.”
When Bonnie and Greg Owens bought Wall Street Books in Waynesville nine years ago, they were inheriting the store from Richard Roup and Joyce Elam, who opened the store in 1994, long-time devotees to the used book world. They were also taking charge of a tight-knit community that expands well beyond the bounds of Haywood County. Since that time, the family has only grown the strong tradition of local business in the county, opening Blue Moon Books in Canton.
Now, the tradition has been passed on again with Sease, long-time employee at both Wall Street and Blue Moon Books, purchasing the downtown Canton store.
Sease first crossed paths with the Owens family while teaching fourth grade at Bethel Elementary. The same year Sease had the Owens’s youngest son in her class, the family bought Wall Street Books.
Five years down the line, Sease had left teaching for a job at First United Methodist Church when she ran into Bonnie and Greg at the grocery store. They asked her to come and work for them and, at first, Sease wasn’t sure she could make it happen in addition to her job at the church. However, as Sease puts it, “when excitement at the thought of working in a bookstore kept me up all night, I decided to try and make it work.”
enchanting to me because they make more obvious the ways in which we’re all connected,” Sease said. “When I pick up a book at Blue Moon, I know it’s been held by at least one other set of hands.”
Some of the books in the vintage section of Blue Moon were published as early as the 1800s.
She began working one to three days a week at the bookstore, alternating between Wall Street Books and Blue Moon Books when it opened in 2022.
“I love books and I love reading, mostly because I love learning,” said Sease. “I really love books that cause me to change my perspective on something.”
For Sease, her love of books doesn’t end with their face value.
“Used bookstores in particular are so
“Imagine how many hands have held them and whose shelves they’ve lived on,” said Sease. “All of these books somehow found their way to Blue Moon and stay for just a little while before continuing to weave these invisible threads from person to person. For me, it’s a constant reminder of our common humanity.”
Her eagerness and excitement for the trade only grew with time, and soon after beginning her work in the bookstore, Sease knew she wanted her involvement to be permanent. She made it clear to Bonnie and Greg that she was invested in the business and implored them to consider her at whatever point they decided to sell.
“When they opened Blue Moon, I loved it just as much as Wall Street,” said Sease. “It means a lot that they trusted me with it.”
Sease’s time in education allowed her to experience the unifying power of stories and
their ability to foster empathy. Now, she can continue this work at the helm of the bookstore.
“Through books, I experience the awe and wonder that I loved seeing in the students,” Sease said. “I hope that is the case for other adults too. Community, empathy, awe and wonder are world-changing qualities. My work at Blue Moon makes me feel like I’m bringing more of all that good stuff into the world.”
Those qualities have been on broad display in Canton over the course of the past year since news broke that the paper mill, in operation for 115 years, would close. Over 1,000 employees, many of them Canton residents, were suddenly out of work and the town government, still recovering from the devastation of the flood following Tropical Storm Fred in 2021, now had countless and unprecedented new hurdles to face.
But, like so many of Canton’s residents, Sease is optimistic about the town’s future.
“Canton is enduring the mill closure with such grace and resilience,” said Sease. “The people of this community are genuinely invested in one another’s wellbeing and determined to honor the town’s rich history even as it changes and grows. With that kind of spirit, there can only be great things to come for Canton. I’m excited to be part of it.”
For now, Sease is not planning any sweeping changes to the Canton mainstay. Though she is looking forward to implementing book clubs, hosting small gatherings and special events.
“I’m honored to continue what Greg and Bonnie lovingly created,” she said.
Rachel Sease, a longtime employee of Blue Moon, purchased the downtown Canton bookstore. Donated photo.
Alumna gift will create endowment for interior design program
Students in Western Carolina University’s interior design program soon will have access to new experiential learning opportunities thanks to a $75,000 gift from a woman whose 40-year career in the profession got its start at WCU.
Kathryn Crisp Greeley, owner of the Waynesville-based firm Kathryn Greeley Designs, recently created an endowment to support the interior design program in perpetuity. Currently chair of the WCU Board of Trustees, Greeley is a two-time graduate of WCU, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1973 and master’s degree in 1983.
The creation of an endowment for the interior design program represents Greeley’s leadership gift to WCU’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $75 million for the university’s academic, student engagement and athletics programs. The new endowment is the latest example of her long history of support for WCU, said Chancellor Kelli R. Brown.
“Kathy Greeley has been extremely generous to Western Carolina University over the years with gifts of her time, talent and treasure,” Brown said. “Her latest financial contributions to a program that is near and dear to her heart will provide a legacy of support to our interior design program for generations to come. I look forward to continuing to work with her in her role as the chair of the WCU Board of Trustees to further the mission of the university and to ‘Fill the Western Sky’ with hope, promise and prosperity.”
design profession and in recognition of the importance of the arts in society.
“Western Carolina has been very impactful in both my professional and personal life. I often say that ‘WCU changes lives,’ and it has certainly changed my life. My hope is that our gift will inspire others to establish endowments in areas of their personal passions. I am so grateful for what WCU has done for my career in interior design,” she said.
“It is our hope that this gift will be used solely to provide students with opportunities to study abroad, attend programs, conferences and seminars, and do research in the field of interior design,” Greeley said. “I hope that, as a result of these opportunities, students will be able to fulfill their passions, follow their dreams and enjoy a successful and joyous design career. As travel abroad has fueled my design passion and greatly informed my design aesthetic, it is my hope that our students will be influenced by their exposure to the wealth of history and design from around the world.”
Greeley said she believes that participating in those kinds of extracurricular activities and experiential learning opportunities, which are a priority of the fundraising campaign, will help develop students’ confidence and leadership skills.
Creating an endowment for the interior design program is also a way to pay homage to the WCU faculty members who helped Greeley along her educational and professional paths, she said.
impossible, and she has been a source of encouragement to this day.”
In addition to owning and operating her full-service interior design firm in Waynesville, Greeley has served as an adjunct faculty member in WCU’s interior design program, teaching classes in “The History of Furniture” and “Professional
“As travel abroad has fueled my design passion and greatly informed my design aesthetic, it is my hope that our students will be influenced by their exposure to the wealth of history and design from around the world.”
— Kathy Greeley
Practice for Interior Design.” Her firm has provided internship opportunities for numerous students from WCU, including several who were hired by the company at the end of their internships and have gone on to work collectively for more than 20
years at Kathryn Greeley Designs.
She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers and is NCIDQ-qualified and registered to practice interior design by the N.C. Board of Architecture and Registered Interior Designers. She is a past president of the North and South Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers and is the author of two books, “The Collected Tabletop” and “The Collected Cottage.” Her design work and books have been featured in publications including Southern Home, Victoria, Traditional Home, Country Home, Carolina Home + Garden, Southern Living and At Home in Arkansas.
Erin Adams, program coordinator and professor of interior design, said the program’s faculty, staff, students and graduates are proud of the accomplishments of Greeley as an alumna and appreciative of her ongoing contributions to the program.
“We are sincerely grateful for Kathy Greeley’s continued support of the interior design program,” Adams said. “Her gift is a generous investment in a brighter future for our students, and it will assist in supporting the sustained growth and evolution of the interior design program.”
For more information about the “Fill the Western Sky” campaign or to make a contribution, visit westernsky.wcu.edu, call 828.227.7124 or email advancement@wcu.edu.
Greeley has been involved in supporting WCU’s Friends of the Arts organization and the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band. She previously established a scholarship fund in memory of her parents, French Orion and Margaret Colville Crisp. The $50,000 fund provides scholarships to students from Western North Carolina counties with special consideration for active-duty military and veterans, as Greeley’s father was a decorated World War II veteran. She resides in Waynesville with her husband, J. Wells Greeley, the past owner and president of Wells Funeral Homes and Events Center who now enjoys the title of “funeral director emeritus.”
Greeley said she selected the interior design program in the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts for her “Fill the Western Sky” campaign gift because it set her on the road to a rewarding career spanning more than 40 years in the interior
“I can’t begin to stress how much several WCU faculty members have had a positive impact on my career and how they have shaped my life, both personally and professionally. As an undergraduate student in crisis due to the unexpected death of my father only weeks before classes started, Jane Hyatt, who was on the interior design faculty, took me under her wing and mentored me for my four years as I completed my bachelor’s degree,” Greeley said.
While working on her master’s degree at WCU, she studied under interior design faculty members Michele Lee and his wife, Cherie.
“Both of these individuals pushed me beyond my comfort level and made me keenly aware of the importance of interior design qualification through the National Council for Interior Design Qualification exam, as well as the importance of participation in professional organizations,” she said. “While working on my master’s thesis, Dr. Judy Dowell guided me to successfully write my thesis when I thought that was completely
Kathy Greeley. File photo
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Ribbon cutting for the house cat museum
On Thursday, Nov. 30, the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Team held a grand opening/ribbon cutting ceremony for the American Museum of the House Cat.
Located at 5063 U.S. Hwy 441 South in Sylva, the American Museum of the House Cat is the second cat museum in America. The museum honors the house cat and educates and entertains cat lovers in America.
Admission is $7.50 for adults, $2 for kids under 12, and those under 6 are admitted for free. Cats on a leash are welcome. Small dogs are OK, too. The museum fee funds the Catman2 no-kill shelter.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Closed Mondays.
For more information, call 828.476.9376 or visit wnccatmuseum.org or the museum’s Facebook page.
From left are Chamber Ambassadors Chad Gerrety, Matt Saenger, Marne Harris, Patricia Bryson-Wink, American Museum of the House Cat Director Harold Sims, Marketing Director Kimberly Crow, Museum Manager Julie Kimbrell (holding official museum cat Mimi), and ambassadors Patricia Stanberry, Karson Walston, Natalie Newman and Chris Stuckey. Jackson County Chamber of Commerce photo
Jackson TDA director named ‘top-25 extraordinary mind’
The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has selected Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) Executive Director Nick Breedlove as one of its “Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization, and Distribution“ for 2023. This is the 21st year HSMAI has compiled the list, which annually recognizes exemplary achievement and leadership in the hospitality sales, marketing, revenue optimization and distribution.
Breedlove will join an exclusive list when he is honored by HSMAI at a reception in New York on Feb. 13, 2024.
The 2023 “Top 25” honorees were judged by a panel of senior industry executives for their recent work based on the following criteria: creativity and innovation, cutting edge sales or marketing campaigns, triumph in challenging situations, and/or efforts that resulted in dramatic gains.
A highly regarded leader and expert in the tourism industry, Breedlove is known for his innovative approach and strategic vision. As the former youngest elected mayor in North Carolina, he was appointed executive director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority in 2015, transforming the destination into an economic powerhouse, generating almost half a billion dollars in annual visitor spending from a $2 million budget.
“I am deeply honored to accept HSMAI's 'Top
25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization and Distribution' recognition,” Breedlove said. “This honor reflects not only personal achievement but is also a testament to the collective efforts and the dynamic work culture we have nurtured at the Jackson County TDA. The success we have achieved as a team has been instrumental in earning this honor, and I look forward to celebrating with my industry peers and fellow honorees this February.”
In addition to the “Top 25” reception, Breedlove will be featured in an HSMAI special report, receive a personalized award and henceforward be recognized as a “Top 25 Extraordinary Mind in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization and Distribution.”
HCC receives grant for the childcare facility
The Dogwood Health Trust recently awarded a $500,000 grant to support the Regional Center for the Advancement of Children located on the Haywood Community College campus. Open to the community, this center provides five-star childcare to the youngest students on campus.
This grant will support operations of the facility including hiring four additional full-time staff members, purchasing supplies needed for the center, improving collaboration between the RCAC and the college’s Early Childhood Education (ECE) program, and increasing the number of staff receiving ECE teaching credentials.
The center is the region's only state-of-the-art early childcare laboratory, with classrooms and
Trust provided the funding for the one-year pilot. Grants will be reviewed and announced quarterly. To apply, organizations must be tax-exempt and located in the Qualla Boundary or one of the following counties in Western North Carolina: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania or Yancey. Priority will be given to projects located in rural or other under-resourced areas.
“WNC Community Enhancement grants can help build, rebuild or refresh community spaces that foster connections and economic development,” said CFWNC Scholarship and Program Officer Lezette Parks who will manage the program. “In general, funded projects will be standalone, rather than part of a larger project, and we anticipate that most will address beautification or infrastructure improvements.”
Those interested in applying can learn more at cfwnc.org.
CFWNC awards educational grants to Jackson Schools
observation rooms for early childcare students and faculty to teach and learn. Funding from the Dogwood grant will be used to purchase equipment and supplies for faculty in our Early Childhood Education program.
With the additional staffing, this grant funding will help the center reach full capacity by the end of the grant cycle. The Regional Center for the Advancement of Children is positioned to provide ongoing childcare for the families in our community through our on-site facility while also helping the rest of the region fill workforce needs and early childhood professional gaps through comprehensive training.
Job applications are now being accepted for teachers at the Regional Center for the Advancement of Children and can be found at schooljobs.com/careers/haywoodedu.
Pilot grant program supporting WNC communities announced
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and Dogwood Health Trust are partnering to launch the WNC Community Enhancement Program that will award grants to charitable organizations and eligible public agencies to fund projects in downtowns or commercial corridors that enhance appearance, infrastructure or the pedestrian experience.
CFWNC will administer the program and will award grants up to $10,000 for projects not exceeding a total cost of $50,000. Dogwood Health
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently awarded grants totaling $7,329 to Jackson County schools from the Learning Links grant program. The grants provide local teachers with funding for activities designed to make required coursework engaging and relevant for their students.
Five Learning Links grants will support projects at Jackson Community School, Smokey Mountain Elementary School and The Catamount School. The grants will fund hands-on field trips, materials for a garden project, art materials for an art exhibition, an immersive Titanic learning experience using Lego Robotics and VR technology, and a variety of items needed to run a full-length play in May 2024. Additionally, two grants to Mountain Discovery Charter School totaling $2,000 will provide funds for materials for a Reading-Writing Workshop and funds to purchase hand tools so students can create functional objects.
“The Learning Links grant program continues to thrive,” said Lezette Parks, Scholarship and Program Officer. “Teachers are constantly finding ways to engage their students. Based on the applications, the theme for this year is experiences - inside and outside the classroom. Teachers are planning creative projects and field trips that demonstrate to students that learning is exciting and impacts their lives. Students are encouraged to stay in school when they can apply what they learn in the classroom to the world around them.”
The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina inspires philanthropy and mobilizes resources to enrich lives and communities in eighteen counties in Western North Carolina. Last year, the Foundation facilitated $34 million in charitable giving.
For more information, contact The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina at 828.254.4960 or visit cfwnc.org.
It only takes one person to change a life
Many years ago when I was an educator, my school was tasked with reading a book titled “The Cycle of Poverty” by Ruby Payne. The goal was to help teachers gain a better understanding of where many of our students were coming from and how poverty significantly impacts their performance and behavior in school. It’s a fascinating read and highlights an array of topics in depth.
Essentially, there are three overarching socio-economic classes (poverty, middle-class and wealth). It’s challenging to break out of any class without an outside influence. This is similar to Newton’s law — a body in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an external force. Poverty keeps rolling through generations until something significant comes along to stop it.
Poverty’s most simplistic definition is the state of not having enough possessions or assets to fulfill a person’s basic needs, so therefore poverty and homelessness are inextricably linked.
When individuals in poverty who finally break the cycle are interviewed, most of them cite another person as being the reason they were able to move up the class ladder. This person may have been a teacher, family friend, coach, youth leader, service provider or someone else, but no matter, most people cannot escape poverty on sheer will alone. They need compassionate human beings to be that external force.
In Haywood County, there are a number of individuals and organizations trying to be that external force. Nicole Kott, director of Helping Hands of Haywood and the Friendship House, is one such person. Helping Hands is a non-profit that works to increase the well-being of Haywood County and surrounding areas by working with people who are disenfranchised, experiencing homelessness or living in insecure shelter. They also offer street outreach where they find the unhoused and work to get them the help they need.
I recently stopped by The Friendship House to catch up with Nicole and learn what services they offer and what help
Knife fights over deck chairs
To the Editor:
The world as we know it is changing dramatically. We have entered the era of the polycrisis in which a cluster of related global and local risks with compounding effects are having unprecedented effect — greater than the sum of the individual risks.
We are barreling toward both climate and democracy collapse. We are imbedded in wars and wars over wars and it is unclear which nations, terrorist groups, financiers or parties are pulling the strings. For all the good artificial intelligence can offer humanity, we are witnessing its use to drive agendas with falsehoods and biases on repeat.
Dictatorships globally are on the rise. Billionaires can decide if a country gets wi-fi or how the Supreme Court will take a decision. At home, 16% of American children are living in poverty, 44 million people in the U.S. are food insecure, workers cannot make ends meet on low wages, there is a housing crisis, and our young people are falling behind in education while suffering depression, anxiety
is currently needed as we move into the holiday and winter seasons.
As Nicole spoke with me, several guests came in and out, respectfully gathering what they needed and saying hello. “Watching people come to us and experience a total 180 is a true gift,” she said. “Whatever barriers one may have, everything gets better and people get healthier when they have food, clothing, shelter and a place to charge their phone.”
Data collected in January 2023 reported 46 unhoused individuals living in Haywood County, but since July 1, Helping Hands and partner agencies have found permanent housing for 60 people. This is an example of data not accurately portraying the extent of homelessness in Haywood County, but with 60 folks now in permanent housing, follow-up numbers should be significantly less.
Something that was missing in Haywood County was a central location where the unhoused could shower, get food, gather clothing and seek resources. In 2019, Matthew Blackburn and Carrie Brown, along with a supportive team from First United Methodist Church, started The Friendship House as an outreach program for the church. Matthew is the youth minister and leader for outreach programs at the church and Carrie Brown is a member and avid volunteer for the The Friendship House ministries, which is open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7-11 a.m. on Saturdays, where a hot breakfast is served and 45 or more people attend every week.
“The Friendship House is the old parsonage for the church and was just sitting empty,” said Blackburn. “When we realized there was a need for a central location, we decided to open its doors. My favorite time of the week is Saturday
LETTERS
and fear. We have lost the plot.
And in North Carolina? Our leaders are busy plotting ways to never lose an election again, getting permission to decide what goes on record and what does not, and formulating a shadow police to do their bidding. Our leaders are distracting us with fear mongering over the non-starter issues such as taking away gas stoves or legalizing marijuana while they are in fact taking away our reproductive and voting rights and making it legal to hate or hurt anyone who does not agree, believe, orient or look like them.
And, we are paying them handsomely to do this, our taxes pay their salaries and insurance that the rest of us can’t afford or access while they are bolstering their wallets with big money from lobbyists. They ignore what the population at large needs and the views they express. They are not representing North Carolinians. They are representing themselves.
Our state leaders are in no way prepared for the polycrisis we are confronted by. They have moved beyond rearranging the deck chairs and have resorted to knife fights over
morning breakfast. It’s another way to do church, instead of in pews on Sundays, it’s around tables on Saturdays.” Nicole came on board with The Friendship House in May 2023. “Meeting people where they’re at and getting to see miracles happen every day is incredible,” she said. “Things happen for people here that wouldn’t happen anywhere else.”
When I was there, a couple who recently found permanent housing stopped to chat with us. The relief and gratitude on their faces was clear to me. In fact, I’d often seen these two individuals walking around town and it made my heart happy to know they’d be in their own home for the holidays.
Some community members feel as though the homeless brought their situation upon themselves or that they can simply “get a job” and live like “a normal, tax paying citizen,” but what I learned from Payne’s research-based text is that poverty is much more complicated than that. Poverty is a systemic issue for most people, deeply ingrained in their family’s culture. To escape from it is a monumental feat. Instead of wasting energy offering judgements and opinions, the best thing we can do is be an external force that helps propel them out of their unfortunate situation. Contrary to the belief of some, many homeless people are ashamed of the “hand outs” and would give anything to have a home and financial autonomy.
Sitting and talking with Nicole, I could see in her eyes how passionate she is about this community. Later in the day, she texted me her “mantra,” which is a quote by Vincent Van Gogh. I want to conclude by sharing it because to me, it says a lot: “To save a life is a real and beautiful thing. To make a home for the homeless, yes, it is a thing that must be good; whatever the world may say, it cannot be wrong.”
(Volunteers and certain donated items are always needed at The Friendship House. You can visit The Friendship House page on Facebook to learn more and find a full list of items.)
(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com.)
the deck chairs on the Titanic. The ship is sinking, and worse still they are exacerbating the situation or pretending it is not happening. We need leaders who are critical thinkers, who will rise up and see further, change the discourse, have foresight and the political will to make a difference. We need people who will be creative in solution finding, work for the values our country was founded upon, and build bridges among and be inspired by the diversity of our population, not seeking to pull us apart, and will work towards our success in our livelihoods, education, experience and well-being.
North Carolinians, we have to do our
part. We must find and support those leaders who will put the knives away, stop trampling on our fellow passengers and/or become leaders ourselves and get busy with distributing the life vests.
Constance Neely Macon County
Columnist
Susanna Shetley
Adjusting to life in a meat locker
I’m trying my best to get this column out to you, but it’s not as easy as it seems. My teeth are chattering like dice in a coffee cup, and my fingers are as stiff as frozen French fries. You try typing like that with your fingers frozen. It feels like trying to thread a needle while wearing boxing gloves.
We do fine in the summer, my wife and me. We keep the temperature in the house set to around 69-70 degrees, the better to keep the withering summer heat where it belongs — outside. It’s a comfortable, agreeable climate. Any conflict in the house, you can’t blame the thermostat.
Winter, well that’s a different story altogether. The great American writer John Steinbeck once wrote a novel called “The Winter of Our Discontent,” the story of a married couple fighting over the thermostat from December to mid-March, one of them shivering under a pile of blankets, the other burning up in a thin tee shirt and cut-off shorts. Mutual epithets are muttered, but not launched across the room. They travel a couple of feet, fizzle and die. The winter of our discontent indeed.
Okay, Steinbeck’s novel is not really about that, but it could be. In our house, it would be.
I am not sure exactly what happened, or when. A few years go — six or eight, maybe 10 — my spouse and I suddenly found that we could not quite agree on an ideal temperature in the house during the winter months. For many years, it was about the same temperature that we found — and still find, I hasten to add — agreeable in the summer. Something in the 69-70 range.
Then, one day, I felt a touch chilly and was surprised to find the thermostat turned down to 68 degrees, certainly not a hanging offense and probably just an accident. I’d just politely bumped it back up to 69 or 70 and went about my business, carried along in the warm flow of the air issuing from the vents when the furnace kicked on in that reassuring way of furnaces, that comforting clicking noise.
A day or two later, same thing. And then again the next day. Back and forth we went.
Anyone who has been married longer than a week knows that at times like these,
you are faced with the following options: confront the issue directly; pretend there is no issue; make it a fun little game of hotter/colder until somebody gives up; or embark on a strategy of passive aggressive sly remarks in passing.
“Whew, it’s a little nippy in there, dontcha think?”
“Hmmm, I was just thinking how weird it is that some people need it to be so hot inside all the time.”
For a good long while, we tried every option but the first one. By a good long while, I mean several years. We might have been able to go on like that the rest of our days, but two things happened that made this impossible.
One thing was that each year, the temperature was set one degree lower. It’s like the frog that doesn’t know it’s being cooked except in reverse. I was being frozen all the way through, one solitary degree at a time.
She’d turn it down, then I’d kick it back up to a civilized number and all would be well until she kicked it back down again. Then one night, our day of reckoning arrived while we were working on a puzzle, the perfect metaphor for our marriage in that particular moment.
“Honey, it’s freezing in here,” I said, in my Columbia fleece jacket, thick pajama pants, and fake rabbit fur slippers. “Could we turn it up to 67 at least?”
She looked across the table at me for a full 10 seconds, our eyes locked.
“Why do you hate me?” she said.
I didn’t hate her. I just didn’t want to get frostbite in the morning when I am making coffee.
“You see, you can put more things on,” she said. “But I can only take so much off.”
“Well…” I began.
“You just stop it right there before I get the meat cleaver.”
The temperature is now set and fixed at 64 degrees. The ambiance is somewhere between a meat locker and a morgue. Very inviting.
I got myself a nifty little space heater that creates a nice bubble of warmth for my workspace or the bathroom or the living room. I drink a lot of hot coffee or hot tea or hot chocolate or whisky. I put little sweaters on the dogs. It’s not their fault.
I think of the money we’re saving on propane. I think about baseball season, right around the corner. And for a moment or two, I am content. Shivering, but content.
(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com.)
Columnist
Chris Cox
CHRISTMAS APPALACHIAIN
lobby providing you with deals on vintage clothing, costumes, accessories, and so much more. As you step into the theatre, you’ll be transported to a world of enchantment with a magical miniature Christmas village, creating a festive atmosphere that will linger in your memories.
BY ARTS
As the temperatures drop in Western North Carolina, the fun only heats up.
The holiday season here is filled with events and activities aimed to celebrate the best way we know how — with friends, family and visitors alike.
Families can partake in wagon rides, iceless skating, craft sales and art demonstrations, all the while enjoying authentic mountain music, clogging and parades through several downtowns. These are just some of the innumerable activities to be had.
Within every date, time and place found amid this section, the communities around
It’s a winter wonderland out there. It’s yours for the taking — so reach out and enjoy all Southern Appalachia has to offer.
HART presents ‘My Favorite Christmas’
A special holiday production of “My Favorite Christmas” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14-16 and 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in
Christmas,” an exquisite production featuring some of the region’s most exceptional talent.
Artistic Director Candice Dickinson has curated a spellbinding evening of stories, beloved holiday tunes and enchanting dance to captivate audiences of all ages.
“It’s been such a pleasure to collaborate with this cast,” Dickinson said. “I think when you get a cast full of people who love Christmas and encourage them to recreate their favorite past memories, you are bound to get a magical experience.”
At intermission, you’re invited to an upclose look as you step right onto the stage to purchase a photo with Santa, Mrs. Claus and the Elves, along with hot chocolate and other holiday treats.
Tickets start at $17.50 per person with different options available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call the box office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org.
Ready for ‘A Kilted Christmas’?
“A Kilted Christmas” with Celtic/Americana act Eireann’s Call will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
A popular Celtic band based in Waynesville, Eireann’s Call is a charming and narrated journey through Celtic and Nordic lands, where we find eccentric and fun characters celebrating the holiday season in a variety of ways — honoring traditions both old and new.
Formed by David (bagpipes/accordion/ vocals) and Catherine Doersch (drums/ vocals), the group also brings together Rich McGuire on guitar/vocals, Chris Dawson (fiddle) and Steve Smith (bass).
Doors open at 6 p.m. The Wolf Street Bistro food truck will be onsite. There will also be beverages available. Tickets are $20 per person.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to folkmoot.org.
The magic extends beyond the stage with HART’s annual “Holiday Market” in the
‘My Favorite Christmas’ will be at HART on select dates. Donated photo
Eireann’s Call will play Waynesville Dec. 15. File photo
S EE CHRISTMAS, PAGE 22
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
‘And when the world seems cold, you got to let your spirit take control’
Every-so-often, my girlfriend, Sarah, and I will find ourselves with an open Monday evening. A wild, rollickin’ weekend in the rearview mirror. The first day of the work week now completed. How ‘bout we motor over to Asheville for some fine Italian food at Vinnie’s on Merrimon Avenue, eh? Sold.
It’s become this routine of sorts, as of late. With Sarah going through a lot of family stuff these days and myself just looking to decompress for a hot minute, what better than a bottle of pinot noir, fresh garlic knots and tantalizing chicken dishes all within a cozy ambiance of dim lighting, dark wood and the finest hits of the 1950s/1960s over the sound system?
To note, Mondays are half-off wine bottles at Vinnie’s. So, a dinner for two can be pretty friendly on the wallet, especially that of a wayward journalist in need of a good meal after another slew of rollercoaster assignments and interviews, deadlines and putting the newspaper to bed each Tuesday afternoon.
Emerging from the vehicle in the Vinnie’s parking lot, a bitter cold greeted us before entering the warmth of the beloved culinary establishment. Nearing 9 p.m., Sarah and I were some of the last customers wandering in the from the chilly depths for a meal. With the bar counter empty, we took refuge at the far end. Order the half-off bottle of pinot noir. Toss in some garlic knots. Two chicken dishes: marsala and paillard. With a slight tap of our wine glasses together, cheers to the ensuing holiday season of people, places and things. Sip the vino with gusto. Take a deep breath of the moment at-hand with the beautiful lady in the dress.
state in her hometown of Goldsboro.
I found my thoughts swirling back to my hometown up on the Canadian Border, more so that evening with the cold air licking the windows of the restaurant, the glass fogging up in a battle against Mother Nature’s fury and modern-day HVAC systems. Add a little more wine to each other’s glasses when the main courses arrived.
Memories started flooding my mind of Christmas back in the North Country. The old 1820 limestone farmhouse surrounded by endless cornfields that I called home until I graduated from high school and took off for the unknown horizon of the written word and adventures all in the name of irresponsible enlightenment.
In truth, I had a hard time trying to remember the last actual big Christmas gathering that my family had. Maybe 10 years ago? Perhaps longer? Those days of a house full of relatives and holiday cheer disappeared mostly with the passing of my grandparents in the early 2000s. Once those anchor points of familiarity and tradition went six-feetunder, so did our raucous gatherings. These days, though most of my remaining family members live in the North Country of Upstate New York, everyone has become pretty scattered in their own respective endeavors.
HOT PICKS
1
A special performance by rock band Futurebirds (trio formation) will be held at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Highlander Mountain House in Highlands.
2
Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Eireann’s Call (Celtic/Americana) 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15.
3
Rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alma Russ will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.
4
Southern Appalachian singersongwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, in the Speakeasy Bar at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley.
5
A special holiday production of “My Favorite Christmas” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 14-16 and 2 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
Some football game on in the living room, most likely the New York Giants or New England Patriots. Labatt Blue beer cans sitting on the cold side porch ready to be consumed. A massive feast for a couple dozen folks overtaking the kitchen and dining room. Adults at the main table. The rest of us at the kids table or back in the living room where we could sneak in a few more football plays to watch before dessert and opening Secret Santa presents.
With the rest of the Vinnie’s staff running around and cleaning everything up before locking the doors, Sarah and I found ourselves in this enjoyable space of silence and conversation. Just the two of us without any distractions, white noise or organized chaos of work and life itself — a rare slice of interaction between vibrant souls.
Even though we live together and spend a lot our daily life within reach of each other, the dinner was spent catching up about nothing and everything. Sarah spoke of her new gig working in retail, hopes for the holidays, hopes for the near/long-term future, thoughts on current family situations that remain stressful with outcomes uncertain across the
Immediate family obligations. Day-in and dayout work things on one’s plate. Kids growing up and venturing out on their own. And, sadly, a few cherished figures once holding court at the holiday dinner table are no longer with us, including Nate, who was more like the older brother I never had than my first cousin until his untimely passing in 2021. Taking a pull from the wine glass, I think of those Christmas gatherings at the farmhouse, which was sold during my senior year of college. The icy horseshoe shaped driveway that my father and I would have to throw salt on before elderly relatives arrived. My duties being to greet them and help them from their cars and into the house, my little sister having to take their coats and throw them on my parents’ bed upstairs.
That space we all once inhabited seems like this somewhat forgotten dream nowadays, more so this memory of a life that, well, feels like a lifetime ago. I recognize that person I was, or was becoming as a teenager. But, so much has happened since, hopefully so much more to come, too.
I miss those faces and that farmhouse. I miss the icy driveway and the way the sky would erupt into bright yellows, oranges and pinks amid a North Country sunset in the depths of winter. The roaring fire in the living room. My uncles and cousins all huddled around the TV during the NFL broadcast. My old dogs, Maggie and Abbey, each looking for attention and food scraps from generous owners.
And yet, with anything along the winding road that is the journey of life, one must, all at once, hold tightly to those faded memories of past holidays and make sure to create new ones, like this otherwise quiet Monday evening at Vinnie’s — two vibrant souls alone at the bar counter, half-off bottle of pinot noir, garlic knots, chicken dishes and nowhere to be but with each other.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
A winter sunset in the North Country of Upstate New York.
Garret K. Woodward photo
Bryson City
• “Polar Express” train ride will resume rides on select dates from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in downtown Bryson City. For a complete listing of departure dates and times, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.
• “Holiday Market” with local and regional artisans will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 15-16 on the river at the Aquarium & Fly Fishing Museum Park. 828.488.7857.
• “Merry Market” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the Nantahala Gorge. For more information, go to noc.com.
Canton
• “Santa Clause 2” will be screened outdoors at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, at Sorrells Street Park in Canton. The event is free and open to the public. Bring chairs, blankets and movie snacks. cantonnc.com.
Cherokee
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort will host Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
Franklin
• “Christmas On Ice” will be performed at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets start at $20 per person with priority seating available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 866.273.4615.
• “Holiday Market” will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. For more information, call 828.634.1163.
• “A Christmas Celebration” will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Join the Overlook Theatre Company and other local artists as they celebrate with stories, songs and holiday memories in this annual gathering of Christmas cheer. Sing along with traditional favorites and enjoy new, modern renditions of classic Christmas tunes. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com.
Waynesville
• “Jingle Bell Jam” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. They’ll be taking polaroid family photos that you can then use to decorate a Christmas family ornament with. There will also be a cookie decorating station, grinch punch and a station for the kids to write a letter to Santa and put it in the mailbox to the North Pole. Cost is $15 per family, $7 per individual. For more information, call 828.456.2030 or email hjones@waynesvillenc.gov.
• A holiday open studio will be held on Saturday, Dec. 16, at Hazelwood Pottery in Waynesville. Joe Frank Mckeee will be demonstrating horsehair and alcohol raku firing with his portable kiln. Neal Howard will bring her hand dyed and woven silks. There will also be a wheelthrowing demonstration. The afternoon will end with a “Community Christmas Carol” sing-along. Free and open to the public.
CHRISTMAS, CONTINUED FROM 20
The ‘Polar Express’ train ride is a popular WNC holiday tradition. File photo
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semi-regular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7-9 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. For more information, go to blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and Canon Tyler (singer-songwriter) Dec. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.
On the beat ALSO:
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” sessions on select weekends. For more information, go to oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Eireann’s Call (Celtic/Americana) 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Tickets are $20 per person. For a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, go to folkmoot.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” at 5:30 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main St. littletennessee.org or 828.369.8488.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Blue Jazz Band Dec. 15 and The Remnants Dec. 23. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. happsplace.com or 828.742.5700.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Cirque Musica Holiday Wonderland 9:30 p.m. Dec. 15. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host a Sunday Bluegrass Residency noon to 2:30 p.m. and Futurebirds (rock/indie) 8:30 p.m. Dec. 16 (admission $50). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Trivia Night w/Kirk” from 7-9 p.m. every Monday and Calico Bear Dec. 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless other-
Americana, indie at Meadowlark
Appalachian singer-songwriter
Futurebirds trio to rock Highlands
One of the rising rock acts on the national scene, a special performance by the Futurebirds (trio formation) will be held at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Highlander Mountain House in Highlands.
Reflecting on the last 15 years together, Futurebirds guitarist/singer Carter King can only shake his head in awe of what has transpired over that period for the Athens, Georgia-based band, personally and professionally.
From playing empty dive bars to selling out theaters coast to coast, from college kids to now husbands and fathers — the sacred flame of music, creativity and performance continually cradling and nurturing deeply-held dreams.
“You start out doing this because
perform at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, in the Speakeasy Bar at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley. Edwards has been a singer-songwriter for over 30 years. His music holds an honesty and an authenticity, not built on outward style, but inner substance. He is joined by a backing band of some of the top players in the region, all of which with vocal harmonies reminiscent of The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and Buck Owens & Don Rich. For more information, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.
Appalachian Smoke rolls into Stecoah
Americana/bluegrass act Appalachian Smoke will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
Appalachian Smoke is a contemporary bluegrass band grounded in the corners of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Its independent release, “Colder Side of Love,” received three reviews in Bluegrass Today, acknowledging their talented songwriting, melodic arrangements and
smooth vocal harmonies.
According to Bluegrass Today, Appalachian Smoke brings an “edgy, modern sound” to bluegrass music and “if they stick to this formula, we will be hearing about Appalachian Smoke for a long time.”
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for students/children. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
it’s fun and you have no preconceived notion of what’s going to happen or what it should be. And then, you get a taste of this possibly being your life,” King said. “Maybe you get too serious about it or too wrapped up in how you should be perceived. But, it’s all just a perception game. It’s about having fun and aligning yourself with the right people — life is what you make it, right?”
Admission is $50. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com.
Southern
A. Lee Edwards will
A. Lee Edwards will play Maggie Valley Dec. 15. File photo
Members of Futurebirds will play Highlands Dec. 16. File photo
Appalachian Smoke will play Stecoah Dec. 16. File photo
On the beat
wise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.
ALSO:
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 6 p.m. Tuesdays, trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Open Mic 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host trivia 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, an Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host A. Lee Edwards (indie/folk) Dec. 15, Martin Vee (singer-songwriter) Dec. 16, Andrew Wakefield (singer-songwriter) Dec. 22 and Jeff Gaff Dec. 23. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to meadowlarkmotel.com or 828.926.1717.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays, Alma Russ (Americana/indie) Dec. 15, Shane Meade (Americana/indie) Dec. 16, Woolybooger (folk/blues) 5 p.m. Dec. 17, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) Dec. 22 and Frank Lee (Americana/old-time) Dec. 23. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115
or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke w/Russell” every Monday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.
• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host “What The Cat Dragged In” (drag show) Dec. 17 and Syrrup (Americana) Dec. 23. All shows begin at 3 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 or facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.
• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m., Bobby G Dec. 14, Smashing Mouths (rock/alternative) Dec. 15, “Yachty Or Nice” DJ Dance Party 7 p.m. Dec. 16, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) Dec. 21 and We Three Swing (jazz) Dec. 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host Appalachian Smoke (Americana/bluegrass) Dec. 16. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Karaoke w/Lori Dec. 14, Mile High Band (classic rock) Dec. 15, Blackwater Station Dec. 16, Mountain Gypsy (Americana) Dec. 21, Rock Holler Dec. 22 and Outlaw Whiskey (classic rock) Dec. 23, Rock. All shows are $5 at the door and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.538.2488.
Mountain Layers welcomes Russ
Rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alma Russ will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City. Based out of Western North Carolina and with her unique brand of “patchwork music” (country, folk and Appalachian styles pieced together), Russ enjoys playing guitar, banjo and fiddle.
Russ was also a contestant on “American Idol” Season 16. Her most recent album, “Fool’s Gold,” was recorded in an abandoned church in the West Texas desert while Russ was on a national tour.
Free and open to the public. To learn more, call 828.538.0115 or go to mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
For more information on Russ, go to almarussofficial.com.
On the table
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com.
ALSO:
Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine
wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.
Alma Russ will play Bryson City Dec. 15.
File photo
HCAC ‘Small Works’ exhibit
The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) “Small Works” exhibit will run through Dec. 31 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showroom in downtown Waynesville.
The annual exhibit that expands the types of work for sale in the downtown Waynesville gallery, as well as who can display their work. Other than specially curated exhibits, which occur a couple times annually, this exhibit is the only one that allows any artist within the western mountain region to participate for a small fee.
With dozens of artists participating, the exhibit promises to be eclectic. Although the only requirement is that the pieces be 12 inches in any dimension or smaller, HCAC challenged participants who are making holiday themed works to consider artistic expressions that are multicultural in nature and celebrate the many different holidays, ways of celebrating, and ways of experiencing holidays.
HCAC also encouraged participants to create works that celebrate Appalachian heritage and craft.
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. For more information, go to galleryzella.com or call 517.881.0959.
ALSO:
• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club.
A reception for the exhibit will be held from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at Gallery & Gifts.
• Friday, Dec. 8: A creation class called “Cardinal in the Snow.” Joan Doyle will be leading a two-hour watercolor painting class from 5-7 p.m. at the HCAC gallery.
Doyle, known for her vibrant and expressive watercolor paintings, will guide students through the process of creating their own masterpiece. All materials will be provided. This class is open to all skill levels, from beginners to experienced painters. Registration for the class is now open and can be done through HCAC’s website.
• Saturday, Dec. 9: “Smoky Mountain Christmas Evening” from 5-8 p.m. The HCAC gallery will have a kids Creation Station and puppet demonstration by Richard Tichich. Enjoy live music and refreshments. Spend $25 or more at Haywood Handmade and get a free gift. For more information, go to haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, go to southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes or call 828.586.2248.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide-range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org.
‘Small Works’ will be showcased at HCAC through Dec. 31. File photo
On the wall
Artist support grants awarded
able to include a budget item to pay for their time to create.
“As an artist myself, I understand how impactful these funds can be to an artist and am grateful to the North Carolina Arts Council for providing the funds” said Tonya Harwood, HCAC executive director and the lead organization managing the grant.
The 21 artist awardees represent the disciplines of visual, performing, literature and interdisciplinary arts. Haywood County has two awardees, with a total grant amount of $5,003 awarded:
• Amanda Janes is a potter and multimedia artist, whose work centers around Appalachian food culture and local plant life. With a BFA from Western Carolina University, she explores the connections between nostalgia and how we create community in the modern world.
“I’m delighted and deeply thankful to everyone involved in making grants like these possible,” Janes said. “A research kiln will make a massive impact on my small business, and I’m honored by the opportunity to contribute to our vibrant arts community here in the mountains.”
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) along with regional partners, including Arts AVL, Transylvania Community Arts Council, Tryon Fine Arts Center and Arts Council of Henderson County, announce the 2023-2024 Artist Support Grant awardees.
Grants were provided to 21 artists in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Rutherford and Transylvania counties, also called Region 17. The Artist Support Grant was created in 2020 to support individual artists during the pandemic and has quickly become a staple for local artists.
According to the North Carolina Arts Council website, the Artist Support Grants are intended to support “the professional and artistic development of emerging, midcareer, and established artists” as they strive to enhance their artistic and business skills and expand their audiences.
Region 17 received applications from 79 artists requesting funding just under $200,000 with $44,000 available to award. Applicants could request as much as $3,000 to support completion and presentation of new work, career promotion, training, and travel. New this year, artists were also
• A.C. Bell is also a potter, originally from Chicago, Illinois. She began taking classes and working as a studio monitor, moving into teaching kids’ classes and introductory classes for adults. In 2021, after going as far as she could taking classes at art centers and craft schools, she moved to North Carolina for the Professional Craft Program at Haywood Community College in Clyde.
“I’m so excited to be receiving the Artist Support Grant, which will help me purchase a kiln for my home studio,” Bell said. “Having a kiln at home in Canton will save me a lot of time and stress transporting delicate work into Asheville, where I’m currently firing work, and will give me more freedom to make and experiment in my art practice.”
For more information, go to haywoodarts.org.
‘Spark of the Eagle Dancer’ extended
Western Carolina University is delighted to announce its recent exhibition “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will now be extended through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at WCU in Cullowhee.
It is the museum’s hope that with the
WNC community to learn from exhibiting artists about their artwork, process, and the relationships they formed with Lambert Wilson. Dates will be announced shortly regarding this programming.
exhibition remaining open, it will give people in and around Western North Carolina and beyond the opportunity to experience one of the Fine Art Museum’s most visited exhibitions and allow people to be inspired by Wilson’s collection.
The exhibit features over 140 works of contemporary Native American art from the collection of one of Western North Carolina’s most notable art enthusiasts, the late Lambert Wilson. He devoted his life to supporting and encouraging Native artists, amassed an extensive collection of over 6,000 objects during his lifetime, focusing primarily on artists of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation and sovereign nations of the Southwest. This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography, and more that tell the story of the relationships Wilson built and the impact that he made by dedicating himself to this remarkable collection.
“Spark of the Eagle Dancer” gives visitors a glimpse into this vast collection built over 47 years and features work by 83 artists of various tribal affiliations.
In conjunction with the exhibition extension, the museum will also host a new program series titled Spark Talks that invites the
To learn more about the exhibition and reception, please go to arts.wcu.edu/spark. The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
Lambert Wilson was a notable collector of Native art. File photo
A.C. Bell is a Haywood County potter. File photo
Short Christmas stories for a busy season
If you’re anything like me, reading inevitably takes a backseat to Christmas shopping and dinner planning during the holiday season. This year I found it much more doable to squeeze in a few well-loved short stories rather than delving into a new novel. Here are the oldies I especially loved.
In order of length, from shortest to longest, we’ll start with “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. So succinct and sweet, it’s a 15-minute read which I don’t want to spoil for those who have not yet read it. Set in early 20th century New York City, it opens up with a distraught Della, whose meager savings of $1.87 prevents her from getting a worthy gift for her beloved husband, Jim.
To increase her present fund, she sacrifices a great treasure: her beautiful, long tresses. Every time I read this story, I’m amazed at O. Henry’s ability to depict selflessness in such a short story, and you will be too when you get to the end. But more than just well-written, I found “The Gift of the Magi” to be a heartwarming reminder of how and why we give gifts. That it is not simply another to-do to mark off your checklist, but an expression of love towards the people around us.
around the world. In particular, two small shards lodge themselves into the heart and eye of a little boy named Kay. Prior to this, Kay was best friends with a little girl, Gerda. They spent most of their happy time together playing or listening to tales of the Snow Queen from Gerda’s grandmother. However, with the glass in his heart, Kay becomes cruel and mean, despising everything he once loved and no longer seeing good in anything except for snowflakes. Because of this, he encounters the Snow Queen and is swept away with her in her carriage.
Gerda embarks on a quest to find him and along the way, she encounters unusual obstacles and friends: a prince and princess, a talking crow and a little robber girl, to name a few. While the whole story is filled with beautiful, intricate details — very much like a snowflake itself — the finding of Kay and breaking of his spell is particularly rich.
one to read around Christmas time.
Last but not least, I’m including Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” in the lineup.
Really more of a novella than a short story, it will take closer to two hours to finish but it’s worth setting aside the time to read it. This story has become a monumental foundation to the holiday season, its skeleton recycled in most Hallmark movies and reproduced with new settings.
However, I’m a firm believer that you can’t beat the original and reading it again confirmed that.
The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable mean old man who has grown to despise joy, love and simplicity. Being that Christmas is a season of celebrating just such things, he especially hates that time of year. But one fateful Christmas Eve, the ghost of his deceased business partner, Marley, appears and warns him to change his ways. He foretells that he will be visited that night by three spirits: the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. They lead Scrooge to reflect on his past, to look around him, and to think about what lies ahead.
While my next suggestion is not a Christmas story, “The Snow Queen” by Hans Christian Andersen still shares the spirit of the holidays. This wintery fairy tale will take you about 45 minutes to read and is as beautifully written as its message. It begins with a magic mirror, made by the devil, wherein nothing good is reflected and all the evil and bad traits of a thing are magnified. His imps carry it around to distort everything but when they bring it up to heaven it shatters and the pieces fall down, landing
I don’t think it would do the tale justice to simplify it with a synopsis, so I will leave those for you to read on your own. However, what I will share is that it’s Gerda’s innocent love that carries her, harbors her and ultimately prevails against evil. And to me, I think a story about selfless love is a perfect
“A Christmas Carol” is more than just an endorsement of the holiday season. It’s a reminder to pause and truly consider our lives: what we have been blessed with and maybe failed to live up to in the past; the people around us that our selfishness blinds us from seeing. And the scariest of all, where are we heading? Like Scrooge is shown, death will come sooner or later but as he learns, it does not need to be feared if life is lived with love.
Each of these stories paints a picture of love, albeit in very different ways. But what they all show is that love is self-sacrifice, and to me, that’s what Christmas is all about. This year, I’m grateful to have my mindset recentered on the season as well as small snippets of relaxation with these stories.
(Anna Barren teaches fifth grade and is a lifelong lover of books. annab4376@gmail.com.)
Writer
Anna Barren
Nose for adventure
Support Adventure Tails
There are two ways to help more Sarge’s dogs benefit from time on the trail — volunteering time and donating money.
• Prospective volunteers ages 18 and up can apply at sarges.org/get-involved/volunteer. Currently, Adventure Tails hikes are held on Monday mornings.
• The Adventure Tails program is raising money to pay for equipment such as harnesses, portable water bowls and an emergency dog sling. Sarge’s board member Nancy East is auctioning off a 65-liter backpack donated by Gossamer Gear to help the cause, available for bid at charityauctionstoday.com/bid/sarges. Donations can also be made directly to Sarge’s at sarges.org/donate.
Sarge’s is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday each week and located at 356B Industrial Park Drive in Waynesville. Contact the shelter at 828.246.9050 or info@sarges.org.
vious animal rescue experience was in Asheville, where hiking programs are “ubiquitous.” Around the same time, East was also approaching Sarge’s about the concept, figuring it could be a great way to get outside more while also helping dogs in search of a forever home. Tate also had conversations with volunteers who fantasized about being able to take the dogs exploring off property.
East said her original vision was on the “pie in the sky” end of things, inspired by the Instagram account @trailsandbears. The account features personality-laden photos of adoptable dogs on outdoor adventures, paired with narrative introductions for each pup.
New program gets Sarge’s shelter dogs hiking
BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR
Monday mornings have a bad reputation, but for dogs at Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Waynesville, they’ve become the best part of the week. Since the Adventure Tails program launched Nov. 1, these mornings have been set aside for hiking — and the dogs are all about it.
“The dogs that get to go on hikes, I think that in their brains they know that they are special,” said Lyndsey Tate, volunteer coordinator at Sarge’s.
The program hasn’t even been around for two months yet,
but already, these hiking adventures have boosted the dogs’ confidence and improved behavior issues.
“They’re just cooped up so much, and it leads to these behavioral issues,” said Nancy East, a retired veterinarian and Sarge’s board member who planted the seed that grew into Adventure Tails. “And then people don’t want to adopt a certain dog because it does have some challenges, potentially, that have stemmed from being in this captive environment — even though they’re loved and cared for just amazingly well.”
Tate said she first heard the idea for the hiking program from Sarge’s Behavior Coordinator Kevin Mueller, whose pre-
“To me, what really was compelling about her account is that it kind of fast forwarded to, this is what real life could look like for you and this dog,” East said.
She envisioned a setup at Sarge’s that would allow high school kids to hike the dogs as a form of community service or families to include a Sarge’s dog on their day hike — and maybe even in their home, should they fall in love by the time they return to the trailhead. But those concepts proved too complicated for an initial phase, especially from a liability perspective.
“That felt kind of like climbing Everest when we needed to start with Cold Mountain,” East said.
“That would be something we would love to do in the future and love to look into, but we’re still in the nascent period of the program,” Tate agreed. “One day, that would be ideal.”
She thought it would be best to start small, F
The Sarge’s pack explores the Dahlia Ridge Trail System at Haywood Community College. Lyndsey Tate photo
The dogs meander the shoreline of Lake Junaluska. Lyndsey Tate photo
Misfit Mountain seeks to help animals and owners alike
BY KYLE P ERROTTI N EWS E DITOR
The holiday season is among the toughest times in the animal rescue world. Adopting pets isn’t always front of mind for people, and harsh weather can create a sense of urgency when rehoming furry friends.
For Amy and Tera McIntosh, founders of Misfit Mountain in the Thickety community northwest of Canton, running an animal rescue has never been easy. But with passion and help from equally eager volunteers, they’ve grown their nonprofit into a thriving operation. Both Amy and Tera bring something to the table. Tera handles the books and runs the operational side of things, while Amy deals with the animals, a job that can both be wonderfully rewarding and painfully difficult.
Amy McIntosh told The Smoky Mountain News that Misfit Mountain, which is coming up on its second anniversary on Dec. 18, has been a blessing for her.
be thought of as misfits. They figured why not embrace that? Misfit Mountain has a slightly different mission than most other rescues. They haven’t euthanized an animal, although McIntosh said one time, they were close to making that decision. In addition, the rescue not only tries to rehome and foster out animals; it also tries to get animals whose owners are going through a tough time — like those who may be experiencing homelessness or a mental health crisis — back into their previous homes after their stay. Sometimes people just need a chance to get back on their feet before they can go back to caring for their fur baby, McIntosh said.
“We want to be proactive and remind people that just because they’re going through something, that doesn’t necessarily make them bad,” she said. “So if they want to reclaim their animal, we’ll help them.”
One program created with aim in mind is Misfit Mountain’s Summer Camp, which offers temporary foster care for the pets of those “experiencing addiction, mental health, physical health treatment or temporary homelessness.”
“When I was a kid, I always wanted to start my own animal rescue, Amy said. “I told my mom I’d build the rescue in the backyard and connect it to our house with a tube.”
When she was younger, Amy volunteered and worked at vet practices doing whatever she could to help out, including walking dogs and cleaning. About four years ago, the couple moved to Haywood County, and Tera surprised her wife with a large parcel of land, about 12 acres, on which they could build the rescue.
“When we got it, it was just a big overgrown field and nothing else,” Amy said.
They got to work, and before long, they had the bones of what one day would become Misfit Mountain, a name that calls attention to the fact that rescue animals can sometimes
relying on Sarge’s existing volunteer base to launch the program.
“The second that we proposed this,” she said, “we had seven or eight people jump in and say, ‘Can we do it next week?’ and I was like, ‘Maybe not that, but as soon as humanely possible.’”
Sarge’s staff developed and piloted a training program to ensure that volunteers would be able to safely handle the dogs on the trail and shortly thereafter held the first hike, on a property in the Harmon Den area owned by one of the volunteers.
Since then, the dogs have explored a variety of other trails too, including the new Dahlia Ridge Trail System at Haywood Community College and the greenway at Lake Junaluska.
Sarge’s has a process set up to ensure as many dogs as
“Often times animal owners have limited finances or family support to help out so that’s where we step in because we know that just because you ‘are going through something’ doesn’t make you a bad pup owner,” a page on the rescue’s website reads. “We have all been there. When you foster a pup in summer camp you help keep one more animal out of an already overcrowded shelter.”
Misfit Mountain will also take in animals from crowded rural shelters. Just recently, they took in a few dogs from Duplin and Vance counties, rural areas with fewer resources to rehome rescue animals.
“We get multiple inquiries every week from shelters asking if we can help them pull animals, and we get calls and texts from families looking to surrender their animals,” Amy said.
Amy said things have been busy for her and her wife, who both also have jobs of their own.
“We haven’t hit a slow period yet,” she said.
Part of the problem is that people are busy enough with their own lives that volunteering and fostering hasn’t been a priority, leaving the McIntoshes to shoulder an outsized burden. The nature of the work requires them to be on-call 24/7.
“Last night at like 8 o’clock, we assisted a family who made an appointment and went into an emergency vet to request a behavior euthanasia for a dachshund who is food aggressive
possible are eligible to hike, even those with behavioral issues. Every Monday, volunteers gather at Sarge’s for a short pre-briefing and then unpack the harnesses. Each dog has its own, specially fitted harness, labeled with its name. Sarge’s uses a 2 Hounds Design harness called The Freedom Harness, designed to give handlers easier control of the dogs, which makes the experience safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
“They know those harnesses, and when you pull them out, you can see them go, ‘Ah! I get to go hiking today!’” Tate said.
One by one, volunteers — usually six or seven each week — leash up their dog and load it into their car, keeping the dogs separated to avoid any unpleasant parking lot interactions between canines with behavior issues. Then, everyone caravans to the trailhead, with hikes usually lasting about
with its owner,” Amy said, adding that they took in the dog during what proved to be an emotionally charged situation. “The dad was in tears and gave me a big, long hug.”
But those kinds of experiences, tough as they may be, are why Amy said she keeps doing the work.
“That’s my driving force is to see these animals who don’t have a voice like humans, they can’t go out and ask for help, money, food, that’s my driving force is to be a voice for them,” she said.
But at this point, Amy said that although they love their work, more hands would go a long way.
“The biggest thing is time — time with animals time at rescue, time doing laundry and cleaning up dog poop, things that help make the big picture easier,” she said. “The biggest factor is we are so overrun by animals, there are strays, there are neglected animals, there are animals who don’t have homes. Every little bit helps, but it’s difficult to make a dent in such a large issue.”
In addition to volunteers and people willing to foster animals, Amy said that donations are a major need now to keep things operating into the new year. The rescue is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday, Dec. 15, called “A Festivus for the Rest of Us,” a nod to the classic Seinfeld episode. At that fundraiser, Santa Claus will be on hand, and there will be a food drive. In addition, there will be an ugly sweater contest with a twist — instead of humans, the entrants will be animals, meaning anyone who turns out should find the ugliest Christmas sweater that fits their pet.
Anyone interested in adopting, fostering, volunteering or donating can visit misfitmountainnc.org.
two hours and covering roughly 4 miles. The dogs stay spaced at least 10 feet apart on the trail, and there’s always one person on the hike with leash-free hands. That person is usually Tate. She goes because she wants to, not because she has to.
“This is a volunteer-led program,” she said. “So staff doesn’t necessarily have to go on any of the hikes, because our volunteers are so well-trained.”
Already, Tate has seen some real changes in multiple challenging shelter dogs as a result of the program. One of her favorites, a Catahoula leopard dog mix named Gabby, usually comes across as scary and aggressive to strangers and generally dislikes other dogs. But on the trail, she’s all joy and prancy feet.
Amy McIntosh snuggles one of Misfit Mountain’s furry residents. Donated photo
Misfit Mountain is located in the Thickety community. Donated photo
“It is a really good way for her to be more comfortable just being around dogs, and we’ve gotten her so far as to, every now and then, she can come into a single-dog playgroup,” Tate said. “She doesn’t have a good time. She doesn’t play with the dogs. But we can actually get her in the play yard with another dog now, and she’s comfortable.”
Tate also likes to talk about Loki, a boxer mix who’s loud and intimidating when separated from the world by a kennel wall. But when he’s out on the trail, he’s “soft and wiggly and loving,” said Tate.
“It has given my volunteers and it’s given
Loki the opportunity to really show himself as he is, outside of the kennel,” she said.
Initially, Tate wasn’t sure that Rompers, a high-energy pit bull mix, would even be able to go on the hikes. When he gets excited, he gets jumpy and sometimes a bit mouthy. But as it turns out, Rompers is at his best when he’s leading the way on leash.
“His volunteer that usually walks him, his name is Greg, and Greg refers to him as ‘a prince among dogs’ when on hikes,” she said, “because he’s just so comfortable and confident when he is at the front of the pack.”
Even though more than half of Sarge’s dogs have some type of behavior issue, very few of them have to stay behind when the pack goes hiking. Those who do aren’t sitting it out for the reasons most people might assume. Tate gave the “enormous hound” Marky Mark as an example.
Study reveals the red wolf’s ecological impact
According to a study published last month in the scientific journal Animal Conservation, wild red wolves in eastern North Carolina had a significant ecological impact prior to their dramatic decline in recent years.
The study tracked wildlife detection rates from 2015 to 2021 using dozens of motion-activated camera traps in the Alligator River and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuges, the core of the red wolf recovery area.
Results showed that after the red wolf population crashed from poaching, populations of game species like white-tailed deer and wild turkey stayed about the same, but populations of predators like raccoons, opossums, bobcats and bears increased significantly. For example, the raccoon detection rate doubled from 2018 to 2021 as wolf numbers declined.
Spooked by cars, trees, other people and even the gate to his own kennel, Marky Mark doesn’t go on hikes simply because it wouldn’t be a pleasant experience for him. Other dogs that stay behind tend to have similar environmental sensitivity issues.
“There are dogs in the shelter that are shy, or they have stranger danger and they’re not really comfortable with new people approaching the kennels that can still thrive on hikes,” Tate said.
Such adventures are one of the best gifts a shelter dog can get — outside of a family of its own, of course. As it does for humans, time outside helps moderate behavior issues and prevent health conditions like obesity and diabetes, boosting the dog’s chances of living a happy, healthy life.
“Generally speaking,” East said, “most dogs love nothing more than to go outside and explore the world with their nose.”
Currently, there are 11 collared red wolves in the wild. Donated photo
“This study is important for two big reasons: First, we’ve been able to dispel the rumors that red wolves cause a significant collapse in deer populations,” said Dr. Ron Sutherland, Wildlands Network’s Chief Scientist who initiated the research back in 2015. “There were still plenty of deer at all of our camera sites, even with the wolves, bears, bobcats, alligators and human hunters. Second, by showing that red wolves do seem to have valuable ecological impacts on other wildlife species, our research makes it all the more urgent that we protect the existing wolf population in North Carolina and return red wolves to more of the wild areas across the southeast.”
The red wolf was once common across the southeastern United States but had reached the brink of extinction by the 1960s. A captive breeding program started in the 1970s saved the species, and in 1987 the federal government launched the reintroduction effort in eastern North Carolina. Numbers grew to more than 120 animals by 2012, but a surge in poaching between 2014 and 2018 caused the wild population to decline to about 15 wolves in 2020. As of October, 21-23 wild wolves were estimated to live in the area.
Fieldwork for the study was led by researchers from Wildlands Network, with collaborators at N.C. State University and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences analyzing the data.
SARGES, CONTINUED FROM 29
Lyndsey Tate photo
Sarge’s dog Mandy takes a joyful roll during an outing. Lyndsey Tate photo
Drought worsens, again
After a slight improvement at the end of November, the latest drought map published Dec. 7 shows conditions right back where they were before Thanksgiving.
The map, based on data gathered through 8 a.m. Dec. 5, shows 13 counties in extreme drought, 29 in severe drought, 25 in moderate drought and 18 abnormally dry. The 15 counties not touched by one of these designations are all in the far eastern part of the state, while the counties worst affected are all in the west.
Counties in extreme drought include Jackson, Macon, Swain, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Henderson, Transylvania, Burke, Cleveland, McDowell, Polk and Rutherford. Haywood and Buncombe counties are in severe drought and Madison County is in moderate drought.
This fall’s drought conditions are the worst the state has seen since March 2017.
These designations do not reflect the past weekend’s heavy rains.
Franklin County deer tests positive for CWD
A 2.5-year-old female white-tailed deer harvested during firearm season in Franklin County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease, an always-fatal illness affecting cervids like deer and elk. This marks the county’s first case of CWD.
CWD not be here at all, but if it is here, I’m glad we are finding out about it as soon as possible. CWD is transmissible to other deer and spreads through infected saliva, urine and feces of live deer and the movement of infected deer carcasses and carcass parts. During early stages of infection, deer may appear healthy. Therefore, hunters should take precautions when transporting or disposing of deer carcasses, as this may lead to moving CWD to new locations.
The disease was first detected in North Carolina in 2022. Now it has been found in Cumberland, Johnston, Wilkes, Surry, Yadkin, Stokes and Franklin counties.
NCWRC is collecting data related to the distribution of the disease, due primarily to the cooperation of hunters who have submitted samples for testing of the disease. The new detection illustrates the fruits of these efforts, Howard said.
“I want to point out that this detection in Franklin County, along with the last two unexpected CWD-positive cases we detected in Johnston and Cumberland counties, doesn’t necessarily mean that CWD is spreading rapidly across the state,” said Brad Howard, wildlife
management division chief for the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “More likely it means that all the sample submissions we are getting from hunters is really helping to find the places where CWD has already gotten a foothold in the state. It’s likely that it’s been in these places for a few years and had not been detected. I’d rather
“My hat’s off to all the cooperating hunters, cervid health cooperators and the hard work of all our employees in the field,” he said. Learn more at ncwildlife.org/cwd.
Friends group launches for Cherokee National Forest
Friends of the Cherokee National Forest, a new nonprofit based in Knoxville, aims to become a driving force in preserving one of the region’s most cherished landscapes. The organization aims to leverage philanthropy, volunteerism, leadership and strategic partnerships to improve wildlife and fisheries habitat conservation, recreational experiences and environmental stewardship.
The Cherokee National Forest covers more than 650,000 acres in Tennessee and abuts the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests in North Carolina. Visit the website at focnf.org to learn more.
Drought maps are released weekly on Thursdays. U.S. Drought Monitor of North Carolina map
Western Carolina Shuttle is the newest member of the Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council’s roster of A.T. Supporters. Pictured (from left) are FATCC Council Member Tim Lindler, Town of Franklin Council Member Adam Kimsey, FATCC Council Member Natasha Sebring, Western Carolina Shuttle CEO Bryan “The Dude” and FATCC Council Member Kristina Moe. FATCC Council photo
File photo
Money available for farmers who experienced lending discrimination
Through Jan. 13, farmers, forest landowners and ranchers who have experienced discrimination in farm lending from the U.S. Department of Agriculture can apply for financial assistance.
Funding comes from the $2.2 billion federal Discrimination Financial Assistance Program, created through the Inflation Reduction Act signed in August 2022. To be eligible, applicants must have experienced discrimination by USDA farm loan programs prior to Jan. 1, 2021, or currently hold or have inherited USDA farm loan debt that was subject to USDA discriminatory lending.
The application is free and does not require a lawyer to file. Free, confidential technical assistance is available from the USDA. For more information, an application and a map of county offices in North Carolina, visit fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/north-carolina/index.
Ski after school or after work
Cataloochee Ski Area offers discounted rates for youth and adults to explore the slopes and hone their skills with several program offerings this winter.
• The After School Program is a sevensession progressive lesson program that offers a chance to hone skills in ski or snowboard for beginner to upper intermediate riders. Students can attend Tuesday, Thursday, Friday or Sunday nights Jan. 3 through March 7. Weekday program offer a bonus night reserved as a makeup session should Cataloochee be closed on any of the listed nights. Cost is $132 for the program, $279 for the program and pass, and $359 for program, pass and rental.
gram, pass and rental.
• The After Work Program is a seven-session progressive lesson program that offers a chance for people who are new to winter sports to learn to ski or snowboard. Participants can choose to enroll for 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday or 3:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday, with sessions held the second week in January through the first week in March. The Tuesday program offers a bonus date reserved for a makeup session should Cataloochee be closed on any of the listed nights. Cost is $132 for the program, $300 for the program and pass, and $420 for program, pass and rental.
• The Terrain Park Program is a sevensession progressive lesson program that offers a chance to hone tricks and skills in ski or snowboard for intermediate or advanced riders. Students will be divided into subgroups based on skill level within the terrain park, and sessions will be held 5:30-7 p.m. Fridays, Jan. 12 through March 1. A makeup session will be scheduled should Cataloochee be closed on any of the listed nights. Cost is $132 for the program, $279 for the program and pass, and $359 for pro-
Race Cataloochee
The racing season is back at Cataloochee Ski Area, starting in January for ages 8 through adult.
• Middle school racing will be Tuesday nights at 6 p.m., with categories for ages 811 and 12-14. Races will be held weekly Jan. 9 through Feb. 27. High school racing will be at 6 p.m. Wednesdays Jan. 10 through Feb. 28. Finals will be held 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, March 3. All races will be a modified giant slalom using Nastar software for timing. Participants must register and sign a waiver at Nastar.com. Cost is $140 to race for the season, or $283 including lift tickets. The price for racing, lift and rentals all season is $369. Coaches at each area school are the best point of contact. Email racing@cat-
• Women on Wednesdays is a sixsession program for women, by women, offered 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 10 through Feb. 14. It is appropriate for all skill levels and hosted by Cataloochee’s most advanced female instructors. Slope access will extend through 4:30 p.m., offering additional time to hone skills. Cost is $132 for the program, $303 for the program and pass, and $369 for program, pass and rental.
After school programs are for youth ages seven and up, with discounts available (lift pass $35 or pass and rental for $55) for adults who accompany them. All programs have limited space available, with an online registration deadline of Saturday, Dec. 23. Sign up at bit.ly/41aRsdI.
aloochee.com if you are unsure whether your school has a race program.
• Open to racers 18 and older, the Thursday Nigh Adult Race League will be held at 7 p.m. Thursdays Jan. 11 through Feb. 22. All racers have two runs or until 8:30 p.m., whichever comes first, with awards given to the top male and female racers as well as to the top overall team. Teams may have up to four members, one of which must be female, and three members of the team must attend each race. Courses will be set as a modified giant slalom course, with participants racing for the better of two runs. Helmets and goggles are required, and helmets are available for rental. Cost is $17 to race or $54 for racing and a night lift ticket, good for 6-10 p.m. For more information, visit cataloochee.com or call 828.926.0285.
File photo
Up Moses Creek
BY B URT KORNEGAY
The Red Maple
The air was still and frosty when I started up the trail that November morning to watch Black Mountain light up in the sun.
Black Mountain forms the long dark ridgeline on the western side of our valley, opposite the side we live on. The mountain rises in four prominent knobs. From south to north they are Hooper, Middle, Parker and Black, each one rising higher than the one before. With each knob the mountain takes a step up to join the highest summits of the Great Balsam Range.
I was walking fast, full of expectation. Clouds, fog and drizzle had blocked the view for days, but overnight a dry cold wind had cleared the sky and thinned the forest leaves, making it the perfect morning for me to stand on the ridge behind our house and, looking west across the valley, watch the order in which Black Mountain’s knobs begin to glow. The sunlight falls on them differently over the course of the winter. It was early November, and based on what I’d seen in past years, Middle Knob would light up first.
But it’s not the order they light up in that I most wanted to see — it was the light itself. Suddenly, almost imperceptibly, as if coming to life, the top of one of the dark knobs will show a rosy blush that, slowly concentrating and growing stronger, spreads out and down over the mountain in a warmth that’s more than autumn gold.
rock. Other leaves rolled or somersaulted or did cartwheels. Some darted here and there as if the tree had released swallows.
The leaves had just the right wing shape in their pointed lobes, the right length of stem and weight to set them into infinite paths of flight. There was the canoe pitching end to end in waves, the ballerina’s pirouette, the airplane’s barrel roll, the parachute, the ticking pendulum. Spiral-flutter-plummet-glide — some leaves tried to do it all. Still others twitched and flipped so crazily I could not see a pattern, except that like the others they too were going down.
To be accurate, I don’t see the sunlight “fall” on the mountain. As the great globe of Earth spins east on its axis, so astronomers tell us, Black Mountain rises into the sun’s constant rays.
As I neared the fork in the trail that led up to my lookout spot, a young maple — a slender understory tree about 30 feet tall — released a leaf. Sheltered from the wind by the taller trees, its crown had not been stripped. I watched the leaf slowly descend in circles and settle gently on the trail.
Then the tree released another. This leaf circled too, but in a tight spiral, stem-first to the ground.
It was a red maple, acer rubrum, but the leaves weren’t red. Red maple leaves tend to redden when the tree is open-grown. But this shaded tree had lemon-yellow leaves with rusty tints. Old leaves on a still-young tree.
Other leaves took flight. One, like a kid’s paper plane, sailed on a long, straight line to the ground. Another rocked from side to side like a cradle. “Out of the cradle endlessly rocking,” Walt Whitman says of the whispering sea. But that leaf had mere seconds to
Each falling leaf, I realized, must be responsive to the faintest change in barometric pressure or temperature or humidity. The way a leaf’s edge has been eaten away by a summer caterpillar or has a hole chewed in it or moth eggs laid on it — all these would affect its flight.
A leaf stopped mid-fall and slowly twirled at eye height. Caught on a spider’s strand?
I saw a falling leaf clip a branch and ricochet off in the opposite direction. I saw one leaf land on another and set it falling too, both twinning down together. I couldn’t tell what was going to happen until a leaf’s fall was past.
One leaf went round in an upward spiral, as if about to soar, until it crashed into a yellow poplar tree trunk with an audible hit and dropped.
I was shaking the tree to make more leaves fall when, glancing around — there stood Black Mountain, head and shoulders in the sun! Turn to watch one thing of beauty and another happens at your back.
I resolved to hold a steady course tomorrow for the main event, if the day dawned clear.
(Burt and Becky Kornegay live in Jackson County.)
The leaves of a red maple tree in the fall can vary from lingering green to yellow, gold, orange and red. Fred Coyle photo.
WNC Calendar
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m. to noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.
• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists.
• Cowee School Farmer’s Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.
• Matt’s Ministry is hosting a Community Food Pantry 12-2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Brasstown Community Center, 255 Settawig Road. No sign-up or income requirement, just drive up to the Brasstown Community Center outdoor pavilion, volunteers will hand you some bags or boxes of food.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have a live nativity event 6-8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 17, in Weaverville, at 91 Monticello Rd. The event is free. For more information contact Dee Bolin at 828.206.0421.
• Waynesville Parks and Recreation will host “Jingle Bell Jam” Friday, Dec. 15, at the Waynesville Rec Center. Attendees can take polaroid family photos to decorate a Christmas family ornament, there will also be cookie decorating, grinch punch, and a station for kids to write letters to Santa. For more information call 828.456.2030 or email hjones@waynesvillenc.gov.
n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.
n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com
the finer points of the game. Contact kei3ph@bellsouth.net for more information.
• Chess 101 takes place 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information, email Ashlyn Godleski at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2567.
• The Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m. to noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.
• Knit Night takes place at 5:30-7:30 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at The Stecoah Valley Center. The event is free and open to the public. RSVP is recommended: 828.479.3364 or amber@stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Sylva Writers Group meets Wednesday mornings at City Lights Books. If interested contact sylvawriters@gmail.com.
• A Novel Escape Book Club takes place at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at the Novel Escape Bookstore (60 E Main St, Franklin). Every other month one book is selected for discussion. On alternate months the meeting is round-table discussion in which participants share what they’ve read lately. For more information call the bookstore at 828.369.9059 or visit anovelescapefranklin.wordpress.com.
nifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.
• Storytime takes place at 10 a.m. every Tuesday at the Macon County Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Toddler’s Rock takes place at 10 a.m. every Monday at the Macon County Library. Get ready to rock with songs, books, rhymes and playing with instruments. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Culture Talk takes place at 2 p.m. on the first Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. Travel the world from inside your library. This event features guest speakers and food sampling from the location being discussed. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Art afternoon takes place at 3:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the Macon County Public Library. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
A&E
• The holiday show “Eireann’s Call - A Kilted Christmas” will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. This is Folkmoot’s last live show of the season. Doors open at 6 p.m., show begins at 7:30. For tickets or more information visit folkmoot.org.
• Appalachian Smoke will play a Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. Tickets are $15 and are available at stecoahvalleycenter.com or by calling 828.479.3364.
Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:
n Complete listings of local music scene
n Regional festivals
n Art gallery events and openings
n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers
n Civic and social club gatherings
CLASSES AND PROGRAMS
• Chess 101 takes place from 3:30-4:30 p.m. every Friday in the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library. No registration required, for more information call 828.648.2924.
• Wired Wednesday, one-on-one technology help is available at 3-5 p.m. every Wednesday at the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Library. For more information or to register, call 828.648.2924.
• Uptown Gallery, 30 East Main St. Franklin, will be offering Children’s Art Classes Wednesdays afternoons. Adult workshops in watercolor, acrylic paint pouring, encaustic and glass fusing are also offered. Free painting is available 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday in the classroom. A membership meeting takes place on the second Sunday of the month at 3 p.m. All are welcome. Call 828.349.4607 for more information.
ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES
H EALTH AND WELLNESS
• An Awareness Through Movement class is offered at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave, in Waynesville. This class focuses on movement through the arms, hands, legs and feet. Bring a mat and wear comfortable layered clothing. Walk-ins welcome. Cost is $60 for 4 sessions, $20 per session for walk-ins. To register or for more information email Annallys at eetm2023@proton.me or call 505.438.9109.
• The Pollinators Foundation offers weekly Mindful Movement Qigong classes for all ages to reduce stress and improve health and well-being. Classes take place 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Wednesdays at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.4224.1398.
• The Pollinators Foundation and The Share Project host weekly Happy Hour Walks 5-6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays at Lake Junaluska. The group meets at the Labyrinth. For more information visit thepollinatorsfoundation.org or contact Marga Fripp at margacfripp@gmail.com 828.4224.1398.
• Mountain Area pregnancy Services and the WIC Breastfeeding Peer Counselor work together to provide a casual support group for prenatal and breastfeeding individuals from 1-2 p.m. on Tuesdays at Mountain Area Pregnancy Services, 177 N Main St. Waynesville, NC. All are welcome, registration is recommended. For more information, please call 828.558.4550.
CLUBS AND M EETINGS
• The Western Carolina Cribbage Club meets every Monday at 6 p.m. An eclectic group of young and old, male and female. The group supplies boards, cards, pegs and are always willing to help those still learning
K IDS AND FAMILIES
• The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host a kids’ program about moon exploration on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Randi Neff will lead these activities focused on NASA’s Artemis program, with aims to one day establish a base on the Moon. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information call 828.586.2016.
• Creative Writing Club will take place at 3:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of every month at the Macon County Public Library. The writing club is intended for ages 8-12. For more information visit fontanalib.org or call 828.524.3600.
• Move and Groove Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Thursday, at the Canton branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Exciting, interactive music and movement story time ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Ashlyn at ashlyn.godleski@haywoodcountync.gov or at 828.356.2567.
• Mother Goose Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Wednesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children from birth to 2 years old. For more information, contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.
• Wiggle Worms Storytime takes place 10:30-11 a.m. every Tuesday, at the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library. Ideal for children 2-6 years old. For more information contact Lisa at lisa.hartzell@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2511.
• Next Chapter Book Club Haywood is a fun, energetic and highly interactive book club, ideal for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The group meets every second and fourth Monday of the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jen-
• Trivia Night is hosted 6:30-8:30 p.m. every Thursday evening at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley. For more information visit meadowlarkmotel.com.
• Paint and Sip at Waynesville Art School will be held every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7-9:30 p.m. To learn more and register call 828.246.9869 or visit PaintAndSipWaynesville.com/upcoming-events. Registration is required, $45.
• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. mountainmakersmarket.com.
• Smoky Mountain Event Center presents Bingo Night with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and games starting at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday and fourth Monday of the month. For information visit smokymountaineventcenter.com.
F OOD AND D RINK
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, click on waynesvillewine.com.
• A free wine tasting will be held from 6-8 p.m. every Thursday and 2-5 p.m. every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.
• Take a trip around the world with four different wines every Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420
• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.
• The first annual holiday open studio will take place Saturday, Dec. 16, at Hazelwood Pottery in Waynesville. Joe Frank Mckeee will be demonstrating horsehair and alcohol raku firing with his portable kiln, Neal Howard will bring her hand dyed and woven silks and Laure Faye Dean will be demoing wheel throwing. The afternoon will end with a Community Christmas Carol singalong. For information contact Dean at 828.226.4170.
Outdoors
• A turkey shoot will be held 9 a.m. Saturdays at the American Legion in Waynesville, continuing weekly through mid-April 2024. Breakfast food will be available for sale, with cash prizes offered. The event is weather-dependent. The American Legion is located on 171 Legion Drive in Waynesville.
• Mainspring Conservation Trust will hold a volunteer workday 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Dec. 14. Learn more or sign up at mainspringconserves.org/events.
• The Merry Market with Santa will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, giving guests a chance to shop for treasures made by local artisans. Santa will make an appearance at both events. Learn more or register for breakfast at noc.com/events.
• Hike the Deep Creek Loop at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, with the Haywood County Recreation and Parks. The group will meet at Best Buy in Waynesville for the 4.9mile trail. Hike registration is $10, sign up at haywoodcountync.gov/recreation.
• Mainspring Conservation Trust will host an opportunity to connect with other environmentally minded people 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 19, at Innovation Station in Hillsboro. This Green Drinks in Sylva event is held every other month, a relaxed mixer with no formal schedule. Learn more or sign up at mainspringconserves.org/events.
Market PLACE WNC
Legals
MarketPlace information:
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
Rates:
• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.
• Free — Lost or found pet ads.
• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*
• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE
• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4
• Boost in Print
• Add Photo $6
• Bold ad $2
• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4
• Border $4
Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.
Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com
IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK 23 SP 194
IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST from Duane D Seeley to Meritha Browning, Trustee, dated October 4, 2002, recorded in Book 533, Page 2048, Haywood County Registry
Pursuant to an order entered October 26, 2023, in the Superior Court for Haywood County, and the power of sale contained in the captioned Deed of Trust (the “Deed of Trust”), the Substitute
Trustee will offer for sale at auction (the “Sale”), to the highest bidder for cash on:
DECEMBER 21, 2023, AT 11:00 A.M. HAYWOOD COUNTY COURTHOUSE
285 N MAIN STREET, WAYNESVILLE NORTH CAROLINA 28786
the real estate and the improvements thereon secured by the Deed of Trust, less and except any of such property released from the lien of the Deed of Trust prior to the date of said sale, lying and being in Haywood County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows (the “Property”):
All that certain lot or parcel of land situate in Canton, Beaverdam Township, Haywood County, North Carolina, and more particularly described as follows:
Being all Lots 86 through 95, together with a small triangular shaped and
unnumbered tract of land located on the Southeast side of Lot 86 and extending to the intersection of two streets of the Ellis Burnett Highland Park addition to Canton, North Carolina, as shown on the Plat Book duly recorded in Plat Book B, Page B-8, of deeds of Haywood County.
Less and except from the above described property that tract of land described in Deed dated February 15, 1960, from Fannie Conley widow to P.H. Rogers, recorded in Deed Book 181, Page 670, Haywood County Registry.
By fee simple deed from Tracey J. Seeley, as set forth in Deed Book 489, Page 2423, dated 04/10/2001 and recorded 04/10/2001, Haywood County Records, state of North Carolina.
The record owner(s) of the Property not more than ten (10) days prior to the date hereof is
Daunne D Seeley (aka Duane D Seeley). PIN: 8656-78-8675
In the Trustee’s sole discretion, the sale may be delayed for up to one (1) hour as provided in Section 45-21.23 of the North Carolina General Statutes.
deposit, or a cash deposit of $750.00, whichever is greater, will be required of the last and highest bidder. The balance of the bid purchase price shall be due in full in cash or
to take place within thirty (30) days of the date of sale. The Substitute Trustee shall convey title to the property by non warranty deed. This sale will be made subject to all prior liens of record, if any, and to all unpaid (ad valorem) taxes and special assessments, if any, which became a lien subsequent to the recordation of the Deed of Trust. This sale will be further subject to the right, if any, of the United States of America to redeem the above-desc ribed property for a period of 120 days following the bid period has run.
The purchaser of the property described above shall pay the Clerk’s Commissions in the amount of $.45 per $100.00 of the purchase price (up to a maximum amount of $500.00), required by Section 7A-308(a)(1) of the North Carolina General Statutes. If the purchaser of the above-described property is someone
under the Deed of Trust, the purchaser shall also pay, to the extent applicable, the land transfer tax in the amount of one percent (1%) of the purchase price.
To the extent this sale involves residential prop-
(15) rental units, you are following:
(a) An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to Section 45-21.29 of the North Carolina General Statutes in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold; and
(b) Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days’ written notice to the landlord. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
The 26th day of October 2023.
Jeff Williams-Tracy, Attorney for John W. Fletcher III, Substitute Trustee
North Carolina State Bar Number 15503
100 Queens Road, Suite 250, Charlotte, North Carolina 28204
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA MACON COUNTY IN THE DISTRICT COURT
23-CVD-480
CIRILA GARCIA RUIZ, Plaintiff, Vs RICARDO CONTRERAS, Defendant.
To: RICARDO CONTRERAS:
Take notice that a pleading seeking relief against
above titled action. The nature of the relief being
sought is as follows:
-Complaint for Domestic Violence Protective Order
You are required to make defense to such pleading not later than 40 days
publication of this Notice, and upon your failure to do so, the party seeking service against you will apply to the court for the relief sought.
This is the 27th day of November, 2023. Denise Lockett Legal Aid of North Carolina, Inc.-The Smoky
Attorney for Plaintiff 1286 West Main Street Sylva, NC 28779 Tel: 828-586-8931
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.2023E 000631
Joey Robison, having -
istrator of the Estate of William Roy Robison of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Mar 06 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Administrator of the Estate of Jill Suzanne Scruggs of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Feb 29 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Kaleb Rice, having of the Estate of Donald Zade Rice of Haywood County, North Carolina,
ANSWERS ON PAGE 34
this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Feb 29 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment. Executor 115 Spotted Horse Trail Canton, NC 28716
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