Smoky Mountain News | December 30, 2020

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

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021 Vol. 22 Iss. 31

Acoustic Syndicate to play Pisgah Brewing Page 18 Ten great outdoor moments from 2020 Page 22

YEAR IN REVIEW

v FAKE NEWS

SPOOF AWARDS

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: They say hindsight is 2020 and that is definitely true as we’re all eager to put this disaster of a year in the dumpster and light it on fire. All we can hope for now is that 2021 will bring an end to this pandemic and that we’ve all learned some hard lessons we can take along with us in this uncertain future.

But before we move on, take a moment to relax and find some humor in all we’ve been through this year. The annual Spoof Awards and Fake News Freakout pay tribute to the people, places and events that have made 2020.

Congratulations and condolences to those who have earned an award this year and hope you can find the courage to laugh at yourselves as well. If you didn’t make the cut this year, there’s still plenty of time in 2021 to leave your mark.

Opinion Nowhere to go but forward, into 2021 ......................................................................16 Keep hope alive in the new year....................................................................................17

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Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing) Boyd Allsbrook (writing)

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Conversation with Steve McMurry of Acoustic Syndicate ..................................18 Secrets, winning friends, and ‘Ivanhoe’ ......................................................................21

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Outdoors Ten great outdoor moments from 2020 ....................................................................22

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Nursing pus-weeping third-degree burns on more than 50 percent of each of his hands, one area man still refuses to wear an oven mitt when handling hot pots and pans despite conventional wisdom and expert testimony suggesting mitt usage as the best way to avoid injury. “I refuse to live in fear of my oven,” said Chad “mitt free” McGee, of Waynesville. “Plus, it says so right there in the Constitution, the right to bare arms.

Also, this obscure 1820s court ruling I discovered says that presumes the inalienable right to bare hands.”

McGee explained he’d done his research on YouTube and Newsmax, and had found that mitt usage can result in oxygen deprivation to one’s hand, making it sick. Plus, he said, it covers up a part of the human body that God made in His own image.

“The Luciferian elites don’t want you to know this, but the concept of ‘heat’ is actu-

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Now then, submitted for your perusal is another fresh batch of fake news stories, which are fake. Thanks Don! SMN Staff Writer/Outdoors editor Holly Kays contributed to this fake news report, which is fake.

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Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT FAKE N EWS E DITOR hen I started writing this yearly feature five years ago, it was intended to highlight the then-emerging phenomenon now known as fake news. I thought that 2016 column would be a oneoff, a satisfying way to blow off some steam and play with some local news stories in the same fashion as revered satirical outlet The Onion.

Boy was I wrong, and there’s only one person to thank for the five-year anniversary of the Fake News Freakout — Donald John Trump.

Trump has done more to promulgate the concept of fake news more than possibly anyone, both through his denigration of real news that he deems fake news, and his promotion of actual fake news that he believes is real.

Counterintuitively, that makes my job much more difficult because fake news is far more common now and therefore not as funny as it used to be.

I even thought about not doing the Fake News Freakout this year, worried that I wouldn’t be able to measure up to the ridiculousness that was reality in 2020.

But, as a red-blooded American man, I decided that to deprive you, my friends, of the Fake News Freakout — on its fifth anniversary no less — would be nothing short of tyranny.

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FAKE NEWS, continued ally just a well-crafted hoax promulgated by the Chinese Communist Party in concert with Democrats to make President Trump look bad,” he said. “I got a ‘C’ in high school physics so I know what I’m talking about.”

At last word McGee had started a Facebook group called Saving Patriotic Constitutional Vigilant Second Amendment American Patriotic Amendment Patriots of America (SPCVSAAPAPOA) and began posting videos of his selfie soliloquies, filmed while driving in his truck.

“The Founding Fathers would spit on us for wearing oven mitts,” McGee said. “This is literally tyranny.”

BIGFOOT’S SHYNESS

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

STEMS FROM CENTURIES OF PANDEMIC PREPARATION, RESEARCH SHOWS

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Scientists have long been mystified by the secretive behavior of the rare North American wood ape — commonly known as Bigfoot — but new anthropological research reveals the reason behind the primate’s elusive ways. The Bigfoot’s reticence is based on prophecy, not privacy.

“For millennia, our prophets have told of a time when a powerful virus would emerge that could be defeated only through social distancing and avoidance of enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces,” said Adi Das, one of the wood apes interviewed for Stan Onsole’s seminal 2020 work Legends, Lore and Really Big Feet: A Journey into the True World of the Native Bigfoot. “We have shaped our society around the arrival of this moment in history, spending our days outdoors and keeping our distance from people. They say 6 feet, but we aim for more like 6 miles.”

Unfortunately, the prophets did not account for the response that the everexpanding human population would have to that same pandemic. As more people than ever before have sought solace in the outdoors this year, Bigfoot families have found it increasingly difficult to maintain the strict

Whee! Holly Kays photo social distancing standards to which they have adhered for years without number.

“It used to be easy to keep to myself,” said Ni Kee, whose story appears in Chapter 7 of the book. “Sure, as a young Bigfoot I’d occasionally get my kicks by giving some rando a brief glimpse and watching his jaw fall to his feet, but that was just a stage. Now I like my privacy, and there’s way too many people in my woods. I’m pretty sure I wound up in the background of at least five selfies this year, though I don’t think anyone noticed. Otherwise they would have gotten a lot more likes.”

COVID MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL DRAWS SPARSE CROWD Hoping to capitalize on the tremendous success of a similarly-named two-day concert event, organizers of an ambitious local music festival this past summer now admit that it may not have been the brightest of ideas.

“We thought what with everyone being all ‘Cooped’ up for months on account of the China virus and our tyrannical governor that people would be excited about this event,” said Becky Karen, one of the COVID Mountain Music Festival’s organizers.

Billed as a mask-free “religious gathering” protected by speech and assembly clauses in the First Amendment, the COVID Mountain Music Festival saw just 19 paying customers occupy a space that could normally accommodate more than 5,000.

Those who did attend may have been outnumbered by the stage crew, security, vendors and performers, but they were treated to a memorable evening of legendary performances by the likes of such storied artists as Joe Diffie, Ellis Marsalis, Charley Pride

and John Prine.

Despite the financial failure of the event, Karen said at the time that she held no regrets and looked forward to retooling the event next year.

“This whole thing will be over on Nov. 4, right after Trump wins the election anyway,” she said. “It’s all just a hoax.”

SYLVA TO TRANSFORM ALLEN STREET INTO GIANT SLIDE Facing a million-dollar fix for an everworsening landslide that’s causing deep cracks on Allen Street, the Town of Sylva voted unanimously last week to stop forcing the road to conform to the town’s dream for it and to instead find its true calling as a slide.

The road will be covered with a 10-footwide plastic chute that will easily ferry people, vehicles and packages from the top of the hill to the bottom. Plans feature a loop at the end that will use centrifugal force to send passengers back up to the top should they so desire. The design also allows the construction to be easily converted to a water slide for some summer fun.

“At first I wasn’t sure it would work, but on our recent town board trip to Universal Orlando we got the chance to try out a similar construction on Splash Mountain, and let’s just say it was love at first ride,” said Commissioner David Nestler. “We’re well on our way to becoming the most fun town in the South.”

EVERYTHING AREA MAN DISAGREES WITH IS LITERALLY TYRANNY After finally recognizing that almost all aspects of his life have been negatively impacted by brazen violations of his

Constitutional rights, area man Chad “live free” McGee has come to the conclusion that every little thing that annoys, troubles, inconveniences or bothers him, in any way, is literally tyranny.

“It’s literally tyranny,” said McGee, who’d just been forced to sit through a Hungry Man Frozen Dinners television commercial featuring a man using an oven mitt.

McGee explained that he’s begun compiling a growing list of all the things that restrict his complete, total, unfettered freedom.

That list is inclusive of but not limited to stoplights, parachutes, handicapped parking spots, the right to own a personal shoulder-launched antiaircraft missile and the lack of new Mandalorian episodes until December 2021.

“The deep-state fat cats don’t want us to have any more Baby Yoda,” he said. “I threatened to kill [Mandalorian showrunner] Jon Favreau on Facebook and they banned me! That’s a violation of my First Amendment rights. It’s tyranny.”

McGee also said he’d deduced that a plethora of doctors, scientists, academics, athletes and Hollywood-types have devoted their entire careers and indeed their very lives to a conspiracy designed to deprive him of his constitutional rights by asking him politely to wear a mask.

“I’m allowed to have my own opinions on science,” McGee said. “I have some opinions on math, too.”

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• Fresh fruit bowls with whipped cream • Cheese, nut and fresh fruit platters Additionally, having desserts where it is possible to take smaller servings makes it easier to enjoy a sweet treat without going overboard. Individual cookies, mini cupcakes, mini muffins or cake balls or small cups of chocolate mousse or puddings topped with fresh berries are some ideas of sweet treats that all of your guests should appreciate.

UKELELE SENSATION TAKES WNC BY STORM Nearly a decade after first gaining international notice, Foster the People’s runaway 2011 hit Pumped Up Kicks has experienced an unexpected resurgence from an unlikely (see “I gave my love a cherry that had no stone, I gave my love a chicken that had no bone,” page 93)

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

Smoky Mountain News

With more and more citizens of the world’s most prosperous nation experiencing exacerbation of pre-existing generational poverty and food insecurity due to the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, lines at the Western North Carolina’s food banks and outdoor pantries are growing ever longer.

“I’ve worked my whole life, paid into the system, bought a house, all that,” said Chad “mask free” McGee, who was waiting in line

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Unsure of what else to do, Pald went down to the local pawn shop and got himself the longest string of pearls he could find. The clutching has proved extremely therapeutic, he said.

“I’m fresh out of pearls,” said Tad Shady, owner of Tad’s Corner Pawn, upon answering a phone call for this story. “And I ain’t sure when I’ll be getting more in, so don’t ask. Bye.”

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Unprecedented demand from academic leaders nationwide has severely challenged the United States pearl industry.

The increased demand stems from a burgeoning desire for something solid to clutch onto whist lamenting the woeful recklessness of the country’s college students.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said Dr. Barry Shocked of the UNC System. “Who would have thought that the students would have continued to throw parties and engage in social interaction even after they were explicitly informed that such behavior was unwise and severely discouraged?”

Pointing to the unrivaled success of public health programs taking aim at underage drinking and drug use, university leaders have continually scratched their heads in bewilderment at their seeming inability to convince students to behave in the mature and responsible manner they have in the past.

“It simply boggles the mind,” said Dr. Ap Pald of N.C. State. “I never thought I would see the day that a college student would simply ignore expert public health advice.”

at a Haywood County food bank on Christmas Eve in hopes of securing a frozen turkey, dented canned goods, unsaleable vegetables and day-old cupcakes for his family of four.

“I can’t believe my decades-long history of voting against my own self-interest on account of obscure social issues that don’t affect me has led my family to this point,” McGee said.

Despite being an avid amateur scholar of both epidemiology and the U.S. Constitution, McGee added that he’s opposed to masks on practical and philosophical grounds but wears one while waiting in line, hoping he won’t be recognized by or see anyone he knows.

“I don’t want people to think we’re poor,” said McGee. “I’m ashamed to be here but North Carolina unemployment benefits are the worst in the nation and no stimulus check has come since April and when it does it won’t but pay for last September’s groceries and our state didn’t do that Medicaid expansion thing so my doctor bills are crazy and Duke Energy raises its rates every damned year and … it’s tyranny, this stupid socialist government. Tyranny.”

Thankful for the handout, McGee also fired a shot in the War on Christmas by wishing food bank volunteers not just a “Merry Christmas,” but a “very” Merry Christmas.

Before heading over the river and through the woods to his grandmother’s house, McGee rummaged through a bin of donated kitchen utensils and casually tossed into his box of holiday cheer a pair of fancy black silicone oven mitts.

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936 Ingles Markets… caring about your health

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Crowding on Max Patch has sparked concerns about overuse and litter. A Shot Above photo

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

Burn, baby, burn

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hey say hindsight is 2020 and that is definitely true as we’re all eager to put this disaster of a year in the dumpster and light it on fire.

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While many of us remember way back in January feeling like 2020 would be our year — we just couldn’t predict it would be our year of high unemployment, isolation, fear, sickness and uncertainties.

All we can hope for now is that 2021 will bring an end to this pandemic and that we’ve all learned some hard lessons we can take along with us in this uncertain future.

But before we move on, The Smoky Mountain News once again takes a look back to reflect on the last year of news — it’s been a doozy. Some of the headlines that have graced our pages could pass for a satire headline from The Onion, but sadly, they’re all too real. However devastating and infuriating the news has been this year, it’s still important to find a little bit of humor in the absurd.

Our annual Spoof Awards and Fake News Freakout pay tribute to the people, places and events that have made 2020. Congratulations and condolences to those who have earned an award this year. We appreciate the laughs among the tears and hope you can find the courage to laugh at yourselves as well. If you didn’t make the cut this year, there’s still plenty of time in 2021 to leave your mark.

THE CHUMBAWAMBA AWARD They may have gotten knocked down hard when the pandemic forced the first-ever closure in the history of Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos — but they got up again, pulling in significantly more money than worst-case scenarios feared upon reopening at limited capacity.

Casino profits for the April through October period of 2020 came in at roughly 70 percent of 2019 levels, much better than the worst-case scenario of 30 percent or the budgeted level of 50 percent.

However, as casino patrons took their whiskey drinks, their vodka drinks, their lager drinks and their cider drinks inside the socially distanced walls of Harrah’s Cherokee, outside forces were threatening the profits those walls could pull in during future years.

Though legally contested, construction is underway for a Catawba Nation casino in Kings Mountain, and another casino is under development in Bristol, Virginia. Not to mention that North Carolina as well as all the states surrounding it are exploring potential legislation that could result in further competition nearby.

The tribe wouldn’t let those threats keep it down, however. The EBCI is currently engaged in a lawsuit seeking to halt the Catawba project, and in November it broke ground on a development worth tens of millions of dollars along Interstate 40 in Sevierville, Tennessee. Kituwah LLC, the tribe’s business arm, purchased a modular home company back in February, and Harrah’s Cherokee is celebrating a finalized agreement that allows it to add sports betting to its mix of offerings. Looking to the future, the tribe hopes to get into the commercial gaming business and is in the process of finalizing a $250 million deal to purchase the operation at Caesars Southern Indiana.

THE OSCAR AWARD

H This award is not named for the accolade H of the same name given by the Academy for M Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but rather w for the garbage-dwelling puppet of Sesame v Street fame — and it goes to all the people w who couldn’t manage to pack their trash out i n of WNC’s public lands this year.

Max Patch in the Pisgah National Forest has become something of a poster child for this issue, with a widely circulated drone shot taken in September showing the placid bald transformed into a city of tents. Benny Braden, who camped out in the area during one of those high-traffic nights, reported t picking up 82 gallons’ worth of trash the next l morning.

Other public lands have dealt with similar issues. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park experienced record-setting visitation this summer and fall, with more than 1.5 million recreation visits per month in June, July, August and October.

October was particularly intense, with the 1.7 million visits recorded that month representing a 23.6 percent increase over October 2019.

All that use has led to severe impacts. The park held a slate of public input meetings in October to gather ideas as to how to address congestion issues at some of the park’s busiest areas. Intense use has led to erosion and resource damage issues as people park on any piece of available ground, as well as safety challenges with hikers commonly walking a mile along the windy and heavily used Newfound Gap Road to reach some of the popular trailheads located there.

These problems won’t be solved overnight, but on an individual level, the solution is simple. Don’t drive on the grass, stay on the trail, and please, please, don’t be a Grouch. Pack out your trash.

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COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD

The award goes out to Bill Nolte, superintendent of Haywood County Schools, who learned this year that Dylan’s breezy lyric ‘don’t think twice, it’s alright’ doesn’t apply to superintendents wading into issues of race and history.

There’s been something spectacularly Shakespearian about Mark Meadows’ character arc over the last 14 months or so.

In the year 1040, The Bard’s MacBeth was a powerful Scottish general serving under the rule of King Duncan. Hailing from an obscure district of Scotland, MacBeth’s ambition, coupled with the designs of his wife, lead him to abandon his rural constituency in favor of a more powerful position.

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? AWARD Without a doubt, hands down, teachers win for best improv performance this year.

They’ve had to make it up as they go along and be ready to change directions at the drop of a dime and at the whims of old men running this country.

As soon as they felt like they had distance learning modalities functioning properly, they had to prepare to bring students back into the classroom as well while still teaching some students remotely. While trying to meet state curriculum guidelines amid so much chaos, they’ve had the added stress of trying to teach students who are also dealing with their own stress and anxieties associated with this pandemic.

Through all of the trials 2020 has thrown at our society, teachers have been there, nurturing and educating our children. They put their lives in danger. They deal with children that are scared, sick, isolated and confused.

Still, they’ve shown up day after day with a smile on their face even when their scripts are changing daily. They are heroes for the work they have done and for the rubbish they have put up with in 2020. Now let’s pay them more.

Mark Meadows.

In 2019, Meadows was a powerful Republican congressman serving under the rule of President Donald Trump. Hailing from an obscure district of North Carolina, Meadows’ ambition, coupled with the designs of his wife, led him to abandon his rural constituency in favor of a more powerful role.

A close friend of Meadows’ wife, Maggie Valley real estate agent Lynda Bennett, was given advance knowledge of Meadows’ impending departure, ran an embarrassingly bad campaign and then ended up losing to a 25-year-old political unknown, current congressman-elect Madison Cawthorn.

While MacBeth ended up offing King Duncan, Meadows didn’t go quite that far in his lust for power but he did get awfully close to the throne — after announcing he wouldn’t seek almost-assured reelection in his newly un-gerrymandered district, Meadows abandoned his seat in Congress last March to assume the role of President Trump’s chief of staff.

It may have seemed a smart bet at the time for Meadows even though his seat has remained empty through some of the largest spending bills ever passed, but as Shakespeare reminds us again and again, opportunistic power grabs are dishonorable and usually punished by the gods as moral sins against humanity.

That penance came for Meadows when the unthinkable happened — his boss lost the election, giving Meadows several months on the job instead of several years.

Now, as Meadows’ character arc comes full circle, he’ll have plenty of time as a private citizen to ponder what he had, and what he lost. Look for his next chapter to be less Shakespearian and more Machiavellian.

An honorary second-place award goes to Rep. Mike Clampitt and former Rep. Joe Sam Queen. Western North Carolina’s own Capulet and Montague, Clampitt and Queen have run against each other for the District 119 House seat five times dating back 10 years, with Queen still up 3-to-2 but now on the outside. If only these two had some kids who would fall in love with each other and unite the two warring factions and … oh, wait.

Never mind.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AWARD You. Not since the 1960s have Americans just like you taken to the streets in such large numbers to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly by demonstrating for (or against) a variety of causes close to their hearts.

First, there were the “Reopen North Carolina” vehicular caravans that took place

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

THINK TWICE, IT’S NOT ALRIGHT

BEST EMULATION OF A CLASSICAL TRAGEDY AWARD

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This one’s for the thousands upon thousands of health professionals across the state of North Carolina who last January had absolutely no idea that 2020 would turn out to be perhaps the most difficult, consequential year of their careers (so far).

Given that global pandemics only seem to occur about once a century, there are few alive with memories of the 1918 Spanish Influenza, which infected half a billion people — one-third of the world population — and killed between 20 million and 50 million, including more than 675,000 Americans.

From Maggie Valley to Myrtle Grove, doctors, nurses, paramedics and public health officials suddenly found themselves dealing with a global health emergency that they’d probably only read about in some long-forgotten textbook lesson back in school.

While the rest of us isolated and attempted to remain out of harm’s way, these brave souls rushed towards the dangers of the Coronavirus Pandemic with superhero-like resolve. It’s largely because of them that deaths in the United States remain about half of those counted in the 1918 pandemic.

Worthy of special recognition are Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandi Cohen, now-retired Haywood County Public Health Director Patrick Johnson and Haywood County Health Department Medical Director Dr. Mark Jaben, all of whom have served as stern but optimistic voices of reason and comfort during a time when misinformation and mania surrounding the pandemic ran as rampant as the 2019nCoV virus itself.

Nolte’s post, which included an old photo of white kids in a cotton field and his words “Children of every color picked cotton. Open a book and gain some knowledge,” was taken down. He apologized, not for the content of the post but for the way it might have made viewers feel. He also informed everyone that he had a black roommate in college, so, phew! there’s no way he could harbor any amount of racial bias, implicit or explicit.

While this is the type of cringe-worthy behavior is expected from our crazy uncle on Facebook, school superintendents are not awarded the same leeway. For the sake of everyone in this community, we hope that during the few days he was relieved of his duties, he opened a book and “gained some knowledge” about the realities of race in America.

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Smoky Mountain News

Dr. Bill Nolte learned some lessons of his own this past year. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Black Lives Matter marchers visited Maggie Valley twice this summer. Cory Vaillancourt photo

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news Volunteers finish setting up the stage at an event in Bryson City on July 18. Cory Vaillancourt photo

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

2020, CONTINUED FROM 7 in Waynesville in April, and later in Franklin.

Drivers were upset with Gov. Roy Cooper’s orders shutting down large swaths of the economy over fears of COVID-19 transmission, at a time when North Carolina was logging less than 400 cases per day — a far cry from the current 7-day rolling average of more than 5,000 cases per day.

Then, starting in Waynesville in June, the Black Lives Matter movement began appearing in Western North Carolina towns from Murphy to Canton and all points in between.

Roughly a dozen marches, vigils or rallies were held in places like Bryson City, Franklin, Maggie Valley (twice) and Sylva.

In response, roughly a half-dozen “Back the Badge” rallies in support of the nation’s first responders took place, including in Haywood County and in Franklin on July 25.

Some of these events then evolved into demonstrations over Confederate imagery — notably in Sylva — and drew healthy counter-demonstrations from the “heritage not hate” crowd.

No matter which side of these contentious issues you fall on, we’d like to bestow upon you the Civic Engagement Award for getting out there, in your cars and on your feet, on your street, making local, state and national leaders hear your voice loud and clear — and

all without the serious injuries, mass arrests, property damage or casualties that marred many of the actions in other cities and states across the country.

CIVIC IRRESPONSIBILITY AWARD You, again. With rights come responsibilities, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that within the course of exercising your First Amendment rights during the 20-odd mass demonstrations that took place across Western North Carolina this past year (excluding Asheville), some of you ignored your corresponding responsibilities by circulating preposterous conspiracy theories, spreading senseless misinformation, engaging in unfounded fearmongering and promulgating race-baiting lies on social media.

It goes a little something like this.

COVID-19 is a bioweapon deliberately manufactured by the Chinese to humiliate our president and cripple our nation.

The installation of a new 5G cellular network overseen by Chinese mega-corporations is instrumental in sickening millions of Americans and in spreading the coronavirus. North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is exercising powers far beyond his authority while assuming the

role of dictator, all because you can’t enjoy a fat rack of ribs at Applebee’s and then get your nails did.

The COVID-19 vaccine has a microchip in it so that Bill Gates can personally and continuously eavesdrop on your mundane, inconsequential life.

Billionaire George Soros is funding every Black Lives Matter march out of his own pocket. Violent inner-city protestors (read: Black people) are paid $100 a day to take a rented bus from Atlanta all the way up to your little town, just to burn it down.

Self-styled “militias” and, like, 400 Harley dudes are all coming from miles away with full-auto .50-cal machine guns and bazookas to guard against imaginary enemies.

Of course, it doesn’t help that some of these falsehoods were perpetuated by “Mr. Very Fine People on Both Sides,” our nation’s liar-in-chief, throughout 2020.

Such rumors aren’t simply innocent internet chatter. Indeed, the ultimate effect of them, especially on social media, resulted in short-staffed small-town police departments stretched thin by the Coronavirus Pandemic scrambling to follow up on every tip, every rumor, every threat, while working overtime to monitor these demonstrations — because that’s their job, to keep us safe. At taxpayer expense.

Shame on you. Be better.

DISTURBING THE PEACE AWARD Perhaps the loudest, most obnoxious part of 2020 has been the horn honking and engine revving from the ubiquitous Trump caravan. You’ve likely seen them, cars, trucks (each with their own pair of tiny truck nuts) and motorcycles gather together to fly their Trump, Blue Lives Matter and Rebel flags high as they honk and rev their way through one unsuspecting, peaceful downtown after another.

They come out in protest of the protests rocking our nation, and disrupt any and all peace in their way. They come out in support of the losing candidate like screaming children after their favorite toy has been taken away. They come out to show everyone just how big and how loud their truck really is.

EPIC FAIL AWARD In the lead-up to the November 2019 municipal elections in Waynesville, the town’s homelessness problem rushed to the forefront just weeks before voters would get their onceevery-four-years opportunity to elect the town’s mayor and Board of Aldermen.

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FESTIVUS AWARD Demonstrators gather to oppose changes to the "Sylva Sam” statue. Holly Kays photo

All the world’s a stage, Shakespeare said; accordingly, in 2021 a number of notable political actors will make their exit from that stage. Some may end up playing other roles, others not, but all have performed in ways that will spell out the next act for their audience — the people of Western North Carolina.

Congressman Mark Meadows may have left his seat open when he resigned in March

When the story about the so-called “Second Amendment sanctuary” movement first appeared in the Jan. 7, 2020, issue of The Smoky Mountain News, several elected officials privately questioned the relevance of the topic.

They were right to do so, at the time, because only two North Carolina counties, Cherokee and Rutherford, had passed such resolutions. But soon — very soon — the discussion would come to them.

Second Amendment sanctuary resolutions, in general, state that a county will refuse to support or enforce any law, state or national, that it deems to be in violation of the Second Amendment.

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2020 to take a job in the Trump White House, but prior to that he dominated his gerrymandered district over the course of four elections. Rising to become chairman of the influential House Freedom Caucus, Meadows was a national figure with a broad base of conservative support, thanks to his frequent appearances in conservative national media.

Like Ovid’s Icarus, Meadows may have flown too close to the sun — with Trump’s loss, Meadows will soon be out of government, but not out of influence. His next role is anyone’s guess.

North Carolina Sen. Jim Davis’ next role isn’t much of a guess. After announcing his retirement in September 2019, Davis was quickly pulled back into the spotlight when Meadows made his last-minute announcement not to run for re-election.

Davis finished a disappointing third in the primary election. He plans to continue seeing patients part-time at his orthodontics practice in Franklin while also spending time with family in a new vacation home.

House District 118 Rep. Michele Presnell announced she wouldn’t be returning to the General Assembly, telling constituents in a December 2019 press release that she too wished to spend more time with family.

2021

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EXIT, STAGE LEFT AWARD

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Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

date forum dedicated solely to the issue was held, with most candidates concluding that a homelessness task force would be a priority after the election.

The defeat of two longtime board members, Mayor Gavin Brown and Alderman LeRoy Roberson, gave Waynesville a new mayor in Alderman Gary Caldwell, and two new aldermen, Chuck Dickson and Anthony Sutton.

The new board followed through on the promise, but the task force has been beset with dissent, defections and, almost a year later, a complete lack of meaningful results.

First, there was haggling between board members over who should be appointed to the task force. Then, the appointments were delayed. Then, there were complaints about the relatively large (almost 20) size of the task force. Then, at least one member — Joey Reece — quit over his disappointment with the group’s direction.

Some task force members began showing up sporadically. Some never showed up at all.

But those who did — including the town’s police chief, personnel from the county sheriff ’s office and leaders of prominent local nonprofits — spent many evening hours only to tell us in September what we’d known all along: there’s a need for a homeless shelter.

Look, the complex problem of homelessness in America isn’t going to be solved quickly or easily, but the inefficacy of Waynesville’s task force in moving the issue forward in this particular community isn’t the outcome taxpayers, business owners, residents or the unsheltered themselves deserve.

This one goes to Sylva Sam, which — like the iconic pole featured in Seinfeld — serves as a central location for people of all beliefs and backgrounds to gather and tell each other the things they most dislike about each other.

Since this summer, the statue, which portrays a Confederate soldier, has been a flashpoint for racial justice advocates who see it as a symbol of hate with no place in modern society and also for more conservative folks who see efforts to remove it as an attempt to erase history and disparage ancestors who died in the war.

Those sides met in a series of public meetings this summer, with the Sylva town board

voting to ask the county to relocate the statue and the county board voting to let it stand, with alterations to remove language glorifying the Confederacy. Multiple protests and rallies also brought people passionate about the issue into downtown Sylva, and after the county’s Aug. 4 vote law enforcement officers had to separate the opposing sides when they met at the statue and began shouting at each other.

Afterward, the statue was enclosed in a chain link cage, and the steps surrounding it were closed off. Last week, the county finished covering up the pedestal with new granite, but the barriers still remain in place.

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Presnell didn’t get a lot of love from leaders in Haywood County — singlehandedly quashing a number of measures that had overwhelming multi-jurisdictional bipartisan support — but her Republican constituents absolutely adored her. She won four straight elections and was probably just as undefeatable as Meadows and Davis were.

Waynesville Democrat Joe Sam Queen has proven to be anything but undefeatable by losing two of his last four elections in House District 119, including the most recent, to Bryson City Republican Mike Clampitt.

It remains to be seen whether or not he’ll return for the sixth bout between the two, but given the depth of Democrats’ bench (Queen hasn’t been primaried since 2012) and imminent redistricting, he may once again have to show up for the big dance in 2022.

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Of course, such resolutions are utterly unenforceable, but they did become a powerful symbolic way for gun rights activists to affirm their interpretation of the “shall not be infringed” clause of the amendment.

After sweeping through Virginia in response to gun control measures proposed by the Virginia General Assembly, the movement found fertile fields in the Old North State.

Less than three weeks after the SMN story was published, citizens packed the Historic Haywood County Courthouse demanding a Second Amendment sanctuary resolution.

Subsequently, another 80 or so North Carolina counties considered similar measures.

Most passed, but some counties, like Haywood and Macon, took a third route — they passed “Constitution-protecting” resolutions that affirmed support for all the amendments, even the boring ones.

There was plenty of chest-puffing and rifle-stroking along the way, along with some tears, including from Natalie Henry Howell, who showed up unexpectedly at a Haywood commission meeting to speak on the issue.

Howell’s son, 21-year-old Waynesville native Riley, was shot eight times while attempting to stop a spree killer at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in April 2019. He was successful. He paid for it with his life.

THE SISYPHUS AWARD In recognition of the king of Corinth who in Greek mythology was forced to spend the afterlife pushing a rock uphill — only to have it roll back down each time — The Smoky Mountain News gets this award for its efforts to better cover the Cherokee Tribal Council through in-person attendance of the body’s meetings.

In April 2018, Council voted to bar nontribal media from its chambers, and since that time SMN’s reporters have had to cover Council proceedings using online meeting videos, a method that comes with some inherent limitations. After a constructive conversation between SMN Publisher Scott

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nursing homes throughout the region.

They haven’t gotten a break from this pandemic since March and have shown true bravery in the face of uncertainty, sickness and death. Their faces have been marred by masks and shields, their eyes swollen from tears and their hearts heavy with grief as they’ve had to watch helplessly as their elderly residents pass away.

In early December as Silver Bluff Village in Canton was experiencing its second major COVID-19 outbreak, SMN publisher Scott McLeod addresses the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Administrator Lisa Tribal Council. ECBI video Leatherwood’s comments are a perfect example of the exasMcLeod and members of council this February, the peration nursing homes are feeling right now. How body agreed to lift the policy and allow reporters in the much more could they take after losing 30 residents chambers once more, provided they got the OK from back in August? After taking all precautions and doing the chairman before each meeting. everything that was recommended, Silver Bluff had a That agreement was a rock-on-the-hill moment for second outbreak in November.

SMN, and a seeming milestone for transparency in “Especially when we had our big outbreak, you Cherokee. know, we were worn out and they would come and say, Then, a month later, the pandemic hit. These days, ‘we have no suggestions’ and I mean, my director of we’re covering Cherokee meetings — and nearly all of nursing and I just sat there and cried,” said our county and town meetings too, for that matter — Leatherwood. “If we’re not doing anything wrong, why through Zoom and YouTube. It’s not ideal, but hopeful- has this happened? You know, I think that’s the hardly it’s temporary. The rock may be firmly at the bottom est part.” of the hill right now, but we’re keeping our fingers The physical and emotional toll this pandemic has crossed that as vaccine distribution accelerates, that brought upon the medical community should not be rock will shoot up top again, with minimal labor overlooked. Day in and day out these folks have witrequired from SMN. nessed what most of us would turn our eyes to because it’s too painful to see. Our deepest appreciation and respect goes out to nursing home staff and HE URPLE EART WARD our deepest condolences to the families who’ve lost The Purple Heart is a solemn medal given to service loved ones this year. members who’ve shown bravery and sacrifice in battle, S EE 2020, PAGE 12 and no one deserves this award more in 2020 than the

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Area nursing homes weren’t spared by the Coronavirus Pandemic in 2020. Donated photo

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HELICOPTER PARENT AWARD When North Carolina instituted the first COVID-19 restrictions back in March, it wasn’t long before Swain County added a 10 p.m. curfew for all residents.

Sheriff Curtis Cochran said it was more important than ever to keep movement in the county to a minimum during the pandemic so his officers wouldn’t have to respond to so many late-night calls.

In theory it made sense, but the sheriff ’s department perhaps took curfew a little too seriously when a grown-ass man was pulled over at 10:05 p.m. in Bryson City and cited for his late-night run to the grocery store for some ice cream. The man, Jesse Shows, might have gotten away with a warning if he would have just minded his manners and said “Yes, sir” to the deputy before going straight home, but Shows backtalked the deputy, questioning the legitimacy of the curfew, which landed him the citation, which could be accompanied with a $1,000 fine.

That’s a hefty price to pay for some ice cream.

Shows wasn’t going to be treated like a child though — days later he filed a federal lawsuit against the sheriff for violating his constitutional rights. Courts dismissed the “invalid citation” in June before Shows was scheduled to appear in court. A major win for children everywhere who’ve been forever impacted by helicopter parenting.

MR. CONGENIALITY AWARD You know it’s a weird year when the county medical director becomes an overnight celebrity. Dr. Mark Jaben has been the face of the COVID-19 pandemic in Haywood County thanks to his weekly video updates and popular appearances before the commissioners each month. Though he’s often delivering bad news about more cases and community spread, Jaben does it in a way that’s unbiased, non-judgmental and somehow hopeful.

Jaben joins a growing list of esteemed men who’ve been chosen for the Mr. Congeniality Award, including Haywood Sheriff Greg Christopher, former Waynesville Police Chief Bill Hollingshed, the late WCU chancellor David Belcher and former director of Lake Junaluska Assembly Jack Ewing.

Jaben has definitely had his fair share of critics this year, especially from antimaskers, conspiracy theorists and self-proclaimed constitutional scholars on social media, but he still gets this award for the graceful way he’s responded to these backbiters with solid data and facts. To others, his weekly video updates have been a source of comfort and clarity among a sea of misinformation and fear mongering.

SEAT WARMER AWARD

Dr. Mark Jaben has become a familiar face to many in Haywood County this year. Screenshot

Mark Pless receives the Seat Warmer Award for leaving his county commissioner seat vacant only two years into his first term to seek higher office in Raleigh.

Before 2018, few people had heard of Pless

County trusted Pless enough to elect him and then he vacated the seat within a year. That vacancy meant the Haywood GOP had an opportunity to appoint someone to fill the remainder of his term.

Now Jennifer Best will be keeping the seat warm, hopefully for two more years. Time will tell if Pless can keep still in his new seat in the General Assembly.

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OVER PROMISE, UNDER DELIVER AWARD

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Mark Pless.

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outside of the county government — county administration knew him because he had been fired from his county position as a paramedic for in 2003 for insubordination. The Republican hadn’t run for any public office before but now he wanted to run for county commissioner. His victory in November came as a surprise to voters and to Pless himself.

But just a year into his four-year term, Pless announced his intentions to run for Rep. Michele Presnell’s seat in the House.

With Presnell retiring, she endorsed Pless early on and without any competition in the March primary, Pless slid right into the General Election against Democrat Alan Jones, another political newcomer.

Pless didn’t do much campaigning or spend a lot on advertising, but neither did Jones, which led to a walkover victory for Pless in November. It also chapped some asses locally, as the voters of Haywood

Most people were skeptical about HCA Healthcare purchasing Mission Health Systems in 2019. Having a huge nonprofit health care system covering all of Western North Carolina turned over to a mega forprofit company just didn’t sit well with people, but if it meant more services and resources, most people were willing to give them a try. After all, the sale would mean the proceeds would be rolled into a new foundation that would distribute millions to nonprofit health organizations across the region for years to come.

HCA remained fairly quiet during the transition, but then the independent contractor tasked with overseeing the transition and ensuring HCA met its contract obligations held a series of public input meetings in Mission hospital communities. Within a matter of a couple of hours it became clear HCA had been over promising and under delivering in the first year of ownership.

Many people shared stories of improper billings or said they’d never received a bill before it was sent to collections. Others talked about incidents where it took more than 10 hours to get a transport from Angel Medical in Franklin to Mission Hospital in Asheville for a service or procedure. Person

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Ron Winters with Gibbins Advisors talks to Franklin residents in January about the firm’s role as an independent monitor of the Mission Health-HCA Healthcare sale. Jessi Stone photo

BATTLE ROYALE AWARD

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

We don’t think we’ve ever witnessed such a contested race for a district court judge as we did in 2020. Beginning in 2019, candidates were lining up to get the seat left vacant by Judge Richard Walker.

Judicial races are not usually contested, they’re not usually competitive and so they’re not usually talked about much, for all of those reasons. However, four Republican candidates faced off in the March Primary Election, creating a lot of interest early on in the campaign. Young Waynesville attorney Kaleb Wingate was victorious in the primary despite being the least experienced lawyer on the ballot. He then went on to face his Democratic opponent Justin Greene, a Bryson City attorney, in the General Election and even held a virtual debate. Though Greene had 10 more years of lawyering experience than Wingate, Wingate once again pulled out a major win. It didn’t hurt that his campaign raised nearly $55,000 in contributions, which was all-too-apparent as every billboard in WNC had Wingate’s smiling face plastered on it.

NO PANTS, NO PROBLEM AWARD Be honest, how many Zoom meetings have you sat through in 2020 without your pants? It’s OK, we won’t judge — we’ve all done it and we have Zoom to thank for it. If nothing else, 2020 has killed all our vanity to the point we feel completely confident sitting at our computers in front of our co-workers without a bra, makeup, pants or even one shred of dignity left. The cat is knocking stuff off the Christmas tree in the background and all your co-workers get an unsolicited view of your spouse coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. We all know way too much about each others’ home lives now and there’s no going back. How will we ever go back to getting fully clothed to actually go to the office? Will every day become casual PJs day?

Will our regular clothes even fit anymore? Let’s all make a pact to give the sweatpants a break (and a wash) in 2021.

Smoky Mountain News

after person described their experiences with HCA as “unacceptable” and “unconscionable” while Angel CEO Karen Gorby sat quietly during the meeting and had little to say about the issues patients were facing.

In a follow-up statement, Gorby said she would work with HCA to correct the problems presented.

After reading reports from the meetings and fielding many complaints from constituents, Attorney General Josh Stein stepped in to demand answers from HCA execs by March 11. Of course by then we were facing the COVID-19 Pandemic head on and Stein extended HCA’s deadline to the end of March. Then he extended it again at the end of the March but didn’t give a specific deadline. Now 2020 is over and we still haven’t heard any details regarding how those questions were addressed and hoping Stein delivers on his promises.

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criteria, encourage them to self-quarantine and get tested 5-6 days after their exposure to you.

Our end goal is to reduce community spread, so one day we can all be together again,” said Bradish. “Since we have placed a hold on monitoring close contacts, we can’t currently provide quarantine documentation for employers.

Businesses need to be mindful that having quarantined employees to return to work too quickly could cause a cluster of cases in the workplace. We ask that employers rely on the honor system and encourage employees who have been exposed to quarantine for the recommended time frame of 14 days from the date of exposure to help us reduce the spread during this surge of cases.”

HRMC receives ‘A’ for safety Haywood Regional Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing HRMC’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

“We are thrilled to once again earn an ‘A’ from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade – our 6th in a row,” said Greg Caples, CEO of HRMC. “Our long-standing achievements in patient safety are a testament to the staff and providers that work here at Haywood. Awards like this one are a team effort, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

HRMC was awarded an ‘A’ grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for fall 2020. To see full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.

New COVID cases not slowing down in Haywood Between Dec. 23 and Dec. 28, Haywood County Public Health has received notice of 185 new cases of COVID-19.

As of 5 p.m. Dec. 28, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded a total of 2,005 cases in Haywood County since the pandemic began. There are 351 people isolating with COVID-19. The health department is monitoring these cases.

Another cause for concern continues to be people who refuse case monitoring or contact efforts. The health department has begun tracking this number in order to know whether this is a growing trend. There are 26 (up five from last week) such uncooperative positive cases now who may be ignoring the advice to isolate from others.

“The weekly number of new cases was down slightly ahead of Christmas, but in the next few weeks, we will see how well Haywood did at limiting the spread of COVID-19 over the holiday. Looking ahead, New Year’s is our final hurdle for the holiday season. As with Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is our recommendation that you keep celebrations to only those people within your own household to

limit the spread,” said Interim Health Director Garron Bradish.

Doses of both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have begun to arrive in Haywood, with the first going to healthcare workers and first responders. Planning is underway for distribution to the public as more doses arrive.

More information on vaccine scheduling will be available soon.

“Until the vaccine is widely available and case numbers are down significantly, reflecting high levels of immunity, mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand washing are still vitally important. It will be some time yet before the immunity levels are high enough to begin relaxing these measures,” said Bradish.

During this period of increased caseload, the health department has suspended monitoring cases in quarantine, and therefore will not report a COVID-19 working number until further notice. The health department is continuing to conduct case investigations and monitoring of positive cases and asks that the positives notify their close contacts of exposure. A close contact is identified as anyone who spent more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of a positive while not wearing a mask, within the time frame of 2 days prior to symptom onset (or test date if asymptomatic) to the date that the positive person goes into self-isolation.

“If you have tested positive and you have friends or family that meet the close contact

Several clusters found in Macon Macon County Public Health has identified a number of COVID-19 clusters in the last couple of weeks.

Five staff people at Macon County’s 9-1-1 Communication Center tested positive; six people at the Macon Program for Progress tested positive and six staff members at the Macon County Sheriff ’s Office tested positive.

All personnel are aware of their exposure and are currently being contacted for testing.

Macon County employees are encouraged to quarantine if they experience symptoms; those who test positive will be given isolation orders.

The Macon County Schools has also experienced continued cases. On Dec. 23, the schools were notified of one positive cases at Cartoogechaye Elementary School, two at Macon Middle School, three at Franklin High School, one at Mountain View Intermediate School, one at Macon Early College and two at South Macon Elementary School.

These individuals are currently under quarantine. Contact tracing is underway through the Macon County Health Department.

Macon County had a total of 281 active cases as of Dec. 23 and nine COVID related deaths.

Rabies positive racoon found in Macon Macon County has identified a rabies positive raccoon. The raccoon was turned over to Macon County Animal Services after it was killed following an interaction with a resident’s dogs.

The dogs have returned home and will remain under observation and quarantine for a minimum of 45 days. All dogs received care through Animal Services and partner organizations, including a rabies booster vaccine.

Rabies is a virus that affects the nervous system in humans and other mammals. A person may contract rabies through a bite, scratch, or saliva from an infected animal.

Potential rabies exposure should never be

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taken lightly; left untreated, rabies is fatal.

Animals do not have to be aggressive or behaving erratically to have the rabies virus.

Changes in any animal’s normal behavior can be early signs of rabies. Bats, skunks and raccoons are the most common carriers of rabies in North Carolina. Any exposure to these animals should be reported to Macon County Animal Services, so that the animal can be located and tested for rabies. Macon County pet owners should also be sure to check their pet’s last rabies vaccination is up-to-date, to prevent a possible rabies infection.

Macon County Animal Services Section Administrator, Dr. Villiard, said of the incident, “Rabies can be a serious disease, that can leave animals vulnerable to a painful death.

Thankfully, we have a simple and inexpensive prevention tool available to us in the form of a vaccine. Pet owners should take the responsibility of getting their pets vaccinated and making sure they are up-to-date on vaccines as well.”

In addition to keeping your pets vaccinated against rabies, pet owners should maintain control of their pets by keeping cats and ferrets indoors and keeping dogs under direct supervision, by spaying or neutering their pets to help reduce the number of unwanted pets that may not be properly cared for or vaccinated regularly, and call animal control to remove all stray animals from their neighborhood since these animals may be unvaccinated or ill.

Macon County Animal Services can be reached at 828.349.2106.

Enroll in free wellness program

Haywood 4 Good, a new community-wide wellness program, will begin on Jan. 11.

The innovative program encourages participants to engage in a variety of virtual wellness activities over the course of six months.

Haywood County residents may participate at no cost. Participants may register individually, however, teams are encouraged to provide motivation and accountability. Prizes will be awarded to participants and teams based on program participation.

Unlike traditional weight loss or heart health challenges, Haywood 4 Good expands to focus on the physical, mental, spiritual, and community wellness of program participants.

Challenges address areas that include nutrition, physical activity, engaging in acts of service, stress management, and sleep.

Those interested may pre-register by visiting www.facebook.com/Haywood4Good/ and completing the sign-up information.

Paper registration will be available at the entrances of Haywood County Health and Human Services Agency (Haywood HHSA) or the Canton Library.

For more information about Haywood 4 Good, go to www.facebook.com/haywood4good.

Interested individuals may also contact haywood4good@haywoodcountync.gov or by calling 828.452.6675.

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Nowhere to go but forward into 2021

The caring spirit was remarkable in 2020 To the Editor: I recently read an article that asked, “What will be your story of 2020?” I’ve since given the question a lot of thought, and despite everything we’ve experienced this year I can’t help but see a silver lining: the very best in human nature is coming out in our community.

I see my co-workers gathering on weekends to prepare and deliver food boxes. I see the manager of Haywood Public Transit shopping for eggs and bananas to deliver to the homebound. I see the Senior Resource Center doing a drive-through Thanksgiving lunch, and I see my neighbors cooking and delivering holiday lunches to the Towers. Many people are doing good things to help others, and I’m so grateful to see this kindness and generosity — it warms my heart and brings tears to my eyes every time.

This Christmas the greatest gifts I’ve received are the people I work with every day and the recognition of the generous hearts of mountain people in action, supporting the most vulnerable among us.

As we wrap up this most unusual and challenging year, please continue to support nonprofit agencies and the important work we do. Every day we face food insecurity, rental evictions, children who need clothes, seniors

sion was to navigate through the relief loans offered through the SBA and claw our way through the late spring, summer, fall and early winter to get to this point: all our staff is back, but we’re looking ahead to 2021 still unsure what it holds.

That’s been the most maddening aspect of this pandemic, the uncertainty. Humans spend a lot of time trying to plan for what’s ahead, working hard to make sure we can pay rent, buy food and clothes, support our children and families, perhaps buy a home and help our kids through college. It’s called life. And this year we haven’t been sure about anything. Anxiety, depression and the feeling of helplessness are overwhelmEditor ing many, and mental health professionals tell us domestic abuse, suicide and other issues are increasing at an alarming rate.

We’ve all read about the selfless front-line workers, those in health care and emergency services who have been dealing with disruption in their own lives while treating COVID patients. Think about those mental health problems exploding across the country and how local police are having to work through those issues.

Perhaps, though, no group has been more impacted by the pandemic than families. By most estimates one in five children in the U.S. live in a household with a single mother. As schools shutdown every family had to find ways to keep working while keeping their kids focused on school and taken care of. No one was more challenged than single parents as they navigated this world turned upside down. I’ve watched as the

Scott McLeod

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his year has prompted a reckoning unlike any in memory, so we’re all looking to put a bow on 2020 and call it done, right?

We’ve dealt with the pandemic and its many heartbreaks, a bruising election and the quixotic efforts to undo it, economic chaos, joblessness, a racial reckoning that led to protests and rioting, and, finally, a vaccine. Locally, we dealt with public lands being overrun, the tourism industry shutdown and then its renaissance, several nursing homes and a couple of other businesses being stricken by too many deaths, and protests against racism by mostly young, white kids right here on our own main streets.

Besides the sheer volume of news and events, there was the bizarre reality of how the pandemic fundamentally changed everything about the way we live — home life, relationships, work, school, social get-togethers, shopping, the way we recreate. Simple things became very complicated, very difficult, and very meaningful.

How do you put it in perspective?

I remember very clearly the events in March as the state and the nation began to close down. I wandered down Main Street talking with business owners who, at first, didn’t understand why they had to shutdown. These were men and women who had put their dreams and their financial futures on the line by opening small businesses and now were wrestling with the possibility of collapse and failure through no fault of their own.

Like everyone else, The Smoky Mountain News was forced to make tough decisions as those small businesses stopped advertising and our revenues plummeted. We had to lay off half of our staff, hoping it would be temporary. Then the mis-

LETTERS who are unable to afford heat and medicine and sick people unable to transport and care for themselves. Nonprofits are in the business of helping others and your financial contributions help us bring peace to people with immediate and dire needs.

Thank you for the gracious generosity this community has shown the most vulnerable in Haywood and Jackson counties. Those on the front lines of providing for basic human needs and support services will continue to deal with the pandemic long after the masks come off.

This is my story for 2020 — community gratitude, generosity and love.

Patsy (Dowling) Davis, Executive Director, Mountain Projects Waynesville

Remove Presson from Healthcare Foundation To the Editor: Your recent report about Waynesville’s Emergency Ordinance (“Waynesville passes State of Emergency ordinance”) includes a description of Janet Presson’s appalling local activism against the use of face masks in the midst of this pandemic and also against the use of vaccines. Meanwhile, she continues to serve on the Board of the Haywood Healthcare Foundation, which oversees

single moms who work at our company find ways to make this work, and it was heroic the measures they took to get through 2020.

Oh yeah, and let’s not forget about teachers. My wife works in the public school system, and she had to totally reinvent the way she does her job. But that’s what those who love teaching do, no complaints, just keep things going. Our children are grown, but she’s watched her cohorts do balancing acts worthy of circus acrobats to teach school while coping with the needs of their own at-home children. Amazing things have happened.

Hopefully, though, it’s the reckoning with our racist past that may be the lasting legacy of this year, even more so than this pandemic. The nationwide protests for racial justice that erupted after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis while pinned under the knee of a white police officer will eventually change much about this country. Though almost all our history was created and written from a white perspective, from here forward it will be multi-hued. That’s who we are, despite how that truth vexes so many. Much has changed since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, but now people are demanding more systemic change. And it will come, at least if this experiment we call America is to survive and thrive. This new movement is only in its infancy.

With just a few days until the clock strikes midnight and we move into a new year, we are all putting a lot of pressure on 2021. It has to be better, right? Maybe yes, maybe no, but after all we’ve been through in 2020 at least we can see a path forward. That, in itself, holds promise. ( Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com)

around $13 million in taxpayer money and has a direct impact on the health and wellbeing of the county’s 62,000 residents.

Ms. Presson is an extremist, and her discredited views can have a detrimental effect on the health and lives of our residents.

While she is entitled to her own opinions, she has no business helping to guide the use of public healthcare funds. Janet Presson needs to be removed from her position on the Haywood Healthcare Foundation at once.

Tom Tomaka Bethel

History will treat Trump enablers badly To the Editor: Republicans seem to have given up on our Constitution and democracy. Instead, they have opted to follow the path to a dictatorship by rejecting the results of a fair election because it did not turn out the way they wanted. They accept the false claims of widespread fraud even though no one has been able to come up with any evidence.

To date, the only solid evidence of any fraud has involved Republicans. One or more people in one state tried to cast votes for dead people. In North Carolina, the only case of widespread fraud involved a Republican operative in the 9th Congressional District.

Our own representative claims he will try

to replace certified Democratic electors with fraudulent Republican ones. This would make him look like the fool that he is and would be an embarrassment to our state. The only senator to indicate support for this hairbrained scheme is the one form Alabama who could not correctly name the three branches of government. He is in good company with our representative, who thought that the Emancipation Proclamation came from the House. The ignorance of these two is profound — and dangerous to the country.

The Republican Party has become the party of the radical right and white supremacists who are out for power but show no interest in actually governing. Trump is a classic example. He is out golfing instead of paying any attention to either legislation or the pandemic that is likely to kill more Americans than those who died in the Civil War. At the last minute he gets a wild hair and makes demands about things that he paid no attention to before. In the face of evidence that Russia is responsible for the cyber hacking, there is not a peep from the President.

We might excuse the President because he is obviously mentally ill. The vast majority of Republicans do not have that excuse. The silence of Republicans in Congress is defining.

History will not treat these cowardly and selfcentered politicians kindly. Nor will it speak favorably about those who support them.

Norm Hoffman Waynesville

Keep hope alive in the new year

Susanna Shetley

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Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021 Smoky Mountain News

n February 2020, I was in New York City attending a children’s book writing conference. My boyfriend attended the conference with me. We both remember watching CNN while in New York as the journalists talked about a new mysterious virus attacking China but also making its way into other parts of the world. The feeling we had was ominous. It’s no secret that we’re all globalColumnist ly connected. We knew the germ would infiltrate America. We just didn’t know what that would mean.

One month after returning from New York, our local schools went all virtual and soon after that, stay at home orders were put in place. In April, we watched the very location where we’d stayed in NYC become our nation’s COVID-19 epicenter. It was surreal to see Times Square and midtown desolate. It felt like we were watching a movie.

And from there … well … you know the rest of the 2020 story.

The pandemic has affected all of us differently. It’s been a dark connector. It’s united and divided us on many fronts.

Glennon Doyle, a favorite writer of mine, recently stated that 2020 has made her feel both overwhelmed and underwhelmed. I agree. This year has overwhelmed me in numerous ways. Being unsure of the future of our newspaper made me overwhelmed. Having my children unexpectedly home for virtual schooling was overwhelming. Worrying about financial uncertainty was overwhelming.

Stressing about the state of our economy and public health has been overwhelming.

Furthermore, my boyfriend and I purchased a new home in 2020 so we could blend our two families. The house was built in 1971 so we spent three months doing renovations. We also got a new Australian Shepherd puppy for Christmas, so we’ve been busy training our new furry family member. Not only has there been a lot going on at a national level but also on a personal level.

Meanwhile, life also feels underwhelming. All of our fun plans for 2020 were canceled. We had a big trip planned to Red

Rocks to see two of our favorite bands. We had smaller events and trips canceled or postponed. These days, a jaunt to Asheville feels like an adventure because we rarely leave our house. For people who love to travel and see the world, this has been tough.

I’ve also felt underwhelmed cerebrally.

The pandemic has disrupted our daily rhythms, which affects our productivity.

Without the routine of my kids going to school and me going to the office, my work pace has been all over the place. Some days I’m more productive than before but other days, it’s hard to get in a groove.

This pandemic has been emotionally challenging because it pushes against all the things that make us uniquely human.

People thrive from connection. Positive relationships with others lowers anxiety, increases self-esteem and even boosts immunity. Social distancing and stay-athome orders have prevented even the smallest of gatherings, which has affected our collective psyche. And while it’s the safest choice, it’s not easy, especially as the pandemic lingers on and on.

I’m a believer in mask wearing. Even common sense would tell a person that a barrier would decrease viral load to some extent and if I can decrease infection in any way, I’m all about it. Nonetheless, wearing masks prevents us from talking to one another or seeing a genuine smile. Sure, we can read a person’s eyes, but we’re wired to read an individual’s entire face, not simply the upper portion. Again, I will keep wearing my mask but I look forward to the day when they are no longer needed.

COVID-19 has also affected our ability to dream and plan. As humans, we find security and comfort in being able to plan for the future. With so much uncertainty, planning has become a thing of the past. I read somewhere that when we can’t plan for the big things, focus on planning the day-to-day. Develop daily routines that offer peace and solace, like waking up at the same time or going on a walk at lunch.

Even small routines can lower our stress levels.

Here we are at the dawn of a New Year.

Surviving 2020 has made us a bit skeptical of hope. Lately it seems as one thing starts to improve, a new problem arises. From the pandemic to racial injustice and a contentious election, this past year has exhausted all our faculties. So, as I sign off on my final column of 2020, I want to say Happy New Year but most of all, I want to encourage you to keep hope alive. That’s the only way to move forward.

(Susanna Shetley is an editor, writer and digital media specialist for The Smoky Mountain News, Smoky Mountain Living and Mountain South Media. susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com)

facebook.com/smnews 17

18

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Strike not our brother down STEVE MCMURRY OF ACOUSTIC SYNDICATE

SMN: And the irony is that you’d probably feel guilty if you were to create and play music with all of that going on, and yet it’s the music that keeps your sanity in check.

SM: You’ve absolutely nailed it right on the head. And, because of that emotion, my tendency was to just avoid it, avoid making music.

Just try to focus on the task at hand.

And now? We’ve been going back into the studio. The time is right and it feels great.

We’re doing it at our speed and our own pace.

Instead of burning up and down the road being on tour, we’re able to take a breath and take our time, not wearing ourselves out.

Acoustic Syndicate performing at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain. Steve McMurry is to the far left.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER n the pantheon of legendary jam-grass acts, a handful of pioneering bands broke new ground in the 1980s and 1990s by creating a sonic landscape that was a harmonious blend of bluegrass, folk, jazz and acoustic rock sensibilities — this emerging scene focused on rollicking live shows and keen improvisational aspects.

With as much influence coming from The Grateful Dead as Bill Monroe, groups like Leftover Salmon, String Cheese Incident, Yonder Mountain String Band and Strangefolk became pillars of the current jam-grass genre, now being guided into the 21st century by the likes of melodic juggernauts Greensky Bluegrass, The Infamous Stringdusters and Billy Strings.

And when it came to those initial pioneering ensembles, Western North Carolina’s own Acoustic Syndicate was (and remains) a powerful force of strings and sound. Formed in 1994, the band crisscrossed the country with its own brand of jam-grass, this intersection of fiery Appalachian mountain music and modern roots.

Though they only perform select dates around the region these days, the quartet recently signed with Organic Records (a subsidiary of the Crossroads Label Group in

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(photo: David Simchock)

Arden), breathing new life into the next, bountiful chapter of one of the finest contemporary string acts to ever take the stage — something not lost on Acoustic Syndicate singer/guitarist Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry.

Smoky Mountain News: This year is arguably the weirdest year of any of our lives.

And you turned 55, too. What’s been your mindset when you reflect on the journey to the here and now?

Steve McMurry: As far as the band goes, we’ve not made an album since 2013. And we’ve got a new crop of really good songs.

We’ve already got five of them down with this new deal with Organic Records.

I’m really excited to be making music again. I’m thrilled. I think about it all the time.

It’s kind of the primary motivation to keep me moving day-after-day with everything that I’ve got going on right now. I love the process of recording music, it’s probably one of my favorite things to do.

SMN: How did all of that come about with Organic?

SM: Jay Sanders, our bass player. He is solely responsible for making this happen. He has a good friendship with Ty Gilpin [of Organic Records]. They had been talking about getting Syndicate into a recording mode

Want to go?

Lead singer/guitarist of Acoustic Syndicate, Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry will join the Songs From The Road Band for a special intimate live performance at 3 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 9, in the backyard of One World Brewing in West Asheville.

Dubbed “Asheville Winter Grass,” all Covid-19 precautions will be followed. All reserved tables are physically distanced and heaters will be out. The show will be postponed if there is inclement weather and/or to be in compliance with Covid-19 restrictions.

Tickets are $20 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to www.songsfromtheroadband.com and click on the “Tour” tab. for years, something like the last five years. Jay kept at it, saying we needed to talk to them about an album.

But, at that time, I had to look after my dad until he passed away. Then, immediately after that, my mom fell and broke her hip and shoulder. She became immobile and required around the clock care. It just wasn’t a good time, where a lot of the creative juices were just sucked out of wanting to make music.

SMN: There was a big, enthusiastic reception about the Organic deal and a new Acoustic Syndicate album. Did that surprise you, not only that people remember the band, but they still hold you guys in such a high regard?

SM: I’m in awe of that. Ask anyone in this band, I’m the biggest pessimist that we have. It just blows my mind that people are still as excited as they ever were for this band. I still hear it and I still see it. I’m continually amazed, and very grateful.

And I think a large part of that [reception] goes back to the message we’ve always had, which is about positivity and being kind to one another. People appreciate that message and they latch onto, especially with the world we’re currently living in right now.

SMN: Acoustic Syndicate crossed over the 25-year mark in 2019. What has the culmination of those experiences and people, onstage and off, taught you about what it means to be a human being?

SM: One of the finest moments I ever had was being onstage with Little Feat. I’m a humongous Little Feat fan. When we kind of hitting the top of our stride, we got to do a show with them at the Charleston Music Hall [in South Carolina].

They invited us up onstage to play “Rag Mama Rag” with them. I didn’t know what to expect. I’d met [Little Feat singer/guitarist] Paul [Barrere] before, but only in passing. So, [during the song], he threw me a [guitar] break, a solo where I decided I’m going to pull out every trick I know in the book.

I just shut my eyes and let it rip. And I was about halfway into [the guitar solo] when I felt something on my right shoulder. It was Paul Barrere, rubbing shoulders, completely hunkered down with me, jamming on [his] Telecaster. I thought, “This is what it’s all about.”

My point is that everybody can be humble.

That’s the one thing I learned about all this, is that attitude is completely useless and [it’s about] being humble, connecting one person to another person through the music — that’s the reason I do it.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

hristmas Eve. Downtown Waynesville.

Sitting alone in my one-bedroom apartment, I was bummed that I couldn’t be back home in the North Country for the holidays with my family and friends. Putting on the baseboard heater, I proceeded to make my way to the fridge for a beer.

My smart phone on the desk vibrates. I get a message from my boss (a dear friend) asking if I wanted to join he and his family

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for a very small family dinner, since I was by myself on Christmas Eve. Yes, sold. I drove out of town and up a steep mountain to their house.

As I get there, it starts to dump snow.

Heavy, wet snow. The roads became extremely treacherous. So, after dinner and a few drinks, it was decided that I’d crash there for the night and leave in the morning.

Laughter. Card games. Bourbon. Sincere friendship, love and appreciation for those present. A peaceful slumber on the comfy couch in front of a roaring fireplace.

Woke up to a Winter Wonderland in Southern Appalachia. Coffee, bacon and English muffins before I hit the road. I said goodbye to my friends and headed out the

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

You would do anything, you’d give up everything for god knows why

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

door. Getting into my truck, I proceed to back out of their driveway. It’s icy and such, but seemingly manageable, though somewhat of a steep incline.

Barely touch the gas to backup, one of my tires catches some ice and loses grip, slowly sliding the truck over the edge of the driveway and onto the snowy slope that’s the front yard. Without touching the gas or brake, the truck continues to slide. I touch the brake and yank the wheel to avoid flipping over into the ditch.

Putting the truck back in park, I get out to inspect the situation. My front left/right and back left tires are over the edge of the driveway, the back right tire now several inches off the ground. The truck is at a 45degree angle to the driveway. It ain’t getting out unless towed. If I kept trying to gun it and get it moving, it’d just slam into the nearby boulder in the yard (a couple of feet away from the driver’s side).

Shit. So, with the snow supposedly going to melt by Sunday when warm temperatures return, I left the truck and decided to walk

the five miles down the mountain, along rural farm roads and back into town. Ratcliff Cove Road to Raccoon Road to Old Asheville Highway to Main Street. My Waynesville folks know that’s a haul by foot.

Screw it. Nothing I can do about it now.

The road down the mountain was a sheet of ice, fell a few times, cursing to myself. Rural farm roads were a mess of snow and ice.

Nobody stopped to give me a ride. I figure with the pandemic, who would want to pick up a stranger, eh? With the temperature around 15 degrees with a slight wind, I held my coat tightly and remained warm considering the elements at hand.

A couple miles into my frozen journey, the skies finally cleared. Bright blue with a warm sun piercing the frigid air. And even though I was frustrated and stressing myself out about what happened to my truck, I looked up at the sunshine in gratitude.

I thanked the universe for all the great things I do have, and to acknowledge things I cannot control, like accidentally getting my truck stuck. I was grateful to be healthy and sturdy enough to be able to easily walk five miles in the snow and ice. I was grateful to have kind and wondrous friends in my life to invite me to a dinner when I was all alone and kind of sad.

And I was grateful for the beautiful farmland surrounding my cold trek, a continuing scene of barns, cows and farmhouses that reminded me so much of my native North Country. I was grateful for the time to simply walk and be lost in thought, taking lemons and trying to make lemonade.

An hour and a half later, I stepped onto my porch and walked into my warm apartment. I was grateful to have a cozy and safe place to call home, food and beverages in my fridge, etc. Thus, I found myself sitting in the recliner for the rest of that evening, sipping a beer, gazing out onto nearby Russ Avenue and thinking about everything else I hold with a deep sense of gratitude.

If you stop for minute and take a quick inventory, you’ll find endless things to be thankful for, it’s all a matter of perspective, right? It’s like they say, “some see obstacles, others see an adventure.” And I stick by that sentiment. Push ahead. You’re still standing.

Hold that head up. Move forward, happily.

The eternal optimist in my heart and soul radiates through once again.

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

Smoky Mountain News 19

arts & entertainment

On the street

‘It’s a Small, Small Work’ exhibit

New

is the year, are the hopes, is the resolution, are the spirits.

Warmest wishes for a fulfilling, healthy and prosperous 2021!

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be showcased through Jan. 9 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville.

The 2020 exhibit will feature 47 artists and almost 300 individual works of art for

sale. The show provides a unique opportunity for budding artists to exhibit their work, as well as the opportunity for more seasoned artists to test their boundaries.

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

The Haywood County Arts Council’s small work show was launched in 2008 to demonstrate that original artwork is affordable and fun. Most businesses, homes and apartments can accommodate smaller works of art — and the show promotes buying local and regional work to help support artists in Western North Carolina. www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

SFR, ECO, GREEN

828.506.7137

aspivey@sunburstrealty.com 20

147 WALNUT STREET · WAYNESVILLE

www.amyspivey.com

Waynesville painter Jo Ridge Kelley.

Haywood art studio tour The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour scheduled for June 26-27, 2021.

The Haywood County Studio Tour is a two-day, self-guided, free event in which Haywood County artists open their studios to the public.

To participate, the studio must be in Haywood County. Artists may choose to open their Haywood County studio or to join with another studio host. The HCAC will act as a liaison between artists needing a host site and studios that have space for additional artists.

The artist/studio application and policies for participation may be found on the Haywood County Arts Council website or picked up from HCAC Gallery & Gifts at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville. Email completed forms to artist@haywoodarts.org or mail to P.O. Box 306, Waynesville, NC 28786.

The deadline for the completed studio tour application is Friday, Feb. 5, 2021. The Haywood County Studio Tour Exhibit Opening Reception is on Friday, June 4, 2021, if feasible. The HCAC will follow the NC Governor’s mandates regarding COVID. www.haywoodarts.org.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday.

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

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host The Waymores Jan. 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

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

• The annual “Polar Express” train ride is now departing from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in downtown Bryson City.

800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host The Upbeats Dec. 31, Dirty Dave Patterson Jan. 9 and David Flowers Jan. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• There will be a free wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

On the shelf

Jeff Minick

The book has a couple of flaws. On page 8, Susan informs Mac her first and only husband died in the Korean War. On page 102, she tells her “probable cousin” that he died

in Vietnam, which given the time frame of the story is more likely. And given her circumstances — more details might spoil the story — Martha’s decision to have a baby at home instead of in the hospital seemed odd.

At any rate, if you’re looking for a novel to read as if you were Sherlock Holmes on a genealogical chase, Banjo Man is for you.

••• In my last column, I resolved to read more books this year other than those for review, including old books, and began with Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. Here was a surprise. Once I accustomed myself to the differences between this novel and those written today — the longer descriptions in Ivanhoe, its more leisurely pace of the plot, and its high-end conversations — I have come to anticipate with pleasure the time spent sitting in the most comfortable chair in the house, a cup of tea or coffee on the end table, and the book in my hands.

Next week: Bob Lantz’s Lean Downstream!!

And more fun with Ivanhoe.

Happy New Year to all!

(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. minick0301@gmail.com)

Thanks to all of our customers for their continued support throughout this crazy year.

Here’s to a Better 2021!

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Smoky Mountain News

••• Writing a piece on personal relationships in our troubled times sent me to the library and to Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Though many consider this selfhelp book an American classic because of its cultural influence, I’d never read a word of it. The title always struck me as a little sappy, and the idea that we could be taught how to “win friends” struck me as contrived or bogus.

Boy, was I wrong.

Here is a confection of ideas liberally sprinkled with examples and stories which, if we would absorb Carnegie’s insights and put them into practice, might have

Americans shaking hands instead of going for one another’s throats. In “Part Three: How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking,” for example, Carnegie devotes a chapter each to topics like these: “Begin in a friendly way,” “Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view,” “Appeal to the nobler motives,” and “Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.”

In “Part One: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People,” the first chapter of my revised edition of the book is titled “If You Want to Gather Honey, Don’t Kick Over the Beehive” and ends with “PRINCIPLE 1: Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.” If our culture took that bit of advice alone, we’d solve a multitude of problems.

In her 1981 Preface to the updated version of How to Win Friends and Influence People, wife Dorothy Carnegie writes of this best seller, “The book itself was translated into almost every known written language. Each generation has discovered it anew and have found it relevant.”

Given all the divisions in our country today, maybe it’s time revisit Dale Carnegie.

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

ll families have their secrets, but some families have deeper and darker secrets than others.

In June Titus’s novel Banjo Man (Fulton Books, Inc. 2020, 258 pages), we meet such a family.

The Western North Carolina “banjo man,” Luther Willson, makes and sells banjoes, and performs with them. Father of a large family and husband to a loving wife, in 1916 he begins spending the winters in Florida to earn money from his music and by selling his banjoes. While there, he meets a wealthy widow, Martha Lindsey, falls in love, and commits Writer bigamy by marrying her as well.

This secret marriage — Luther changes his name to Luke Harvey — becomes a ticking time bomb that decades later explodes and wrecks havoc in all the families involved, confirming the truth of Sir Walter Scott’s “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”

Fast forward to 2009, and we meet Susan Willson Reece. Luther Willson’s granddaughter, she is a retired schoolteacher, a lifelong player of the banjo, and newly wedded to a retired surgeon. During her honeymoon with Mac, she comes across one of her grandfather’s banjoes and finds the owner, a Floridian picker and singer named Harry Harvey. Their encounter leads both to friendship and to an intensive exploration of the past: interviews with surviving relatives who knew the Banjo Man, searches for letters through attics and old desks, and probes into relationships through DNA samples.

The characters who inhabit Banjo Man are mostly senior citizens, some of them residents of nursing homes, and the story serves as a reminder that the elderly are living libraries whose knowledge and wisdom younger people often neglect. The novel also shines a light on family bonds and what they mean, and on the religious faith of some of these characters. We see too that our actions may have consequences stretching into the future long after we are in the grave.

Because of the complicated genealogy in this tale, readers may have trouble keeping track of the various characters and their relationships. Several times, I found myself having to slow down or to reread previous pages in order to sort out this Rubik’s Cube of generations. Like Susan Reece, I had to pick through various bits of evidence to follow the trail leading back to the Banjo Man. Though a little frustrated at first, I soon made a game of following the lives of these characters, which may have been the author’s intention.

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Ten great outdoor moments from 2020 Zeb Powell during Men’s Snowboard at Winter X 2020 in Aspen.

Christian Pondella/Red Bull Content Pool photo

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

There’s been a lot of focus lately on all the ways that the last 12 months have been hard and frightening and challenging, but believe it or not, 2020 has had its share of bright spots, too. Here are 10 of the most inspiring, beautiful and joy-filled moments from this year’s outdoors news.

1. Waynesville native wins X Games gold.

After cutting his teeth on the slopes of Cataloochee Ski Area, Zeb Powell left home at age 13 to study snowboarding seriously at Vermont’s Stratton Mountain School. As a 19year-old, he blew away the competition at his first-ever X Games competition, leading in all five runs to easily win the Wendy’s Snowboard Knuckle Huck in January.

2. Divisive forest planning process winds down peacefully. After an eight-year-long process that included countless rounds of public meetings and sharp-edged differences of opinion as to how the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests should be managed for the next two decades, the U.S. Forest Service released a draft plan this February

will be an economic shot in the arm to the small town and a gift to future generations.

4. In a lonely year, the Ten Acre Garden grew community. Every Saturday during the growing season, this family-owned farm in Haywood County offers a giant ‘y’all come,’ inviting all who wish to come by for a freshly baked pizza (free, but tips appreciated!).

Guests are invited to linger as long as they want at the outdoor tables set up around the outdoor pizza oven, bring their own drinks or sides to accompany the sizzling pies, and explore the farm or enjoy the musicians who often stop by. In a year of isolation, the garden offered a golden opportunity for connection.

that, by a seeming miracle, won the endorsement of groups that had found themselves at opposite poles throughout the process. This was largely due to a lengthy and intensely collaborative planning process and hard work from the Stakeholders Forum for the Nantahala and Pisgah Plan Revision. A final plan will be released this year.

5. Air quality shot through the roof. In one of the few welcome side effects from the pandemic that forced most Americans to stay home more than ever before, North Carolina’s Department of Environmental Quality reported the cleanest air on record in 2020.

Compared to 2019, data showed double-digit percentage decreases in toxic nitrogen oxides in urban areas across the state, with markedly fewer ozone warnings as well. However, air quality has been on an upward trajectory for decades. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the standard visual range on the most impaired days has nearly doubled from 28 miles in 2009 to just under 50 miles in 2018.

3. Canton gets a giant outdoor park.

Thanks to a $3 million purchase by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, the town of Canton is now making plans to develop a 448-acre parcel just outside town limits as an outdoor recreation center. The town hopes that park — to include hiking, biking and camping areas, as well as picnic areas, playground and more —

6. WCU biological collections get some love. Thanks to a $517,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, a collection of 47,000 plants and animals currently tucked away in various rooms of Western Carolina University’s Stillwell building will have a new home. The grant, timed to coincide with completion of the $110 million Tom Apodaca Science Building in 2021,

F

A crew member works to construct a rock wall on the Trillium Gap Trail at Grotto Falls. NPS photo

The Chestnut Mountain property will offer hikers some beautiful vistas. SAHC photo

Get a primer on agritourism

Come On In & Look Around . . .

outdoors

An online agritourism series will be offered from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesdays in January, beginning Jan. 5.

The four-part series will define agritourism, help participants determine if their personality is suited for agritourism and examine pricing, marketing, legal issues and

business plan development. Each session will include presentations from N.C. State Extension agents and specialists, panel discussions including small business consultants, credit service consultants and farmers currently in the agritourism business.

Free. Offered through Haywood County Extension, Register for the Zoom link at www.eventbrite.com/e/western-north-carolina-agritourism-workshop-series-tickets129725649911.

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Terry Rogers celebrates his induction to the WNC Agricultural Hall of Fame surrounded by family, including his wife Fran, granddaughter Jessica Todd and three great-grandchildren. will allow the collections to be organized and curated with a rotating display to be prominently features on the Apodaca building’s fifth floor.

8. Outdoor retailers rake in the dough.

Thanks to record-breaking visitation at public lands and an explosion of interest in outdoor recreation due to the pandemic, Western North Carolina’s outdoor economy did quite well this year. Back in May, many business owners were skeptical that they’d even be able to stay afloat. By October, outdoor retailers were reporting difficulty keeping much inventory on the shelves, and outfitters able to navigate the issue of safely

9. Six years of work smooth the way to LeConte. This year marked the completion of the Trillium Gap Trail rehabilitation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, making Trillium Gap the third trail to Mount LeConte to receive a complete overhaul courtesy of the Trails Forever Program in partnership with Friends of the Smokies.

Like the Trillium Gap project, the other two trail rehabilitations — Alum Cave and Rainbow Falls — each took two years to complete. Next year the crew will move away from LeConte and work on renovating the Abrams Falls Trail.

10. Crabtree farmer gets regional recognition. According to Kyle Miller, Terry Rogers, “became a farmer soon after he came home from the hospital as a newborn.” Now 79, Rogers represents the fifth generation of his family to have farmed the same fields in the upper Crabtree area of Haywood County. Thanks to a nomination from Miller, Rogers was one of two people inducted into the WNC Agricultural Hall of Fame this year. Rogers’ many accomplishments include organizing the effort that culminated with creation of the WNC Regional Livestock Center in Canton and generous investment of time and money in agricultural programs for Haywood’s youth.

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7. Bipartisan vote delivers historic funding bill for public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act, hailed as the largest single investment in public lands in the nation’s history, was signed into law on Aug. 4. The act dedicates up to $9.5 billion over five years to address the much larger maintenance backlog on federal lands, as well as $900 million per year to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which has for the past 50 years protected land for parks, wildlife refuges and recreation nationwide. The law requires that half of the money received from energy development revenues on federal lands and waters go toward these programs, not to exceed $1.9 billion in any fiscal year.

transporting strangers amid the pandemic were reporting record demand for trips.

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Comment on the Hickory Nut Gorge plan Public input is needed for a master plan for the Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail.

Hickory Nut Gorge State Trail is one of nine state trails and crosses Henderson, Rutherford and Buncombe counties. It will connect Bearwallow Mountain, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock State Park and the Florence Nature Preserve. Conserving Carolina, a land trust serving Western N.C. and northern S.C., has driven the development of the trail and is one of N.C. State Parks’ major partners in the effort. When complete, the trail will be 50 to 60 miles long.

The master plan is a long-term strategy for the park that details how and where access will be provided and prioritizes projects and investments. Master plan development involves identifying recreation and conservation needs for the trail and collecting stakeholder input on priorities for the park.

A survey, informational maps and a narrated presentation highlights the master planning process and initial concepts for the new state trail are available online at www.trails.nc.gov/blog/2020/11/10/hickorynut-gorge-state-trail-planning-process. The survey is open through Jan. 15.

Smoky Mountain News

Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

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Report mudpuppy sightings Biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are asking the public, particularly anglers, to submit any sightings of mudpuppies to the agency.

The mudpuppy is a relatively rare salamander that shares a similar appearance and habitat to its larger cousin, the eastern hellbender. Like the hellbender, the mudpuppy is an entirely aquatic salamander found in Western North Carolina. While it lives in many of the same waters as hellbenders — fast-moving, clean mountain streams — the mudpuppy also lives in deep river reaches, lakes, large ponds, and reservoirs.

As with the hellbender, biologists want to learn more about the mudpuppy’s distribution in North Carolina. Reported sightings are critical to biologists who know relatively little about this state-listed amphibian.

Mudpuppies and hellbenders are often mistaken for one another; however, the mudpuppy typically has spots and is smaller than the hellbender, averaging 12 inches in length as an adult. It has external, red feathery gills on either side of its head and smooth skin. Neither the mudpuppy nor the hellbender is poisonous, venomous, toxic or harmful to humans, although they may try to bite as a defensive reaction if someone tries to pick them up.

Anyone who finds a mudpuppy is asked

Mudpuppy.

Todd Pierson photo

to leave it alone but to note the location (physical location or GPS coordinates) and take a photo, if possible, and email that information to Lori Williams at

lori.williams@ncwildlife.org. People can also call the Commission’s Wildlife Interaction Helpline 866.318.2401 and provide details of the observation.

The N.C. Agricultural Hall of Fame now has three new members following the induction of John Holman Cyrus, Fred N. Colvard and Marshall W. Grant. • Cyrus, of Raleigh, was a pivotal figure with regards to the state’s tobacco industry, serving for 37 years with the N.C. Department of Agriculture in various capacities, including Tobacco Program Administrator. In the early 1950s, Cyrus established an annual comprehensive tobacco market report. Later, he planned and developed a service program focused on improving quality and marketing practices. That program also encouraged closer cooperation and understanding between tobacco growers, warehousemen, dealers and manufacturers. • Colvard, of Jefferson, was a progressive and entrepreneurial farmer who helped develop crops suited to the North Carolina mountain areas. He was one of the first to commit 40 to 50 acres of land to growing Christmas trees in the area, ushering in a new crop on a commercial scale. He also was among the first to use irrigation in the area to ensure high quality crops. But Colvard was better known for developing the blight-

resistant Sequoia potato, which is credited with ending a potato famine in Peru. • Grant, of Garysburg, helped establish the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, a voluntary assessment program for cotton farmers that continues today. In the late 1970s, cotton production in North Carolina had dropped from a high of nearly 2 million acres to around 40,000 due to boll weevil impacts. Grant soon realized that to be effective, control efforts would need to be broader to keep the boll weevils from migrating to nearby fields, other regions and other states. Grant volunteered North Carolina as a trial location for the National Cotton Council’s eradication trial, helping to establish the foundation and structure for the Boll Weevil Eradication Program that exists today. In 1985, North Carolina declared the state boll weevil free.

Established in 1953, the Agricultural Hall of Fame posthumously recognizes people who have made outstanding contributions to agriculture in North Carolina and beyond. All three nominations received unanimous approval from the Hall of Fame Board of Directors. A ceremony honoring the three will be held at a later date.

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A series of horticulture classes aimed at home gardeners will be offered in the New Year through Haywood County Cooperative Extension.

Planned sessions are: n Jan. 19 — Vegetable Gardening n Feb. 17 — Lawn & Weeds n March 2 — Introduction to Home Food Preservation n March 18 — Landscaping with Native Plants n April 13 — Pruning Trees & Shrubs Classes, taught by extension agents and experienced Master Gardener volunteers, will last for approximately two hours and be held via Zoom until face-to-face training is possible.

Sign up by emailing mgarticles@charter.net. Cost is $10 per class.

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Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

Complete the 60-day hiking challenge The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has issued a challenge to complete its 60 miles in 60 days Virtual Hiking Challenge, kicking off New Year’s Day. To complete the challenge, participants must walk, run or hike 60 miles by March 1. Registration ends Feb. 1, but earlier registration means more time to log the miles.

Participants will receive informative emails with suggestions for great places to

hike in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, including recommendations on lands that SAHC has protected. All participants will receive Hiking Challenge patches when the challenge ends, and those who sign up at Level 2 or Level 3 will also receive additional swag, including masks and hats.

Sign up at www.appalachian.org/event/sahcs-winterhiking-challenge-60-miles-in-60-days.

Enter a fishy art contest The 2021 State-Fish Art Contest is now open and accepting entries.

The award-winning Art of Conservation Fish Art Contest connects young people to fish, fishing and aquatic conservation through art, writing and science. To enter, contestants create an original illustration of any species from the Official Fish List and a one-page writing entry.

Entries are due postmarked by March 31 each year. For details on contest rules, entry forms and to view past winners, visit www.fishart.org.

WCU professor tapped for Virginia governor’s coastal planning team Rob Young, director of Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, was recently appointed by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam to a technical advisory committee as part of the Virginia Coastal Master Planning Framework, which will guide development of the state’s master plan to adapt to environmental changes.

Young’s appointment reflects the important role science has in the understanding of climate change.

“This is a classic example of the kind of position we hope to be in as a center where we have a state government at this level looking to us for advice and consultation on long-term coastal planning,” he said. “If you look at the members of the committee, most of them are not scientists, so I often

end up being the only scientist with a group of decision makers.”

Young, a Virginia native, earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg and grew up on the Chesapeake Bay. “That kid who was hanging out on the York River could have never imagined playing even a small role in guiding long-term coastal planning for the state of Virginia,” he said.

Young also has been appointed to serve on the South Carolina Flood Water Commission, established by Gov. Henry McMaster to identify solutions and ways to better coordinate efforts to mitigate increased flooding from rains, storms, hurricanes and tides.

He has also been recently appointed to the Healthy Gulf Board, The Center for Coastal and Marine Studies in Bulgaria, the Technology Advisory Board of American Water Security Project and the Environmental and Energy Study Institute. www.psds.wcu.edu.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Jackson County Public Library, The Department on Aging, and The Department of Social Services are collecting new blankets for people in need. New hats, scarves, and gloves can also be donated. Items can be dropped off at Jackson County Public Library's Atrium, the Jackson County Department of Aging's front desk and the front desk of The Department of Social Services. Items should be new and in their packaging.

Blankets and other items will be available for those in need through January 15 at the three locations listed above. For more information, call the library at 828.586.2016. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

• On Monday, Jan. 18, the Jackson County NC chapter of the NAACP, along with Reconcile Sylva, Down Home NC, Change NC and Indivisible Common Ground WNC will be co-sponsoring a march and rally honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The rally will take place at Bridge Park, in Sylva, starting at 2 p.m. All are invited to attend, masked and following safe distancing. Hand signs only (no sticks) and for safety reasons, no dogs. For more information, contact Lianna Costantino at 828.331.8688.

POLITICAL CORNER • The January meeting for the Swain County Democratic Party Whittier-Cherokee precinct will be held at 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 12 via Zoom. The agenda will include discussing new officers and plans for 2021. For more info or to request a link, call 828.497.9498.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com • A New Year’s Market will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 9 at the Canton Armory (71 Penland St.). There will be over 30 local vendors as well as food on site.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • The Haywood County Arts Council annual show, “It’s a Small, Small Work,” will be showcased through Jan. 9 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts in Waynesville.

• A display of 50 powerful paintings showcasing the most remote and wild corners of the Canadian Arctic is on display through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Entrance to the exhibit is free with the arboretum’s standard $16 parking fee. Face coverings are required for visitors age 5 and older.

• The Haywood County Arts Council invites all Haywood County studio artists to participate in the annual Haywood County Studio Tour scheduled for June 26-27, 2021. The artist/studio application and policies for participation may be found on the HCAC website or picked up from HCAC Gallery & Gifts at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville. Email completed forms to artist@haywoodarts.org or mail to P.O. Box 306, Waynesville, NC 28786. The deadline for the completed studio tour application is Friday, Feb. 5. The Haywood County Studio Tour Exhibit Opening Reception is on Friday, June 4, 2021, if feasible. The HCAC will follow the NC Governor’s mandates regarding COVID. For more information visit the Haywood County Arts Council website at www.haywoodarts.org.

A&E

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host The Upbeats Dec. 31, Dirty Dave Patterson Jan. 9 and David Flowers Jan. 16. All shows begin at 7 p.m. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host The Waymores Jan. 22. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. www.balsamfallsbrewing.com.

HOLIDAY EVENTS • The annual “Polar Express” train ride is now departing 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 click on www.gsmr.com.

• The annual “Handmade Holiday Sale,” which is normally held at Western Carolina University, will have its event go virtual this year. Those interested can view and purchase the handmade items by clicking on arts.wcu.edu/handmade.

• “Winter Wonderland Nights” will continue through the holiday season in Franklin. Downtown will feature living window displays of the holidays, live sounds of the season outdoors at the gazebo and inside stores, free holiday attractions (weather permitting), refreshments, hot cider, great sales from local merchants, and much more. www.franklin-chamber.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Day. To complete the challenge, participants must walk, run or hike 60 miles by March 1. Registration ends Feb. 1, but earlier registration means more time to log the miles. The basic cost to join is $25, with Level 2 registration priced at $50 and Level 3 registration at $100.

All proceeds help support SAHC’s ongoing land and water conservation efforts. Sign up at appalachian.org/event/sahcs-winter-hiking-challenge60-miles-in-60-days/ • Jackson County’s annual Run in 2021 5K will be held in a virtual format this year. The virtual race begins at 6 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1. Participants can run or walk 5 kilometers anywhere they please, submitting results by noon Jan. 3. T-shirts can be picked up between Dec. 30 and Jan. 9, with mailing available as well. Cost is $20.

Register at www.runsignup.com.

• The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference, typically held each year in Savannah, Georgia, will be offered virtually this year Jan. 5-7. For more information, visit www.seregionalconference.org, or call 877.994.3842.

• Cataloochee Ski Area will continue to offer its Afterschool Ski & Ride Program in 2021, using a sevenweek format that will begin the week of Jan. 5. Cost is $110 for lesson only, $130 for a lift ticket and $50 for equipment rental. Space is limited, and sign-ups end Jan. 2. Learn more or sign up at cataloochee.com/programs/afterschool-programs.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: n n n n

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings March 2, Introduction to Home Food Preservation; March 18, Landscaping with Native Plants; April 13, Pruning Trees & Shrubs. Classes, taught by extension agents and experienced Master Gardener volunteers, will last for approximately two hours and be held via Zoom until face-to-face training is possible. Sign up by emailing mgarticles@charter.net. Cost is $10 per class.

• The Assault on BlackRock trail race is set for Saturday, March 20, next year, and proceeds will benefit the Southwestern Community College Student Emergency Fund. Registration is $25 in advance or $30 on race day. The Student Emergency Fund proceeds will benefit helps SCC students who encounter unforeseen financial emergencies. Register at www.ultrasignup.com.

• A series of horticulture classes aimed at home gardeners will be offered in the New Year through Haywood County Cooperative Extension. Planned sessions are: Jan. 19, Vegetable Gardening; Feb. 17, Lawn & Weeds;

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• Community scientists from across the hemisphere will participate in the 121st annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count. Between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5, bird lovers will participate in counts while observing COVID-19 guidelines. To learn more or find a local circle, visit www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-birdcount.

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• Learn about efforts to restore Bryson City’s Island Park with an online presentation at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12. Tony Ward, Western Region Program Coordinator for MountainTrue, will discuss his role in the project, which is a partnership between Bryson City, the Tuckaseegee River Alliance and MountainTrue. Sign up at mountaintrue.org/event.

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• A six-week winter sports program aimed at women who learn better with female instructors will be offered on Wednesdays from Jan. 13 through Feb. 17 at Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley. Women on Wednesdays will begin each week with a two-hour clinic starting at 10 a.m., with the opportunity to practice afterward through 4:30 p.m. Cost is $110 for lessons only, with an option to pay an additional $60 for a lift ticket and $40 for equipment rental. Sign up at www.cataloochee.com or contact 828.926.0285 or info@cataloochee.com with questions.

• The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has issued a challenge to complete its 60 miles in 60 days Virtual Hiking Challenge, kicking off New Year’s

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Apply online at oldedwardsinn.com/careers or call Sydneye Turdics at 828-787-2631

p: 828.452.4251 ¡ f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

*Single independent office available top floor $300 - 258 N. Main Street

(828) 452-1688 www.haywoodrentalsnc.com 58 Pigeon Street • Waynesville, NC

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WNC MarketPlace

now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain SURJUDPV IRU TXDOL¿HG DSplicants. Call CTI for details! Call 833-990-0354.

(M-F 8am-6pm ET) PART TIME HOUSEKEEPER Jonathan Creek Inn is now hiring a part time housekeeper. Candidates must have a valid drivers license, and pass a pre-employment drug screening. Weekend availability is a must!

Please apply in person.

JOB OPENING Family Services- Mental Health Coordinator Head Start Full-time. Coordinate the Family Services/ Mental Health component of EHS/ Head Start Program. Ability to work effectively with diverse populations. Experience with children who exhibit challenging behaviors.

Must be able to multi-task and coordinate effectively with outside agencies.

Daycare/childcare experience with 2 years supervisor experience preferred, strong oral and written communication skills, Degree in social ZRUN RU UHODWHG ¿HOG required. Please apply at: www.mountainprojects. org EOE/AA

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Community Social Services Assistant. Duties primarily involve transporting foster children for a variety of purposes such as visits with parents, medical appointments, counseling, education, or training. Candidates for this position should be highly dependable, adaptable, have the ability to lift children and car seats, interact well with children, have completed high school, and have a valid NC driver’s license with a good driving record. The starting salary is $24,168.16. Applicants should complete an application for Jackson County which is located at www.jcdss.org and submit it to the Jackson County Department of 6RFLDO 6HUYLFHV *ULI¿Q Street, Sylva, NC 28779 or the Sylva branch of the NCWorks Career Center.

Applications will be taken until January 4, 2021.

Hansen & Hansen Mary Roger (828)

400-1346

(828)

400-1345

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents The Strength of Teamwork The Reputation for Results

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com 71 N. Main St., Waynesville (828) 564-9393

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The Only Name in Junaluska Real Estate 91 N. Lakeshore Dr. Lake Junaluska 828.456.4070

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Jerry Lee Mountain Realty • Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net • Pam James - pam@pamjames.com

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Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

Cell: 828.508.2002

Home Goods

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Log & Frame Homes - 828-734-9323

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com Mountain Creek Real Estate • Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com • • • • • • • •

remax-maggievalleync.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com Amy Boyd Sugg - amyboydsugg@gmail.com David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com

WNC Real Estate Store

Climate Controlled

• Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com • Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com

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Call: 828-476-8999 MaggieValleySelfStorage.com

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Find Us One mile past State Rd. 276 and Hwy-19 on the right side, across from Frankie’s Italian Restaurant

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com Dec. 30-Jan. 5, 2021

WNC MarketPlace

29

SUPER

CROSSWORD

EMCEE RIVALRY ACROSS 1 Moves like a dog's tail 5 Sicilian erupter 9 Not too swift 16 Slack-jawed feeling 19 Question to an unknown caller 21 Portable grill 22 See 38-Down 23 Start of a riddle 25 In favor of 26 Downhillers, e.g.

27 "-- -haw!" (rodeo yell) 28 Magazine agent's success 30 Total failure 32 Riddle, part 2 36 Run -- (buy drinks on credit) 37 Title for Lancelot 39 Sleep study acronym 40 Big vases 41 Riddle, part 3 49 Cab Calloway catchphrase 50 Lovingly, to a musician 51 Common folks 55 Similar to 57 Actor Kilmer 58 Peppery 59 Boxer Clay, later 60 Riddle, part 4 69 PC combo key 70 Water, in Vichy 71 A, in Italy 72 "Zip- -- -Doo-Dah" 73 Riddle, part 5 81 Author Rand 82 Fall Classic mo.

83 12, on a sundial

84 85 87 91 96 99 102 103 104 105 111 114 115 116 117 118 125 126 127 128 129 130 131

Small kid Clorox, e.g.

Having no 131-Across Sarajevo locale Riddle, part 6 Some vipers -- -pah-pah Gen. Lee's side: Abbr.

Half-pint End of the riddle -- Stone (hieroglyphic discovery) Gretel's brother Metal source Painter's undercoat A Gershwin brother Riddle's answer Sci-fi author Stanislaw Email, e.g.

Some overcrowded houses Historic span Smiled villainously See 74-Down Top of a car

DOWN 1 It follows "//" in a URL 2 "Feels so nice!"

3 Loses one's hair 4 Not guaranteed only to float 5 Merman of song 6 British prime minister May 7 Small peeves 8 Enzyme-name suffix 9 Transparent 10 Dwells 11 Shikoku sash 12 Is no longer 13 Here, in Le Havre

14 15 16 17 18 20 24 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 38 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 52 53 54 56 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 74 75 76

Sandbar Indian language Public scandal Like Afghans Act of exiting Clic -- (Bic brand) Drain-clearing stuff Shocks Quick race Sewing case Baby buggy, to Brits Tolkien meanies Fish in a Pixar title Doctors' gp.

With 22-Across, spaced out "If -- a Hammer" Mouselike animal 1970s Chevy "Curses!"

Shed skin or feathers Doctors' gps.

Curse Resident of Riyadh Page of "Juno" Album's first half Make -- in (begin working on) "Grand" hotel 1983 comedy with Mr. T Gasoline additive Wading bird Sickly Label Color shade "Say again?"

Rock's Brian Boat mover With 130-Across, home of a Scottish "monster" Say again Old lovers

77 78 79 80 86 87 88 89 90 92 93 94 95 97 98 99 100 101 106 107 108 109 110 112 113 116 119 120 121 122 123 124

"Say it -- so!"

-- Field (Mets' home) Drifting sort English prep school Aides: Abbr.

"Hmm, I guess so" Grandiosity In the past Magazine or book divs.

Wall -- (financial district employee) Nearly massless particle Lacks entity "-- boy!"

Vie for the love of Lurches from side to side For a spell Generous type It's west of Colombia Bursts (with) Of the past Ski cottage Like pop flies Co.'s top dog Hall's pop partner Slightly built Admiral Graf -- (German warship) Mao -- -tung Sugar-name suffix Big rabbit feature Peak: Abbr.

Siouan tribe member Abbr. on a bounced check

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

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Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 26 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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NEWSPAPER ADS WORK.

6 10 out of

newspaper readers who read an eyewear ad took action after seeing the ad.*

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