There are two dates on the North Carolina flag. Although most people have seen these dates a thousand times, many don’t know what they actually mean. The Smoky Mountain News did a deep dive into the significance of these historic dates. Learn more about the legendary — and highly disputed — Meck Dec inside. (Page 6)
News
No tax increase in Waynesville budget..........................................................................4
Haywood proposes budget without tax increase......................................................5
Pless makes change to controversial TDA bill............................................................9 Federal government opens Title IX investigation into WCU................................10 Payton McNabb’s victim speaks out............................................................................12
Opinion
It’s FRL that may be limiting library funding..............................................................14 Tell the left-wingers it’s hands off..................................................................................14
A&E
Following Helene, Big Pillow Brewing crafts its next chapter..............................16 Rock for Relief ‘Black Tie-Dye Ball’ to benefit Helene victims............................19
Outdoors
Renowned outdoorswoman Nancy
D IGITAL MARKETING S PECIALIST Tyler Auffhammer. . .
ADVERTISING SALES: Amanda Bradley. . .
Maddie Woodard.
C LASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier. .
N EWS E DITOR: Kyle Perrotti. .
WRITING: Hannah McLeod. .
Cory Vaillancourt.
Garret K. Woodward.
ACCOUNTING & O FFICE MANAGER: Jamie Cogdill. .
D ISTRIBUTION: Scott Collier. . .
CONTACT
jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Jack Snyder. .
jack.s@smokymountainnews.com
tyler.a@mtnsouthmedia.com
amanda.b@smokymountainnews.com
maddie.w@smokymountainnews.com
classads@smokymountainnews.com
kyle.p@smokymountainnews.com
hannah@smokymountainnews.com
cory@smokymountainnews.com
garret@smokymountainnews.com
smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com
classads@smokymountainnews.com
C ONTRIBUTING: Jeff Minick (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing), Adam Bigelow (writing), Thomas Crowe (writing)
During a difficult meeting in March, Waynesville’s Town Council was presented with a perfect storm of bad budgeting news. After Council’s most recent meeting, it looks like they’ll weather that storm with only a modest sewer rate increase.
“Our forecast of revenues and expenditures is based on the same economic outlook as the national economy — uncertainty,” said Town Manager Rob Hites May 13.
In presenting a balanced all-funds budget of just over $40 million that contains no property tax increase and no rate increases for the town’s electric and water customers, Hites again summarized the difficult circumstances he first outlined in the March 21 meeting.
The town’s general fund will increase by 4.5%. On the revenue side, an existing moratorium on sewer connections means the town has seen almost no growth in the tax base over the past year. Sales tax projections are flat or down. A previously scheduled countywide property revaluation that could have helped with revenue was postponed by Haywood commissioners in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
One bright spot, Hites said, was a surge in investment income on the order of 17%. But that only really adds about $50,000 to the town’s $19.1 million general fund.
Another is the modest growth of the Downtown Waynesville Commission. Revenue is projected to increase by $3,900 to $113,200, while expenses are only projected to increase $1,972 to $200,372. That means the Town’s subsidies to the Commission, which conducts beautification projects and helps with events that drive tourism, will drop by nearly $2,000.
On the expenditure side, another of the state’s periodic unfunded mandates means the town has to increase employee retirement contributions by 1%, or just over $148,000. For comparison, one cent on the ad valorem tax rate — the town’s largest source of revenue — is worth about $156,000.
Liability insurance rates will go up by around 50%, due to claims the town made in relation to Hurricane Helene.
Citing price increases “in all areas of the economy,” Hites said the Town has settled on a 2.5% career track increase and a 1% cost of living increase for employees, which comes to $431,868. Council has long fought to increase worker pay after years of inaction that resulted in costly employee turnover.
Hites reported that the town was now nearly fully staffed but has also reduced operating costs and eliminated nearly all capital spending to offset inflationary increases.
“Given the economic outlook of our economy, it’s not an appropriate time to increase spending, except for critical needs,” he said.
Aside from the general fund, the Town also operates sev-
Expenditures by fund
General fund
Governing board
Administration
Downtown Waynesville Commission
Finance
Public works
2024-25 2025-26
$46,649
$229,930
$198,400
$348,575
$695,608
$56,556
$248,519
$200,372
$427,284
$1,052,695 Police
$6,170,460
expects a 1% increase in revenue but a nearly 3% increase in expenses. No rate hike is proposed.
Water fund-related activities result in the collection, treatment and distribution of water. The Town anticipates a 3% increase in revenue and in expenditures. No rate hike is proposed.
$6,192,238 Fire
Streets & sanitation
Powell bill
Cemetery
$3,168,945
$2,880,920
$505,000
$2,742,633
$2,980,817
$345,000
The stormwater fund, which helps manage runoff and improve water quality, will see a slight decrease in forecast revenue but a substantial increase in spending due to the reclassification of some public works positions. The fund, however, remains balanced with respect to revenue and expenditures at $193,238. No rate hike is proposed.
$289,930 $324,641 Development services
Special appropriations
$1,451,550 $1,030,593
$35,000 $20,000 Parks & recreation
$2,903,851 $3,010,026
Water fund
& finance $932,717 $810,122
Sewer fund
Sewer
numbers based on manager's recommended budget Source: Town of Waynesville, The Smoky Mountain News
eral other funds that are treated almost as separate businesses — they have a different set of books, and funds can’t be comingled, so accountability and transparency is easier.
The electric fund, which buys bulk power and resells it to customers while maintaining the transmission network,
The town’s garage fund provides for the regular maintenance of its fleet of vehicles. It does not generate outside revenue, but it does charge expenses to the appropriate Town
The public hearing for the Town of Waynesville’s proposed budget has been set for
departments, like the police or the water department. The fund is balanced at $1.26 million, a slight increase from $1.19 million.
The sewer fund, however, is a different story, due to different circumstances. The Town’s new wastewater treatment facility is expected to come on line later this year, but so do payments toward the $29 million zero-interest loan the town acquired to construct the new facility. The annual payment is just over $1.2 million.
“We are recommending a 10% increase in our sewer rate this year,” said Ian Barrett, the Town’s finance director. “With that 10%, that would put our customer charges at $4,718,250.”
By law, municipal budgets must be passed by July 1. The town has set a formal public hearing for the budget during its next meeting on May 27, at which time Council members may vote to adopt it, or send it back to the drawing board.
May 27. File photo
Haywood proposes budget without tax increase
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
After losing roughly $200 million in valuation due to the closing of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill and the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene, Haywood County Commissioners will entertain a 2025-26 budget that’s thin as can be.
“With the mill closing and the flood and everything else that’s happened economy-wise it’s been a tough budget year,” said Brandon Rogers, vice chair of the commission.
County Manager Bryant Morehead proposed a $111.9 million budget for Fiscal Year 2026 that maintains the current property tax rate of 55 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, despite rising costs in personnel, education, public safety and capital needs. Presented May 19, the budget including department requests had totaled more than $117.4 million.
“In total, we cut about $5.5 million out of their requests to get our recommended budget,” said Will Scarborough, county budget analyst.
Key themes include employee compensation, mounting social service demands, deferred vehicle and equipment needs and a focus on long-term fiscal resilience.
departments for 22.5 new full-time equivalent positions — including patrol officers, EMS personnel, social workers, and library staff — none were funded in the recommended budget.
The total estimated cost of those unfunded positions, including equipment, was more than $2 million.
The Department of Social Services’ foster care budget will increase by more than $1 million, reflecting heightened need across the county. Overall operating cost increases total $1.17 million, driven in part by inflation and rising service demand.
Funding for local education remains a priority. Haywood County Schools would receive $18.4 million for operations, $1.25 million for capital needs and $2.3 million for debt service.
Haywood Community College is budgeted for $3.5 million in operational funding, $750,000 in capital, and $753,839 for debt.
“In total, we cut about $5.5 million out of [department] requests to get our recommended budget.”
Will Scarborough, Haywood County budget analyst
With the county’s total property valuation now exceeding $10.2 billion and a projected tax collection rate of 98.18%, the proposed budget relies on appropriating $10.9 million from fund balance to meet projected expenditures.
“I think it’s worth noting that we are using nearly $11 million or somewhere around [that] to be able to not increase the tax rate to our citizens with everything Commissioner Rogers just mentioned,” said Commissioner Tommy Long.
Over the past five budgets, typical fund balance appropriations have ranged from $5.2 million to $6.8 million.
Although the tax rate will remain right where it is, five fire districts — including Maggie Valley and Cruso — are requesting increases from 9 cents or less to 10 cents.
Employee costs are a major driver of budget growth. The budget includes a 3% cost-of-living adjustment and a 2% merit increase for county employees, totaling $2.35 million. Retirement contributions to the Local Government Employee Retirement System are also rising — general employees from 13.6% to 14.6%, and law enforcement officers from 15.1% to 16.1%.
Additionally, a one-time $175,000 Christmas bonus is proposed, along with continued longevity and 401(k) contributions. Despite requests from various
A total of 18 vehicles — ranging from patrol cars and ambulances to facilities and environmental health trucks — are proposed for purchase at a cost of $1.43 million, up from $1.15 million the previous year. The sheriff’s department alone accounts for $765,842 of that total.
The budget also includes $858,354 in capital replacement projects, including HVAC repairs, roof shingles and new carpet for the library. Jail equipment upgrades, such as ovens and a freezer, along with a new forklift and replacement shed, are also included.
County officials are signaling that even with no tax increase this year, rising salary and benefit obligations — estimated at $471,000 for every 1% increase — will continue to pressure future budgets. Other looming costs include planned renovations to the county library, improvements to the public safety radio system and ongoing debt from the jail expansion.
Haywood County Schools and Haywood Community College each carry significant debt service, budgeted at $5.1 million and $3.68 million, respectively.
The Board of County Commissioners is expected to hold a public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, May 19. Final adoption is slated for June 2 during the board’s 9 a.m. regular meeting at the Historic Courthouse in Waynesville.
Copies of the recommended budget are available for public inspection at the County Clerk’s office and the main branch of the Haywood County Public Library, as well as online at haywoodcountync.gov.
The May 20 Society, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of the Mecklenburg Declaration, is ready for the 250th anniversary commemoration. May 20 Society photo
The ‘Meck Dec’ at 250
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT
P OLITICS E DITOR
Every May 20, beneath the proverbial shadows of Charlotte’s modern glass and steel skyline, supporters gather to commemorate what they believe was the first declaration of independence in the American colonies, made more than a year before the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Whether the Mecklenburg Declaration existed at all is still a topic of dispute, but one thing remains certain — more than 250 years later, the idea it represents still lives.
In 1775, Charlotte was little more than a village carved out of the rugged, restless backcountry, yet it was home to ambitious, educated men who had big plans for their new homeland.
“When he visited all of the original colonies during his presidency, George Washington came through Charlotte [in 1791] and he wrote in his diary that it was ‘a trifling place,’” said Jason Luker, chief operating officer of the Charlotte Museum of History. “Charlotte was pretty much insignificant. It was a small little village at the crossroads of old Native American paths.”
Despite the president’s contempt toward the locals, they’d long been determined to shape their own future.
“The people here were, strangely enough, highly educated,” Luker said. “Some are Princeton graduates or coming
from Pennsylvania, moving down to this area to buy up cheap land and to set themselves up for their families to grow and to prosper.”
Primarily Scottish, many of the colonists were adherents to the Covenanted Reformed Presbyterian Church or related denominations, all of which emphasized that the temporal authority of kings and rulers was secondary to God’s, and to one’s own conscience. Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.
These “Covenanters” were soon presented with plenty of opportunities to test those beliefs.
“There had been a lot of land-grabbing on the part of crown officials, extra taxes and foreclosures and things like that,” said Sarah Sue Hardinger, past president of the Mecklenburg Historical Association. “There’s a thing called the Vestry Act, which meant that you had to be married by an Anglican minister, and your child had to be baptized by one, but there was no Anglican minister anywhere in Western North Carolina. That meant that everybody’s marriage was illegal and every child was a bastard. Covenanters do not like this — that your children are born in sin and that they cannot be baptized or go to heaven. They’re angry at a really visceral level. It’s not just [about] taxation without representation or tea in the harbor. You’ve stolen my land, and you’ve made my child a bastard.”
On May 19, 1775, prominent citizens convened a meeting in Mecklenburg County, which according to Hardinger’s new book, “One day revolution: the patriots
who first declared independence,” was so small that there were only nine graves in the whole county at the time. As fate would have it, during the meeting, a messenger arrived with startling news — the battle of Lexington had been fought in the Massachusetts Bay Colony exactly one month earlier. Colonists skirmished with a large British force there, and in Concord, and won. It was only a minor strategic victory, but it galvanized anti-royalist sentiment and likely influenced the actions of the delegates at the Mecklenburg meeting.
“These people are extremely angry,” Hardinger said. “They have a belief that says, ‘I can ignore an authority who is not doing what my conscience says is right,’ and so they’re right for doing this. The spark is the express rider that comes down on May 19.”
What, exactly, happened in Charlotte late that night remains shrouded in mystery. The original copy of what would later be called the “Meck Dec” was purportedly lost in a fire in 1800 at the home of Joseph McNitt Alexander.
Much of what is known comes from Alexander, who in 1819 penned an article in the Raleigh Register and North Carolina Gazette recounting the events of May 19, 1775, passed down to him by his father John, a clerk at the meeting.
Around 2 a.m. on the morning of May 20, the 28 delegates, mostly leaders of Mecklenburg’s militia companies, ratified five resolutions:
Resolved, that whosoever directly or indirectly abetted, or in any way, form or manner countenanced the uncharted and dangerous invasion of our rights, as claimed by Great Britain, is an enemy to this County, to America and to the inherent and inalienable rights of man.
Resolved, that we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, and abjure all political connection, contract or association with that Nation, who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.
Resolved, that we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people, are, and of right ought to be, a sovereign and self-governing Association under the control of no power other than that of our God and the General Government of the Congress; to the maintenance of which independence, we solemnly pledge to each other, our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes and our most sacred honor.
Resolved, that as we now acknowledge the existence and control of no law or legal officer, civil or military, within this County, we do hereby ordain and adopt, as a rule of life, all, each and every of our former laws — where, nevertheless, the Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities or authority therein.
Resolved, That it is also further decreed, that all, each and every military officer in this County, is hereby reinstated to his former command and authority, he acting conformably to these regulations and that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer, viz. a Justice of the Peace, in the character of a ‘Committeeman,’ to issue process, hear and determine all matters of controversy, according to said adopted laws, and to preserve peace, and union, and harmony, in said County, and to use every exertion to spread the love of country and fire of freedom throughout America, until a more general and organized government be established in this province.
In addition to rebuking the political authority Great Britain held over Mecklenburg, the Meck Dec reestablished local militias and created a local government. It also served as an expression of unity with the more powerful northern colonies most people think of when they consider the school of thought that led to the American Revolution.
On May 31, 1775, just 11 days after the Meck Dec was ratified, another document called the F
Mecklenburg Resolves was issued in Charlotte.
Its full text only exists today because the South Carolina Gazette published it on June 13, 1775. The original document, like the original Meck Dec, was purportedly lost in a fire in 1800.
“Within the context of the British Empire, it is a treasonous act,” said Rob Ferguson, an associate professor of history at Western Carolina University who specializes in North Carolina history. “It is a bold act. It is a revolutionary act.”
Among the 20 provisions listed in the Resolves are those stating that colonies in British America were now “invested with all legislative and executive powers within their respective provinces, and that no other legislative or executive power does or can exist at this time in any of these colonies.”
To fill the power vacuum, the Resolves also outline a military and judicial system, provide for the arrest of crown officials and authorize two committeemen to purchase 300 pounds of gunpowder, 600 pounds of lead for bullets and 1,000 flints for rifles.
“The independence movement was up and down the eastern seaboard, and the Mecklenburg Resolves were as radical as anything being written in Pennsylvania or Virginia or Massachusetts,” said Ferguson. “North Carolina was on the forefront of this mass independence movement.”
The brutal British Col. Banastre Tarleton noted in his memoirs that Mecklenburg County and neighboring Rowan County were “more hostile to England than any other in America,” while British Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis described Charlotte as a “damned hornet’s nest of rebellion.”
The comment made Cornwallis probably the only British general in history to be responsible for the name of a National Basketball Association franchise.
Although more expansive than the Meck Dec, the Resolves appear distinctly different in intent. The Meck Dec focuses mostly on the abuses by the crown and the philosophical underpinnings of self-government, while the Resolves are more of an organizational document creating various bureaucracies independent of the crown.
Nearly a year after the creation of the Meck Dec and the Resolves, North Carolina’s provincial Congress adopted the Halifax Resolves on April 12, 1776, which authorized the state’s delegates to vote in favor of complete independence from Great Britain in the Continental Congress, making North Carolina the first state to do so.
On the current state flag, two dates are inscribed — the first, the date of the Meck Dec, the second, the date of the Halifax Resolves. The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina bears the same inscriptions.
rest of the country,” Ferguson said.
At the heart of the debate over the Meck Dec lies a fundamental question: did a group of backwoodsmen living in a rural, “trifling” North Carolina town named after King George III’s wife in a county named after her place of birth really declare independence from Great Britain and its king more than a year before the rest of the colonies?
One way or the other, the answer is yes.
Some say the Meck Dec is a myth, a tale that emerged from local pride and poor recordkeeping. Others see it as a suppressed piece of revolutionary fervor, conveniently
and the Resolves is the result of a discrepancy between the old Julian calendar and the new Gregorian calendar — a difference of exactly 11 days. Colonists in America began adopting the new calendar in the 1750s.
Most deniers think that Joseph McKnitt Alexander’s 1819 article in the Raleigh Register and North Carolina Gazette is either a complete li, or an attempt to embellish the state’s role as a hotbed of revolutionary thought or a retcon to capitalize on the popularity of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.
The latter theory holds some intriguing possibilities.
plete coincidence?
John Adams wanted to know, too. America’s second president, Adams had previously been close friends with Jefferson, but ideology and a growing sense of resentment by Adams toward Jefferson’s fame as the author of the Declaration of Independence — a document laboriously debated by the 60 delegates to the Second Continental Congress — drove them apart. Adams took note of Alexander’s 1819 newspaper article and was pleased that on its face, it appeared to suggest Jefferson’s Declaration wasn’t completely original, and that Jefferson wasn’t completely honest.
“If the Meck Dec existed — certainly the Mecklenburg Resolves existed, and the Halifax Resolves existed — it makes North Carolina just as rebellious, just as revolutionary, as any other colony, and I think that that’s been kind of forgotten by the
ing myself a Resolve-ist.”
The position of some Resolve-ists is to stress the importance of the verifiable Resolves, or that the Mecklenburg Declaration arose from a mis-remembering of the Mecklenburg Resolves, or that they’re actually the same document. There’s even speculation that the 11-day gap between the Meck Dec
we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Did Jefferson plagiarize the Meck Dec? Did Alexander, 43 years later, insert Jeffersonian phrasing into his recitation of the Meck Dec to suggest North Carolina as the basis for the Declaration of Independence? Was it all maybe just a com-
By letter, Adams asked Jefferson about the Meck Dec. Jefferson replied that he’d never heard of it and found that odd, given the voluminous documentation of the American Revolution that even then had already existed — not to mention his lived experience as a key player in the literati of the revolutionary movement. He said that although he couldn’t prove the Meck Dec was a fabrication, he would hold that belief until he saw proof it was real, which also convinced Adams that the existence of the Meck Dec was sketchy at best.
But that’s not exactly something you should say out loud in modern-day North Carolina, especially in Charlotte this week where 250th anniversary celebrations of the Meck Dec are currently taking place.
Hardinger called claims of the Meck Dec’s fabrication “specious.” Charlotte attorney Scott Syfert offered much more pointed support for the authenticity of the Meck
“The reason there is a controversy is that the original documents were burned in a fire in April of 1800 so there’s no one piece of paper that anyone could point to and say, ‘That’s the piece of paper,’” said Syfert, who co-founded the May 20 Society with a group of young professionals and friends 25 years ago. “You also have a controversy because people from South Carolina and Virginia and Massachusetts didn’t like the story, and so they took the position that ‘We don’t really care about the evidence, we’re against this because this just doesn’t interest us and because it doesn’t involve us.’”
The May 20 Society immediately became a hit, hosting a bar event with more than 300 people in attendance just two months after the group had formed. Since then, the group has been involved with fundraising for historical monuments related to the Meck Dec — including the $500,000 statue of Capt. James Jack on the campus of Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte. Jack is said to have delivered a copy of the Meck Dec to Philadelphia, where Jefferson may have had a chance to read it.
Initially, there was a lot of negativity directed toward the May 20 Society.
“I’ve grown up in Charlotte and gone through public schools and all that stuff, and I had never heard of this, or if I had, I completely forgot it. It certainly wasn’t a thing at all,” Syfert said. “It was sort of not something talked about in polite society around here 30 years ago. It was like, ‘Oh, that’s a silly hoax
S EE M ECK DEC, PAGE 8
The Mecklenburg Declaration pre-dates the U.S. Declaration of Independence by 14 months. Donated photo
We must support our libraries; not a 3rd party bureaucracy.
Restore local control, fiscal responsibility, and community values to our libraries.
Public libraries should support education; not function as cultural activist centers.
Jackson Co. is overpaying for a system that does not deliver value aligned with library priorities.
County owned buildings should be governed by county policies; not a politicized bureaucracy.
Public institutions should serve everyone; not just those aligned with a certain ideology.
The overwhelming vast majority of libraries across America thrive as independent county entities.
Jackson Co. has the funds, the buildings, and public support to go local.
Jackson Co. does not need Fontana.
story. It’s a kindergarten fairytale.’”
Hardinger thinks that the Meck Dec wasn’t taught in schools for a time, leading younger generations to overlook its possible existence. The May 20 Society worked to increase awareness among schoolchildren by bringing in eminent speakers.
“We decided, let’s hire some national historians and bring them to Charlotte and donate them to the school system to speak to a bunch of school kids, because that will shed light on the project and the story as well,” Syfert said. “We brought David McCullough here, Ken Burns, Lord Andrew Roberts, Baron Roberts of Belgravia twice, the author Jeff Shaara, Cokie Roberts, Isabel Wilkerson.”
Dec in their applications. North Carolina’s brick in the Washington Monument reads, “Declaration of independence Mecklenburg May 1775” but mentions neither the Meck Dec nor the Mecklenburg Resolves.
Additionally, Syfert says newspaper accounts from the early 1800s mention veterans reunion events held on May 20, with veterans wearing “May 20” badges to commemorate the historic occasion. Toasts mentioned North Carolina as the state that declared independence before anyone else.
Whether true or not, the significance of the date itself has become symbolic of a people fighting for what it believes to be its rights, whether right or wrong. When North Carolina seceded from the Union, it did so by repealing the 1789 ordinance ratifying the U.S. Constitution on May 20, 1861. When
“I’ve grown up in Charlotte and gone through public schools and all that stuff, and I had never heard of this, or if I had, I completely forgot it. It certainly wasn’t a thing at all. It was sort of not something talked about in polite society around here 30 years ago.”
— Scott Syfert
Students numbering in the thousands were bussed in to the presentations.
In 2014, Syfert wrote his own book, “The first American declaration of independence? The disputed history of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775” in which he lays out the case for the Meck Dec.
“What interested me a lot when I started looking into it was just how much information there really is on this,” he said. “Just look at my book, 280-something pages, fully footnoted, all the information.”
As a corporate attorney and a graduate of the London School of Economics, Syfert is a man used to evaluating documents, evidence and facts. He believes there’s plenty of proof for the existence of the Meck Dec. A dozen eyewitnesses, very good witnesses he says — Presbyterian ministers and Revolutionary War veterans — testified under oath to its provenance. Several veterans who later applied for pensions referenced the Meck
students from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte wanted to protest segregation, they did so by marching to a courthouse on May 20, 1963.
“David McCullough believes it happened. Lord Andrew Roberts believes it happened,” Syfert said. “I can give you five marqueenamed historians, and they’re quoted in the book. We’ve got them on the record, so to speak. I always say, ‘Well, we’ve got our five historians. Who do you have?’”
The debate over the Meck Dec may never be fully solved to the liking of those who would require an authenticated original copy, but whether it was created and signed in Mecklenburg County on May 20, 1775, or fabricated for a newspaper in 1819, it still goes a long way toward explaining North Carolina’s “first in freedom” slogan.
“It’s the foundation story of the country, in miniature,” Syfert said. “It’s that we are a free and independent people.”
Many people don’t know what, exactly, the two dates on North Carolina’s flag represent.
Pless makes dramatic change to controversial TDA bill
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
Now that it’s been presented to the House Finance Committee, a bill filed by Haywood Republican Rep. Mark Pless that would have essentially abolished the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority looks much different.
In an abrupt about-face, the bill presents Haywood County commissioners a choice — raise the room occupancy tax from 4% to 6% but cut out all official municipal involvement in the agency, or do nothing and maintain the status quo.
“The intent is to help Haywood County. That was the intent all along,” Pless told The Smoky Mountain News May 20. “But needing time to navigate what’s in the best interest of Haywood County, the only thing I had time to do was to introduce a bill to abolish it and then amend it when it went into committee the first time. I’ve been working on that part of it ever since I filed the bill.”
Commissioners set the room occupancy tax rate up to the maximum permitted in enabling legislation. The county collects the tax and then remits it monthly to the TDA, minus collection costs.
of money collected.
Each one of those five zip codes, except Lake Junaluska, is an incorporated municipality, so each of the four town governments has a voting representative on the TDA board who also serves as a liaison to their own municipal governing board.
The TDA’s governing board consists of 15 members — one from each of the four municipalities, three from lodging establishments with fewer than 20 units, three representing lodging establishments with more than 20 units, two representing tourism-related businesses and a total of three nonvoting representatives — one each from the Haywood County commission, the Haywood County finance office and the Haywood County Economic Development Commission.
Pless’ bill proposes a new board of eight by cutting the nonvoting representative from the Haywood County Economic Development Commission.
“Our economic development director needs to spend their time bringing in industries or bringing in large manufacturers so that we can have jobs for those folks that are not in the service industry. This is just a waste of time having them there because they’re not going to make an impact,” Pless said.
Last year’s net was roughly $3 million. If trends continue and the bill passes, that total would be well north of $4 million.
“We’re feeling fantastic,” said Corrina Ruffieux, executive director of the TDA. “It’s a huge win for all of Haywood County. Tourism is a big piece of Haywood County’s economy, and this will afford us the opportunity to lean into that and into our master plan.”
Essentially paid by tourists, the tax must be spent in very specific ways.
After overhead, the TDA must spend twothirds on travel and tourism promotion, and one-third on tourism-related expenditures, including capital projects. Revenue from each of Haywood County’s five zip codes — Canton, Clyde, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley and Waynesville — is tracked, and 75% is spent to promote the county as a whole, while the remaining 25% is divided into essentially 10 “pots” of money. Each zip code gets two “pots” for travel and tourism promotion and one “pot” for capital projects. The size of the pots is proportional to the amount
(Waynesville) zip codes, and one would have to come from either the 28716 (Canton), 28721 (Clyde) or 28745 (Lake Junaluska) zip codes. The same residency qualification also applies to the two representatives from the tourism-related business category — one from the east, and one from the west.
The representative from the Haywood County commission would be elevated to a full voting member.
“I believe you need to have someone that has taxing authority that is making a decision, and since this is collected county-wide, it needs to be the person that is there with the board of commissioners, because they are really the only one there that has the taxing authority for everything in Haywood County,” said Pless. “I feel the towns didn’t represent themselves very well, and we’re using it kind of like a slush fund, but I do not believe the county commission person that is assigned to the TDA board will do that.”
The chair, elected by the board, would also become a full voting member. Now, the chair votes only in the case of a tie.
But the changes to the board and the zip code spending
One representative from each lodging category and all four of the municipal representatives are also on the chopping block. The municipal representatives wouldn’t be needed, as Pless wants to do away with the little pots of money dedicated to each zip code.
“The zip code idea, from some of the folks I’ve talked to in the towns, is not a good idea for two reasons — it’s hard to get the money that is in the zip codes, and when it comes down to representation, there’s no real representation in how that money is being utilized, so they can go in and spend it at whatever they would like to spend it at. But it still has to comply with two-thirds advertising, one-third capital,” said Pless. “So if you take the 1%, which is relatively small in comparison to the full the other 3%, they weren’t getting enough money to really do anything, so there was no reason to continue that when you can go and put it all together. And now they have the full two-thirds, one-third across whatever amount the county chooses to enact.”
Additionally, of the remaining two representatives in each lodging category, one would have to come from either the 28751 (Maggie Valley), 28785 (Jonathan Creek) or 28786
missioners do not levy a new rate, everything stays the same.
“I think the 6% is a good idea,” said Kevin Ensley, chair of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners. “We’re competing with Buncombe and Jackson counties, and they both have 6%. This levels the playing field.”
Regarding the loss of municipal involvement, Ensley echoed Pless in saying that often, the money allocated by zip code wasn’t enough to do anything substantial. Under the new structure, Ensley said the county would be looking out for the entire county, funding projects that come through a more competitive vetting process instead of being funded simply because they’re in a particular zip code.
Commissioner Jennifer Best, who serves as the commission’s rep on the TDA, said she appreciates Pless’ efforts.
“We’re very excited,” Best said. “I never want to see us increase a tax because everyone else has it, but it could have left us at a disadvantage.”
The loss of municipal involvement won’t necessarily affect their ability to access TDA funding; projects are scored and voted on by the TDA during a rigorous grantmaking process.
Mark Pless. File photo
Corrina Ruffieux. File photo
Jennifer Best. File photo
Currently, the Haywood TDA nets around $3 million a year in room occupancy taxes. File photo
Federal government opens Title IX investigation into WCU
approached the ‘left-hand’ sink,” the complaint reads. “The individual approached and passed me while I was washing my hands. She passed in front of my emptied stall and faced the sink.”
Once LeBlanc finished washing her hands and was getting a paper towel, McNabb approached, leading to the brief confrontation seen on McNabb’s video. McNabb questions why LeBlanc is in the bathroom, saying “you’re not a girl.”
“Oh, we’re doing one of these?” LeBlanc said, to which McNabb simply answered, “Yeah.”
“Interesting. I’ve never had this before,” LeBlanc said after a few seconds. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“I pay a lot of money to be safe in the bathroom,” McNabb said.
“Me too,” LeBlanc replied.
After a few more words, LeBlanc exited the bathroom.
When the video went viral, people on LeBlanc’s side argued that the interaction shows the harassment trans people endure while simply wanting to use the bathroom they believe best corresponds with their gender, and people on McNabb’s side said it was proof that women don’t feel safe when others some perceive as men use the same restrooms they do.
BY KYLE P ERROTTI N EWS E DITOR
Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has made headlines by targeting the United States’ most wellknown colleges — those with the largest endowments and lowest admission rates — but now, in the latest twist in a year-long saga, his administration is shifting its attention to Cullowhee.
Trump’s Department of Education notified Western Carolina University earlier this month that it was opening up an investigation into the school based on potential Title IX violations tied to its investigation of nationally renowned anti-trans advocate Payton McNabb, who recorded a video of a
Nutrition Facts
trans woman, Paige LeBlanc, in a public restroom on campus and then posted it on social media.
Under an order issued by Trump in the hours following his inauguration on Jan. 20, only two genders — cis male and cis female — can be officially recognized and, therefore, protected under Title IX. However, according to emails between WCU administrators, the school has indicated it will not follow the order. With two different federal appeals courts rulings backing both sides of the broader argument that speaks to the sex versus gender debate, this case adds fuel to that conversation — a conversation that may end up before The United States Supreme Court.
THE INCIDENT
The facts of the incident at the root of this controversy are agreed upon by LeBlanc and McNabb, according to an investigation into a Title IX complaint LeBlanc filed. Most of the matter in question was also seen in all parts of the world near and far as McNabb’s post on X went viral.
In LeBlanc’s complaint, she states that, on May, 2, 2024, she entered the women’s restroom and was using the last stall in the row when she heard someone enter the restroom and “stop against the far wall next to the door.”
“As I exited my stall I was conscious of the individual (Payton McNabb) facing me as I
McNabb later posted a follow-up statement on X saying, “Currently, I’m facing reports to the school for alleged ‘transphobia,’ alongside attempts to tear down my sorority, despite it having nothing to do with it. I believe in everyone’s right to their own opinion, and I shouldn’t face punishment simply because I felt uncomfortable with a man being in our bathroom.”
THE INVESTIGATION
The day after the incident, Dean of Students Betsy Aspinwall sent LeBlanc an email letting her know that she was identified as a “potential victim of Title IX sexual harassment.” The email further spelled out her options.
Both LeBlanc and McNabb submitted Title IX complaints to the university. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in school programs or activities for any federal funded institution. Title IX, enacted in 1972, includes protections against sexual harassment.
McNabb’s complaint was dismissed by the university before it F
Western Carolina University. A Shot Above photo
could be heard. LeBlanc’s was assigned an independent investigator from TNG Consulting, meaning the school’s Title IX coordinator determined there was sufficient information within LeBlanc’s complaint to support charges under the school’s Title IX policy.
A final investigation report for LeBlanc’s case was sent to the parties late last year. According to the report, the evidence considered included 50 video recordings, additional security camera footage, 114 “reports” of the incident and 27 social media posts, although specifics weren’t provided.
LeBlanc did an interview with the investigator, but when McNabb attempted to so remotely, she experienced “connectivity challenges” and ended up supplying a written statement. In that statement, she said that every action she took was out of fear for her safety and in response to the uncomfortable situation she felt LeBlanc had placed her in.
“I did not engage in any name calling, teasing, or hostility,” she wrote. “I did not raise my voice or threaten [LeBlanc] verbally or physically.”
On Jan. 31 of this year, a letter was sent to LeBlanc letting her know that a Title IX hearing board found McNabb “not responsible” for harassing LeBlanc. Basically, the conclusion was that McNabb’s actions were neither sexual nor harassment. Per WCU’s policy, to find that conduct violates its own sexual harassment policy, it must be “severe, pervasive and objectively offensive.”
“The interaction was brief, with calm voice, and took place in one day, including the posting of the video to X,” the letter reads. “We do not find that the encounter in the restroom or the posting of the video violated the Title IX Sexual Harassment Policy and specifically did not find that the actions were severe or objectively offensive since the interaction was brief, voices were not raised, and no threats were made and that the Respondent had a First Amendment right to post the video on X. Because we found that the actions were not severe or objectively offensive, we did not need to decide on whether the actions were pervasive or if they effectively denied the Complainant access to the University’s education program or activity.”
SPEAKING OUT
McNabb is not new to being the public face of anti-trans movements. Last year she publicly supported bills to regulate trans athlete participation in North Carolina public school sports after she claimed to suffer a concussion from a volleyball spiked by an athlete she alleged was a trans female.
In March, McNabb did multiple interviews with conservative media outlets, including thecollegefix.com, which published a story on March 7 about her being kicked out of her WCU sorority and one about the Title IX case March 17. In the March 17 story, Ellis Boyle, McNabb’s attorney, voiced frustration with what he considered to be a so-called independent investigator who was biased and “sympathetic to the cause of the day.”
“It is simply a function of the system that anyone who would hold themselves out as a vendor in this space is almost certainly a self-
selected advocate for the ‘progressive’ or agenda-driven way of thinking about the topic,” Boyle said.
Perhaps most notably, Trump spoke about McNabb during his Joint Address to Congress in January, which she attended as a personal guest of First Lady Melania Trump.
LeBlanc is far less accustomed to the spotlight. In her Title IX complaint, LeBlanc alleged that she didn’t know her face was plastered all over the internet until some friends told her the next day.
Trump’s executive action changing the definitions of “male” and “female.” The story came after the publication was provided with public records obtained by the rightwing “campus watchdog” group Speech First.
Trump’s order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” requires entities receiving federal funding to only recognize two sexes, lest they lose that federal funding. This
Under an order issued by Trump in the hours following his inauguration on Jan. 20, only two genders — cis male and cis female — can be officially recognized and, therefore, protected under Title IX.
“Since then, I have worn a mask in public to avoid being recognized due to the fact that millions of people have seen my rights being violated. It has significantly impacted my feeling of safety and privacy on and off campus, and in the community, and has had an impact on overall wellbeing,” LeBlanc said.
“People calling me a pedophile, mentally ill, people saying that if they’d had a gun, it would have gone differently — things like that,” LeBlanc told Smoky Mountain News on May 15.
A MATTER OF ‘SEX’
In her written response sent to the investigator, McNabb recalled her purported injury on the volleyball court, relating it to her experience coming face to face with LeBlanc in a WCU women’s bathroom, ultimately explaining that she is not new to this kind of trauma.
“I am a woman, and I use and seek women’s private facility spaces purposefully,” she wrote.
“Women’s spaces provide me the level of comfort I need to receive my education,” she added.
Part of the final investigation report was an attachment that included Boyle’s responses to the initial draft of the report from the investigator, who was brought in from Colorado. In it, Boyle states that LeBlanc was “born a male, and remained a male on the date in question.”
“The closest the investigator ever came to providing this key context and acknowledging these facts was when the investigator stated Ms. McNabb ‘characteriz[es]’ [LeBlanc] as male. Ms. McNabb does no such thing; it is not a characterization. Complainant is male,” Boyle wrote. “Any investigative report that fails to document that basic fact starts out by missing the foundational principle and entirely skews the lens the event is viewed.”
Coverage of the incident from right-wing outlets mirrors this language, including in interviews with McNabb and Boyle. Those articles consistently refer to LeBlanc as “The male.”
On March, 7, The National Review published an article alleging that WCU was not changing its Title IX policy to comply with
reverses the Biden administration’s stance that Title IX policy would be enforced based on a person’s gender identity, whatever that may be.
Emails obtained by Speech First show that WCU administration were not going to make those changes, citing a Fourth Circuit ruling that prohibits discrimination against transgender students. Those who support Trump’s latest order, including Boyle, argue that a more recent 11th Circuit ruling noted that “sex” should mean only a person’s gender assigned at birth. It may be up to the highest court in the land to clarify the law once and for all.
On May 8, spurred on by the content of the emails between WCU administrators,
MASSA
the U.S. Department of Education announced it was launching a Title IX investigation into the school. A release from the department stated that the investigation was opened amid allegations the school “refused” to comply with Title IX “to ensure sex-separated intimate spaces.” It cites both the opening of an investigation following LeBlanc’s complaint and “credible reports” that WCU allowed a “male to room with a female” in the “girls’ dormitory.”
“WCU’s reported contempt for federal antidiscrimination laws and indifference to, and retaliation against, girls who have spoken up about males invading their intimate spaces is simply unacceptable,” acting Education Department Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in the release. “After fighting for years to secure Title IX protections, women must again fight hostile institutions to ensure their right to equal protection and opportunity in sports, living spaces, and intimate facilities is respected. The Trump-McMahon Department of Education will continue to deploy every lawful means to eradicate this wholly unnecessary and egregious violation of women and girls’ civil rights.”
In a statement provided to The Smoky Mountain News, WCU said it received the notice of investigation from the Department of Education.
“We believe that our campus policies and procedures are compliant with Title IX and all other federal and state laws,” that statement says. “We will work with the [Office for Civil Rights] to fully resolve this complaint.”
MEMBERSHI
O discount f mas
ec o r s who wish t or client ogramisdesign ership pr urmemb
enient o e conv e ith thr sage. W
MASSAGE MEMBERSHIPS
• Choose from 60, 75, or 90 minut
Our membership program is designed to offer a discount for clients who wish to receive regular massage. With three convenient options to
• Savings on regular treatme with a convenient auto-pay s for easy checkouts. stem ents o tions t p egular e r eiv dtooffera
• Schedule as you like, or schedu appointment for a recurring day a
• Save unused massage cred for up to 6 months per cred
$ a e OURCHOICEOF O ANDGETY
• Flexible scheduling with the a to share credits with friends and mily $12off) ge s.sage y MAY mas F $12 o ), le your nd time. its it. bilit fam T SE OR FIRS WELS F O ONES,T T S Y, HO
SIGN UP IN THE MONTH OF MAY AND GET YOUR CHOICE OF A FREE ENHANCEMENT OF EITHER AROMA THERAPY, HOT STONES, OR HOT TOWELS FOR THE FIRST 3 SESSIONS. y e o ce e
ENHANCEMENTOFEITHER THERAP T YOU ALSO GET A 10% DISCOU ALL BOUTIQQUUE ITEMS WHILE MEMBERSHIP IS CURREN AND 5% OFF ANY OF OU AK TREA FOOT SO ATTMENT
EXCLUSIVE: Payton McNabb’s victim speaks out
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
On May 2, 2024, a brief, awkward moment inside a women’s restroom at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee was recorded, uploaded to social media and sparked a flashpoint in America’s ongoing culture wars.
At the center of the encounter was Payton McNabb, a former high school athlete and emerging anti-trans activist who walked into that restroom, and Paige LeBlanc, the trans woman and WCU student who was in that that restroom.
Within hours, LeBlanc’s presence in that bathroom had been broadcast all over the world, fueling an incendiary national narrative around gender identity and public spaces. For nearly a year, she remained silent.
Now, she said, she’s “tired of hiding.”
For the first time, she’s speaking publicly, offering an unflinching look at what happened that day, the institutional response and what she calls the federal government’s latest attempt to turn her and others like her into a political scapegoat.
Born and raised on Florida’s Gulf Coast, LeBlanc left home to attend the University of Vermont but struggled with the isolation, eventually dropping out and then setting out on a cross-country journey that took her through the American West.
“I ended up in Las Vegas, and I started camping in and around the city, all of the national parks around there ... I wish I could say I loved every minute of it, but to tell you the truth, I was the loneliest I had ever been,” she said. “Eventually I came to realize that the answer to that was transitioning and accepting that I could be beautiful and loving and a part of that.”
LeBlanc ultimately landed in North Carolina and enrolled at Western Carolina University in 2024, seeking a fresh start in a place where she could live openly as herself. For a time, it worked.
“WCU became a home for me ... until I met Payton McNabb,” she said.
In high school, McNabb claims to have been injured by a transgender athlete during a volleyball match, but has never provided medical documentation supporting her claim. That led to McNabb becoming a paid spokesperson for an anti-transgender group and even led to an invitation from First Lady Melania Trump to attend an address by President Donald Trump on March 6.
The incident that would make LeBlanc an unwilling public figure occurred at the very end of the Spring 2024 semester. After attending a pro-Palestine rally on campus, she stopped to use a bathroom in the central dining hall.
“As I was leaving my stall, I was aware of someone in the corner of the room by the door to the entrance, and they were just glaring at me,” she recalled. “They eventually walked past me towards my open stall, as though they were, like, observing me.”
LeBlanc says McNabb bumped into her
from behind, making contact with her backpack.
“I said, ‘Excuse me,’” Leblanc said. “And that’s when you can see everything else on the recording.”
LeBlanc also claims that she didn’t know she was being filmed.
“I didn’t learn about it until the next day that there had even been a recording. I honestly didn’t know in the moment that she had her phone out and was recording it. I
was too terrified and too stricken by what was happening that I just missed it, I guess,” LeBlanc said. “The only thing that there wasn’t in the video was my name. You can see my face, you can hear my voice and she blasted where I go to school in the caption.”
The video quickly spread through conservative online spaces and was later amplified by accounts like Libs of TikTok. It wasn’t long before people on and off campus identified her. The reaction was swift and vicious.
“People calling me a pedophile, mentally ill, people saying that if they’d had a gun, it would have gone differently — things like that,” she said.
Officials from WCU contacted LeBlanc soon after the video went viral. She subsequently filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment under Title IX.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law passed as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination
Paige LeBlanc says she’s “tired of hiding.” Donated photo
in educational programs or activities that receive funding from the federal government. While it applies broadly to issues of gender equality in education, it is perhaps best known for expanding opportunities for women in athletics. Title IX also covers protections against sexual harassment and assault, ensuring that schools take steps to prevent them. The law plays a crucial role in promoting fairness and equal access in educational environments across the United States.
“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew that I didn’t deserve what had happened,” she said. “I should absolutely fight this, and I should fight for my rights.”
What followed was a months-long investigation that culminated in a hearing LeBlanc describes as more traumatic than the restroom incident itself.
“Her lawyer, William Ellis Boyle, he asked at least six questions about my genitals ... I was compelled to answer by the hearing panelists,” she recalled. “I just couldn’t understand how that was relevant,” she said. “I, the victim of this incident of transphobia, was being grilled and essentially humiliated.”
political campaign against trans people.
“Trans people are not the issue,” LeBlanc said. “The issue is that we have a government that has chosen to make straw men out of an incredibly vulnerable, incredibly small group of people who pose no harm, no threat to anyone.”
LeBlanc said she considered speaking out sooner but was constrained by confidentiality agreements tied to the Title IX process, as well as her concerns about finishing her collegiate career without distractions.
“I never wanted to be famous or get this kind of notoriety, certainly not in this way where I’m a victim, where I’m humiliated, where I have no say in how I’m being portrayed,” she said.
Then came the moment, on a late-night talk show, that changed her mind.
“I saw the John Oliver thing,” said LeBlanc. “There I was in the corner of the screen with my face blurred out, and I just thought I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to be my legacy forever ... this nameless, faceless victim of a transphobe.”
With recent news of the federal investigation, she realized she couldn’t stay silent any longer.
“I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. I knew that I didn’t deserve what had happened,” she said. “I should absolutely fight this, and I should fight for my rights.”
Paige LeBlanc
In the end, no disciplinary action was taken against McNabb.
“It became clear to me, as that process went on, that ultimately, cisgender people can’t be trusted to make good decisions for trans people’s rights because they don’t understand how hurtful it is to be constantly misgendered, to be dressed down and dissected and violated,” LeBlanc said.
While LeBlanc said she felt personally supported by some administrators, she also acknowledged institutional limitations.
“I would have liked to see an official statement that condemned this action, but I kind of get that their hands are legally tied,” she said. “I felt very protected. I don’t know if that’s the right word, but I felt like they definitely were considerate of my well-being and I really appreciated that.”
Since the Title IX case closed, LeBlanc has tried to move forward. She founded the Trans Student Union at WCU, which now boasts nearly 50 members and 300 Instagram followers. The group received an award for its advocacy work during its inaugural semester.
But in recent weeks, she learned that her story isn’t over.
“The Department of Education under the Trump administration is now investigating Western Carolina University for a potential Title IX noncompliance issue [for allowing her to use the women’s restroom],” LeBlanc said. “The first thing they list is that they have credible evidence of a male in the woman’s bathroom — referring to me.”
She believes the case is part of a broader
“We need someone to speak up for us. We need leaders,” LeBlanc said. “Whatever I can do to stand up for my community to fight this, I want to do, and I’m going to do.”
To LeBlanc, the fight isn’t about safety or space. It’s about dignity.
“Nobody signs up for this,” she said. “No one would elect to fight this battle, this humiliating battle over where I get to pee.”
Today, LeBlanc is focused on organizing, advocacy, and building up the queer community at WCU and beyond. An English major, her goals include working in the nonprofit sector, perhaps in grant writing, and lifting up rural LGBTQ voices.
Asked what she would say to Peyton McNabb, the person who filmed and outed her without consent, LeBlanc didn’t express anger.
“I would just ask her if she really thinks this is right, if she really believes what she’s saying, why she hates me so much,” she said. “How do you treat someone like this if you don’t hate them?”
And then, from LeBlanc, the simplest of pleas:
“I’m sorry that she got injured, but I don’t think it was trans people’s fault,” she said. “I just wish that she would leave us alone. That’s it. That’s all.”
If you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or harassment based on gender identity, you can find resources and support through the National Center for Transgender Equality, the Trevor Project or your local LGBTQ+ center.
It’s FRL that may be limiting library funding
R EGAN F LEMMING
G UEST C OLUMN
Let's be clear. No one is “attacking” libraries because we all support the basic function of a true library which Webster's Dictionary defines as “a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (such as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale.” To spread disinformation that people are “attacking” the library we love is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I think some people are just mad that the light has been shined under the bed at the problems.
Counties leaving regional library systems is nothing new because counties are better equipped to manage their money and affairs under the county umbrella instead of a third-party bureaucracy. Regional agreements are dissolved all the time as circumstances change. Maybe the Fontana Regional Library (FRL) made sense in the 1940s, but all three counties have progressed beyond the need to be operated by a polarizing third-party that does not put an individual county's needs
When promises fail retirees
To the Editor:
As a nation, it would be useful to evolve beyond political bias. Dispassionate review of the central government's actions will benefit us more than baseless loyalty to a particular party. Regardless of philosophy, the final “litmus test” of good governance is consistent benefit to its citizens.
In the last months of the previous administration, the willful incompetence of central government became apparent. As a retired veteran, retirement pay stopped October 1, 2024. Endless inquiries via telephone, text, and emails for the following five months produced nothing.
Finally, in April 2025, I resorted to Sen. Tillis’ office with a plea for assistance. The good senator instituted a congressional investigation. On May 5, 2025 (many months late), my retired pay was received. Obviously, Sen. Tillis was the impetus. His office supported this North Carolina citizen against an unconcerned federal bureaucracy. Western North Carolina is very far from the federal flagpole. Without effective representation in Washington, we are forgotten!
Len Constantine Franklin
Tell the left-wingers it’s hands off
To the Editor:
It has been refreshing to see so many on the political left protesting tariffs recently.
For anyone who is not aware, it is well documented that tariffs, not slavery, were the primary reason for the Southern States to secede
first. Why are some people afraid of positive change? Those who want to stay in the past seem full of anger instead of moving forward with a successful county library.
Here are what other N.C. counties who have left their regional library systems have said:
On dissolving the EARL library system in Eastern N.C., leaders said the change would allow county libraries to be more responsive to their respective counties and allow the counties to join a state circulation system, providing access to millions of titles. Times have changed, and the respective counties now have the resources to run their own systems. As state aid to EARL has declined in relative terms since the early 2000s, the counties have taken on more responsibilities, and the change is welcome. The EARL director even supported dissolving the association she was leading!
When EARL dissolved, the counties planned to join the N.C. Cardinal program. Jackson County will join N.C. Cardinal with no loss of access to resources across the state. Nothing with access would change despite the lies that are
LETTERS
in the 1860s. The centralized federal government was usurping the 9th and 10th amendments by overtaxing goods imported and exported from southern ports while using that revenue to only benefit special interest in the northern atates.
Abraham Lincoln, in response to the suggestion by the Virginian Commissioners to abandon the customhouse of Fort Sumter, even said, “If I do that, what would become of my revenue? I might as well shut up housekeeping at once!”
Housekeeping is a euphemism for federal spending, in other words, taxing consumers to subsidize special interests, or what we would call corporate welfare today. Crony capitalism was blatantly unconstitutional and the southern states had every right to leave a voluntary union in the same fashion as the 13 colonies desiring to secede from a centralized British empire.
Lincoln also was quoted in 1848 supporting secession: “Any people, anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable, a most sacred right. Any portion of such people, that can, may revolutionize, and make their own of so much of the territory as they inhabit.”
being stoked by outdated FRL.
A library leader in the EARL system had this to say: “Our patrons won’t notice any difference except for more access.” Did you catch that?! More access.
The N.C. Cardinal program can be joined by any county library. Furthermore, Jackson County will receive the state and federal funds directly instead of those funds being laundered through an antiquated bureaucracy that has become increasingly difficult to manage.
With Jackson County leaving the Fontana Regional Library, we will qualify for grants and funding that were not available to regional library systems and only meant for county libraries, so don’t believe the falsehoods that Jackson County will lose funding. It is the FRL who is violating the President’s executive order “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy” and jeopardizing our federal funding. By refusing to change course with divisive DEI measures, the FRL itself is limiting our funding. That behavior is not acceptable.
(Regan Flemming lives in Cashiers.)
unilaterally destroy the Constitution on multiple levels, yet all of this real American history is forgotten to an uninformed society. So, thank you to the recent protesters for keeping the liberty spirit of our Confederate ancestors alive.
Marxist ideologies. Hands off our free speech rights. For years, leftists have used the process of cancelling people who simply wanted to express their own ideas. No reasonable person believes free speech can only be allowed if it agrees with leftist's distorted views.
He was merely expressing the near-universally held Jeffersonian principle that sovereign States held more authority than the federal government in a voluntary union. Lincoln and his radical Republican Party proceeded to
In the meantime, I agree with hands off my tax dollars, which were not intended for pet projects and the corrupt, virtue-signaling socialists who spew social engineering garbage non-stop. The U.S. Treasury is not a slush fund and a money laundering operation for left-wing non-government organizations to make politicians rich.
Also, hands off my children at school. They are not there to be indoctrinated into
Finally, hands off the American family. The Democratic Party has done everything possible to destabilize the concept of families because they believe that our ultimate allegiance should be to the government. All of these ideas have been tried in the past and failed miserably, but keep protesting to show your true colors.
Jeff Rockwell Macon County
Tapping into community
After several months of unknowns following the destruction from Hurricane Helene, Big Pillow Brewing in Hot Springs is gearing up for a busy summer season. File photo
WNC Breweries
Although Asheville is the epicenter of the world-renowned craft beer scene here in Western North Carolina, with dozens of breweries represented, there are several award-winning establishments west of the city, right here in our backyard.
• 7 Clans (Waynesville)
• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier)
• Appalachian Grail Brewing (Hayesville)
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva)
• BearWaters Brewing (Canton/Maggie Valley)
• Big Pillow Brewing (Hot Springs)
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville)
• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City)
• Buck Bald Brewing (Murphy)
Following Helene, Big Pillow Brewing crafts its next chapter
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR
On a recent sunny afternoon in Hot Springs, it was almost impossible to find a parking spot within vicinity of Big Pillow Brewing in downtown. And, for the tiny mountain town, this was a joyous sight compared to what the community has gone through as of late.
“It feels great to see all these smiling faces,” said Chris Donochod, co-owner of Big Pillow. “And things are starting to feel a little more familiar again.”
Just about eight months ago, floodwaters from Hurricane Helene bulldozed through the mountains of Western North Carolina, with Hot Springs (population: 538) smack dab between the French Broad River and Spring Creek. Both bodies of water ripped through the community, destroying most of downtown in the process.
And yet, here we are. The town of Hot Springs remains; so do its residents. A good portion of the downtown is still in limbo, with many of its businesses yet to reopen.
Following extensive damage to the brewery from the flood, Big Pillow reopened its doors in March. The return of the business has been an inspiration to the community for the inevitable return of their beloved town.
“It’s been a long road to get here. And we realize what we lost for six months of so,” Donochod noted. “The community here is a group of amazing people. And I think the storm brought out the best in our communi— so many people helping other people.”
Pouring its first ales on Christmas Day 2020, Big Pillow Brewing is the creation of Donochod and his wife, Amy Rubin.
Want to go?
Featuring a wide range of handcrafted ales, Big Pillow Brewing is located at 25 Andrews Avenue North in downtown Hot Springs.
Longtime residents of WNC with a deep appreciation for the craft beer scene here (Rubin formerly worked for Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard), the couple was looking to spark something special in Hot Springs.
A former rafting guide in WNC, Donochod named the brewery after a whitewater rapid on Section 9 on the French Broad River. To note, Donochod was also the co-founder of the former French Broad River Festival, a cherished annual music gathering that lasted the better part of a quarter-century.
“[Craft beer] was always kind of a side hobby of ours,” Donochod said. “We enjoy good beer and a good atmosphere to enjoy that good beer.”
Alongside its 10-barrel system pumping out some of the finest ales in the region, the cozy property features live music regularly, with the large stage anchored in the back of the beer garden. For culinary delights, Big Pillow has an onsite partnership with The Grey Eagle Taqueria. The space also plays host to weddings and other events.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin)
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville)
• Hayesville Brew (Hayesville)
• Hoppy Trout Brewing (Andrews)
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva/Dillsboro/Cullowhee)
• Laughing Dogs Brewing (Hayesville)
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin/Sylva)
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City)
• Native Brews (Cherokee)
• Nocturnal Brewing (Hayesville)
• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands)
• Snowbird Mountains Brewery (Andrews)
• Testament Brewery (Murphy)
• Valley River Brewing (Murphy)
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers)
come, but we wound up having over 200 people here — it was pretty magical,” Donochod shook his head in awe. “People were just happy to be able to get together and do something other than shovel mud.”
“It’s still a little shocking, to say the least,” Donochod reminisced when asked about the flood. “I was able to find parts of our [live music] stage downstream. Someone even found one of our kegs seven miles downstream.”
Hours of operation are noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. FridaySaturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday. As well, the brewery features culinary delights through a partnership with The Grey Eagle Taqueria. For more information, call 828.539.1939 or visit bigpillowbrewing.com.
“It was a huge gamble, but we’re glad we did it,” Donochod said of the road to the here and now. “People really do enjoy the space we’ve created — our vision was correct.”
And even though Big Pillow relaunched to the public earlier this spring, there was a lowkey soft opening on Christmas Day 2024. It was not only the fourth anniversary, but also a symbolic gesture to the community that things were starting to return to normal.
“We thought maybe 60 people would
Gazing around the large beer garden at Big Pillow, Donochod takes note of the buzz in the air of people and conversation. It’s not lost on him, or anyone else in the company, how unique and treasured of a place the brewery has become in Hot Springs. It’s not lost on the community it serves, either.
“We pretty much built this place with our own hands and our friends,” Donochod said. “People see that we’re here for the right reasons — we want to be here.”
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
‘All the summer, all of fall, trying to find my little all in all’
It’s 12:23 a.m. and I can hear the tires from sporadic cars splashing through small puddles on nearby Walnut Street in downtown Waynesville. They say a big rainstorm is coming later today. For now, it’s another pull from the lukewarm Coors Light can. Thoughts of what was, what is, and what might come to pass as the weather gets warmer, my soul restless and anxious to return to the open road.
The sounds of Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys spills slowly out of the stereo speakers. Right now, specifically, it’s the 1936 hit “Sitting on Top of the World.” I’ve always enjoyed the sounds of the “King of Western Swing,” and I’ve been on a deep dive of his music as of late, the melodies soothing what ails me from within my heat. Maybe it’s all the Larry McMurtry books I’ve been consuming this spring (I’m currently tackling the 847-page epic “Moving On.” So far, so good.). Maybe it’s my endless daydreaming of the West, with a handful of trips and anchor points already plotted out on the far side of the Mississippi River. The summer can’t come soon enough.
Maybe so. But, that song sure does hit hard and pretty far down into the chambers of the beating muscle in my chest. Sip, sip the domestic beer. Kick my feet up on the old coffee table. A slight breeze causing the leaves and branches on the big maple tree hovering over my front porch to flutter in the ancient rhythms of nature and nurture.
I just realized that tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of the passing of Bob Wills. What a voice, what a legacy, eh? The music is as timeless as it can get. Here I sit, age 40, on May 12, 2025, blasting his melodies that conjure such imagery and emotions even today. Visions of women who’ve broken my heart, whose hearts I’ve broken. The circle of life. The spice of life. Love lost, love found. Rinse. Repeat.
It’s not lost on me how poignant and serene those old cowboy tunes remain this far into the 21st century. Ol’ Waylon Jennings was absolutely correct when he sang, “It don’t matter who’s in Austin, Bob Wills is still the king.” Amen, my brother. Amen. More of that pedal steel, please. Keep it com’in, and don’t forget to tip your bartender.
Skip ahead to 5:16 p.m. During my gloriously sweaty jog around downtown, I was able to evade the downpour of the afternoon rainstorm hanging over Waynesville and greater Haywood County. By the time I hopped back onto my front porch, the clouds opened up, heavy raindrops obscur-
ing the ancient ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains cradling this community.
The sound of the raindrops splashing down to earth, to nearby mud puddles and paved parking lots is soothing to the eyes and the ears, so is the smell of wet grass and damp air. The air is warm enough to leave the front door open, only the screen
‘Moving On’ is a Larry McMurtry novel.
door is needed at this juncture (my favorite kind of juncture for leisure). Thoughts of when I can finally go camping this spring, strike up the campfire, too.
Memorial Day is quickly appearing on the horizon, the “unofficial official” kickoff to the mischief, shenanigans and adventures that summer brings about like clockwork. Sunshine and cool waters to swim in. Pack the coolers and fill up the gas tank. Aim the nose of my rusty, musty ole reliable pickup truck to destinations unknown — the purpose always being to follow “the flow” on your journey.
Word on the street is there’s some great live bluegrass this evening at the 5 Walnut Wine Bar in downtown Asheville. The establishment is truly my most favorite place to hunker down and watch the world wander by the big front windows, which are sometimes open when the raindrops are too heavy, just light enough to create ambiance.
For now? More Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys echoing from the speakers. I can’t seem to shake his songs at the moment, the instruments and voices riding the same wavelength of my mindset at this very moment, and for many moments lately where I’ve found myself purposely lost in thought, purposely moving at my own pace.
And it’s been nice to kind of “slow down” a tad this spring. Sure, the news never (ever) stops and, yes, I tend to find
myself spending many nights in hotel rooms or taking naps in truck stops across the country than actually sleeping in my quaint bed. And, yeah, that’ll probably be the case come summer, once again. But, to actually sit at my writing desk in my humble abode, to type wildly and listening to the rain has been cathartic for my body and soul.
To that point, though, I received a very welcomed message today from one our readers, a seemingly jovial fellow who checks out this here column each and every week. It meant a lot to hear from you, my friend, especially when you wrote such kind words: “What you talk about in your articles is spot on. If you make up your mind and a seed is planted, you can do about anything regardless of what someone else has to say. Take care and keep them coming.”
I suppose my rambling ways and words are able to make connections with others. That’s always been the point of this page, anyhow. It’s about nothing and everything and, hopefully, making sense somewhere in-between. Who cares if there’s a point to made, right? On a daily basis, most of us (probably all of us) find ourselves in a stream-of-consciousness thought process. That’s just how the human mind and endless subconscious works in real time, in real emotion.
I digress. It’s high time to clean myself up and motor over to Asheville. Catch some bluegrass. People watch from one of the wooden stools in front of the big windows. Maybe spark a conversation with a new friend. Maybe crack open that McMurtry book and push beyond my daily page quota, seeing as the weather is ideal for diving deep into Texas literature over a glass of wine.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
HOT PICKS
1
Presented by Rock for Relief WNC, the “Black Tie-Dye Ball” will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 23, at The Orange Peel in Asheville.
2
The annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series will feature indie/soul rock ensemble Shane Meade & The Sound at 7 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
3
Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host Will Kimbrough (singer-songwriter) at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 25.
4
A special production of “Next to Normal” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. May 23-24, 30-31, June 6-7, 12-14 and 2 p.m. May 25, June 1, 8 and 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
5
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Chain (Fleetwood Mac tribute) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 23.
Garret K. Woodward photo
HCC quilting, upholstery show
Dubbed “Stitched in Time: The Legacy of Quilting & Upholstery in Haywood County,” a special quilting and upholstery show will be held from 4-6 p.m. Friday, May 30, at the Mary L. Cornwell Gallery in the Sycamore Building at Haywood Community College in Clyde.
This event is a special dedication to honor the impact of quilt work and upholstery in our community.
Featuring a variety of speakers and information, guests will have a better understanding of the impor-
Chappell statue unveiled
The Haywood County Public Library recently unveiled a memorial to Fred Chappell at its Canton branch, which honors his literary achievements and dedication to teaching creative writing.
Fred Chappell.
File photo
A native of Canton and graduate of Canton High School, Chappell (1936-2024) authored over 30 books of poetry, fiction, and criticism. He was North Carolina’s Poet Laureate from 1997 to 2002 and a distinguished English professor for 40 years at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Art fundraiser for local schools
The annual QuickDraw art fundraiser will once again be held from 4:30-9 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville.
The cocktail social will include an hour-long QuickDraw Challenge, live/silent auction, refreshments and dinner. Live artists will be working in the public eye, creating timed pieces, which will then be auctioned off.
Proceeds go to art classroom supplies in schools and college scholarships for art-related studies. QuickDraw’s signature auction for art education features several unique items to benefit art education in schools.
QuickDraw offers artists a way to show off and to support art teaching’s importance. For attendees, it’s a
• “Quilted Expressions: A Celebration of BlockBased Art,” an innovative exhibit that reimagines the traditional quilt, will run through June 2 at the Haywood County Arts Council downtown Waynesville. This unique showcase challenges conventional ideas of quilting and expands the definition of what a quilt can be. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, visit haywoodarts.org or email director@haywoodarts.org.
• WNC Paint Events will host painting sessions throughout the region on select dates. For more information and/or to sign up, visit wncpaint.events.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host
tance of these programs as part of the community and HCC’s legacy. The upholstery program offered by HCC has been educating our region for 44 years and the quilting program for 20 years.
Using the gallery space on campus, numerous quilts and upholstered items will be displayed for one month, with the big reveal occurring at the event. This gallery display will highlight amazing pieces and the history of the work, with the Appalachian heritage shining through.
Previous instructors, students, and community members are all welcome to join the event. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit, haywood.edu.
Chappell was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame in 2006. Among his awards are the Sir Walter Raleigh Prize and the North Carolina Award in Literature.
The Fred Chappell Memorial is located at the entrance of the Canton Branch of the Haywood County Public Library and features a small courtyard design with a curved seat wall and art sculpture. The metal sculpture, depicting Chappell’s books, was created by Haywood County artist Grace Cathey.
Privately funded, the memorial is a collaborative effort of Chappell’s family with the Town of Canton, Haywood County Government, the Canton Area Historical Museum and the HCPL.
The Canton branch of the HCPL is located at 11 Pennsylvania Ave.
rare chance to watch art be built from the ground up and to see the end product on the same day. For visitors and potential residents, it’s a way to make friends, discover artists to commission and tap into the philanthropic community.
For art teachers, it’s a lifeline for funding classroom art initiatives in a cash-strapped school system. Since 2002, QuickDraw has funded $239,000 in art supplies and college scholarships in Haywood County Schools.
Tickets are $125 per person (advance only). VIP tables and sponsorships are also available. A portion of the ticket price pays for art teacher dinners.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit quickdrawofwnc.com or call 828.734.5747.
“ArtWorks” at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Come create your own masterpiece. The materials for art works are supplied and participants are welcome to bring ideas and supplies to share with each other. Ages 16 and up. Space limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. 828.283.0523 / cre828.com.
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. 517.881.0959 / galleryzella.com.
A special new exhibit, “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop” will open on Thursday, May 29, at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee.
On view through May 2026, the exhibition features works by students of Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) handcrafted during an intensive three-month workshop.
Renowned for her pottery, McCoy began making crafts at 12 years old. She honed her skills while taking arts and crafts classes with Alyne Stamper (EBCI) and has won numerous awards at the Cherokee Fall Festival and at Southwestern Association of Indian Arts (SWAIA) Santa Fe Indian Market.
Today, she shares her knowledge with others. Designed to increase and uplift pottery making among members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, McCoy’s workshop uses a hands-on approach, empowering first-time potters to bring their own personal style to ancestral techniques and methods.
“The Didanisisgi Gadagwatli pottery workshop is an example of how museums can support and uplift great work already happening in the community,” says MotCP Director of Education Dakota Brown (EBCI). “Tara’s dedication to gadugi (community working together for the common good) and intensive approach to teaching has been hugely successful and is a powerful example of reconnections and resurgence. Connection and practice to our material culture is a continuation of our shared Cherokee identity and perpetuates Cherokee pride.”
The artists exhibited include Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle (EBCI), Barbara Jones (EBCI), Paula Wojtkowski (EBCI), Marisa “Sis” Cabe (EBCI), Lisa Howell (EBCI, Pawnee Nation) Malia Crowe Skulski (EBCI), Samantha Cole-Daniels (EBCI), Elvia Walkingstick (EBCI), Maggie Jackson (EBCI), Michelle Lynn Long (EBCI, Mvskoke Creek Nation) and Tara McCoy (EBCI).
MotCP will host an opening reception for the exhibit from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 29. An art market will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the museum lawn.
Both events are free with museum admission. Admission is always free for enrolled members of federally recognized tribes and museum members.
For more information, visit motcp.org.
• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. The club welcomes photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images at the monthly meetings. waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 828.452.0593 / haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 828.631.0271 / jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. 828.339.4000 / southwesterncc.edu/scclocations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. 828.586.2248 / dogwoodcrafters.com.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org.
On the beat
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host Doug & Lisa May 31. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Karaoke Night” Wednesdays, “Trivia” 7 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Jam” 10 p.m. Thursdays, DJ Kilby May 23, Rossdafareye (Americana/funk) May 24, “Trivia After Dark: Lord of the Rings” 8 p.m. May 30 and Hammock Theory May 31. All shows are located in The Gem downstairs taproom and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 / boojumbrewing.com.
• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City) will host Second Change May 24 and Mile High Band (classic rock/country gold) May 31. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 / brysoncitybrewing.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host Helena Rose & Joey Brown (Americana/bluegrass) May 21, Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) 11 a.m. May 26 and A. Lee Edwards (Americana/ indie) May 28. All shows begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-events/livemusic.
• Concerts On The Creek (Sylva) will host Shane Meade & The Sound (rock/soul) May 23 and Natti Love Joys (reggae/roots) May 30. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, but donations are encouraged. 828.586.2155 / mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host Claire Hind “Falling Into” (live reading/music) 7 p.m. May 31. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/music.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” with Matt Rogers (singersongwriter) May 21. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $50 per person, with discounts rates available for hotel guests and members. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Friday Night Live Concert Series (Highlands) will host Foxfire Boys (Americana/bluegrass) May 23 and Nick Chandler & Delivered May 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Alma Russ (Americana/folk) May 21, Fresh Buzz May 23, Crystal Foundations May 24, Bryan Bielanski 3 p.m. May 25, J.R. Williams (singer-songwriter) 1 p.m. May 26, Ben & The Borrowed Band (Americana) May 26, Christopher M. Caruso (singer-songwriter) May 28, Bridget Gossett (Americana) May 30 and Congdon Griffin Band May 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.
Cold Mountain Music Festival
Fireside Collective will play the upcoming CMMF. Donated photo
The annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will be held May 30-June 1 at the Lake Logan Retreat Center in Canton.
Artists to appear onstage include The Last Revel, American Aquarium, Melissa Carper, Fireside Collective, Denitia, The Moon & You, Fancy & The Gentlemen and more.
There will be an array of food and beverage vendors onsite. As well, there will be plenty of outdoor recreation activities offered at Lake Logan. Several lodging options are also available.
For more information, a full schedule of performers and/or to purchases tickets, visit coldmountainmusic.org.
Folkmoot welcomes Las Montanitas
One of the newest and most exciting acts emerging from Asheville, Las Montanitas will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 22, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
Las Montañitas brings the Andes to the Appalachians. The music draws heavily from the Chicha Cumbia scene that emerged in Peru in the late 1960s, featuring psychedelic surf guitar tone, Afro-Colombian dance grooves and Andean inspired melodies.
Folkmoot USA is a premier cultural nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating and preserving the rich traditions of folk music and dance from around the world. Through dynamic events and performances, Folkmoot fosters cultural exchange and community engagement, bringing the world closer together through the universal language of music and dance.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Gabby’s food truck will also be onsite. Tickets are “pay what you can” ($25, $15, $5). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit folkmoot.org or call 828.452.2997.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen (Americana/country) 8 p.m. May 30 and The Righteous Brothers (pop/oldies) 7:30 p.m. May 31. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” 6-9 p.m. Thursdays ($5 cover), Zorki (singer-songwriter) 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, “Bluegrass Brunch” 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sundays (free) and the “Salon Series” with Nicole Atkins (singer-songwriter) 8:30 p.m. May 29 (admission is $28.52 per person, tax included). 828.526.2590 / highlandermountainhouse.com.
host a “Community Jam” 7 p.m. on Thursdays (at the nearby Crown Restaurant) and semiregular live music throughout the week on its campus. folkschool.org.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host The V8s (rock/oldies) May 24, Bryan & Al (classic rock) May 30 and The Accentrix (rock/oldies) May 31. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Roscoe’s Road Show (zydeco/Americana) May 23 and The Waymores (Americana) May 30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Listening Room (Franklin) will host Rod MacDonald (singer-songwriter) 2:30 p.m. June 7. Suggested donation $20. Located at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” with Frank Lee every Thursday, Woolybooger (blues/folk) May 23, Granny’s Mason Jar (Americana) May 24, Terry Haughton (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. May 25, Bridget Gossett (Americana) May 26 and Ron Neill (singer-songwriter) May 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Ryan B. Jazz Trio (jazz/jam) 5 p.m. May 23, The Hillclimbers 2 p.m. May 24, Whitewater Bluegrass Company (Americana/ bluegrass) 5 p.m. May 24, Hotdog Sunrise (rock/jam) 2 p.m. May 25, River Pickin’ 5 p.m. May 30, Laura Blackley (Americana) 2 p.m. May 31, Beer & Loathing 5 p.m. May 31 and Blue (Americana) 2 p.m. June 1. Free and open to the public. 828.785.5082 / noc.com.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host “Peacock Rhythm & Arts Festival” May 24 (starting at noon) and “Songwriters Showcase 53” May 31. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host “Three Tenors & A Soprano” 4 p.m. June 1. Tickets are $65 per person, with seating upgrades available. 828.526.9047 / highlandsperformingarts.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic with Phil” on Wednesdays and Shane Davis (singer-songwriter) May 24. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.586.9678/ innovation-brewing.com.
• John C. Campbell Folk School (Brasstown) will
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays, “Open Mic” 6:30 p.m. May 23, R.A Nightingale (singer-songwriter) May 24, Gavin Byrd (singersongwriter) May 27 and Diana New (singersongwriter) May 30. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796 / facebook.com/rathskellercoffeebarandpub.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Russell” every Monday, Bridget Gossett (Americana) May 23, The Two Armadillos May 24, Susie Copeland (singersongwriter) May 30 and Daniel Pounds May 31. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105 / facebook.com/saltydogs2005.
Saturday, May 23, at The Orange Peel in Asheville.
Headlining the event will be acclaimed indie-rock act Susto. Support will be provided by rising Americana/indie act Holler Choir and indie/folk group Watkins.
Based in Waynesville, Rock for Relief WNC is an organization created by local residents in Haywood County, all in an effort to provide continued relief and awareness for those in Western North Carolina still affected by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene last fall.
To note, with its initial Helene fundraising event last November — an all-day free music festival in Waynesville and greater Haywood County (60 acts on 16 stages) — Rock for Relief WNC was able to raise almost $40,000 in donations, with the majority of proceeds given directly to Mountain Projects, a beloved nonprofit helping those in need in Haywood and Jackson counties. Other donations were given to local musicians affected by Helene.
For the “Black Tie-Dye Ball,” proceeds will be given to the Madison County Arts Council in Marshall. The cherished nonprofit has yet to return to its headquarters in hard-hit downtown Marshall following Helene, with funds greatly needed to return to some form of normalcy for this community center of arts and culture.
Aaron Plantenberg (Commonfolk, Big House Radio) to continue the tradition of flatpicking, travis picking and other traditional acoustic guitar styles. Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.538.0115 or visit mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Saturdays On Pine Concert Series (Highlands) will host Mo Money May 24 and The Holiday Band May 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Bridget Gossett Trio (Americana/rock) May 24 and James Morris (Americana) May 29. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 / scotsmanpublic.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Chain (Fleetwood Mac tribute) 7:30 p.m. May 23. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Trailborn (Highlands) will host its “Carolina Concert Series” with Remedy 58 (blues/soul) May 29. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.482.1581 or trailborn.com/highlands.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Troy Underwood (singer-songwriter) May 22 (free), Mile High Band (classic rock/country gold) May 23 and Lori & The Freightshakers (classic rock/country gold) May 24. All shows are $5 at the door unless otherwise noted and begin at 8 p.m. 828.538.2488 / unpluggedpub.com.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host Amos Jackson (R&B/soul) 6 p.m. May 23, Rich
Manz Trio (oldies/acoustic) 2 p.m. May 25 and Paper Crowns (Americana) 2 p.m. May 31. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 / valleycigarandwineco.com.
• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Jason” Tuesdays, “Tom’s Trivia” Wednesdays, Second Chance May 23 and The Lads 4 p.m. May 25. All shows and events begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 / valley-tavern.com.
• Vineyard At High Holly (Scaly Mountain) will host Jordan Denton May 24, Rail Town May 25 and David Crisp May 26. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.482.5573 / thevineyardathighholly.com.
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Hoto Mozambique (Americana/soul) May 23, Back Dirt Road (Americana/oldies) May 24, “Bee Kind Trivia” May 29, Woolybooger (blues/folk) May 30 and Kid Billy (singer-songwriter) May 31. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 / whitesidebrewing.com.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host “Country Thursdays” (Americana/country) 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Will Kimbrough (singersongwriter) 4 p.m. May 25. Family/dog friendly. 828.200.2169 / eatrealfoodinc.com.
Granny’s Mason Jar will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at Mountain Layer Brewing in Bryson City.
Following in the footsteps of Doc Watson, Norman Blake, Clarence White and Tony Rice, Granny’s Mason Jar brings together the talents of Jared “Blue” Smith (The Blue
Granny’s Mason Jar. File photo
‘Concerts on the Creek’
The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce are proud to present the 16th season of the annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series.
Indie/soul rock ensemble Shane Meade & The Sound will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, May 23, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
Hailing from Elkins, West Virginia, Meade is a self-taught late bloomer who borrowed an old guitar from his father. He began playing and writing songs in the summer of 2000 before relocating to Florida, eventually leaving the corporate world and pursuing music full-time in 2005.
“Concerts on the Creek” are held every Friday night from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, with donations encouraged. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents are allowed. Bring a chair or blanket. There will be food trucks on select nights.
For more information, call the chamber at 828.586.2155, visit mountainlovers.com/concerts-onthe-creek or go to the “Concerts on the Creek” Facebook page.
On the street
Swain County Heritage Festival
The 29th annual Swain County Heritage Festival will be held May 23-24 at Riverfront Park in Bryson City.
Live music, clogging, heritage demonstrations, artisan vendors and much more. Bring a lawn chair to enjoy the festivities. There will also be sack races and kids’ activities. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information and/or a full schedule of events and activities, visit facebook.com/swaincountyheritagefestival or email swaincountyheritagefest@gmail.com.
On the stage
HART presents ‘Next to Normal’
A special production of “Next to Normal” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. May 23-24, 3031, June 6-7, 12-14 and 2 p.m. May 25, June 1, 8 and 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
A powerful rock musical about a mother’s struggle with mental illness and its impact on her family, “Next to Normal” is an unflinching, deeply moving journey through love, loss and healing.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular comedians on the weekends. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. mountaintheatre.com / 828.526.9047.
Tickets start at $19 per person, with other seating options available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit harttheatre.org or call the box office at 828.456.6322.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. smokymountainarts.com / 866.273.4615.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. thepeacocknc.org / 828.389.ARTS.
‘Next to Normal’ will be at HART on select dates.
Donated photo
An insightful look in apartheid, South Africa
Sometimes fictional books, when they’re written well, can give the same, if not more, insight to a people and culture than a history book can. Alan Paton’s “Cry, the Beloved Country” (Scribner, 2003, 316 pages) is one of those novels.
Originally published in 1948, the manuscript was first read by a couple of the author’s friends who frantically had it changed to typescript and shipped it off to several publishers. While it had a mixed reception in the novel’s setting of South Africa, it quickly sold in the United States. Paton, a South African resident, did not write this story as some sort of political propaganda. Instead, like a true artist, he wrote this story to provoke reflection, shed light and deepen our understanding of truths like justice, forgiveness and mercy.
helps him navigate the busy city and track down his son. This is providential for Stephen who, soon after catching the trail of his son, is led to a prison, where Absalom has been arrested for the murder of a white man.
That man is Arthur Jarvis, an activist, well-known for his impassioned fight against
This South African novel begins with a Zulu village priest, Stephen Kumalo, who is set off on a journey to the large, bustling city of Johannesburg after receiving a letter from a fellow priest there, Theophilus Msimangu. In the letter, Msimangu asks that Stephen come and help his sister, Gertrude, who has fallen ill.
Rarely leaving his small village of Ixopo Ndotsheni, Stephen is stunned at the contrast between his rural life to the modern advancements of urban Johannesburg. Here, Paton is already setting the juxtaposition of the outlying tribal culture, characterized by Ndotsheni, which has been dwindling and degrading over time and the more European culture of Johannesburg. One thing I loved about this book is that Paton can speak objectively about two different cultures. He can speak well of one without denigrating the other. He can point out injustices in both cultures without damning them as pure evil, but also calling for reform and growth.
Shortly after Stephen arrives in Johannesburg, he finds out his sister has ended up in a corrupt life of prostitution and alcoholism. He convinces her to leave it behind — for her and her child’s sake — and start anew back home in the village. From there, Stephen embarks to find his son, Absalom, who had left for Johannesburg and never returned. Msimangu becomes a very dear, close friend to Stephen throughout his journey as he
who are anxious of uprisings. In many ways, John’s political beliefs are different from Arthur’s. Where Arthur had peace as his goal,
John is a character only concerned with power. At the end of the novel, we see that like Arthur, Paton is ultimately concerned with preaching a message of love and healing; and he expresses that through the virtuous, lovable character of Stephen as he returns home to Ndotsheni, where there is more work to be done.
racial injustice and coincidentally enough, the son of Stephen’s neighbor in Ndotsheni, James Jarvis. Paton lays out accounts of grief, both of James and his wife at the tragic loss of their son as well as Stephen’s nearly despairing worry at the consequences of his son’s actions. The reader is given a glimpse into some of Arthur’s essays on native life and race relations, thoughts of which foreshadow healing and resolution for characters in the future.
We see another character personifying a political perspective of the time, one who depicts a more extreme school of thought in South Africa. In Johannesburg, Stephen reconnects with his brother, John, who has become very active in politics, where his little shop is a hotbed of debate and conversation and is on the watchlist for the police,
Upcoming readings at City Lights Bookstore
“Cry, the Beloved Country” is an attempt to show the complexity of South Africa’s racial issues, especially when there is a coexistence of very different cultures within the same land. Yet, Paton acknowledges that both the tribal African way of life has strengths, as does the European lifestyle. The flourishing of his country is dependent upon both strengths, but that cannot be reached if people, through their own fears and spite, refuse to recognize the good of the other. I know that not everyone accepted this novel upon publication with open arms, but it did come at a propitious time with apartheid getting established into law a year later. I’m sure this novel shifted at least some of the perspectives of Paton’s fellow citizens, and I hope that it can do the same now, over 70 years later.
Aside from the moving message of this novel, it’s simply an enjoyable read as well. Paton brings South Africa to life through his beautiful, illustrative way of writing. The voice of the narrator embodies the place as well, the African style giving a wild, whimsical feel, something akin to to Rudyard Kipling’s “Just-So Stories”.
In light of the current strife in South Africa, “Cry, the Beloved Country” is a beautifully written and insightful work that will not only inspire healing but also give readers a deeper awareness of the history of that rich land.
(Anna Barren is a teacher and lifelong lover of books. annab4376@gmail.com.)
• Friday, May 23 at 6 p.m. – Peter McDade presents his novel “King Cal” in conversation with Christy Alexander Hallberg. Set in the world of music, the novel explores the creative journey of Calvin, a fast-food worker and aspiring musician, as he loses everything in a single day and must decide if chasing his dream is worth the cost.
• Saturday, May 24 at 3 p.m. – Michael Amos Cody discusses his new book “Streets of Nashville” with Meagan Lucas. The story follows Ezra MacRae, an aspiring songwriter whose big break takes a dark turn after he witnesses a deadly shooting on Music Row — and is left alive to wonder why. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.586.9499 or visit citylightsnc.com.
Renowned outdoorswoman Nancy East publishes second book
Otains of Western North Carolina is that even in places we’ve seen a hundred times, we can always find something new and intriguing. This is a lesson Nancy East, an avid hiker and seasoned search-and-rescue operator, learned over and over again as she wrote her second book, “Historic Hikes in Western North Carolina.”
The work details over 30 hikes, ranging from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the West to the high peaks near Boone in the eastern part of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. While the hikes featured in the book are often well-known for their beauty, whether that’s sprawling forests or sweeping vistas, East focuses on the rich history of the
teries while also paying homage to the Cherokee who loved this land long before white settlers ever arrived. The book also features a few sections in the beginning that will speak to beginner hikers, including a basic gear list and some things to do if someone loses a trail and gets lost.
East said that a couple of years ago, she was speaking with a couple other nature-loving friends who are also writers. They mentioned that History Press had presented an idea to them to write about historic hikes all over the southeast. The idea piqued East’s interest, but she wanted to stay closer to home. After some back and forth with the publishers, they nailed down an arrangement.
East said.
The first step was for East to figure out which hikes she wanted to cover. As she looked around to see if anything similar had been done, she was surprised to learn that while there are some guides specific to the Smokies or certain national forests, there was nothing like she was hoping to write, the kind of thing that focuses on the greater Western North Carolina region, particularly one that prioritized historic hikes.
East hiked each trail, taking everything in through the lens of a guidebook writer, a change of pace for a woman who is more used to the purposeful pace required for search and rescue missions. Not to mention, along with
hiking the 900-plus miles of trails in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But for someone who is so used to getting in as many miles as possible during “production hikes,” as she calls them, the change of pace was refreshing.
“Before, it wasn’t so much to sit there and look at every wildflower and take pictures,” she said. “It was nice to hike slower and really notice things, stop and smell the roses, I guess.”
As she hiked, East used her phone to drop pins at waypoints and take notes, something she wasn’t used to. East chuckled as she recalled that editors would sometimes have notes where they asked F
Nancy East takes a break at a vista along the Plott Balsams. Donated photo
Haywood Waterways offers septic system workshop
Haywood Waterways Association, Haywood County Environmental Health Department and Jennings Environmental are hosting workshops about septic systems and streambank erosion control techniques on Wednesday, May 28.
held 11 a.m. to noon, and Streambank Erosion Workshop from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Haywood County Agricultural Service
Center, 589 Raccoon Rd. in Waynesville. Attendance is welcomed at either or both sessions.
Staff will be on hand to discuss everything there is to know about septic systems — how they work, what are the common problems, the solutions and what financial help may be available for homeowners hav-
for specific mile markers and waypoints, which required her to go back and re-hike certain areas — not that she minded. Any excuse to get out into the woods is a good one.
“I made it harder than it had to be sometimes,” East said. “But that’s just my personality. I would get lost in my thoughts and forget that I’m there for this purpose of writing a book.”
Although East enjoyed taking in these beautiful trails with a different goal in mind, she said that prioritizing the historical perspective was a bit intimidating, especially when it came time to sitting down and outlining each section of the book.
“Once I started to take a deeper dive into beyond what I knew about the history of some of these areas and trails, it was just this mountain of information sometimes,” she said. “Sometimes, it was hard to find more information about certain things, and then sometimes you’d find conflicting sources.”
Next, it was time to sit down and write the book.
“Writing a book is such a long process,” she said, drawing out the last couple of words.
East enjoys that process but admitted that sometimes it can be “soul crushing” when the words don’t come as she’d hope. However, that process was made a bit easier by her familiarity with both the trails and other guidebooks. East has a stack of books she went through, tabbing things
It also helps that this isn’t East’s first rodeo. In 2021, she published her first book, “Chasing the Smokies Moon: An audacious 948 mile hike — fueled by love, loss, laughter and lunacy,” which documented her record-setting quest to hike every mile of trails in the national park. She said already having one book under her belt did make things a bit easier, if only to understand the challenge that awaited her.
But East isn’t stopping with two books; she’s already working on another project, a young adult novel. While she didn’t go into too much detail, she said it will involve search and rescue and will be based on things she’s seen in the field.
For now, East hopes her guidebook can bring others the joy she and her family have drawn from these ancient mountains and the trails that explore their deepest reaches.
“If that could inspire a family to go and start their own tradition of picnics and throwing a Frisbee up on Purchase Knob … that would be a really cool thing to inspire more families to do stuff together outdoors,” she said. “That’s always been important to me because it was so important to our family as our kids grew up.”
Copies of “Historic Hikes in Western North Carolina” are available at Malaprop’s, City Lights Bookstore and Blue Ridge Books, as well as Amazon. In addition, anyone interested can order a signed copy from nancyeast.com.
Staff will be on hand to discuss everything there is to Donated photo
Nancy East takes in the scenery near Hickory Nut Gorge. Donated photo
‘Historic Hikes in Western North Carolina’ is available at multiple bookstores in the region. Donated photo
The Joyful Botanist
BY ADAM B IGELOW
Let this umbrella make you smile
Were you suddenly stuck on a north facing hillside in the Blue Ridge mountains during a Summer thunderstorm and were without jacket or hood, in theory you could pull off the leaf of one of my favorite wildflowers, flip it upside down and wear it on your head like one of those cheesy umbrella hats — that is, if you are near to where the umbrella leaf grows.
Some of the largest simple leaves found in the Southern Appalachian woods are on the umbrella leaf plant (Diphyllea cymosa). Leaves of the umbrella leaf can be over a foot-and-a-half wide and a foot long, which makes for a very large surface area that is only smaller than the bigleaf magnolia (Magnolia macrophylla).
I keep saying “largest simple leaf” because the award for largest leaves in the forest goes to the devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa), whose compound leaves, made up of multiple leaflets, can grow upward of five feet long and four feet wide. A simple leaf is a leaf blade that is one piece, even as it may be lobed or dissected. A compound leaf has two or more distinct leaflets.
For a single, simple leaf, however, the umbrella leaf is certainly impressive, giving the appearance of a tropical rainforest plant with large-leaved plants competing for limited sunlight and hoping to collect as much rainwater as possible. Those two functions are the main advantages of having such big leaves.
them better. It also makes for a stunning visual display that equals the beauty of the flowers.
Umbrella leaf spreads by both seed and underground by rhizomes which makes for some large stands and colonies of these large-leaved plants. They like to grow in areas where water is close to the surface, helping to keep their roots moist. I find them growing on north facing slopes with springs and seepages. You’ll want to take this into consideration if you are trying to grow these in a shady garden, as they will want a lot of moisture. I don’t see this plant sold in the nursery trade, so if you want to add it to your garden, you could harvest ripe seeds and see if you can get them established by sowing them as soon as they are viable.
Puzzles can be found on page 30
Similar in growth habit to mayapples (Podophylum peltatum), the young plants of umbrella leaf will have a single, round, lobed leaf emanating from a central point above the leaf stalk attachment. When the plant attains sexual maturity, it will produce two fan-shaped leaves that look like the large single leaf was split in two. That’s because it was.
Flowers of umbrella leaf are born between these split leaves. Unlike the similar mayapple, whose flowers hang below the split leaves, umbrella leaf flowers emerge from the axle — or connection — of the two leaves and is displayed up above them. The flowers are white with yellow stamens and are clustered in a flat inflorescence of multiple flowers.
Once the flowers are pollinated, the stalks turn a vivid red and the berries turn blue. This coloration helps the fruits stand out from the background, helping birds and other animals involved in dispersal, to see
This umbrella only covers the forest floor in the Blue Ridge area of Southern Appalachia and can be found in the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and rarely in South Carolina and Virginia. However, it has close relatives that live in the similar ecosystems that occur in parts of China and Japan. Those plants share the genus Diphyllea but are different species. Diphyllea cymose is a true Southern Appalachian rarity that I feel is to be celebrated and protected.
(The Joyful Botanist leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)
Among the largest simple leaves found in the Southern Appalachian woods is on the umbrella leaf plant. Adam Bigelow photo
WNC Sierra Club presents ‘Smart Urban Planning and Asheville’
On Wednesday, June 4, at UNCA’s Olli Reuter Center and on Zoom, join Joe Minicozzi of Urban 3 for a discussion of our region’s urban planning.
Minicozzi is an urban planner imagining new ways to think about and visualize land use, urban design and economics. He founded Urban3 to explain and visualize market dynamics creat-
Blue Ridge School hosts soccer camp
Jackson County’s Blue Ridge School is offering a soccer camp at its field. The camp will run from 8 a.m. to noon from May 2830. Ages 6-12. Cost is $60 per day, and registration is open through May 26.
ed by tax and land use policies. Urban3’s work establishes new conversations across multiple professional sectors, policy makers, and the public to creatively address the challenges of urbanization. Urban3’s extensive studies range geographically over 30 states, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and certainly North Carolina and Asheville where he resides.
Minicozzi holds a bachelor of architecture from the University of Miami and master of architecture and urban design from Harvard University. In 2017, Joe was recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.
This free program begins at 7 p.m. at 300 Campus Drive and is open to the public. The Zoom link is on wncsierraclub.org
Jackson County Rec ’Archery 101’ course
Kids ages 10-14 in Jackson County will have the chance to learn the ins and out of archery.
Rose show returns to NC Arboretum
The Asheville-Blue Ridge Rose Society will host its annual Rose Exhibition at The North Carolina Arboretum in the Education Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 24 and 25.
This two-day event showcases the diverse range of roses grown by Rose Society members and at local gardens. Rose Society members will be present
In addition, fall touth soccer registration will start June 1 and will be open the entirety of that month. Practices are set to start in August.
Contact Anna Taylor, 828.631.2023 or annataylor@jacksonnc.org (Cashiers) or Joe Lyon, 828.293.3053, joelyon@jacksonnc.org (Cullowhee) with any questions.
The course will be held from 5-8 p.m. May 30 at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center.
The fee for the course is $20. Course is limited to eight participants. Register online at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/programs.
Join Franklin Bird club for Macon County walks
The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane.
ise and answer questions.
Admission to the event is included with the regular Arboretum parking fee. Arboretum Society Members get in free.
The public is welcome. All walks are weather dependent. Additional information, including directions to each location and a bird club check list can be found at littletennessee.org/franklin-bird-club
Schedule for upcoming walks:
• May 28, meet at the Macon County Public Library parking lot
• June 4, meet at Big Bear parking lot
• June 11, meet at Saladi Lane parking lot
When outdoors, your impact should be smaller than this ad.
The talk will be available via Zoom.
MarketPlace information:
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
Rates:
• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.
• Free — Lost or found pet ads.
• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*
• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE
• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4
• Boost in Print
• Add Photo $6
• Bold ad $2
• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4
• Border $4
Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.
Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com
130 Harbour Place Drive, Suite 270 Davidson, NC 28036
ANSWERS ON PAGE 26
SUDOKU
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, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Pets
WE BUY HOUSES FOR CASH WE BUY HOUSES FOR CASH
ORANGE TABBY CAT — DEXTER 15 year old, calm gentleman looking for his forever retirement home. Shy but loving. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org
HOUND MIX, BROWN & WHITE Glimmer. 2 year old, calm, medium-sized girl. Loves to cuddle and go for walks. Fully potty-trained. Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org Real Estate
