Holiday shoppers across the region, the state, the country and even the world can give the gift of Haywood by visiting gifthaywood.com — an innovative new program helping local small businesses recover from Hurricane Helene. 

Two days after Haywood Chamber President and CEO David Francis announced the creation of a small business grant recovery program for businesses impacted by Hurricane Helene, the Haywood County Tourism Development authority jumped on board — in a big way — while tempering its own expectations of what the post-Helene landscape looks like.

To the Editor:

Kudos to the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority (TDA) for rescinding the grant over the proposed passport program. The program put forth by the entity called IDEA is another example of a certain minority desiring special recognition above others and causing unnecessary controversy. 

Clarification: In the original version of this story, SMN reported that TDA Executive Director Corrina Ruffieux said that IDEA of Haywood County was named on the signature line of the grant application along with Misfit Mountain. Documents provided by the TDA show that to be true for the initial application, but not the subsequent revised application, where no organizations are listed on the signature line. The story has been updated to reflect this information. 

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority voted unanimously today to rescind a $10,000 grant it had previously approved, citing its own failure to properly vet the grant application.

A “community passport” program with the goal of increasing tourist visits and overnight stays by spotlighting businesses that pledge to fight racism, prejudice and discrimination will roll out in September, and the organization charged with implementing the program is looking to spread the word.  

A visually stunning amalgamation of images — both historic and aspirational — now adorns Waynesville’s Pigeon Community Multicultural Development center, breathing new life into an old neighborhood and commemorating the important role of the structure in regional Black history. 

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority announced last week that it had awarded just over $250,000 in grants to 18 organizations for more than two dozen community projects all across the county.