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The second-annual Assault on Black Rock trail race in Jackson County will take place beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 17, starting in the Fisher Creek parking area.
Runners, hikers and walkers are welcome to take on the challenge of this trail race, which traverses the slopes of Pinnacle Park, a preserved watershed outside Sylva.
The course is roughly seven miles in length, and hits elevation gains of 2,700 feet. In other words, this is a tough trail race.
Race Director Brian Barwatt started the event after he fell in love with the course training there for climbing trips, and after realizing the East Fork Trail made a loop out of the trail system that seemed perfect for racing.
He warns that the toughest section is the final quarter-mile to the summit ridge.
“About 90 percent of the course can be run if you are in great shape,” Barwatt said. “The final steep section is the exception, which will put some people on their hands and knees.”
New this year is the Black Rock 101 Challenge, with anyone completing the course in 101 minutes or less receiving an oversized belt buckle. Last year, just seven out of 65 participants would have received this trail trophy. Prizes also will be given out to top finishers.
Proceeds benefit The Community Table in Sylva.
The cost is $25 to preregister and $30 on race day. T-shirts guaranteed to the first 100 people who sign up.
Visit the Assault on Black Rock Trail Race Facebook page for more information or for registration forms. Or go to www.active.com and register, but there is a $3.25 fee.
828.506.2802
Vegetable and flower growers wanting to participate in The Full Spectrum Farms — Growers’ Fair in March can submit vendor applications now.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. March 31 at Monteith Park in Dillsboro. The event serves as a fundraiser for Full Spectrum Farms, a service organization based in Jackson County dedicated to providing life opportunities to people with autism.
This growers’ fair promotes sustainable agriculture by providing local growers an opportunity to sell their products to the public. These products include plants, produce and other agricultural-related products.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.293.2521.
Help root out those unwanted invasives in the forests by volunteering from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday, March 3, along the Appalachian Trail in Hot Springs.
The event is through the Western North Carolina Alliance, as a partner of the Southern Appalachian Cooperative Weed Management Partnership.
Details:
There will be instruction on how to identify invasive exotic plants of concern in the Hot Springs area, as well as how to use manual and chemical control methods. Then volunteers will get down and dirty treating invasive plant species found along the trail. Volunteers are asked to bring lunch, water, and rain gear, as well as sturdy hiking boots, long pants and a long sleeved shirt.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.258.8737.
Orders for fruit and vegetable plants are being taken now through the Haywood County Master Gardener Association, with a March 23 deadline for prepaid orders.
“The goal is to make selected fruits and vegetables available to gardeners in our area at a reasonable price,” said Elizabeth Allen, coordinator of the sale. “All the plants we offer should do well in Western North Carolina and will add edibles to your landscape.”
Plants will be available for pickup from 1 to 6 p.m., April 14, at the N.C.
Fruit bearing trees being offered for the first time are White Mulberry and Paw Paws.
Also available are American hazelnut, Shadbush serviceberry, Black elderberry plus strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and asparagus.
Proceeds from the plant sale contribute to the Haywood County Master Gardener Association grant program, which makes funds available for Haywood County horticultural projects and scholarships for schools and horticultural students from Haywood County.
For order forms through the mail, call Erin Freeman at 828.456.3575.
The Western North Carolina Alliance is hosting a screening of the award-winning environmental documentary “Bag It” at UNC-Asheville’s Highsmith Center at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16.
Try going a day without plastic. Plastic is everywhere and infiltrates our lives in unimaginable and frightening ways. This touching and often flat-out-funny film follows “everyman” Jeb Berrier, who is admittedly not a tree hugger, as he embarks on a global tour to unravel the complexities of our plastic world. Although his quest starts out small, Jeb soon learns that the problem extends past landfills to oceans, rivers and ultimately human health.
The average American uses about 500 plastic bags each year, for about 12 minutes each. This single-use mentality has led to the formation of a floating island of plastic debris in the Pacific Ocean more than twice the size of Texas.
The film explores these issues and identifies how our daily reliance on plastic threatens not only waterways and marine life, but human health, too.
There will be a recycling drop off for plastic bags. You are also encouraged to bring your own cups for light refreshments to reduce the amount of plastic waste.
A donation of $5 is suggested.
828.258.8737.
Registration is under way for a summer fishing camp for ages 13 to 15 at Lake Logan near Canton, an always-popular event.
The Trout Unlimited’s ninth annual Rivercourse Coldwater Conservation and Fly Fishing Youth Camp is designed to teach the ethics of coldwater conservation. Campers will learn about geology, entomology, herpetology, stream restoration techniques, wetlands ecology and environmental policy. In addition, fly-fishing and fly tying instruction will reinforce traditional values of patience, technique, attention to detail and a general love of the outdoors.
It will be held June 17-22 at Lake Logan Center. Attendance is limited to 16 boys and girls, ages 13 to 15. The cost of camp is $595, that includes everything.
Registration deadline is March 15. Tuition is not due until candidates have been notified of selection.
www.rivercourse.org or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will offer a special fly-fishing weekend for women through the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program on March 9-11 in the mountains.
Activities will be held at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and Davidson River Campground, south of Asheville near Brevard in Transylvania County. The registration fee is $125, with partial scholarships available.
“It doesn’t matter what skill level or previous experience you have,” said B.B. Gillen, outdoor skills coordinator for the Wildlife Commission. “This weekend is tailored for individuals, so each angler will gain new skills and improve techniques, and learn about an angler’s important role in conservation on mountain streams.”
Fly-fishing equipment will be provided, but participants can bring their own gear.
919.218.3638 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Promoters and competitors agreed this year’s Icycle Mountain Bike Racing Classic at Fontana Village Resort was one of the most competitive and exciting ever.
The unseasonal warm weather and some route changes brought a totally different feel to this year’s competition at the resort, located at the southwestern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Jan. 28 event attracted riders of all ages to the race event set in Fontana Dam. Changes to this year’s course provided some exciting new single-track action for competitors. Numerous riders mentioned the “screaming downhills” and their intention to return for next year’s event as well as some trail scouting this summer.
Pisgah Brewing Company and event promoters sponsored the after party and awards for racers with a fireworks display on the Village Green.
The N.C. Fly Fishing Team, who count the region’s best fishermen among their ranks, has now hooked one of the best in the nation as their instructor.
George Daniel, formerly coach of the national USA Fly Fishing Team, has agreed to coach the members of Team NC.
Last fall, Daniel came to Western North Carolina to coach the team as a guest instructor, leading to what’s being touted as the first of its kind coaching program in competitive fly fishing. It will feature of cadre of international and domestic instructors, an initiative that team member Paul Bourcq described as the largest, most technique-driven coaching program in recent history.
“I can speak for all team members in saying that we are floored with the realization that an angler like George will be leading coaching for our team, as well as arranging for the other instructors from around the world,” said Bourq, a Franklin resident.
Daniel has been seen on ESPN and OLN while competing in the Great Outdoor Games and the Fly Fishing Masters. He is a certified FFF Fly Casting Instructor. He has won numerous awards and accolades.
Funding from an anonymous investor is helping the North Carolina Team with the coaching efforts.
The Blue Ridge Parkway will be closed between Soco Gap in Maggie Valley to the end of the Parkway in Cherokee through the middle of April.
Repairs are being made to the Big Witch Tunnel along that stretch.
Also, another tunnel repair has closed the section of the parkway from milepost 395 to milepost 405 (from the French Broad Parking Overlook to N.C. 151) for work at the to Ferrin Knob Tunnel No. 1.
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee recently purchased a historic 130-acre farm in northern Macon County and is looking for a buyer to be a steward for the now protected property.
The “Lakey Creek Farm” in the Oak Grove community has 1,100 feet of Lakey Creek running through it and several smaller streams, plus what is thought to be the oldest standing structure in that area of the county.
The farm was purchased at a “bargain” price, according to the land trust.
The property is less than one-quarter mile from the confluence of Lakey Creek and the Little Tennessee River. Lakey Creek is designated as Wild Trout water by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the river is designated as Critical Habitat by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
LTLT hopes to find a conservation buyer for the property who will be inspired to restore the historic structure. The house and property lie in one of the most intact historic and natural landscapes in Western North Carolina between the Cowee-West’s Mill Historic District and the Needmore Game Lands.
Valerie Nieman will visit City Lights Bookstore at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17, to read from and discuss her third novel, Blood Clay.
“Blood Clay is a profoundly moving and beautifully written novel about a community torn apart by tragedy,” said author Ron Rash. “Valerie Nieman is a writer of remarkable talent, and she has given us a book that, once read, will be hard for any reader to forget.”
Nieman is also the author of a collection of short stories, Fidelities, and a poetry collection, Wake Wake Wake. She has received an NEA creative writing fellowship, two Elizabeth Simpson Smith prizes in fiction, and the Greg Grummer Prize in poetry.
A native of Western New York State, she graduated from West Virginia University and the M.F.A. program at Queens University of Charlotte. She teaches writing at N.C. A&T State University and is the poetry editor for Prime Number Magazine.
828.586.9499.
To the Editor:
My heartfelt gratitude to John Corkran of Black Mountain for his letter (Asheville Citizen-Times, Feb. 6) titled “Current alzheimer’s sufferers need more attention.” My wife, Debbie Ginn, was diagnosed with early-onset alzheimer’s. We have struggled with the onslaught of the disease as well as the lack of support available for home care.
In January of this year, I developed a website in Debbie’s name. As time goes on, I will post ongoing pieces to Debbie’s story. I will also post helpful hints along the way with brief videos. It is my hope that this website will be useful to other families and invite all to submit items that may offer support or help to others. Debbie’s website can be found at www.debbiesvoice.org.
Join me as we stumble into coping strategies, all the while knowing that each journey will offer its own challenges and rewards.
David Ginn
Sylva
To the Editor:
A letter appearing in The Smoky Mountain News two weeks ago incorrectly characterized the mission, work, and views of The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee. The letter stated “Environmental Groups like the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee ... would like to severely limit the development of private property in Macon County and elsewhere. They diligently work to get overly restrictive land use and development ordinances established ....”
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) does work diligently — in a nonpartisan manner — to conserve the waters, forests, farms, and heritage of our region. With respect to private property, we typically assist owners who voluntarily seek to protect their land through conservation easements and we sometimes purchase land that we believe has special conservation values.
Our membership, as well as our board of directors, is diverse. Over the years, our supporters have included developers and builders. Those of us not directly involved in those pursuits recognize that construction is an important part of the local economy.
In my experience with LTLT, the common value among our diverse membership and directors is a sense of stewardship, a belief that we have been blessed with a natural and cultural heritage that should be passed on to future generations. So while our main contribution has been to bring voluntary, non-regulatory options for land conservation to our region, LTLT does support ordinances that would assure that development activities are conducted safely and in a manner that does not jeopardize that heritage.
Ken Murphy
Chair, Board of Directors
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee
To the Editor:
How many times do the roadside zoos in Cherokee have to be cited for violations of federal law before the Tribal Council slams their doors shut once and for all?
The three decrepit zoos keep bears in concrete pits and pens without even a blade of grass or patch of dirt. Other animals exist in cramped cages that harken back to the 1950s. Even a cursory internet search shows that the Cherokee Zoo has been cited for multiple issues, including failing to provide animals veterinary care and for unsafe enclosures. Now, a tiger cub was provided an inadequate diet, leaving him underweight and vulnerable to illness.
No one who cares about animals should buy a ticket to these roadside zoos. And the Cherokee Tribal Council should stop pretending that these cruel displays are worthy of their backing.
Leslie Armstrong
Asheville
To the Editor:
One of the most memorable days of my life was Jan. 19, 2001. Macon County had tried to institute a serious zoning ordinance about the size of a telephone book that would have affected every property owner in the county to one extent or another. A citizens’ group was formed to oppose this proposed intrusion on our freedom, studied the matter thoroughly and organized an effort to persuade the county to abandon the idea.
Bumper stickers were distributed, ads were run and an informative rally was organized and publicized. The site was the Community Building and the turnout was almost beyond belief. People packed the large meeting room, the halls were jammed with folks who couldn’t get in the room, and the property in front of the building was wall-to-wall citizens. A second seating was necessary and still many never got in. The sheriff’s department was busy waving people on since there was no parking to be had. The people’s voice was heard. The county dropped its plans of zoning.
The group knew it was a matter of time before other attempts would be made, and the planning board has tried ever since to regulate land use. Public hearings will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, at the courthouse to allow public comment on matters important to the future of Macon County. The planning board has been a constant source of agitation and embarrassment to the county.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners is proposing to bring the planning board under proper control and your support would be helpful. The people’s voice should be heard on this issue.
Don Swanson
Franklin
To the Editor:
At times when difficult decisions are being considered, leaders may seek the counsel of community-minded, experienced individuals for input and clarification of concepts and ideas pertaining to the problem at hand. With this obtained information, experience and opinions, the elected leadership can move forward and make a decision of what would be best for the community as a whole.
What has happened here? A published letter from a Macon County commissioner expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome of the recommendations the planning board was generating. This is another setback for Macon County. Attacking the messenger (planning board) and not dealing with the message is a form of political deflection. The phrase “kicking it down the road” has been used by many individuals during this discussion. Tabling, postponing, shirking, seems to be the rule of the day in our community over the steep slope issue.
Months, if not years, of studies, committees, expert opinions and board resolutions have generated ideas and solutions for safe development in our region. The North Carolina geological map locating dangerous potential slide areas and costing the taxpayers over a half million dollars was also developed during this time period. Frequently, the question of not having enough specialist or expert input for our particular situation is another point of deflection. How many “experts” do you need to screw in a lightbulb? As many as it takes, until we get the answer we want to hear?
What’s now on the table is to “change the planning board” so that we can hopefully get an answer for the steep slope question that certain individuals in this county prefer to hear. The negative attacks and wasted use of qualified individuals on this issue is astounding. I believe we should utilize the data, specialists, and hard work that are already available to our leadership and make a decision. Attacking the messenger and hoping for a different message is not fair to community.
Tom Harris
Franklin
Clarinetist and faculty member Shannon Thompson will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building on the campus of Western Carolina University.
The performance, part of the Catamount Concert Series, is free and open to the public.
The music for the concert spans a wide range of musical styles, and includes “Five Bagatelles” by Gerald Finzi; Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Leslie Bassett’s “Soliloquies” for solo clarinet; “Sholem-alekhem, rov Feidman!,” a tribute to klezmer great Giora Feidman by the Hungarian virtuoso clarinetist Bela Kovacs; and Bach’s Sonata in G minor.
Andrew Adams, WCU assistant professor of piano, will accompany Thompson.
828.227.7242.
The next community music jam at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 16, in the library auditorium.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer — anything unplugged — is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join.
The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned or to learn old-time mountain songs.
The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month – year round.
828.488.3030.
The next Fourth Sunday Contra Dance will be on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Gateway Club in downtown Waynesville.
The dancing will begin at 2 p.m. and go on until 4:30 p.m. AnneMarie Walter will call the dance to the music of Out of the Woodwork.
All dances are done to live music and local musicians are invited to sit in with the band.
No previous experience with contra dancing is necessary and all dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required.
Contra dancing is a form of English country dancing and uses many of the same figures as square dancing such as circles, stars and swings.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Nantahala Brewing Company will hold a release party for the first of three limited bottle release Trail Magic Ale ales beginning at noon, March 10, at its Tap Room in Bryson City.
The first brew is an Oak barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout made with some special ingredients native to the Great Smoky Mountains. The final ABV is yet to be determined but is currently north of 10 percent.
The first keg will be tapped at 4 p.m. A limited number of 750 ml bottles will be available for purchase beginning at 6 p.m. via a lottery system.
Beginning at noon, guests will be given numbered tickets for a chance to purchase bottles. When their number is called, they will have the option to purchase up to four bottles of Trail Magic. There are a limited number available, and people are encouraged to arrive early.
A portion of proceeds from the bottle sales will benefit the Appalachian Trail
Ridgerunner Program, which provides visitor information and trail maintenance, among other duties.
The Dan River Drifters will play at Tuckaseegee Tavern Saturday, Feb. 18, in Bryson City.
The Drifters combine traditional and contemporary bluegrass to craft raucous tunes.
“This foot-stompin’ bluegrass band has continued to improve their licks over the course of playing together for the past four years,” said Jon Terry. “Their driving licks and ability to play off of each other have led these five musicians to a rootsy perspective that you will be glad you came out to see.”
The band consists of Zach and Jesse Lapinski on mandolin and guitar, Andrew Lawson on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Tim Sheehan on banjo and Adam Bigelow on upright bass.
Frog Level Brewing Company will hold the first performance in its Jazz Masters Series from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb 18, at the brewpub on Commerce Street in Waynesville.
The show will feature vocalist Leigh Ann Singleton, known for singing opera, cabaret and show tune renditions as well as classic jazz oldies.
Backed up by the Waynesville Wildcats Band, this concert will also feature the professional debut of saxophonist Ryan Buchanan and the upright bass of David Lawter, of the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, and Rick Eilerts.
828.400.8797 or www.froglevelbrewing.com.
Western Mountains Reading Council’s Community Spelling and Trivia Bee will be held 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 in the fine arts center at Franklin High School.
The family friendly event is designed to celebrate learning while raising awareness and support for the council’s programs and initiatives. The focus for this year is a contribution to the READ2ME initiative.
Teams of three adults and one student will compete in a single elimination competition to spell increasingly difficult words and answer interspersed trivia questions. Teams are encouraged to create a team name; wear unique teams tT-shirts or costumes, and to bring a cheering section.
Prizes will be awarded to the teams with the most creative team name/costumes, the most money raised and the biggest cheering section.
The registration fee to participate is $50 per team, and there will be a $2 admission fee for spectators.
828.349.1325 ext. 432 or 828.526.2147.
Haywood Community College will hold a book fair Feb. 13-17 in the multi-purpose room of its Regional Center for the Advancement of Children.
The fair will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. each day. Books will be available for sale on a variety of topics and will be age appropriate for children up to 5 years old as well as school-aged children.
Participants will have the opportunity to help the RCAC expand their book collection by purchasing a book to donate to the center. Visitors are also encouraged to visit the center’s new media center. The media center is available to all RCAC students and their families.
828.627.4521.
Students will explore ways to make their own book cloth from lightweight fabrics during a class starting Thursday, Feb. 23, at Southwestern Community College’s Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts.
The class will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the OICA center on Bingo Loop Road in Cherokee. Instructor Phyllis Jarvinen will demonstrate how to use both recycled and new fabrics. The cost is $30.
828.339.4497.
The Groovy Movie Club will show the film “Moneyball” beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17.
A mostly organic potluck dinner will precede the screening at 6:15 p.m. The screening will take place at Buffy Queen’s green, solar-powered home in Dellwood. The event is free and open to the public.
The Groovy Movie Club meets the second or third Friday of every month. The mission of the club is to show excellent films, both feature and documentary, with a message.
828.926.3508 or 828.454.5949 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will play “The Lion King” at 3:30 p.m., Feb. 21.
The animated film follows a young lion cub named Simba (voiced by Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) who can’t wait to be king. But his uncle (Jeremy Irons) craves the title for himself and will stop at nothing — even killing his own brother — to get it.
The movies are free to the public, and the library will also be giving away one free movie check out voucher to each patron who attends the movie. Popcorn, provided by the Friends of the Marianna Black Library, will be served in the library auditorium starting at 3:20 p.m.
828.488.3030.
The Voices of the Laurel singers will relive the classic age of MGM movies, the magic of Disney and the special effects of contemporary film during their Valentine’s concert from 6 to 9 p.m., Feb. 18, at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.
Tickets are $20 per person, $35 per couple or $140 for a table for eight. The money will benefit the choirs and their travels.
Voices in the Laurel provides choristers the opportunity to participate in performance tours all over the world. Voices in the Laurel is planning for a summer 2012 performance tour in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain.
828.335.2849 or www.voicesinthelaurel.org.
The fourth- and fifth-grade students at Central Elementary School in Waynesville were recently treated to some time-travel art thanks to Professor Mark A. Menendez (a.k.a. artist/instructor Mark Menendez), who traveled back in time to visit Leonardo da Vinci and bring back the secrets of the master’s Mona Lisa to share with the students.
Menendez skillfully weaves a little entertainment, hands-on, story telling and professional art instruction to give the students a taste of art and art history by employing and demonstrating the same techniques and processes da Vinci used to create his masterpieces.
Menendez grabs the attention of his 21st Century students by starting the program with a video showing him launching his Time Carriage and charging through a time portal to meet personally with the fabled da Vinci. Then he begins explaining the secrets he brought back with him.
In da Vinci’s day, artists didn’t have canvases to paint on. They painted on wood. But they couldn’t paint directly on the wood, because it would absorb the paint. The wood had to be covered with “gesso” a chalky white pigment that was mixed with glue, similar to plaster. But then one couldn’t draw on the gesso — so what next.
Menendez explained that da Vinci did a charcoal drawing of Mona Lisa, then in an interactive demonstration with one of the students showed how the drawing was transferred to the wooden “canvas.” The main lines of the drawing were pierced with small holes and the drawing was affixed to the gesso. Next the artist, or in this case a Central Elementary student, would take a cloth dusted with charcoal and “pounce” it (slap or bounce) over the drawing. Then Menendez would remove the drawing and there to the gasp and wonderment of students and some adults would be a beautiful outline of Mona Lisa. This entertaining and enlightening program lasts 45 minutes and goes into great detail about the techniques and tools of the period and about Mona Lisa – the painting and the person.
Menendez’s “Time for Art” program was coordinated through a matching grant between the Haywood County Arts Council and Central Elementary PTO.
“The Arts Council has a definite role to play in bringing art to our local schools,” said Kay Miller, executive director at Haywood County Arts Council. Miller said the Arts Council was helping bring about a dozen programs to students of all ages across the County, this year. She said the Council works with several long running programs like Voices in the Laurel, the Community Chorus and the Community Band and is always looking for other ways to partner with other schools and/or PTOs. Central PTO and the Arts Council partnered for two well received programs last year and have one more (a poetry residency featuring local poet Michael Beadle) scheduled for this March.
Mrs. Pitts’ fifth grade participated in the “Time for Art” program. She said it was a real treat for students to get to hear from experts in other fields.
“It’s great for them to be exposed to new ideas about the possibilities that are out there for them,” Pitts said.
Central Elementary Principal Anne Rogers called the program “awesome.”
“We love it anytime we can tap into outside resources that have educational value to share with our kids,” she said.
While Central is officially an A+ school — one that uses arts-integrated instruction including visual arts, music, drama, creative-writing etc. to enhance learning opportunities — Rogers notes that funding cuts make it hard to truly accomplish these goals.
“We are A+ in nature,” she said “and the teachers work to bring art into the class, creating lesson plans that incorporate art, science and music rather than simply talking about them.”
Menendez, a formally trained artist who lives in Andrews, teaches at several locations across the region including Mountain Home Collection in Waynesville. Menendez said that he learned at an early age, while taking art lessons, that he also had a passion for teaching art. Menendez has paintings in the Mission Nobre de Dios Museum in St. Augustine, Fla. plus many other private and corporate collections. He is also an accomplished book illustrator but he believes “Art should be accessible to everyone and needs to be encouraged in our school and in all walks of life.”
He has taught his “Time for Art Program” for students of all ages at venues like Cullowhee Valley Elementary, Andrews High School, Pisgah High School, John C. Campbell Folk School and many more. To learn more about Menendez and his programs visit www.timeforart.tv.
Work by Ron Laboray, assistant professor of painting and drawing in the School of Art and Design at Western Carolina University, will be on exhibit through Friday, March 30, at the WCU Fine Art Museum.
An interview with Laboray will begin at 4 p.m., Feb. 16, at the museum followed by a reception for the exhibit at 5 p.m. The event is free, and the public is invited.
“Surveying Imagination Land: Ron Laboray” offers an archeological perspective of art, with subjects taken from pop culture past and present. Laboray’s subjects stem from similar types of material, such as pop culture, junk mail and spectacle.
“It’s a great opportunity for students and local residents to experience artwork that truly brings something new to the table,” said Denise Drury, interim director of the WCU Fine Art Museum.
The WCU Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday (and until 7 p.m. Thursdays). Admission and parking are free.
828.227.2553 or www.fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.
The Haywood County Arts Council has opened a new show entitled, “It’s Elementary!” The show will run through March 3 on Main Street in Waynesville, and an artist reception is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m., Feb. 18. The event is open to the public.
“It’s Elementary!” is an elementary-themed show that features artwork by elementary school students, elementary school art teacher Nicole Wilhelm, retired elementary school art teacher Suzanne Leclaire, and artists Clint Hardin and Claire Boyer, who got bitten by the “art bug” in elementary school.
The Fruit Jar Parables is now on display in the Macon County Public Library.
Brent Martin lives in the Cowee community of Western North Carolina in what is known locally as the Doc Clark house. He paints Mason jars and related esoterica on pressed tin that he is removing from the ceilings of this old farmhouse.
He first got hooked on blue ball Mason jars while watching his grandmother can Brunswick stew each summer after the family’s annual July 4 reunion. He also spent a lot of his childhood digging through trash piles behind old abandoned houses looking for them and other interesting glassware.
Martin also writes poetry and essays and has published three chapbook collections — Poems from Snow Hill Road, A Shout in the Woods, and Every Breath Sings Mountains, with writers Thomas Crowe and Barbara Duncan.
He currently serves as the Southern Appalachian Regional Director for The Wilderness Society in Sylva.
Haywood Community College’s Quilting Workshop day class just finished quilts that will benefit Mountain Projects’ Share the Warmth campaign as well as support U.S. troops stationed in Germany.
“Making a quilt is an act of caring for somebody,” said student Debbie Riker.
When student Rikki Williams’ son underwent brain surgery, a local church gave him a prayer quilt. From this act, Williams’ inspired her entire family to participate in the Wounded Warrior Project. The class will send more than 20 lap quilts to soldiers who are recuperating at a hospital in Germany.
“When this was project was laid on my heart and I shared it with the quilting class, these ladies stepped up to the plate,” Williams said. “The students donated all the fabric.”
During the Share the Warmth concert on Sunday, February 12 at Haywood Community College’s Auditorium, a Confetti Quilt crafted by the class will be given away.
Tickets are available for $1 each or 6 for $5 and can be purchased at the HCC Foundation or the HCC Bookstore. Proceeds from these tickets will go 100 percent to Mountain Projects’ Heating Assistance Program.
828.627.4522.
The Bascom, a visual arts center in Highlands, is offering early bird discounts on adult workshops and classes in ceramics, painting, photography, journaling and drawing this year.
Sign up for any adult class or workshop, priced at more than $100, by March 31 and receive a 10 percent discount when you pay in full.
The Bascom also hosts Winter Barn Dances with music by JP Harris and the Tough Choices. The dance on Feb. 25 will honor educators; the event begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 per person and can be purchased at the door. Food and libations will be available for purchase.
The Bascom is now open year-round — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.
The Downtown Waynesville Association is seeking heritage-themed vendors for the second annual Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration, June 9, on Main Street.
In the interest of protecting and preserving Appalachian traditions, this event will be a celebration of traditional mountain craft, food, and entertainment. Exhibit space will be made available to vendors demonstrating and selling handmade Appalachian art and crafts such as blacksmithing, leatherworking, quilting, weaving, pottery, wood working/carving, painting, etc.
In addition to craft vendors, the event is seeking demonstrators for Appalachian life skills such as lumberjacking, butter churning, soap making, storytelling, native plants, beekeeping, and food preservation. Vendors interested in exhibiting personal collections of antique items such as tools, household items, quilts, tractors, wagons, pre 1940s cars, etc. are also being sought for participation.
Applications accepted until April 16.
828.456.3517 or www.downtownwaynesville.com.
The Haywood County School District has landed a $1 million grant to fight childhood obesity by encouraging an active, healthy lifestyle through the Carol M. White P.E. program.
Haywood County Schools was one of only 76 successful applications selected from a pool of 585 nationwide and the only school district awarded in North Carolina. Funding for the first year is $375,101.
The grant will fund Mountain ROADS (Reducing Obesity via Activity and Diet for Students). The “Mountain ROADS” program will be used to improve curriculum, instruction, nutrition, and activity choices for students. The program will prepare students for a lifetime of active health with a variety of team and individual activities as well as some non-traditional physical activities. The program also offers physical education and health staff the opportunity to attend staff development. The staff development provides opportunities to learn new strategies to help students become more physically active and healthy.
The Blue Ridge Breakaway was recently named the 2011 Ride of the Year by blogger Aaron West of StepClimbs.com. The cycling event brought more than 400 riders to Haywood County last August, and placed first for overall enjoyment. Blogger West, in distinguishing the race, pointed to “exciting” and “long descents” down the Blue Ridge Parkway. He singled out the race as among the “most organized ride” he’d participated in. The event featured a Century (105 miles), Metric Century (65 miles), 40 mile and a 24 mile ride.
Women and girls can learn about a variety of activities that will inspire them to lead active, healthy lives at National Girls And Women in Sports Day, set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the UNC-Asheville Fitness Center.
Highlights include sports clinics in tennis, running, gymnastics, zumba, swimming, golf, and soccer. The event is open to women and girls (ages 6 and up), and provides opportunities to try a new sport or fitness class, or build skills.
The event is sponsored by the Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department in collaboration with UNC Asheville, Buncombe County Parks and Recreation, Girls on the Run of WNC, Girl Scouts Peaks to Piedmont, YMCA, Asheville Ultimate Club, Disc Golf Association and the YWCA.
Registration includes four clinics, T-shirt and goody bag, a healthy lunch, door prizes and a ticket to the Women’s Big South Tournament at UNC-Asheville that same day.
828.350.2058 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Waynesville Middle School student Jed Messer designed a project about water quality for the regional science fair. The project was part of work for Messer’s sixth-grade science class.
“Students at Waynesville Middle School take part in a science fair that encourages students to think like scientist,” said Kitty Eaker, Messer’s teacher. “They work for several weeks designing a science project that uses the scientific method to solve a problem.
Messer spent time at local creeks sampling and recording data.
His work is centered on understanding how development in Haywood County impacted runoff and sediment deposits in the water, sediment being Haywood County’s major pollutant. He figured out that water quality and land use were connected, and he set out to design a scientific experiment to show it.
Haywood Waterways Association supported Messer in his science project.
With several centuries under its belt, the Osborne Boundary Oak on N.C. 110 in Haywood County’s Bethel community has long since qualified for the historic marker recently erected alongside it.
Historic Preservation Committee members with the Bethel Rural Community Organization granted the tree historic designation. The historic marker caps 33 years of a community-driven effort to protect and gain recognition for the tree supported by fans throughout the county.
The state Department of Transportation in 1978 wanted to remove the tree during a highway-widening project, stirring residents to action. The highway was redirected, sparing the tree.
In 2009, when the tree started failing due to old age, the community organization and others stepped in to give it attention to ensure its survival. The tree has witnessed several centuries of history, provided shade for nearby early Native American settlements, edged the trail of the Rutherford Trace march against the Cherokee and served as a boundary marker before Haywood County was established.
The Swain County Cooperative Extension is now taking orders for 3- to 4-foot tall apple, pear and peach trees, plus three-year-old blueberry, two-year-old grape and thornless blackberry varieties.
Money raised will be put into the Swain County 4-H fund and used for future 4-H programming. The apple, pear and peach trees are $13 and the grapes, blueberries and blackberries are $8 each. All plant material will arrive bare-rooted.
All orders and checks must be received by Monday, Feb. 20. The shipment will arrive at the Swain extension service office on Wednesday, March 7.
For an order form go to: swain.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/87/orderform2012.doc
A hike on the Walhalla Trail at Cataloochee Ranch is set for Saturday, Feb. 11, a postponement of an earlier hike date.
The 4-mile hike will begin at 11 a.m. at Cataloochee Ranch, a private preserve and eco-tourism location located on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Maggie Valley. Bring water, comfortable shoes, warm clothes and a camera. Bring dogs, too, as long as they are well behaved and not rowdy. The hike is considered easy to moderate in difficulty. Hike is free for members of Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and is $10 for non-members.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.253.0095 ext. 205 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720.
Learn how to grow your own shiitake mushrooms through the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service and the Master Gardener Association from 9 a.m. until noon on Feb. 25 at the Swain Extension Center at 60 Almond School Road.
The workshop is designed for landowners who would like to grow mushrooms for additional income, as an alternative agricultural crop or simply for personal consumption.
The instructor will cover all aspects of shiitake mushroom production, and people will be able to inoculate and bring home their own logs. Bring two logs — preferably red, white or scarlet oak — that are three inches to six inches in diameter, are 4-foot long with bark intact. The workshop fee is $10.
828.488.3848 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
An introductory beekeeping class will be held this month in Haywood County from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, and Saturday, Feb. 25, at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service building.
Topics covered include equipment, selection of beehive locations, getting honeybees, getting honey from honeybees and more.
The cost is $35 for individuals, $45 for couples and free for students under the age of 18. The fees include a year’s membership in the Haywood County Beekeeper’s Association.
828.456.3575.
The Great Backyard Bird Count, an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent, is coming up.
This year’s version of the Great Backyard Bird Count will take place Friday, Feb. 17, through Monday, Feb. 20.
Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. www.birdsource.org/gbbc.
Judith Toy, ordained by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh as a core member of his order, will be at City Lights Bookstore at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 11 to read from her book, Murder as a Call to Love.
This is the true account of the young man who murdered the author’s sister-in-law and her two teenaged nephews. He hid in the garage in an affluent neighborhood and waited until they were asleep. In the night, he bludgeoned and stabbed them to death and fled.
The perpetrator was a 19-year-old boy from across the street, a family friend. Lost in grief, Toy finds the practice of Zen and later is able to forgive the killer.
“This book will appeal to those interested in Buddhism, particularly the traditions of mindfulness and forgiving,” said Eon Alden, the City Lights publicist.
828.586.9499.
Author Art Ramsay will present a free workshop based on his newest spiritual adventure novel, The Tibetan Wisdom Code at 3 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Blue Ridge Books & Cafe on Main Street in Waynesville.
The event will include a discussion of his book, a book signing and work session on spiritual principles.
828.683.8661.
Relive the classic age of MGM movies, the magic of Disney and the special effects of contemporary film through the music that made them memorable as sung by Voices in the Laurel Children’s Choirs.
The Valentine’s concert will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville and will include a dinner.
Tickets are $20 per person, $35 for couples or $140 for a table of eight.
Voices in the Laurel consists of three children’s choirs under the direction of Martha Brown and has performed all over the globe.
828.335.2849 or www.voicesinthelaurel.org.
Songwriters have three months to enter The Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival 2012 Songwriters Contest in Gatlinburg.
“The primary goal of the SMSWF 2012 Songwriters Contest is to showcase and bring a broader spotlight to the talent we have here in the Smoky Mountains and the Southern Appalachian region,” said Cyndy Reeves, founder of the festival.
The contest is open to all ages and the deadline for entering songs is April 30. The contest will give twenty songwriters the chance to perform at The Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival on Aug. 23-25.
“Songwriters from everywhere have asked me how can they get to perform at the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival,” Reeves said. “So we decided to create something fun and profitable for songwriters throughout the southeast to participate in when we designed the SMSWF Songwriters Contest.”
The five categories are: Bluegrass, Country, Folk/Pop/Rock, Gospel/Inspirational, and Lyrics.
865.604.9066 or www.smswf.com.
