Archived (30103)
Children categories
Country Western Show returns to Tuscola
The Tuscola High School Summit Choir will present the 34th annual Country Western Show at 7 p.m. April 15-16 and…
Read More
WCU jazz festival returns
Western Carolina University’s 14th annual jazz festival will feature an afternoon and evening of music, special guests and celebration from…
Read More
Get in the tub
One of the true beauties of living in the mountains of Western North Carolina is the sheer fact that you…
Read More
Greening Up The Mountains welcomes spring
Drawing thousands of visitors each year, the 19th annual Greening Up The Mountains Spring Festival will be held from 10…
Read More
Opening Day brings renewed sense of hope
I have turned off the talk shows, put down the newspapers, avoided barbershops and changed the subject at family gatherings.…
Read More
Community involvement is the key
To the Editor: I won’t be voting for Michele Presnell, but it seems silly for this newspaper and local elected…
Read More
Board split on future of Franklin property
The town of Franklin has been sitting on about 13 acres of pristine greenway space for about 12 years with…
Read More
Haywood residents to vote on countywide alcohol
Haywood County voters will be asked to weigh in during the general election on whether businesses outside town limits should…
Read More
Towns preach health message to hold down insurance rates
Eric Messer only has one complaint about the health and wellness initiatives the town of Waynesville has been pushing with…
Read More
Canton preps for economic success
Piece by piece, Canton is setting the stage for future economic success through a number of new initiatives.
Read More
Bryson City to keep Fry Street open
Alderwoman Heidi Woodard’s motion for the town to abandon the right-of-way on Fry Street was met with silence at Monday…
Read More
Additional testing under way for SCC shooting range
The lead-contaminated shooting range at Southwestern Community College in Webster is in for another round of testing after the state…
Read More
Bowling alley coming to Cherokee
A family adventure park is not the only project in the works on the Qualla Boundary. In February, Tribal Council…
Read More
Cherokee re-examines adventure park idea
After four years of hibernation, Cherokee’s plan to build a one-of-a-kind family adventure park is back on the table.
Read More
Sylva considers loosened alcohol ordinance
Alcohol could start showing up at some downtown Sylva events if town commissioners approve an ordinance slated for public comment…
Read More
Some say Sylva’s sign fees are too high
For some people, spending free time cross-referencing town fee schedules would be as boring as watching paint dry. But for…
Read More
Haywood residents favor land-use planning
Haywood County residents support land-use planning by a large margin, according to the results of a recent telephone survey.
Read More
Food trucks and festoon lights run afoul of building codes
When David Young pulled a food truck onto the lot of Mad Anthony’s Bottle Shop & Beer Garden in downtown…
Read More
In search for new Waynesville town manager, acting skills are a plus
Town manager hopefuls wanting to run one of Western North Carolina’s largest, most progressive towns will need more than budget…
Read More
Corruption found in preliminary Cherokee audit results
Principal Chief Patrick Lambert bore the look of a man on a mission when he presented Tribal Council with a…
Read More
New light on Salem Witch Trials
Back in 1954, when I was a freshman at Western Carolina Teachers College (now WCU), the college’s drama department launched…
Read More
Graceful ferns a fiddling
“Marvel for a moment at the fern fiddlehead. It stands like a watch spring coiled and ready to unwind ……
Read More
A day in the life of a mountain bike guidebook author
By Jim Parham • Contributing writer People have all kinds of preconceived notions of what it’s like to write a trail…
Read More
Long live the hard copy trail guide
Google the name of almost any trailhead in Western North Carolina, and you’re likely to come up with pages of…
Read More
A life of exploration: Swain County trail guide duo reflects on 25 years in business
The outdoors have been a powerful force in the lives of Jim Parham and MaryEllen Hammond. The Nantahala River was…
Read More
Buggy photography to be illuminated
Bug-loving photographers will get the inside scoop on photographing insects through a presentation from Kefyn Catley, a biology professor at…
Read More
WNC land trusts surpass conservation goal
In the past five years, the 10 land trusts of Western North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Forever coalition have collectively completed…
Read More
Haywood art entities come together
The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) recently solidified partnerships with Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) and The Strand at 38…
Read More
WCU Road Works for organizations, communities
Western Carolina University has a new free outreach program called WCU Road Works that will present theatrical, music, film and…
Read More
New sculpture at The Bascom
Artist John Kenneth Melvin will break ground on a new site-specific sculpture at the entrance of The Bascom art center’s…
Read More
Beloved locomotive returns to Bryson City
After long awaited anticipation Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) is excited to announce that the historic #1702 Steam Engine will…
Read More
Hammering away at your dreams: Blacksmithing program expands Green Energy Park’s vision
Stepping into the blacksmithing studio at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro last Saturday, the continuous sound of…
Read More
Early to the woods
Due to contractual obligations with the Forest Service I have been in the woods a little earlier than usual this…
Read More
Spring openings in the Smokies
Spring is here, and facilities closed for the winter are opening up accordingly in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. …
Read More
Commission wants to lift bear baiting restriction
A proposed rule change allowing hunters to bait black bears with unprocessed food throughout the entire hunting season will be…
Read More
Snowmaking crew makes the top cut
Cataloochee Ski Area is a finalist for the I AM a Snowmaker Award, given annually by SAM Magazine and HKD…
Read More
Take your pick of ranger programs
Spring ranger programs have begun in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, giving visitors a chance to explore the Smokies…
Read More
Lace it up
A slate of challenging long-distance races will be coming to the Smokies this spring, meaning it’s time to get back…
Read More
Stocked trout waters to open
Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters throughout Western North Carolina will open at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 2.
Read More
Easter on the trail
This Easter marked an important milestone for Jerry Parker, an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who completed the 2,160-mile trail before it…
Read More
A new meaning for ‘study lounge’: WCU installs solar panel and hammock lounge combo with sustainability funds
When Earth Day rolls around this year, students at Western Carolina University will be able to celebrate with a bit…
Read More
The arts thrive only if we support them
“The arts are so incredibly vital to a quality of life, smart business and the health of a community. The…
Read More
Questions for the legislature
By Dave Waldrop • Guest Columnist The North Carolina legislature has abandoned its responsibilities to public education under the guise…
Read More
What lessons from the 2016 primary?
By Chris Cooper • Guest Columnist If I had to use one word to describe the North Carolina primary, it…
Read More
On being a columnist for a small-town newspaper
Three months into this, I’ve decided that being a columnist for The Smoky Mountain News is potentially more challenging than…
Read More
Swain County to sue federal government over North Shore Road settlement money
After waiting for years to get the money promised to them, the Swain County commissioners made a unanimous decision last…
Read More
Community Kitchen moving to new facility
The Community Kitchen in Canton works hard to make sure no one in the community goes hungry, and now the…
Read More
In Russ Avenue’s shadow: Neighbors fear commercial creep, struggle with identity crisis
Waynesville leaders are weighing whether to expand the commercial footprint of Russ Avenue, an issue that has pitted neighbors against…
Read More
