Lonesome road blues: New album celebrates late Haywood banjo legend

In what will amount to an early Christmas present for bluegrass pickers and music lovers across Western North Carolina and…
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Toltec wisdom resonates in today’s world

Recently, I was gifted the use of a book to read on Native American wisdom by my Sylva dentist Dr.…
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Chatham Rabbits at Cowee School

Popular regional Americana/roots act Chatham Rabbits will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at the Cowee School Arts &…
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Highlands Food & Wine Festival

Featuring world-class culinary treats and marquee musical acts, the annual Highlands Food & Wine Festival will be held Nov. 13-16…
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HART presents ‘Beetlejuice Jr.’

A special production of “Beetlejuice Jr.’ will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14-15, 21-22 and 2 p.m. Nov.…
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Folkmoot welcomes Rudy’s Bluegrass Revue

A sensational Asheville-based act, Rudy’s Bluegrass Revue will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at the Folkmoot…
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Meade returns to Mountain Layers

Florida-based indie/soul singer-songwriter Shane Meade will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson…
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‘Community Contra Dance’ in Franklin

The last “Community Contra Dance” of the autumn series will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, at the…
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Poetry reading at City Lights

Kathryn Kirkpatrick and Annie Woodford will share poems from their latest collections, "Creature" and "Peasant," at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov.…
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Handmade Holiday Sale

The 16th annual “Handmade Holiday Sale” will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20, in the…
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HCAC ‘Small Works’ exhibit

The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) “Small Works” exhibit will run through Dec. 31 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts…
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All aboard ‘The Polar Express’

“The Polar Express” train ride will roll down the tracks on select dates from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot…
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Cherokee pottery exhibition

A special showcase, “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” is now on display at…
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Palette of the plateau: Highlands Food & Wine Festival celebrates 10 years

Each year, I find myself covering a wide array of cultural festivals across Western North Carolina and greater Southern Appalachia…
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‘A history of the western tradition’

Recently, a teacher of history asked me, a former teacher of history, about ways to bring history alive for high…
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Crowe releases ‘New Natives’

Acclaimed Western North Carolina author Thomas Rain Crowe will present his new book, “New Natives: Becoming Indigenous in a Time…
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WNC Pottery Festival

The 19th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, in Bridge…
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The Scotsman gets the blues

Popular Asheville act Spiro Nicolopoulos Blues Apocalypse will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7, at The Scotsman Public House…
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Waynesville art walk, live music

A cherished gathering of locals and visitors alike, “Art After Dark” will continue its 2025 season from 6-9 p.m. Friday,…
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Bryson City community jam

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, on the front patio of the Marianna Black…
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Down in the holler: Fireside Collective releases latest album

Since its inception in 2014, Asheville-based Fireside Collective has evolved from a ragtag bluegrass act into one of the rising…
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Spooky reading for the spooky season

One of the best things about the East Coast is the fall. Last November, I made a trip to California…
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Love letter to an unexpected place

Henry T. and Priscilla M. Ireys will share their new book, “The Keep: Living with the Tame and the Wild…
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WCU glass exhibition

The “North Carolina Glass 2025” showcase will run through Friday, Dec. 5, in the John W. Bardo Fine & Performing…
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The musical bridge: Appalachian Road Show to play Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival

Last month, at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) award show in Chattanooga, Appalachian Road Show took the stage to…
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Keep your fancy free — reading at whim

Fifty years ago this year, I dropped out of graduate school and my studies in medieval history, and set off…
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Cherokee exhibition to open at WCU

Recognizing the collaborators and contributors of the “Cherokee Language & Culture Exhibition,” a special reception for the showcase will be…
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A Baby Beat poet finds his voice

“Power Spots” (Edgework Press, 2025) by Ron Myers is a first press-published book of his poetry by someone who is…
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Roving jewel: Angela Autumn comes to Franklin

Raised in the small town of Zelienople, Pennsylvania (pop: 3,769), singer-songwriter Angela Autumn recalled having an isolated childhood, one that…
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Poe biography prompts a newfound respect

“In my younger and more vulnerable years” are the words with which narrator Nick Carraway kicks off “The Great Gatsby.”…
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The living word: John C. Campbell Folk School at 100

Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025, the storied John C. Campbell Folk School — located in Brasstown amid the rural…
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Wisdom from an Appalachian Renaissance man

Whether you are an expert in folk music or if you can’t tell a banjo from a mandolin, a new…
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No one said it would be easy: Patrick Sweany to headline Rock for Relief festival

At age 51, acclaimed blues rocker Patrick Sweany has performed over the decades at seemi­ngly at every venue from coast-to-coast…
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A different kind of power in New Zealand

When you think “politician,” what picture pops into your mind? In today’s world, regardless of party, it is likely a…
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Solitude is gratitude: Happily disappearing to Snowbird Mountain Lodge

There’s a certain feeling you get when you cross over the Graham County line. For most “outsiders,” whether it be…
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Author says China is playing the long game

(Editor’s note: This is the second part of Anne Bevilacqua’s review of “The Long Game: China’s Grand Strategy to Displace…
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Longtime friend back again: A conversation with The Wildmans

Not far from the tiny town of Floyd, Virginia, surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the childhood home of…
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What kind of power does China want?

(Editor’s note: This is the first section of a two-part review. See next week’s SMN for the second part.) Does…
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Cosmic connection: A conversation with Nick Hexum

When it comes to songs immortal, 311 has them in spades. From “Amber” to “All Mixed Up,” “I’ll Be Here…
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Hunter in the hills: on safari in WNC

Several years had passed since I’d last hunted with any enthusiasm. I’d go out into the field, find some game,…
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The Walker Sisters — all on their own

Of all the chapters that I read and reviewed in my most recent review of the book “Letters From the…
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Open call for art grants

The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Grassroots Arts Program grants. Applications are…
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Don't get above your raisin': Earl Scruggs Music Festival returns

Rob McCoury can sum up banjo legend Earl Scruggs in one simple, yet seismic sentence.  “Banjo at its finest,” said…
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The story of the man who saved England

Benjamin Merkle’s “The White Horse King: The Life of Alfred the Great” (Thomas Nelson, 2009, 272 pages) tells the story…
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As Richard Baker looks back, the canvas still beckons

Richard Baker is in an interesting place, looking back at a prolific body of work while also staring down an…
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Tolstoy’s short stories are worth a read

Recently, I read an article about a Tolstoy short story. Curious if I had it, I pulled out Tolstoy’s, “Master…
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Local artists install new public sculpture

Earlier this summer, two Western North Carolina artists completed and installed a new public sculpture at a park in Virginia.  …
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Dare to dream: A conversation with Mike Campbell

Iconic guitar riffs eternally burned into the walls of our memory. Songs that have remained the soundtrack to our lives…
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Diving into the spirit of ’70s and ’80s music

For all of you ’70s and ’80s hipsters, I’ve got one for you. In his new book, acclaimed author Paul…
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Folkmoot features Waynesville artist

The Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville will use its cafeteria to host a two-day show featuring the work of local…
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