Area high school students and residents will have a chance to talk with college representatives from more than 55 Southeastern universities, colleges and trade schools at the 2012 College Night from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Haywood Community College auditorium.

All juniors and seniors in Haywood County, including private and home school students are invited. High school teachers and counselors are also encouraged to attend.

828-565-4095.

The board of directors for MedWest-Harris and Med-West Swain hospitals met Tuesday, Sept. 4, to discuss whether to dissolve its ties with MedWest-Haywood.

The board met a month ago on the same subject but decided to continue studying the issue and reconvene in another month to make a more conclusive decision.

Harris and Swain partnered with Haywood Regional Medical Center two and half years ago under the MedWest banner. However, doctors and hospital staff in Jackson County, and to some extent Swain County as well, have been unhappy with the affiliation.

Hospital leadership has been listening to their concerns with an open mind and this summer also began questioning whether WestCare would be better off pulling out of MedWest.

The 14-member WestCare board, which oversees Harris and Swain hospitals, met Tuesday evening but had not come to a decision as of press time. Check www.smokymountainnews.com for any news coming out of the meeting.

Young professionals can network and learn more about the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce at a special event from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 6. at Headwaters Brewing Co. in Waynesville.

The Chamber’s Young Professionals of Haywood program was established in an effort to connect area business professionals between the ages of 22 and 40 through the core values of professional development, networking and community service. Hors d’ oeuvres and a cash bar will be available.

RSVP. 828.456.3021 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.haywood-nc.com. 

Western North Carolina’s “Out of the Darkness” community walk will be held from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Jackson County Recreation Complex in Cullowhee. 

The goal of the event is to raise awareness about suicide, honor lost loved ones and raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Anyone is welcome to walk, and donations of any amount are accepted. The walk will be a three-mile circuit.

Pre-registration is requested. 314.703.8611.

To the Editor:

This letter is in defense of the work and research done at the Bent Creek Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville, work that is largely sustained by funding from the federal government.

As a small woodlot owner in Jackson County, I recently attended one of a series of woodland steward workshops offered at the Bent Creek station. Woodland stewardship is about preserving the diversity of forestland and managing it for fully stocked stands of oaks, American chestnut, hickories, yellow poplar, black walnut, white ash, basswood, pitch and shortleaf pine, etc.

The one-day public workshop was well organized and informative, including a tour of an experimental forest, talks on soil types and invasive species, and numerous handouts. The publications alone were well worth the price of admission — $50 dollars for the day. One of publications, Profitable Farms and Woodlands: A Practical Guide in Agroforestry for Landowners, Farmers and Ranchers, was a collaborative effort by several state universities, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, N.C. Cooperative Extension, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

It is now clear the Romney-Ryan “vision” and budget proposals for America will virtually eliminate funding for the hundreds of collaborative research and development projects that are exemplified by the work at Bent Creek. The battle lines are now clearly drawn as voters struggle with the debate over the proper role and size of the federal government.

Paul Ryan defines himself as a pragmatist. I see him (and now Mr. Romney) more as ideologues on behalf of the radical wing of the Republican Party. Ryan has been clear about his proposals to privatize Social Security and Medicare, which becomes a defined contribution, rather than a defined-benefit plan.

He has been much less clear about the overall and future impacts of his budget cuts, which would radically shrink the federal government, effectively making it impossible for the government to function in the 21st century, other than wage war and offer some support for health care (through vouchers) and retirement. The only way for Ryan’s numbers to work in balancing the budget would be to eliminate nearly all non-defense discretionary spending, much of the social safety net including Medicaid and deep cuts to spending on infrastructure, public education and public safety, and decreased investment in research and development, for example, the Bent Creek Experimental Station.

I do not share in Ryan’s vision for America and am deeply offended by his bait and switch language, defining cuts to Medicaid as “strengthening the social safety net.” The Republican Party is no longer recognizable. It has become a bridge to the 19th century, the days of private toll roads, a second “guilded age” where only the wealthy have access to the White House, and a person is essentially on his or her own.

We cannot let this radical vision prevail in November.

Roger Turner

Sylva

To the Editor:

I acknowledge Martin Dyckman’s well-written letter in the Aug. 15 issue. He challenged my letter (8/8/12) by bringing up several points against the Republican Party worth investigating further.  

The letter motivated me to research the points made and helped me to see more fully how important it is for us to check out things for ourselves, especially since there is little room for full explanations in a letter to the editor.  For example, the idea that the Bush-era tax cuts were for “the wealthiest Americans” sounds like they were the only ones to get a tax cut. The truth is that they were across the board cuts so that every class had some tax relief.

As for teacher job elimination, it was aimed at “low-performing” personnel and it was part of an effort to cut budget expenses and therefore not raise taxes, yet it sounds like an assault on teachers in general if that additional fact is not known.

As far as Obama’s jobs bill, according to Wikipedia, there were reservations on both sides of the aisle and questions about its actual cost as well as its effectiveness, so it wasn’t just that the Republicans killed the bill to stand in the way of Democrats.

There was also a comment about Mitt Romney and foreign investments. Many Americans diversify their investments in this way, and I found out that some prominent Democrats also have benefited by such investments, such as Nancy Pelosi. What I was really trying to say in my letter, besides the idea that the Republican Party can seriously impact jobs and benefit working America, is that the basic philosophy of governing is what should help guide us as we choose in the next election

 My understanding is as follows:

• Conservatives (i.e., Republicans), in general, favor less government spending and regulation in our lives, more personal responsibility, free enterprise, lower taxes,  a pro-life, traditional family values platform and believe our rights come from God, which makes them unalienable.

• Liberals, (i.e., Democrats) in general, favor more government involvement and regulation in our lives, more entitlement programs, more spending, a pro-choice stand and believe our rights come from the government (which means the government can control them as well).

Our country is desperate for some positive change. We face a massive deficit, record high unemployment levels, record numbers of foreclosures, and rising costs in every area of our lives and a destructive breakdown of the family. We are on the precipice of complete economic ruin. This is what we have to show for 3.5 years and all the Obama stimulus money spent and the $1.1 trillion deficit we now have. I’m no political expert, but we all can agree on this one thing, I think: if what is being done is not working, we need to do something different.

  Besides doing our own research and not believing everything we read or hear, we also have to be ready to make some sacrifices. We each have to decide which party can best accomplish our goals. I personally believe it’s time for new, conservative leadership close to the original plan of our founding fathers.

Loretta Hastings   

Franklin

To the Editor:

For many years, it has been the tradition in Haywood County and other Western North Carolina counties to allow organizations such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans to place Confederate flags at monuments and memorials to recognize the sacrifices of the soldiers that served during the War Between the States. And over the past several years, there have been minor issues relating to this time-honored tradition. The point of contention in this issue has been the flying of the Confederate Battle flag.

The Confederate Battle flag has been the most hated, debated, misrepresented and the most beloved of all symbols of the Confederacy. This flag came to exist as a result of confusion created by the First National flag at First Manassas. A decision was made to design a distinguished flag that could be carried into battle. In late 1861, the Southern Cross was created and flew over battles until the end at Appomattox. Southern patriots later carried this flag to such places as Beirut, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada and even Afghanistan. It was and is a soldier’s flag. As a matter of fact, the Federal government recognizes soldiers who fought for the South as “veterans” who are entitled to the same benefits that other veterans share: US Code, Title 38-Veteran’s Benefits, Part 2, Chapter 15, subchapter 1: Definition of “Civil War veteran” includes a person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America and the term “active military or naval service” includes active service in those forces. This definition strongly reinforces that the men designated as Confederate soldiers are American veterans and not the traitors that some might suggest.

The honor of the Southern Cross has been tarnished by individuals who forget what it represents: a call to duty. Its intent was never to be a politician’s flag nor used as a symbol of racial division. It has been decided in court cases throughout the nation that this flag and its history does not deprive any citizen of some privilege that is secured by the Constitution or by law as a result flying it. Justice John Paul Stevens in Washington v Davis wrote: “The best evidence of intentional discrimination is objective evidence of what happened, rather than the subjective state of mind of the state as an actor.” In other words, flying the Confederate Battle Flag does not interfere with the rights of any person. History of the War Between the States has been based on half-truths and revisionism by self-serving individuals and groups that have hidden the complexity of the causes that led to the War. The Confederate Battle flag has been the symbol of revisionist history since 1865. It is time for Americans to be educated about the correct history surrounding this symbol and the epic struggle it was a part of.

Honoring these soldiers by flying Confederate flags should not be the duty of just North Carolinians, but the duty of a nation.

Kip Rollins

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I can’t hardly stand to read the letters to the editor anymore. Civil discourse, the backbone of any democracy, has sunk to a new low here and across the country. Name-calling, overgeneralization, and denigration have become the new norm. Whatever happened to researched facts, sound reasoning and fair play?

Yes, the stakes in this election are high. But do the ends truly justify the means? We are on the verge of national disintegration and balkanization. Is this the best we can do?

In a nation as large and diverse as ours, there will always be many viewpoints, so to believe that the “solution” to our problems is to convert everyone to a certain point of view is ludicrous. Rather than attacking each other, we need to focus on our common needs and work together on those.

We need to have an honest discussion of the issues, not attack personalities.  We need to be open to the views and experiences of others without labeling and dismissing them. Obstructionism and gotcha techniques are sabotaging our future.

The labeling, character assassination and venomous attacks have got to stop. How many good and capable women and men avoid entering politics because it is too caustic? Some of the most aggressive, power-hungry, money-hungry and/or ideological choose to put themselves on the national ballot and make our policies. How scary is that?

When in doubt, what would Jesus do (WWJD)? 

Dan Kowal

Franklin

Poet John York, whose latest work, Cold Spring Rising, was reviewed in The Smoky Mountain New two months ago, will be reading from his poetry at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1.

Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek and Boone, has called York the “Yadkin Bard,” and his work has appeared in many journals. In 2011 York received the first James Applewhite Poetry Prize.

828.586.9499.

Ginger Shinn, owner of Smokey Shadows Lodge in Maggie Valley, released a new cookbook A Taste of Smokey Shadows Lodge. The book features more than 150 recipes for tasty dishes from appetizers to desserts.

Shinn’s family has passed down many of the recipes in the collection for generations. They reflect regional specialties. The book’s pages are sprinkled with comments by the author offering insight into her passion for cooking and hospitality as well as the history of Smokey Shadows.

“(Guests) especially want to know how to make the tomato pie that’s served at nearly every dinner,” Shinn said. “With the help of my daughters, Amie and Tracy, members of the lodge staff, and friends, we finally got it all together.  It’s been a labor of love.”

Copies of the 147-page A Taste of Smokey Shadows Lodge are available from the author for $18. 828.926.0001 or mail: Ginger Shinn, 323 Smokey Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley, N.C., 28751.

It’s ginseng time in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and the U.S. Forest Service is reminding visitors to national forest land that permits are required for harvesting these rare and valuable plants.

Forest Service officials estimate that up to 10,000 dried pounds are harvested annually in the WNC region. Harvesting is not allowed in Wilderness or Natural areas of Forest Service land.

A permitting system was implemented several years ago as a means of protecting these rare plants.

“Over the years, we’ve seen a decline in populations of ginseng and other forest products such as ramps,” said Gary Kauffman, a botanist with the national forests in North Carolina. “If their numbers get too low, the Forest Service may have to change the way we manage certain forest products in the future. This could include shortening the harvest season, reducing the amount of plants that can be harvested or banning the harvest altogether.”

Ginseng is a long-lived perennial whose multi-forked taproot is sold as a medicinal root primarily in East Asia.

Harvesting permits are issued from Sept. 1-30. The cost for the permit is $40 per wet pound of ginseng harvested. The minimum permit is for one wet pound and the maximum allowable collection is 3 pounds annually.

For more information on harvesting ginseng in the national forests in North Carolina, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/internet/fse_documents/stelprdb5188148.pdf.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is increasing enforcement efforts against the illegal use of radio tracking equipment by hunters.

The only legal use of radio telemetry on the Blue Ridge Parkway is to assist hunters in retrieving dogs that are no longer actively engaged in a hunt. Using telemetry or other tracking devices to track dogs that are actively hunting or to monitor the progress of a hunt is considered a hunting activity and prohibited on Blue Ridge Parkway lands.

Blue Ridge Parkway regulations state: The open display and/or use of radio telemetry equipment or similar electronic tracking devices that are commonly used to track wildlife and hunting dogs is prohibited in the park without the prior permission of the Blue Ridge Parkway … and may only be used to expedite the retrieval of a dog that is believed to be running loose in the park.

The North Carolina Arboretum will host two events to end the summer and kick off fall — the 26th annual Carolinas Dahlia Society Show will take place Sept. 8 and 9, and Carolina Craft Day will be held on Sept. 22.

The Dahlia Show is from 1 until 5 p.m. on Sept. 8 and 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 9. Hundreds of dahlias in every shape, size and color will be on display. Exhibitors from four states, including commercial and amateur growers from North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama will participate. This year’s theme, Power of Pink, was chosen to bring increased awareness to the fight against cancer. 

The shows are free for Arboretum Society members or with the standard parking fee ($8 per personal motor vehicle). 828.665.2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to assist rangers during the increased fall visitation period in Cataloochee Valley from mid-September until Oct. 31.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a stargazing event Sept. 7 at one of Haywood County’s clearest views of the sky - Purchase Knob, located off U.S. 276 near Maggie Valley.

The Astronomy Club of Asheville will lead the exploration of the night sky at this high elevation site with a 260-degree unobstructed view of the sky. Visitors can expect to see the planets Neptune and Uranus; the wonderful starry glow of our Milky Way Galaxy stretching across Purchase Knob’s dark skies; the beautiful spiral disk of the Andromeda Galaxy; the numerous star clusters of late summer and early fall; as well as several binary star systems.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. with an indoor orientation, which will be held rain or shine. The program is limited to 60 people. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the park directly at 828.926.6251.

The fourth annual Old Cullowhee Canoe Slalom is scheduled to begin Sept. 8 at 9 a.m., just upstream from the bridge in Old Cullowhee. This is a family-friendly competition for amateur paddlers on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River. The course includes negotiating nine gates on flat, moving water.

Public access to the popular Tuckasegee River will improve when Duke Energy opens the new Whittier Access Area Sept. 1.  

The site is located at River Mile 20.6 or 120 Church St. in Whittier. This new public boat access area is the second of six planned new or improved Tuckasegee River main stem access sites by Duke Energy in Jackson County. The C.J. Harris Access Area in Dillsboro opened last year above the former Dillsboro Dam site.

“The need for this access area and others is a fruit of the thousands of person-hours devoted by the Tuckasegee Cooperative Stakeholder Team in relicensing Duke Energy hydroelectric projects in the county. The team’s settlement agreement and subsequent new federal licenses support that need,” said Fred Alexander, Duke Energy district manager.

The Whittier Access Area, designed for launching and retrieving canoes, kayaks and drift boats, includes one boat launch ramp with a paved turn-around area, a gravel parking lot for 11 vehicles with trailers, an information kiosk and security lights.

The site also includes an Americans with Disabilities Act parking space with an accessible sidewalk leading to the boat ramp.

The first-ever scheduled recreational whitewater releases on the upper Nantahala River — scheduled for Sept. 29-30 — will offer advanced and expert paddlers the opportunity to experience Class IV and V rapids in two separate runs.

The uppermost section — known locally as the Cascades — will let advanced and expert paddlers navigate a relatively short Class IV/V descent over numerous waterfalls and slides. The highly technical river run is not suitable for those without the prerequisite skills and equipment.

The section from the base of the Cascades to the powerhouse is generally referred to as the Upper Nantahala and offers intermediate to advanced paddlers a longer Class III/IV descent.

The releases were negotiated to mitigate the recreational impacts of flow reductions associated with Duke Energy’s operation of the powerhouse on the Nantahala and other rivers in the region.

Beginning in 2013 there will be eight annual release days on the Upper Nantahala: one weekend in late April, four summer evenings, and one late September weekend.

Parking, access to be improved

The new whitewater releases on the Upper Nantahala will also lead to new parking and river access areas along the upper reach of the Nantahala.

Duke will put in six parking and access areas to accommodate paddlers on the Upper Nanty. They will be built on U.S. Forest Service land. Public comments on the parking and access areas are being accepted by the forest service.

To comment on the areas or for more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., send by regular mail to: Nantahala Ranger District, 90 Sloan Road, Franklin, N.C., 28734; or fax to 828.479.6592.

For this first weekend of releases, however, the forest service has designated several pull-offs for boat loading and unloading only, and the Nantahala Outdoor Center and Endless River Adventures will provide shuttles.  

Haywood Community College will hold a sawmill operation auction at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the college.

The auction will include the sale of a complete band sawmill, circular sawmill, and planer operation. Thad Woods Auction is handling the sale. Pictures are available at http://thadwoodsauction.com/. Preview day to view available equipment will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 21.

For information, call Thad Woods Auction at 828.421.4174.

Carnivorous plants will be highlighted at the annual Native Plant Symposium at the Highlands Botanical Garden Sept. 13-15.

The nocturnal adaptations of plants and animals will be the subject of the final Zahner series lecture at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the Highlands Nature Center.

The discussions will be led by Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert from Brevard College.

Ever notice that the fragrance of flowers blooming at dusk is particularly perfumed, that the crack of a twig from an unknown quarter is especially loud when it occurs outside your tent at night, or that the sounds of a mosquito is noisy enough to wake you from an evening’s sleep?

All Zahner Conservation Lectures are free and open to the public. For information about the Highlands Biological Foundation visit www.highlandsbiological.org or call 828.526.2221.

Pre-school storytime resumes in Bryson City

Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will begin its pre-school storytime program at 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays starting Sept. 5 in the auditorium.

Visit the library every Wednesday for a variety of fun activities, arts and crafts, songs and stories for ages 2-5. The pre-literacy skill focus for the fall storytime session will include becoming familiar with the names of the parts of the book.

Kids on Main offers fun for families

The popular Downtown Waynesville Block Party is adding a new attraction to this year’s gathering on Saturday, Sept. 1. From 6-7 p.m., Kids on Main will provide art and craft projects and more focusing on families with young children.

Families are encouraged to visit Gallery 86 on Main Street, where they’ll be given a map of participating businesses and activities as well as a bag for the goodies they’ll be collecting.

The official Block Party kicks off at 7 p.m. with three live bands, dancing, restaurants and many shops open late.

www.downtownwaynesville.com or 828.456.3517.

An exhibition featuring The Women of NoHa called “piercing the mundane” will go on display Aug. 29 at Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville, with an artist’s reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 7.

Six women artists, all of who reside in Haywood County, have joined together to explore the reinterpretation of ordinary objects within their mediums of textiles, clay, wood, jewelry, and mixed media. 

Caryl Brt, Suzanne Gernandt, Susan Livengood, Sheree White Sorrells, Kaaren Stoner and Kim Thompson — all career professional artists — are taking a stab at the word ‘mundane.’ Their individual works are each a statement in mindfulness of the ordinary. A stone can be more than a random rock on the ground; a chair can be a character statement; and a blank wall doesn’t need to be.

Gallery 86 is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Saturday, and “piercing the mundane” will be on display until Sept. 22.

828.452.0593 or 828.400.1040.

An iconic figure of Western North Carolina history and culture who penned the classic “Our Southern Highlanders” and helped spearhead the movement to establish Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the focus of a new exhibit at Western Carolina University.

Art Rosenbaum: Voices, featuring a small collection of monumental paintings of American folk musicians, opens in the Loft Gallery at The Bascom in Highlands on Sept. 1, with a reception from 5-7 p.m.

Rosenbaum’s works depicting rural Southern life are combinations of both real and imagined people, places and events. Ethnographer as well as artist, he brings storytelling to view in the form of folktale paintings full of vibrant, sweeping color. The exhibition runs through Nov.10.

On Sept. 2, Art and Margo Rosenbaum will present an artist talk at The Bascom from 2-3 p.m. Margo Rosenbaum’s black and white photographs of the folk musicians in Rosenbaum’s paintings will be on display in the permanent collection space.

The Bascom is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m., Sundays.

www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.

Dierks Bentley will play his country music hits at 9 p.m. Sept. 21 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

Western Carolina University’s 38th annual Mountain Heritage Day Local is set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 29 on the campus in Cullowhee.

The foods competition will include divisions for canned goods, baked goods, extracted honey and “heritage foods,” plus the “Best in the West” whole grain recipe contest.

The foods contest is coordinated jointly by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service’s Jackson County Center and the Mountain Heritage Center. Ribbons will be awarded to the top three entries in youth and adult divisions, and a grand champion will be selected from each of the divisions.

Canned goods, honey and heritage foods can be dropped off at the museum between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Sept. 25. Baked goods and whole grain recipe contest entries should be brought to the Mountain Heritage Center between 7:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 28.

Winners will be announced from the Balsam Stage at Mountain Heritage Day at 12:15 p.m.

A 5-kilometer foot race and other competitions will take place on the day of the festival. Full race details are available at www.claws.wcu.edu/sma/5K.

Other competitions scheduled for Mountain Heritage Day include a chain saw contest, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and competition starting at 10 a.m.; and an old-fashioned attire contest for children and adults, and a beard and moustache contest for men at 12:15 p.m. on the Balsam Stage.

For more information, 828.586.4009 or 828.227.7129 or www.mountainheritageday.com.

The first leg of this year’s Haywood’s Got Talent comes this weekend when 25 acts show off their abilities in two nights of semi-finals on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at Haywood Arts Regional Theater on Pigeon Street in Waynesville.

The adjudicators for the semi-finals include percussionist Dave Bruce, choreographer Cord Scott and musician/conductor Ann Rhymer Schwabland.

From the two nights, a dozen will go forward to compete in the finals on Sept. 22.

Tickets to the each night of the semi-finals are $12 for adults and $8 for students. The event is a fundraiser for HART.

www.harttheater.com or 828.456.6322.

Craft demonstrations will begin in September at Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro.

Mary Ethel Prather will make her delicate hummingbirds from some of nature’s more durable materials like the silver maple wings and hawthorn spikes from 2 to 4 p.m., Sept. 4. Delores Haun will demonstrate colorful vintage embroidery on kitchen towels from 10 a.m. to noon, Sept. 5. Betsey Sloan will weave baskets and answer questions about this mountain craft from noon until 3 p.m., Sept. 7.

These demonstrators are Dogwood Crafters and have their works for sale at the shop in Dillsboro. Dogwood Crafters is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with evening hours until 9 p.m. in October.

828.586.2248.

Southwestern Community College will offer three clay classes beginning in September.

• Hand building: 2-6 p.m., Mondays from Sept. 10-Nov. 26, in room 123. This course provides a focus on hand building a variety of forms. Students will experiment with a slab construction, coil and pinch methods, as well as slump molds and stamping. Students will also work on surface decorations, glazing and firing. Prerequisites: None. Cost: $125.

• Holiday Decorations: 1-5 p.m., Wednesdays from Sept. 12-Dec. 5, in room 123. Students will learn how to use clay to create a variety of holiday-themed decorations. Projects in the class will be hand building based and focus on upcoming holidays during the semester. Prerequisites: None. Cost: $125

• Lidded Forms: 2-5 p.m., Wednesdays from Sept. 12-Nov. 7, in room 125. Students will concentrate on lidded vessels, such as butter dishes and teapots. The use of the extruder and slab roller will be incorporated into the design. Students will have enhanced their glazing techniques. Prerequisites: Beginning wheel or instructor’s permission. Cost: $65

The SCC Swain Center located at 60 Almond School Road in Bryson City. Space is limited. Supplies not included for classes.

828.366.2000 or www.southwesterncc.edu/finearts.

A selection of rare Pontiac automobiles will be on display during a vintage car show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 8 in downtown Sylva.

The upcoming Village Square Art & Craft Show on Sept. 1-2 at Kelsey Hutchinson Park and Highlands Village Square in Highlands will feature more than 70 artists from the region, including Marcus Thomas of Weaverville.

Thomas’ work is created with intricate, life-like details and extraordinary composition and creativity. As a quadriplegic, Marcus paints all his works by holding a paintbrush in his mouth.

At the age of 26, a snow skiing accident broke his neck and left him paralyzed below his neck.

At the arts and crafts show, Marcus will demonstrate his painting techniques.

Visitors will find traditional mountain crafts as well as fine art/photography, folk art, yard art and everything in between. Fressers will be open for breakfast and lunch in the square, and there will be face painting and live music both days.

www.cystrainphotos.com or 828.787.2021.

The Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual will host an open-air native art market on Sept. 1 on Tsali Boulevard in Cherokee.

The free daylong event will offer traditional Cherokee food and displays of beadwork, basket weaving, sculpture and woodworking crafted by Cherokee artisans practicing hundreds-of-years-old art techniques.

The Open-Air Indian Art Market provides a great opportunity to ask questions of traditional and contemporary Cherokee artists. Artwork will be available for purchase.

828.497.3103 or www.cherokee-nc.com.

A senior project film created by Western Carolina University students last year has been accepted into the third annual Atlanta Shortsfest.

“Moses Cove” will be screened at the festival, which will be held Sept. 14-16, at the Goat Farm Arts Center in Atlanta. The event showcases more than 300 films from around the world.

Set in the Appalachian Mountains, “Moses Cove” conveys the struggle of a drug addict grappling with whether to risk his life to help a lost newcomer who has fallen prey to drug dealers.

Recent graduates of the Western Carolina University Motion Picture and Television Production Program Zach Heaton and Chris Read produced the film. Heaton, the film’s writer and cinematographer, and Read, the director, created the film on an approximately $5,000 budget. “Moses Cove” was the first student production to build a set on the new film stage in Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

Others who worked on the film include Christy Conyers as editor; Chris McAllister as music composer; and Joseph Callahan, Tommy Cooley, Andrew Drake and Madeline Seagle as members of the cast.

828.227.2324 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Landscape artist and instructor in watercolor painting and drawing Sandra Brugh Moore of Asheville will demonstrate watercolor techniques in a mountain landscape for Art League of the Smokies at 6:15 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. The event is free and open to the public.

Master photographer Ed Kelley is teaching a four-week course in “Taking Control of Your Digital Photography” from 6:30-9 p.m., beginning Sept. 11, at First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

The Haywood County Arts Council will hold registration for students wishing to enroll in the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program from 3:30-5 p.m. on Sept. 18 at Canton Middle School.

JAM instructors will be on hand to assist beginning students with their choice of instrument study. Instruments are available for rental from Strains of Music in Waynesville. Classes meet on Tuesdays from 3:30-5 p.m. beginning Sept. 25 at Canton Middle School.

The JAM program is designed for children in 4th grade and higher who want to learn old-time mountain music. Students will be taught banjo, fiddle, or guitar. A string band class is offered to advanced students by instructor referral only. Students in adjoining counties may participate on a space available basis.

Lessons are $90 per child for the school year and fees must be paid in advance.

The North Carolina Arts Council, a division or the Department of Cultural Resources, supports this project with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

828.452.0593 or www.haywoodarts.org or www.facebook.com/haywoodarts.

The music of The Stone Mountain Wobblers, a traditional old time string band, will highlight the Bascom Barn Dance from 7-10 p.m. Sept. 1.

With fiddle, banjo and guitar, brothers Evan, Mickey and Moses of The Stone Mountain Wobblers energetically recreate this vintage country music of the South. They have ranked in the top three at the Gordon County Fiddler’s Convention string band competition two years in a row.

The barn dances are sponsored by The Custom House, Young Restoration, The Ugly Dog Pub and the Highlands Historical Society.

The Bascom is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m., Sundays.

www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.

As part of the summer music series, the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will present “The Future of Mountain Music” with Larry Barnett and his students at 7 p.m. Aug. 30.

Barnett, owner of Grandpa’s Music in Bryson City, has been teaching are children and adults for more than 10 years. Some of his current students will perform in the showcase at the library.

The Friends of the Marianna Black Library will also be there with refreshments and cookies. This program is free and open to area residents and visitors. The library is located in downtown Bryson City at the corner of Academy and Rector.

828.488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Western Carolina University will receive a five-year grant of $642,960 to continue operation of the Center for Rapid Product Realization, which works to accelerate job creation and retention among existing businesses and emerging entrepreneurial enterprises in Western North Carolina. The funding has come from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

WCU’s Center for Rapid Product Realization collaborates with the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and its Small Business and Technology Development Center to help companies develop and market new products and inventions, and to help develop the regional workforce through industry-sponsored faculty/student projects.

Services include three-dimensional design and scanning, reverse engineering, rapid prototyping and mechanical and electrical testing at the Rapid Center; business assistance; and consulting and entrepreneurial mentoring.

828.227.2159 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Catamount Pump & Go in Sylva is now offering biodiesel from the Asheville-based Blue Ridge Biofuels for use in vehicles.

Blue Ridge Biofuels uses recycled, used cooking oil from area restaurants to produce the sustainable, renewable biodiesel that meets the highest fuel quality standards.

Catamount Pump and Go offers a high-blend of biodiesel (B99 in summer, B50 in winter) for on-road vehicles as well as B20 year-round. The biodiesel pump is located next to a petroleum diesel pump allowing customers to create any custom blend directly in their vehicle’s fuel tank.

Catamount Pump & Go is located at near the Sylva exit off U.S. 23/74.

828.253.1034, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.blueridgebiofuels.com.

Smoky Mountain Sk8way outside Waynesville plans to add an additional 10,000 square feet to its existing facility, which will allow it to offer a much larger skating surface, a cafe, a climbing wall, a toddler area, mini-golf and a pro shop along with an arcade. First, however, the business must install a state-required $50,000 fire protection sprinkler system.

The Sk8way is targeting local businesses to buy ads on the outside or inside of the rink, on the Smoky Mountain Sk8way website and be eligible for membership benefits. The rink is also willing to barter or make in-kind trades for building materials, carpet, paint, plumbing, electrical and carpenter services just to name a few.

The rink is located on U.S. 23-74 between Waynesville and Sylva.

828.246.9124 or www.SmokyMountainSk8way.com.

REACH of Haywood County has opened the Within REACH Home Store doors down from their popular Within REACH resale store on Hazelwood Avenue in Sylva. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. It features previously owned furniture, appliances and home decorations for sale. Proceeds go to support the services that REACH of Haywood provide and clients they assist, including survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse. 828.456.7898 or www.reachofhaywood.com.

Harmony House Foods, a leading provider of dehydrated foods to backpackers, will open a new facility at the Macon County Business Development Center.

Founded in 2005 in Eastern North Carolina, the company markets dehydrated meals primarily to outdoor adventurers with a strong on-line business and as a supplier to major outdoor retailers like REI. In 2007, Backpacker Magazine awarded Harmony House with its “Editors’ Choice” award, gaining the company national recognition.

Harmony House will occupy approximately 7,500 square feet of the county’s Business Development Center and is expected to initially employ between five and seven employees. Operations are scheduled to begin in September. Macon County Commissioners approved the lease agreement Tuesday evening.

“With their ties to the outdoor recreation industry, we think they are perfect fit for our area,” said County Commissioner Chairman Kevin Corbin.

A public lecture on Indian health by a leading international epidemiologist will be held at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 5 at Western Carolina University’s new Health and Human Sciences Building.

Epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson will perform the lecture from England via a videoconferencing system and discuss the topics of life expectancy, mental health, levels of violence, teen birth rates, drug abuse, child wellbeing, obesity rates, levels of trust and educational performance. After the presentation, the audience will hear from a panel of experts from local and distance sites.

The Third Annual Bogey Fore Golf Tournament will tee off Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. at Maggie Valley Club. The tournament will benefit the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center. The fee to enter is $160 for a two-man team.

The Volunteer Center recruits and places volunteers to help serve over 60 organizations in the counties of Haywood and Jackson. Its programs also help seniors with prescription costs. Sponsored by First Citizens Bank. 828.356.2833.

Angel Medical Center will hold a Radiothon Sept. 8th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to raise funds for an Outpatient Medicine Expansion project. Pledges can be placed in person or by phone at 828.349.8200 during the event.

A goal of $300,000 has been set for donations and pledges. The outpatient medicine department has grown to see more than 19,000 patients each year.

The Haywood County Democratic Party Headquarters, located at 286 Haywood Square in Waynesville, has expanded Saturday hours to 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Normal hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday. 828.452.9607 or haywooddemocrats.org.

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A post convention wrap-up at the Highlands headquarters of the Macon County Democratic Party will be held at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 7. Deputy National Finance Chair for the Democratic Party Mark Gilbert and his wife Nancy will share some of their experiences as insiders at the convention and on the campaign trail with President Barack Obama. Gilbert currently chairs the “Swing State Victory Fund” for Obama’s reelection campaign. Located on the lower level of the Peggy Crosby Center on Fifth Street.

Byron Ballard will discuss her book, Staubs and Ditchwater, at 6:30 p.m., Aug. 31, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Part memoir, part instructional primer, Staubs and Ditchwater is an entertaining introduction to Appalachian folk magic. This knowledge encompasses planting by the signs, healing with herbs divination. Ballard leads local and regional workshops on these traditional practices and after much thought and many conversations decided to share fading aspect of traditional culture from the southern highlands.

828.586.9499.

Two award-winning authors, Dawn Gilchrist-Young and Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle, who are also English teachers at Swain County High School, will each read from their novels, which are currently in progress, at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28 at the Jackson County Library.

Gilchrist-Young will read from a draft novel that is based on her prize-winning short story, “The Tender Branch.” That story won Gilchrist-Young the 2011 High School Teachers Writing Award from the Norman Mailer Center, co-sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English.

Clapsaddle will read from her novel-in-progress, Sololoneet, which won the 2012 Morning Star Award for Creative Fiction from the Native American Literature Symposium and the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies.   

828.586.2016.