To the Editor:

In Western North Carolina we are extremely lucky to live, work and play in a place of incredible natural beauty. I am proud that I worked professionally for many years to safeguard the health of both our environment and our economy by protecting the national parks in our region. A recently published economic analysis of all national parks found that Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) ranked highest in the country for economic benefits.

Visitors to GSMNP spend over $818 million annually in the gateway communities surrounding the park and those same visitors support 11,367 local jobs. Visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway spend close to $300 million supporting over 4,000 local jobs. nature.nps.gov/socialscience/docs/NPSSystemEstimates2010.pdf

We enjoy this huge benefit to our economy because people from all over the world enjoy exploring our natural resources. Visitors also come to experience our national and state forests, clear vistas and clean running streams and rivers. Of course it is not only tourists who support the health of our economy because of the beauty of western North Carolina and the quality of our environment.

The Asheville region has gotten excellent economic news recently with New Belgium Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewing and Legacy Paddlesports opening new facilities. Sierra Nevada will invest $107.5 million in a new facility in Henderson County and create 175 full and part-time jobs and 60 construction jobs for two years. Legacy Paddlesports will spend $4.5 million renovating a facility in Fletcher and will add 40-50 employees to the 70 who will come with it.

Sierra Nevada owner Ken Grossman cites the “outstanding quality of life, shared values and access to the outdoors” and the quality of our water. Bill Medlin, president and CEO of Legacy Paddlesports, says, “We wanted to be part of the growing outdoor cluster based in the Asheville area. It gives us an opportunity to recruit people who have strong passion for outdoors to become our employees.”

It is perfectly clear that the health of our economy in western North Carolina is based on the quality of our natural resources and the health of our environment.

I do not believe that our elected officials in Raleigh understand this. The new legislative leadership argues that environmental safeguards hamper economic growth. To make their point, last year they slashed state funding for the state environmental agency, eliminated environmental programs like the landslide hazard mapping program, made it virtually impossible to pass new environmental regulations, weakened groundwater protections, and forbid new rules that are more stringent than federal standards. This year, they gutted the state’s protective toxic air pollution program and passed a bill to allow fracking for natural gas.

These leaders, including most of the first-term legislators from Western North Carolina, are out of touch with what works here. The economy of this region requires a healthy environment to be successful. Environmental safeguards that keep our air and water clean don’t kill jobs, they create them. Instead of recognizing this, the policies coming from these leaders only benefit a few special interests, and the result is legislation that serves neither the public good nor our economy.

I want to see that our economic health improves and job growth continues. Our elected leaders should stop forcing the false choice between jobs and the environment and, instead, understand that we can have both. To be economically successful, western North Carolina must have both.

Greg Kidd

Waynesville

Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Clay students got a firsthand lesson in designing and building kilns at its new creative arts building.

Jackson County art organizations are co-hosting a mural painting workshop called “The Young Artists of ColorFest” from 2 to 5 p.m. July 14 in Dillsboro.

More than 50 arts and crafts booths will line the streets of downtown Hayesville for the 33rd annual Festival on the Square from July 13-15.

The event will start with a street dance at 7 p.m. July 13 and continue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 15.

Vendors from around the South will display basketry, woodcrafts, paintings, glass, fiber arts, soaps and candles. Free entertainment, food and kids’ activities will continue every day of the festival. Attendance and parking are free, but food will be sold at a nominal cost to support various organizations. No pets allowed.

www.clayhistoryarts.org.

The Maggie Valley Club will bring a taste of “Beer City” to Haywood County at 6 p.m. July 13.

The beer tasting will feature craft beer from local breweries and give locals an opportunity to enjoy some of the new beers from around Western North Carolina.

Tickets will be $15 and includes local craft beers, snacks and live acoustic music by Josh Fields. Participants must be 21 or older.

The Maggie Valley Club is a golf community located on Country Club Drive off of Mood Farm Road.

828.926.4826 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Bill LaBounty, Candi Carpenter, and Grammy and CMA Nominee Bobby Tomberlin will play at the Balsam Mountain Inn’s Songwriters-in-the-Round series at 6 p.m. on July 7.

Tomberlin co-wrote Diamond Rio’s number one hit “One More Day” and has also written songs for Faith Hill, Kenny Rogers, Josh Turner, Jerry Lee Lewis and many others. Bobby is a cast member of the hit Country Music Television series “The Singing Bee.”

With more than 100 songs recorded by other artists, LaBounty has written hits for Brooks and Dunn (“Rock My World”), Michael Johnson (“This Night Won’t Last Forever” and “I Want To Be Loved Like That”), and others for the Judds, Alison Krauss, Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw.

Carpenter is a new star on the horizon. She has shared the stage with legends like Vince Gill and Loretta Lynn. She writes songs with Bill Anderson and Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers.

The Songwriters-in-the-Round series began in 1996 and brings some of the nation’s best lyricists and musicians to the inn for monthly performances in the Grand Dining Room. The musicians sit in a small circle in the dining room with the audience all around and swap tales and sing songs.

Balsam Mountain Inn is on Seven Springs Drive off the U.S. 74/23 in Balsam.

800.224.9498.

Local artist Silvia Cabrera Williams will lead an experimental art workshop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 13 at the Leapin’ Frog Gallery in Waynesville.

Williams will give instruction on how to use household materials to do loose abstract experimental collages. Photos, inkjet photos, plastic wrap, fabric, cheesecloth and other items will be used. She will also show attendees how to fix old paintings including oils. Cost is $35.

Williams’ work can be seen at Leapin’ Frog Gallery, Village Framer and Gallery 262, all in Waynesville. Her work has a national and international audience.

828.456.8441.

The library in Sylva will host the musicians of Country Memories at 7 p.m. July 10.

The sextet consists of guitar, banjo, fiddle and autoharp players who perform contemporary and traditional country, gospel and bluegrass with a bit of country “rap.” The group is made up of musicians from Franklin and the north Georgia.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

A Second Sunday Contra Dance will be from 2:30 to 5 p.m. July 8 on the second floor of the old courthouse in the Jackson County Library Complex in Sylva.

No previous experience is necessary to participate, and all dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required, and local musicians are invited to sit in with the band to jam and learn the music.

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

The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will host a community jam from 6-7:30 p.m. July 5 in the library auditorium or, weather permitting, on the library’s front lawn. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer or other acoustic instrument is invited to join.

The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month – year round.

828.488.3030.

The Waynesville Gallery Association’s monthly Art After Dark will take place from 6-9 p.m. July 6, followed by the new Saturday Stroll from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 7.

The Maggie Valley Summer Arts and Crafts Show will return to the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8.

The event will feature seasonal items, yard art, paintings, photography, pottery, wooden bowls, furniture, jewelry, and goat milk soaps.

Chainsaw artist, Jeremy Buckner, will add to the wide selection of arts and crafts this year with his carvings of bears, cats and eagles.

Admission and parking are free.

828.926.1686 or www.maggievalley.org.

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad offer a train ride based on the PBS kids series Dinosaur Train, departing from Bryson City July 20 to 22, 27 to 29 and Aug. 4 to 5.

Dinosaur Train is an Emmy-nominated and Parents’ Choice Silver Honor TV series, and it consistently ranks in the top ten shows for kid’s ages 2 to 5. In the TV series, young viewers join Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons on whimsical adventures through prehistoric jungles, swamps, volcanoes and oceans. For this event, families will ride a train bound for the Nature Trackers Adventure Area where young guests will participate in a series of educational challenges as they unearth basic concepts in natural science, natural history and paleontology. Also included are music, Dinosaur Train merchandise and an opportunity to meet Buddy.

Tickets start at $39 per adult and $30 per child ages 2 to 12. Crown Class tickets are $49 per adult and $36 per child.

800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com.

The Liars Bench, a live authentic Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama and folk arts presentation will perform at 7 p.m., Thursday, July 12 at the Macon County Library in Franklin. Author Gary Carden started The Liars Bench in the summer of 2010.

Thursdays at the Library is an eclectic mix of programs by authors, musicians and educators on topics designed for enjoyment and education. The programs are sponsored by the Friends of the Library; they are free and open to all.

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will kick off a $1 million capital fund drive to build a second theater space at its performing arts center at the Shelton House on July 6, in conjunction with the opening night of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre’s production of “La Cage Aux Folles.”

The public library in Franklin is hosting two days of haunting teen events exploring monsters and the paranormal.

The Haunted North Carolina & Ghost Story Workshop will explore “The Brown Mountain Lights” that have been spotted for hundreds of years in Western North Carolina from 3:30 to 5 p.m. July 11. The group will explore what these lights could be and watch footage of the mysterious lights while they hear other ghost stores from N.C. Participants can also receive tips on how to write a ghost story.

The following evening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. teens will learn how to apply monster makeup. During America’s Next Top Monster, participants will get a makeover from professional make-up artist, Mary Bennett. She will transform faces into the monster of their choosing such as zombies, vampires, ghosts, aliens, or a made-up monster. Once their faces are painted, participants can strut their stuff down a runway in a monstrous fashion show that will be judged.

Actress Barbara Bates Smith will star in a stage adaptation of the short story “Lincolnites” at 7 p.m. July 12 at the Mountain Heritage Center on Western Carolina University’s campus.

“Lincolnites” was included in author Ron Rash’s prize-winning fiction collection Burning Bright. Inspired by the author’s Union-supporting ancestor, the story revolves around a Union soldier’s young wife who is at home when a marauding Confederate whistling “Dixie” confiscates her draft horse.

Smith’s presentation will also include musical accompaniment by Jeff Sebens of Cana, Va., and selected Civil War letters from the special collections section of WCU’s Hunter Library.

Smith is noted for her off-Broadway presentation of “Ivy Rowe,” based on author Lee Smith’s Fair and Tender Ladies.

Old Mater Farm is set to host Junior Sisk and Darrin and Brooke Aldridge for its first summer benefit at 1 p.m. July 7.

As part of a summer series of music, the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City is presenting a special program of words and music, featuring George Ellison, reading from his new book Permanent Camp and Lee Knight, singing tunes from “The Songcatcher’s Notebook.”

This free program will begin at 6:30 p.m. June 28 and people are encouraged to arrive early.

Ellison and his wife Elizabeth are Bryson City fixtures. The Ellisons have found their own secluded valley in these verdant mountains, crafting a permanent camp in which to reflect on their place in the natural world. In Permanent Camp, Ellison’s poems detail the unique environment surrounding his isolated homestead in the woods.

Knight, raised in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, became interested in folk music while in high school. During college, he became familiar with the music and stories of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. He also collected songs and stories from other parts of the world, including England, Scotland, Central Asia, Columbia and the Amazon region of Peru.

828.488.3030 or www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Morgan James of Macon County will sign copies of her book Quiet Killing at Books Unlimited in Franklin at 10 a.m. July 4 and at the Macon County Public Library from 4:30-6:30 p.m. July 12.

Quiet Killing is a new mystery novel set in Western North Carolina. It is the second in the Promise McNeal mystery series and takes the main character, made popular in Quiet the Dead, on a hunt for a murderer roaming territory many area residents may find familiar. North Carolina folk hero and notorious moonshine outlaw, Lewis Redmond, also figures in the tale of a mysterious lost little girl, arson and a restless spirit haunting the mountains.

Voices in the Laurel’s SummerVoice Music Camp will expand this year to become the Voices in the Laurel Summer Music Quest taking place from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. July 30 – Aug. 3 at the First Baptist Church of Waynesville.

The camp received funding from the Young Singers Foundation Grant from Sweet Adelines International that supports worthy projects, which inspire children and youth to sing in harmony with approved, high quality music instructors.

The camp is open to singers who will be entering first to ninth grades in the fall. Campers will be divided into age groups to participate in a variety of musical experiences and learn to sing with proper vocal technique and in two and three part harmony. Groups will rotate through classes in mountain dulcimer, world drumming, and class guitar and piano as well.

Some choral numbers will include choreography. The week will end with a demonstration concert at noon. Cost is $85 per camper and includes all music, snacks, professional instructors, a T shirt, and five days of music-making. Space is limited.

828.335.2849, www.voicesinthelaurel.org or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Registration continues for Dulcimer U, a residential program at Western Carolina University that draws dulcimer enthusiasts from across the country for a week of classes, concerts, jam sessions and fellowship. The program will run July 15-20.

Participants in Dulcimer U will spend mornings developing their playing skills and afternoons taking elective courses that allow them to explore different facets of the mountain dulcimer. For the first time, the event will offer a course in “Playing for Others in Healthcare and Related Settings.”

Larry and Elaine Conger of Paris, Tenn., will run the weeklong school. Named the national champion dulcimer player in 1998, Larry Conger is the author of eight books of dulcimer arrangements. Elaine Conger is a former classroom teacher and backup singer for Faith Hill.

The award-winning instructors at Dulcimer U will present a concert, “Dulcimers in the Round,” at 7 p.m. on July 19, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the general public go on sale July 10 at the Bardo Center box office. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $7 for students and children.

dulcimeru.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

Paul Heckert, professor of astronomy and physics at Western Carolina University, will present a special program about stars and planets at 2 p.m. June 28 in the auditorium at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

The program is for elementary age children in grades 3-5.

828.488.3030.

“Music, Art & Poetry Night,” an open mic arts night, will begin at 7 p.m. June 29 at the Rickman Store in Macon County.

Ann Gill-Johnson, a member of the Sew Easy Girls Extension and Community Association, will offer a sewing class at 1 p.m. July 2, 9, and 16 in the conference room of the Community Services Center in Sylva.

The Art League of the Smokies will meet at 6:15 p.m. July 5 at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City to show the video “Charles Reid’s Watercolor Solutions.”

During the 120-minute video, Reid shares his artistic insight and teaching methods as he illustrates how to use watercolors in a simple, loose and atmospheric style, which captures the essence of the subject. He reveals how to solve many of the issues beginner and intermediate artists face as he recreates four paintings which were originally completed by amateurs:  “Organic Harvest,” “St. Paul’s Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge,” “Self-Portrait” and “Morning Stroll.” The Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools are sponsoring the free event.

Reid is a professional artist and teacher who specializes in watercolor. His paintings are fresh and spontaneous, displaying a profound understanding of light and color. His artwork is on display in public, private and corporate collections around the world. Reid has authored 11 books on watercolor and oil painting.

828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

The Cullowhee Mountain ARTS Summer Visual ART Series is offering three weeklong ceramics workshops at Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design throughout July.  

The ceramics workshops are:

• July 9 to 13: Gay Smith will teach “Working to Make the Pots You Want to Make.” The workshop will cover creating functional ware, mugs, cups, etc. Demonstrations will focus on techniques, altering form and surface design. Discussion may include raw glazing and soda firing. All skill are levels welcome. Cost is $535.

• July 16 to 20: Nick Joerling will teach “Pots/Possibilities.” Beginning with wheel-thrown pots, students will be guided to push, cut, coax and stretch forms. Time will be given to exploring ways of making handles, lids and spouts. Some throwing experience is recommended. Cost is $545.

• July 30 to Aug. 3: Melisa Cadel will teach “Dynamic Anatomy.” The emphasis will be on hand-built dynamic clay figures that create tension or mood. Cadel will address surface treatment as it relates to the sculptural form. The goal of the class is to give students the tools they need to create successful work that incorporates proportion, visual movement and color. Cost is $530.

For information about painting and other arts workshops, visit the organization’s website.

www.cullowheemountainarts.org or 828.342.6913

Cullowhee Mountain ARTS is offering weeklong workshops through Aug. 3 as part of its Summer Visual Arts Series at Western Carolina University.

Workshops run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday thru Friday. The workshops for the week of July 9-13 include:

• In “The Figure in Context,” Susan Lichtman will guide students to arrange settings for figures by adjusting light, point of view and still life elements. The class is for painters who are comfortable working with the figure.

• Artist Randall Stoltzfus will show students how to “Expand their Palettes” with mixed-media techniques and ideas including stenciling and gilding. Recommended for any level.

• Book artist Karen Hanmer’s “Biblio Tech” workshop will instruct students to create a dozen small book models representing different historical and modern binding methods. For students with basic book binding skills.

• Rebecca Crowell’s “Oil and Wax” workshop is for exploring abstract painting using cold wax medium with oil paint, pigment sticks, powdered pigments and other materials and to discover new ways to create textures, lines, and color fields using a wide variety of tools and techniques. For intermediate to advanced painters.

• Lisa Pressman’s “Encaustic and Embellishment” workshop will teach students about the ancient art of painting with melted wax and pigment and how to use this medium in a fresh contemporary way. Open to any level.

The Summer Visual ARTS Series runs through Aug. 3. For a complete calendar, costs and full descriptions visit cullowheemountainarts.org or call 828.342.6913

The 23rd annual Mountain Artisans Summertime Art & Crafts Show will present the top artisans and crafters in the Southeast from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 30 through July 1 in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

The event features 115 exhibitors who carry on the Southern Appalachian tradition of arts and crafts. The items displayed for sale include: fine art, woodworking, pottery, weavings, paintings, jewelry, soaps, candles, blacksmith items and gourd art. Heritage crafts such as shaker brooms, pine needle baskets and folk dolls are available as well, along with quilted wall hangings and heirloom fabric items.

Admission is $4 for adults and free for children under 12.

828.524.3405 or www.mountainartisans.net

The Mad Batter is celebrating their introduction of beer to their menu with live music and a beer tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. June 27.

The event will feature local beer, local food and local musicians, Whimzik and Pat Harren, playing Irish tunes.

Whimzik is comprised of husband and wife duo Kjelsty Hanson and Glenn Kastrinos. The couple moved to Cullowhee from New Zealand. Kastrinos sings and plays a variety of traditional flutes and the guitar, while Hanson plays bodhran, the bones and spoons.

Harren was born in the Bronx to Irish parents but currently lives in Boise, Idaho. He has played the Irish wood flute and pennywhistle for 40 years, and he plays with the Giant Leprechauns in Boise.

Tickets for the event are $5.

828.293.3096 or www.whimzik.com.

Ballad singer and storyteller Joe Penland will kick off the 2012 Songcatchers Music Series at 4 p.m. July 1 at the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah Forest.

The series features performances of traditional mountain music every Sunday afternoon in July. Local old-time string band, the Roadapple Ramblers, will open the July 1 performance.

Penland will sing the ballads and songs that the earliest settlers brought from the British Isles into the secluded mountain valleys of Western North Carolina, and his performance will contain old Appalachian stories.

The concerts are held in the covered outdoor amphitheater, which is wheelchair accessible and seating is available. However, attendees are also welcome to bring picnics, as well as chairs and blankets for use on the nearby grass. In the event of stormy weather the concert will move indoors.

Admission for all shows is $6 for ages 16 and older; $3 for youth 15 and under and America the Beautiful and Golden Age pass holders.

The Cradle of Forestry is located on N.C. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.

Voices of Lee, an a cappella ensemble from Lee University, will perform at 2:30 p.m. July 1 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Voices of Lee has performed worldwide, been featured on Good Morning America, performed at Christmas at the White House and competed on NBC’s Sing-Off competition where they advanced to the final round.

Lee University is a Christian, liberal arts university in Cleveland, Tenn. Voices of Lee was founded by school president Paul Conn, who was hoping for a group that would represent the values the school outlines in its mission.

Tickets start at $12.

www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

The Bascom, a visual arts center in The Highlands, will hold its first Summer Barn Dance of the season from 7-10 p.m. June 30.

Nearly 300 performers from nine countries will descend on Haywood County July 18 to 29 for the Folkmoot Festival held throughout WNC.

Neil Diamond impersonator and tribute artist Tom Sadge will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. June 29 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Cherokee Recording Artist Shea Keck will be performing from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. June 30 at the Wildwood Grill at Fontana Village Resort.  

Keck began performing at the age of 12 when she was asked to join gospel group Heaven’s Harmony touring the southern U.S.

Keck sings and performs in her church choir and belts out the blues worldwide. She collaborated with Micki Free on a remake and a video of “Seminole Wind,” which was originally made famous by country recording artist John Anderson. Keck was also asked to perform in London in 2008 and 2009 for The Ambassadors of Rock, Hard Rock Calling Tour.

In her free time, Keck is working closely with native youth to help preserve traditional Cherokee dance and language.

www.fontanavillage.com or 828.498.2211.

The Barefoot Movement will play a free concert at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva at 7 p.m. July 3.

The Barefoot Movement plays different styles of bluegrass, folk, acoustic rock and old-time front porch music. They feature original songs and interweaving harmonies. The group is from Johnson City, Tenn., and just finished recording their second album. They are coming to Sylva after opening for Ricky Skaggs.

The quartet features Noah Wall on lead vocals and violin, Tommy Norris on mandolin, Quentin Acres on vocals and guitar, and Hasee Ciaccio on vocals and upright bass.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce’s annual Fourth of July horseshoe and cornhole tournaments will begin at 10 a.m. at the Macon County Veterans Memorial Recreation Park, just south of town on U.S. 441.

The horseshoe competition is open to men and women of all ages, and registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. The tournament follows a double elimination format and is played in sets of three games, with the best out of two winning. Losers will move onto the Loser’s Bracket.

The cornhole tournament, sponsored by ServPro, will be held at 3 p.m., with registration at 2:30 p.m. Cornhole is a lawn game in which players take turns throwing bags filled with corn at a raised platform with a hole in the far end. A corn bag in the hole scores 3 points, while one on the platform scores 1 point. The tournament will be comprised of two-player teams with double elimination brackets.

Registration for either tournament is $25 per team, and the first place winners of the tournaments will receive $200, second place teams $100 and third place teams $50.

If you are looking to run a personal best, consider the Bryson City Firecracker 5k on July 4th.

The course, which begins downtown and heads toward the Deep Creek community and back, is one of the flattest 5K courses in the region. The male overall course record is 14:50; the overall female course record is 17:50.

It begins at 8 a.m. on July 4 at the Swain County Administration Building downtown.

Walk-up registration will begin at 6:45 a.m. and will close at 7:45 a.m. Registration is $20 before July 1, or $25 with a T-shirt. Day of registration is $30 with or without a T-shirt.

www.runbrysoncity.com/firecracker-5k.

This year’s U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Championships were held in Cherokee last weekend, with venues including the catch-and-release waters in Cherokee, the Upper Nantahala and the Lower Nantahala.

The Bald Rock Horse Exhibition will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 30 in Sapphire to benefit the Friends of Panthertown, a non-profit that works to preserve, protect and promote the unique national forest recreational area of Panthertown.

The horse exhibition will start at noon with more than 12 breeds included. While waiting for the exhibition to begin, attendees can visit with miniature horses and a special Gypsy Vanner horse, listen to bluegrass and gospel by the Rye Holler Boys, watch horses being informally ridden in the arena, bid on silent auction items and visit various exhibitor booths.

Held at the Bald Rock/The Divide communities at the very top of Trays Island Road.

$10 donation per vehicle to help maintain trails in the Panthertown Valley. Lunch available for $5 with bake sale cookies for dessert for $1. 828.269.4453.

From spider behavior to salamander pheromones, researchers with the Highlands Biological Station are seemingly undaunted by the finer, even obscure points of mountain ecology.

They will present a sampling of their research projects at 7 p.m. July 5 at the Highlands Nature Center as part of the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series, a weekly summer program on various ecology, nature and science topics.

One segment of the program will cover the history of Dulany Bog in Cashiers, which is home to carnivorous plant species. Researchers are evaluating the plant communities in and around this prime example of a Southern Appalachian Bog, with rare habitat that is home to many unusual or endangered species, including pitcher plants and swamp pink. 

Other researchers will discuss the behavior and ecology of sub-social spiders, as well as pheromone activities in salamanders. More species of salamanders exist in the Southern Appalachians than anywhere else in the world.

828.526.2221.

 Building the original elevator to the mountain’s summit in 1949 took workers 18 months to blast through solid granite, creating a 258-foot shaft reached through a 198-foot-long tunnel. It was completely revamped.

The Town of Waynesville has partnered with Haywood Waterways Association to strategically place stream-crossing signs around town and help the public become more aware of the water resources around them. There are eight streams that flow through or near Waynesville, contributing to the quality of life, health and economy of the community. The signs are a reminder that everything washes downhill and ends up in local waterways, from a soda poured out in a parking lot to pet waste in your backyard. www.haywoodwaterways.org or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Rangers with the Blue Ridge Parkway will lead a hike to the summit of Black Balsam Knob in the Shining Rock Wilderness of Haywood County at 10 a.m. Friday, June 29.

The hike is an easy to moderate 2-mile roundtrip hike on the Art Loeb Trail to the summit of Black Balsam Knob. Rangers will tell participants about the unique events that have shaped this area.

The hike will begin at the Black Blasam parking area. Turn down the gravel Forest Service Road at milepost 420, about one mile south of Graveyard Fields. Hikers should bring water and a snack, wear good hiking shoes and be prepared for changeable weather conditions.

828.298.5330, ext. 304.

 “Spectacular Southern Appalachians” is the theme of a Nature Photography Exhibit by the mountain chapter of the Carolinas Nature Photographers Association that will be on display until July 31 at the Cradle of Forestry.

A new farmer’s market has opened at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Graham County every Wednesday morning from 8-11 a.m.

The Tailgate Market will feature fresh garden produce, flowers, herbs, plants and value-added food products.  This will be a producer-only market, farmers and growers must be the producers of items being sold. Food products must be made by the vendor and according to N.C. Regulations for proper food safety and packaging.  

There is no charge to be a vendor for the market. To apply as a vendor, contact 828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

The Canary Coalition’s annual membership gathering will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. June 29 at the Jackson County Public Library Community Room in Sylva.

There will be a potluck dinner, live music and a performance by Chad Halliburton, plus two short video-documentaries.

n One is “Appalachia Rising,” which chronicles more than 2,000 who marched on Washington, D.C., in opposition to continued mountaintop removal coal mining. There were 114 people arrested for non-violent civil disobedience at the White House.

n The other video being shown, “Tarsands Action,” is about the effort to stop the construction of the 1,800-mile Keystone XL oil pipeline that led to a two week protest, including the arrest of more than 1,000 people in the largest sustained action of non-violent civil disobedience in the nation’s history.

www.canarycoalition.org.

Artist Rick Hills, a studio owner in Waynesville, is donating 20 percent of the sale of his artwork on display at the Village Green Café in Waynesville to benefiting Haywood Waterways Association. The work will be on display until July 22 and features new mixed media paintings.