Ebay

Egad, it’s more addictive than heroin. My family always had a penchant for what some might refer to as “junk,” but what they would refer to lovingly as “antiques.” So I spent a fair amount of my childhood in flea markets, wandering through rows and rows of junk, err... “collectibles” rather.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

At age 12, Seth Taylor is a quiet, tanned, tow-headed boy. He seems well mannered, intelligent, and at ease, his lanky frame leaned back in a folding chair. However, he’s unprepared to answer questions about what drove him to begin a career in music — one that’s already led to numerous awards, two album releases, and a chance to open for Charlie Daniels.

By Chris Cooper

The Wilders: Throw Down

Reading about bandleader Ike Sheldon’s love/hate relationship with old-time music is almost as entertaining as listening to The Wilders’ latest, Throw Down. That somebody could be such a natural talent in this style and spend so many years avoiding it is pretty darn funny when you think about it.

By Michael Beadle

One thing that paralyzes American tourists about visiting foreign countries is the language barrier.

By Chris Cooper

To say that Col. Bruce Hampton has carved a colorful swath through the music industry is likely an understatement of considerable proportions. Tossing equal parts Zappa-inspired lunacy, gritty Southern rock, spoken word rants from Mars, gospel, funk, jazz and blues into nearly every recording, Hampton has achieved an instantly recognizable sound in spite of all his stylistic schizophrenia.

A+ arts schools

Call me biased, but Central Elementary School in downtown Waynesville is a great place. All three of my children have attended, and two are still there. The A+ program integrates arts into the standard curriculum and realizes the importance of teaching to multiple intelligences — which, in layman’s terms, means that different children learn differently, so one method just ain’t gonna work for everyone.

By Michael Beadle

Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the first of two stories about his experiences abroad.

You can’t go home again.

More than years after Asheville literary giant Thomas Wolfe gave us this immortal expression, his words echo with the love and longing that a place gives us.

By Michael Beadle

Central Elementary School capped its 10-year anniversary as an A+ school Friday, May 19, with students, parents, county leaders, school officials and school alumni joining in the celebration.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff have recommended removing the Dillsboro Dam and re-issuing Duke Energy licenses for each of its dams along the Tuckasegee and Oconaluftee rivers, according to a 402-page draft environmental assessment released May 10.

By Michael Beadle

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on some of the issues faced by new Latino immigrants to this region.

Cristina Heath, a native of Mexico and a Spanish teacher at Swain County High School and Middle School, has mixed feelings about the growing number of Hispanic immigrants in Western North Carolina.

By Joanne Meyer • Guest Columnist

A soft, spring breeze wafted through the open window, sending a sheer, cafe curtain dancing across the strings of a mandolin leaning upright against the back of a chair. The sound the instrument produced had a startling but enchanting allure. It spoke to me in a voice I had not heard in a long time.

By Michael Beadle

Kituhwa.

To the Cherokee, it represents one of the most sacred sites in the world, the first Cherokee town, a mound where the sacred fire burned for centuries. It is from this site that the Cherokee named themselves Ani-Kituhwa-gi, the people of Kituhwa.

Thanks to a new recycling trailer, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closer to its goal of diverting half of all its waste from local landfills compared to the 42 percent of park trash that currently is recycled.

A report by Trout Unlimited documenting the continued decline of brook trout has given rise to concerns over water quality and invigorated efforts to protect the remaining strongholds of brook trout in WNC.

A blistering fight over whether paddling should be allowed along the upper stretch of the Chattooga Wild and Scenic River has landed in court.

American Whitewater, the premier national paddling advocacy group whose headquarters are in Jackson County, filed a lawsuit two weeks ago challenging the ban on paddling as baseless and unfounded.

By Chris Cooper

Some songwriters have the gift of saying volumes with very little. They don’t need to spell it out, plaster it with tinsel and candy, and do a little dance to get your attention — it’s as if they really don’t even have to try. It’s a few bars into “Here Tomorrow, Gone Today” that you get the idea that Mike Strauss just may be one of these artists, painting with just a few colors, but always the right ones.

By Sarah Kucharski

The Shady Ladies, a diverse group of quilters based in Haywood County, are gearing up for their third annual show at Lake Logan Episcopal Center held June 2-4.

Mental Floss

For those who love collecting trivia in bite-sized tidbits, look no further than Mental Floss magazine, the sugar-coated candy that’s spinach for your noggin. (OK, too many metaphors, but this publication inspires such tangents.)

By Michael Beadle

Welcome to the Autobahn: land of the speedy, home of the brave.

You have to be brave if you want to pass a car going a mere 80 miles an hour and not end up as the hood ornament on a BMW.

By Michael Beadle

Editor’s note: Smoky Mountain News Writer Michael Beadle recently traveled to Europe. The following is the second of two stories about his experiences abroad.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Since the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s draft environmental assessment recommending removal of the Dillsboro Dam has come out, concern has arisen over mitigation measures planned for the Tuckasegee River.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Macon County schools personnel director Tamra Tisdale has filed a sexual harassment suit against outgoing Macon County School Superintendent Rodney Shotwell.

The filing brings to light the probable content of recent closed-door Macon County Board of Education meetings. Earlier this month the board hired the law firm of Helms, Mullis and Wicker to investigate two formal complaints from school employees. The law firm will report back to the school board at the conclusion of the investigation.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

“Overall, citizens seem fairly satisfied with the quality of life in the town of Sylva.”

So reads the first line in the summary of responses collected last month in a citizen satisfaction survey of Sylva residents.

Jennings Randolph does not leap from the pages of history. Perhaps he should. His likeness is not found on any T-shirts, but perhaps it should be, especially of those graduating from high school.

No, Jennings Randolph was not a founding father, but a 20th century figure. He was a long-time member of Congress from West Virginia, first as a member of the House of Representatives and later a senator. He did something in 1941 that he continued to do methodically for 30 years until he was successful. His photo might be depicted as an example of persistence and/or commitment.

When the jury came back with a not guilty verdict in the case against Michelle Gibson, many across the country let out a collective sigh of relief. Gibson had been charged with second-degree murder after her 8-year-old son died from heat exhaustion in a car while she worked a double shift at a Sylva nursing home.

The Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers gathered on the Blue Ridge Parkway this spring, instruments in hand, to help the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation raise the $50,000 they still need to complete the $350,000 Graveyard Fields restoration project. 

Libraries across the mountains are in summer mode with a robust lineup of educational programs for kids. Special guests will offer several free programs on science and nature topics, as well as their regular line-up of story times and other activities. Here are a few of the upcoming programs on tap through June. Watch the “Kids and Families” section of the calendar for more programs throughout the summer.

Jackson County library

• “Fur, Feathers, and Scales” with the Balsam Mountain Trust will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 19. Space limited. 

• A program on carnivorous plants will be held June 25 with Jane Fitzgerald of the Jackson County Soil and Water Agency. Children through age 11 are invited to an 11 a.m. program, and teens 12-18 are invited to a 3 p.m. program.

• The State Natural History Museum’s Dinosaur Exhibit will come to the Jackson County Public Library at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26. Museum scientists will discuss the science of paleontology and display specimens, fossils and dinosaur models. Free, but space is limited, with tickets being distributed starting at 5:30 p.m.

Swain County library

• Children in third through fifth grade will get a chance to make dinosaur eggs at 11 a.m. Monday, June 23. They’ll then use a magic solution to dissolve them.

• The most popular program of the year will return with the “Birds of Prey” show presented by Balsam Mountain Trust at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 24. Michael Skinner will give a hands-on discussion of the birds’ biology and habitat, and he’ll bring a few to visit. 

• The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science will take children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade on a dinosaur discovery at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 25, with plenty of hands-on activity involved. 

• Teenagers will create duct tape dinosaur masterpieces at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26. 

Macon County library

• A program called “No Bones About It!” geared for third through fifth graders will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 25.

• The North Carolina Museum of Natural Science will host a dinosaur discovery at 10 a.m. Friday, June 27.

Haywood County Library

• Jonathan Fain of Stones and Bones will present an interactive program exploring how volcanoes and plate tectonics created the Appalachian mountains at 11 a.m. June 18 at the Canton library and June 19 in Waynesville. Participants will have the chance to examine an extensive fossil collection and make their own discoveries. 

• The Super Summer Science Fair, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Waynesville library, will give kids of all ages a chance to run experiments while enjoying entertainment from Mountain Circus Arts, as well as refreshments. 

• The Summer Science Fun Club, a group of children 9 to 16 interested in a summer of experiments and make-and-take activities, will learn physics with Western Carolina University instructor Kelley Dinkelmeyer at 1:30 p.m. June 26 at the Waynesville library. Dinkelmeyer will bring demonstrations and talk about the life of a physicist. Space is limited; register at 828.452.5169.

• The Knoxville Zoomobile will visit Haywood County on June 25 at 11 a.m. at the Waynesville library and 2 p.m. in Canton. The interactive program will include time to touch animals and artifacts.

Haywood Waterways is now selling “trout” to compete in their annual Trout Race held at 5 p.m. on June 22 in Maggie Valley in conjunction with the weekend PlottFest.

Comments are open regarding a proposed prohibition on coyote hunting in a five-county area in northeastern North Carolina. The area is home to the world’s only native red wolf population, which look similar to coyotes — posing a dangerous case of mistaken identity. 

Famed Asheville forager Alan Muskat will answer all your burning questions about forest foods during the next installment of the Village Nature Series at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 24, at the Village Green Commons in Cashiers, with a private foraging tour to follow on June 25 at Skylight Farm near Cashiers. 

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter for the sakes of my fellow creationists and any questioning minds who may be concerned about an argument, by Neil deGrasse Tyson, mentioned in the last edition of “The Naturalist’s Corner.” I should note that I have great respect for Tyson’s work in the field of science, and I do not profess to have anywhere near his degree of knowledge and experience in this field. However, when presented with a direct attack on my views, for which I have a reasonable response, I believe I have a responsibility to make that response known.

The argument in question is stated as follows in the article:

“According to Tyson as narrator: ‘… But if the universe were only 6,500 years old, how could we see the light from anything more distant than the Crab Nebula? We couldn’t. There wouldn’t have been enough time for the light to get to Earth from anywhere farther away than 6,500 light-years in any direction. That’s just enough time for light to travel through a tiny portion of our Milky Way galaxy.

‘To believe in a universe as young as 6 or 7,000 years old is to extinguish the light from most of the galaxy. Not to mention the light from all the hundred billion other galaxies in the observable universe.’”

This argument supposedly proves creation impossible because it shows that the earth must be older than the time it would take for light to reach the farthest visible star. This may seem to be a daunting argument to young-earth creationists particularly, but there is a simply elegant answer which can be found by carefully reading the creation story as recorded in the Bible.

On the first day of the six days of creation, “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Gen. 1:3). However, it was not until the fourth day of creation on which “God made two great lights — the greater light [the sun] to govern the day and the lesser light [the moon] to govern the night. He also made the stars.” (Gen. 1:16) Here we see that God made the light waves, the visible energy by which we see, before He made the physical light sources of the sun, moon and stars. Thus, it would take no time at all for the light from stars even billions of light years from earth to be seen on earth because it was already there, before the stars ever existed.

I cannot feign to answer all the questions science may raise. Although I trust in and rely on science daily, I am willing to admit that science is an invention of flawed mankind to help him discover the truth of God’s creation. Scientific views and principles change and alter, but God is truth, whether or not you believe in Him. It is my hope and prayer that all would come to know the glorious and loving God of creation.

Joshua Snead

Waynesville

To the Editor:

This is in response to Mitchell E. Powell’s letter to the editor, “‘Group is hurting Haywood GOP,” in the June 4 edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

Powell attended only a few meetings in his short stint with the Haywood County Republican Party. While campaigning for vice chair he said he was against any new taxes, yet in his short time in office he was the only executive committee member to vote during straw polls in favor of two proposed tax increases. Many believe this action placed him far left of the mainstream Republicans.

I don’t recall anyone making him the spokesman for all the citizens of Haywood County or the Republican Party, as he would have you to believe in his letter.

Most people I have talked to in our county want to see liberties preserved, low taxes, smaller government, less spending and low debt. I hear this from Democrats, Republicans, Independents and Libertarians from all walks of life. This is mainstream in our county and not a small group.

As for his statements about my wife Debbie and I causing consistent problems at every meeting as well as statements regarding votes, they are flat-out lies from Powell. In all the years I have attended meetings, I have never voted as an executive member. Debbie is an asset to the Republican Party. She has served in many offices in the party, each time winning the seat with unanimous support. She has worked to bring people into the organization. We have gone from a handful to standing room only in many meetings. She knows full well that the precinct chairs are the lifeblood of the party. During executive meetings everyone may not agree on every issue, but discussion where the issues are debated is healthy and helpful to organizations.

The Republican Party has many people who will work hard to make this a better county. I hope our party will grow in strength, unity, and number over the next few months.

Denny King

Canton

Haywood Pathways Center, the working title for the trio of Christian ministries working to make the old prison in Hazelwood into a center for restoration, has made it to the top of the pack in an online contest to win $50,000 and the help of celebrity house-flipper Ty Pennington to complete the project. The Haywood project garnered the most votes in the first round of Guaranteed Rate’s Give Back Challenge, which drew 300 entries from 49 states. Voting has just opened for round two, which includes the top 50 projects. 

Now, the project has three weeks to make it into the top six for the final round of voting. Each top-six project will win at least $10,000 toward its goal, but the grand prize is $50,000 and the help of Pennington and his crew from the TV show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” 

Haywood Pathways Center’s vision is to turn the abandoned low-security state prison that sits next to the new Haywood County Sheriff’s Office and county jail into a hub offering a soup kitchen, homeless shelter and halfway house for people recently released from jail, with all services using a Christ-centered approach. The group expects the price tag to convert the facility to run about $300,000. They’re hoping to raise the money and open the facility by Nov. 1. 

To see the project description, video and to vote, click the link on the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/haywoodpathwayscenter. Voting is open through July 8.

A new candidate has joined the field of potentials for the Swain County sheriff’s race. In addition to Republican Sheriff Curtis Cochran and Democratic challenger Chuck McMahan, the November ballot will also feature unaffiliated candidate Odell Chastain.

“I’m running on the values of the Constitution, to support and defend the Constitution,” Chastain said of his candidacy. 

Chastain secured his unaffiliated slot on the ballot by gathering the required 412 petition signatures. The candidate presented the Swain County elections office with the signatures on June 9, more than two weeks ahead of the June 27 deadline. 

Chastain is a retired law enforcement officer. For 18 years he served as a deputy in Lincoln, Gaston and Swain counties. For 10 years he served with the Bryson City Police. The candidate also spent eight Vietnam-era years in the Army and, more recently, worked for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

“If I’m hired by the people to be sheriff, I will protect our guns and our rights,” Chastain said, contending that his opponents have not made such a promise to voters. “No one’s ever said they would protect our guns.”

In November, the unaffiliated candidate will go up against Swain’s incumbent sheriff — Cochran, who had no primary challengers — and McMahan, who beat three other Democratic candidates during the May primary. 

— Jeremy Morrison, News Editor

Folkmoot USA will host an Open House from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 26, to celebrate Haywood County’s generous donation of the historic Hazelwood School to the cultural organization.

On June 16, the Haywood County Board of Commissioners approved the donation of the historic Hazelwood School facilities to Folkmoot USA. According to county tax records, the facility is worth approximately $1.3 million. This marks the first time that Folkmoot USA has had a permanent home in its 31-year history of offering its annual summer festival and other events celebrating international culture.

 “We have operated as tenants in this facility for more than a decade,” explained Karen Babcock, Executive Director of Folkmoot USA. “Ownership opens the door to both new responsibilities and exciting opportunities.”

By fixing the roof, renovating the auditorium and making other facility changes, Folkmoot USA can achieve its goals of offering events year-round and operating a center that brings the local, regional and international communities together. Some of the possibilities include hosting guests and creating venues for community and international events and performances. Folkmoot USA has already secured $167,000 in cash support to help initiate these changes.

 “We are very grateful to Haywood County for providing the largest donation in Folkmoot USA’s history,” said Rose Johnson, president of the board of Folkmoot USA. “The open house is an opportunity to celebrate this amazing gift and also start the conversation about the future. We are thoroughly committed to utilizing this historic school facility to serve the community. We’re eager for people to come see the center and offer their ideas.”

Folkmoot USA supporters, former teachers and students at the historic Hazelwood School, Hazelwood neighbors, and the general public are all welcome to attend the open house. This free event will include light refreshments.

Nominations for new Folkmoot USA board members are also now being accepted. Terms will begin in September 2014. Forms may be picked up during the open house or requested via phone or email.

For more information about the open house or board member nominations, call 828.452.2997 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A benefit for Head Start of Haywood and Jackson counties, PlottFest will be held June 21-22 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and at noon on Sunday.

“Oklahoma!,” the first musical written by the dynamic duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. June 27- 28 and July 5 and at 4 p.m. June 29, July 4 and 6 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Singer-songwriter James Hammel will present a cabaret story through song in “Celebrating a Collage of Life — a Journey Through Some of Life’s More Poignant Moments” at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

Haywood Community College’s Appalachian Music Program will be offering a handful of classes funded by a generous grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. 

As Haywood struggles with the best use of room tax money collected from tourists to fund tourism promotion, one area that raises the most ire is the amount given out as grants for festivals. Tourism authorities around Western North Carolina fund festivals with room tax dollars to varying degrees.

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority is split over a budget for the coming fiscal year that would reduce funding for festivals and local chambers of commerce and instead put the money toward a marketing plan.

By Bruce Hare • Guest Columnist

In response to your article (“Tug of War over the Chattooga River,” May 31 Smoky Mountain News), I would like to thank you for reporting on an issue that is important to me and I think your coverage was balanced and fair.

By Ed Kelley

The burning sensation on the back of my heels made me wish I had packed some moleskin. Blisters are adversary number one for the hiker. Luckily, I haven’t had them in years, but friction, moisture, heat, and four miles of constant uphill hiking on the Newton Bald Trail conspired to separate epidermis from dermis. Blisters are preventable and I was irritated (pun intended) that in planning for this hike, I hadn’t given them a second thought. Now pain was forcing them into my consciousness.

By Michael Beadle

There’s a heavy heat inside Mountainside Theatre’s rehearsal studio even with fans blowing and the lights turned off. The dancers, sweaty but still smiling, have been practicing all afternoon, fine-tuning the finale for “Unto These Hills.”

By Chris Cooper

Claiming influences as far apart stylistically as Iron Maiden and Ravi Shankar, Mother Vinegar lean further toward the rocking side of the jam ethic than the majority of their tie-dyed brethren. Off kilter lyrics (understatement?) and a blatant disregard for genre boundaries are the name of the game for these guys, and thankfully their overall instrumental prowess allows them to play musical hopscotch with a minimum of skinned knees.

Records

As in old school phonograph records, not world records or dental records. After collecting thousands of CDs over the last 15 years, I have fallen in love with records again. Whenever I get a chance to listen to the stereo these days, I spend about 90 percent of my listening time playing them.

By Michael Beadle

Luke Allsbrook has a voice as soothing as his paintings.

He explains his craft with the calm of someone who has spent hours in solitary reflection, emerging from nature with gifted insights. Whether it’s a vast stretch of beach, a mountain pasture or glowing houselights in a suburban home, there’s an invisible breeze hushing peripheral noise as you enter his world of oil paintings.

By Michael Beadle

It’s a story 10,000 years in the making. And now Cherokees and Native Americans from all over the United States will tell it.

When “Unto These Hills” opens June 8 for its latest outdoor season, audiences will find a whole new show — a new script, new cast, new stage, new Surround Sound speakers, new costumes and outfits, new songs and dances, and a new kind of energy that the drama’s management says has been missing for years.