Mary Garrison and her husband, Fairview Fire Department Battalion Chief Tony Garrison, awoke around 4 a.m. on Sept. 27 to a darkened home with no electricity, torrential rainfall pounding the ground and high winds from Hurricane Helene screaming through their tiny, isolated Craigtown community. 

Join Haywood County’s Misfit Mountain Animal Rescue for the second-annual Pigs & a Blanket Festival & Campout this weekend.

The event will be held from 1-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the animal rescue at 922 Incinerator Road in Clyde.

Summer camp. Memories of the great outdoors, new friends, fun adventures. But around Misfit Mountain in Haywood County, the rescue’s Summer Camp Program means something entirely different, and that vital service may have just saved Frankie Scott’s life, if not his dog, Koda’s. 

 In an effort to raise funds for Misfit Mountain, there will be a special art showcase and sale through March at Panacea Coffee Company in Waynesville. 

The holiday season is among the toughest times in the animal rescue world. Adopting pets isn’t always front of mind for people, and harsh weather can create a sense of urgency when rehoming furry friends. 

Sometimes, the trip isn’t  about the journey — it’s about the destination. 

Jackson County commissioners plan to vote next week on a construction contract to build a new animal rescue center as well as walking trails and other improvements at the Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.