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St. John’s Episcopal Church in Sylva is hosting a four-week film discussion program on the recent PBS series, “Women, War & Peace,” from 6-8 p.m. on consecutive Wednesdays beginning Jan. 18.
Film viewings will be followed by a directed discussion.
Call 828.586.8358 to participate so staff can prepare adequate materials and refreshments. For more information, visit www.stjohnssylva.com.
Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Dan Forest will be the guest speaker at a Macon County Republican Party “Meet & Greet” at 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 14 at the Boiler Room in Franklin.
Republican congressional candidates (11th Congressional District) as well as other Republican candidates will attend. This will be a great opportunity to get to know and vet candidates.
The lunch buffet is $13 (all inclusive). RSVP to Chris Murray at 828.421.2191 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
North Carolina will receive a $69.9 million grant award from the federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge fund to support early childhood education throughout the state.
“This award is outstanding news for our children, families and educators across North Carolina,” said U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville. “Investing in high-quality early education is one of the most important steps we can take to put our children on the path to success in school and in life.
Thirty-five states developed plans to increase access to high-quality early education programs. North Carolina was one of nine states to be selected for an award.
In November, Rep. Shuler and five other members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services in strong support of North Carolina’s grant application for the Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge.
MedWest Health System is offering smoking cessation classes starting this month at three of its hospital campuses.
During the seven-week Freedom From Smoking program, participants will learn in small group settings how to overcome tobacco addiction. Classes will be held at:
• MedWest Health & Fitness Center in Clyde from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekly, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 18.
• MedWest-Harris Annex in Sylva from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. weekly, beginning Thursday, Jan. 19.
• MedWest-Swain Dining Room in Bryson City from noon to 1 p.m. weekly, beginning Thursday, Jan. 19.
Cost is $25 to participate. 828.452.8089 for more information or to register.
Republicans aren’t the only ones who will have a reason to head to the polls in the May primary.
While Republican voters sort out who their presidential nominee will be, Democrats have a race of their own to narrow down, although with a much-more homegrown flare.
Two well-known Waynesville men are vying for the seat soon to be vacated by long-time N.C. Rep. Phil Haire, D-Sylva. Joe Sam Queen, an architect by trade, and Danny Davis, a former District Court judge, both formally announced their candidacies this week.
The 119th House district includes all of Jackson and Swain counties, as well as Waynesville, Lake Junaluska and part of Maggie Valley in Haywood County.
The political rumor mill has been churning in the two weeks since Haire announced he would retire. But so far, only Davis and Queen have committed. No other candidates have emerged.
When it comes to politicking, Queen has plenty of experience. He served six years in the state Senate and has five elections under his belt, each of them hard-fought races. He is looking forward to what he calls “on-the-ground retail politics,” which puts him in touch with the people of the mountains.
“I like to give stump speeches and shake people’s hands and ask them for their vote,” Queen said. “I like to have some barbeques and square dances and the whole nine yards.”
Queen’s former sprawling Senate district extended as far north as Mitchell County and as far east as McDowell, making a horseshoe around Buncombe County. He became a seasoned road warrior in such a vast district. He also had to raise lots of money to campaign across so many counties, spending around $600,000 or $700,000 each race.
Queen estimates spending only a fraction of that in the House race.
“I don’t think this will be a high-dollar campaign,” Queen said.
While Davis is new to politics, he says there is no better experience than his 27 years as a District Court judge in the seven western counties.
“It is like a front row seat to the picture window of society,” Davis said of his judgeship. “I see how drugs affect families. I see what happens when they lose their job, and they start drinking, and we have to take their kids. I see what happens when they don’t have enough money to pay their bills or child support even though they are working two or three jobs.”
As a judge, Davis couldn’t make position statements or voice concerns over the issues that he felt affected the people of Western North Carolina. Now, he will finally be able to speak out, and his ideas for improving the lives of people and fixing the inner workings of government are voluminous enough for a dissertation, he said.
“I can finally say this is what we need to do and how we need to help these folks,” Davis said.
Davis said he had already been thinking about running when Haire retired.
Davis contends that he is better known in the district than Queen, since he served not only in Haywood but also Jackson and Swain as a judge for so many years.
Queen disagrees, saying he is equally well known outside Haywood.
“I am a homegrown mountain fellow,” Queen said. “I have as strong a name recognition as any politician in the west. I have the polling data to show it.”
Besides, the district is his “own backyard,” compared to the sprawling Senate district he had to work.
Queen, 61, and Davis, 58, both played up their ties to the region. Both men come from a long Haywood County lineage. The Davis and Queen names are both established and prominent Haywood families
Any other takers?
For now, Davis and Queen seem to have the primary race to themselves. Many initially looked to Troy Burns from Bryson City as a possible candidate, as he ran against Haire 10 years ago. But, Burns said this week he has decided not to run. Burns said both Davis and Queen called him over the past few days to find out where he stood on a possible candidacy.
“It is a mutual thing out of respect,” Burns said of his decision not to run.
From Jackson County, the chairman of the county Democratic Party Brian McMahan was also bandied about as a possible candidate, but McMahan said he won’t be running. He has a one-year-old and doesn’t want to spend the time away from home.
The primary between Queen and Davis could prove a tougher battle than the general election in November.
Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1 in the district. So on paper at least, whoever wins the Democratic primary could have an advantage over their Republican opponent in November.
“It is a solid Democratic seat,” Queen said.
Davis, however, isn’t so sure.
“I don’t think they are going to concede this seat,” Davis said of Republicans. “In this day in time, I don’t think it can be politics as usual. I think you are going to have to work very hard to retain the Democratic votes you have.”
Only one Republican has formerly announced his candidacy. Mike Clampitt of Bryson City stepped up to run within hours of Haire’s announcement.
Maybe it’s pie in the sky, but the right ingredients could transform South Main Street into a thriving commercial district. A consultant with LaQuatra Bonci has mapped out a new look for the corridor. The plan banks on new-found aesthetic appeal to create a sense of place, which in turn will make South Main a destination drawing both stores and shoppers.
Problem: Dilapidated buildings, shuttered storeffronts.
Challenge: The prospect of new commercial development is hindered by the ugly appearance and asphalt overload.
Solution: “Green the corridor” with street trees and a planted median.
Problem: How many lanes?
Challenge: The wider the road, the more land that gets lopped off the front of adjacent properties. The resulting lot could be too small to fit anything on. But too few lanes may not support future traffic should it increase substantially.
Solution: Two lanes, except the 0.4-mile stretch in front of Super Walmart between Allens Creek and Hyatt Creek.
Problem: Unfriendly for pedestrians
Challenge: Pedestrian activity can be a magnet for commercial revitalization.
Solution: Create a pedestrian boulevard by installing cross walks, sidewalks and bike lanes.
Problem: Traffic passes through without stopping on its way from point A to point B.
Challenge: South Main lacks a sense of place, giving motorists no reason to slow down or to see South Main as a destination.
Solution: An entrance feature, such as public art piece, to set the stage, along with pedestrian scale lighting and benches.
Problem: Intersections
Challenge: Stoplights require extra turning lanes for cars to queue up in while waiting for the light to change, but the extra turn lanes mean more asphalt and run counter to the street’s new character.
Solution: Use roundabouts instead, which do double duty as a convenient U-turn spot, since the street would have medians preventing left turns in and out of businesses.
The fourth-annual Group Seed Order will take place at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Jackson Street in Sylva on Saturday, Jan. 14, between 9 a.m. and noon.
The Jackson County Farmers Market sponsors this seed-ordering event. The volume from collectively ordering as a group helps reduce costs.
Seeds will be ordered from Fedco Seeds and Johnny’s Selected Seeds, two of the leading seed companies specializing in vegetables that have been chosen for taste. Flower, herb and cover crop seeds, as well as onion transplants and sweet potato slips can be ordered.
Catalogs for Fedco and Johnny’s Seeds with descriptions and prices will be on hand at the ordering event. Catalogs are also available on-line at www.fedcoseeds.com and www.johnnyseeds.com.
Each order needs to be submitted on an order form and be paid for by cash or check on Jan. 14. The seeds will arrive in about three weeks. Those who placed an order will be notified about the date and time to pick up their orders.
“By ordering as a group we can qualified for a 24 percent discount with Fedco and save a lot by ordering in larger quantities,” said Ron Arps, an organizer for the event. “We can also get varieties that are not available locally.”
People who want to start a new garden this year are encouraged to place an order. Many experienced gardeners will be there to give help and advice.
828.586.5478.
Volunteers are needed at Gorges State Park in Sapphire to help build and maintain trails, with work parties scheduled weekly on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., weather permitting.
The new state park is located on the Jackson-Transylvania county line. A master plan for Gorges is currently being developed, including a new visitor center, two picnic facilities and a maintenance complex under construction. Volunteers are needed to help build a new trail connecting two picnic shelters between Upper Bearwallow Falls and Gorges Overlook. Existing trails need volunteer hands for maintenance, too.
Volunteers should bring their own gloves. Drinking water and hand tools will be provided. Volunteers will meet at the Gorges State Park office, located at 17762 Rosman Highway (U.S. 64) in Sapphire. Participants must be at least 16 years old, in good health, and capable of performing physical labor on mountainous terrain. Pre-registration is not required.
828.966.9099.
Volunteer organizations have donated labor and money to improve cooking and sleeping quarters for campers, while also reducing potential problems with black bears in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The groups involved were the Friends of the Smokies, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club. They have been working over the past decade to rebuild every backpacker trail shelter in the park. This shelter marked the last one. Twelve of the park’s 15 backcountry shelters are located on the Appalachian Trail.
Reconstruction at the Laurel Gap trail shelter began in September, but weather prevented delivery of roofing materials by helicopter — the remote location makes packing all the supplies and building materials impossible. The volunteer crew returned the first week of December to finish roofing the shelter under the threat of winter snows.
Laurel Gap is located in North Carolina, near the intersection of the Sterling Ridge and Balsam Mountain Trails.
“As with all of the shelter projects over the years, this one required a real team effort,” said Jim Hart, President of Friends of the Smokies. “We are very grateful to all the partners and donors.”
Architect Philip Royer of Knoxville, a member of the Appalachian Trail Maintainers Committee, drew a basic blueprint for every shelter rehab project, incorporating improved natural lighting, a cooking area to separate food odors from the sleeping space, improved bunk access, new roofs and masonry repair, and drainage improvements.
Old trail shelters used to have chain link fences around them to keep bears out of backpackers’ food. The renovations have removed the unattractive fencing from all the shelters, and instead installed bear cables, which are actually more effective at keeping bears out of food by hoisting it out of reach.
Learn topnotch, competitive-level fly-fishing techniques via a filmed fly-fishing competition that took place last year here in Western North Carolina.
Local angler Paul Bourcq captured the fishermen in action and filmed interviews with them during the competition.
The 2011 U.S. National Fly Fishing Championship was held this past spring in Cherokee. In addition to fishing in tribal waters, about 60 of the nation’s top fly-fishing experts tested their angling skills along nearby stretches of water, including the Tuckasegee River below Western Carolina University and the upper and lower sections of the Nantahala River.
This marked the first time the championship was held in the Southeast.
“I worked really hard on this and am excited to show off something that to date has never been filmed,” Bourcq said of the DVD.
Go to www.ncflyfishingteam.com or www.connectthesmokies.com to pre-order. A trailer featuring his work can be found at
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission now allows hunting of feral swine and wild hogs at night — but hunters need a special permit. The permit is free and is available at www.ncwildlife.org. The permits are valid through March 31.
The permit does not grant access to any property. Landholders must grant permission to enter private or public property lawfully. The permit does not grant access to take feral swine on state game land.
In an effort to reduce the nuisance and invasive wild hog population, the state has made hunting laws for wild boar as liberal as possible, hoping to solicit the help of hunters to eliminate the invasive beasts. There is now no limit on the number of wild hogs, classified as feral swine, that a hunter can shoot and they can be hunted year-round.
The non-native animals compete with native wildlife and pose significant threats to the environment and agricultural operations.
As for the new night hunting rule, archery and firearm may hunt feral swine after normal shooting hours (an hour before sunrise until an hour past sunset) where local law allows; except by firearms on Sundays.
A local fly-fishing guide and recreational therapy students at Western Carolina University teamed up recently to provide a fly-fishing outing for children with autism.
Jennifer Hinton, WCU associate professor of recreational therapy, organized the event. Alex Bell, retired principal of Smoky Mountain High School and the owner of AB’s Fly Fishing Guide Service, served as “coach” on the project, working with the class throughout the semester.
Through the Adaptive Fly Fishing Institute, Bell teaches adaptive fly fishing and also teaches fellow instructors in the practice. There is limited research on adaptive fly fishing, Hinton said, but the WCU students theorized it would benefit children on the autism spectrum physically, psychologically and socially.
The fly fishing was adapted to the children’s abilities. For instance, when teaching the children to cast, the instructors asked them to aim for hula hoops on the ground rather than the more typical method of using numbers on an imaginary clock face.
“It was amazing the difference once we put down a visual cue. It improved their focus so much,” Bell said.
Autism affects the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction, communication skills and cognitive function, according to the National Autism Association. Individuals with autism can show marked differences — thus, they are on the “autism spectrum” — but typically they have difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. The NAA reports that the disorder affects one in 150 people in the U.S. and is diagnosed four times more often in boys than girls.
In honor of the event, staff of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stocked a section of Cullowhee Creek with about 40 brook trout from the Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in Brevard.
“We’re here to provide angling opportunities for various people, and we were proud to step up and make that happen,” said David Deaton, a WRC fish production supervisor.
A week later, Kathy Ralston said her son Isaac was still talking about it.
“He’s looked forward to fly fishing since we moved here,” said Ralston, who with her husband, Bill, an orthopedic surgeon at MedWest Harris, and their four children relocated to Jackson County from Kansas City, Mo., in August 2010. Though it’s unusual for children on the autism spectrum, the Ralstons have always had Isaac, their oldest child, participate in group activities such as organized soccer.
But participation has gotten more difficult as Isaac has grown older and the physical and emotional disparities between Isaac and his peers have become more pronounced. Ralston and other parents expressed a desire for more recreational opportunities for their children with autism spectrum disorder, such as the fly-fishing event.
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy transferred 35 acres to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service to protect adjacent land along the famous footpath.
Wesser Bald in Macon County was at risk of development when the Southern Appalachian conservancy trust initially purchased it in 2007. The intent was to sell the land to the Forest Service once the Forest Service attained needed funds.
“We are proud to be working with these partners to add an important sight along the AT that’s visible to a lot of people,” said SAHC’s Executive Director Carl Silverstein.
The addition of this tract, along with an adjoining 42 acres on which the land trust holds a conservation easement, closes a wide gap in a swath of contiguous Forest Service lands that were vulnerable.
In addition to providing extraordinary views, this protected land will contribute a multitude of other benefits to the ecosystems of the Little Tennessee River watershed, the Nantahala National Forest, and the Appalachian Trail corridor, group leaders said. The land will serve as a catalyst for the protection of significant watersheds, providing a contiguous wildlife corridor that will provide high quality wildlife habitats and ecosystems for rare plants and will assure that the land will stay pristine for generations to come.
The North Carolina Writers’ Network is now accepting submissions for its 2012 Doris Betts Fiction Prize.
The competition is named in honor of author and North Carolina native Doris Betts, a three-time winner of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award and recipient of the North Carolina Award for Literature, among many other honors.
The Doris Betts Fiction Prize awards the first-prize winner $250 and publication in the North Carolina Literary Review. Finalists will also be considered for publication.
The competition is open to any writer who is a legal resident of the state or a member of the North Carolina Writers’ Network. Submissions must be short stories that are 6,000 words or less, and only one entry is accepted per writer. The authors name should not appear on the manuscript.
Deadline for submissions is Feb. 15.
The Mountain Writers of North Carolina will meet at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan.10, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
David Madden, an expert in the art of the revision process, is the guest speaker. Madden earned an M.A. at San Francisco State and attended Yale Drama School on a John Golden Fellowship.
He was Writer-in-residence at LSU from 1968 to 1992, director of the Creative Writing Program from 1992-1994, founding director of the United States Civil War Center from 1992-1999, and is now LSU Robert Penn Warren Professor of Creative Writing, Emeritus.
His best-known novel, The Suicide’s Wife, was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and made into a CBS movie. The public is welcome to attend this free event. Blue Ridge Books is located at 152 South Main Street in Waynesville.
828.456.6000.
The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will host several youth events in the coming weeks.
The library will resume its pre-school program on Jan. 11. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. in the auditorium.
The pre-literacy skill focus for the winter story time session will be learning about compound words. Learning how compound words are created will help increase the variety of words spoken and understood thus increasing vocabulary.
There will also be a home-school meeting at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 18 in the auditorium. Parents and children are invited to attend.
Topics of discussion will include basic research skills and a book talk.
The next community music jam at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m., Jan. 5, in the library auditorium.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer — anything acoustic — is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join.
Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music will facilitate the jam. Normally, Barnett starts by calling out a tune and its key signature, and the group plays it together. Then, everyone in the circle gets a chance to choose a song for the group to play.
The community jams is offered for musicians of all ages and levels of ability.
The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month, year-round. 828.488.3030.
The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will play the live-action adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater’s children’s book, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 10.
Jim Carrey plays a businessman who inherits a small flock of penguins and must transform his Manhattan apartment into an arctic habitat.
The library shows family movies each Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. The movies are free to the public and projected onto an 8-by-10 foot screen with a theater sound system.
The library also gives away one free movie check out voucher to each patron who attends the movie.
Popcorn, provided by the Friends of the Marianna Black Library, will be served in the library auditorium starting at 3:20 p.m.
828.488.3030.
Tickets for two Chippendales shows at Harrah’s Casino will go on sale Jan. 6.
The shirtless, bowtie-wearing performers will be at Harrah’s in Cherokee on Feb. 11 for two shows — one at 6 p.m. and another at 9 p.m.
The Chippendales dancers are part of an all-male revue. Attendees must be 21 years of age or older.
www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.
The next Second Sunday Contra Dance will be on Jan. 8. on the second floor of the old courthouse in the library in Sylva. Contra dancing will begin at 2:30 p.m. and go until 5 p.m.
Anne Marie Walters from Asheville will call the dances to the music of Out of the Woodwork.
All dances are done to live music and local musicians are invited to sit in with the band, to jam and learn how to play music for dancing.
There will also be a potluck dinner following the contra dance, starting at 5:30 p.m. Please bring a covered dish, plate, cup and cutlery and a water bottle.
No previous experience with contra dancing is necessary, and all dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required.
Contra dancing is a form of English country dancing and uses many of the same figures as square dancing such as circles, stars and swings.
828.586.5478 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Kindermusik International, a publisher of music and movement programs, has named Lori Richards a Maestro Producer for 2011-12.
Richards is an early childhood specialist at The Music Village and teaches Kindermusik in Cullowhee and Waynesville. The Maestro Producer award recognizes excellence for a fast-growing program.
“The Kindermusik Maestro has a mission: helping children become better learners and helping parents understand how to help them reach their highest potential,” said Michael Dougherty, CEO at Kindermusik International.
She will offer classes in Cashiers beginning the week of Feb.7 for newborns to age 7, and enrollment is now open.
Richards joins the company of Maestros identified as the top 5 percent of the 5,000 licensed educators in the world who teach Kindermusik’s music and movement program.
“It is such a blessing to share the gift of music with children and to see the joy it brings them,” Richards said.
828.293.5600 or www.themusicvillage-nc.com.
B.B. King will make a pit stop at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in Asheville on Jan.14.
All tickets must be reserved and cost $75, $49.50 and $39.50. Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, via phone at 800.745.3000 or online at Ticketmaster.com. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show will begin at 8 p.m.
King has one of the most identifiable guitar styles and most identifiable guitars — Lucille. He mixes traditional blues, jazz, swing and mainstream pop.
His songs include “Payin’ The Cost To Be The Boss,” “The Thrill Is Gone,” “How Blue Can You Get,” “Everyday I Have The Blues,” and “Why I Sing The Blues.”
King has had two No. 1 R&B hits and four No. 2 R&B hits. His crossover hit, 1970’s “The Thrill Is Gone,” went to No. 15 on the pop charts.
The Moody Blues will perform at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Hotel on March 31 as part of their 32-city U.S. tour in 2012.
The tour will celebrate the 45th anniversary of their album “Days of Future Passed,” and will kick off next March 11 at Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Fla., and continue through April 21, ending in Niagara Falls.
The band’s history spans four decades, during which they sold more than 70 million albums worldwide and received 14 platinum and gold discs. Their set list includes: “Nights In White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” “Isn’t Life Strange,” “I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band),” and “I Know You’re Out There Somewhere.”
“The rockers played a set that reminded the sold-out Music Hall why (The Moody Blues are) one of the most important rock acts to ever come out of the U.K.,” wrote the New York Times.
Tickets are currently on sale at ticketmaster.com, and prices range from $45 to $75.
800.745.3000.
Eve Haslam and Satin Steel Jazz will perform at Cafe 50 restaurant on Main Street in Waynesville at 7 p.m., Jan. 19.
Haslam is a native of New York City and began singing at the age of 7. In 2007, she moved to Asheville where she joined jazz musicians Zack Page (bass), Brian Felix (piano) and Justin Watts (drums) to form the group known as Eve Haslam and Satin Steel Jazz.
The band currently appears at various locations in Asheville every Friday night.
Among Eve’s recordings are “Simply Me,” “Sunday’s Garden,” and “Book of Changes.”
“Jazz is here to stay in the mountains and I intend to be a part of it for a long time down the road,” Haslam said.
Cafe 50 is hosting this one-time event sponsored by the Haywood County Arts Council and local dentist John Highsmith and his wife.
“Although we’ve presented live music at our other venues, this’ll be the first time we’ve ever tried it here,” said Cafe 50 co-owner Vinnie Schudde. “Our room is both cozy and intimate — just like eating in your own, private dining room. Our acoustics have proven excellent, and we’re most excited to showcase this fine band as part of our dinner offering.”
The entire cost for the dinner and entertainment is $50 per person — half of which can be treated as a tax deduction.
828.452.0593.
Photographer Rachael Bliss will showcase photos at Rosetta’s on Broadway in Asheville.
The photos tell the story of a small bio-dynamic farm with a little more than three acres that helps support a milk cow, nearly 100 chickens, three goats, three cats, a dog and two adults.
Bliss, who has dabbled in photography since her college years at the University of Iowa, started taking her hobby seriously about two years ago and has since shown her work at First Congregational United Church of Christ and at Old Europe Cafe in Asheville. She also coordinated the photo contest for the Asheville Mushroom Club last year.
The show will be on display from Jan. 3 through Jan. 28. The photos will be available for purchase.
An open house will be held Jan. 8 at Rosetta’s from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Bliss will be on hand to answer questions.
The Groovy Movie Club will host its first screening of the new year at 7 p.m. on Jan. 6. The Haywood County group will show the Sundance Film Festival’s 2011 Audience Award Winner for Documentary “Buck.”
Buck, directed by Cindy Meehl, is about the power of non-violence and horse trainer Buck Brannaman, who uses principles of respect and trust to tame horses. Robert Redford consulted Brannaman while shooting his feature film The Horse Whisperer. Audience members at Sundance remarked that it was the best movie they had seen there in 10 years.
The Groovy Movie Club meets once a month at 6:15 p.m. to share a mostly organic pot-luck dinner, and the film begins at 7 p.m., with a discussion following. It meets at Buffy Queen’s home in Dellwood.
The Groovy Movie Club is beginning its sixth year of presenting films, both documentary and feature, with a message.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.454.5949.
Voices in the Laurel auditions for the 2012 winter season continue at the First Baptist Church, 100 S. Main St., in Waynesville.
Singers in grades one through 12 are welcome to audition.
Voices in the Laurel is a youth choral group that has weekly rehearsals in Waynesville and numerous performances throughout the season.
The choir includes singers from four area counties and has sung around the world, including The National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan; Westminster Abbey, London; Chartres Cathedral, France; and with Ronnie Milsap at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.
Treble Makers is for first- and second-grade singers. Concert Choir includes singers in third through fifth grades, and Chamber Choir is for students in grades six through 12.
Call 828.734.8413 or 828.734.9163 for an audition. www.voicesinthelaurel.org.
Hank Shuler has opened a new clay studio in Oak Grove.
Having retired from Southwestern Community College two years ago, Shuler and her husband, Bruce, decided to design and build the studio.
“It’s been great fun working with Bruce again. Our individual careers took us in different directions so much of the time,” Shuler said.
Shuler’s clay creations range from functional to decorative.
“I guess I really have a short attention span. I enjoy using the wheel and turning more functional pieces, pieces for the kitchen and dining room table,” Shuler said. “But, I also enjoy creating sculpture and the fun of firing in the Japanese raku tradition.”
Shuler’s last five years with the college were spent in SCC’s Swain Center creating a Heritage Arts Program that featured a ceramic component. Her other activities since retirement include the creation of the Smoky Mountain Clay Guild.
“There are a lot of wonderful potters in the region and more and more are coming out of SCC, WCU, and Haywood Community College all the time,” she said. “North Carolina is the pottery capital of the USA and a number of us feel that this region can benefit from the potters joining together to attract marketing attention.
The studio and gallery are open to visitors by appointment.
828.369.7186 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To the Editor:
Are you sickened by the millions of dollars spent to elect politicians at a time when too many of our citizens are hungry? Did you get disgusted by the incessant TV ads during the 2008 election season? Well, it’s already started again, and it’s going to get much worse. In 2008, we saw ads from candidates ending with, “I’m Joe Good Guy, and I approved this message.” We’ll still have those, but this year will bring increasingly more and nastier ads bashing the candidates’ opponents using out-of-context quotes, misleading statements, and downright lies. They will end with “Noble Sounding Organization is responsible for the content of this message.” These Noble Sounding Organizations are deep-pocketed special interest groups, corporations, and filthy rich people. They could even be foreign corporations or governments, since the law does not require the organizations to disclose their donors.
The reason for this barrage is the 2010 decision by five ultra-conservative activist members of the Supreme Court who ruled that corporations are people and money is speech, overturning a century-old ban on corporate campaign contributions. This brought on the rise of super Political Action Committees which can raise unlimited amounts of money from undisclosed donors and funnel it into our political process. These super PACs are “supposed” to be independent from the candidates, allowing the candidates to deny personal responsibility for the nastiness. In actuality, they are run by relatives or close associates of the candidates.
We got a bitter taste of this right here during the 2010 election. It has been reported that PACs spent $1 million to defeat incumbent State Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy. Remember the ad portraying Sen. Snow as a spendthrift for voting to build a pier with an aquarium on the coast? What the ad didn’t tell you is that every other member of the North Carolina legislature — Republicans and Democrats — voted for the pier. This is just one example of the many misleading PAC ads from the 2010 election.
Bills have been introduced in the U.S. Senate and House proposing a constitutional amendment to make it clear that corporations are not entitled to the same constitutional rights as people and allow Congress and state legislatures to regulate the role of corporations in the election process.
There will be actions supporting the call for a constitutional amendment all over the country on Jan. 21, the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision. Look for one near you. And during this election season, be aware that the PACs producing misleading ads and mailers don’t care about our welfare, just about manipulating us. They think we are stupid. Don’t let our democracy be bought out from under us.
Carole Larivee
Waynesville
By Kate Queen • Guest Columnist
At the beginning of December, Mountain Medical Associates, an established, multi-specialty internal medicine practice in Clyde, joined the MedWest Physician Network. Our new affiliation with MedWest is a continuation of Mountain Medical Associates’ longstanding commitment to provide high-quality healthcare in this community.
Mountain Medical Associates grew out of a practice founded in 1964 by Dr. Ralph Feichter, a Haywood County native whose medical training included work at the Mayo Clinic. That experience inspired him to develop a clinic here where physicians could collaborate to meet the needs of patients with complex medical problems, a model we believe has enhanced care as well as physician satisfaction.
Over the past nearly 50 years, Mountain Medical Associates has supported community healthcare initiatives throughout Haywood County. Dr. Feichter led the effort to relocate the hospital to its current central location in Clyde. The members of Mountain Medical Associates also played key roles in the development of the hospital Health and Fitness Center and the Osteoporosis Center, and continue to strive to build innovative programs on the hospital campus.
Mountain Medical Associates has 12 providers who specialize in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, gastroenterology, rheumatology and neurology. The current environment for recruiting new physicians with the level of knowledge and training we believe our patients deserve is challenging. Most recently trained physicians want the benefits of a formal affiliation with a health care system.
Becoming part of the MedWest Physician Network will help to attract high-quality health practitioners to serve this region and secure the presence of a multispecialty practice like ours in this community.
One of the other benefits to becoming part of the MedWest Physician Network will be the opportunity to use a unified electronic medical record system which will enhance our ability to offer seamless care and avoid the fragmented transfer of information and at times unnecessary duplication of testing that unfortunately has been part of usual care in this country
We want to assure our patients that our commitment to them will not change and that we will all continue to provide care in our current long-term location. We are welcoming patients seeking internal medicine providers and will continue to embrace our commitment to securing excellent health care for all of Haywood County.
(Dr. Kate T. Queen, M.D. has practiced rheumatology at Mountain Medical Associates for 25 years. She received her M.D. from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill where she also did her residency in the Department of Medicine. Call 828.452.0331 or visit www.mountainmedicalassociates.com for more about the practice.)
A benefit to assist Western North Carolina resident Donna Smith, recently diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, is set for Jan. 14 at the Bird Town Recreation Center in Cherokee beginning at 7 p.m.
The Palaestra Combat Sports Club, a mixed martial arts gym in Sylva, is sponsoring the event. Fighters from Sylva, Cherokee, Franklin and Asheville will participate in nine fights, with proceeds going to help Smith and husband Ron, who is a fighter and promoter of local mixed martial arts events.
Donna Smith’s disease is rapidly progressing; she is now using a wheelchair for outings.
706.614.2608
David Key, longtime assistant director of Macon County Emergency Services, will take over as the agency’s director.
Key has held the position on an interim basis since mid-August. He has been with emergency services in that county for more than 19 years.
In other changes, Jimmy Teems has been designated Macon County’s fire marshal. Todd Seagle will move from lead telecommunicator to 911 communications supervisor; Angie Kingsland’s title will change from office manager to 911 addressing coordinator.
Haywood County residents needing aid from social services will continue to receive it as the department shifts physical locations.
Employees will relocate to new offices on Friday, Jan. 6, and Monday, Jan. 9. The new building is the newly renovated, former Walmart at 157 Paragon Parkway. Other county departments will also relocate there: Environmental Services, which includes Environmental Health, Erosion and Sediment Control, and Inspections and Planning will follow on Wednesday, Jan. 11, and on Thursday, Jan. 12. The Haywood County Health Department will relocate on Friday, Jan. 20, through Monday, Jan. 23.
The current DSS location at 486 East Marshall Street will be closed beginning at 5 p.m. on Jan. 5. DSS will be fully operational in its new location beginning at 8 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 10.
828.452.6620.
Learn how to better manage diabetes at a two-day workshop at Angel Medical Center.
The event will be held Tuesday, Jan. 17, and Tuesday, Jan. 31, in the third floor videoconference room from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Information on meal planning medication, sick-day care, stress management and more will be provided. Certified diabetes educators will lead the workshop.
Pre-registration is required.
828.369.4166.
The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority will hold two mandatory workshops this month for any organization or event organizer applying for a tourism grant.
The meetings will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 10 and at 2 p.m. on Jan. 12 at the Bethea Welcome Center in Lake Junaluska. Organizations and event organizers are required to attend one of the two workshops if they want to be eligible for funding for the 2012-13 year. During the meeting, TDA leaders will review all the grant procedures and the rules as well as any changes that have been made since the previous year.
“That’s why we make it mandatory,” said Becky Harper, the tourism authority’s office manager.
There will also be time for questions and discussion during the meeting.
People who are unable to attend must call Lynn Collins, executive director of the tourism agency, at 828.452.0152 to make other arrangements.
Festivals and other tourism initiatives in Haywood County are eligible for a portion of the money collected from the county’s 4-percent tax on overnight lodging.
— By Caitlin Bowling
Critics of Bryson City’s land use regulations will get another opportunity to sandblast the ordinance.
The town of Bryson City is inviting the public to a working meeting with the town planning board to discuss their concerns and issues with the ordinance. The planning board spent more than three years working on the ordinance, which would stipulate aesthetic standards such as architecture, building materials and landscaping for new development.
Although a date has not been set for the planning board meeting, the town board plans to discuss the future of the guidelines and likely changes at its meeting at 6 p.m. on Jan. 9.
In Bryson City, there are currently no regulations for new commercial or residential buildings — anything goes. But, the town began looking at adopting some standards after a building that clashed with the town’s quaint appearance was erected near its main downtown fairway.
Despite general agreement among residents that the town must have standards, attendees of a public forum in November disagreed on how strict the measure should be. Some lauded the town planning board’s efforts, while other denounced the proposed regulations.
If you have 10 acres or more of agricultural land or five acres of horticultural land and make a gross production amount of $1,000 for three proceeding years, you might be eligible for a property tax break. Landowners with 20 acres of forestland may also be eligible.
A workshop to explain the program will be held at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 5 in the meeting room at the USDA Service Center on Raccoon Road. There is a discounted property tax rate
828.452.2741, Ext. 3.
Farmers are eligible for grant money to help with projects to make their operations more environmentally-friendly through the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Conservation Stewardship Program is a voluntary program that encourages farmers to put conservation practices into use on their farms. Farmers can get both financial assistance and technical support to do the work on their land.
Farmers can submit applications anytime throughout the year. Simply submitting an application is not binding (farmers can change their mind if they don’t want to go through with the project after all). The federal agency will begin ranking applications for available funding on Jan. 13.
Eligible lands include cropland, improved pastureland and private forest lands. Two types of payments are available, annual payment and supplemental.
www.nc.nrcs.usda.gov or call your local Farm Service Agency.
If the holidays resulted in a few extra inches to your waistline and you’re determined to get fit, a free half-marathon training program will kick-off in Jackson County in January.
The program culminates in Western Carolina University’s Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon & 5-K to be held March 25.
Group training runs for the half marathon will be held on campus at 6 a.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and at 8 a.m. on Saturdays, beginning Monday, Jan. 9.
In addition, all runners signed up for the half-marathon will get a free copy of a training plan developed by WCU’s athletic training faculty, with plans for both beginner and experienced runners. Experts in injury prevention, nutrition and health will provide information sessions and assistance to runners over the three-month training program as well.
The race:
The course will follow a scenic 13.1-mile journey through the WCU campus and along the Tuckasegee River. For runners looking for a shorter and faster option, race organizers have added a 5-K (3.1-mile) race and walk to this year’s activities.
Online registration for the half marathon and 5-K is available at active.com. Registration fees are $40 for the half marathon and $20 for the 5-K through Wednesday, Feb. 29. Beginning Thursday, March 1, the fees increase to $60 for the half marathon and $25 for the 5-K. No registration will be accepted after Wednesday, March 21, including on race day. halfmarathon.wcu.edu.
A program called “Land Ethics: Reconnecting with the Natural World” will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12 at the Macon Library in Franklin.
The free program includes a short film that is based on conservationist Aldo Leopold’s visionary work and book, A Sand County Almanac. The book set the stage for the modern conservation movement when published in 1949.
Robert Hawk of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service will lead the workshop.
Leopold believed in observation of the natural world through scientific inquiry and by engaging in purposeful work on the land — and by reflecting on that experience. “Together these activities can bring people to a new understanding and respect for the landscape around them,” Hawk said.
The program attempts to address ecological problems by giving participants a chance to “...see the land, to understand what he sees, and enjoy what he understands,” and to deepen their commitment to conservation and their communities.
828.586.4009.
Haywood Community College’s hard work to build a sustainable campus is featured on a campus sustainability case study database.
The National Wildlife Federation built the database, the only catalog of its kind, at ww.nwf.org/campuscasestudies. Work by other American colleges and universities also is available for review, with close to 100 new case studies added this year. The features include efforts to reduce pollution, waste and costs; including recycling, energy efficiency improvements, alternative transportation systems and green jobs training programs.
For 2011, Haywood Community College submitted a case study featuring a Sustainable Dining Experience. HCC uses compostable utensils, cups, napkins, and plates in the dining area.
Students, faculty and staff place compostable materials along with food waste into a designated composting bin within the dining area. The grounds team takes the compost to the school’s composting facility, where it is then composted to produce useable soil and associated compost material. The soil and compostable material is then brought to a horticulture organic garden plot to grow organic produce, which is then consumed in the dining area. All food that cannot be consumed is brought to Helping Hands in Haywood County to feed the needy.
In addition to the 2011 submissions, the database includes more than 600 case studies from campuses across the U.S. spanning more than a decade.
Bryan Wilder, a veteran state park ranger, has been promoted to superintendent of Mount Mitchell State Park.
Wilder takes over from Jack Bradley, who retired as superintendent earlier this year.
As superintendent, Wilder will function as the chief of operations and administration with responsibilities for staffing, training, law enforcement, visitor services, natural resource protection and environmental education.
“Bryan is well-versed in the unique challenges presented at Mount Mitchell, the oldest state park in our system and one of the oldest in the nation. His range of experience will help ensure the park’s leadership in conservation and tourism development,” said Lewis Ledford, state parks director.
A native of Kentucky, Wilder is a 1996 graduate of Morehead State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and geography. Wilder worked with the soil conservation district in Clintwood, Va., with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and as a math and science teacher in Dickenson County, Va., before joining North Carolina’s state parks system in 2005 as a ranger at Mount Mitchell State Park.
Suzanne Raether will read from and sign her novel, Judaculla, Friday, at 7 p.m. on Jan.13 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
Set in Jackson County, Judaculla tells the story of Timothy Fletcher, a 19-year-old WCU student athlete who discovers that he is actually the manifestation of an ancient mountain god.
“In her debut novel, Judaculla, Raether weaves story and poetry, myth and reality, the sacred and the profane, to create a spellbinding exploration of the fragile intersections between people and worlds. Fresh and original, compelling and utterly beguiling, Raether’s voice and talent are magic,” said Western North Carolina novelist Pam Duncan.
Michael Revere will present his poetry for the January “Coffee with the Poet” series at 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 19 at City Lights Bookstore.
He has written several books, including, War, Madness and Love, What Co$t Freedom, and an audio collection titled, Lizard Man.
The Coffee with the Poet series is a monthly gathering and meets every third Thursday.
828.586.9499.
Honor the troops who have fought in the war in Iraq by participating in a candlelight vigil on Friday, Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m., below the steps to the Jackson County Public Library at the Veterans Memorial Fountain. The event will be postponed only if there is a serious snowstorm. This is a nonpartisan, single-issue event, commemorating the end of the long and deadly war in Iraq and showing gratitude for those who served, their families and those who are bringing the war to a close. If you have a candle in a votive holder, please bring it This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A vigil honiring the return of troops from Iraq will also be held in Swain County at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 at the historic courthouse.MedWest Health System is sponsoring “Man to Man” support group meetings for prostate cancer patients and survivors. The meetings are from 7-8 p.m. the second Monday of the month in the Annex Conference Room on the MedWest-Harris campus in Sylva. “Man to Man” is an American Cancer Society support group.
Meetings are free. 828.631.8100.
Beginner judo classes in Waynesville start Jan. 3 through the Waynesville Kodokan Judo Club. The club practices at the Waynesville Recreation Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m. Children participate from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and adults participate from 5:30 to 7 p.m. This is open to boys and girls of all ages.
The Waynesville Kodokan Judo Club has competed in several tournaments this year, winning more than 100 medals and trophies.
828.506.0327.
Smokey Mountain Elementary seventh-grade students will help the Tye Blanton Foundation through their “Service to Others” project.
Tye, who died after a four-and-a-half month battle in Neo-natal ICU, was the son of slain Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Blanton and his wife, Michaela.
Smokey Mountain students and their families collected clothing and other items that would be used for premature babies and their families at Mission Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care. The school is also planning a blood drive in memory of Trooper Blanton, who was a student there. www.tyeblanton.com.
The Smoky Mountain News takes note this week of some of the newsmakers of 2011 by handing out our annual awards.
Back issues of the newspaper never fail to reveal a variety of humdingers: the funny, the astonishing, the interesting, the dismaying. Some we’d like to forget, others we hope to see repeated for the good laughs.
For those who made the list, hats off to you for giving us something to write about this year, even if you could do without the award bestowed upon you. For those who didn’t, there’s always 2012.
Epic fail award
Maybe there’s no connection, but did anyone else notice the timing involved in the arrest of a Western Carolina University student on charges he used a toy gun to rob a bank across the street from campus in Cullowhee? The robbery came just days after of an announcement that WCU would institute a $399 tuition and fees hike. The kid had just that day been evicted from his apartment, too.
When police searched the apartment, they found the toy gun and the money — someone clearly hadn’t watched enough bank heist movies.
The Captive audience award
To the graduation speaker for Nantahala School in Macon County, a cowboy preacher who tied up and blindfolded a student volunteer with ropes to make various points about the devil and sin.
This bizarre graduation spectacle was punctuated by the preacher’s fire and brimstones sermon, all clearly and obviously and indisputably in violation of the separation of church and state to so overtly push religion in a school setting. Though Macon School Superintendent Dan Brigman initially defended the speech, he retreated from that stance when faced with a possible lawsuit with Freedom From Religion Foundation.
LeBron James award
Haywood County commissioners borrowed LeBron’s mantra when they decided to sell out the county’s landfill — kicking the home team to the curb for a chance at greatness.
The county turned over the keys to its landfill to a private, for-profit company. That company gets to sell off space in the landfill to other places looking for somewhere to dump their trash — interestingly, it gets to keep the money made off selling space in Haywood’s landfill. Meanwhile, the company also gets a flat monthly fee for accepting the county’s own trash.
Why would Haywood sell out for such a raw deal? Haywood County won’t have to worry about replacing its aging fleet of landfill equipment or the cost of expanding the pit at the landfill in the future. It also won’t have to worry about the large expense three or four decades from now to close out the landfill when it finally fills up.
Despite allowing a private company to sell off space in the county’s landfill for a profit — something that could double or triple the daily volume of trash coming in — it won’t fill up any sooner than the 40-year life it was previously projected to have when being used only for Haywood’s own trash.
Maybe they should get the “fuzzy math” award instead?
99 percent award
There were no tents or campouts or long-lived protests for Occupy Sylva, who might better be dubbed Occupy Lulu’s restaurant. Participants, mainly aging Democrats, rallied gamely one Saturday morning in October for an entire hour around the courthouse fountain on Main Street in Sylva before retiring into various downtown restaurants to do lunch.
The Occupy Sylva hour has given birth to Occupy WNC, which meets in the cozy warmth of a county government courtroom on Tuesday evenings.
One percent award
How does an annual salary and benefits of $185,000 sound? That’s what the principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians makes, not counting a car. But a challenger for the chief’s seat this year, Patrick Lambert, was willing to give up his own salary and benefits worth $446,000 annually as the director of the Tribal Gaming Commission for the honor of serving as the tribe’s leader.
Lambert’s salary at the Gaming Commission became public in the final weeks of the election. The big salary was justified as being commiserate with other top jobs in the casino industry compared to government service.
Dust Bowl award
Granted, there won’t be any problem finding parking, but it sure promises to be lonely in Franklin’s largest strip mall when Walmart moves a few miles away to a new location. A few of the strip mall’s businesses are joining the exodus and following in the footsteps of the retail giant, but the rest are apparently left high and dry with an empty, hulking shell next door.
Walmart is planning a spring opening at its new location. The eight or so businesses left might consider planning a wake for about the same time.
Best idea
When Walmart abandoned its former store in Haywood County for newer, bigger digs across town, it left a hulking shell in its wake and a desolate strip mall with a shaky future. Haywood County commissioners, meanwhile, had been passing the buck for years on what to do about the antiquated Department of Social Services building, where 200 employees has been putting up with leaky roofs, frozen pipes, and quarters so cramped that closets had been converted into offices.
Haywood County bought the old Walmart building and repurposed it to house DSS and the health department and county planning offices, for a total cost of $12 million — breathing new life into the strip mall and saving taxpayers millions compared to the cost of a brand-new facility.
Super Bowl award
Despite the hype, the hard-fought road to victory and the tears along the way, the game itself is always surprisingly anticlimactic — which Webster’s defines as “lacking climax, disappointing or ironically insignificant following impressive foreshadowing.”
That pretty well sums up the first chunk of change Swain County spent from its North Shore Road settlement fund. After nearly 65 years of bitter fighting, Swain County got a $12.5 million federal payout to compensate the county for a 30-mile road flooded by the creation of Fontana Lake.
The money was put in a lockbox except for the annual interest it accrues. The county’s first move when that first interest payment came through? Five commemorative granite pedestals in front of the county administration building honoring the key players in the fight.
The most charettes
It’s a little known word in most circles, except in Waynesville, where it’s right up there with baseball and apple pie. A forum for public input, charettes bring stakeholders to the table to collect their ideas and visions.
When it came time to replace its long-time town manager, Waynesville spent $20,000 on a consultant to steer the process and hold charettes — five of them in all, including an on-going written comment period — to find out what characteristics and qualities the community wants to see in a new town manager.
Quick to trot out a charette no matter the occasion, Waynesville has held community visioning meetings on everything from a new skateboard park to sidewalk priorities, along with the more standard public input fare of zoning and road building.
Gaffe of the year
It seems like Marketing 101, but if your company is engaged in a turf war for Haywood County’s health care dollars, you probably should not do an impression of your “best Haywood County accent” at a national conference of hospital marketing professionals. But that’s exactly what Janet Moore, the former marketing director of Mission Hospital did — a misstep that ultimately cost Moore her job when an audio recording from the conference was leaked. Her comedic interlude also referenced the poor dental hygiene, fightin’ roosters and sofas on the porch of people living in the “hollers” of Haywood County. Backlash over the comments prompted Mission’s CEO to have a sit down with Haywood County leaders to apologize.
McClellan award
Following in the footsteps of Union General George McClellan’s famous retreat in the Civil War, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority knew when it was licked.
Outnumbered by festival organizers and town leaders, the board backed away from its threat to cut funding for long-running, signature events in the county and redirect it to start-up festivals instead. The loss of funding could have dealt a devastating blow to annual favorites such as Church Street Festival, International Festival Day, Waynesville street dances and Canton’s Labor Day Festival — although it would have arguably given new festivals a chance to burst onto the scene.
Backlash led to a castrated version of the guidelines that instead merely suggests new events should be given priority over established ones — but did not unequivocally halt funding for the old standards.
Friends in high places award
What’s the best way to get a building named after you? Just ask Conrad Burrell, who used his position on the powerful Department of Transportation Board to land $12 million to build a road to the doorstep of a new building on the campus of Southwestern Community College in Sylva. Burrell also sat on SCC’s Board of Trustees, and ultimately the new building was named in his honor.
Public service award
Danya VanHook of Maggie Valley gets an “A” for effort when it comes to her desire to serve in office. Twice in two years, VanHook put her name in the ring to serve in a public capacity when elected seats were vacated mid-term: once as a District Court judge and later as a Maggie Valley alderman. Both times she secured an appointment to the seat, but when it came time to officially run with her name on the ballot, she lost the election.
Duct tape award
Canton has been holding its aging swimming pool with everything short of duct tape and bailing wire, but the annual patch job has finally gone down the drain. The town needs to come up with just shy of $1 million to completely rebuild its pool in the next few years — money that has so far proved elusive for the small town to come by.
Lewis and Clark award
Eureka! The National Park Service has finally discovered that part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies in North Carolina — more than half of it in fact, and the prettier parts if we dare say so ourselves.
More than 75 years after the park was created, the National Park Service has finally opened an official visitors center on the North Carolina side of the park. Of course, it was paid for entirely by private donations from the nonprofit Great Smoky Mountains Association and Friends of the Smokies, but hey, we’ll take what we can get.
Main Street duel award
Tourists now have their pick of literature when it comes to travel brochures on Haywood County thanks to two visitor centers operating just two blocks away from each other. The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority opened a new visitor center in downtown Waynesville this year down the street from an existing one operated by the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber used to enjoy a financial support from the tourism agency for its visitor center, but that has been scaled back now that the tourism agency has opted to open a visitor center of its own.
The Stickup award
If you can’t get a loan, just ask for cold, hard cash instead. That seems to be the answer for the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, which wants some half million in taxpayer dollars to bring a steam engine to Dillsboro. The engine is in Maine, and it costs a pretty penny to get it down here. Seem crazy? Some of Jackson County’s leaders don’t think so — in return for that seductive promise of jobs and economic good times for the tourist train, they seem willing to try to work with the cash-strapped railroad, whose owner, Al Harper, was involved in the Ghost Town in the Sky old-West theme park in Maggie that went bankrupt.
Banana peel award
After six wrecks happened in the same spot on Interstate 40 during an early morning dusting last winter, the truth came out: there was a stretch of no-man’s land on the Haywood and Buncombe county line when it came to snowplowing detail.
Plows and salt trucks coming from opposite directions — one crew from Haywood and another from Buncombe — use exit 37 as a natural turn-around point before heading back the other way. But a few hundred yards of Interstate between the exit ramp and on ramp weren’t hit with the same regularity as the rest of the Interstate, since it meant trucks had to overshoot their mark and go all the way to the next exit before doubling back. The plow crews in neighboring counties lacked a formal policy for who would do the bothersome spot — at least until this article hit the fan.
Field of Dreams award
Swain County firmly believed in the saying “build it and they will come.” Unfortunately, it didn’t quite pan out like the movie. When Swain spent $10 million to build a jail four times bigger than it needed to house its own prisoners, it hoped to make money housing prisoners from other counties. But other counties, it seemed, had jails of their own in the works at the same time, and taxpayers are stuck paying a 40-year loan on the oversized jail without a revenue stream to offset it.
A final nail in the coffin came this year, when the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians — the only steady supplier of outside inmates who will pay to bunk up in Swain’s jail — broke ground on a jail of their own as well.
The Head in the Sand award
The town of Bryson City has been through plenty this year regarding its volunteer fire department after the State Bureau of Investigation launched a probe into financial handlings under the former fire chief.
Meanwhile, an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News found that town officials felt something was amiss for years but did nothing about it. Rather than demand the department’s financial records, town leaders stuck their head in the sand and ignored talk about alleged misuse of donations until a whistleblower inside the department took his concerns to police detectives.
Why the blind eye? The town donned kid gloves when it came to the fire department financials because the fire chief threatened to strike if posed with uncomfortable money questions.
Bachmann, Perry & Cain award
Their epic rise and fall, and the blight left in their wake, is all too familiar in Sylva where a daily reminder of a similar crash-and-burn phenomenon has become part of the landscape. Known these days as the Ghostel, a partly-finished four-story hotel towers over the main thoroughfare as a shadowy reminder of the great real estate hey-day gone by.
Developers of what was supposed to be a four-story Clarion Inn went bankrupt before the project was finished. And much like these failed Republican presidential primary candidates, a wake of supporters were left high and dry. The contractor claims he was never paid fully for the work he did. The bank foreclosed but so far can’t unload the shell to anyone else. And the town is still casting about for a replacement, someone to come in and fill the shoes of the empty void left behind.
Bob Barker award
New owners of the troubled Wildflower subdivision in Macon County realized Bob Barker was on to something with the “Price is Right.” Prices on lots were slashed, giving rise to a rebirth and reincarnation of the beleaguered development, renamed The Ridges.
Dozens of lots were sold at rock-bottom prices, marking the first significant movement in Macon County’s troubled land market since the economy crashed — even if it was at a fraction of the price.
World Record for Grand Openings
Ask anyone in Canton when the Imperial Hotel is supposed to open, and you’ll get a myriad of dates — past, present and future.
Former Mayor Pat Smathers has owned the historic hotel on Main Street for more than 20 years and has been renovating it since the 1990s. The initial opening date in May of this year turned into July, then August, and the latest target being New Year’s Eve only days away. But, will it actually open? Or will that have to wait for another year?
No matter what Smathers must open by November 2012 or pay the piper. If he does not create 15 jobs by November, he will be forced to repay the $90,000 economic development grant he received from the state.
Bottomless Pit award
“Mo Money Mo Problems” by rapper Notorious B.I.G. seems to be the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds theme song.
During the past six years, Maggie has blown through two festival directors and upwards of $1 million on an enterprise that only seems to lose money. This year, the town lost more than $50,000 putting on the two taxpayer-funded events — Red, White and Boom and the Americana Roots and Beer festival.
However, the town seemed bound and determined to throw cash at the fairground’s problems until they disappear, putting their hopes in motorcycle rallies and craft shows to pull the valley out of a tourism tailspin.
Now, it’s just a game of wait and see if the new regime elected to town hall will make good on their campaign promises to cut back fairgrounds spending or if more tax money will find itself blowing in the wind.
The ‘E’ for Effort Award
Considerable excitement swelled around the installation of the Wave Shaper on the Nantahala River this year but the initial response from resident kayakers was that the Wave fell flat.
The verdict: the $300,000 underwater mechanism that kicks up surf for paddlers to perform tricks and stunts on, still needs tuning. During the official unveiling in December, The Wave created only a small pocket for kayakers to show their stuff, and several were impeded by the contraption’s concrete ledge while attempting tricks. Reactions to The Wave ranged for “It’s ok” to “I liked the old wave better.”
Project leaders pledge to hone The Wave and will eventually get it right, but they still have some work to do before the 2012 World Cup of Freestyle Kayaking and the 2013 World Freestyle Kayaking Championship.
Gertrude Stein award
A rose is a rose is a rose — but can tulips and daffodils save Maggie Valley’s wilting tourism trade? In an attempt to improve its streetscape and attract more visitors, Maggie Valley leaders launched a plan to give the town a little color with a four-season show of flowers along its five-lane drag. The town invested several thousand dollars and rallied business owner to dig in and plant bulbs as well to beautify town. It remains to be seen if the idea will bear fruit.
Fight Club award
Jackson County sparked a brouhaha when it petitioned the Department of Transportation for its own ‘This way to Cherokee’ sign, saying the highway through Jackson County is the safer, faster and best route for tourists in search of casino action. Currently, the lone roadside sign pointing the way to Cherokee shunts the traveling public off the highway and through Maggie Valley, a winding, two-lane route over Soco Gap.
Jackson County leaders were hoping Waynesville would get their back in their bid for a second sign, since Waynesville would presumably benefit as well from Cherokee-bound travelers passing by their doorstep instead veering off through Maggie.
But Waynesville wasn’t immediately down with the tag-team format, wavering on whether to throw in with Jackson County or proclaim its loyalty to Maggie Valley as a fellow Haywood County compatriot.
The Claiming Credit Where It Ain’t Due award
In a power play as audacious and brazen as any that has occurred in recent local political history, a bronze plaque for the new Jackson County Public Library was hijacked by newly elected county commissioners hoping to share in the moment of glory.
When the new commissioners took office, a plaque had already been ordered, per custom in Western North Carolina, featuring the names of the five commissioners who shepherded in the $8 million library project. By the time the ribbon cutting rolled around, however, three of them had since lost their seats. A change in wording was sent to the plaque company asking for the names of the three newly-elected commissioner to be added. Ironically, the new commissioners vying for a spot on the plaque had questioned the price tag of the library during the campaign.
Stay tuned on this one — after the uproar, no plaque has appeared at all. A cardboard replica of the plaque-to-be still hangs in the library’s foyer, tucked away in an obscure corner.
The Maverick award
OK, we finally believe it — Jackson County Chairman Jack Debnam is not simply a Republican in sheep’s clothing, despite receiving GOP funding and support during the last election. He’s actually a member of the local Cowboy Party, made up of just Debnam. This cowboy has been shooting from the hip since taking over the top spot in a unique, take-no-prisoners style of his very own.
Debnam has supported a referendum on alcohol sales in Jackson County though he’s a nondrinker. He received heavy support in the election from the Cashiers area, but he’s openly advocated for a single tourism entity in Jackson County instead of the current model that gives Cashiers autonomy over its own cut of tourism tax dollars, to the chagrin of his Cashiers supporters.
And despite backing from county development interests, Debnam even embarked on a one-man war with the state’s Department of Transportation, questioning a waste of taxpayer dollars on environmentally-destructive road projects.
What’s next in the O.K. Corral? Who knows, not with Debnam in charge of this wacky wagon train.
The Big Baby award
When N.C. Rep. Mitch Gillespie, R-Marion, didn’t get his way to score a Right to Life license plate for car bumpers, he got even. He pushed through changes to the state’s specialty license plates that will strip the attractive designs of wildly-popular specialty plates for groups like Friends of the Smokies, the Appalachian Trail, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and others.
The extra fee for the specialty plates benefits the groups involved and the state. Last year alone, the sale of specialty plates raised $385,000 for Friends of the Smokies, helping to pay for the elk reintroduction project, trail building, black bear studies and similar initiatives.
Unless the pendulum swings back, starting in 2015 all plates will have to abide by the (dare we call it dull) state-approved template. The new law will gut the attractive full-color specialty plate designs and instead relegate a logo to one corner, leaving plate numbers easily seen and the state of origin easy to ascertain.
The Good Morning, Vietnam award
We love you, man, we really do. And we support environmental protections, too. But the idea of waking up each morning to an anti-fracking report, daily ozone update or latest anti-Duke Energy rant over the air is perhaps more radical than even Jackson County’s leftist ranks can handle. But if Avram Friedman, director of the Canary Coalition, succeeds in his bid for an FM radio station license, get ready for some unadulterated, uncut, uncensored, parental-advisory-recommended environmental programming.
Rally the Troops award
To administrators at community colleges, who brought immense local political pressures to bear when the state proposed a cost-savings plan to consolidate 15 of the state’s smallest community colleges, mergers that would target Haywood Community College and Southwestern Community College.
Community colleges would lose their autonomy and local responsiveness — taking the “community” out of community colleges, so the argument went — for savings of a measly $5 million a year. Lost in the arguments was this salient fact: the administrators leading the charge were at risk of seeing their jobs lost in the merger.
The Get Real award
To Macon County commissioners, who at regular intervals over the past two decades have given the planning board a green light to draft a land-use plan, only to reject each plan the planning board presents.
The latest planning train crash involved the Macon County Planning Board’s futile attempts to institute steep-slope regulations, an effort that broke down into open warfare on the planning board. In order to salvage some scraps of the steep slope rules, the ordinance as a whole was shelved save a few of the least egregious parts, which were cherry picked out and repackaged as “construction guidelines” — but even they still haven’t received commissioners’ support.
We have a novel idea — why not just get real and dissolve the planning board in Macon County? Give those poor folks a break from writing ordinances that don’t see the light of day.
The Duking it Out award
To Susan Ervin and Lamar Sprinkle, who dressed up otherwise long and tedious planning board meetings this year by openly spatting and sniping at each other. This made for much more exciting news from the meetings than would otherwise have been the case, and we and our readers thank the Macon County commissioners for their brilliant decision to add Sprinkle — who is open and non-apologetic about his overall anti-planning stance — onto the planning board in the name of “balance.”
Perhaps, in the same spirit, commissioners should consider placing anti-development forces on the Economic Development Commission, pot smokers on the county’s drug task force and parents who oppose vaccinating their children onto the county’s health department board.
No shame award
So let’s get this straight: Western Carolina University has hired its fourth football coach in 10 years — after running off the last three for losing too much — in hopes of buying itself some wins on the field. This time, however, the university is taking a new approach. If you can’t beat ‘em, hire ‘em … the latest WCU football coach is from Appalachian State University, which has smushed the Catamounts for, well, ever. We suggest recruiting some of ASU’s football players, too, while you’re at it.
While reading the article “Getting ready: Growing number of preppers work to ensure survival in case of societal collapse” (Dec. 7 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/5738) in a recent edition of The Smoky Mountain News, I paused often to really think about what the growth of this industry says about our cohesion as a local, national and global community. After working as a farmer progressing towards sustainability, and participating in many grassroots political endeavors, I have learned first-hand about preparing for a loss of state and corporate provided resources.
Being physically prepared for this potential crisis is smart, not paranoid, and I support it. However, I feel that often another — and the most important — aspect of sustainability, a strong community, is completely overlooked.
I know a part of the article did focus on Troy Leatherwood’s approach to this industry via working “to form a community of like-minded individuals,” and I champion thoughtfully planned small neighborhoods. This is not what I am speaking, for this is a business concept.
What I endeavor to promote in my own day-to-day living and what I believe to be a real solution is greater connection with the people I inhabit this area with. If the proverbial “Armageddon” comes, weeks or months’ worth of potable water and freeze-dried food will not save you, or your society. It will only prolong the inevitable clash of “haves and have nots” and the possible unraveling of humanity.
We can subvert this possible future if we work here, now, to create a greater awareness of our environment, of our surroundings, by building bridges with our neighbors, whoever they are. Then I believe we provide a real infrastructure to replace the illusion of the one we have now, one that can collapse by forces outside our control and/or our ability to effect. By reaching out to know each other more we replace fear with understanding; difference with commonality. And, we match skills and resources too. For example, I can grow some food to trade you for your ability to fix my car, and so on.
I believe community to be a core ingredient in humanity. I also believe that the forces which control the resource flow work in tandem with the ones which coerce the culture flow. For a long time now they have both been providing a less-than-sustainable community and country. The reality of them though is that they are not absolute, and just as easily as you can buy evaporated milk for when the milk trucks stop running, you probably can make a friend or acquaintance who has goats or cows.
Curt Collins
Avant Garden Farm and Venue
Cullowhee
