The Greater Cashiers Area Merchants Association is bringing Santa to the Village Green from 1 to 4 p.m. on Nov. 27.

Members of GCAMA will be on hand to serve cider and cookies as well as to assist with picture-taking as needed by those accompanying kids who will be relaying their wish lists to Santa.   

For additional information about GCAMA events and programs or to join call 828.743.1630, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or log on to www.visitcashiersvalley.com.

Karyn Tomczak, director of Western Carolina University’s dance program and a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, helps WCU dance students prepare for a Rockettes-inspired holiday show to be performed in the Asheville Holiday Parade on Saturday, Nov. 20. “As a Rockette, I danced in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was hard work, but dancing so close with so many women at once really promoted ‘Rockette pride,’” said Tomczak. “I wanted to give our students a similar experience with the Asheville Holiday Parade, and I hope they feel ‘WCU pride’ for the School of Stage and Screen.” The group, which is scheduled to appear 96th in the parade – not far from Santa – will dance to a one-minute version of “Happy Holidays” from the musical “White Christmas.” The dancers also are expected to make a surprise appearance at one of WCU’s holiday shows. The WCU calendar of events is available online at calendar.wcu.edu. For more information, contact 828.227.3672 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. WCU photo

The Celtic band Bean Sidhe (ban shee) will perform a concert of traditional Irish and Scottish music at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

Immediately following the concert there will be a reception for Waynesville mixed-media artist Silvia Cabrera Williams, whose artwork will be on exhibit in the lobby of the Arts Center from Nov. 19 through Jan. 18.  

Bean Sidhe has been playing together for more than eight years and has developed an extensive repertoire of jigs, reels, ballads and other traditional music. The group was started out of a desire to study and explore the uplifting traditional music that came to America from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Bean Sidhe keeps alive the musical heritage that informed much of contemporary music, especially bluegrass and country.

Members of Bean Sidhe include: David Russell playing guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, tenor banjo and bodhran; Amanda Burts playing recorder and accordion; Karin Lyle playing harp and fiddle; and Ralph Murphy singing vocals and playing bodhran and guitar.

Russell is a well-known Bryson City musician and storyteller who has built a number of instruments from wood. Burts lives in Brasstown and is one of the original members of Bean Sidhe. Lyle lives in Balsam, is a professionally trained violinist and stringed instrument instructor and is a member of the Western Carolina Community Orchestra. She is regionally recognized and is in great demand as a soloist. Murphy lives in Bryson City and is a classically trained baritone and a soloist with the Western Carolina Community Chorus.

Following the concert, everyone is invited to attend the reception in the lobby of Swain County Center for the Arts for mixed-media artist Williams. Almost 80 original paintings in watercolor, acrylic, oil and mixed media will be on exhibit through Jan. 18. his retrospective exhibit chronicles Williams’ journey from realism to abstract with the use of increasingly bold colors and textures.  Most of the artwork is for sale and additional smaller pieces, prints and cards will also be available.

For more information call Eugenia (Jenny) Johnson at 828.488.7843 or visit www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta to view the current calendar of events.

A popular post-Thanksgiving arts and crafts tradition will once again fill Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Center for two days of holiday fun.

The 23rd annual Hard Candy Christmas Fine Art and Craft Show is Nov. 26-27, featuring more than 100 artisans hand-picked by show organizer and veteran crafter Doris Hunter.

Hunter spends the year visiting shows throughout the Southeast, seeking talented crafters who add a special touch to her show, which gets its name from a simpler era when folks enjoyed the season with stockings of hard candy and gifts made by hand.

“I invited many different crafters this year who focus on holiday items, such as ornament makers,” Hunter said. “These artisans create heirlooms to pass down through the generations.”

This two-day event, the largest holiday arts and crafts show in Western North Carolina, features a variety of hand-made items from basket weavers, wood carvers, quilters, silversmiths, potters, furniture makers, blacksmiths, glass blowers and doll makers.

Holiday items available include candles, ornaments, trees, wreaths and peanut brittle.

“I found one of the best dessert candle makers ever – Brenda Clark from Alabama – who will be exhibiting her delightful creations,” Hunter said. “Also Phyllis Mann of Hendersonville weaves those ‘hard to find’ cotton rugs and placemats, while Father Christmas dolls from Debbie Trantham of Candler and Betty Spivy of Mt. Airy, Ga., are big hits each year.”

The show has grown so much that a dozen artisans will be displaying outside the arena.

Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Admission is $3 per person, with children under age 12 admitted free. Parking is free.

“With the tough times we’ve been through recently, people need fun things to do,” Hunter said. “And it is fun to take off to the mountains and go to a show filled with holiday cheer.”

For show info call Doris Hunter at 828.524.3405 or visit: www.mountainartisans.net. For info on dining and lodging, call the Jackson County Visitors Center at 800.962.1911.

Songwriter and storyteller Michael Reno Harrell will make what is becoming an annual holiday appearance at Ridge Runner Naturals on Main Street in Waynesville at 8 p.m. on Nov. 27.

“This one is always very special,” Harrell says on his web site. “Come early and check out all of the new wonderful watercolor and oil artwork by Jo Kelley and the spectacular photography by Ed Kelley, the gallery owners.”

The Kelleys clear out the floor of the gallery and put in 50 chairs, creating an intimate environment. There are homemade desserts and beverages during the break between the two sets.

Harrell is expected to perform many new holiday songs and stories. The desserts are by specialty baker Debi Hall with “Just Simply Delicious.” There is also tea, juice or coffee.

Tickets, which include dessert, are $12 and can be purchased at Ridge Runner Naturals from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., by phone at 828.456.3003, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

All ages of children at the ArtSpace Charter School in Swannanoa learned about art during a recent two-week artist residency.  Students worked with a western North Carolina artist to create a mobile sculpture that will permanently hang in their school.  Cullowhee metalsmith William S. Rogers and his 27-year-old assistant and son, Lucas, conducted a two-week residency at ArtSpace Charter School in Swannanoa, teaching students about metallurgy, physics and art.

Named a “master craftsman” by Virginia in 2004 and by his native state of Tennessee in 1985, Rogers has been a professional artist and educator for 30 years. Locally he is known for his work on the HandMade House in Asheville and for building the studios at the Green Energy Park in Jackson County.

The artist residency was sponsored by the North Carolina Arts Council and HandMade in America’s Craft Across the Curriculum program.

The Kids Advocacy Resource Effort (KARE) will hold its first Festival of Trees fundraising event at 6 p.m. on Nov. 22 at the Gateway Club in Waynesville.

Festivities begin with a dinner buffet followed by a live auction of uniquely decorated Christmas trees designed by local merchants Blue Ridge Books, Chocolate Bear, Connie Buchanan Plemmons-H.& R. Block, High Country Furniture, Jackson/Haywood Psychological Services, Main Street Artists Co-Op, Mast General Store, Smoky Mountain News, Vertigo and The Waynesville Kiwanis Club. In addition, pottery, jewelry and much more will be available from local artists.

Tickets are $75 per person and attire is festive.

KARE is a nonprofit whose mission is to provides services to victims of child abuse and to families in Haywood County.

For ticket information call 828.456.8995.

By Brent Martin • Guest Columnist

The craziness of this year’s mid-term elections has passed. The campaign advertisements and signs are coming down. The dust is starting to settle. But one thing should remain top of mind for those Senators returning to conclude the 111th Congress — there’s still a lot of work to be done.  

Members of Congress should also take note that even in the midst of a difficult economy and political sea change there continues to be strong and bipartisan voter support for investments in land conservation and parks. On Election Day, voters approved 28 of 35 (80 percent) of state and local measures on the ballot to finance land conservation and parks, including statewide measures in Oregon, Iowa, Maine and Rhode Island. In Arizona, voters overwhelmingly rejected Prop 301 that would have raided voter-approved open space funds and put them to the general budget if approved.

With public support for conservation and recreation in mind, one issue facing senators as they return for the lame duck session on Nov. 15 is the need to finally provide consistency for a program that has done more for local communities and our country than most people realize. Signed into law in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was designed to dedicate a portion of revenues from offshore oil and gas development for land conservation and outdoor recreation throughout the country — a promise that has been chronically unfulfilled.

LWCF was supposed to receive $900 million per year — a drop in the bucket of offshore revenues that typically tally well over $5 billion — but has been shortchanged by Congress nearly every year, with revenues regularly being diverted to other purposes. Full funding has been appropriated only once in the LWCF’s 46-year history and recently declined to a low of $138 million in 2007. This shortfall has resulted in a huge backlog of unmet funding needs for land protection and outdoor recreation for our federal public lands, and state and local parks.

And yet in spite of rarely receiving its due, LWCF has been instrumental in many of the places that are most dear to us as a nation. From local parks and playgrounds, where kids can get outside to play, to greenbelts and recreational trails that connect and enhance local communities, to state parks that provide hiking, biking, and camping and help to sustain wildlife, to federal public lands used for hunting, fishing, paddling, and our most pristine national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas — LWCF has provided a continuum of conservation that has touched us all. Close to home, LWCF has provided over $60 million and protected almost 40,000 acres in North Carolina since its inception in 1964, protecting places like Catawba Falls, the Appalachian Trail, and Lake James.  

Given the tragic oil spill in the Gulf this summer, the vision behind the Land and Water Conservation Fund is even more relevant than ever and now is the time for action. In a national bipartisan poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies and FM3 in May, 85 percent of respondents view the LWCF as more important today in light of the oil spill. And now, with the offshore moratorium having been lifted once again and the oil spill still fresh in our minds, it is only right to ensure that some of the revenues from the use of this resource are used to protect our precious land resources.

On July 30, the U.S. House of Representatives took on this challenge by passing the Consolidated Land, Energy and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act of 2010, H.R. 3534, including full, dedicated funding for LWCF with the support of Congressman Heath Shuler (D-NC). In addition, LWCF was a centerpiece of the Administration’s “America’s Great Outdoors” listening sessions throughout the country this summer and is expected to be a priority as that initiative continues to take shape.

But the Senate needs to act in order to capture this opportunity and momentum to finally ensure LWCF receives its due. Please write Senators Burr and Hagan and encourage them to work with Senate leadership to ensure that full and dedicated LWCF funding is included in energy or other relevant legislation and enacted before the end of this Congress.  

(Brent Martin lives in Macon County and works for the Wilderness Society. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

To the Editor:

I thank everyone who supported me in the recent District Court judgeship election. Having never been a candidate for office, I did not know what to expect during the campaign. I enjoyed the campaign process more than I anticipated because of the hundreds and hundreds of people I met over the past 10 months.

I offer my public congratulations to my opponent, Roy Wijewickrama. I wish the best to Roy, Kristina Earwood and Donna Forga as they enter their new roles on the bench.

Steve Ellis

Waynesvilles

To the Editor:

Post-election letters to the editor continue the “take back our government” mantra, and I would ask the question: take it back from whom? Has the United States been invaded? The answer is obviously no. 

So, the question then becomes what defines “our” in the statement? The United States was founded as a democratic republic and the government belongs to all Americans, regardless of any other qualification. One party has no absolute right to claim the government as theirs, certainly not the Republicans or the Democrats.

Perhaps, it is the overwhelming majority of registered voters of one party who feel that this is their government. The latest statistic regarding party affiliation I could find was 2004. It breaks down this way: Republican 32.5 percent, Democrat 42.6 percent and Independent 24.8 percent. I do not see anything in these statistics that would support this premise.

No single party, especially the extremists in that party, has the only answer to governing. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were written after honest debate, negotiation and compromise. America needs a government that puts country first and follows the example that was set by the founders.  Compromise is not a dirty word and does not reflect weakness. The Constitution was not a perfect document when written; otherwise it would not have been amended.

Our elected leaders must be encouraged to talk to each other civilly and realize that consensus is better than ignoring half of the citizens in the country. If America does not learn to build bridges instead of walls, it might cease to exist.

Jim Hartje

Otto

To the Editor:

On Nov. 5 the Haywood commisioners were scheduled to accept bids from private corporations to run the landfill for a 20- to 30-year period with “no limitations on the sources of waste,” according to the bid documents.

This was before any public hearing or referendum. An alternate proposal would close the landfill and take Haywood’s trash to a mega-dump in South Carolina.

Two of the three bidders currently run dumps. Both are multi-state corporations. One runs dumps in nine states. Both take in waste from outside counties for a fee.

Mega-dumps take in around 2,000 tons a day. Fees at these mega-dumps are higher for industrial and low-level toxic waste, which are allowed in municipal landfills if the county reqeusts permitting. The county is asking for a percentage of the fees per ton dumped, so more hazardous waste brings more money.

My question is this: since Haywood County attracts residents because of its beautiful mountains and our main industry — tourism— relies on the same assets, then why rush to make such a momentous decision? Why not a public hearing or a referendum on an issue that can have such a momentous impact? Is accepting a long-term contract for dumping outside waste in our county in the best interest of our people? Why the rush, commissioners?

Nancy Hoffman

White Oak

MedWest Health System will recognize outstanding athletes from Haywood, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and the Cherokee Reservation. The Game On! spot in local newspapers will acknowledge individuals who have exemplified outstanding performance, winning attitudes and/or great sportsmanship.

The outstanding athlete will be recognized with their photo and a summary of their accomplishments. This awards program is open to student athletes, senior citizens, and sports enthusiasts.

Members of the community also may sign up to receive text alerts about the Player of the Week. To sign up for the text alerts, send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Coaches, team members and community residents may nominate an outstanding athlete. Nominations for the Game On! recognition should send an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; along with a photo of the athlete, preferably in uniform or in action.

“Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community,” was awarded the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award and the President’s Award at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Society of Historians in Mooresville on Oct. 23. The Peace History Award is given to encourage the writing of histories of N.C. counties, institutions or individuals. The President’s Award was presented near the conclusion of the day’s events to the most outstanding entry for 2010.

This year there were 729 entries and a total of 95 awards.

The county history book was one of five writings with Haywood County ties to win an award. Sarah Queen Brown of Clyde and Carroll C. Jones of Pace, Fla., also received Peace History Awards. Brown was honored for her “Clyde High School, 1918-1966.” Jones received the honor for “Rooted Deep in the Pigeon Valley – A Harvest of Western Carolina Memories,” a book based on the history of Canton and Bethel communities and drawn from his youth. Evelyn Coltman of Waynesville received a Paul Jehu Barrings Jr. and Sr. Award of Excellence “for her efforts to collect, document, write and preserve the Bethel Community history and for her 6-volume set of books in her Pigeon Valley Heritage Collection,” according to  the awards program guidebook. Bill Lowry of Lake Junaluska received the Ethel W. Twiford Religious History Book Award for “The Antechamber of Heaven: A History of Lake Junaluska Assembly.”

In presenting the President’s Award, which is chosen from among the most high-ranked entries, Society President Elizabeth Sherrill described “Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community” as “the most interesting, well-researched history…. I loved all the visuals in every aspect of the work. Judges described the book as “a credit to the history of Haywood County and its people. This is a textbook example of how we envision all bicentennial history books to be … complete, readable, articulate, clear and authoritative.” The judges praised the book’s “delightful and interesting information about the county,” its “amazing vintage photographs” and its endnotes and bibliographies, which make it, the judges wrote, “a researcher’s dream.”

The project was begun in 2006 by the Historical Society of Haywood County for the celebration of the county’s bicentennial. Curtis Wood, Emeritus Professor of History, Western Carolina University, was the book’s editor. An advisory committee chaired by Bruce A. Briggs oversaw the project and included Bette Hannah Sprecher, Joan Routh, Kenneth F. Wilson and Robert Busko. Six writers researched and wrote the 15 chapter of the work and helped select the hundreds of photographs included with the text. Writers were: Kathy Nanney Ross, Michael Beadle, Patrick Willis, Leon M. “Chip” Killian III, Christina Fulcher Osborne and Richard D. Starnes. The book was published in December 2009 and is currently available at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Cost is $40.

The three-year project included a comprehensive collection of photographs and documents that were digitally scanned by the Haywood County Library. The images are housed there as a permanent collection. The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University created a permanent exhibit titled “Haywood County” A Family of Communities” in support of the project, based on the writers’ research. The exhibit is currently traveling in the Haywood County school system.

Other local award recipients also received high marks from the Society of Historians for their work.

“Author Carroll Jones takes the reader on a trip through the Pigeon Valley via stories that capture the heat and educate us about the people and the places that make up that place,” the judges wrote regarding his book, “Rooted Deep in the Pigeon Valley.” “He helps to enhance our appreciation of mountain folk, family lore and history by providing us with a nice variety of subject matter rather than a concentration in one area.” Judges also praised Jones’ listing of illustrations and maps and his search index. For information on Jones’ book, contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Cloth-bound is $34.95; paperback is $19.95. Shipping is $5.

Regarding “Clyde High School,” judges wrote that Sarah Queen Brown has put together “as complete a school history as any we have seen. It was a delight to judge this entry.” Brown received praise for the book’s photographs and their arrangements as well as her written history of the school and history of Clyde. This book can be ordered from Brown at P.O. Box 97, Clyde, NC 28721. Cost is $10 plus $5 shipping.

Lowry’s “Antechamber of Heaven” received the Twiford Religious History Book Award, given for “the indepth historical account of the founding, growth and development of religious movements, houses of worship or religious institutions within North Carolina.” The book was “the result of an author who has paid meticulous attention to every detail,” the judges wrote. “He has done an exemplary job of taking a colossal amount of data and condensing it into 188 pages; but the icing on the proverbial cake is the timeline he has provided that begins in 1899 and ends with 2005.”

The book is available from Lake Junaluska Assembly, P.O. Box 726, Lake Junaluska, NC 28745.  tel. 452-2881. Cost is $27. Shipping is $5.50.

Coltman’s books on the Pigeon Valley can be purchased from the Bethel Rural Community Organization, P.O. Box 1333, Waynesville NC 28786. Cost is $5 for book 1, $10 each for books 2 and 3; $15 for book 4 and $20 each for books 5 and 6. Add $5 for shipping.

Kevin Corbin has been named by the Macon County GOP to fill the seat on the county board of commissioners that will be vacated by Jim Davis, who was recently elected to the N.C. Senate.

Corbin will assume the seat in January 2011, when Davis takes the oath for the Senate.

He has served four years on the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees, is a past chairman of the Macon County School Board (14 years) — winning five county wide elections — and currently serves of the Board of Trustees for Southwestern Community College and the Franklin Chamber of Commerce Board. He is also an active member of the Franklin Rotary.

Corbin  is married to Beth and they have two children, Matt and Maggie.  They are members of the Holly Springs Baptist Church where Kevin serves as deacon.  The Corbins own and operate Corbin Insurance Agency and he is a partner in Blue Ridge Insurance group, Inc. He is also a founding member of the successful gospel group Blue Ridge.

Members of the public will have an opportunity to have their voices heard by the search committee that will help select the next chancellor of Western Carolina University during a series of open forums Monday, Nov. 22.

Four hourlong meetings to seek public comment will be held in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center on the WCU campus beginning at 1 p.m. Each session is designed for a specific constituent group, but all sessions are open to anyone who wants to participate.

The public forum schedule:

• Faculty members – 1-2 p.m.

• Staff members – 2-3 p.m.

• Students – 3-4 p.m.

• Alumni, community members and supporters of intercollegiate athletics – 4-5 p.m.

In addition to the open forums, members of the public also can share their thoughts on WCU’s next chief executive officer through a questionnaire that will be posted on the chancellor search committee’s website – chancellorsearch.wcu.edu.

The online questionnaire will allow visitors to the website to provide input on the “state of the university,” preferred priorities, suggested background of candidates, and any other pertinent issues.

All scheduled search committee meetings are open to the public. The Nov. 22 open forums are the only meetings that will have time for public comment.

Following the forums, the committee will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 1, to discuss public feedback and review the official position description for the chancellor’s post. The meeting will be held in the Peele, Westmoreland Suhre, Hartshorn Hospitality Room of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. Another meeting is set for 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, in the Hospitality Room of the Ramsey Center.

The WCU Board of Trustees recently appointed a 16-member search committee to help select a successor for Chancellor John W. Bardo, who has announced his plans to step down next summer after more than 15 years in the position. The committee is working closely with Baker and Associates, an executive search firm, to identify a pool of candidates.

After reviewing candidates, the committee will recommend its top choices to the WCU trustees, who will forward the names of at least two nominees to Tom Ross, who takes over as University of North Carolina president later this year. Ross then will present his recommendation to the full UNC Board of Governors for final consideration and approval.

Search committee members are striving to have a new chancellor named and ready to lead the university by July 1.

With many neighbors being unemployed or underemployed and winter on the horizon, there’s even more need to share the warmth and help others fend off the cold. The Mast General Store is hosting its sixth annual Share the Warmth coat, sweater and blanket collection campaign from now until Nov. 30.

The Mast General Store, along with Columbia Sportswear, invites customers to share the warmth in their community by “sharing” clean, gently-worn coats, jackets, sweaters, gloves, hats, and even blankets so others can be warm this winter. Items can be dropped off at Mast General Store in downtown Waynesville, and they will be given to Haywood Christian Ministry and to The Salvation Army.

“It was important to us for our community partner to work closely with those truly in need,” said Fred Martin, vice president of operations at the Mast Store.

This is the sixth year the Mast Store has undertaken this project to help provide coats for those in need in their home communities, and it’s the fourth time that Columbia has stepped up to help out with their own donation of new coats.

For more information call the Mast Store at 828.452.2101.

The Healthy Haywood Substance Abuse Action Team will hold a Prescription Drug Abuse Lunch and Learn from noon to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 30, in the Family Life Center of the First Baptist Church, Waynesville.

This presentation has been moved from Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center due to the overwhelming response. Speakers include Dr. Don Teater with the Good Samaritan Clinic and Mountaintop Healthcare, feature speaker Fred Brason with Project Lazarus, and Chief Bill Hollingsed with the Waynesville Police Department. The intent of this event is to educate, inform and address current county challenges, while discussing solutions to the problems.

To register contact the Steffie Duginske at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 452.6675, ext. 2272. RSVP is required by Nov. 22.

In response to a growing concern about a new malady that has killed an estimated 400,000 bats north of here and may be headed this way, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed all of its caves to public entry until further notice.

The grave and deadly disease sweeping bat populations from Virginia to New Hampshire is known as White-nose Syndrome, so-called for a signature white fungus that appears around the bat’s muzzle. Bats with the disease emerge from hibernation severely underweight to the point that they often starve before the insects they feed on emerge in the spring. Once a colony is infected with the fungus, it spreads rapidly and may kill up to 90 percent of the bats within that cave in one season.

“White-nose Syndrome is believed to be transmitted from bat to bat but also may be inadvertently transported from cave to cave by humans,” said Bill Stiver, park wildlife biologist. “It has not yet arrived in Tennessee or North Carolina, so we are closing all our caves to reduce the odds of the fungus hitching a ride to our protected caves on a caver coming from a state where it is already established.”

Violators face fines of up to $5,000 or six months imprisonment.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked cavers to voluntarily curtail all acitivity in nine states were White-nose Syndrome is present and adjacent states.

While scientists are nearly certain the disease is spread from bat to bat, it has been found in caves a significant distance from affected populations, leading scientists to believe that something else is moving White-nose Syndrome.

“We suspect that white-nose syndrome may be transmitted by humans inadvertently carrying WNS from cave to cave where bats hibernate,” said Northeast Regional Director Marvin Moriarty of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

When venturing to caves outside of the affected areas and the neighboring states, cavers should use new gear and clothing that has never been in an affected or adjacent state.

Cavers everywhere should avoid caves and mines during the bat hibernation period in winter to avoid disturbing bats, when an inadvertent rousing out of hibernation can cause bats to expend precious calories.

“We understand that following these recommendations will inconvenience recreational cavers, but we believe this is the most responsible course of action as we face this unknown threat to bats, which play an important role in our world,” Moriarty said.

Maggie Valley has a year-round of population of only 607, and its main drag contains dozens of 1960s-era mom and pop hotels, a Wild West theme park, and shops selling fudge and moonshine jelly. All these business, however, share space with chart-topping musicians and world champion dancers.

Maggie Valley may be small, but the diversity of entertainment to be found here rivals that of a much larger city.

Clogging’s premier title

Twice a year, some of the fastest feet on the planet descend on Maggie Valley to compete in the World Clogging Championships. This is the number one event in the sport of clogging, a form of dance brought to Appalachia by Scots-Irish settlers. Cloggers from all over the country come to tap, shuffle and step their way to the national title.

The Clogging Championships are held at the Stomping Grounds, a barn-style venue that doubles as a sort of museum for the sport. Over the course of three nights the first weekend in May (1-3), elaborately costumed dancers from ages 2 to 82 compete in teams of up to 40 in front of a panel of judges. At times, it can be tense — after all, the winner gets to perform on the biggest stage of all at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn.

“It’s a lot of mental anticipation and excitement,” says Kyle Edwards, owner of the Stomping Grounds and a clogger himself. “You never know what’s coming up next.”

Clogging at this level is extremely technical, and footwork is key. During one part of the competition, judges don’t even look at the dancers — they turn their backs to listen for the precision and quickness of foot taps. At this point, costumes matter little; dancers better have the skills to impress.

The Clogging competition takes place May 1-3. Tickets are just $10 for adults, $6 for kids. The Stomping Ground is also open from 8 to 11 p.m. on Saturdays from May to October for live country and bluegrass music.

Chart-topping bluegrass

There’s more fun to be found just down the street at the Maggie Valley Opry House. Throw open the doors to this old warehouse, and you’ll see two gold records tacked to the wall. This is the home of Raymond Fairchild, the only banjo picker ever whose instrumental track sold a million records.

Fairchild, a Maggie Valley native, has played with Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson and countless other recognizable names. He performed at the Grand Ole Opry for years. Now he can be found seven nights a week, May through October, at a much smaller, simpler Opry in his hometown, joined by his backup band.

Fairchild built the Opry 22 years ago in an effort to preserve the bluegrass genre with which he’s made his name.

“I just wanted to keep mountain music alive,” Fairchild says.

Seeing Fairchild perform is an intimate experience. The venue is small and informal, with folding chairs for seats.

Check out Fairchild’s lightning-fast picking skills seven nights a week starting Memorial Day weekend. Entry is $12, or $15 if he has a bigger band joining him.

Family-friendly fun

Also working to preserve the music of the mountains is Eaglenest, a 900-seat venue built in 2003. Here you’ll find national country, gospel, bluegrass and classic rock acts, many of whom have been chart-toppers at one time.

“We pride ourselves on getting high-quality, family appropriate entertainment in a first-class setting,” says Selina Keller, Eaglenest General Manager.

This season, Eaglenest will welcome the Bellamy Brothers and Gene Watson. The venue consistently offers some of the largest acts to be found in Western North Carolina.

“We really want to put Maggie on the map,” Keller says. “I don’t know of any other venue in the area that offers this entertainment on a consistent basis.”

Eaglenest is aiming to keep its ticket prices affordable, so guests can have a good time even in a down economy.

Eaglenest also holds performances on its outdoor stage, which seats 3,500. Guests can bring a blanket or lawn chair, kick back, and enjoy the temperate mountain nights.

For a schedule and ticket information, visit www.eaglesnest.com.

Country hoedown

Want to get your feet moving? Head on down to Maggie Valley’s Diamond K Dance Ranch for some line dancing action to the tune of the Deep South Band.

Band member and guitar player Terry Rogers opened up the Dance Ranch after years of touring all over the country.

“All of us were pickers, and we wanted to settle down,” Rogers says.

The band plays top 40 and classic country tunes every Saturday night from May to October. It’s the only all-country venue in Maggie Valley.

Make sure to wear leather bottom boots for a spin on the maple hardwood dance floor. Need some practice? Line dance lessons are offered at 7 p.m., an hour before the band gets on. The whole thing wraps up at midnight. Admission is $8, and that includes the lesson.

Starting in mid-May, the Dance Ranch offers free bluegrass music from a variety of local bands every Friday night from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.diamondkdanceranch.com.

The classics come to life

For something a bit different, check out the Carolina Nights musical dinner theater. The venue opens its evening with a well-rounded meal served cafeteria style by servers who later appear on stage as the show’s performers.

As the theater’s U.S.O. themed show “Sound Off,” opens, performers salute those who historically have helped entertain the troops. Singers and dancers sporting zoot suits bring the music of the 1940s to life with rousing versions of, “Boogey Woogey Bugle Boy,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” and “Clang Clang Went the Trolley.”

At another point in the show, a Betty Boop look-alike takes the stage to sing, “I Wanna be Loved by You,” and later, a Marilyn Monroe performer breathily sings, “Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend.”

Dinner theater shows begin at 6:15 p.m. and are held most Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights with additional shows on occasion. A full schedule is available online at wwwmaggievalleyusa.com and reservations may be made by calling 828.926.8822.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

The Smoky Mountain News caught up with Carolinas Healthcare System Chief Operating Officer and President Joe Piemont this week. The hospital system — the largest in the Carolinas and the third largest public non-profit system in the country — recently entered into a joint management contract with Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare Health System.

Here’s some of what Piemont had to say.

Smoky Mountain News: Will Carolinas Healthcare receive a cut of the profits under the management contract?

Joe Piemont: No. Management contracts generally consist of a base management fee and some opportunities to earn incentives, provided Carolinas Healthcare hits benchmarks detailed by the local board. These benchmarks are set each year and can be related to financial or clinical performance or strategic mission, among other things.

SMN: Did Carolinas Healthcare want HRMC and WestCare to join forces before entering into a management contract?

JP: We strongly encouraged them to talk to one another because we thought for the long-term it would be in their best interest to explore some permanent form of combination. The relationship needed to start between HRMC and WestCare. I think that those two communities share a lot of similarities. They are separated by the mountain to be sure, but if you look at the challenges they’re going to face, they’re simply going to be better off doing it together.

SMN: How will the hospitals benefit from being part of the Carolinas Healthcare System?

JP: We bring various economies of scale and economies of skill to our colleagues and teammates in our system. Scale economies are things such as purchasing — we’re able to get everyone in the system a better price on supplies. Economies of skill mean that rather than having to study things on their own or rely on a myriad of consultants and experts, we provide the hospitals with assistance. We have a full array of subject matter experts.

SMN: Can you estimate a timeline for the management contract process?

JP: I think a short timeline is probably six months. I think you’ll see more concerted and combined activities before the end of 2009.

SMN: Has Carolinas Healthcare ever entered into a management contract with a hospital that has lost its federal healthcare funding status, like Haywood Regional Medical Center did?

JP: We have not. We’ve never seen that before. I think Haywood acted very quickly to get on a path to recertification. They were all over it, and that was very clear to us. I think they’ve done a remarkable job of getting back on their feet.

SMN: Who will the CEO report to, and how will this impact local control?

JP: The CEO will not only be accountable to the board of the combined enterprise, but will also have administrative contact inside Carolinas Healthcare. It shouldn’t impact local control at all. We as management make recommendations for certain actions, but the board makes the decisions. Our authority is no greater than the CEO’s authority has been traditionally.

By Karen Dill

It is in April that the wild things emerge. Bears crawl from their dens; baby wolves are born while their parents howl at the moon; and mysteriously tender green shoots climb bravely from the ground. To an unsuspecting eye, the tiny foliage may resemble weeds but to my mountain-bred father, they were supper. And nothing seemed to taste better than a mess of those wild greens cooked up over a wood stove on a chilly April evening. It was a connection with the earth, the soil, and their dark secrets.

My father loved nothing more than to head into the woods on a clear April morning and return with all matter of strange wild plants. For it was in the dark hollows and beside streams that flowed from the mountain ridges, he found a secret cache of edible plants that had no doubt sustained his family through the years of his poverty stricken childhood. He always went alone and remained as secretive about the location of his wild plant beds as a fisherman is about his favorite fishing hole.

On these treks, my father carried an old burlap sack (called it his poke) thrown over his shoulder and returned with his surreptitious collection of ramps, creasy greens, fiddlehead ferns, poke salat, dock, and other greens lacking any name. When the sack was open, out came a treasure trove. A few strange mushrooms emerged looking for world like spaceship aliens. I kept a wide berth from them, but my father ate them with relish and never suffered even a hint of indigestion.

The first prize from the poke to be cooked was the ramps. Those innocent little onions, so delicious to eat raw, turned mean the next day when your breath resembles a dragon’s after a binge of cigarettes and cheap beer. “Never,” my mother said over and over again, “eat those nasty things ‘til they’ve been cooked!”

And were they cooked! Ramps were baked in meatloaf, scrambled in eggs with bacon, fried with potatoes (my favorite), and boiled up with cabbage. These were the only methods of preparation that I was allowed to sample until one Sunday afternoon in April I bravely bit into one in an effort to impress father.

A stranger came by our house that afternoon to purchase some ramps (and a jar from the back of my father’s panel truck). My father warned him to go easy on both purchases as they could cause a man some problems the next day. The stranger questioned this advice.

“Well,” my father explained, “only ‘real mountaineers’ can eat ramps raw and you’d sure better cook yours.”

That’s was all I needed to hear, young as I was (age, 8) I knew the supreme compliment from my father was to be a real mountain person — one who could eat ramps raw. So I snatched up a ramp, then four more, and chewed and swallowed them like an old timer. My father and the stranger were duly impressed.

My mother, however, was not impressed. Despite brushing my teeth five times with baking soda and chewing of horehound candy (kept in the back of the cupboard for sore throats), the smell of the devious little ramps reigned. In my 8-year-old world of magical thinking, I imagined that no one would notice. In the real world of mountain life and experience, my mother knew better and told me to stay home from school. My father just grunted in disdain at that idea and wanting to be the tough little mountain girl, I headed down the dirt road for the school bus.

Second grade was easy for me. I could read, write and “do my numbers” and I fit in fairly well with my fellow mountain classmates but I was not prepared for what would happen over the course of that Monday. I was immediately ratted out by one of the Inman kids in my class. “She stinks,” it was announced to the class and Mrs. Hunter promptly took one whiff and sent me to the corner of the room to complete whatever schoolwork second grader’s needed to complete. I didn’t mind working alone during class, but I hated being sent to the “ramp table” at lunch time.

The ramp table at Bethel Elementary School was legendary. It was an ordinary long lunch table, but it was there that children who had eaten ramps sat during lunch to keep the non-ramp eaters from losing their lunch.

As my classmates giggled from across the lunchroom, I surveyed my new ramp-in-common friends. Among them was Billy Crowe, was a shy quiet Cherokee boy. I had seen their small frame house by the river and wondered how his whole family could fit in that tiny shack.

So on that warm April day at the ramp table, Billy and I were pariahs, outcasts, as were the other inmates at the ramp table. We might be segregated from our other classmates but we were still hungry. Between eager forkfuls of chicken pot pie, we began to smile at each other, taking some comfort in being together — if smelly.

At afternoon recess, Billy and I drew designs in the dirt with small grubby fingers. I ask Billy how many of them lived in that house by the river. He asked me what I had done to get angry red belt stripes down my legs. We talked in 8-year-old fashion about daddies who went crazy every once in a while. We probably found out more about each other in ramp-breath whispers on a dirt playground than any teacher or social worker had or would ever learn about us.

Years later and after my memories of ramps, wild greens from a poke and a small Cherokee boy had long since faded into that place where childhood memories go, I had returned from living abroad and had begun a new teaching job in the Cherokee school system. And it was on my first day of school in the fall of 1987, that I ran into another school employee, Eddie Crowe.

Eddie, it turned out, was Billy’s older brother, and he remembered me from the Bethel ramp table. It is a small world, after all, and we quickly caught up on our lives since elementary school. Most of the Crowe family had moved back to Cherokee but in the 1970s, Billy had been killed in a car accident while riding his bicycle less than a mile from Bethel Elementary School.

Eddie became a renewed friend at my new school and over the years, we talked of Bethel, Billy, ramps, and all things wild and wonderful. He brought me a mess of ramps almost every spring until he married one of our mutual teacher friends and took another job. I loved cooking the ramps along with other native greens each April and I thought of Billy, his wild fear, and the April ramp table with each bite.

This April, the ramps for a wild green dinner will be provided by Mickie and Peewee Crowe, cousins of Eddie and Billy. Sochan, called green-headed coneflower by non-Indians, is a popular dish here in Cherokee in the spring and will be delivered by my friends, Fern and Soup Saunooke. These wild greens are hard to come by these days unless, like my father, you know their secret hiding places or, in my case now, you know the right people. I try to score these precious greens each spring and this year will try them out in some new dishes.

I will use the sochan mixed with some goat cheese, fresh dill, parsley, green onions and leeks for the main dish — a delicious strudel. The strudel uses phyllo leaves which I can easily find at any grocery store in the mountains now. I have found an interesting Madeira-mushroom sauce recipe from a vegetarian magazine that I think will make a good partner with the strudel. The recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms, but in case I have trouble finding these, I will use wild local mushrooms (bought at Earth Fare grocery store as I don’t trust those alien shapes from local totes anymore). The sauce will be pooled on each plate. The individual slices of wild green strudel will be placed in the center of each pool and sauce will be drizzled artfully over the top.

The ramps will be used in a couple of dishes for the wild green dinner. First, I’ll grill some over charcoal to use in a grilled ramp soup. This is a simple dish using chicken broth and heavy cream. The others will be used in a traditional ramp ‘n’ tater dish and some buttermilk biscuits. I will resist the urge to sample the little devils raw.

Branch lettuce, also called wild lettuce, can be found in early April along creek banks. We ate it raw when my father brought it home in his poke — washed well, tossed with some green onions and wilted with bacon grease. I’d rather skip the bacon grease this year for health reasons but will dress the torn lettuce leaves with fresh spring herb vinaigrette. If I can locate some young fiddleheads (they’ll need to be blanched first and then grilled) or dandelion greens, I’ll throw them in the mix.

Wild spring greens beg to be served with cornbread but I’ve found a recipe for ramp biscuits in a recent issue of Bon Appetite that I’ve been dying to try. Southern cooks have no problem with two breads at the table so cornbread and biscuits it is!

For dessert, I will prepare a basic carrot cake. Carrots are a trustworthy spring crop and there should be plenty of the babies for a fresh cake. My friend and co-worker, a speech pathologist and bee keeper, Devlin, has promised some of his local honey to be used as a substitute for sugar in the cake so it will be in keeping with the natural goodness of this wild and wonderful meal.

The meal will be cooked at my house in Webster and taken to Cherokee, warmed up in the school oven, and served to the friends who have contributed the gifts of wild ramps and greens. If the evening is nice, we’ll haul the food to a picnic table on the island across from the school in the Oconafultee River.

As we sit by the river, eating our ramps and wild greens, I’ll remember the wild and wonderful dishes in the spring times of my childhood. I’ll remember a small shack by another river in Bethel where a shy Cherokee boy lived and died. I’ll remember the ramp table and the connection that I felt with my Cherokee friends. I’ll remember that sometimes in our lives, we travel full circle.

Depending on how you slice it, the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park could be celebrated on a variety of days.

The park has deemed the official anniversary date to be June 15, 2009, exactly 75 years after the U.S. Congress passed official legislation sanctioning the park.

But nearly six weeks before then on April 28, a delegation from North Carolina traveled to Washington, D.C., and presented land deeds for the park to the federal government. In fact, the state presented its first stack of land deeds for the park three years early in 1931. Even though the acquisition wasn’t yet complete, it was enough to get the ball rolling and spurred the Department of Interior to go ahead and appoint the park’s first superintendent and a small staff of rangers to begin overseeing the land.

It wasn’t until much later, on Sept. 2, 1940, that President Franklin Roosevelt visited the park for its formal dedication ceremony

A Haywood Community College wildlife student brought home a second-place finish in the STIHL Timbersports Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge this month.

Daniel Jones, 22, from Hayesville, combined precision, strength and speed to bring home the honor. Jones is a freshman majoring in Fish and Wildlife Management with plans to study forest management.

In a timbersports meet, lumberjacks go head-to-head in four different disciplines: the solo crosscut saw, standing block chop, chain saw and underhand chop. Haywood Community College is always a top performer in the timber sports arena and long considered a school to reckon with.

Jones made big strides quickly, after just getting started in lumberjack sports last fall. His best events are chainsaw and the underhand chop. He only began training on the standing block chop a month ago, after it was added as a new skill in the all-around field.

The event was presented by Carhartt and filmed and produced by ESPNU.

The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce’s Green Initiative is one of those projects that is good on many different levels, not the least of which is the admirable goal of reducing the impact the business community has on the environment.

The Green Initiative, which is being headed by Haywood Community College President Dr. Rose Johnson, is aimed at establishing a methodology by which businesses can earn a “green designation” from the chamber of commerce. A chamber committee has been working for months to set up the criteria, and the categories include recycling, water and energy.

Those businesses that earn this designation will benefit in many ways. Aside from doing what is right, it is likely that many potential customers will appreciate their efforts and choose to do business with them. As this program is formalized, more businesses will likely follow suit and try to earn the designation. That’s a direct benefit that makes the investment to attain the green designation worthwhile from a business perspective.

The fact that the chamber of commerce has put in the time and effort to set up the Green Initiative speaks well of the organization. In too many cases those in the business community pit profit and sustainability efforts against one another. What is becoming increasingly clear is that the opposite is true. Companies that save energy and cut waste make more money, and though it’s impossible to have zero impact, it is a worthwhile effort.

This initiative is one component of a critical mass of sustainability efforts currently being implemented in Haywood County. These include:

• The county Economic Development Commission is formalizing a list of tax incentives for green energy companies to entice them to open shop in the county. The catalyst for that effort was the request for a tax break by a huge solar farm being built near Canton, a project that will be among the largest of its kind in the Southeast once completed.

• Haywood Community College and Dr. Rose Johnson are taking steps to make that institution a center for environmental learning. Staff members are working to implement course offerings that infuse the college’s forestry, wildlife, construction, nursery and other programs with cutting edge sustainability courses and practices. In addition, the college is working to make itself a leader in all these resource-saving areas.

• And Stephen King, the county’s solid waste director, has been a part of the Green Initiative and is a champion of recycling efforts. He has brought great ideas that have helped the county recycling program and is also working to tap the methane at the county’s landfill and harness it for energy use.

There will be intangible benefits for Haywood County for being at the forefront of the green movement. Some areas in the Northeast and out West may be further along, but Haywood County and others in this region are staking a claim as a leader in the Southeast. That is good for quality of life and for businesses.

The chamber’s Green Initiative taps into a truth that’s very important for those of us living in this region. The forests, streams and air are what make this place special, what give the mountains their special, almost spiritual appeal.

“Natural resources are part of the beauty of where we live. That’s why people come here,” said Laura Leatherwood, director of Community and Economic Development at HCC and a participant in the Green Initiative. “We want people to live it personally but we need our business community to live it as well in their practices as they do business throughout the day.”

Among Ghost Town’s debts is $136,000 in back sales taxes owed to the state of North Carolina. It was previously reported that Ghost Town failed to remit sales tax to the state collected as part of ticket sales. Ghost Town nor the N.C. Department of Revenue would elaborate on the source of the back sales tax.

However, it was learned in bankruptcy court last week that the sales tax owed is actually from the purchase of large piece of equipment by Ghost Town. Ghost Town is at odds with the state over whether it actually owes the tax, and thus is why it hasn’t paid up. Ghost Town claims the tax should be paid by the company it bought the equipment from, not by Ghost Town.

By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer

The bad economy may be good for business along the Appalachian Trail.

The AT typically attracts recent college grads, young people taking a break from their jobs, and a growing number of retirees. This year another group is hitting the trail — laid-off workers.

Every year at this time hundreds of hikers pour through Western North Carolina as they make way their way to the end of the trail.

Last Thursday The Smoky Mountain News caught up with dozens of hikers in Hot Springs, which the trail runs directly through, and talked to them about their journeys.

Doug McPherson of Sylva said when his employer told him to take a hike he did, literally. McPherson was employed by Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, and as soon as he was laid off he seized the opportunity to take on the trail.

Andy Crow of Pennsylvania had enough of college and needed a break. He didn’t want to take the typical route of graduating high school, going to college and getting a job.

Crow, who was majoring in geology before dropping out, said his parents were “cool” with his decision to hike the Appalachian Trail and put his conformist future on hold. Other hikers agree with Crow, saying hiking the AT represents another life experience they can rack up before they die.

Hiker Kim Morley was sitting down with her friends from New Zealand and ordered up a Trail cheeseburger at the Smoky Mountain Diner after being on the trail the past few days.

Morley, an employee with an environmental consulting company in Atlanta, plans to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, which begins in Georgia and ends in Maine for a total of about 2,200 miles.

Morley’s New Zealand friends had gotten six-month visas so they could hike the entire trail, but they are bowing out due to an injury.

The New Zealand couple, Merryll Burr and Ron Burr, said hiking the trail is more difficult than they thought it would be. They first became acquainted with the trail about 15 years ago when they were in the area for a conference and hiked part of it.

At that time they decided they would try and do the whole thing one day. They were on their way until Ron sustained a shoulder injury that precludes him from being able to carry his pack.

Poor weather conditions have beaten down hikers this year as they battle through snow, wind, hail and freezing temperatures in the Smokies. When Morley gets back on the trail it will be four or five days before she reaches the next town.

Two other hikers, Alan Sloe and Kyle Fiasconaro, don’t have much money, so they were earning their keep at a hostel by moving timber.

Fiasconaro, from Long Island, N.Y., was working as a chef when he left everything behind to hike the trail. Hiking the trail seemed like the right thing to do rather than get “sucked into a career,” Fiasconaro said.

Sloe, from Greenville, S.C., said he didn’t have a career and agreed that hiking the trail is a good way to meet interesting people and see the mountains. The two met the first day on the trail.

While they were working they had a small tape player emitting music as their Pabst Blue Ribbon beers rested on cinder blocks.

Fiasconaro bemoaned that he has only $1,000 to make it to the end of the trail and said earning his keep at hostels by doing odd jobs is the only way he’ll make it.

Their mantra is to stay positive despite dramatic highs and lows that the trail brings, like the 2- to 4-foot snowdrifts they ran into. Luckily, they were able to stay overnight in a friend’s condo in Gatlinburg to get through that night.

All of the hikers have a trail name that gives them a separate identity from the one they have in the modern world. A hiker log at the Hot Springs Post Office lists hundreds of different trail names that have come through over the years including Hippie Chick, Grizzly, and Chaos.

Rob Phillips, from Lehman, Penn., goes by the trail name Tank, which is appropriate seeing that he’s endured rain, snow and thunderstorms so far. Many of the hikers on the trail are either recent college graduates or retirees.

Phillips said he wanted to take a year off school and hike the trail before returning to get his master’s degree. He was hiking out of Hot Springs on the way to Erwin, Tenn., which is the next town and 70 miles away.

Hikers do the trail for different reasons. Keith Hubbard, who goes by the trail name Huck Finn, said he simply loves the outdoors.

“I’m not trying to find myself,” he said.

Hubbard just graduated from college in Indiana where he earned his degree in physics. His parents are very supportive of him hiking the trail and putting the real world on hold, he said. Family members keep up with how he is doing through a blog he updates at libraries when he comes into trail towns.

The camaraderie of like-minded people on the trail and the beauty of the mountains make hiking the trail worth it, even on bad days, said Hubbard.

With only $1,000 he is on the low end in terms of how much money is needed to hike the trail. He didn’t engage in much preparation for the journey; he basically put on a backpack and started hiking. In his pack he carries a one-man tent, sleeping bag, rain jacket, lightweight pants and shirt, stove and a fuel can.

The northeast is the part of the trip he is looking forward to the most since he has never been to that part of the country.

Inside the Hot Springs library, Michael Given of Maine sat at a table looking through an Appalachian Trail book. He said he was abandoning the trail, but his 65-year-old mother is continuing on to the end.

He said hiking with his mom part of the way was his way of showing her that he supported her in her journey. Being on the trail was a great adventure, said Given. “It was like going to a different country,” he said.

Surviving the trail is 90 percent mental, he said. He and his mother were hiking 22 miles a day, although, “mother and I are pretty tough Mainers.” His mom has run a marathon on every continent, he said.

Getting through the trail requires organizing mail drops at post offices along the way to replenish supplies, he said. He and his mother were getting their water from creeks after cleaning it with water purifications pumps, he said.

He was a much faster hiker than his mother, which meant he would get far ahead of her and then have to let her catch back up with him. This earned him the trail name “Leap Frog.”

John Conlin and his friend, Bert McAdam, were sitting down to eat at the Smoky Mountain Diner, exhausted from hiking and hungry for a hearty meal.

“Don’t mind the odor, but I’ve been out in the woods for five days,” said Conlin.

Conlin and McAdam didn’t know each other prior to hiking on the trail but now seem like they’ve known each other a lifetime. Both men are from Florida and plan on hiking the entire trail as they now have the time being retired.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for 30 years,” said Conlin. “I retired a year early so I could do this.”

Hiking the trail can give one a voracious appetite, Conlin demonstrated as he ordered up a double cheeseburger and a grilled cheese sandwich.

The Appalachian Trail represents a personal challenge that Conlin and McAdam want to overcome. They recalled the deep snow near Gatlinburg, and how 17 people were trapped under a ledge during a snowstorm. Several had to be treated for frostbite, Conlin said.

Conlin, being a Floridian, goes by the trail name Gator, while McAdam goes by Rusty, which, he says, is a comment on his physical shape. Both men are 65 and said taking on the trail is an adventure that gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Conlin commented that he has the financial resources to do the trail while some of the younger hikers are operating on a shoestring. He has given some of them food. To prepare for the journey Conlin said he researched the trail over a year and lost 12 pounds.

Hikers drop many pounds on the trail as they eat granola and hike 20 miles a day. As Conlin sat at the diner’s table, he said coming into trail towns is great because it means high-carb, high-fat meals to be washed down with iced tea and milk.

“You dream of getting here,” he said.

After hiking 14 hours a day for the past few days, McAdam and Conlin said they will take a “zero day,” which means they will stay in town to rest, do laundry and get supplies.

Avram Friedman, leader of the Sylva-based air quality group the Canary Coalition, was arrested during a protest march in Charlotte Monday (April 20) against Duke Energy’s new Cliffside power plant proposed for Rutherford County.

More than 400 marchers, including Friedman, paraded through the streets of downtown Charlotte waving signs and chanting opposition to construction of the $2.4 billion coal-fired power plant, which would be located about 70 miles southeast of Asheville. The protesters ended their march in front of Duke Energy’s headquarters, where they attempted to present a “Call to Conscience,” document to Duke CEO Jim Rogers. Friedman described the document as “a people’s injunction to stop construction at Cliffside.”

A Duke Energy representative came outside to speak with the protesters, and warned them not to cross a line that had been clearly drawn to mark the boundaries of Duke’s property.

“A Duke Energy rep came out and said, ‘This is our property, and if you cross it, you’ll get arrested,’” Friedman recounted. “I said to him, we’re here to prevent a greater crime. I crossed over the line and police came up to me.”

In the end, “44 of us chose to risk arrest, and police complied,” Friedman said.

Friedman spent 8 hours in the Mecklenburg County Jail before being released on his own recognizance. He has a court date in late May for trespassing.

Friedman called the protest an overall success. It attracted people from all over the country, and was covered by various regional media outlets.

“Polls have been showing that a large majority of the people in North Carolina are opposed to the concept of a new coal burning power plant being built, but that they aren’t even aware of Cliffside,” Friedman said. “Now they are. And now that people are aware of it, we hope they become more active in opposing it.”

By Jim Janke

When is it safe to plant tender annuals and vegetables in Haywood County? The standard answer we give in the plant clinic is May 15th. Before then you risk damage from a frost. But is May 15th really the last frost date? And what can you do if a frost occurs after planting?

Based on data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the average last frost date in Waynesville since 1948 is actually May 5. You have a 50:50 chance of frost after that date. May 15 is the 80 percent safe date, so planting then is reasonably secure. The absolute last frost date is after June 1! (See the accompanying chart.)

Remember that the chance of frost depends on your elevation, exposure, and microclimates. But in general waiting until May 15 will avoid frosts the vast majority of the time.

The problem for most of us is impatience. Annual and vegetable plants appear in garden centers, tempting you to plant them early. Then if a frost occurs the plants are gone. Or late in the season you don’t get a chance to cover your plants when frost is predicted, and everything is dead the next day.

One way to minimize frost damage is to wash the frost off the plants. A heavy frost will kill most tender annuals and vegetables unless they are covered or protected. But if a light frost occurs simply hose off the plants with a fine water spray before the sun hits them in the morning, in effect washing the frost off the plant. Depending on the specific plant type and the amount of frost, this can minimize damage down to 30 degrees or lower.

Why does this work? The amount of heat required to melt ice is 80 times the amount of heat needed to increase the temperature of water 1 degree. When the frost melts, it takes this heat primarily from the plant tissue, killing the plant. But if you wash off the frost, the water spray melts the frost and warms the plant. Its chances of survival improve dramatically.

Make sure you wet all the leaf surfaces. Spray the plants just before sunrise, so the wet leaves don’t have a chance to re-freeze.

Fruit growers use a different technique: they spray water all night to deliberately form ice on the fruit. The ice insulates the fruit from even colder air temperatures. This wouldn’t work for tender annual and vegetable plants, which can’t take the lower temperatures that fruit trees and vines can.

Remember to disconnect the hose from the faucet the previous evening, and drain the hose. A frozen hose will be difficult to use in the morning!

Jim Janke is a Master Gardener Volunteer in Haywood County. For more information call the Haywood County Extension Center at 828.456.3575.

When Terry Ferguson and his wife Nancy bought the Grandview Lodge in 2008, they knew they were taking on a responsibility above and beyond restoring the old building. With the purchase, the couple became the keepers of an important piece of Haywood County history.

The Lodge was built in 1890 as the residence of the Medford family, who farmed the 800 surrounding acres. The building was converted to an inn in the 1920s, and served as a gathering place for generations of county residents and visitors.

But over the years, the Lodge fell into a state of disrepair. Waist-high grass and overgrown shrubbery replaced the once-manicured landscape. The roof leaked, and the gutters clogged. The community mourned the loss of the landmark.

Then along came the Fergusons, who, like the Lodge itself, were also looking for a new lease on life. The Red Barn antique business that the couple had worked so hard to establish was destroyed in a fire. Devastated and searching for direction, the Fergusons decided to purchase Grandview. It would be the perfect pairing — the inn would get a new life, and so would the Fergusons.

Today, Grandview Lodge has been restored to its former glory. The interior, refurbished with period antiques, looks much like it did when it was built more than a century ago. The 12 bedrooms are beautifully restored, and each features a tidbit of local history on its wall.

The Fergusons have made food a centerpiece of their business. The dining room seats 100, and serves a five-course dinner on Saturday night and brunch on Sundays. Guests won’t find any cans or frozen food in the kitchen, Terry says — “everything’s done fresh.”

Folks who grew up visiting Grandview are delighted to see it back in business.

“It’s been unbelievable,” says Terry. “The folks who come in are so excited to see it kept in its former character.”

Updating the Lodge has been a tough process, but preserving an important piece of community history has made it all worthwhile, Terry says.

“It’s hard work, but it’s worth it,” he says. “We’ve just had a ball with it.”

Maggie Valley will roll out the welcome mat next weekend for more than 3,500 motorcycle riders descending on the tiny Smoky Mountain town for the annual Thunder in the Smokies Motorcycle Rally held April 24 through 26.

With hundreds of scenic routes, the Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina are incredibly popular with bikers — and Thunder in the Smokies is one of the premier rendezvous of the season. Now in its seventh year, the rally has gained popularity for its diverse crowd and its family-friendly atmosphere.

“People bring their grandkids, their kids, their teenagers,” says Lori Nix, who owns the Handlebar Corral production company with her husband Chris. The company stages the annual rally.

Thunder in the Smokies takes place at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds and features many of the components found at a traditional bike rally — beer, bands and a bike show, for instance. This year, hard-rocking bass guitarist and South Dakota native Jasmine Cain takes the stage, along with bands Warhorse and Scotty Box. But the lineup of entertainment is much more diverse than your average bike bash. Rally-goers can partake in motorcycle trivia, bike games, and even a drive-in motorcycle movie showing on Friday night at dusk — with attendees voting on their pick from titles like “Easy Rider”, “Ghost Rider”, “The World’s Fastest Indian” and “Evel Knievel: The Last of the Gladiators”.

There’s even a guided ride Saturday morning up to Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A pancake breakfast and Gospel church service wraps up the weekend on Sunday morning.

A weekend pass — a steal at $15 — means rally attendees can come and go as they please and allows ample opportunity to explore the many mountain rides in the area. The Blue Ridge Parkway is the closest option, but two famous excursions — the Cherohala Skyway and the twisting, turning Tail of the Dragon — are just 90 minutes away.

Maggie Valley is a convenient jumping off point to scores of mountain destinations, and is a getaway in its own right. Nix laughs as she recounts the shocked looks of patrons who discover there’s no Taco Bell and no McDonald’s — then end up never wanting to leave the mountain oasis.

“It’s a small little town,” Nix says. “It’s one road, and you can’t get lost. Plus, you have a lot of mom and pop restaurants and hotels, so it’s more personal. It’s always nice to know you’re helping pack someone’s 20-room hotel. The owner is often the one who makes your bed and cleans your room, so the service is great.”

The Nixes help to provide the rally with a personal touch. They’re a constant presence and get to know the riders on a first-name basis.

“A lot of times you go to an event, and you have no idea who puts it on,” said Nix. “Chris is the emcee, and he’s always got the mic in his hand.”

More and more bike enthusiasts flock to Thunder in the Smokies each year, most from places like S.C., Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. Others come from as far as Pennsylvania, and last year, a father and daughter duo made the trek from Canada. The bikes are diverse, representing every make and model. Their riders are just as varied.

“You’ll have some of the old school bikers that own a bike shop and have built their own bike riding in, then coming in behind them are doctors, lawyers, firemen — you name it,” says Nix. “No matter what you ride or what you do, everyone is welcome.”

The 7th Annual Thunder in the Smokies Motorcycle Rally takes place Friday, April 24, to Sunday, April 26, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, located in the town of Maggie Valley in Western North Carolina. Gates open at 11 a.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For a lineup of events and directions, visit www.thunderinthesmokys.com.

In response to a growing concern about a new malady that has killed an estimated 400,000 bats north of here and may be headed this way, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed all of its caves to public entry until further notice.

The grave and deadly disease sweeping bat populations from Virginia to New Hampshire is known as White-nose Syndrome, so-called for a signature white fungus that appears around the bat’s muzzle. Bats with the disease emerge from hibernation severely underweight to the point that they often starve before the insects they feed on emerge in the spring. Once a colony is infected with the fungus, it spreads rapidly and may kill up to 90 percent of the bats within that cave in one season.

“White-nose Syndrome is believed to be transmitted from bat to bat but also may be inadvertently transported from cave to cave by humans,” said Bill Stiver, park wildlife biologist. “It has not yet arrived in Tennessee or North Carolina, so we are closing all our caves to reduce the odds of the fungus hitching a ride to our protected caves on a caver coming from a state where it is already established.”

Violators face fines of up to $5,000 or six months imprisonment.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked cavers to voluntarily curtail all acitivity in nine states where White-nose Syndrome is present and adjacent states.

While scientists are nearly certain the disease is spread from bat to bat, it has been found in caves a significant distance from affected populations, leading scientists to believe that something else is moving White-nose Syndrome.

“We suspect that White-nose syndrome may be transmitted by humans inadvertently carrying WNS from cave to cave where bats hibernate,” said Northeast Regional Director Marvin Moriarty of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

When venturing to caves outside of the affected areas and the neighboring states, cavers should use new gear and clothing that has never been in an affected or adjacent state.

Cavers everywhere should avoid caves and mines during the bat hibernation period in winter to avoid disturbing bats, when an inadvertent rousing out of hibernation can cause bats to expend precious calories.

“We understand that following these recommendations will inconvenience recreational cavers, but we believe this is the most responsible course of action as we face this unknown threat to bats, which play an important role in our world,” Moriarty said.

In Massachusetts, a vacant textile mill is now an art museum. An old city hall became a restaurant. In California, a sprawl of empty factories were transformed into a shopping district. Across the country, vacant industrial sites as well as landmark buildings are taking on different roles and a brand new life in projects that architects describe as “adaptive reuse.”

In 2010 Jackson County will complete its own example of modern Main Street redevelopment with the reopening of the restored historic courthouse and its new addition as the Jackson County Public Library Complex. Construction is scheduled to begin in May on the twin projects, which reflect more than a decade of discussion and planning by the community.

“In architectural designs nowadays, the emphasis is on being green and on recycling what we have,” said Donnie Love, historic preservation specialist at South Carolina-based McMillan Smith and Partners, architect for the project. “There’s just nothing more green than the reuse of an existing building like the Jackson County Courthouse, which was so important in the history of the county.”

The renovation of the 95-year-old structure and its expansion to provide modern, multimillion-dollar library facilities has won widespread community support. The project has raised local awareness about historic preservation and the benefits of bringing a new life and role to a landmark structure while retaining much of its original look and feel.

“The courthouse played such a large role in the past and now it will have an important role for a long time in the future. This is a terrific accomplishment for the people of Jackson County,” said Sylva native Ronnie Smith, one of the founders of McMillan Smith and Partners.

When the restoration is complete in 2010, the courthouse will house Jackson County’s Historical Association, Genealogical Society and Arts Council, and an auditorium. The 20,000-square-foot library to be built onto the back of the courthouse will have many of the same architectural details as the older building. A two-story atrium will connect the two buildings.

“This location is an ideal spot for the library,” said Smith. “People are going to be drawn to that location, and the buildings will see a lot of use.”

The project is expected to cost around $7.5 million, being paid for by the county. A campaign by the Friends of the Jackson County Main Library to raise an additional $1.6 million to be used for furnishings, fixtures and equipment has already raised nearly half of its goal.

“In some modern development, there has been a shift away from the adaptive reuse of historic buildings like this because of the fear that it would be too expensive to renovate them,” said Love. “The Jackson County project is a good example of how that’s not always true. The courthouse did fine in studies of what it would need to be brought back to a functioning facility, and because of the proximity to downtown, it was a great location for a new library.”

The Neoclassicism architecture of the courthouse was from the design of Richard Sharp Smith, one of the architects for the Biltmore House. Smith came to the mountain region in 1890 at the request of George Vanderbilt. He was a resident architect employed to help with the design and construction of the grand estate in Asheville.

Alpacas herald from South America, but are increasingly being found on farms in the Southern Appalachians.

Alpacas are in the same family as llamas and camels, hence the resemblance. They’re the oldest domesticated animal on the planet. The first alpacas came to the United States in 1984, when a group of North American investors traveled to South America to scout out the best of the breed. Since alpacas don’t taste very good and can’t carry much weight, their value lies in their incredibly soft, luxurious coats used to make fiber.

Turns out, South Americans didn’t want competition from alpaca breeders in the United States. So today, there’s a ban in place that prohibits the importation of alpacas to this country. Every alpaca here today is a descendant of the original group brought back a little more than 20 years ago.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

This April, nearly 100 professional weavers and spinners will converge at Lake Junaluska in Haywood County for the Southeast Fiber Forum.

They’ll come to share their knowledge and learn new crafts — “everything from broom making to surface design to knitting to weaving to basketry,” says Marjorie Warren, board chair of the Western North Carolina Handweavers Guild and also chair of the Fiber Forum.

Attendees are members of the Southeast Fiber Forum Association, a group of 877 weavers hailing from Texas all the way to Virginia.

This year’s theme of the Forum is based on the United Nation’s declaration of 2009 as “Year of Natural Fiber.” The focus at the forum is on fibers that are natural and sustainable such as wool, linen, bamboo, cotton and flax — essentially, anything that isn’t synthetic.

“There is a great awareness this year, with everything going ‘green,’ of being environmentally conscious and using what is available to us,” Warren said.

Western North Carolina’s abundance of natural resources makes it a fitting location for the conference, with its focus on all things natural. The region is also fitting due to its long tradition of weaving, dating back thousands of years to the Cherokee who first wove baskets out of the bark of the rivercane plant. Today, many weavers still make a living from their craft, practicing it in all different forms. WNC weavers will teach classes at the Forum to weavers from around the country.

“We’re so fortunate in this area that we have so many wonderful teachers that we don’t have to fly everybody in,” said Warren. “This is a chance to showcase the teachers in our area.”

Two of the presenters from the region represent the diversity of the craft in Western North Carolina. Kathie Roig, a weaver who owns KMR Handwovens in Dillsboro, uses a complicated Swedish loom to weave her creations, which include functional items like placemats, scarves, tote bags and baby bibs. Roig uses sustainable materials like cotton to form her pieces. She also works with tencel, a unique material made out of wood pulp that drapes and feels like silk.

“It’s produced relatively environmentally friendly,” said Roig. “How you get yarn from things can be harmful for the environment, but tencel is relatively not.”

Roig, who teaches weaving at the prestigious John C. Campbell School of Folk Art in Brasstown, says WNC has a rare concentration of weavers in a small region.

“What I see is a stronger focus on having your craft really support you,” Roig said. “There’s many more folks here that are supporting themselves from their work and being successful at it.”

Beth Johnson, a weaver in Cherokee, emphasizes the use of natural fibers of many different kinds. Johnson works with the Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources, which works to preserve the materials that Cherokees have used for thousands of years to make their crafts. At the moment, Johnson is working with some local bison ranches to obtain fiber from the animals. Cherokee at one time wove the bison fiber with their fingers instead of on a loom, making for very intricate pieces.

Johnson is also researching plants the Cherokee used to weave, including hemp and mulberry bushes.

At the Forum, Johnson is teaching a workshop that teaches a sustainable form of weaving similar to recycling. This form originated in Japan, and employs old kimonos cut into strips and woven into a lightweight fabric. Johnson makes scarves and bags with this method.

“Nearly all weaving traditions all over the world have some way of recycling stuff, whether through patchwork quilting or weaving rag rugs,” Johnson says.

The work of Johnson, Roig and other weavers who will be teaching at the Fiber Forum is on display at Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville through Saturday, April 25. The public is also invited to check out the display of vendors and crafts at the Fiber Forum all day Saturday, April 18, at Lake Junaluska.

Stonewall Packaging LLC, a joint venture of Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co., announced today that it will invest more than $17 million to build a new facility in Sylva for the production of recycled cardboard packaging. The investment will result in the creation of 61 jobs over the next three years.

“We are so pleased to be establishing this new operation in Sylva and bringing additional jobs to Jackson County,” said Timothy L. Campbell, president and CEO of Stonewall Packaging and Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co. “The venture, which allows us to expand and capitalize on the great work we’re already doing at Jackson Paper, is a reflection of our continued commitment to the region.”

Jackson Paper, which currently employs 119, produces 100-percent recycled paper used by independent box manufacturers.

Stonewall is purchasing and renovating the former Chasam Building on Old Scott’s Creek Road,, a 200,000-square-foot former sewing operation located approximately one-half mile from Jackson Paper, to house the cardboard sheet feeder operation. Production is expected to begin there in fall 2009.

In phase two, Stonewall will build a linerboard mill similar to the 139,000-square-foot Jackson Paper mill, including a wood-fired boiler.

Stonewall considered sites in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee before choosing the Sylva location for its new operation.

“We chose to build the plant in Sylva because of the infrastructure that is already in place at Jackson Paper and because of the highly skilled workforce and good business climate in the town of Sylva and Jackson County,” said Campbell.

The 61 new jobs will pay an average of $39,344 not including benefits. Jackson County’s average annual wage is $27,820. The company will advertise and hire for the new positions in late summer.

“With our nation facing the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, this project couldn’t happen at a better time for the citizens of this county,” said Brian McMahan, chairman of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. “This expansion will provide much-needed jobs as well as boosting our local economy by providing opportunities for construction companies, retailers of building goods and supplies, and others. In the future, this project will add to the tax base of Jackson County, which will be a benefit to all the citizens of the county.”

Stonewall worked closely with the town of Sylva, Jackson County government, Southwestern Community College, the N.C. Rural Center, the N.C. Department of Transportation, the N.C. Department of Commerce and Duke Energy on the new venture.

“I’d like to thank Jackson Paper for being willing to make this happen for our community,” said Brenda Oliver, mayor of the Town of Sylva. “They already have been very good corporate partners, and I look forward to a great working relationship with them in the future.”

Today’s announcement is made possible in part by a $200,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund, which provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state.

“As global markets evolve, North Carolina’s manufacturing sector is keeping pace to take advantage of new opportunities,” said N.C. Governor Bev Perdue. “Companies like this one are investing in green-friendly products while continuing to enjoy our state’s top-rated business climate, skilled workforce and unparalleled quality of life.”

Established in 1995, Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co. is an independently-owned paper mill and is the largest producer of 100-percent recycled paper in the state of North Carolina.

“During these tough economic times, it’s critical to continue to make investments that will grow jobs in our state,” said state Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy.

“We must continue to build on our successful partnerships so that North Carolina will be well positioned when the nation’s economy turns around,” said state Rep. Phil Haire, D-Sylva.

John and Jane Young of Haywood County have been recognized by the North Carolina Forest Stewardship Program for their commitment to natural resource conservation on their land in the Upper Crabtree area of Haywood County.

The couple wanted to bring sound management and stewardship practices to a 32-acre tract they purchased in the late 1990s, and became involved with the Forest Stewardship Program. In addition to environmental steps, like reforestation, exotic species irradiation and sediment control, creating wildlife habitat is a high priority. Oak acorns and hickory nuts, black walnuts and apples, blackberry thickets and tall grasses provide food and habitat for deer, grouse, hawks and owls, amphibians and reptiles, and loads of songbirds.

“There is a wonderful variety of habitat here on this tract. John and Jane have been mindfully managing all these different areas for as much diversity as possible and as a result they are seeing more wildlife than ever,” said Kelly Hughes, a biologist with the program.

The couple received a certification plaque, a bluebird box, and a Stewardship sign to display on their property.

“Land stewardship has always been important to us,” says John. “Knowing that wildlife has a home here enriches our lives, too.”

The Forest Stewardship Program is administered locally by the N.C. Forest Service, with assistance from other agencies such as the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Natural Resource Conservation Service, and N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.

As Ghost Town continues to struggle, many are finally coming to grips with the reality that the Old West theme park may never be the economic engine it once was.

Ghost Town has had ongoing financial problems since it re-opened two years ago. Its premier rides — the roller coaster and the incline railway that takes visitors to the park — have been idle since the park re-opened. These and other tribulations have compromised the visitor experience, a reality that investors will have to deal with as they try to increase admission numbers this year.

The park recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which means it wants to re-organize its debt — $12.5 million, including more than $2.5 million in outstanding bills to everyone from suppliers to ride repair companies. The debtors include many local companies who were excited about Ghost Town’s potential to boost the local economy and who now are left hoping they can get the money owed to them as the company works through bankruptcy proceedings.

Ghost Town investors started the long road to re-opening with widespread support that reached all the way to Washington. Theme park owners secured a government backed low-interest loan with the help of then Congressman Charles Taylor. Economic development and tourism officials all heralded the opening as a shot in the arm for the region. Companies owed money have held past due bills in hopes all would turn around, banking on the long-term benefit of a viable — if dated — theme park.

Now, as the reality of bankruptcy settles in and a May 19 projected opening date looms amid the worst economic crisis since World War II, many are holding their breath. Maggie Valley in particular needs to continue re-positioning itself as a tourist destination separate from Ghost Town. That way its businesses can look toward the future with some optimism, and if Ghost Town does succeed it will be a boost to those businesses but not counted on as the savior.

That really is what it has come to: no one is counting on the park to provide a great boon during this year’s tourist season. Everyone wishes Ghost Town the best, but mounting debts and unfulfilled promises have strained relationships and eroded the all-out community support. Only time will tell what the future holds for this once important component of the region’s tourism industry.

Openly conservative Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, is blazing his own path in Congress. That characteristic is easy to admire, especially in these days of strident bickering and blind party allegiance.

Last week The Smoky Mountain News interviewed both Republicans and Democrats about Shuler and his position on the issues, and the results confirmed what many in the district already knew: most left-leaning Democrats are willing to forego Shuler’s conservative stance on social and fiscal issues as long as he continues to represent their views on foreign policy, the environment, and business policy. Many Republicans also support Shuler, agreeing with what former Macon County Republican Chairman Harold Corbin and Haywood County GOP County Commissioner Kevin Ensley told this newspaper: he represents the values of his mountain district.

Still, not all Democrats support Shuler’s record, which includes casting votes against the stimulus bill, supporting pro-life measures, supporting gun rights, and voting against stem cell research.

“I expected him to be more of a Democrat than he seems to be,” says Jane Allison, a Democrat from Swain County.

When it comes strictly to the issues, we also take exception to some of Shuler’s positions and think his district would be better served by different votes on several important issues.

Despite that truth, however, Shuler is one of those rare politicians able to vote his conscience instead of his party and do so without coming off as wishy-washy. The reason, by most accounts, is that he is sincere. His votes are who he is, and not molded by the Washington party elite and lobbyists.

“The most important thing is to be true to who you are, and what your beliefs are, and don’t change based upon influence,” Shuler told The Smoky Mountain News.

Observers call it a political tightrope that he’s walking. While Democrats are overwhelmingly in control of the House and Senate, his vote against some Democratic bills is not necessary for passage. If that balance tips and the votes are closer, some wonder if he can endure the wrath of his party and still survive.

“He has to be careful voting against a popular president,” said Western Carolina University political science professor Gibbs Knotts. “He also has to be careful that he does not upset the Democratic leadership too much. The leadership can withhold resources and make it more difficult for Shuler to advance his agenda.”

Right now, though, Shuler has carved out an enviable position most congressmen would covet: he can be himself. Here’s what he told an Asheville audience about the stimulus bill and getting money to WNC:

“I didn’t vote for it, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t support Western North Carolina getting its fair share. We’re prepared to fight for that.”

Too many politicians these days are all about ideology, which squelches debate and belittles opponents. Shuler’s ability to stray from his own party while staying true to its bedrock principles make him very different from your average politician. That’s a badge of honor in this day and age, one to wear proudly.

The following comment was provided by Steve Shiver, Ghost Town CEO and president, in response to questions about the challenges Ghost Town faces in its quest to reopen the park amid Chapter 11 proceedings.

“At this stage of the process there are too many details of our reorganization plan that we continue to formulate. It would be premature and inappropriate to comment on the details of that plan and unfair to those creditors we have involved in this process, without first making it available to them. It is our intent to do everything in our power to open the park for our third season and to maximize the return to our valued creditors as quickly as possible.”

Barrels of mussels being bred at the state’s fish hatcheries are awaiting release into the region’s rivers, helping to restore these dwindling but important species.

For decades, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has raised fish — some 8 million a year at a network of six hatcheries in the state — favored by recreational fisherman. But the foray into propagating mussels marks new ground.

Both the Marion and Table Rock hatcheries are propagating freshwater mussels. The Cheoah River near Robbinsville has already become the new home for some of the mussels bred in captivity.

The biologists involved in the effort are getting a chance to observe mussels up-close and in person, learning about mysterious elements of their life cycle. Determining how mussels reproduce — like where and what time of year they mate — brings biologists one step closer to saving them from extinction. Mussel larvae spend part of their life hanging out on a host fish, but which species serves as a host for various mussels isn’t always known either.

“This information is critical to saving some species from extinction,” said Steve Fraley, an aquatic biologist with the Commission who spearheads the program.

The hatchery set-up will also allow biologists to experiment with how much pollution is too much for mussels.

Mussels are like tiny lungs for the aquatic ecosystem. They are constantly filtering water through their bodies, straining out edible morsels and extracting oxygen. Mussels are also a food source for animals like beaver and otter.

Mussels have been in peril for a host of reasons. The top enemy of mussels is sediment, which clogs their siphons and smoothers them. Chemical pollution is bad for the mussels as well.

The ability of mussels to repopulate on their own is hampered by the promulgation of dams. Many mussel species hitchhike on fish as larvae, and if fish get blocked by a dam, so the mussels hitching a ride. Mussels can end up stuck in between two dams, unable to co-mingle and breed with neighboring colonies.

By Jim Janke

We moved here from Chicago, where there are only two seasons: winter and road-under-construction.*

By comparison, the extended spring in the mountains is wonderful. We have as many as 12 weeks of continuous bloom when redbuds, pears, cherries, crabapples, plums, dogwoods, serviceberries, and other flowering trees do their stuff. But not all of these trees should be planted here. Bradford pears, particularly, have major problems.

Bradford pears (Pyrus calleryana) are widely used in landscaping throughout the US. They grow well in a variety of soil types and conditions, including full sun and partial shade. The trees have a tear-drop shape, with the main trunks dividing into many branches at one point. They grow rapidly, in full bloom can be drop-dead gorgeous, and have great fall color. So what’s the problem?

Bradford pear trees tend to split when loaded with ice or snow. Large older trees split more frequently than younger trees. It seems that every second or third spring we get a snow or ice storm, and one or more mature Bradfords in our neighborhood disintegrate and have to be removed.

To correct this tendency to split, new hybrids were developed. Unlike the original hybrids, though, these new trees are not sterile, and their seeds have spread so extensively that Bradford pear is considered an invasive plant in much of the eastern United States. For this reason the National Park Service recommends that you do not plant Bradford pear.

Fortunately a lot of good alternatives exist. For white blooms in spring, consider ‘Spring Snow’ or ‘Madonna’ crabapples, ‘Texas White’ redbud, or ‘Autumn Brilliance’ serviceberry.

When searching for a tree, shrub or perennial, I often use the Monrovia website. The individual plant listings have a wealth of information. Monrovia does not sell to the public, but if you find it on their website a local nursery can often get it for you. www.monrovia.com/.

*Some Chicagoans insist that spring does exist there: it’s a Saturday afternoon in April between 2 and 4 p.m. After that it goes directly to summer or reverts to winter.

Jim Janke is a Master Gardener Volunteer in Haywood County. For more information call the Haywood County Extension Center at 828.456.3575.

To the Editor:

We appreciate The Smoky Mountain News coverage on the steep slope issues in Macon County and would like to clarify and expand on some of the comments attributed to me, the vice chair of the Macon County Planning Board.

First, the best way to reduce the wrong types of steep slope development is to education the public, the developer and the realtor. Very few developers, realtors or buyers of real property want to spend time in court defending the way they build, sell or buy property. Ignorance is the biggest perpetrator of failing slopes and damaged homes.

The best approach toward protecting private property rights is to know what conditions are on your property before you disturb it. Some mountain lands contain soil conditions and slopes that are not stable and when disturbed, they alter the way rainwater flows thru the soils thereby making them even more unstable then before. Potential steep slope hazard maps are being generated in the western mountains that indicate caution when considering building on or disturbing them.

If county governments would create ordinances that require a builder, realtor and a future homeowner to attend a steep slope hazard program that would show the storm water runoff and sedimentation concerns that impact our drinking waters, along with the dangers of building on steep slopes before they can get a permit, then that would go a long way toward reducing the wrong types of development. No builder wants to be exposed to lawsuits due to shoddy ignorant work and no homeowner wants to invest in building a home that may be damaged by unstable soils.

In Macon County, we require land moving contractors to attend a work shop on grading roads, site pads and storm water runoff so they know what not to do.

The western mountain counties also need a full disclosure by real estate agents of property that has been identified that contains potential steep slope hazards so the potential buyer can make proper decisions and the realtor can be protected from potential lawsuits.

Education, education and education will go a long way toward preventing a bad developer from creating a poor development, a realtor from selling it and a buyer from investing in it. Personally, I find it hard to believe that a bad developer will want to come into a county on purpose that has a well-run mandated educational program which informs the buyers and sellers and developers what the issues are in steep slope development. Building and soil disturbance permits should not be issued unless builders and developers attend the program and sign off that they understand and will adhere to proper standards. Buyers should not buy a property unless they also were instructed on the pitfalls of steep slope development and realtors would certainly not want to sell a property without disclosing the potential of steep slope issues. They can’t knowingly sell a house with a leaky roof without disclosing it, so why would they want to sell a piece of land that may slide down a hill when maps are indicating that such a potential exists.

We need the cooperative efforts of all parties involved to protect, preserve and sustain the beauty of our mountains and the purity of the water in our springs, streams and rivers. Storm water runoff control and maintenance both during and after the development are key issues that require educational training. I have never found a well-informed developer or homebuyer making stupid mistakes when they understand the issues. If it turns out that people will still ignore common sense when building on steep slopes, then the county governments will have no choice but to impose rigid regulations. Before we do that I personally want to ask landowners, developers, realtors and potential homeowners for their help in controlling the wrong type of development and to set examples for others to follow.

The beauty of the mountain region is a joint asset owned by all and is entwined with personal property rights at all levels. If we don’t preserve the beauty and sustainability of the region then we all lose, because tourists will not want to stop, construction will not happen, jobs will decrease and the quality of life that brought everyone here will diminish.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify my comments on this issue.

Larry Stenger

Vice Chair, Macon County Planning Board

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

After decades of paper mill pollution, the Pigeon River is coming back to life — literally.

Aquatic biologists embarked on a mission several years ago to restore species that had been wiped out by chemical discharges from the mill. After the paper mill retrofitted its operations to improve water quality, the river was once more capable of supporting many of the species that had been killed off.

It was unlikely the species would migrate back into the river on their own, however, and had to be released by biologists. In some cases, that meant trapping the fish and mollusks from other rivers and creeks. In the case of rarer species, such as the tangerine darter, the fish had to be bred in captivity and then released.

So far, signs are good that the fish released into the river are now reproducing on their own.

The biologists tag all the fish they release, using an injection of medical-grade silicone just under the skin that is visible to the naked eye. The biologists return to the same stretch of river the following year and capture fish.

Any without tags were born in the river, showing that particular species is reproducing. So far, those include the silver shiner, telescope shiner, gilt darter, stripetail darter and mountain brook lamprey.

The severe and persistent drought has complicated the mission, however. Last year, stream flows fell to historically low levels. Fish populations were stressed, and low numbers in spring collections led to postponement of some releases.

The Pigeon River Recovery Project is a partnership of state and federal agencies, industry and private organizations.Major partners include Evergreen paper mill (formerly Blue Ridge Paper), N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Haywood Community College, Haywood Waterways Association, Progress Energy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Conservation Fisheries, the N.C. Division of Water Quality, Western Carolina University.

By the numbers

21,000:    Fish released into Pigeon River

15:    Fish species released

9:    Number of sites where fish were released

221,000:    Native snails released

1,440:    Fish released in Haywood County stretch of Pigeon last year alone

By Josh Mitchell • Staff Writer

J.R. vanLienden grew up in a frame shop and used to promise himself he would never get into the field of photography.

Now he has purchased the old Whittier elementary school built in 1936 to operate as a retreat for photographers from around the country to learn about photography.

Vanlienden, clad in workshop overalls, speaks very fast and said his attention deficit disorder doesn’t allow him to have a favorite photographic subject.

After taking family portraits on the beach for 15 years in Sarasota, Fla., vanLienden decided it was time to try photography in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Located at the base of Smoky Mountains National Park and in the rustic railroad town of Whittier, the school is an ideal setting for photographers to get away from it all and improve their craft.

Workshop attendees spend part of their time getting hands on instruction from professional photographers and can also take off on their own to explore the nationalpark and take some pictures.

The school, Smoky Mountain Learning Center, hosts different workshops, ranging from three to five days, put on by him and other professional photographers. The goal is for the school to be the new “photography mecca” in the mountains.

It will become the largest photo gallery in the region, he said. The school offers a feeling of learning while being able to enjoy the surrounding mountains, he added. With full production and framing facilities the school provides a romantic setting to learn photography. The long hallways are lined with large photographs taken by vanLienden, and the former classrooms provide learning spaces.

The stage of the school’s auditorium is filled with pictures vanLienden has taken.

He has taken some stunning shots of the Smoky Mountains, including waterfalls and streams.

Nature photography is not all he does though. He does a lot of portraits, and particularly has a passion for pictures of babies and their mothers.

One eye-catching picture was of a large nude African American man with his baby sitting down on his back.

While he was in Florida he made a living taking pictures of families on the beach but said he had to give that up because his four children were growing up on him too fast.

So he decided he would move the family to the Smoky Mountains region. Gatlinburg was the first idea, but he couldn’t find the land he needed to open his studio.

On the way back home to Florida he picked up a real estate magazine and saw that the school and five acres were for sale for $500,000.

His wife didn’t think it was such a good idea after seeing the condition of the school, but vanLienden convinced her that it could be fixed up.

Now that the school has been rehabbed, the next step is to expand the photography school. Plans are in the works to bring 25 to 50 cabins to the property that workshop attendees can stay in them.

He also plans to open a daycare in a section of the school. And in the future there may be workshops for subjects other than photography including cooking, woodworking and arts, he said.

A collaborative effort between public and private entities was responsible for repair work on a section of the Appalachian Trail that was damaged by a landslide in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The landslide was 10 miles from the nearest road near Pecks Corner in the GSMNP that fell more than 200 feet down the slope. The repair took six days in October to complete and illustrated the strength of the A.T.’s Cooperative Management System.

The groups involved in the repair included the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club, and the National Park Service’s Appalachian Trail Park Office (ATPO).

“The Appalachian Trail Conservancy and A.T. are extremely fortunate to have partners such as the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club and the National Park Service,” said Morgan Sommerville, regional director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The landslide that damaged the A.T. was identified by the SMHC’s ridge runner, the project was coordinated by the ATC, the construction was completed by the professional trail staff of the National Park Service, and the project was paid for by the ATPO.  

The repair involved drilling directly into the rock face and cutting out a new “bench” for the A.T.’s treadway.

Fire managers at Great Smoky Mountains National Park plan to conduct a series of prescribed burns of fields in Cades Cove on Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 9-12, if weather conditions permit.  Park managers plan to burn several tracts totaling about 700 acres.

The selected fields are being burned as part of a cost-effective strategy to prevent the open fields from being reclaimed by forest. The Park contracts to mow about 950 acres of fields that are clearly visible from the Cades Cove Loop Road twice a year. Other fields that are less visible from the Loop Road, totaling around 1,500 acres, are kept open by burning or mowing on a three year rotation.

Park firefighters and a Park engine will be assigned each day to ignite the grass lands and to make sure the fire stays within its prescribed boundaries. Strips of grass surrounding each field slated for burning have been mowed short to provide containment lines.  

“At this point we do not expect to have to close the Cades Cove Loop Road, but will monitor the situation for smoke or other safety hazards,” said Park Fire Management Officer Mark Taylor. “The public, of course, will notice smoke in the valley but it will dissipate quickly and not unduly impact their visit.”

Haywood County landowners can apply for cost-share grants to install practices that improve water quality on agricultural operations.  

Practices eligible for funding include watering tanks, fencing, streambank stabilization, pastureland improvement, sediment control on agriculture lands, agri-chemical buildings, forest stand improvement and many more. Cost share assistance for contracts will pay a percentage for actual costs of installation of projects.  

This program is offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Bill programs. Interested farmers should stop by the USDA office located at 589 Racoon Road, Suite 203, Waynesville, NC, 28786 by Dec. 17.

Another incentive program called Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is for operations that provide good management, show little erosion and demonstrate positive land stewardship. This program has not been offered in the past but has the potential to provide qualified landowners annual incentive payments for up to five years. This includes trout hatcheries, nursery operations, cropland, pastureland, wildlife and forestry.

For more information, contact Kara M. Cassels, District Conservationist, at 828.452,2741, ext. 3, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Cataloochee Ski Area opened for the season on Saturday, Nov. 6, making it one of the first resorts in the east to start skiing for the fifth year in a row.

The resort will open on Saturday and Sundays only for now, with skiing from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (check the resort’s website at www.cataloochee.com for the most up-to-date information on hours and conditions)

Cataloochee — North Carolina’s first ski area which is now in its 49th season — spent more than $1.2 million in capital improvements this summer, including the purchase of two new Pisten Bully snow groomers and the installation of 13,000 feet of snowmaking pipeline.  The area has also replaced 24 snowmaking guns with new, more efficient, automatic fanguns and installed a new efficient six-stick automatic snowgun system on the Alley Cat Racing Trail.  

Additional improvements have been made to the area’s rental fleet with the replacement of all adult boots and 700 adult skis in their main rental shop. Cataloochee has also added a second terrain park on the mountain with four new snow guns.  

“We continue to expand our snowmaking system which allows us to utilize these early colder temperatures and allow us to open as early as we can,” said Chris Bates, Cataloochee’s vice president and general manager. “We remain committed to our customers in providing the most skiing and riding time we can each season and will continue to make snow and open early each year.”

The Environmental Educators of North Carolina are pleased to announce that Blair Ogburn, senior naturalist and education coordinator at the Balsam Mountain Trust at Balsam Preserve in Jackson County, is the winner of the 2010 Outstanding Newcomer Award from The Environmental Educators of North Carolina.

Ogburn serves on the EENC Board as the education chair and is being recognized for creating new outreach and education displays for EENC.

Each year EENC publically recognizes environmental educators, EENC members, organizations, and partners for their valuable contributions to environmental literacy, the field of environmental education, the EENC organization, and environmental well being of North Carolina.

Ogburn has been an active member of the organization and plans regional gatherings, which bring educators in WNC together for professional enrichment.

The Balsam Trust operates independently of Balsam Mountain Preserve — where it is located — and has continued its programming while the real estate development has changed ownership and experienced other problems. To contact the Balsam Mountain Trust executive director Michael Skinner call 828.631.1062 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..