Haywood County’s Bobby Suttles won his first election for the sheriff’s seat he has held since 2008, beating Republican challenger Bill Wilke by only 7 percent.

Suttles won 20 of the 29 precincts, with Wilke taking most of the county’s southern districts.

Both contenders brought a plethora of law enforcement experience to the race – Wilke touting his 14-year career and current position as night sergeant with the Asheville Police Department and Suttles’ resume listing 35 years of representing the law, including 15 with the sheriff’s department.

After the mid-term resignation of former sheriff Tom Alexander in 2008, Suttles was tapped by the Democratic Party to move into the sheriff’s role from the chief deputy position, which he’d held since 2003.

He ran on a platform of “continued progress,” promising technology upgrades and increased drug enforcement and selling his ability to effectively maintain the department’s budget.

Wilke, an Army reservist who just completed a tour in Iraq, also pledged his support for drug enforcement and better technology, and also vowed to take a $10,000 per-year personal pay cut. He also advocated for better reporting and accountability within the department.

Haywood County Sheriff

Bobby Suttles (D)    10,612

William (Bill) Wilke (R)    9,332

Democrats claimed victory in all three open commissioner seats in Haywood County, with incumbents Kirk Kirkpatrick and Bill Upton keeping their spots on the board.

Newcomer Michael Sorrells took the chair left vacant by Skeeter Curtis, who did not seek re-election.

Current board chairman Kirkpatrick took eight districts, including all of Waynesville, Lake Junaluska and Clyde South. He has sat on the commission since 2002 and held the chair since 2008. A lawyer by trade, Kirkpatrick ran on a platform of experience, especially with budget management.

Upton won the privilege of a second term on the board, winning only four precincts but just over 17 percent of the vote. He claimed Clyde North and three Beaverdam districts, placing third behind Kirkpatrick and Sorrells. Now retired, he has spent much of his career in the public service, including a stint as principal of Pisgah High School and long-time superintendent with the Haywood County school system. Unsurprisingly, Upton lists education as his top priority, closely followed by keeping the county’s extremely low tax rate as low as possible.

Sorrells claimed 10 precincts, mostly in the northern and western districts, and took a little over 18 percent of all votes. Although new to the county commission, Sorrells is no stranger to the political process. He has spent the last six years on the Haywood County School Board and campaigned on promises of fiscal responsibility and maintaining low taxes. He is a native of Haywood County and runs a family business, Sorrells Merchandise Company, with his wife.

Republican Denny King pulled up just short of grasping a commission seat, and although he bested Upton in precincts won – seven to Upton’s four – he pulled in only 16 percent of the popular vote.

The three winners will now join fellow Democrat Mark Swanger and lone Republican Kevin Ensley, who both won fights for their positions in 2008.

While the chair currently belongs to Kirkpatrick and Upton serves as vice chairman, they are not guaranteed to keep those titles on the new board. Members will vote for the chairmanship when they take office in December.

Haywood County Commissioners

Michael T. Sorrells (D)    10,127

J.W. Kirk Kirkpatrick III (D)    10,022

Bill Upton (D)    9,652

Denny King (R)    8,927

David Bradley (R)    8,703

Tom Freeman (R)    7,919

Despite an overwhelming Republican landslide in the 2010 congressional election, Rep. Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) beat back challenger Jeff Miller of Hendersonville in the 11th District to win this third term in Congress.

Shuler, however, who had much more money than his opponent throughout the campaign, will go back to Washington as a member of the minority party. CNN was reporting at 11 p.m. Nov. 2 that Republicans took control of the House on Election Day by winning as many as 50 of the seats up for grabs.

The Shuler-Miller race, however, was not even that close. Shuler won by a 54 to 46 percent margin.

“I’m not too surprised about the Shuler/Miller race,” said Western Carolina University political science professor Chris Cooper. “He was ahead in every poll I saw. He had the former president stumping for him. He is a conservative Democrat in a district dominated by conservative Democrats. Add to that he had excellent name recognition and has all the benefits of incumbency, and even in a Republican year, he was unlikely to lose.”

Shuler is a Bryson City native and former University of Tennessee and NFL quarterback who unseated the powerful Charles Taylor in the 2006 election. In Washington he has aligned himself with Blue Dog coalition, a caucus of moderate-to-conservative House Democrats.

Shuler’s opponent was Jeff Miller, a small businessman who started the Honor Air movement which flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorial to that war. He earned a lot of respect during the campaign for staying focused on delivering his message rather than attacking Shuler.

One new face — Republican Ron Haven — will be on the Macon County Board of Commissioners if unofficial voting results from Tuesday night hold.

Incumbent Bob Simpson, a Democrat, lost his seat as 53 percent of Macon County voters — an impressive number for a midterm election — turned out to vote. This right-leaning county did re-elect Democrat Ronnie Beale, the commission board’s current chairman.

Haven and Beale represent the top two vote-getters in District 2, the Franklin area.

Voters also returned Republican incumbent commissioner Brian McClellan of Highlands to the board to represent District 1. McClellan regained his seat by besting Democrat Daniel Allen “Ricky” Bryson, a former commissioner.

Haven, a business owner, has called for a county department-by-department budget analysis to find areas to cut waste. He campaigned vigorously against steep-slope controls, flatly stating at a recent candidates’ forum that he wanted the county’s planning board to even stop study on the issue.

Macon County is the site of the September 2004 Peeks Creek landslide. This was a natural, not manmade, disaster that claimed five lives, and has since shaped the nature of debate here about what should be done about development on mountainsides.

Beale, who defended the work being done by the planning board, campaigned on a record of school-building projects and the work done to set the table for future economic development.

McClellan also has emphasized job creation, and supports offering incentives to companies willing to settle in Macon County.

Macon County Board of Commissioners (District 2, vote for 2)

Ron Haven (R)    5,719

Ronnie Beale (D)    5,539

Charlie Leatherman (R)    5,362

Bob Simpson (D)    4,259

Vic Drummond (U)    2,316

Macon County Board of Commissioners (District 1)

Macon County Sheriff Robert “Robby” Holland, a Republican, has won another term in office — his third — by beating back challenger George Lynch, a Democrat.

Holland and Lynch ran relatively mud-free campaigns that focused on their respective strengths as veteran law enforcement officers. Holland, 43, worked his way up the ladder at the sheriff’s department. He started in 1991 as a part-time detention officer, serving under another popular, seemingly unbeatable Republican sheriff, Homer Holbrooks.

Holland won Macon County with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Lynch, 62, is no stranger to Macon County voters, and represented a serious, if unsuccessful, challenger for Holland. Lynch had 14 years of experience as a law enforcement officer for the U.S. Forest Service.

Holland, during his campaign, emphasized the multiple programs he’s instituted to combat the use of illegal drugs, and the crimes associated with their use. Holland also has placed a strong emphasis on involving the community in law enforcement efforts.

Macon County Sheriff

Robert (Robby) Holland (R)    7,802

George Lynch (D)    5,162

A monumental judge’s election to fill three 30th District Court seats in Western North Carolina has ended after a clean, tightly-contested election.

When the dust settled three new judges were seated — Donna Forga, Kristina Earwood and Roy Wijewickrama.

Forga’s win could have been the most suprising as she unseated Judge Danya Ledford Vanhook, who was appointed a little more than a year ago to replace the retiring Marlene Hyatt. At forums during the campaign Forga spoke of the lessons learned as a single mom working her way through college and law school and the influence of the judge’s she has worked with.

“I’m so looking forward to serving the people of this district,” Forga said after her win. “And I also want to say how impressed I was with the quality of the judicial candidates. It makes me proud to be one of them.”

“Honestly, this is my dream, what I’ve been working for. Just incredible,” said Forga.

With voter turnout very high, the closest race of the three was between David Sutton and Kristina Earwood. Earwood, a Sylva attorney, managed to narrowly beat out Sutton by less than 2,000 votes.

At a forum in October, Earwood talked about how important it was to treat everyone equally in the courtroom.

“It’s very important to treat those people with respect. It’s really important that when someone steps through the door of a courtroom, there is no color, there’s no race, there’s no economic line — justice is blind. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings. I do think it’s very important because of the impact we have on people’s lives,” Earwood said.

In the third race, Waynesville attorney Roy Wijewickrama bested fellow Waynesville attorney Steve Ellis.

In forums throughout the judge’s race, all the candidates spoke of how difficult it would be to replace the demeanor and courtroom presence of Hyatt and retiring judges Danny Davis and Steve Bryant. Davis and Bryant had a combined 50 years experience on the bench.

District Court judge races are non-partisan, which means the candidates are not affiliated with any political party.

District Court Judge (Vanhook seat)

Donna Forga    30,282

Danya Ledford Wanhook    22,364

District Court Judge (Bryant seat)

Kristina Earwood    27,032

David Sutton    25,159

District Court Judge (Davis seat)

Roy Wijewickrama    27,904

Stephen G. Ellis    23,864

Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe won his third term in office Tuesday, easily beating back a challenge from political newcomer Mary Rock.

Ashe, 51, a Democrat, has been in law enforcement for 29 years. He started in 1981 as a dispatcher and jailer for the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, working his way up to the top post. Ashe made stops along the way as a detective and as chief deputy.

Ashe has initiated a slew of anti-illegal drug programs in Jackson County, an inmate-work program and more, which — in addition to his years of experience — he emphasized strongly and repeatedly during his campaign.

Earlier headline-generating news that Ashe used state and federal money from narcotics seizures to operate an informal fund for youth sports apparently didn’t deter voters.

Rock, a registered Democrat, ran as an unaffiliated candidate. She hoped by doing so — by avoiding being beaten by Ashe in the May primaries — she’d give voters more time to get to know her before the midterm election and increase her odds of winning.

Rock, a professional bail bondswoman, is a U.S. Army veteran who served in the military police for two years, and spent an additional five years in the reserve.

Jackson County Sheriff

State Rep. Phil Haire (D-Jackson) fought off a surprisingly strong challenge from fellow Jackson County resident Dodie Allen to retain his hold on the 119th State House District.

Rep. Haire, 74, is a Sylva attorney who has served in the House of Representatives for six terms. He is a chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and campaigned on his record of support for education and small business.

Allen, a Sylva auctioneer, ran a grassroots campaign that did surprising well. She beat Haire in Haywood County — 2,057 to 1,957 — and ended up garnering 44 percent of the vote district-wide. The final tally was 12,565 votes for Haire and 9,902 for Allen in the district that includes Jackson and Swain counties with parts of Macon and Haywood.

119th House District

Phil Haire (D)    12,565

Dodie Allen (R)    9,902

Jackson County voters upended the board of commissioners Tuesday, calling an abrupt end to progressive land-development regulations that had set this county apart from all others in far Western North Carolina.

The dismantling of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners is likely to resonate with other commissioners in WNC. Voters here clearly sent an unmistakable message not to move too far, too fast, when it comes to standing in the way of the region’s development juggernaut.

One of the three Democrat incumbents who lost was Chairman Brian McMahan, who actually cast the sole ‘no’ vote among commissioners against the current development regulations. He also opposed a subsequent moratorium on subdivisions, which some blamed for compounding an economic slowdown in the county.

McMahan, however, was consistent in supporting most of the regulations that were put in place: he just didn’t support all of them. His moderate position, however, didn’t prevent him from being ousted from the chairman’s post by challenger and political newcomer Jack Debnam, who ran unaffiliated with any political party.

Just 92 votes separated the two men in the unofficial tally Tuesday night.

Incumbents William Shelton and Tom Massie joined McMahan in the defeat.

“We’re historical,” said Shelton late Tuesday night, after learning he’d lost to Republican challenger Charles Elder, a former commissioner who represents a more traditional way of doing things. It is a way that Jackson County voters clearly found suited them far better than what had been taking place.

Massie, like Shelton a progressive Democrat when it came to regulating development, was defeated by Republican Doug Cody, a newcomer to Jackson County politics.

“I think it was just the perfect storm,” Shelton said, pointing to a national mood of ousting incumbents, Democrat Party apathy, right-leaning Tea-party influences and local voters upset about the stringent development regulations adopted in Jackson County.

Three years ago, Jackson County commissioners — including Shelton and Massie — enacted sweeping steep-slope and subdivision ordinances. Many in the development and real estate industry were angered by the regulations, which were crafted during a five-month moratorium on new subdivisions.

Another piece of commissioner legislation that likely stuck in voters’ craws was an attempt to wrest the dam in Dillsboro away from Duke Energy to make it the focal point of a new riverfront park along the Tuckasegee. The county lost the battle in court, and was forced to cough up a half-million dollars in legal fees. Per Duke’s wishes, the dam has been torn down.

A poll of Jackson County residents this summer was a harbinger of sorts: the poll showed only 33 percent of participants had a favorable opinion of their local government, and 46 percent were unfavorable.

The poll, conducted by the WCU Public Policy Institute in partnership with The Smoky Mountain News, questioned nearly 600 voters and had an error margin of plus or minus 4 percent.

Jackson County Board of Commissioners (Chairman)

Jack Debnam (R)    5,055

Brian McMahan (D)    4,963

Jackson County Board of Commissioners (District 1)

Charles Elders (R)    6,022

William Shelton (D)    4,916

Jackson County Board of Commissioners (District 2)

Doug Cody (R)    6,075

Tom Massie (D)    4,824

Charles White, formerly of Cullowhee, will be at City Lights at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5, to read from his new novel, Lambs of Men.

The book is set in Western North Carolina during World War I. Marine Sergeant Hiram Tobit returns from the battlefield to recruit more men from his home county. He finds that, in his absence, everything has changed.

White will ready from the new book and take questions from the audience. A signing will follow his remarks. For information contact City Lights at 828.586.9499.

Award-winning photographer and writer Rob Amberg’s multimedia presentation “The New Road and Today’s Mountaineers” — set for 7 p.m. on Nov. 4 in the Waynesville branch — is the first installment of the Haywood County Library’s Roads Across America series.

Using photography and oral histories, Amberg has been documenting change in rural Madison County along the I-26 corridor since the early 1970s. His most recent book, The New Road: I-26 and the Footprints of Progress, incorporates Amberg’s research into a tome “of great imagination, detail, and insight,” claims Tom Rankin, director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

Author Jane SpottedBird will discuss her new book, Still Here: Dancing to the Beat of My Own Drum on Saturday, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Marianna  Black Library in Bryson City.

In May 2008, SpottedBird was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Her doctor gave her 6-12 months to live with no hope of survival. In October 2009, her doctor said, “She’s a miracle.”

SpottedBird will talk about her incredible journey and about all the things she learned along the way, which inspired her to write this book. For more information call the library at 828.488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity on the world wide web.

In the three years since the Haywood County commissioners authorized a new “enhanced voluntary agricultural district” ordinance, 15 Bethel-area landowners have now placed more than 1,000 acres into the program.  

“This total represents real progress in our efforts to protect Bethel’s rural heritage,” said Bill Holbrook, chairman of the Bethel Rural Community Organization’s Rural Preservation Committee. “We have this great new tool for land conservation, and landowners are putting it to good use.”

Through the ordinance, often referred to by its initials as “EVAD,” landowners volunteer to keep their land in agricultural, forestry or horticultural use for at least ten years in return for certain benefits, such as a higher percentage of cost-share funds for conservation projects. A more basic agricultural district option is also available, with a more flexible timeframe, but fewer benefits. The Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District manages both programs, with Haywood County’s Agricultural Advisory Board responsible for review and approval of applications to the programs.

“We’ve also been active in promoting permanent conservation easements to keep Bethel rural for the long term,” added Holbrook, “but the EVAD program provides a valuable intermediate option while landowners consider more permanent conservation easements and while we work to secure grant funds to help pay for those easements.”

Landowners outside the Bethel Community have also embraced the EVAD option, with 14 landowners elsewhere in Haywood County enrolling another 1,500 acres into the program.

Funding to help promote the EVAD program in Haywood County comes from the Pigeon River Fund, which has embraced the idea of protecting rural lands in order to protect the region’s high water quality from the impacts often associated with more intensive land development.

To learn more about EVAD, contact Leslie Smathers with the Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District at 828.452.2741, extension 3. To learn more about rural conservation efforts in the Bethel Community, contact George Ivey, coordinator, Bethel Rural Preservation Project, at 828.648.2710.  All inquiries are handled confidentially and place the landowner under no obligation.

William and Sabrina Shelton of Shelton Family Farms and Ron and Cathy Arps of Vegenui Garden are sponsoring an end-of-the-season celebration for the members of their CSAs and the vendors at the Jackson County Farmers Market beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 in conjunction with the November Second Sunday Contra Dance at the former Golden Age Club (GAC).

The plan is for members of the dance community and food community to join together for a fun-raising, which will include music and dancing (contra, kids and more) and potluck dinner to follow at 5:30 p.m.

The event will also be a fundraiser for the Community Table to provide funds to renovate the kitchen facilities and to make the whole building more energy efficient.

The former Golden Age Club (GAC) is next to the Sylva Swimming Pool on Municipal Drive. Turn off Grindstaff Cove Road between the Presbyterian Church and BB&T and then take the next right into the Poteet Park parking lot. (From the Bridge Park Pavilion, it is across the bridge and just beyond Poteet Park.)

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park began operating on its winter schedule Nov. 1, which includes the closing of seven of 10 campgrounds.

Through the month of November, the Sugarlands Visitor Center, two miles south of Gatlinburg, will open daily from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.  The Oconaluftee Visitor Center, two miles north of Cherokee, will serve visitors from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.  The Cades Cove Visitor Center, located halfway around the Cades Cove Loop Road, will be opened daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

The visitor center hours for the remaining winter months are posted on the park’s website, www.nps.gov/grsm.

Roads

Several of the secondary roads are scheduled to close as indicated: Balsam Mountain/Heintooga Roads on Nov. 1, Roundbottom/Straight Fork on Nov. 16, Parson Branch and Rich Mountain Roads on Nov. 22, and Clingmans Dome and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail on Dec. 1.    

During the winter months, the park’s two main roads, Newfound Gap (U.S. 441) and Little River, will remain open except for temporary closures for extreme winter weather conditions.

The Gatlinburg Bypass, Cades Cove Loop Road, Cosby Road, Greenbrier Road, Upper Tremont, Forge Creek, Lakeview Drive and Foothills Parkway (East and West) will open and close as road and weather conditions mandate.  

For more information on winter weather road conditions, contact the park at  865.436.1200 (Then select option “2” and select “2” again to access road info).

Camping

Two of the three major campgrounds will remain open all year. These year-round campgrounds are Cades Cove in Tennessee and Smokemont in North Carolina. Starting Nov. 1, they will be on a self-registration basis with a reduced number of available sites. Elkmont Campground in Tennessee will remain open through the Thanksgiving weekend and will close on Dec. 1.  

Balsam Mountain campground is already closed for the season. The six remaining self-registration campgrounds at Cosby, Cataloochee, Deep Creek, Big Creek, Look Rock and Abrams Creek, closed on Nov. 1.

Horseback Stables

Smokemont Riding Stable closed on Nov. 2. Sugarlands Riding Stable and Smoky Mountain Riding Stable will close on Nov. 29.  Cades Cove Riding Stable will close on Dec. 22, but will reopen Dec. 26-Jan. 2. The Cades Cove Stable will also be closed on Thanksgiving Day. The closing dates are dependent on weather conditions.

Horse Camps

All five horse camps — Round Bottom, Tow String, Cataloochee, Big Creek, and Anthony Creek — will close Nov. 15.

Gardeners, foresters, landowners and others concerned about nonnative invasive plants in the South can now get free copies of A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests by U.S. Forest Service Research Ecologist Jim Miller.

The long-awaited book is an update of the very popular Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests: A Field Guide for Identification and Control, published in 2003.

“Jim Miller is one of the foremost authorities on invasive plants in the South, so we’re delighted to offer this enhanced field guide at no cost to anyone interested in learning about and identifying invasive plants in the region,” said Forest Service Souther Research Station Director Jim Reaves. “The Forest Service has distributed nearly 160,000 copies of Jim’s first book on invasive plants, and with the spread of exotic species across region, we expect there will be even more demand for this expanded version.”

The book’s appendix contains the most complete list of nonnative invasive plants in the 13 Southern states, providing common and scientific names for 310 other invading species including, for the first time, aquatic plant invaders. Also, the authors updated the “Sources of Identification Information” section to include the latest books, manuals and articles on invasive plants. The ever-expanding website section lists Internet resources that provide useful information on identification and efficient management.

To request a copy, send name and complete mailing address, along with book title, author, and publication number (GTR-SRS-119) to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking public comment on a coordinated national management plan to address white-nose syndrome, which is decimating bat species across the United States.

White-nose syndrome has killed more than a million bats in the Northeast and has spread to 11 or more states in less than four years since its discovery near Albany, N.Y. it has not been detected in North Carolina, but affected bats have been found in Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

The proposed plan, a joint federal-state effort, provides a framework for WNS investigation and response. A subsequent implementation plan will identify specific actions, the entities responsible for implementation of each action, and estimated costs.

“More than 50 agencies, organizations and individuals are working in concert on the white-nose syndrome response,” said WNS National Coordinator Jeremy Coleman, Ph.D., of the Service. “The national management plan will help guide our use of limited resources wisely and efficiently in addressing this urgent threat to bats and to our environment.”

The service will accept public comments on the proposed plan through Dec. 26. The document and additional information about WNS are available online at http://www.fws.gov/WhiteNoseSyndrome/. Comments may be submitted by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by mail to WNS National Coordinator, New York Field Office, 3817 Luker Road, Cortland, N.Y., 13045-9348, or by fax to 607.753.9699.

Traveling from Haywood or Jackson counties to Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway won’t be possible until spring as a portion of the scenic road has been closed for repair.

The Parkway will be closed between Milepost 405 at N.C. 151 (just north of the Mt. Pisgah area) and Milepost 399 at Pine Mountain Tunnel until spring 2011. All traffic — foot, bicycle and motor vehicle — will be prohibited because of potential danger in the work area.

For southbound traffic, take U.S. 19 to N.C. 215 in Canton and then to U.S. 276 (or remain on N.C. 215) to get back to the parkway. Or, follow N.C. 191 to N.C. 280, connecting to U.S. 276 in Brevard and back to the parkway south of Pisgah Inn. The detours can be taken in the opposite direction for northbound traffic.

Kieran Roe, executive director of Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, said that if the North Carolina Wildlife Commission does not commit to managing the East Fork Headwaters tract that the deal could fall through.

“There’s a lot riding on what Wildlife Resources decides,” she told The Smoky Mountain News in an interview this week.

Roe is guardedly optimistic that CMLC and its partner The Conservation Fund will be able to close on the property before the end of the year.

On CMLC’s website it states: “Funding for this project is not the chief issue. Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and our partner, The Conservation Fund, have identified funding sources. While not guaranteed, the funders are unlikely to invest in East Fork Headwaters unless it enters the public domain. Given the high quality hunting and fishing on the tract, WRC is the most likely candidate for managing the tract. Note that WRC is not expected to take title to East Fork Headwaters immediately. The Conservation Fund will continue to own East Fork Headwaters for the time being until the total purchase price has been paid to the landowner. However, The Conservation Fund cannot make the initial $3 million down payment without the commitment of WRC to establish a game land and eventually take title to East Fork Headwaters. The Conservation Fund is not set up to own land indefinitely.”

The state Wildlife Resources Commission is playing it close to the vest. Chris McGrath, faunal diversity coordinator for the agency, said that Wildlife Commission biologists have been to the property, have consulted with the owners and potential buyers, and have assisted in assessing the merits of the property. He said the biologists have written reports detailing their findings for the director’s office, but that any management decisions would have to come from that office.

Geoff Cantrell, Wildlife Commission public information officer, would only say that the Headwaters tract was on the Land Use and Access Committee’s agenda for discussion on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and that the committee report would be on Thursday’s agenda.

Roe noted that Wildlife Commission was, “… not being asked, at this point, for any funding. We’re just asking them to work with us on managing the property.”

(Check online at www.smokymountainnews.com after Thursday’s Wildlife Resources Commission meeting for an update.)

Annie Burrell of Franklin will display her pottery skills at the 18th annual Mountain Shapes and Colors Art and Craft Fair from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Southwestern Community College Swain Center.

After working various jobs and having various hobbies over the years, Burrell took a pottery class four years ago with the Southwestern Community College Heritage Arts Institute. She came to love making pottery and now her hobby is her living.  

After taking several classes, Burrell developed her own style; she now has a line of functional pottery wares centered on the bee theme. The bee motif came from the first letter of her last name and her husband Tim’s enthusiasm for raising bees. One of her wares is a pottery honey pot packaged together with a jar of honey from Tim’s bees.

The Mountain Shapes and Colors Fair features a variety of arts and crafts, all made by local craftsmen and women. Among others, this year’s line-up includes pottery, soap, decorated gourds, folk art, jewelry, woodwork, salves, baskets and braided rugs.

Four workshops are offered this year and each cost $5.

• 10 a.m. – Local artist Pam Deas will teach a mini sketching class at 10 a.m.

• 11 a.m. – Claire Suminski will hold a workshop on building a birdhouse out of a gourd.

• 1 p.m. – Doug Hubbs will teach a candle making workshop.

• 2 p.m. – Hank Shuler and Shirley Vennstra will teach a pottery workshop. Participants will build a pencil holder that will be available for pick up in a few weeks.

Jekyll and Hyde, the musical thriller, will be shown at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, 12, 13 and at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 14. 

Jekyll and Hyde is the musical telling of the classic short story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lewis Stevenson.  Adapted for the stage by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse, Jekyll and Hyde explores the journey of Dr. Henry Jekyll’s attempt at trying to rescue his father from mental illness. By performing a series of experiments upon himself, Dr. Jekyll ultimately releases an alter ego named Mr. Hyde whose existence thrives on anger and revenge.

This show may not be appropriate for children under 10 years of age. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students/children. Visit GreatMountainMusic.com or call 866.273.4615. Tickets are also available at the box office or at Dalton’s Christian Bookstore in Franklin and Waynesville.

Highlands Culinary Weekend returns for the fourth season Nov. 11-14, showcasing Highlands’ award winning restaurants, innovative chefs and a huge selection of wine varietals against the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The Opening Night Celebration kicks off the weekend festivities at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at The Bascom center for the visual arts.

For information or sponsorship opportunities, call 866.526.5841, 828.526.5841 or visit www.highlandsculinaryweekend.com.

Catch the Spirit of Appalachia will hold a 2-hour holiday celebration of its writing program starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 in the Jackson County Public Library.

The program will open with stories, poetry and song in a fast-paced production, showcasing the creative talents of Rev. Jack Hinson, Waynesville; Rev. Victoria Casey McDonald, Sylva; Matthew Baker, Franklin; Rev. John Reed, Sylva; Betty Brown, Tuckasegee; Mary McGlauflin, Maggie Valley; Nancy M. Pafford, Cherokee; Edwina Crowe Jones, Cherokee/Lexington; Roger Chapman, Lincoln County; Linda Owen Vinson, Honea Path, S.C., and others. At 7:45 p.m. there will be the book signing and a reception with refreshments. This year Catch the Spirit of Appalachia has published a record 11 books. All of the showcased books will be available for purchase. For more information call 828.631.4587.

The continuing cultural education series, “Short and Sweet,” will present a cooking program at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Shook House Museum on Morgan Street in Clyde.

This introductory talk is meant to be the first in a two- or three-part cooking series, depending on audience interest. All attending will receive a delicious complimentary hors d’oeuvre from Chef Richard Swanson.  Coffee also will be available.

Chef at Mountain Mist, the inn in Waynesville owned by him for 10 years, Swanson had a great deal of experience preparing tasty and healthful gourmet meals for discriminating guests. He also taught a creative cooking class for two years at Haywood Community College, as well as a cooking series fundraiser for Haywood Animal Welfare Association (HAWA)

The cost for the first class is $20 and the class size is limited to 20 people. Reservations are necessary.

This second class will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20. Only 12 people can be accommodated. Swanson will provide all the food for the class; therefore, the second class costs $30.

For the first class only, please send a check to Richard C. Swanson at P.O. Box 155, Hazelwood, N.C. 28738. Be sure to include name and telephone number. If registering for both classes, send a check for $50. All reservations will be confirmed.

828.565.0039.

The Pavel Wlosok Trio will perform original music at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

The performance is part of WCU’s Catamount Concert Series. The jazz trio includes Pavel Wlosok on piano, Eliot Wadopian on bass and Byron Hedgepeth on drums.

Wadopian is a multiple Grammy Award winner and adjunct faculty member at WCU. Hedgepeth is an educator and Asheville Symphony Orchestra percussionist. Wlosok is an associate professor in the School of Music at Western Carolina and composed the music the trio will perform. He will play a 1970s Fender Rhodes electric piano.

Free. For information call 828.227.3261 or visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Rock Against Cancer” will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at The Gateway Club in Waynesville.

This event is a rock ‘n roll charity event organized by local musicians to support cancer research. Three local bands will perform: 32 Reasons, a punk band from Waynesville featuring teen-aged musicians.; Jets for June, a pop punk band from Canton; and Solito, a jazz punk band from Asheville.

Cost is $3 and all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

The Western Carolina University Percussion Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at WCU.

The group comprises 13 undergraduate percussion students and performs music exclusively composed or arranged for percussion instruments, including drums, xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, timpani and more.

The event is free and open to the public. For information call 828.227.3263 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Open Mic Nights” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month beginning Nov. 4 at Blue Ridge Books on Main Street in Waynesville.

The series is hosted by Chris Minick and sponsored by The Haywood County Arts Council and the Music and Poetry Lover’s Network.

The events are free and open to the public; attendees will have the opportunity to make donations with all proceeds going to benefit the Arts Council’s JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) program that offers old time mountain music lessons on guitar, fiddle, and banjo to students in fourth grade and up.

Participants may begin signing up at 6:45 p.m. at the bookstore. For information call 452.0593 or 456.6000.

The Haywood Community Chorus will hold its fall concert at 4 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

The 60-voice chorus has prepared the much-cclaimed “Messa di Gloria” by Giascomo Puccini. Featured Soloists are Herbert Kraus, tenor, and Ed Davis, baritone.

Randall Thompson’s “Testament of Freedom” will also be performed.

The choral director is J. William Stephenson, with Kathryn Stephenson as accompanist.  

The Haywood Community Chorus was founded in 1997 to help preserve an appreciation for the great liturgical music of the past and present. The Haywood Community Chorus is sponsored in part by the Junaluskans and also the Haywood County Arts Council through a Grassroots Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. Admission is free.

The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival expects record attendance this fall as the juried festival continues to attract master potters from across the U.S.

This year’s event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, on the streets of downtown Dillsboro.

The festival features 42 clay artists, each demonstrating their craft throughout the day; roughly half of the potters hail from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, while the other half are from as away as: Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio.

“The festival has taken off higher than we ever imagined,” said organizer Joe Frank McKee of Dillsboro’s Tree House Pottery. “Attendance increases each year and the potters who apply get better and better. What started as a local pottery festival has blossomed into more of a regional and national pottery festival.”

Admission is $3 and includes a ticket for a day-long raffle. Children under 12 are admitted free.

828.631.5100, or www.wncpotteryfestival.com. For lodging information call the Jackson County Visitors Center at 800.962.1911.

Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community, was awarded the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award and the Presidents Award at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Society of Historians at Mooresville on Oct. 23.  

The Peace History Award is given to encourage the writing of histories of North Carolina counties, institutions or individuals. The Presidents Award was presented at 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.  

Society President Elizabeth Sherrill described the Haywood County history as “the most interesting, well-researched history …  I loved all the visuals in every aspect of the work. It is for this reason that I chose Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community, by Curtis W. Wood, as my choice to receive the 2010 Presidents Award.”  The 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 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 at Western Carolina University, was the book’s editor. An advisory committed chaired by Bruce A. Briggs oversaw the project. The committee included Bette Hannah Sprecher, Joan Routh, Kenneth F. Wilson, and Robert Busko.  

Six writers researched and wrote the 15 chapters of the work and helped select the hundreds of photographs included with the text. The 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 available at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.  

The three-year project also included a comprehensive collection of photos and documents that were digitally scanned by the Haywood County Library, and are housed there as a permanent collection. The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University created a permanent exhibit entitled “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.

The Downtown Sylva Association’s 3rd annual Chilly Fest is from noon until 5 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Bridge Park and Poteet Park in historic downtown Sylva. There will be live music from Ian Moore’s Mountain Music Miscellany and The Vinyl Brothers Big Band, children’s activities and crafters during the event. Ian Moore will emcee the event and start the festivities with his Mountain Music Miscellany, raucous, rollicking old-time music with breakdowns, blues and ballads. The Vinyl Brothers Big Band are next up on the stage with a throwback to the Soul and Horn Rock bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s. An 11-piece ensemble, made up of friends with a common love of the soulful music of their youth, the band brings new energy to that heavy vibe you enjoyed as a kid.

During the festival, raffle tickets can be purchased for a chance to win prizes: an acoustic guitar from Guitar Stop, a portrait sitting from Teri Clark photography, a half day wade for one angler from Hooker’s Fly Shop, and more.

There will be an after party from 5 to 11 p.m. at Sapphire Mountain Brewing featuring beer from Heinzelmannchen Brewery, live music and food and drink specials. Chilly Fest crafters are invited to move their booths to The Village at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company during the after party.

For more information visit www.downtownsylva.org, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the Downtown Sylva Association office at 828.586.1577.

Bryson City Bellydance and Movement will host a Harvest Hafla (celebration of dance) from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Swain County Senior Center at 125 Brendle St.

The event is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served and there will be an arts and crafts bazaar along with family friendly dance performances by Bryson City Bellydance and other regional dance troupes.

Bryson City Bellydance and Movement is a new, nonprofit organization whose mission is to share the ancient art of bellydance with the Bryson City community through education, instruction and performance and to use this empowering dance form to create a sense of self and community for the women of Bryson City. 828.736.6118 for more information.

Benjamin Elliott will teach a glassblowing workshop for beginners from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5 at Jackson County’s Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.

Elliott has worked with glass as a medium for 11 years. In 2009 he obtained a master’s degree in glass from Kent State in Ohio before returning to the area to open his own studio in the Burnsville.

Students will learn the basic skills necessary to begin to sculpt and blow objects using hot glass. Techniques will be taught in gathering, centering, marvering and blocking. This course is designed for students with little, or no, prior experience. Class size is kept small so there is plenty of instructor and bench time for each person.

Participants should dress in clothing made of natural fibers and wear close-toed shoes and long pants. Bring a bag lunch to eat during the brief lunch break each day.

Space is limited. Pre-registration required.

Cost $295 for two-day class, due at registration

For more information or to register 828.631.0271.

The Haywood County Arts Council will install the first Quilt Block on the Haywood County Quilt Trail at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Historic Shelton House in Waynesville.

The Shelton House Quilt Block, designed by Chris Sylvester, is a 4-foot-by-4-foot wooden block painted with her design and will be installed on the lower front left portion of the house where it is visible from every direction on Pigeon Street/U.S. 276.

The design incorporates traditional star, arrows, and Milk Maide quilt patterns and is emblematic of historical associations with the Shelton family. The star motif symbolizes Stephen Jehu Shelton’s duties as high sheriff of Haywood County. Arrows represent second-generation Will Taylor Shelton’s years of service to the Indian community in New Mexico and in North Carolina. The Milk Maide pattern is symbolic of the dairy farm Will Shelton developed on the Shelton farm when he retired from the Indian Agency. 

The heritage-based project aims to help communities in tell their stories. The Haywood County Quilt Trails project also has blocks nearing completion for several sites in Clyde, including the Shook House, and the Town Hall in Maggie Valley.

Anyone who would like a quilt block installed on their building should call 828.452.0593 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The next Sylva After Dark will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday Nov. 5 in downtown Sylva. The evening features art, music, food, shopping and more.

Events include:

It’s by Nature (678 W. Main St.) — Scott Hotaling, “Light of the Wild” photographer and Sylva native, will be November’s feature artist. Hotaling’s landscape and nature photographs have been published in several magazines including Our State and N.C. Wildlife. His images have also taken numerous top awards throughout the state in recent years. The gallery will be hosting a wine and cheese reception for Scott during Sylva After Dark, from 6 to 9 p.m. 828.631.3020.

Heinzelmannchen Brewery (545 Mill St.) — From 5 to 8 p.m. the Heinzelmannchen Brewery will hold a food & beer pairing at the Brewery.

City Lights Book Store (3 Jackson St.) — Beginning at 7 p.m., Charles White, formerly of Cullowhee, will be at City Lights to read from his new historical novel, Lambs of Men.

Annie’s Naturally Bakery (506 W. Main St.) — Annie’s Bakery will continue to host their “Bread Pairing/Sampling” and will also be showcasing dinner rolls with herbed butters and cranberry sauce and samplings of hot apple cider. Dinner roll flavors include: whole wheat, sour dough, parmesean peppercorn, and dill onion.

Gallery One (604 W. Main St.) — Gallery 1 will host the opening of the Winter Members Show, which will run through December. 828.293.3407.

James Smythe Studio (563 W. Main St.) — From 6 to 8 p.m. James Smythe Studio will be open for viewing and possible purchases. The purchase prices are without a gallery commission, a 50 percent savings.

Papou’s Wine Shop and Bar — From 6 to 9 p.m. Papou’s will have a free wine tasting.

Waynesville’s next Art After Dark will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5.

Held the first Friday of each month, Art After Dark allows customers to visit working studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in Historic Frog Level. Festive flags identify participating galleries.

Frog Level, down the hill from Main Street, will display  metal sculptor Grace Cathey at Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden. Watch Cathey’s progress as she uses steel to sculpt life into a three-dimensional native bird, the Ruffed Grouse.

Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 will host the Second Annual Juried Exhibition of the Appalachian Pastel Society. The show features 48 pastel works from across the United States. Find out more about the show at www.haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.

Local artist Keri Kelley Hollifield, will be featured at Ridge Runner Naturals. The artist will be taking Christmas orders for unique designs. www.earthstarstudioart.com or call 828.456.3003.

Twigs and Leaves will feature a show of LIFESPAN artists. LIFESPAN transforms the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities by providing education, employment, and enrichment opportunities that promote inclusion, choice and family supports, and other best practices. www.twigsandleaves.com and on Facebook.

Event is free. For information visit www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com or call 828.452.9284.

In a short while our weather will be a tad chilly for frequent riding of motorcycles. Ah, a sad time indeed for those who love the brushing of wind against our face and the expression of freedom afforded to bikers everywhere.

My intermittent affection for two-wheeled motorized pleasure vehicles dates back to my early teenage years. There was a decades-long period where the affection waned to nil. Then about five years ago there was a feeling of covetousness as bikes and their helmeted pilots lured my eyesight. I wanted a motorcycle. I searched the classifieds … but I digress.

Feeling a need for transportation in my youth, I owned two Cushman Eagle motor scooters. One black, one red. Both marginally reliable. Chain driven with a two-speed transmission, the Cushman was not a model of design genius. It received its power from a massive eight horsepower, single piston engine that relied on a “kick” start.   

Its spring-supported seat was large enough to accommodate a modestly hefty behind. Once I was encouraged to put 98 octane Sonoco gas in it. While it was definitely “peppy,” someone told me to drain it before I burned up the engine!  

Today those same Cushmans, in excellent condition, can bring between $5,000 and $8,000. My black one cost $50 and the red one was purchased for $35.   The years: 1955 and 1956.

My scooters were replaced, thanks to a full-time, after-school job. The Cushman was replaced by a ’48 Chevy convertible! Wish I had that today.  

The Air Force sent me to Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines in 1963. It was the largest Air Force base in the world until the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon Island forced is closing in 1991. Being the largest base, having transportation was nice. Mine was a 1959 Italian-made Lambretta. Cost me $125.

It differed greatly from the Cushman. Although it still started by the “kick” (a lever, not a kick to the body), it had a windshield and gear changing was on the left handlebar. Pull the clutch lever and rotate the grip to the desired gear. Nice. Easy. The windshield was wonderful protection from the huge rice bugs that could give one a momentary concussion. However, during the torrential four-month rainy season the windshield did little.

It provided good transportation on the base for two years. Sold it for $125! But I really lost $7.50, which was the cost of an engine rebuild.

Then comes the decades-long absence of any two-wheel vehicle in my life. About five years ago, the riding bug hit me … ”gotta have a motorcycle.” The search began and ended quickly with the location and purchase of a 1985 Honda Shadow 500. It suited me just great.  And since then I have learned that bikes are to fit the rider, not the other way. More on that.

I listened to other bikers. “For the mountains you need at least a 750cc engine” was the most common comment. However, the little 500cc Honda did just fine. After a year the desire for a bigger bike hit and hit hard. So the Honda Shadow was sold and I bought a like new 2001 Honda American Classic Edition with what is noted as an 800cc engine (really 750cc from what I was told). It’s silver gray and light cream color generated lots of comments.

But after riding it for a few months and a couple of “lay downs” at very slow speed, I decided again to change. Single-handedly trying to hoist a several hundred pound bike from ground level to upright just isn’t an easy task for an aging 150-pound frame.

So another sale and another search. This time I thought I’d revert to my first experience in the 50s: a scooter. Touted as probably the most reliable and easy for self-maintenance, I found a Honda Helix.   Comfortable, capable of 65 mph with fantastic gas mileage. Mine averaged 65 mpg. During my period of ownership I changed the oil and plug three times with no problems. (I’m not a mechanic; however, I do own a few screwdrivers, pliers, etc.)

A couple of trips, one up to Hot Springs on I-40, were a tad nerve shattering. I was aware from years of driving that semis cause turbulent air in their aftermath. The turbulence made me feel like a Piper Cub airplane flying behind a Boeing 747. While I never lost control of the Helix, the whipping of the air resulted in a feeling of momentary lost control. Also, getting only 3,000 miles out of a $300 set of tires wasn’t expected. Scooter tires have to make so many more revolutions to get you anywhere.     

For those considering a Helix, I’d rate it high for comfort, reliability and mileage. However, there isn’t extra power when you need it. It climbed both sides of Cowee Mountain just fine.

Where am I now? Back to a 750cc bike. Red and cream 1995 Yamaha Virago. Like new too. Has a windshield and thankfully the mountains are absent of rice bugs. Its padded seat, comparable in size to the thin form rubber and vinyl seat on the Cushman, is sooo comfortable. It has power to spare. Unlike the Helix, though, the miles per gallon are about 60 percent less.

Now I have the urge, not for another bike, but for heading out on the main highway like William H. Macy in “Wild Hogs.”

Why? I found a bike that fits me!

(Dave Redman is a Sylva resident.)

The Macon County League of Women Voters will host a program on comprehensive immigration reform on Nov. 11 at the Tartan Hall in Franklin.

Victoria Lyall, of America Springs Eternal, a non-profit organization working to cultivate understanding between immigrants and native-born citizens, will address fair, practical solutions to immigration problems.

Lunch is available by reservation at noon, the program is at 12:15. No cost for the program, public invited and encouraged to attend. Call 828.371.0527 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for lunch reservations.

The town of Waynesville’s annual food drive, including a Nov. 5 curbside pick-up of food donated by residents, will take place during November.

Hazelwood Elementary School and Junaluska Elementary School are participating in the drive. The collection by the schools will be during the month of November. Merchants on Main Street are also participating during the month of November by displaying collection boxes in their shops.

Cash donations are being accepted at the town’s Hazelwood Office located at 280 Georgia Avenue, the Recreation Center at 550 Vance Street, and the Planning/Development Office at 9 South Main Street. This money will be given to Haywood Christian Ministry to purchase food for their pantry.

John “Jack” L. Ewing, Jr. has been named the new executive director of Lake Junaluska Assembly. He will begin his new duties on Jan. 1, 2011, and fills a position that is being vacated by the retirement of Rev. Jimmy L. Carr.  

Ewing currently serves as the executive director of the Foundation for Evangelism, which is also based at Lake Junaluska.  

“I am excited about the opportunity to build on the good work of those that have gone before me. This is a special place and together we will make it an even more special place for many more people,” said Ewing during a presentation to the Lake Junaluska Board of Directors.

Dr. Ewing has degrees from Asbury College (1974), the University of Kentucky (1975), and the University of Minnesota (1982). He has served on the faculty of his alma mater and South Dakota State University, and as president of two United Methodist institutions of higher education: Dakota Wesleyan University (1994- 2000) and Mount Union College (2000-2005).

In 2010, Lake Junaluska will host 150,000 people from all 50 states and over 40 countries. Lake Junaluska is owned by The United Methodist Church and is open to all for vacations, banquets, reunions, weddings, spiritual enrichment retreats, conferences and recreational activities.

A welcome reception honoring Richard Collings, Southwestern Community College’s new president, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 4-5 p.m. at the Macon Campus’ Groves Center.

Collings, who was president of Wayne State College in Nebraska, became Southwestern’s fifth president upon the retirement of SCC President Emeritus Cecil Groves.

A PhD graduate of Tulane University, Collings previously served as vice chancellor for academic affairs at Western Carolina University. He and his wife, Marilyn, live in Jackson County’s Webster community.

The Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University has created a new blog site designed to offer a nonpartisan glimpse into the world of North Carolina politics and policy.

The site, “Politics and Policy in the Tar Heel State,” features ongoing analysis and commentary about political issues.

After the election, the site will include posts designed to help explain what happened and what the results are likely to mean for North Carolina residents in the months ahead.

The site is the brainchild of Chris Cooper, director of WCU’s PPI and associate professor of political science and public affairs, and Gibbs Knotts, head of the WCU department of political science and public affairs.

“We intend to use this as a platform to add to the policy debate in the Tar Heel State,” Cooper said. “Most of our posts will try to connect findings in political science and public affairs to the real world of politics and policy in North Carolina.  Many of our posts will include original data analysis.”

To read the PPI blog, visit wcuppi.blogspot.com/

Kathryn Magendie will celebrate the release of her new novel, Sweetie, at Blue Ridge Books at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6.

Sweetie is Kat Magendie’s third novel. Her first two novels, Tender Graces and Secret Graces, tell the story of  Virginia Kate Carey from West Virginia. A third book in this trilogy is planned. Magendie’s books have been praised by the Asheville Times-Citizen, the Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate, by bestselling author Wayne Caldwell, and by respected reviewers including Story Circle and the Midwest Book Review.

Magendie is a Maggie Valley resident. She co-publishes The Rose and Thorn online journal. Her next project is Peetie, a novella, that will be part of an anthology in 2011 with New York Times bestselling authors Sarah Addison Allen and Deborah Smith.

Blue Ridge Books is located at 152 S. Main St in Waynesville. For more information call 828.456.6000.

Jackson County honors veterans

Southwestern Community College will honor veterans of all wars for their patriotism and willingness to serve during a Veterans Day observance at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, in the Balsam Center Auditorium on the Jackson Campus.

This year, special tribute will be paid to veterans within the SCC family — students, faculty and staff. In preparation for this tribute, a photo of the veteran while in service, as well as a recent photo are requested. Along with the two photos, include veteran’s name, rank and years served. Send photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. or bring them by the admissions office in the Balsam Center.

Items for care packages will be collected all day on Nov. 11 in the Balsam Lobby. To have one of the care packages sent to someone currently deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, contact Dominique Benson at 828.339.4217 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Cullowhee Valley School hosting veterans

All local veterans and their spouses are invited to join the teachers, students, and staff of Cullowhee Valley School in activities on Wednesday morning, Nov. 10, honoring those who have bravely served our country.

At 8:15 a.m.,  Robin Coggins and her staff will begin serving breakfast to veterans and other guests in the school cafeteria. A Veterans Day program will follow in the school gym, starting about 9 am.

Church has dinner, program for vets

Local veterans are invited to a dinner and program on Wednesday, Nov. 10, as guests of the East Sylva Baptist Church, which is located at 61 Faith Avenue in Sylva’s Dillardtown area.  

The caterer,  Bogart’s  of Sylva, will begin serving at 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The program will start at 6:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary, and will feature instrumental and vocal patriotic music.   American Legion Post 104 Chaplain Burrus Jones will serve as master of ceremonies, and the Rev. Charles Dean will be the speaker. All veterans plus one guest each are invited to attend.  Those planning to attend should 586.2853.

Warren Wilson College chemistry professor John Brock was recently awarded a grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fund a sabbatical leave to study the human health impacts of climate  change in Appalachia and the southeastern United States.

Brock will combine existing databases on climate and health to develop new models to assess and predict the human health impacts of climate change. After the sabbatical, the project will be adapted for continued  research with undergraduate students at Warren Wilson.

“I have been looking for ways to bring together my interest in public health and the environment,” Brock said. “In addition, I have been trying to find projects of interest to students for research that can be done relatively inexpensively on campus. This project fits the bill perfectly.”

Cataloochee Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will re-open next year under a new advance reservation system.

When the campground opens March 11, campers will be required to have made advance reservations through Recreation.gov. Historically, the popular but remote 27-site campground has operated on a first-come; first-served basis, which did not provide prospective campers a way of knowing whether they would be able to get a site until after they arrived at the campground.

“Cataloochee Campground offers one of the park’s most sought-after camping experiences, but getting there involves a 30- to 40-minute, 11-mile, drive off I-40, with much of that along a very-narrow and circuitous gravel road,” said GSMNP Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “There is no cell or landline phone service, and no regularly-assigned staff assigned at the campground, so there is no way for anybody to check to see if sites are available. The reservation system will eliminate the frustration of finding no campsites left after having made the difficult drive to the campground.”

The reservation system typically allows reservations to be made up to six months in advance, but the reservation database for Cataloochee in this first year is not expected to be active until Feb. 1. On that date, reservations for sites from the March 11 campground opening date through Aug. 1 will be reservable at once. Each day after Feb. 1 a new date, six months ahead, will become available. Reservations will be made either online at: www.recreation.gov  or toll-free at 1.877.444.6777.  

Cataloochee Campground is too small to have regularly-assigned staff on-site to collect fees, so reservations must be made in advance by phone or on-line.  The cost of camping at Cataloochee in 2011 will be $20 per night beginning in March.

The U.S. Forest Service has begun using a series of new approaches to save hemlock forests under attack from the woolly adelgid.

The new approaches include aerial application of an adelgid-killing fungus, use of the chemical dinotefuran in high-priority areas where trees are in immediate danger of dying, expanding the number of sites that will be treated, releasing new species of predator beetles as they are evaluated, and allowing the use of the longer-lasting chemical, imidacloprid, on all treatment areas as needed. The use of new treatments began in mid-October.

Marisue Hilliard, forest supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina,

“We are very concerned about how many hemlocks have already been killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid,” said Hilliard. “It is a catastrophic pest that is continuing to kill eastern and Carolina hemlocks throughout their range. We intend to use all appropriate tools in conserving hemlock for future generations.”

In 2005, the forest service identified 159 eastern and Carolina hemlock areas that were distributed throughout a conservation network designed to represent genetic diversity within the distribution of known hemlock stands. These areas were part of a larger conservation network of areas being treated in surrounding states. Initial treatments focused primarily on release of certain predator beetles and treatment of high-priority areas with imidacloprid.

Follow-up studies have shown that hemlocks in a number of the conservation areas have died. Hilliard decided in late August to increase the number of treatment areas. In addition, the wider range of allowed treatments will help forest managers select the treatments best suited for a specific area. The recent decision will also give the forest access to new treatments and predator options in the future.

Having followed Indians trails and routes for decades, I have learned that some fascinating cultural road markers and signpost elements were and still are to be found along the old travel ways. Two of the most interesting are trail marker trees and dendroglyphs, which are found scattered across the Southeast in association with the old paths. Mountain Stewards, the partnering organization in the Cherokee trails project, has to date documented 1,597 Trail marker trees in 39 states, including Alabama, Georgia and North and South Carolina. (See www.mountainstewards.org.) Recently, a set of twin trail trees was found near Bryson City. Others have been found on the Little Tennessee River. Bending and forming trail trees, sometimes called thong trees, was an art practiced by native people to permanently mark trails. The old trees are hundreds of years old.

Dendroglyphs, also called arborglyphs, are pictographic or lettered carvings in the bark of trees. The American beech was the preferred species in the Southeast as it has a smooth bark and lives upwards of 500 years. Beech trees found along American Indian trails, campsites, village sites, pioneer homesteads and pioneer roads were used extensively as boundary markers, signposts, message boards, religious motifs and artistic expression.

The archaeological and historical significance of pictographs is that the ideographic, written language contained therein adds to the study of other forms of expression, such as the paintings on the cliff walls in the Southwest which honor deities and chronicled events. These trees are living monuments to the past, denoting historical ecology, native history, early American settler history, family presence, and ancient trails and signposts. Early symbols were used to mark territories and scare off intruders. Some denoted forts, villages, tribal symbols, battles, and prisoners or scalps taken. Later they were used as witness trees by the first surveyors. No doubt, there are thousands of these old carved beeches and hundreds of trail trees in Western North Carolina.

The public lands of the national forests are the best places to walk and explore some of these important roadways of the past. Always get permission before setting out across private property. Readers can contact Lamar Marshall at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.wildsouth.org and The Smoky Mountain News at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.