Four of the contributing writers to the book 27 Views of Asheville will read their selections at 3 p.m. June 16 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

The authors that will be reading are Wayne Caldwell, Susan Reinhardt, Heather Newton and George Ellison. In 27 Views of Asheville: A Southern Mountain Town in Prose & Poetry, 27 writers contribute poetry, essays, short stories and book excerpts that focus on the mountain town. The book offers readers a broad and varied picture of life in Asheville, past and present. Contributing authors include Sharyn McCrumb, Gail Godwin, Ron Rash, Pamela Duncan, Nan Chase, Allan Wolf, Dale Neal, Charles Frazier and Robert Morgan. 828.456.6000.

Holistic healer Andrea Ford will discuss the wisdom of the Enneagram at 2 p.m. June 16 at the City Lights Bookstore.

The Enneagram is a road map to understanding your personality in a new way. It is based on nine distinct personality types that are within all of us. The Enneagram gives you the power to do your own emotional and spiritual healing through self-awareness of your strengths and weaknesses.

828.586.9499 or www.citylightsnc.com.

Poets Shannon Tharp and Whit Griffin will be reading their recently published works at 7 p.m. June 15 at the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore in Highlands.

Griffin is a native of Memphis, Tenn. He met Scaly Mountain’s poet Jonathan Williams in 2000. Williams was an esteemed poet, collector, publisher and maverick cultural impresario who studied at Black Mountain College and founded the Jargon Society. Griffin interned at the Jargon Society in 2002 then, after graduate school, he moved to Highlands and acted as secretary and personal assistant to Williams in 2006. Most of the poems in Griffin’s collection, Pentateuch, were written while he lived with Williams or were influenced by his time in WNC.

Shannon Tharp grew up in Wyoming but currently lives in Seattle where she earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Washington. The Cost of Walking is her first full-length book of poems.

828.526.3777.

The first early registration discount for the third annual Blue Ridge Breakaway biking event in Haywood County has passed, but riders can still save money by registering prior to Aug. 3.

Registration fees for the Century, Metric Century and 40-mile ride are $44 through Aug. 3 and $54 thereafter. The registration fee for the 24-mile ride is $29 through Aug. 3 and $35 thereafter.

North Carolina State University’s Forest & Environmental Outreach Program is co-sponsoring a series of four workshops for private forest landowners in Western North Carolina called “Woodland Steward Series: Mountains Program” between July 18 and Aug. 17.

The program is designed to provide forest owners with knowledge and resources to improve their management of woodlands. The workshops will be held at various locations in the Asheville area. Each workshop will be a 1.5-day meeting led by natural resource and land management specialists, including both hands-on activities in the field and instruction in the classroom.

Pre-registration and a small fee are required. Landowners are encouraged to attend one or more of the workshops according to their interests.

Contact Addie Thornton at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 919.515.9563.

The Braveheart 5K footrace and one-mile kids’ fun run will streak into downtown Franklin on Saturday, June 16.

The race is a fundraiser for The Scottish Tartans Museum, a nonprofit organization based in Franklin that is dedicated to the history and traditions of Scottish Highland Dress. The museum focuses primarily on tartan and the kilt but also features exhibits dealing with Scottish history and the Scottish migration to North Carolina.

In a fitting testament to the race, braveheart costumes and kilts are encouraged, with a special award for the best dressed “Braveheart.”

The Braveheart 5K will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Main Street. The Rob Roy one-mile fun run for ages 12 and under will begin at 8 a.m.

Entry fee is $30 or $20 for the fun run. T-shirts go to the first 125 registered racers. Awards will be given to the overall male and female winners and to the top 3 overall finishers of age groups. Overall male and female winners will receive a $50 savings bond.

The race is put on by Bringing It To Life! Productions.

828.421.7637.

MedWest is sponsoring a triathlon at 8 a.m. July 7 at the MedWest Health & Fitness Center in Clyde.

The triathlon includes a 300-yard swim in the indoor pool with biking and running portions on lightly traveled roads with great scenery. This event is for beginner triathletes but is great for those who like to go really fast. The bike is 10 miles with a 5K run.

  The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission now has an online map and the GPS coordinates for nearly 550 fish attractor locations across the state.

Angers can access the map and download GPS coordinates from the “Where to Fish” section on the commission’s website. Users can also import waypoints using a text file, an Excel file or a GPX file and can use the map to find the approximate locations and types of fish attractors found in each body of water.

Anglers using smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices can access the map using the commission’s new mobile website, www.ncwildlife.org/mobile.aspx, by clicking on the “Fish Attractors” icon on the maps tab of the mobile website.

The Division of Inland Fisheries has been adding fish attractors to major reservoirs for years to provide better habitat for fish, which enhances fishing opportunities for anglers. While many of the fish attractors are marked with orange-and-white buoys, some are unmarked and have been difficult to find without GPS coordinates.

www.ncwildlife.org/fishing.

The Cradle of Forestry in America will host its annual Firefly Twilight Tour from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 16 at the Pink Beds Picnic Area in the Pisgah National Forest.

Naturalists from the Cradle of Forestry conduct the tour while waiting for nightfall. The group will discuss the life cycle and special features of firefly biology and behavior and take a short walk on the Pink Beds Trail to search for fireflies. Participants will explore the surrounding forest and discuss forest ecology while children can create a firefly craft.

Participants are asked to bring a flashlight. The cost of the program is $6 for adults, $3 for youth 15 and under and holders of America the Beautiful and Golden Age passes.

828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.

The first moment of summer will occur at 7:09 p.m. June 20, say astronomers with the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute near Brevard.

At the moment of the solstice, the sun be at its northern most point in the sky. In Western North Carolina, the noontime sun will appear only about 78.5 degrees above the southern horizon its highest point of the year. What’s more, the sun rises at its most northern point along the eastern horizon and sets at its most northern point on the western horizon.

After the summer solstice, the sun begins its return to the south. The days will gradually shorten and the sun will appear lower in the sky at noon.  It will rise farther to the south along the eastern horizon each morning and set farther to the south in the west. This continues through the fall through the autumnal equinox at 10:49 a.m. on Sept. 22.  Following that date, the sun continues its southward journey until on the winter solstice (6:12 a.m. on Dec. 21) the sun reaches its most southern point in the sky.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials confirmed that the invasive emerald ash borer beetles — which can kill ash trees — are near the Sugarlands Visitor Center and in the Greebrier area on the Tennessee side of the park.

The insects were recovered during routine inspection of traps and sent to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist for confirmation. The emerald ash borer was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and has steadily spread from there, damaging millions of ash trees across the country. The ½ inch-long beetle lays eggs in bark crevices on all species of ash. Upon hatching, larvae burrow under the bark, creating feeding tunnels that interfere with the tree’s ability to translocate nutrients and fluids. The tree gradually starves and eventually dies.

The park began trapping the beetles in 2008. The spread of emerald ash borer beetles primarily results from transport of infested logs and firewood. A park-wide ban remains in effect for any firewood originating from a location for which a federal or state quarantine is in effect.  A list of all quarantined areas may be found at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/quarantine-counties.htm.

This week the Community Garden will begin its Fresh Produce Initiative by taking weekly donations from vendors and customers at the Jackson County Farmer’s Market to the Community Table.

The donation cooler will be located at the Market Information Booth. Last year about 200 pounds of vegetables were collected.

National Park staff and volunteers will pay tribute to rural women of the past from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 16 at the Mountain Farm Museum in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The park will pay tribute to these women through demonstrations of traditional women’s work. The day recognizes the many contributions of the region’s rural women by providing an opportunity to experience the past and to actively take part in the traditions of the southern Appalachia through hands on activities.

As part of the celebration, demonstrations among the historic Mountain Home buildings will include hearth cooking, soap making, cornshuck crafts, sewing, and traditional mountain music. Exhibits of artifacts and historic photographs will also provide a glimpse into the many and varied roles of rural women. The Davis-Queen house will be open of visitors to walk through with an audio exhibit featureing the last child born in the house.

All event activities are free. The Mountain Farm Museum is located on Newfound Gap Road adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. 828.497.1904.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is hosting a hike titled “Down to the Graveyard” at 10 a.m. June 15 on the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail.

Rangers will lead the easy two-mile hike to see a waterfall and learn more about the history of the area. The group will meet at the Graveyard Fields Overlook at milepost 418.8. Hikers are encouraged to wear good hiking shoes, bring water and a snack, and be prepared for changeable weather conditions.

828.298.5330 ext. 304

To the Editor:

Ask yourself, for just one day, can I match the passion and dedication of Alzheimer’s caregivers and those with the disease? For them, it’s every day. For us, just one–- June 20, 2012, the longest day of the year.

The Longest Day™ is a sunrise-to-sunset relay event to raise funds for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. This event is about love, patience, strength and endurance, but it’s also about a challenge. On June 20, 2012, my teammates and I will test our physical limits by completing approximately 16 hours of endurance activities, such as biking, running or walking — even a motorcycle rally. That doesn’t mean the individual has to do the entire 16 hours by themselves, but rather that the team be in motion for 16 hours.

Personally, my endurance event will be completing a marathan of Beachbody workouts from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in Las Vegas which will include P90X™ Certification training, Insanity™, and Tai Cheng™. Your event can be whatever is meaningful to you, for as long as you want to do it.

To join or sponsor my team, please visit http:/www.xfit.org/recommends/alz or call me at 828.506.4726.

Please join my team as we exercise from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. on June 20, 2012. Or, make a donation today and show your support for the millions of people around the world living with Alzheimer’s, including more than 5 million Americans. Give to honor nearly 15 million American caregivers, who generously dedicate themselves to those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. All proceeds go to The Alzheimer’s Association.

Thank you in advance for your generosity! Together we can send a message - You are not alone. We’re in it until Alzheimer’s is finished.

Inspire yourself, then others.

David Ginn

Jackson County

Sam Miller, Western Carolina University vice chancellor for student affairs, has received the John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award, the highest honor bestowed by the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments.

The award is given annually in recognition of service to UNC system students and to honor those who advocate in the best interests of the students.

Miller was nominated for the award by T.J. Eaves, president of WCU’s Student Government Association for the 2011-12 academic year. Eaves said the vice chancellor “is a valuable asset to not only the students of WCU, but all students in the UNC system. Through his dedication to a great SGA at WCU and his advocacy for students, Dr. Miller has proven his commitment to student success.”

Miller was named to his current post in June 2007 after serving in student affairs positions at the universities of Alabama, Virginia and Connecticut.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the student leaders in ASG,” Miller said. “This award also reflects all the great work by the outstanding student affairs team at WCU.”

“Collecting for the Community,” a new exhibit at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, opened June 7 and will be available for public viewing in the museum’s gallery B through Aug. 17.

During the years, the Mountain Heritage Center’s collections have been enriched by numerous gifts from residents of Western North Carolina who have been willing to share their families’ heirlooms and history with the public. Those donations range from entire collections, such as Haywood County dairy farmer Albert J. McCracken’s family who contributed a collection of 3,000 Native American artifacts, as well as more than 500 objects relating to the 18th and 19th century Southern Appalachian settlers, to single objects like a Catamount mascot costume worn on the WCU campus in the late 1950s. The museum’s collections now total more than 10,000 objects, including artifacts such as prehistoric projectile points, modern Cherokee crafts, logging tools, moonshine stills, quilts, coverlets, saddles and firearms.

The Mountain Heritage Center, open to the public free of charge, is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. Visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but the museum is open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

828.227.7129 or www.wcu.edu/mhc.

In contrast to its peaceful and stunning high-mountain setting, Maggie Valley’s Cataloochee Ranch has been at the forefront of a battle — a battle to restore the American chestnut, the iconic Appalachian tree devastated by blight in the mid-20th century. In 2007, working in partnership with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), Cataloochee Ranch became the host site of a test orchard of potentially blight-resistant American Chestnut trees, and starting this week, they will open this orchard to the public for tours.

The Haywood County Amateur Radio Club will construct an emergency station in the parking lot of the Employees’ Credit Union facility on Paragon Parkway June 23-24 to celebrate “Amateur Radio Week” with other ham radio operators across the U.S.

The group will demonstrate the use of ham radios’ new capabilities and teach people how to get their own FCC radio license from 2 p.m. June 23 to 2 p.m. June 24. The event is open to the public.

During the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America, including the California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide. The radio can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, Internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.

“The fastest way to turn a crisis into a total disaster is to lose communications,” said Allen Pitts, of the national amateur radio association ARRL. “Because ham radios are not dependent on the Internet, cell towers or other infrastructure, they work when nothing else is available. We need nothing between us but air.”

wnchamradio.org.

All Haywood County residents can get in to the Waynesville Recreation Center for free from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 23.

Also on Saturday, residents can enjoy the annual “Spring Fling” event sponsored by the Waynesville Kiwanis and the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. This event begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. There will be tubing in Richland Creek, food, music, games for children and a water slide. Kids can have a blast on the 21-foot Ninja slide, the 30-foot obstacle course or bounce on a large castle. The Waynesville Kiwanis will also sell hotdogs.

The event will feature a kid’s dog show at 10 a.m. on the softball field at Vance Street Park beside the Waynesville Recreation Center. Kids of all ages may enter their dog in up to three categories: largest dog, smallest dog, best trick, best dressed and cutest dog.

The deadline to register for the dog show is 5 p.m. June 20.

828.456.2030 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Haywood County businesses will join forces with MANNA food bank from June 15 to July 15 to help address hunger in the county through a program called Hunger Free Haywood.

To give, just look out for the red barrel posted outside or inside area businesses and organizations. They will be accepting food staples, which will then be distributed directly to the local food pantries and soup kitchens in Haywood County. Most needed items include canned meats, fruits and vegetables, dried or canned beans, box meals, juice, peanut butter, hearty soups, dry milk, cereals and grains. The goal is to collect 50,000 pounds of food as well as increase awareness about hunger in the county.

If you would prefer to make a monetary donation, stop by any Haywood County BB&T location for additional information.

In Haywood County, 16 percent of residents do not have consistent access to food and 29.8 percent of children experience hunger.

For a list of participating businesses and organizations, call the MANNA food bank at 828.299.3663 or the Haywood Chamber of Commerce at 828.456.3021.

www.haywood-nc.com or www.MANNAFoodBank.org.

The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center Schoolhouse Café is now open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

The café serves lunch, fresh baked goods, coffee and snacks. Café patrons can use the free high-speed wireless internet and the option of outdoor seating on the deck or the grounds. The gallery at Stecoah is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Handcrafted items from more than 135 local and regional artists are available for purchase.

828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

A “Crafting with Lavender” workshop will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. June 21 in the conference room of the Community Services Center in Sylva.

The workshop is sponsored by the Extension and Community Association Craft Club. Herbal crafter Kerri Rayburn will instruct the class. She is well known in the area for her handmade soaps, salves and other herbal-related crafts. She will teach participants ways to use lavender in soaps, scrubs and wands. Participants can make a product to take home. The class is $4.

828.586.4009.

Waynesville painter and jewelry artist Kel Tanner will have her work on display at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City through July 24.

Her collection includes realistic portraits, figures, animals, landscapes and still lifes. Her jewelry brand is called ONLY 1 and incorporates semi-precious stones, silver and unique designs.

A reception for Tanner will be held July 22 in the lobby of the Swain County Center for the Arts immediately following a piano and bassoon concert at 3 p.m. by touring musicians Rosalind Buda and Vance Reece of Pan Harmonia based in Asheville.  The public is invited to the concert and the reception free of charge.

828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

Smoky Mountain Living prominently features images from across the southern Appalachians in each edition. Photo essays adhere to the issue’s overall theme.

The next issue of Smoky Mountain Living will focus on things that have been found. Have you found yourself in the mountains, discovered a secret spot, unearthed an artifact, hunted antiques? What do you find in the Smokies?

Four ceramics workshops are being offered as part of the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS Summer Visual ART Series at Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design.

• June 25 – 29: Hayne Bayless will teach the workshop “Happiness is A Warm Extruder and a Sassy Slab.” Bayless will help students to explore extrusion and slab techniques in making functional stoneware. Topics include cutting stencils from Tyvek, colored slip inlay, stretched slabs, liquid latex resist using deer-tail brushes and making custom extruder dies. The class is for non-beginners to advanced. Bayless has exhibited at Smithsonian Craft Show and Minnesota Potters Tour.

• July 9 – 13: Gay Smith will teach the workshop “Working to Make the Pots You Want to Make.” This workshop will cover making functional ware, mugs, cups, etc. on the pottery wheel. Demonstrations will cover techniques, altering form and surface design. Discussion may include raw glazing and soda firing. All skill are levels welcome. Smith’s work is exhibited at the Mint Museum and Taiwan’s Yingge Museum.

• July 16 – 20: Nick Joerling will teach the workshop “Pots/Possibilities.” Beginning with wheel-thrown pots, students will be guided to push, cut, coax and stretch forms. Time will be given to exploring ways of making handles, lids and spouts. Some throwing experience is recommended. Joerling maintains a studio in Penland.

• July 30 – August 3: Melisa Cadell will teach the workshop “Dynamic Anatomy.” The emphasis will be to hand-build dynamic figures in clay that create tension or mood.  Surface treatment as it relates to the sculptural form will be also addressed.  The goal of the class is to give the student the tools they need to create successful work that incorporates proportion, visual movement and color. Cadell owns and operates “Cadell Studios” in Bakersville, where she works primarily with the figure in clay.

www.cullowheemountainarts.org.

The Haywood County Arts Council will host a dedication ceremony for the “Stars & Stirrups” and “City Streets” quilt block at 5:30 p.m. on June 19 at the Town of Waynesville Police Department & Development Office on Main Street.

The quilt block, which was installed on May 25 on the Ned Hildreth Memorial Walking Quilt Trail, is comprised of two quilt patterns: “Stars & Stirrups” and “City Streets.” The “Stars & Stirrups” pattern pays homage to the history of the installation site as a livery stable, with the star representing law enforcement. “City Streets” is in honor of the late Ned Hildreth who, with his partner Paul Germann, took daily walks through downtown Waynesville. Quilt blocks located within the downtown district are being partially funded by Ned’s $5,000 donation to the Downtown Waynesville Association.

If you are a property owner or a business owner within the DWA district and you are interested in having a block on your building, partial funding is available through DWA courtesy of the Hildreth Estate funds. Representatives from DWA and the Haywood County Arts Council are available to meet and discuss specifics of the project at your convenience.

www.haywoodquilttrails.org.

Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center will turn into an upscale night club when celebrity DJ and reality TV star Pauly D appears at 10 p.m. July 20.

There will be multiple bars and club dancers to go along with Pauly D’s eclectic track selection and unique style. His music library spans nearly every genre of club music, and he has the exceptional ability to mix in and out of top 40 and house music. He is recognized for his musical talent as well as his reality star status on MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”

www.djpaulyd.com, www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.

The Liars Bench, a successful regional authentic, traditional southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama and folk arts presentation, will play in the Jackson County Library community room at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 15. Admission is free.

The Concerts on the Creek series will present Balsam Range from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 15 at the downtown Bridge Park Pavillion beside Scott Creek in Sylva.

Balsam Range is one of the hottest bands in the bluegrass nation and is based in Haywood County. They have garnered international acclaim for their rich bluegrass sound. In 2011, the band received the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Song of the Year award for “Trains I Missed.”

The band will play that award-winning song at the free concert, along with several cuts from their soon-to-be-released fourth CD.

800.962.1911, or www.mountainlovers.com.

Four artists with a mix of media and styles have been invited to join the Main Street Artists’ Co-Op in Waynesville.

Bob Luciene of Clyde works with wood and woodturning. He has observed many world-class woodturners and has developed his individual style from the bits and pieces he learned from these professionals. His inspiration comes from the wood he uses.

A free Aikido class for participants ages 16 and older will take place at 7 p.m. June 19 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

A Scottish Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. June 16 at the Mill Creek Country Club.

A traditional Celtic menu will be served and dinner guests are encouraged to wear their Highland dress and clan tartans. The skirl of the bagpipe will welcome diners to the clubhouse for an evening of Scottish cuisine and entertainment.

Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Celtic music and a “Travel Through Scotland” film will emphasize the history and traditions of Scotland. A special award will be given to the person with the best Highland dress. Ladies in tartan scarves, tartan caps and authentic Highland dress will be included in the judging.

Tickets are $12.95 and available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. 828.349.0402 or 828.371.8498.

A series of summer events for teenagers will be held from June 20 to June 22 in the Program Room of Macon County Library.

• A workshop featuring Dream Journals and a Twilight Trivia Game with prizes for teens will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. June 20. Writing down dreams helps people to remember them. Materials will be provided for participants to construct their own dream journal. After the construction of the journals the group will form teams and play a game of “Twilight Numbered Chairs.” If participants don’t know Twilight the team will help them. There will be trivia about other spooky things as well.

• A Reduce-Reuse-Repurpose with Zombie Dolls and Franken-Toys event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. June 21. Participants can dismember and reassemble a pile of once-loved toys. They can glue things, paint things, give something two heads, four arms and a tail.

• An Anime Cub with Trivia and a YouTube Afternoon will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. June 22. Someone will be declared Anime Sensai at the end of the trivia contest. At the end of the program participants can sit back and laugh at some of the funniest and dumbest videos on YouTube.

Western Carolina University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts is hosting a theater summer camp from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.  Monday through Friday July 16 to 20 at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts with an end-of-camp Friday Showcase performance at 6 p.m. July 20.

The summer camp is for children from 8 years (and who have completed the second grade) to 17 years old and is limited to 30 students. The camp will include games, improvisation, stage direction, basic directing, character work, discussion, tours and more. Students will work in small groups to create characters and situations that will evolve into short scenes for the Friday Showcase. Two professional actors with Bright Star Children’s Theatre, an Asheville theater company, will run the camp.

No previous theater experience is required for participation, but children with a theater background are welcome. The cost of the camp is $110 per child, with additional children from the same family able to register for $100 each. Campers must provide their own snacks and beverages. Registration is under way through Friday, July 13, with payment (cash and check only) due the first day of camp. 828.227.2505 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Enjoy the high elevation views from Andrews Bald in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during a guided 7-mile hike with the Friends of the Smokies on Thursday, June 21.

The hike is part of the “Classic Hikes of the Smokies” series, designed to connect people with special places in the park. Hiking enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein (Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage) will lead the hike.

The hike will traverse a newly renovated section of trail, improved as part of the three-year Trails Forever initiative to fix deteriorating trails in the Smokies’ 800-mile hiking network. Trail crews and volunteers reconstructed the trail by installing drainage structures, constructing staircases out of locust wood and native rock, as well as a few elevated turnpikes and even a plank walkway or two.

The hike also traverses segments of the long-distance Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail. It is moderate in difficulty and has a total elevation gain/descent of 1,600 feet.

“Classic Hikes of the Smokies” occur on the third Thursday of every month. Other hikes in the 2012 series include Purchase Knob in July and Mt. Cammerer in August.

A donation of $10 is requested from Friends of the Smokies members or $35 for non-members, which includes a membership. The donations will go to the Friends’ Trails Forever program.

To register, contact Friends of the Smokies at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720. For more information, including a complete list of the North Carolina Classic Hikes series, visit www.friendsofthesmokies.org.

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee is hosting a nature walk at Gibson Bottoms at 8:30 a.m. June 9. LTLT Executive Director Paul Carlson will lead the walk.

Gibson Bottoms, a preserved tract along the Little Tennessee River near Franklin, includes extensive river frontage, floodplain and river bluff habitats. The property is a showcase for restoration from riverfront tree planting to open woodland restoration in uplands. Gibson Bottoms was fated to be an RV park before hundreds of Macon County citizens asked the state to halt the permit on the ground of pollution to the river.

LTLT purchased the 36-acre frontage tract from the developer in 2003 and added another 28 acres with a second purchase in 2005. LTLT named the tract Gibson Bottoms for the generations of Macon County families who grew corn, hay and other crops on the land.

It is free for LTLT members, but a donation of $35 is requested for non-members, and it includes a complimentary membership to LTLT. RSVP by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.524.2711 ext. 304.

A guided canoe trip down the Little Tennessee River will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, June 15, with the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and The Wilderness Society.

The four-hour canoe trip will stop periodically on the tour to observe unique flora, fauna and areas of cultural significance along the river. The group will float down the Needmore Tract of the river, which is a 4,500-acre parcel that was preserved through local conservation efforts and is now managed as a N.C. Game Land. The tract encompasses 26 miles of the Little Tennessee River, 37 miles of tributary streams to the river and serves as the keystone to the forested corridor connecting the Nantahala and Cowee Mountain ranges. This section of the river is home to half of the native freshwater fish species and the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in N.C.

The trip is free to LTLT and TWS members but $5 for non-members. Space limited. RSVP to 828.524.2711, 828.587.9453, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Learn how to safely preserve locally-grown foods using the pressure canner and high acid foods using the boiling water bath, and get tips on pickling and freezing in a food preservation crash course from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, July 12, in Sylva. Cost is $4. Register by June 11 by calling 828.586.4009.

An exhibit called “Ferns of the Smokies” that showcases the beauty and diversity of ferns is on display at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville through July 2.

The exhibit showcases almost half of the 49 ferns and fern allies that exist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was created by Discover Life in America and was developed with funding from the Knoxville Garden Club.

Discover Life in America is involved in a quest to identify and understand all species of life within the 800-square-mile ecosystem of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Researchers seek to learn more about the components, abundance, and diversity of life, from spiders in the soil to slime molds in the forest canopy. The project has brought scientists from around the world to inventory the estimated 80,000 species of living organisms in the park. 

Since collecting began in 1998, the massive species survey has uncovered more than 900 species new to science as well as more than 7,300 species that are newly documented to exist in the park. The project involves hundreds of “citizen scientists,” volunteers who collect specimens for the scientists to analyze, thereby keeping the project cost-effective. 

The exhibit will be on display in the education center of the Arboretum through July 2. 828.665.2492 or www.ncarboretum.org.

The Highlands Biological Station is hosting a Mountain Biodiversity course for science educators June 25 to 29.

This field-based course will be taught by Karen Kandl, the associate director of the biologcial station. Educators of all levels are invited to enroll in the study of the biogeography and biodiversity of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

It focuses on the theory and practice of conservation biology as it relates to this unique regional environment.  Topics will include Southern Appalachian historical geology, regional biogeography, principles of ecology and evolution, biodiversity assessment, and conservation biology.

Science educators may take the course for three CEU’s or two graduate credits through Western Carolina University. There are no prerequisites, and the registration fee of $150 includes housing. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2602.

Two dozen snakes and lizards will make their debut at the Jackson County Library in Sylva during a special “Snakes Alive” program held at 10:30 a.m. June 15.

Herpetologist Ron Cromer will give an hour-long program that includes an educational presentation, a slideshow, and a hands-on session for those who want to stroke the soft, shiny scales of his traveling cold-blooded pets.

Cromer’s Snakes Alive presentation dispels common myths associated with snakes and instructs attendees in the proper way to hold a snake. He will show pattern identification, provide an overview of a snake’s anatomy and characteristics, and offer a strong warning about handling snakes in the wild.

The “hands-on” session will be an opportunity for participants to hold and pet the snakes. The session will conclude with the handling of a giant python. There will also be a “snake-free” zone for those who do not wish to participate in the petting session. 828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

From plant identification to map reading to fly fishing to canoeing, the Cradle of Forestry is encouraging Americans to enjoy the outdoors with “National Get Outdoors Day” on Saturday, June 9.

The free event will feature a line-up of outdoor skills demonstrations, hands-on activities and crafts in just about all manner of outdoor pursuits — including adventure sports, traditional sportsmanship, and camp and trail skills.

The festivities will include:

• Fly fishing and fly tying demonstrations with Trout Unlimited and the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education.

• Archery with Heritage Outdoors and the N.C. Bowhunters Association.

• Still-water paddling with canoes and kayaks taught by Headwaters Outfitters.

• Biking techniques and maintenance with The Hub and Sycamore Cycles.

• Interactive camping displays and knot tying instruction with REI.

• Map and compass skills with Muddy Sneakers naturalists.

• Demonstration of Leave-No-Trace principles.

• Ethnobotany walk will teach plant identification and historical uses.

• Interactive camping displays.

• Outdoors-inspired crafts.

• Music program, “Songs of the Big Outdoors.”

• An appearance from Smokey Bear.

National Get Outdoors Day is a campaign that encourages Americans to seek out healthy and active outdoor lifestyles, to connect with nature and embrace public lands. The Cradle of Forestry in America has been designated as one of eight Signature Sites from across the country for 2012.

The Forest Service has an ongoing commitment of engaging children to nature in support of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative and the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign.

Located on U.S. 276 four miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.

To the Editor:

This letter is in direct response to Ginny Jahrmarkt’s May 30 letter titled, “Jones made wrong vote at last Jackson meeting.”

Jahrmarket inferred that Mark Jones, a Jackson County commissioner, “showed his true colors” by “siding with an anti-capitalistic, anti-commerce group like the Occupy Movement” and his “railings against the evils of corporations and capitalism ….” If I may, let me try to provide a more accurate overview of what you call “The Entitlement Society.”

The recipients of TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) funds included Bank of America, $46 billion; Wells Fargo, $25 billion; Sun Trust, $4 billion; BB&T, $3 billion; United Community Bank, $180 million; PBS (USA) $43,000.

On the other hand, our hometown banks did not receive “entitlement society” funding State Employee Credit Union, Macon, and HomeTown Bank received zero.

Now what did many of these large banks do with the entitlement funds? They continued taking depository funding to invest in derivatives, risky overseas investments (how patriotic), and the purchase of other banks, making themselves even bigger today than in 2008 when they received the TARP funds precisely because they were classified as “too big to fail.”

By using entitlement society funding is how these banks take a “pro business stance” to help themselves and cause “negative economic growth rate and an unemployment rate in double digits” in some North Carolina counties.  

A handful of the top largest banks hold around 60 percent of the USA depository assets, but give only 18 percent of main street loans (how patriotic). Our hometown banks, on the other hand, hold 11 percent of the USA depository assets yet 56 percent of main street business loans come from these small hometown banks.

As for Jackson County residents trying to get back to work in this meager job market arena, consider how the big banks affected our nation’s employment growth rate. In 2011 JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of America moved $5 billion worth of IT and back office jobs to India, laying off thousands here in the USA.  

Just one more way these trans-national corporations with no national or patriotic allegiance take a “pro-business stance” to enrich themselves while depleting Jackson County resources.  

The entitlement society is big on privatization of profit and socialization of losses.

Time and space do not allow, but it would be so easy to go on and on and on with concrete, solid, and well-documented examples of the trans-national corporate controlled entitlement society.  

This is not a new phenomenon. In colonial days the Americas were subjected to the same as the English Crown empowered private corporations to plunder resources. Fortunately, the American colonists did not take this sitting down and instead held a Tea Party in the Boston Harbor that changed the world.

Mark Jones, like the early patriots and unlike the English loyalists of the day, believes in the spirit of our nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, that states all men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Fortunately, in this election year, Mark Jones is standing with and for the people of Jackson County against the tyranny of treasonous trans-national corporations that plunder our local economies. Mark Jones, can hold his head high as a true and loyal patriot who is looking out for the prosperity and economic development of Western North Carolina while protecting our most valuable assets — Jackson County’s economy and its residents.

Thank you, Mark Jones, for continuing to support the “Move To Amend Resolution” set before the Jackson County Commissioners that supports the concept that corporations are not persons and money is not speech.

Geraldine V. Collins

Sylva, Occupy Western North Carolina

To the Editor:

It was disappointing to read that Commissioner Mark Jones representing District 4 voted to support a resolution from Occupy WNC attacking corporations. Since he was elected in 2006 he has consistently voted for anti-business regulations, stripping private property rights and done little to represent or improve his district, let alone provide necessary infrastructure and services.

It is no surprise Mark Jones has never been elected by the people in his district who know him best. Since our commissioners are elected at large, it is important for countywide voters to know more about the candidates they are voting for in each district. This November we have an opportunity to vote for candidates who are pro business, understand our economic needs and do not practice class warfare. It is time for a new commissioner to “Occupy” the 4th District seat.

Shirley Slaughter

Cashiers