Waynesville took another step toward stabilizing its downtown program on Oct. 28, approving incorporation papers for a new nonprofit that will let the town’s Downtown Waynesville Commission accept tax-deductible donations and compete for grants. 

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce announced that plans are underway for the Annual Christmas Parade, which will officially ring in the holiday season. The celebration will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 30. 

Sylva’s popular downtown social district will now stay open an hour later each evening after town commissioners approved a modest expansion meant to accommodate one of the community’s best-loved events. 

The 41st annual “Lights & Luminaries” will return from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 13-14 in the streets of downtown Dillsboro.

Experience the magic as the entire town is transformed into a winter wonderland of lights, candles, laughter and song. Over 2,500 luminaries light your way to shops and studios. 

The Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, in downtown Waynesville.

Hailed as one of the “10 Best Fall Harvest Festivals in the Nation,” the annual festival is a celebration of the autumn harvest and Haywood County’s agricultural heritage, attracting upwards of 20,000 attendees throughout the day. 

This is not the end of our story in Western North Carolina. Far from it. It’s an opportunity for a new beginning, a reshaping of this place that has always been so good for the soul. As I stand on my front porch steps and pause to look at and smell the trees, see leaves slowly spiraling earthward, feel the crisp bite of autumn in the morning air, take a deep breath and know that all will be healed in time. 

A cherished gathering of locals and visitors alike, “Art After Dark” will launch its 2024 season from 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 7, in downtown Waynesville. 

The 21st annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11, in the Historic Frog Level District of Waynesville. 

Million-dollar mountaintop vacation homes, phony moonshine from corporate mega-distilleries, dime-a-dozen seedy strip malls — none of these things are Appalachian things, and if one of the hardy old Mountaineers of yore was magically transported through time to the present day, they’d hardly recognize the place. 

To save money after bids for the downtown public restroom project came in over budget, Sylva will move forward without installing the intended solar panels.