The Great Smoky Mountains National Park recently took delivery of seven Ford Escape Hybrid vehicles that were purchased using a $197,550 grant from the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Program.  

The CMAQ funding is U.S. Department of Transportation money that comes through the state of North Carolina and was allocated by the Rural Planning Organizations (RPOs) of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council and Southwestern Commission.  

The goal of the CMAQ Program is to reduce air emissions in counties where air quality is in non-attainment of EPA Clean Air Act standards. The portions of Swain and Haywood counties that lie within Great Smoky Mountains National Park are both in non-attainment due to elevated levels of ground-level ozone.

With the addition of these new Escape Hybrids the park now has 16 hybrid vehicles in service.

The National Park Service is accepting entries in the Share the Experience photo contest through Dec. 31.

The photo taken by the grand prize winner will appear on a 2012 America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass. He or she will receive a prize package that includes a trip for four to a federal recreation area, photography equipment, and a pass to the national parks and other federal lands for 2012. Second-, third-, and fourth-place winners and 10 Honorable Mention winners will also receive prizes.

Amateur photographers can participate by uploading photos on www.sharetheexperience.org or through Facebook, Flickr, or Shutterfly to the contest website.

“We always encourage the American people to visit and experience their national parks,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis. “We especially do so now, in the weeks before the Share the Experience deadline. Photography is very much about seeing. Head to a national park and really see it — through the lens of your camera.”

“We always tell people in parks to take only pictures and leave only footprints,” said Neil Mulholland, president and CEO of the National Park Foundation. “Our annual photo contest is a great reason to get outside and capture the incredible places preserved in our national parks.”

For contest rules and a complete list of prizes visit www.sharetheexperience.org.

The U.S. Forest Service has rerouted a portion of the Rim Trail Clay County.

The Rim Trail is a 26-mile Forest Service trail that travels along the rim of the Fires Creek basin near Hayesville. The approximately 2.5-mile section of the Rim Trail located between the trail’s intersections with Phillips Ridge Trail at Will King Gap and Rockhouse Trail at Big Stamp has been closed because this section of trail crosses through private land.  

Hikers will now use the Phillips Ridge and Rockhouse Trails to connect the two sections of the Rim Trail. This reroute is approximately 7.1 miles. Maps of the trail re-route have been posted within the Fires Creek area and are also available from the Tusquitee Ranger Station or from www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/.     

“The affected section of the Rim Trail is located on private land that was recently posted by the landowners. We had to close this section of trail to avoid crossing the private tract,” according to District Ranger Steve Lohr. “The current reroute is a temporary solution as the Forest Service explores alternatives for a shorter, more convenient trail relocation which will keep hikers closer to the ridgeline.”  

Hikers are encouraged to be “good neighbors” and respect private property rights while visiting the national forest in this area.

For more information contact Lohr at 828.837.5152.

During the holiday season, when family and friends gather, many go on traditional hunting trips.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding hunters to take proper precautions when hunting during the holidays.

The Wildlife Commission’s “Home From The Hunt” campaign encourages everyone to be prepared, take the proper precautions and enjoy their time outdoors this season.

“The holidays are a wonderful time for hunting,” said Travis Casper, the state’s assistant hunting safety coordinator with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “In the excitement of a holiday hunt, don’t overlook the safety aspects. Communicate with fellow hunters and stress the importance of everyone being careful.”

Casper advises:

• Go back to basics — review hunter education training and equipment instructions.

• Read the rules — know all applicable regulations before going afield.

• Identify the target — remain cautious and be absolutely sure before firing.

• Inspect all equipment — repair or replace equipment, as needed, before use.

Successful completion of hunter education is required for all first time hunting license buyers in North Carolina. Courses are offered free by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, with schedules and registration available at www.ncwildlife.org.

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Session Series at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will continue Thursday, Dec. 2, with a concert by traditional music icon David Holt and a jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.

A recipient of four Grammy Awards, Holt will get the music started at 7 p.m. in the museum auditorium. Performers of old-time and bluegrass music are invited to bring their instruments and take part in the jam session that will follow his performance.

Holt has filled the roles of musician, storyteller, historian and television host over a career that has spanned more than three decades. During that time, he has performed with many of the legends of traditional and country music who also have been his mentors, including Doc Watson, Bill Monroe and Chet Atkins. Holt plays 10 acoustic instruments and has released numerous recordings of traditional mountain music and Southern folk tales.

Well known for his work on television and radio, Holt is currently host of the public TV series “Folkways,” which takes viewers through the Southern Appalachian Mountains visiting traditional craftspeople and musicians.

The concerts and jam sessions will continue at the Mountain Heritage Center through the winter, with programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Other performers scheduled to present concerts are the Freight Hoppers, Mountain Faith, Travis and Trevor Stuart, and Wayne Martin.

The events are free and open to everyone, and no reserve seating is available. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, and the events also are open to those who just want to listen.

The Mountain Heritage Center is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. For more information, call the museum at 828.227.7129.

Trumpet player Scott Harrell will be the featured soloist at a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, at the Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University.

The concert, part of the WCU School of Music’s Catamount Concert Series, is free and open to the public.

The WCU Jazz Ensemble will play with Harrell, performing selections by Sammy Nestico, a composer and arranger of big band music who is well known for his arrangements for Count Basie’s orchestra, to more modern music of John Coltrane and Bob Mintzer.

A New Yorker since 1997, Harrell has performed with jazz artists such as Maria Schneider, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and the Dizzy Gillespie alumni band and with contemporary groups such as Fountains of Wayne and They Might Be Giants.

Harrell also has performed with many popular Broadway shows, including “Cats,” “The Producers,” “Jersey Boys,” “Young Frankenstein,” “A Chorus Line,” “In the Heights,” “Billy Elliot,” “West Side Story” and “Memphis.” In 2009, Harrell was a featured musician in the play “Exit the King,” starring Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon, and he is performing this fall in the new Broadway musical “Elf,” based on the popular motion picture of the same name.

Harrell, originally from Houston, is a graduate of the University of North Texas, where he spent three years in the One O’Clock Lab Band. He also has been a faculty member at jazz camps at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and the University of Texas at Arlington.

For more information, contact Pavel Wlosok, assistant professor of jazz at WCU, at 828.227.3261 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A singing contest will be held in Franklin to choose a male youth from 9 to 14 to appear onstage with the contemporary Christian group NewSong.

WPFJ’s and Sleep USA will hold auditions at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 29 at the WPFJ studios inside Tech Place in the Franklin Plaza or at any of the three locations of Sleep USA in Franklin, Murphy or Sylva.

The winner will sing the solo part and a duet with lead singer Billy Goodwin on their hit song, “The Christmas Shoes.”

For information call Cathy James at 828.369.5033.

Archie Watkins and Smoky Mountain Reunion will perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.

The show will include a special appearance by Karen Peck and New River. Multi Grammy nominated Peck and New River have become synonymous with southern Gospel music with five consecutive No. 1 songs over the last two years.  

Also appearing will be The Diplomats.

Tickets are $15 and are now on sale at the center box office at 1028 Georgia Road in Franklin, at Dalton’s Bookstore in Franklin and Waynesville, and online at GreatMouintainMusic.com; or call 866.273.4615.

Franklin’s Winter Wonderland holiday celebration will be held one night only this year from 5 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 3 in downtown.

Among this year’s new attractions are ice artists Masterpiece Ice Sculptures (MIS). This group of Asheville artists will create a special slide made of ice especially for Winter Wonderland.  

This is a working slide and takes the crew around three hours to setup. We’re sure all of the kids attending this winter festival will enjoy it,” said MIS’ Jeff Pennypacker. There will also be a live demonstration of how ice sculptures are created as the MIS crew transforms a large block of ice into a work of art.   

“In previous years, this festival had a Victorian feel,” said Linda Schlott, Franklin Main Street Program Executive Director.  “This year, however, we’ve decided to breathe some new life into the event. Winter Wonderland will be a whole new experience for all those that attend.”

Free wagon rides will be offered during Winter Wonderland.  The bright red wagon will be decked out for the holidays, and will give those riding a whole new perspective on the evening’s activities.  The free wagon rides will be offered beginning at 5 p.m. and run until the end of the event.

Roxy the miniature horse will be back in action from her very popular debut during Pumpkinfest. Youngsters can ride Roxy beginning at 5 p.m. There is an 80-pound weight limit.

Live entertainment has a renewed focus for Winter Wonderland and will be headlined by the popular Rye Holler Boys. They will be performing traditional holiday favorites from the gazebo beginning at 6:30 p.m.  Other entertainment scheduled includes the South Macon Elementary School Chorus and Men Making Music.  

Downtown Franklin merchants will also get in on the holiday fun. Stores will be open late offering free refreshments including hot cider and delicious treats to their patrons.

For more information on the festivities of Franklin’s Winter Wonderland visit www.renewingfranklin.org or call Linda Schlott, executive director of the Franklin Main Street Program at 828.524.2516.

The 23rd Hard Candy Christmas Arts and Crafts show that will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 26-27 at the Ramsey Center on the campus of Western Carolina University. Admission is $3 and children are free. See www.mountainartisans.net for this year’s line up of crafters. Call 828.524.3405 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

One of the more traditional holiday experiences in Western North Carolina takes place in Dillsboro the first two weekends of December.

Each year, this small mountain village is awash in the glow of white paper bag luminaries during the Dillsboro Festival of Lights & Luminaries.

This year’s festival is Dec. 3-4 and Dec. 10-11. On these special Friday and Saturday evenings, the town’s merchant “elves” illuminate the streets and sidewalks with more than 2,500 luminaries. The merchants also flip the switches on strands of small white lights trimming the town’s buildings, many of which date to the 1800s.

Once Dillsboro is aglow, carolers fill the streets, musicians stroll through town playing Christmas favorites, and Santa visits with children at Town Hall. Shopkeepers add to the merriment by staying open late and serving holiday treats with hot cider and cocoa.

New in 2010 are horse-drawn carriage rides on both weekends, and performances by the Smoky Mountain High School Show Choir on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4.

“Folks tell us every year how genuine this event is, and how much they enjoy it,” said Julie Spiro, tourism director for Jackson County. “It’s a nice combination of cool winter weather and warm holiday spirit.”

The Festival of Lights & Luminaries begins each evening at dusk and runs until 9 p.m. There is no admission charge and lodging is plentiful with more than half of Jackson’s County guest rooms located in Dillsboro or within a 15-minute drive.

For information, go to www.visitdillsboro.org, or call the Jackson County Visitors Center at 800.962.1911.

Leapin’ Frog Gallery will host local artist Silvia Williams for a one-hour art talk and demonstration on “Experimental Painting” beginning at 1:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2.

Williams has been an artist for many years and has recently transitioned from realism to abstract art using mixed media. Bright happy colors are her palette of choice and she uses inks, watercolor, acrylic, foil, bubble wrap, saran wrap and other items to create her art.

Williams is originally from Cuba but has been a U.S. citizen for over 50 years and holds a master’s in Modern Languages from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her teaching career included public school, prep school as well as university. She is past president of the Blue Ridge Watermedia Society. Her work is also in collections throughout the U.S. as well as in Canada and Spain.

Leapin’ Frog Gallery is located in the Historic Frog Level District on 58 Commerce Street, Waynesville, beside Panacea Coffee Shop. Public invited. For more information call 828.456.8441.

It’s by Nature Gallery of Sylva is pleased to announce that the gallery will be hosting a one-man-show during the month of December for Cullowhee watercolor painter Craig Forrest. Forrest has been represented exclusively by the gallery since its opening.

This show will be titled Downtown Sylva in Detail - Urban Subjects, A New Direction.

Forrest was interested in tackling some new subject matter for this show. The work represents a departure from his usual subject matter of local rural landscapes, still-lifes and portraits. It is expected that viewers of the work will enjoy trying to guess the locations of the subjects as the titles will purposely not provide easy identification. Some works will be be almost immediately recognized while others will possibly be more obscure.

Giclée reproductions of his paintings will be available. These reproductions are done by the artist in his home studio using a technique he has mastered over the past several years with a flat-bed scanner, computer and inkjet printer with pigmented inks. Forrest was a featured artist in the first edition of the book Mastering Digital Printing by Harald Johnson.

In addition, the artist will have available for sale the recent painting Snowfall at Full Spectrum Farms, a watercolor painting depicting the hay barn at Full Spectrum Farms during a snow storm earlier this year. Through special arrangement with It’s by Nature Gallery all proceeds from the sale of the original painting will go to Full Spectrum Farms of Cullowhee. Full Spectrum Farms will serve adults with autism in Western North Carolina by providing a farm community where affected individuals can live and work in a healthy, enriching environment. Limited edition prints will be available as well with a portion of the proceeds to go toward Full Spectrum Farms.

An opening reception will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 3 at the gallery. Public invited.

Oct. 2006-Feb. 2008 — HRMC has several problems with federal inspectors, culminating in the threat to revoke its ability to get reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid patients.

Feb. 13, 2008 — HRMC given notice that Medicare funding will be revoked Feb. 24. CEO David Rice does not go public — even to his board or the medical staff — in hopes of passing a last ditch follow-up inspection.

Feb. 22, 2008 — HRMC fails follow-up inspection. Legal notice appears in Asheville Citizen-Times that says HRMC will no longer be eligible to receive Medicare reimbursements, which alerts community.

Feb. 24, 2008 — Medicare and Medicaid status revoked at HRMC.

Feb. 25, 2008 — David Rice resigns as CEO.

March 3, 2008 — Hundreds gather at HRMC wearing purple ribbons to show community support for the hospital as it slips further into its financial morass.

March 6, 2008 — HRMC Board Chairman Dr. Nancy Freeman resigns her seat, saying in a letter she wants “the healing to begin.” Dr. Henry Nathan appointed to replace Freeman on the board but not as chairman. Glenn White later appointed chairman.

March 10, 2008 — Consultants hired to help HRMC re-group issue an assessment blasting administration of former CEO David Rice, citing a “significant leadership failing.” Also, Future Directions Committee begins public discussions of potential merger options with another hospital or hospital system.

April 17, 2008 — HRMC passes Medicare inspection, first step toward full recertification.

May 21, 2008 — HRMC passes final inspection and regains Medicare and Medicaid certification.

Aug. 20, 2008 — Interim CEO Al Byers says hospital is breaking even for first time since crisis started.

September 2008 — Interim CEO Al Byers steps down, the last of the top administrators who worked under Rice to depart.

Oct. 1, 2008 — Michael Poore hired as new CEO for HRMC.

Deduction would tell us that in the information age libraries would be accorded great respect, but somehow that isn’t universally the case anymore. Given that truth, it’s encouraging to see what has happened over the last several years in Jackson County as support has gathered for a new library that, after much debate, will be attached to the strikingly beautiful historic courthouse.

After a decade-long community debate that raged with unusual fervor, county leaders decided in October 2007 to put the county’s new library atop courthouse hill. This wise decision did two things: ensured Jackson County residents their new, much-needed library would have wide community support; and it infused the project with a historic and cultural significance, providing a symbol of political and intellectual aspirations that will endure for generations.

There was a time when libraries were enshrined as the world’s primary learning centers. The administrators of the ancient library of Alexandria, Egypt, according to some historians, were charged with with no less a task than bringing together all the world’s collective knowledge. Stipends were paid to scholars and their families to come spend time there. Throughout the ancient world libraries were held in high regard as the keepers of culture and history, and typically they were among a city’s most splendid architectural masterpiece.

Today too many communities neglect these important institutions. As television and the Internet have grown in significance, and indeed put much of the world’s knowledge and literature at our fingertips, libraries could be written off as quaint relics.

But that’s just not the case. Places where people — children and adults — gather to read, write, research and discuss ideas will always be important. Amid the rush of today’s world, a place where adults work and read in a cocoon of silence and where children can discover the profound joys of the written word are indeed sacred.

Macon County has already done its community proud with its recently opened library, and citizens came together to support the furnishings of that facility with their donations. Now the same is being asked of Jackson County residents. Fund raising is currently under way, and almost $500,000 of the $1.6 million goal has already been pledged.

We believe this library is among the most worthy of community projects. It will become the epicenter of the intellectual and community life of Jackson County, and we encourage residents to support the fund-raising drive to the best of their abilities.

By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer

Chubby Checker clears his throat and states with pomp, “I plan on tearing the place up and taking no prisoners in Cherokee.”

Leaving New York City on his tour bus, the Checkerlicious Express, Checker said he was extremely excited about traveling to North Carolina to perform in concert at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino on Saturday, Feb. 28.

“My whole life is a holiday,” Checker told The Smoky Mountain News during a telephone interview. “The biggest event in the music industry and the number one song on the planet is coming to Cherokee and it’s going to blow the house down.”

Chubby before the Checker

Checker was born Ernest Evans on Oct. 3, 1941, in Spring Gulley, S.C., and remembers his childhood fondly.

“All good stuff happened in South Carolina. I had to do hard work and we lived on a farm where I had to clean pens,” Checker said.

When Checker was 7 he moved with his family to South Philadelphia. His mother took him to see the child piano prodigy Sugar Child Robinson and the famous country singer Ernest Tubb. The showbiz bug had bitten Checker. At the age of 11, he joined a street corner harmony group.

Early musical influences that made on impression on Checker were Perry Como, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.

During his high school years, Checker played the piano and began making a name for himself with vocal impressions.

He had an after-school job at Fresh Farm Poultry and the Produce Market, where he would sing and crack jokes. His boss, Tony A., was the one who gave him the nickname “Chubby.”

Henry Colt, the storeowner of Fresh Farm Poultry soon caught sight and sound of Checker and began showing him off to his customers through the store’s loudspeaker.

It wasn’t long before Colt arranged for Checker to meet with Dick Clark. Clark was impressed with young vocalist, and in 1959 Checker recorded his first hit with the Christmas single, “The Class.”

Upon being asked what his name was by Clark’s wife, Bobbie, Checker replied “Chubby.” Clark’s wife came up with “Checker,” which was a play on Fats Domino, who Checker had imitated earlier.

The big break and beyond

Checker’s big break came that same year as he appeared on the popular TV show “American Bandstand.”

Hank Ballard and the Midnighters didn’t show up for an appearance on the show, and Clark asked Checker to cover the group’s hit “The Twist.” The song became a Number One hit and the dance craze took hold of America.

The dance encouraged boys and girls to jive separately from each other, changing the teen beat with rippling effects for the future.

“I gave them something they can use 24/7,” Checker said. “When I hear the music of today, I hear the influences of yesterday.”

Launching into the 60s, “The Twist” found a resurgence in the “Peppermint Twist,” “Twist and Shout,” and “Twistin’ the Night Away.”

With each new song came new dance moves such as “The Jerk,” “The Hully Gully,” “The Boogaloo,” and “The Hucklebuck.”

Checker had hit after hit, and in 1961 he recorded “Pony Time,” which went to Number One and stayed there for 16 weeks. Checker took time to star in the films, “Don’t Knock The Twist” and “Twist Around The Clock.”

Making record industry history in 1961, Checker’s original hit “The Twist” re-entered the charts, and by 1962 the song was at Number One again. No other song before or since has accomplished that achievement.

“The Twist” spent a total of nine months on the charts.

Checker tried his hand at other musical genres including folk, country and reggae, and he admits that he is his own worst critic.

Being in the music business since the age of 18, Checker said if he had pursued another career he would have “built skyscrapers and been a landlord.”

Snack Attack

Almost a decade ago, Checker branched out into the snack food business honoring 40 years of “The Twist” with Chocolate Checker Bars, beef jerky, hot dogs, steaks, and popcorn, including Girl of the World Water which he dedicated to his wife.

“From candy bars to hotdogs, every time you pick up a Chubby Checker snack you’ll know about our history and how we affected lives,” Checker said.

With plans of a Chubby Checker Smokehouse in the works for the end of the year, Checker keeps cruising his Checkerlicious Express with inventive ways to twist again.

For more information on Checker or his snacks visit www.chubbychecker.com.

By Marth Teater • Guest Columnist

The Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County has served the medical needs of our community since 1999. In 2007 the clinic started a mental health program funded by two multi-year grants. Funding for the program ended in 2008, and the clinic has been utilizing funds from individuals in the community to sustain the program until funds become available.

We have applied for funding from three major grantors, but even if we get those grants, funds will not be available until the summer. Without immediate funding the clinic will be hard pressed to find money to continue the program.

In 2008 the Good Samaritan Clinic provided over 1,400 therapy visits at no cost to the patients. Currently the clinic has two mental health counselors on staff. Both have master’s degrees and several years of experience. The clinic also utilizes volunteer counselors and student interns.

Clinic patients may receive up to eight individual counseling visits with one of the clinic counselors to help improve their mental and physical well-being.

We anticipate serving more than 1,680 patients in 2009. At about $100 per visit, we are providing $168,000 worth of visits per year for $50,400 since our counselors work for a much reduced rate. The savings to our community are significant.

The clinic is supported by area churches, individuals, civic groups, and grantors. Haywood County and the United Way contribute as well. This support helps the clinic to continue to provide medical services to uninsured adults in our county.

“Our general operating funds are not used for the mental health program,” said Donda Bennett, executive director for GSC. “This program operates solely on grant funding and donations.”

Although funds were applied for in early 2009 the clinic will not find out if they are being funded until early June. The only way to continue this program is to appeal to the community for emergency funds.

Current clinic counselors are Art Dosch and Sequoyah Rich. Both are master’s level practitioners with a wealth of experience and a desire to serve those in need. I am the director of mental health services and oversee the counseling program of the clinic.

The counselors work as a team with the health care providers; medical director Don Teater, MD, and Kristin Gruner, PA. This coordination of care has tremendous advantages to more traditional models of care that treat mental and physical health separately.

The clinic has the capacity to provide about 140 client visits monthly, or 1,600 annually. Providing this mental health care benefits the entire community in many ways. By keeping people emotionally stable we will see a reduction in emergency room and urgent care visits, fewer interventions needed by law enforcement, and healthier individuals and families.

To find out more about the Good Samaritan Clinic contact executive director Donda Bennett at 828.454.5487 or visit the Web site at www.gschaywood.org.

(Teater is available to discuss the mental health program at 828.454.5287, ext.1009, or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The clinic provides speaker and programs to any community group. Donations are tax deductible. To designate a donation for the mental health program note that on the check. Mail donations to Good Samaritan Clinic, 34 Sims Circle, Waynesville, N.C., 28786.)

What would surprise someone the most about the Appalachian culture?

Well, assuming that they are not Appalachian, it would probably be the fact that we have nothing in common with the stereotypes. I remember teaching a class at the Mountain Retreat near Highlands and encountered several enrollees who were afraid to go “downtown,” because they had encountered so many people with gun racks in their trucks as they drove up the mountain. Their assumption was that Appalachians are so prone to violence, they go armed everywhere. They had never encountered people who fish and hunt. That is just one classic example of the bias that I encountered in elder hostel classes. I used to use a book entitled Appalachia: The First and Last Frontier. The first sentence summed it up. It stated that there was no geographic area in the U.S. more misunderstood than Appalachia.

If you had to describe the Appalachian culture in one sentence, what would that be?

People who have retained a profound awareness of their heritage and traditions.

What is the biggest contribution the mountain culture has given to our society?

Probably our ability to co-exist with the natural world.

What do you think is the biggest collective fear of Appalachians?

That they will be erased. The steady encroachment of concrete, industry and technology could plow us all under.

Is there one Appalachian folklore that stands apart from the others?

There is a lot of Appalachian folklore that deals with a single individual who is pitted against daunting odds, but retains his identity: outlaws, musicians and a few “public officials.”

Why is knowing local folklore worth while?

Well, it defines who were are and what we value. English folklore is different from Italian folklore, for example, and yet both demonstrate what that culture values.

What is your favorite aspect about teaching?

My favorite aspect of teaching is the “exchange” that flows between teacher and students.

By Sandi Simons-Crawford

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is one of very few perennial vegetables. A properly managed bed will produce for 15 years or more. The taste of fresh asparagus from your garden rewards your initial effort and patience.

Varieties

The Jersey series (Jersey Knight, Jersey Giant, Jersey Gem and others) are all-male hybrids that produce twice as many spears as older heirloom strains. They are resistant to major asparagus diseases and can be harvested the year after planting. Mary Washington is the standard heirloom variety. Purple Passion has thick deep burgundy spears that turn green when cooked; used raw in salads they provide extra color and crunch.

Plant 10 crowns (5 if planting the Jersey hybrids) for each family member to have enough asparagus for fresh table use.

Soil Preparation

The soil must be light and well drained for asparagus spears to grow straight. Don’t walk on the bed after the initial digging, as it compacts the soil. Full sun is best.

Prepare the bed a couple of months before spring planting. Cultivate the soil about 16 inches deep, breaking up clumps and working in organic amendments to assure good drainage. Don’t use peat moss; it will increase the soil’s acidity. Work compost into the top 3 or 4 inches.

Then take soil samples 12 inches deep, and deliver the samples to the Extension Center for testing. The test report will tell you if you need to add anything else. The ideal pH range is 6.0 to 6.7.

Planting

Crowns should be planted 12 inches apart, with rows at least 3 feet apart. Allow space for a path between rows so you can tend the bed without damaging the plants. Plant in late April or early May. Dig a trench 8 inches deep and wide enough to allow the roots to spread out. Place the crowns in the trench with the buds pointing upward, and cover with 2 inches of soil. Add a high phosphate starter fertilizer. Add soil around the plants 2 or 3 times during the next few weeks as the plants grow, until the trench is filled and you have a slight mound to prevent puddles.

Feeding & annual care

Asparagus is a heavy feeder. Follow the soil test recommendations. On average soils that have not been tested, broadcast a complete fertilizer (like 5-10-10) in mid-March at the rate of 2 to 5 pounds per 100 square feet, then add a second application at the end of the cutting season. Organic growers should add regular applications of compost or well-rotted manure during spring and summer.

Keep free of weeds and water deeply. Heavy hay, straw or leaf mulch may be applied in mid-summer. The ferns that grow feed the roots; don’t cut them back until they die naturally in the fall.

Harvesting

Do not harvest asparagus the first growing season. Harvest the second year for a short period (two weeks maximum). This allows the plants to become established. After the second year harvest for 6 to 8 weeks each year. Cut or snap the spears at ground level, but be careful not to damage spears that have not yet emerged. Asparagus develops fiber rapidly after harvest, so wash and cool immediately.

Sandi Simons-Crawford is a Master Gardener Volunteer in Haywood County. For more information call the Haywood County Extension Center at 828.456.3575.

When it comes to caring for the mentally ill in North Carolina, there’s been very little good news over the last few years. A 2001 attempt to radically reform the state’s mental health system has been, by nearly unanimous opinion, a disaster. It has wasted millions of dollars and created a system that has too little oversight of patient care, too few facilities, and too much opportunity for mismanagement at the local level.

The breadth of these problems, however, is exactly why a new psychiatric unit at Haywood Regional Medical Center that’s being praised by mental health professionals is so promising, and why it might be the model to start fixing some of what’s gone so wrong over the last several years.

The new 16-bed unit at HRMC opened in November and was paid for with a state grant that also funded another wing at another hospital. The hope was the regional units would reduce the waiting list for patients to get into a long-term bed at Broughton Hospital in Morganton. The Broughton facility is way overcrowded and has suffered its own woes. Besides, those in need of immediate psychiatric help can run into serious problems if they have to put off professional care. It became a very dangerous situation for patients when they could find no facility to check into when their problems needed medical attention.

The new unit at HRMC helps solve of these issues. For one, patients can get care closer to home, which allows more interaction with family members they trust and depend on. The new facility is run under a model that allows the patient to take part in the cure. The program allows patients to make choices about how to structure their day, similar to what life is like on the “outside,” where many of these patients will soon return to and begin taking care of themselves.

“It’s a support network that gives you the strength you don’t have outside,” a 20-year-old patient told The Smoky Mountain News.

The new center’s early success is worth noting. Doug Trantham, interim director of Smoky Mountain Mental Health, said the region has had its lowest transfer rate to Broughton in recent memory. Two other hospitals are looking at the HRMC model with an eye toward possibly replicating it. There’s also hope that the Balsam Adult Recovery Unit may re-open. It closed when the HRMC wing opened because there was only enough trained staff to operate one of the units. When that happens, there will be even more options for patients in Western North Carolina who are in need of residential mental health care.

We’ve got a long way to go before we solve the crisis confronting this state’s mental health system. But increasing the number of available local beds — and increasing the opportunity to receive the necessary treatment right here at home — is a good first step toward helping patients gain access to the kind of treatment they need.

By Brent Martin • Guest Columnist

In an article in Blue Ridge Country magazine, author and professor Steve Nash provided a bleak overview of what climate change means here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Most significant are current predictedions for increasing temperatures, including a boost in the number of days over 90 degrees (75 a year predicted by 2080), and record drought (coupled with record intensity storms).

Changes such as these will alter the face of this ancient landscape in ways that we can hardly imagine. Iconic Appalachian creatures such as brook trout are expected to lose 50 to 90 percent of their habitat by 2080, and woodland salamanders dependent upon soil moisture could be wiped out altogether. High-elevation spruce-fir forest would also suffer. And these are but a handful of the projected impacts.

Given that climate change is now considered indisputable by every leading science organization in the world, one would think that as citizens we would be more alarmed and thus determined to make every change we can in order to reverse the momentum of this seemingly irreversible trend. Yet, according to some polls, almost half of all Americans are unsure that climate change is occurring. I suppose this is not surprising given the Bush administration’s denial of the issue for eight years, along with the limited media attention and public understanding. However, with the advent of the Obama administration, not only do we have immediate recognition of the issue but prompt action.

One of the administration’s first actions was the creation of an Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets. This office will be part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which includes the U.S. Forest Service and its 193 million acres of public land. The mission of this office will be to connect industrial emitters of carbon dioxide (CO2) with private landowners to plant new forests or crops to absorb their CO2 emissions. This could be a good thing for us here in Western North Carolina, where national forests make up over a million acres and private forest land totals another two million. Such incentives for forest and farmland conservation could be part of a broader agenda for our region to become agriculturally independent, to conserve our remaining working forests, and to mitigate the projected impacts of climate change.

With this “new climate” in Washington, and in anticipation of climate change impacts to our region, Warren Wilson College, The Wilderness Society, and Orion Magazine have come together to launch their first annual Headwaters Gathering March 27 to 29 at Warren Wilson. As our region is the source of drinking water for millions of downstream residents and is home to the East’s coal fields, the conference is aptly subtitled “Southern Appalachia at the Crossroads.” The conference will focus on the impacts of climate change in the region and what these impacts will mean to our economy, environment, and community well being.

Keynote speaker Herman Daly will be joined by activists Majora Carter and Winona LaDuke, retired coal miner Chuck Nelson, and renowned environmental educator David Orr. Also presenting are NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center scientist Thomas Peterson, author and activist Janisse Ray, New York Times writer Andrew Revkin, and National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger.

From a town meeting with expert panelists, to intimate sessions with inspired leaders, the Headwaters Gathering will engage a broad array of citizens and inspire a new network of problem solvers. Registration and information is available at www.headwatersgathering.org.

(Brent Martin is the Southern Appalachian Director for the Wilderness Society, and his office is in Franklin. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer

Movie stars are coming to Cullowhee. With a snip here and a dye job there, hair stylists will be battling the gift of glam in Hair Wars for the second annual fundraiser Feb. 21 at WCU’s Ramsey Center.

Five salons from Jackson, Swain and Macon counties will present hair models representing this year‘s theme of “The Movies.”

Salons competing are Cristal and Company and Les Gens Beaux of Sylva, Shear Madness of Franklin, and Hairport of Cullowhee.

Potential movie characters possibly making an appearance are Scarlett O’Hara, Marilyn Monroe, James Bond, Mary Poppins and Princess Leia among other notable celebrities from the 1920s to today.

Textures salon from Bryson City took home the trophy for the first competition last year whose theme was “Rock Stars of the 80s.”

Greg Wright, owner of Textures, came up with this year’s theme.

“We wanted to make it as appealing as possible and let artists define it,” Wright said. “It was an evening of silly fun, and everybody really exceeded my expectations.”

Recruiting was easier this year for Wright who plans on having between 12 and 20 hair models.

Wright will transform his models’ hair the day of the event.

Last year it took four hours to makeover one of Wright’s clients as Annie Lennox, the lead singer of Eurythmics.

From transforming clients into movie stars as well as helping those with disabilities, the salon owner is thrilled to be involved with this competition.

“I enjoy the fact that it is something crazy and on behalf of something for the community,” Wright said.

No wigs or synthetic hair is allowed in the competition. Hair styles showcased will be real hair that has been colored, cut and styled.

Each salon will have about 10 minutes to present their movie models. The models plan to debut their hairdos in costume to music that best represents the film or character they portray.

There will be makeovers, cutting edge hairstyles and talent demonstrations featured during the family friendly affair as well.

Over 200 people attended Hair Wars last year, and the event raised $2,000.

The first place winner will receive a plaque, trophy and half the entry fee. Second and third place winners will be awarded plaques and thirty percent of the entry fee.

Funds raised will go to Pathways for the Future, Center for the Independent Living. Pathways is a non-profit organization that helps people with disabilities maintain an independent lifestyle. The program serves about 650 people in 14 Western North Carolina counties.

Admission is $10 in advance; $12 at the door for adults; $8 for children ages 3 to 13; children under 3 are free.

Tickets are available at Pathways and participating salons.

For more information call 828.631.1167 or 828.586.1570.

Sylva’s current library opened in 1970 and is 6,400 square feet. The debate over where to locate a new library lasted more than eight years, with commissioners finally deciding to build it as an attachment to the historic and beloved Jackson County Courthouse.

• 1999 – County leaders decide to tear down the historic Hooper House on Main Street to expand the library, but opposition mounts among those who want to save the historic structure.

• Dec. 2000 — Those fighting to save the Hooper House prevail. Renovation to the Hooper House gets underway to serve as the home for the chamber of commerce, Jackson County Travel and Tourism Association, and Sylva Partners in Renewal. Library supporters are left looking for a site for a much-needed library expansion.

• May 2003 — The idea to partner with Southwestern Community College for a joint library on the SCC campus in Webster has been gaining steam. County commissioners see the SCC joint venture as a way to save money, but it creates deep division among those who want to keep the library downtown. A public hearing on the issue attracts more than 200 people, most against the joint library.

• Jan. 2004 — Jackson commissioners, spurred by opposition to the joint SCC-Jackson County library proposal that culminated in the creation of a group called Build Our Library Downtown (BOLD), put plans on hold and appoint a task force to select a new library site.

• March 2004 — N.C. Board of Elections denies Jackson’s request to hold a non-binding referendum to gauge public sentiment on the idea of a joint library with SCC.

• July 2004 — The search for a library site has left task force members, commissioners, town leaders, opposition groups, and the Friends of the Library members torn. Many favored the historic courthouse, but it was dismissed as unfeasible. Finally, commissioners settle on a parcel located near the site of the old Western Sizzlin’ steakhouse in Jackson Plaza. The Sylva town board agrees to contribute $105,000 to the cost of the property. The property was purchased in September, but many still oppose the site. Even the town considers it a compromise, keeping it close to town but not in downtown proper.

• June 2007 — Jackson commissioners pledged $4.2 million to build a new library, but the location is again being questioned. The board had significant turnover during the last election, with three out of five members being new. Commissioners William Shelton and Tom Massie agree to set aside the money but re-open the debate about where to site the library.

• Oct. 2007 — Library site selection debate finally ends with a 3-2 vote by commissioners to construct the library next to the historic courthouse overlooking downtown Sylva. The renewal of the courthouse property as a potential site for a new library was spearheaded by Commissioner William Shelton.

• June 2008 — Architectural plans for the new library on courthouse hill are well-received by library supporters and project continues to move forward. Cost, including historic courthouse renovations, are pegged at $7.9 million.

• Jan. 2009 — County commissioners pledge to move forward with construction despite recession. Fundraising for the library furnishings reaches its half-way point.

Courtney Boessel’s “Patchwork Community” was chosen as the winning entry for Waynesville’s new police station paver design as part of a contest sponsored by the Waynesville Public Art Commission.

The contest was designed to build community — and also to build public awareness of town history — and was open to Tuscola High School art students.

Given the theme “A Heritage of Service and Friendship,” the students were asked to submit sketches of a brick paver design to be installed at the outdoor plaza area in front of Waynesville’s new police station. The design concept needed to be site specific, reflecting the history and past uses of the location. In the past it had been a livery stable, a town hall, chamber of commerce, fire and police departments and the Downtown Waynesville Association headquarters. The site has also served as a gathering place, promoting fellowship among citizens and visitors, during numerous festivals including Folkmoot.

Three sketches were chosen as finalists from among those presented by Tuscola teacher Donna Rhodes’ art class. In addition to Bowessel the finalists were Kelsey Jaynes’ “Tri-umphant” and Patrick Burke’s and Cory Plott’s joint effort titled “Where We All Come Together.” Boessel, submitted her drawing titled, “Patchwork Community.” The three finalists made a formal presentation, each with a detailed rendering and written explanation of their concept, to a selection committee consisting of citizens and town officials.

Boessel explained that her concept pays homage to the venerable craft of quilting. The focal point of the walkway in her design is a giant log cabin square, a popular quilting pattern in our region. “From the log cabin days of early pioneers to the thriving commerce and growth of our town today, we are a patchwork of cultural diversity, strength, talent, accomplishment and promise,” she said.

The two finalists were awarded $250, and Boessel was awarded $750. All three drawings will be on display in the lower level of the Haywood County Public Library on Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville, beginning Feb. 14.

Established in 2006, the Waynesville Public Art Commission was appointed by the Town of Waynesville to develop a public art plan. Choosing themes that are unique to Waynesville, the commission’s purpose is to bring art to public sites, resulting in a permanent art trail for residents and visitors to enjoy.

The commission dedicated its inaugural piece titled “Old Time Music” in October 2008 at the corner of Miller and Main street in downtown Waynesville.

To learn more about the Waynesville Public Art Commission and their projects, contact the Downtown Waynesville Association at 828.456.3517, or visit the Town of Waynesville Web site at www.townofwaynesville.org and press on the public art tab.

Environmental groups in Macon County are joining forces to tackle the scourge of exotic plants along the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin.

Exotic plants undermine the natural ecosystem, pushing out native plants and the wildlife that depend on them. The Greenway Invasives Partnership includes Friends of the Greenway, the Western North Carolina Alliance and the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee.

A growing network of volunteers has already launched an on-the-ground offensive to stem the tide of exotics, showing the potential for a comprehensive project to manage exotics on the greenway.

A roundtable meeting and lunch for those interested in joining the partnership will be held in Franklin on Wednesday, Feb. 25, to hear presentations and discuss plans for a partnership. Contact 828.524.3899 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The first Friday in February came with some bad news for the Swain County School District and systems around the state. Word came from Raleigh that school budgets would be cut by 7 percent in the upcoming fiscal year.

The Swain school system already trimmed costs by $75,000 in December when the state called on schools statewide to send back a small percent of their current budgets. Schools were bracing for more cutbacks , but didn’t know how much.

“In the beginning, they were saying between 2 and 7 percent, but realistically around 4 percent,” said Steve Claxton, community schools coordinator. “Now they’re saying no, it’s looking more drastic than we first projected.”

A worst case scenario could call for 7 percent budget cut, which would amount to $952,000. While the exact amount won’t be known for some time, administrators are bracing for some tough decisions.

“We’re going to take a pretty serious cut. That’s plain and simple,” said Claxton. “Everybody knows that. The revenues just aren’t there.”

Layoffs are now a very real possibility, and likely a necessity. Hopefully the school system can achieve a workforce reduction through attrition. For the past two years, between 15 and 17 teachers retired at the end of the school year. If the same scenario happened this year, the school could chose not to fill vacancies and naturally reduce the number of paid positions. But that won’t be the case.

“We don’t have those numbers this year, so it’s really concerning us,” said Claxton. “This year we’re looking at people if they even are qualified to retire.”

The school also loses a certain number of teachers every year who move to other counties. But if there aren’t enough teachers in that category, the school may have to broaden its scope, he said.

Talk of layoffs has caused a cloud to hang over the schools.

“It’s creating a real feeling of uneasiness,” said Claxton.

What a great way to earn public trust: a public body decides that minutes from closed sessions no longer need to be secret, and therefore it periodically votes to make them public.

That’s what the Franklin Town Alderman Bob Scott asked the Franklin board to do. Scott was concerned about the information in one particular set of minutes, but he also understood what he was doing. If the town adopted a formal policy, the public would be a lot better informed as to what went on behind closed doors when aldermen lawfully shut out the public from their debate.

Here’s the deal about closed meetings and public bodies. The North Carolina Open Meetings Law gives public bodies seven lawful reasons to close their discussions. Those seven reasons are clearly defined, and minutes must be kept. How detailed those minutes are depends on each group of elected officials, but it must be discernible what was being discussed and who was saying what.

Once the reason for going into the closed meeting is past — say an industry has finished negotiations and announced plans to build — then the minutes become a part of the public record.

Most boards — including Franklin’s — adhere to the letter of the law. But what becomes of those closed session minutes? Reporters and the public seldom request them. In truth, most of what took place in those meetings is never revealed despite the fact that taxpayers and voters could gain valuable insight from them.

We think Franklin should have set itself up as the most open board around. It did not change its policy, but merely formalized what’s already taking place: once every few months, its attorney will review closed session minutes and determine if they can be released. That’s OK, but the public would be better served by the policy Scott proposed.

Franklin Alderman Bob Scott is to be commended for his commitment to open government. The public and elected officials need to understand that nothing has to be discussed in closed session, that the law gives public bodies a few exceptions where they are allowed — if they choose — to go behind closed doors. Some personnel matters probably should be discussed privately, but many times it seems public bodies close their meetings when the reasons for doing so seem suspect.

Franklin’s isn’t a bad policy, but we think a better one is to formally include closed session minutes in board packets whenever the reason for closing the meeting has passed. Rather than have an attorney make the decision, we think elected officials or the manager could more easily — and cheaply — make that call. The onus for conducting the public’s business in the open is on the elected officials, and they will suffer the fallout if they wrongfully shut the door on their constituents.

By Karen Dill • Guest Writer

The weather in February can be as fickle as new love. In the mountains of North Carolina, the wind can howl through the ridges like a scorned lover or the day can be as soft and gentle as a lover’s kiss. I’ve seen snow fall nonstop for a week in February and I’ve seen daffodils and crocus pop up through the snow with fresh optimistic faces turned toward the dazzling sun. Weather prediction in February is a crap shoot. More predictable is the mountain terrain, the color of the February sky and the chill in your bones that only a bowl of hot soup can remedy.

The Februarys of my youth are bleak in my memory. The days were short; the evenings chilly; the days raw and all without the benefit of television or telephone to break the monotony. The longest month of the year, I thought, despite the shortest number of days. Yet it was in this dreary month that I experienced what seemed to be first love, or at least a serious crush.

The boy that I met at a forbidden Halloween dance (I had told my fundamental Baptist parents that it was a fall church social) liked me. He hailed from the big town of Canton and I lived in the backwoods of Bethel. He held my hand and my heart leapt. He called me at my cousin Vicky Lynn’s house for her family had a phone and I would stammer hopelessly. He sent love letters via a friend as we went to different schools and I read and reread them as I hid them under the mattress of my bed. Despite the fact that this was the first boy to take a liking to me, I was sure this would be the love of my life, my future husband. I was smitten.

Our romance lasted through Christmas and New Year’s Day. I was a sneaky and rather clever participant. I attended Bible study and went to the youth outings at both my church and my cousin’s church and it was during the attendance at my cousin’s more liberal Baptist church that I would meet up with my — dare I say it — boyfriend. My parents thought I might be headed for sainthood with all of the church activities that I was attending, but I was secretly making out with The Boy of My Dreams in the back of the church van and holding hands on the back pew of the church. As I quietly worried that this could be my ticket to Hell, I was helpless to stop the allure of first love.

When Valentine’s Day rolled around, it never occurred to me that my young suitor would present a gift, as my family rarely acknowledged the day. Being a town boy, he evidently did not know the ways of hard-core mountain men like my father who thought little of their young 14-year-old daughters having a suitor and less of young men who had the nerve to show up in the yard with a store-bought box of Valentine candy. The poor boy never made it to the door. My father met him on the porch, shotgun in hand, and told him to hit the road. He did, and to this day I don’t know became became of the box of candy.

I was crushed, embarrassed beyond words. Mad as an old wet hen, I burst into tears and stomped through our small frame house with an indignation that shock the rafters. I resolved to stay angry forever and vowed that I would never forgive my father. My mother gathered me in her arms, patted my back and suggested that we make a big pot of vegetable soup. It was a raw day outside and the bleak weather matched my mood, but I reckoned as how the chopping of raw vegetables might provide a substitute for further provoking my father.

As I chopped onions, carrots and potatoes, I sobbed hot tears of anger and humiliation. I would never have a boyfriend. I could never face my cousin or my friends. As I cried, my tears mixed with the chopped vegetables and I feared that the soup would be too salty or too bitter to the taste. My mother chatted on, ignoring my tears and angry chopping. She talked about her own adolescence and teenage humiliations, lost loves, and disappointing unions of the heart. At one point, she looked up soberly and replied, “No boy worth his salt runs away. I reckon as how they have to face up to your father or they won’t be worth a plug nickel.”

As it came to pass, my mother was right. Despite the boy’s future efforts to woo me, his cowardice in the presence of my father was unfortunately etched in my mind in a most unflattering way. Also etched in my mind was the beautiful memory of the warmth and flavor of that Valentine’s Day vegetable soup It was nectar for the bruised soul; balm for the open wound; and it warmed through the cracks of my broken heart.

From that time on, soup would be the magic elixir for hurt, disappointment and just plain sadness. Better than Prozac and Zoloft, the healing power of soup was immediate. The warm steam from the tomato and beef broth, the chunks of beef, and the hunks of vegetables dried my tears and eventually melted my frozen heart and I forgave my father. Much later in my life, another young man would bravely walk up those steps, stand up to my father and ultimately earn his respect. That young man would become my husband and would years later help me bury my father on a cold February day.

The power of soup was a lesson that I had learned early on and one that I passed on to my children. When tears of frustration and sobs of hurt from teenage angst filled the kitchen, I would pull out the pots and hand over the knives to my children. Zach became a pro at chopping vegetables (later buying me a beautiful set of good knives) and Anna learned how to blend basil with tomatoes for a delectable tomato basil soup. We would talk and as tears fell into the broths, life would begin to look better and the soups were once again seasoned from the heart. The savory broths were never too salty or bitter.

There were very few problems that a good bowl of soup and a wedge of cornbread or sour dough bread could not solve. When my husband, Tom, returned home from the hospital last year after a mild heart attack, he healed with steaming bowls of chicken noodle soup that my Cherokee friends had brought to us. During a blizzard a few years back, I was able to heat soup over an open fire in our old fireplace and we were able to survive the lack of electricity for four days.

As the February winds howl, I pull out the pots and remember the past. I smile at the memory of a young girl sobbing tears of sadness for a first love. The young girl, now a woman of indeterminable age, knows that soup is a far more powerful gift than a cheap heart-shaped box of Valentine candy. I still cook soup most Valentine’s Day accompanied by a loaf of bread or cake of cornbread. Because I’m still somewhat of a romantic at heart, I also open a bottle of wine and slice a wedge of good cheese with a salad of mixed greens. I also make a dessert that is often sweet and tart — much like the kind of love I’ve experienced over the years.

My meal this year will be lentil soup with ham, sour cream cornbread, a smoked cheddar cheese and for dessert, a blackberry upside down cake with vanilla ice cream. Lentil soup is strong sturdy fare and it symbolizes the kind of love that I share with Tom. I have decided to serve a favorite salad that I created from a combination of my favorite ingredients. In years past, I have experimented with various soups throughout the seasons. I have tried a seafood stew, borscht, split pea soup, potato soup, and many varieties of vegetable soup but it is a thick savory soup that I will serve this Valentine’s Day. And though hopefully no tears will flavor the broth, I will throw in an extra pinch of salt for the memories.

The preparation of the soup is relatively simple. Lentils do not need soaking, only a rinse or two before boiling in water mixed with chicken stock. I add a ham bone from the freezer that I’ve saved from the Christmas baked ham. As the lentils cook slowly and the smell of smoked ham permeates the air, I sauté onions, celery, carrots, and some garlic (actually a lot as we are garlic lovers) in olive oil. I will add the mix of sautéed vegetables to the soup along with a couple of bay leaves, a pinch of oregano and basil, some crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. As the soup simmers for an hour or so, I bake the cornbread and prepare the salad. During the last few minutes of cooking, I will add some fresh spinach to the soup and cook until it wilts.

The salad consists of a bed of mixed greens topped with a sauté of sliced Asian pears and English walnuts in butter, brown sugar and a few sprinkles of ginger. The mixture is served warm over the greens and topped with a raspberry vinaigrette (slightly heated in the microwave), a few dried cranberries and crumbled Stilton cheese. The tart vinaigrette and the sharp cheese blend wonderfully with the sweet fruit mixture. This particular evolved through several salad experiments and has become one of my family’s favorite.

As I prepare the finishing touches on this particular Valentine dinner, I am reminded that recipes (like love) require time to evolve. Each new rendering provides another opportunity to improve or add an extra element. For the soup, I decide to top it with some shaved Parmesan cheese. I mix butter and cream cheese to spread over the cornbread instead of the usual margarine. The dessert takes a turn when I find some beautiful raspberries and blueberries as well as the blackberries for the blackberry upside down cake. It seems that the cake will have spontaneous additions and will take on a new dimension with the vanilla ice cream.

Cooking (like love) requires some planning but its beauty is in the intuitiveness and spontaneousness of its actions. It is an act of abandon; a dance of joy. Creativity trumps rules and with a dash of this and a dash of that, a dish (and a relationship) takes on life and spirit. It is reflective of the soul of the chef or the lover. Every sweet, tart, and fiery taste comes together in a beautiful dance. Even tears add flavor and essence.

Western Carolina University is leading the way in a state mandate to cut energy production on college campuses.

WCU has already reached the state target of reducing energy consumption by 30 percent by the year 2015, making it the first and only university to reach the goal so far.

WCU Energy Manager Lauren Bishop, who has led efforts to reduce energy consumption on campus, organized last week’s fair on energy and the environment. The goal of the fair was to promote sustainability, which she defined as “meeting the needs of today without compromising future generations.”

The university is doing the best it can to reduce its energy consumption, Bishop said. While WCU had a $4.8 million utility bill last year, that’s $600,000 lower than it had been — a reduction achieved by using natural gas instead of petroleum and taking other steps such as using electric vehicles.

During the fair, WCU Chancellor John Bardo touted WCU’s energy reduction accomplishments. The 30 percent cut in fossil fuel consumption was based on 2002-2003 levels.

Universities account for 52 percent of the state governments total energy use, according to Reid Conway, program manager for the state Energy Office in Asheville, who served as keynote speaker at the event.

North Carolina ranks 12th in energy consumption and is expected to see a 28 percent increase in energy use between 2005 and 2020.

About $200 million was spent on energy in state buildings in 2006.

The state consumed 180.9 million barrels of oil in 2006, he said.

Conway believes the state will make progress thanks to a new law passed by the state legislature that requires power companies to get 3 percent of their power from renewable resources by 2012 and 12.5 percent by 2021. Using renewable resources such as wind, thermal, geothermal and biomass, can improve air quality, Conway said.

More efficient building codes and water conservation also need to be employed in the state to help the environment, he said.

People should be encouraged to conserve energy because it costs $3,555 a year for a family making $10,000 to $30,000, he said.

Lentil Soup

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 carrots, diced

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon dried basil

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

• 2 cups dry lentils

• 8 cups water

• 1/2 cup spinach, rinsed & thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons vinegar

• salt to taste

• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese.

Sour Cream Cornbread

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 3/4 cup low-fat sour cream, room temperature

• 1/2 cup skim milk

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400°F Coat a 9” x 9” pan with nonstick spray.

Sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, brown sugar and baking powder together in a mixing bowl.

Stir in the eggs, sour cream, milk and butter with a wooden spoon until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not overmix.

Pour into the pan and bake until golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. The cornbread is done when a small knife inserted in the center comes out dry. Best when served warm from the oven.

Blackberry (and raspberry and blueberry) Upside Down Cake

• 2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (12 ounces)

• 1/2 cup plus

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

• Accompaniment: vanilla ice cream

• Special equipment:

parchment paper

preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line bottom of a buttered 8- by 2-inch round cake pan with 2 rounds of parchment paper, then butter parchment. Dust pan with some flour, knocking out excess.

Arrange blackberries in 1 layer in cake pan. Sprinkle berries with 11/2 tablespoons sugar and shake pan to help distribute sugar.

Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix at low speed until just incorporated. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 batches, mixing at low speed until just incorporated.

Spoon batter evenly over berries, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until top is golden and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert a large plate over pan and, using pot holders to hold plate and pan together tightly, flip cake onto plate. Peel off parchment and serve cake with ice cream.

By Anna Fariello • Guest Columnist

OK, so I have to admit that part of the appeal of the Dillsboro/Duke battle appeals to me in the same way that David and Goliath inspired me as a child. Small-town-takes-on-giant-corporation has the makings of movie. While I am into confession, I should admit that I don’t quite get the science arguments, although I am sure there is soundness on both sides of the issue. But overall, it is my practical nature that wonders — if Duke doesn’t want this dam, why can’t Dillsboro have it? The entire battle seems ludicrous as I imagine corporate fat cats strategizing on how to take such a little dam down, plotting where to strategically plant sticks of dynamite.

When I taught in Central America almost 10 years ago, I was struck by how historically significant archeological sites lived side-by-side with spontaneous soccer matches. In this country we protect our national treasures with guided tours and admission fees. Did those ball-kicking children realize that they were in the holy presence of history? There I was sent to teach collections care and soccer was, indeed, not in the preservationist’s handbook.

As the semester progressed and I became more familiar with those sites, my initial shock gave way to an appreciation of what is commonly called “patrimonio” in Latin America. We have a comparable word in English — patrimony — but in cultures where personal property rights reign, the word does not carry the same weight of meaning. Indeed, my Webster’s definition is particularly lacking, defining patrimony as “property inherited from one’s father.” A more professional definition, and one shared by Latin America and other countries, might better define it as “property of the people,” or I should say “property of The People.”

The Dillsboro dam has been around for the better part of a century. It has only been the property of Duke Power since 1988. In the hearts and minds of many Jackson County citizens, the dam is part of their cultural landscape as sure as Cowee Mountain and the Tuckesegee. It is a sweet and picturesque spot, a place to pause and drink in the view.

Most people are familiar with the National Register of Historic Places, the federal program that designates historic buildings and sites as significant to our country’s heritage. Indeed, Dillsboro recently received such designation for the historic Monteith House, bestowing both honor to the town and making the property eligible for tax rehabilitation credits. State law also provides for lesser-known designations, those called historic landmarks and historic districts, which are more local in nature. These designations do not require the same stringent nomination process, nor do they bestow the same benefits as the National Register, but they do enable local governments and citizens to take advantage of a number of credible preservation tools.

Historic landmarks and historic districts are administered by the N. C. Office of Archives and History and governed by specific North Carolina law. Local landmarks are designations that are applied to buildings or structures that have historical, architectural, archeological, or cultural value. While designation is honor, it is also a mechanism to assist with preservation planning and cultural conservation.

The process is not particularly difficult, but state law is specific and the process must adhere to defined procedures. The first step is that the locality — county or a joint commission of county and town managers — must establish an historic preservation commission or historic landmarks commission. This is the body that investigates and designates historic landmarks or districts for the locality that it serves. The commission is created by an ordinance adopted by the local governing board. After a commission is established, the local governing board appoints its members and provides enough support for it to operate. It is the commission that has the authority to designate local landmarks and districts with the state providing guidance and recommendations.

A local historic landmark does not have to be a building. The state allows for sites and structures to be included in the process. Yes, dams are specifically named as a category of “structure.” Once a landmark or district is recommended, the state reviews the designation and makes recommendations. A public hearing must be held. Once process is complete, it is the county attorney who drafts an ordinance to declare a local landmark. Interestingly, the consent of the property owner is not required.

I have pondered the plight of Dillsboro, a town that has had to endure the abandonment of the train, one of its fondest attractions. I have read and re-read explanations of sedimentation and mitigation with a limited understanding. I’ve been proud of the steadfast determination of our local leaders (some would say stubbornness, I am sure) to keep up their fight. Some have proposed making the dam operational and, who knows, the new administration may very well provide federal incentives for this as part of President O’Bama’s efforts to create “green” jobs. The idea of the Dillsboro Dam given designation as a historic landmark is not so far-fetched as it may sound. Surprisingly, Duke Power studied the possibility for itself in 2003. The “Eligibility Study of Seven Hydroelectric Projects in the Nantahala Area, North Carolina” is on the web.

Thinking back to Panama Viejo — “Old Panama,” the archeological site mentioned at the start of this essay — I recall the crumbling stone tower that was threatened with collapse. The National Institute of Culture had mounted a campaign for its salvation, adopting the motto, “Salve Tu Tore” (Save Your Tower).

I still have the mug, given to me by students at the end of the course, with the motto that seemed to be everywhere I looked. In class, we had agreed on the importance of delivering a succinct message that would resonate with anyone regardless of their level of interest or understanding of larger interpretive issues. “Salve Tu Tore” was printed on banners in the street, on the sides of city buses, in large newspaper ads, on tote bags, and coffee mugs. While the professional in me would advise careful planning and deliberate forward motion, the little girl awestruck by the audacity of David is ready to start printing T-shirts.

(Anna Fariello is Director of the Craft Revival and From the Hands of our Elders, projects of Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library. She can be reached This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

Robert Conley, the Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies at Western Carolina University, is winner of the 2009 Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Oklahoma Center for the Book.

An enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Conley is a noted scholar and prolific author, with poems, short stories, articles and 80 books of fiction and nonfiction to his credit.

The Oklahoma Center for the Book, a state affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, encourages interest in books and reading. Named for the center’s first president, the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award is given annually and honors Oklahomans who have contributed to the state’s literary heritage. Past winners include Joy Harjo, S.E. Hinton, N. Scott Momaday and Tony Hillerman.

For more information about the Cherokee studies program at Western Carolina University, call 828.227.2306.

By Jane Young

Haywood County Master Gardeners had you in mind when they wrote The Gardener’s Guide to Growing in the Mountains. This latest edition of the garden almanac addresses the Western North Carolina gardener’s concerns with elevation, weather, soils, slopes, and a host of other influences on our gardening success.

And if you, like me, are a gardener who tends to over-plan and over-plant, struggling to stay on top of it all, you need this almanac. It hangs on the wall like a calendar, and each month’s page tells you what you need to be doing now. For instance, in February you should prune your roses before they leaf out. It’s also time to start seeds indoors for a spring crop of cabbage, broccoli, and kale. And there is still time to plant shrubs and trees when the ground is not frozen.

The almanac’s monthly ‘To-Do’ list is organized according to Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Shrubs and Trees, Lawns, and Miscellaneous. Even its format lessens that overwhelmed feeling when so much needs to be done in the garden.

This publication is easy on the eye throughout, but its page-long monthly lessons are substantial in their topics and coverage. Newcomers to the area will appreciate the discussion on questions to ask and to answer before starting to landscape a slope with an unfamiliar elevation. Illustrated directions in “Plant a Tree” and “Pruning Basics” give us all more confidence approaching these projects.

“Landscaping with Native Plants” is timely as more gardeners are concerned for the entire ecosystem surrounding us in these mountains. We’re also told how to water our gardens adequately without wasting water. “Lawn Care: Going Greener” helps us figure out what to do to maintain a lawn without harming water and air quality, and how to avoid over-use of fertilizers and insecticides.

Mountain gardeners learn right away that we share our space with birds, bats, bees, butterflies, and wild mammals that urban dwellers rarely see. “Landscaping for Wildlife: 10 Tips,” tells us precisely what we can do to support this magical community.

On a gloomier note, “The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid” gives basic information on how a tiny insect creates such devastation in our forests. You’ll find recommendations for controlling the loss of hemlocks on your property.

Nearly every page of the almanac has blurbs helpful to both new and seasoned gardeners. These aren’t the quirky tidbits that typically liven up a farmer’s almanac; they are sound, practical tips for the everyday gardener who is still learning. Short pieces on mulching, factoring in soil temperature, hardening off transplants, nurturing earthworms, identifying lady beetle larva and other useful topics—all have the voice of real gardeners, the kind with calloused hands and bib overalls.

If you use the web, you will appreciate the almanac’s detailed, step-by-step directions on “How to Get More Information on Gardening Topics.” You’ll be amazed at how much good, research-based information N.C. State University makes available to us.

You can get The Gardener’s Guide to Growing in the Mountains at the Haywood County Extension Center, 589 Raccoon Road, across from the Mountain Research Station test farm. Price of the almanac is $5, just barely above production costs. It’s a bargain.

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

Hickory Nut Gap Farm, a historic and scenic farm in Buncombe County, has been permanently protected through a conservation agreement with the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.

The family-owned farm raises livestock and grows produce found at several grocers, including Earth Fare in Asheville. In exchange for pledging conservation of the tract, the family received more than $1 million for protecting nearly 300 acres of the farm. The bulk of the money came from the N.C. Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, to the tune of $700,000. Matches came from the Buncombe County conservation fund and private donors.

The scenic farm is an important part of the landscape marked by the new state parks of Chimney Rock and Hickory Nut Gorge.

The farm straddles the designated Drovers Road Scenic Highway. Travelers of the road lodged at Sherrill’s Inn, the centerpiece of the farm.

The Clarke family faced a tough decision, as the property is in a prime spot for development, which could be lucrative for the family.

“But we looked at that and said, ‘no, we don’t want to do it,’” said Annie Clarke Ager, one of the landowners. Ager said the family is grateful to the citizens of the state for funding the conservation.

The farm is owned collectively by the six living children of the original property owners.

“The conservation easement is beneficial for family relationships because it settles important previously unanswered questions about how the family property will be managed and used in the future,” said Ager.

“This conservation easement was the only option our family had to keep our farm and forestland intact for future generations,” said Doug Clarke, part-owner of the property.

A recent court victory by the state of North Carolina will require the Tennessee Valley Authority to reduce emissions at four coal-fired power plants close to the state line and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Once these modifications are complete, it should substantially help clean the air we breathe every day. But we hope this decision is a tipping point in the long-term effort to force utilities, manufacturers and others to make use of the latest technologies as this country makes the move toward cleaner, smarter, and less use of polluting fossil fuels.

The TVA has long been a poster child for companies that embrace a philosophy whereby the environment always plays second fiddle to economics. Although some of its plants were modernized over the years, the utility giant also regularly relied on technicalities in the 1970 Clean Air Act to keep from meeting the law’s stated principles. Those interpretations of the law allowed TVA to modernize its plants without installing the newest pollution-control technologies.

That meant Western North Carolina and east Tennessee residents never benefited from the Clean Air Act as we should have. The dirty air from the giant coal-fired utility plants became the major contributor to dirty air that obscured mountain views, damaged trees, streams and wildlife, and led to asthma and other pulmonary-related illnesses in many residents, especially children and the elderly.

The court ruling could become very symbolic in the effort to convince other utilities and private companies to do a better job of cleaning their emissions and reducing them. North Carolina’s court case was preceded by the passage of its own Clean Smokestacks Act in 2002. North Carolina’s two utility giants — Progress Energy and Duke Energy — forged a compromise with legislators. The utilities would clean up their emissions while being allowed to slightly raise power bills to pay for the work. In other words, citizens paid to clean up their air.

The TVA ruling comes just as the Bush Administration is leaving office. That administration’s wars in the Middle East and its economic policies grabbed most of the headlines over the last eight years, but it also did little to lead with new ideas about energy and pollution. In fact, it continually sided with corporate lobbyists who argued to maintain the loopholes in the Clean Air Act.

The Obama administration is promising a different strategy. Our dependence on imported oil is seen as a foreign policy liability and our energy policy is viewed as outdated. By moving toward greener technology, smarter energy use and less reliance on coal and oil, jobs will be created and we will become the world leader in the emerging new energy industries.

North Carolina acted on its own to clean up its act, and TVA had to be ordered to do the right thing. In both cases, the right decision was made. Perhaps this victory for residents of Western North Carolina is symbolic of a new era where the flashpoint between the economy and energy doesn’t always mean sacrificing the environment. That would be a welcome change.

A new rule could make it easier to open up trails in national parks to mountain biking.

Mountain biking isn’t banned in national parks as a matter of course, although it is rare to find parks where it is allowed. Before allowing mountain bikes, a park must undergo an extensive environmental analysis heavily laden with opportunities for public comment.

The rule change would loosen the requirements, allowing what amounts to an “abbreviated analysis,” said Greg Kidd, a representative with the National Parks Conservation Association Asheville office. Needless to say, Kidd’s organization is against any truncation of the process.

“We feel strongly it is important to have the full analysis and that includes public participation and opportunity for the public to weigh in,” Kidd said.

But Kent Cranford, owner of Motion Makers bike shop in Sylva, thinks the current process is so arduous that it is essentially a barrier.

“This new rule change will make that process much easier. Right now it is an ugly process,” Cranford said.

Cranford said the rule change will streamline the process, not totally skirt it.

“My understanding is that it won’t remove any barriers of making sure mountain bikes aren’t going to damage anything. They are still going to have to go through the environmental process and the approval process,” Cranford said. But it wouldn’t be as burdensome, time consuming or costly to the park.

The rule change came at the suggestion of outgoing President Bush, a mountain biker himself, in his final days in office. The proposal could be dead in the water already, however.

“When Obama came in, they put a freeze on all rule changes that had been promulgated by the outgoing administration,” said Bob Miller, spokesperson for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “At the end of any administration there is a lot of rule making, or changing, as they go out the door. The new administration wants to catch their breath and decide which are in play. There is no telling when this one will move forward.”

A public comment period has been underway for the rule change and will expire Feb. 17.

To read the rule change, go to edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/E8-29892.htm. To comment, go to www.regulations.gov and use the code 1024-AD72.

— By Becky Johnson

By Bob Scott • Guest Columnist

A municipality would never think of electing a chief of police. But in North Carolina, sheriffs are elected like a high school popularity contest. When I tell people there are no qualifications required to run for sheriff, they are amazed.

Anyone can be elected sheriff without ever having completed first grade — although it’s not likely. A sheriff does not have to complete basic law enforcement training or have any law enforcement experience. This issue has surfaced again with the incident involving Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran.

Media reports say Cochran has had no law enforcement experience nor has he undergone basic law enforcement training. (The Smoky Mountain News, Jan. 21-26)

It is time for counties to do away with this archaic office bound by tradition and transfer the law enforcement function to professionals hired by and answerable to a commission or other oversight body. A county could still have an elected sheriff, who would be responsible for the jail, court security and civil process. The law enforcement function would be taken over by county police headed by an appointed chief. This would take partisan politics out of the law enforcement function, bring professionalism to the office, and establish accountability to the public.

Presently, the only control county commissioners have over a sheriff is his/her budget. Otherwise, the sheriff is not answerable to anyone for four years until he/she has to answer to the public at election time. Unfortunately, without any oversight, the public is often unaware of a sheriff’s effectiveness.

One argument to keep the office of sheriff is that it is the only office mentioned in the North Carolina Constitution. However, there is no mention in the constitution of the sheriff having law enforcement powers or protecting life and property.

Just for argument’s sake, here is a sampling of requirements some small towns are requiring in current advertisements for police chiefs:

• Archdale (Pop. 9,900) Bachelor’s degree. MA preferred in criminal justice related fields, advanced law enforcement certificate, high-level supervision experience.

• Mount Gilead (Pop. 1,389) Associate’s degree and minimum of three years experience.

• Erwin (Pop. 4,770) Must have thorough knowledge of law enforcement practices, procedures, requirements and working knowledge of administrative principles, finance, accounting and computers.

Another difference between a municipal police department and a sheriff’s office is that a sheriff may swear in a deputy. This allows that deputy to carry a badge and gun with powers of arrest for a year before attending Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET). Currently BLET is over 600 contact hours and is generally taught through the community college system. A municipality may not put a police officer on patrol with arrest powers until that officer has completed state mandated BLET. Other local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies do not give an officer power of arrest until they successfully complete required training.

It is a common practice across North Carolina for sheriffs to fire and/or demote deputies who do not actively support their election. So if a deputy disagrees with a sheriff, he can lose his job for political reasons. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld this draconian practice. What other law enforcement or governmental agency can be so unreasonable in dealing with employees without due process?

It is time for North Carolina counties to establish county police departments, or at the least give deputies some form of civil service job protection and a grievance procedure overseen by neutral and objective persons. Sheriffs should have to abide by the same personnel regulations as other law enforcement agencies.

Many deputies loyal to the criminal justice system have had their careers cut short because of politics. Loyalty to the sheriff is seen as more important than loyalty to the criminal justice system and the public. When sheriffs demote or fire well trained and experienced officers, the taxpayers lose as well as the officers.

Another problem with the office of sheriff is the cost of the political campaign. The public should be concerned that sheriffs, unlike police chiefs or other law enforcement officials, become obligated to campaign contributors. The sheriff’s race is often the most expensive local race.

It hasn’t been too many years ago that the law was changed to require district attorneys to be lawyers and most counties have now done away with elected coroners in favor of medical examiners. Several counties have opted for county police. So there is precedent for counties to consider a move to county police.

(Bob Scott served as Executive Officer of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office. He has degrees in criminal justice, is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and earned the Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate from the N.C. Sheriff’s Education and Training Standards Commission. He may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

Haywood County officials want to tap the pent up methane in the county’s landfill to help the environment and hopefully make a little extra cash.

The county has been eyeing the possibility of a methane recovery system at two of its landfills for several months, and is now preparing a bid to send out to companies that would set up and run such an operation.

Methane is a greenhouse gas generated by decaying food scraps, paper and other organic trash. Recovering methane could benefit the county financially in several ways.

“It’s the environmentally correct thing to do, and it’s a revenue source for the county,” said Commissioner Mark Swanger, who helped drum up support for the effort.

The county could flare off the gas, earning carbon credits in the process that it could sell on the market. Methane is most harmful to the environment when it seeps out of the landfill in raw form, but when burned off, it’s not as bad. That positive contribution to air quality would create the carbon credits, a commodity bought and sold on the market by polluters.

Or, the county could convert the methane gas to electricity to be sold over the power grid. Another option is the methane recovery system in place in neighboring Jackson County, where landfill methane is used to heat greenhouses and power craft operations like blacksmith forges and glass blowing furnaces.

Whatever the county chooses to do with the methane gas, it will make a profit — as much as $2 million over a ten-year period, according to Swanger.

And by partnering with a private company rather than go it alone, the county is maximizing profit by avoiding the high up-front costs associated with green technologies.

“There would be no up-front to the county at all, no risk, and no liability,” said Swanger. “It’s a win-win situation.”

County Solid Waste Director Stephen King said it’s important that whoever operates the methane recovery system not interfere with the landfill’s day-to-day operations.

“First and foremost, we are operating a landfill, and they should understand they can’t interfere with any of our operations to do this,” King said.

Commissioner Kevin Ensley emphasized that the county make an effort to recruit one of several local businesses to operate the methane recovery system.

“I would like for us not to overlook what we have in the county,” Ensley said.

— By Julia Merchant

Drake Software CEO Phil Drake is taking the tough economic times with ease.

He believes he can get through the recession without closing any businesses or laying anyone of his employees off. With 500 employees, Drake is the second largest employer in Macon County.

“Overall our business is up, especially in software,” Drake said.

Drake pays out about $16 million in payroll and benefits annually.

“I really want Franklin and Western North Carolina to be a player when our kids grow up. I don’t want them to have to leave home to find a good job.”

Being responsible for so many employees’ livelihoods, Drake said he has some “trepidation.”

“There’s a huge responsibility in making payroll every Friday,” Drake said.

Other than his own businesses he also worries about the country.

“Our country has some dangerous times ahead,” he said. “Our country has got to stop spending more money than it has.”

Other than the software company, Drake has built a small business empire across Macon County: an Athlete’s Foot, Christian bookstore, a print shop, 9-hole golf course, a Microtel franchise, the Fun Factory, a marketing company, Internet service provider, a Christian radio station, construction company and a Verizon store.

And on July 3 he will open his 1,500-seat performing arts center in Macon County with the Oak Ridge Boys kicking it off. Charlie Daniels will also play at the center soon after, he said.

Out of all his businesses, his software company is the most profitable. Of his 500 employees, 300 of them work in the software side, he said.

“The software business is great,” Drake said. “I write tax software for accountants. That business is recession proof. People have to file income tax returns no matter what.”

Drake said his software business is up 14 percent this year. He said 30,000 accountants use his software, and his product does 10 million tax returns a year.

Business is up because, “We have a real good sales team and God has put me in a good place,” he said.

All of Drake’s other businesses are down, he said, adding that they started going south in September when gas hit $4 a gallon.

For instance, the Fun Factory isn’t on people’s priority list these days as they struggle to buy groceries and pay bills.

Drake may cut back on part-time high school workers at The Fun Factory.

Likewise, employees for his construction company have seen less work because of the slowdown, but there have been no permanent layoffs, Drake said.

“There have been weeks where there hasn’t been work to do,” Drake said.

Business will pick back up some when the weather improves, Drake said, noting that there is always a slowdown during the winter months when tourists aren’t here.

Tourism will be down this summer, he predicts, but he can’t foresee how much. Hopefully his performing arts center will draw people to the area, and people who would normally make long summer trips may stay in the region this year, he said.

By the summer of 2010 he thinks the local economy will rebound.

“I think we are very near the bottom,” Drake said of the national economy.

WNC not hit as hard

Western North Carolina hasn’t been hammered as hard by the recession as other parts of the country like Washington state, which has seen Microsoft lay off 5,000 workers, New York or Detroit, which is hurting from the automobile decline, Drake said.

Jobs in the area are not dependent on GM, Wall Street and other industries taking a big hit, Drake said.

“I don’t think the recession has hurt us too much. If we have a big impact it’s less tourism,” he said. “Most people still have a job, most people are still making the same amount they were making. Gas prices are down now.”

Seattle could be a tough job market now with 5,000 Microsoft employees looking for a job, he said.

“Those types of layoffs haven’t hit Western North Carolina,” Drake said.

Also, there hasn’t been as much subprime lending here compared to the rest of the country, he said.

Unlike Dade County, Fla., where the bottom dropped out of property values, this area has seen more modest declines between 3 to 5 percent, he said.

“We’re not seeing stuff drop through the floor,” Drake said. “There are not as many foreclosures.”

However, Drake acknowledges that North Carolina’s unemployment rate was 8.7 percent in December — the highest since 1993 — and that some small businesses are closing.

In fact, Drake, who’s been in business for 35 years, says it is still the worst he’s ever seen.

“It wasn’t this bad in the ‘70s during the oil embargo,” he said. “I remember having to line up at the gas station, and you could only buy $5 of gas or buy gas on even or odd days based on you tag number.”

A bad plan

Something has happened in the past 40 years to make the United States go from the greatest creditor nation in the world to now the largest debtor nation, Drake said.

“Part of it is that we are spending more money than we take in,” he said.

And he said the nation is about to do it again with the proposed stimulus plan.

“We’re about to spend $819 billion we don’t have,” Drake said.

Drake would prefer if the government took a laissez-faire approach.

“The best thing the government could do for the economy is stay out of it,” Drake said. “Doing nothing is better than what they’re doing.”

The government got the country into the current economic situation by encouraging banks to make sub-prime mortgages to unqualified buyers so low-income people could realize the American Dream, Drake asserted.

The Federal Reserve artificially lowered interest rates to entice people to buy homes they couldn’t afford, Drake added.

If anyone is to blame it may be whoever was on the Senate Finance Committee when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac gave 0 percent down home loans, Drake said.

Drake calls the proposed stimulus plan before the Senate a “bad plan.”

“It ‘s bad for several reasons,” Drake said. “It’s not going to stimulate the economy. We’re just borrowing from our kids. We’re putting ourselves further in debt.” Moreover, the plan has lots of pork barrel spending.

“Some of it’s going to Planned Parenthood. It’s a bad bill.”

The bill has been compared to FDR’s New Deal in that it proposes to create jobs building roads and bridges across the nation.

“My grandfather did some WPA work laying rock along the roadsides,” Drake said. “I’m not saying it won’t help a few people.”

The economy will recover on its own if the government stays out of it, Drake said.

“Businesses have done well in America on their own for over 200 years,” Drake said. “That government is best that governs least. American people are ingenious and hard working and if left to their own devices will succeed.”

By Curtis Cochran • Guest Columnist

As sheriff of Swain County, I would like to take this opportunity to respond to your editorial dated Jan. 28 (“Questions for the high sheriff”) and, in so doing, make reference to your article of Jan. 21 (“Incident heightens tensions between county, sheriff”). Both of these pieces were based in part upon an anonymous letter received by The Smoky Mountain News. The author of this letter is apparently unknown, and your Jan. 21 article quotes the Swain County Manager as saying “it was signed with a false name.” Your article further states that it was received by Swain County Commission Chairman Glenn Jones from its original anonymous source. It was then forwarded by the Swain County Administration Offices to Swain County commissioners and various media outlets.

The letter — and portions of the resulting editorial — made a number of misleading, unfounded and blatantly untrue allegations concerning the conduct of both myself and members of my office with respect to our attempts to apprehend Jody Smallwood, a recent escapee from a Swain County Courthouse holding cell. Smallwood had previously been convicted of at least five felonies. These allegations are not only reckless but unfairly call into question the integrity and professionalism of a dedicated group of Swain County law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line on a daily basis to insure that Swain County residents have a safe place to live. Attempts by anonymous persons to question the professionalism of these selfless individuals, without acquiring a complete understanding of the facts, is patently unfair and places these professionals in an even more dangerous position than they already possess.

With respect to my conduct, let me be clear that I, at all times, acted professionally and in the interests of, and with due caution for, the public, law enforcement personnel, and Mr. Smallwood. In the first paragraph of your editorial, you state that I “fired [my] gun at an escapee....” Thereafter, in the third paragraph, you again imply that I fired at Smallwood.

This is not true. There was never a shot fired at anyone during the Smallwood pursuit. Rather, in an attempt to bring the extremely dangerous situation to a safe conclusion, I fired two shots at the rear tire of the van that Smallwood was using to elude pursuing officers. Indeed, at least one of these shots hit the tire, ultimately disabling the van and playing a part in bringing it to a stop.

This occurred after Smallwood had recklessly traveled down Main Street in Bryson City at a dangerous rate of speed, made a left on Veteran’s Boulevard and, when turning east on to U.S. 74, exceeded the 100 mph mark. Once on U.S. 74, Smallwood continued to travel on rain-soaked roads to the Hyatt Creek Exit, where he exited the freeway, lost control of the van, spun the vehicle in a 360-degree turn, regained control and continued back onto 74 East, again at a high rate of speed.

After re-entering U.S. 74, Smallwood then brought the vehicle to a stop in the road. I exited my vehicle to take him into custody. At that point, he again accelerated and, fearing that he would injure or kill innocent travelers, I fired two shots at the rear tire of the vehicle. I did this while standing on the pavement. At no time did I fire from a moving vehicle, which was alleged in the anonymous letter.

Mr. Smallwood’s conduct placed the lives of Swain County citizens and visitors in jeopardy and was an immediate threat to their health and safety. It was my firm belief, then and now, that capture of him was necessary and that discharge of my weapon in an attempt to safely do so was justified. I based this belief, in part, upon Smallwood’s criminal history, his previous attempts to elude Swain County officers and events which occurred earlier in the day.

For instance, shortly after his escape from the courthouse lockup, Smallwood approached an 81-year-old woman, requesting that she give him a ride. At that time, the lady did not know that Smallwood was an escapee. At his direction, she drove him around Bryson City. Smallwood lied to her, saying he had been in a car wreck and wanted to go to the store. He then directed her to go to the 288 Boat Ramp and, when she refused to do so, he said that he wanted to go to his sister’s house. (His sister lives in another state.)

After driving for some time, they ended up in the Watson Hollow area, where he told this lady that he could not get out the passenger side of the vehicle and asked her to let him exit from her side. She felt that something was wrong and took the keys out of the vehicle before she let him out the driver’s side. Smallwood then went into the woods and left this lady to find her way back home. The Bryson City Church of God is just over the embankment from where Smallwood left the lady. This is where he stole the van.

Significantly, this was not the first time that Smallwood led law enforcement in Swain County on a high-speed pursuit through a downtown area. Two days prior to the Monday pursuit, Smallwood led federal, state, tribal and county officers on a high-speed chase that began in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, went through downtown Cherokee, west along U.S. 74, and ended across from West Elementary School. From there, Smallwood exited the vehicle and eluded arrest for another two hours. It was at this point that he was apprehended, after running through the woods for almost a mile.

On both of these occasions, Mr. Smallwood resisted law enforcement before being taken into custody. Indeed, resisting arrest and escape is consistent with Smallwood’s past. His multi-page criminal history contains numerous felony convictions dating back to 1989. In addition, he was wanted by officials in Georgia.

It goes without saying that Mr. Smallwood’s actions placed the lives and safety of third parties in jeopardy. His actions demonstrate that he had no reservations about driving through congested areas at high rates of speed. As sworn law enforcement officers, we were, at all times, acting with the utmost care and concern for the people of this county. This matter was handled professionally and, as a result of our actions, a dangerous individual is off the streets. My job is to protect and serve the people of Swain County, and that is what I intend to do as long as I am sheriff.

In your editorial, you made reference to my lack of law enforcement experience at the time that I was elected and began serving the people of Swain County. Again, this is misleading. As sheriff, I have graduated from the Sheriff’s Leadership Institute, which was held over several months in Raleigh and at Duke University. I am continually updated on all aspects of the sheriff’s office and, as a working sheriff for over two years, I have received training and experience that can only be acquired by day-to-day, hands-on interaction with the job. In addition, as sheriff, I qualify with my weapon on the same range and schedule as every deputy in this office.

When I ran for sheriff, I presented the citizens of Swain County with my qualifications and vision. After reviewing my background, these same citizens had enough faith in me to elect me Sheriff of Swain County. I appreciate the confidence that the people have placed in me and I will never overlook the fact that I, along with my staff, are at all times public servants.

Finally, in your initial article, you published portions of the anonymous letter. While this is certainly your right, it appears contrary to your own Anonymous Source Policy. That aside, it is very easy for someone to write a letter containing libelous allegations about a public official and then fail to sign it or, worse, use someone else’s name.

As sheriff of Swain County, I have always had an open-door policy. If any member of the public wishes to speak with me concerning the actions of either myself or sheriff’s office personnel, all they have to do is come to the sheriff’s office and ask. We will show them the same high degree of courtesy, professionalism and respect that we would any other resident or visitor of Swain County. The Office of Sheriff of Swain County has always been a position of high honor and integrity. And, with respect to the last paragraph of your Jan. 28 editorial, neither I nor the sheriffs of Swain County who preceded me have ever held ourselves to be above the law which we are sworn to uphold.

(Curtis Cochran is sheriff of Swain County. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

T&S Hardwoods General Manager Jack Swanner sat in his office with an ashtray full of cigarette butts next to him and an unopened bottle of merlot on his desk.

Laying beside him was a Wall Street Journal, and Swanner said the news was bad.

“It says the same thing they all say, the world is going to hell,” Swanner said of the newspaper. “I barely read them anymore.”

However, the headline that day was fairly optimistic: “Price Cuts Spur Home Sales.”

Swanner has hope, too, even though business is down 40 percent.

“This is not the end of the world or the United States,” Swanner said. “This is the worst recession we’ve been in in my lifetime. The system will fix itself. There will be people who make it. There will be prosperity, but there is going to be a lot of collateral damage and carnage.”

‘I don’t like not producing’

Through the window of Swanner’s Sylva office the sawmill yard is seen but there are no forklifts moving, no loading trucks filled with boards, no workers walking about like there would normally be — just stacks of wood sitting in what appears to be a ghost town.

The empty work yard is reminiscent of what is going on around the country with few people working and fewer products being produced.

“It is a ghost town,” said Swanner, a tall burly man who hates to see his beloved hardwood industry in the pits.

“I don’t like not producing, I don’t like not working,” said Swanner, as he walked around the sawmill yard.

In January Swanner made the tough decision to cut his 75 employees’ hours to 18 a week compared to their usual 40 or more. Now employees only work Monday and Tuesday — the rest of the week the plant is closed.

“Until sales increase, we can’t run more,” Swanner said. “It’s sad seeing the economy this way. The men are not getting the hours they need.”

The cutback hours will continue into February, Swanner said.

Businesses associated with the logging industry are hurting also. The sawmill once contracted with three trucking companies to haul lumber, but now there is only one.

“You’re literally looking at the death of an entire industry,” said Swanner as he leaned back in his office chair.

He noted that a sawmill in Canton that was in business for 70 years just closed.

“Numerous loggers are sitting at the house, and the people working for them are sitting at the house,” Swanner said.

The sawmill’s employees are not the type of people who enjoy not working.

“There’s not a man or woman out here that wants unemployment or welfare,” Swanner said.

Swanner also has a strong work ethic and despises greedy CEOs like a recent corporate bank president who allegedly spent $1.2 million remodeling an office and Bernie Madoff, who masterminded a scam that bilked millions from investors.

There is a mindset of greed in the United States and a certain class of people with no work ethic, he said. But for the most part he believes Americans are still hard workers.

‘Mad at the system’

Sawmill yard supervisor Sandy Johnson has worked at the sawmill for 37 years and has never seen the economy this bad.

Since 1946, the sawmill has been in steady operation. Some employees have grandfathers who worked at the plant.

But today, as Johnson walked around the yard he said the employees worry about making their home and car payments.

When the tough decision was made to cut workers’ hours, Swanner gathered each shift at a safety meeting and broke the news in person.

“They’re not mad at us, they’re mad at the system,” Swanner said. They know what’s going on in the economy and the world.”

The sawmill relies on global demand to survive, shipping hardwood to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Italy and China.

Now the entire worldwide market is in the dump. In fact, he said the economy is probably worse in Europe than it is in the United States.

“Every market in the world is gone,” he said. “There is no international business being done.”

However, there was some good news last week. Three loads — white oak, maple and poplar — were just shipped to Israel.

Pointing out tall stacks of wood in the yard under canopies, Swanner said there usually isn’t so much inventory. Some of the boards are bundled with double straps of wire, meaning it will be shipped overseas, and the other boards only have a single strap to show that they stay in the United States.

Stimulus strategy

Prior to the economic downturn, Swanner’s company produced about 16 million to 17 million board feet a year, but now it’s down by half. Something needs to be done to stimulate the home building industry to help turn things around, he said.

The $819 billion stimulus bill passed by the House and under review by the Senate this week needs to create jobs, he said.

He disagrees with where some of the money would be spent, saying it won’t do the country any good. He noted that the bill plans to spend $135 million fighting sexually transmitted diseases and $50 million for the arts.

That money should go toward creating real jobs, Swanner said.

“We need to put someone to work fixing an electrical grid,” Swanner said.

Projects here at home like fixing an archaic sewer system in Waynesville might be a good idea, he said.

Politicians need to set aside partisan politics and work for the betterment of the country, he said. Issues like abortion and gay marriage need to take a back seat.

And laying blame for the country’s poor economy can wait, he said.

“I don’t care whose fault it is; we’re in a crisis,” he said, adding that he doesn’t care if the blame goes all the way back to Reagan.

Swanner thinks Obama will make a good president, but the challenge is taking a fragmented Congress and making them work together.

Congress, he said, has got to understand that they were sent there for the betterment of the country.

It is regrettable that the United States went away from being a manufacturing country to a “financial services” county, Swanner said. The country needs to get back to producing jobs like electricians, miners and plumbers, he said.

“We need to manufacture something and sell it,” he said. “We don’t need to lose that.”

One of the problems in this country is that math and science scores for American children have “plummeted,” he said, resulting in fewer engineers.

No matter what happens with the proposed $819 billion stimulus bill, there will still be a massive debt passed on to Swanner’s children and other generations, he said.

Swanner remembers the recession of 1982 and 1991, but the difference with this downturn, he said, is that it is bigger worldwide.

Jackson Paper employee Tim Coggins Jr. has something a lot of people don’t have these days — job security.

Jackson Paper has not laid off any of its 120 employees and doesn’t plan to.

“That makes me feel excellent,” said Coggins, whose father also works at the plant. “Being a young father that’s really important.”

The Sylva company pays out $9 million in wages and benefits annually.

The plant produces corrugated medium — the middle layer of a cardboard box that gives it stability.

Jackson Paper is avoiding layoffs by keeping production costs low by burning wood shavings for fuel rather than coal or oil, said Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey L. Murphy.

With 55 competitors across the country, Jackson Paper has the seventh lowest production cost.

Still the company saw a 20 percent drop in business in November, but rather than curtailing production and laying off employees, it expanded its customer base.

Murphy is not too optimistic about the stimulus package.

“We hope it works, but we’re not keeping our fingers crossed that it will help Jackson Paper,” Murphy said.

Waynesville manufacturer Associated Packaging also has not laid off any of its 150 employees. The company makes plastic packaging for the frozen food industry, like the trays microwaveable dinners come in.

Plant Manager Gerald Jensen said business is down a little but not substantially.

Jensen also has problems with the stimulus package. “My personal opinion, I don’t think much of it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s promoting growth. I think there’s a lot of pork spending. Basically it’s growing the federal government.”

There is not enough money in the stimulus package to turn things around quickly, said Tektone Sound & Design Vice President of Marketing Johnny Mira-Knippel.

Tektone, a Franklin company that manufactures nurse call systems for hospitals and assisted-living facilities, employs about 70.

If the stimulus package benefits health care, Tektone could see an increase in business.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” said Mira-Knippel, whose company has offered early retirement to some employees and temporarily laid off workers.

But in order for the stimulus package to be more effective it would require trillions of dollars, not $819 billion, which will only “soften the blow,” Mira-Knippel said.

By Christi Marsico • Staff Writer

Feb. 3 marked the 50th anniversary of the death of music legend Buddy Holly, who was 22 when his plane crashed in Iowa.

Celebrating the music of Holly and giving fans a chance to experience the man behind the music, “Rave On!” will be performed this Friday on the campus of WCU’s FPAC.

“It’s a two-hour high energy rock ’n’ roll extravaganza,” said actor and musician Billy McGuigan.

Performing 30 to 40 Holly songs, McGuigan will share the stories behind the music while portraying Holly.

While the show touches on Holly’s tragic death with suggestions of what might have happened, the primary focus is celebrating his musical relevance.

The actor originated the production in 2002 and has been touring the show around the United States since, backed by an eight-piece band performing songs such as “Maybe Baby,” “Peggy Sue” and “That’ll be the Day.”

About half the songs are true to the original recordings while the others — some of Holly’s lesser known songs — have extra arrangements added that are 50-esque with an edge, according to McGuigan.

“I want the audience to walk away appreciating Buddy more,” McGuigan said.

The Actor

McGuigan, 34, grew up on military bases around the United States. He moved to Omaha, Neb., in 1990 and started pursing acting.

“I started out at Northwest Missouri State because I followed my girlfriend, Rachelle, who is now my wife, and I had an acting scholarship,” McGuigan said.

McGuigan changed career directions to teaching and returned to Omaha after a year.

While enrolled at the University of Omaha he joined a band, and in 2002 received a phone call to be in a production of “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story.”

McGuigan admitted he wasn’t a huge fan of Holly’s before he was cast to play the part, adding he did know a few of his songs and loved the film “La Bamba.”

“It was a natural progression, and I fell in love with the music and saw how it has lasted so long and influenced so many people,” McGuigan said. “Buddy was passionate.”

McGuigan doesn’t think he looks like Holly and doesn’t try to impersonate him during the performance.

“I try to capture the essence of Buddy and portray him as what people would think he would be like,” McGuigan added.

The production

After performing Holly in over 375 performances, McGuigan won several accolades becoming the “preferred Buddy Holly” by the writers and producers of the show.

In 2004, McGuigan felt compelled to write his own show, “Rave On!,” which began as a one-man performance backed by a band.

“I wondered what would it be like if you could see Buddy Holly now, and how he would reflect on all the changes,” McGuigan said.

Performing in comedy clubs around Omaha, McGuigan found success and soon toured his production around the Midwest with his sights set on eventually performing off-Broadway.

“Rave On!” is currently booked for the next three years, and McGuigan has not only taken on the roles of performer and writer, but director and producer.

McGuigan doesn’t live the life of a rocker, noting professional performances demand keeping fit.

“Old friends may be surprised at me now because it’s not just about acting. I’m writing checks, making sure everybody’s in line, and that takes over. I’ve become sort of a workaholic because it’s something I’ve have wanted to do all my life. I’m just happy to be living the dream,” McGuigan said.

McGuigan has embraced the audience’s response to the music wholeheartedly as he has seen three generations of Holly fans standing and cheering during the performances.

“It’s a lot of fun letting loose, and Buddy Holly is the ultimate rock ‘n’ roller,” McGuigan said.

For tickets and more information, contact the box office at WCU’s Fine and Performing Arts Center at 828.227.2479. To order online, go to www.ticketreturn.com and select “need tickets” on the left-hand side. Select the “arts & entertainment” tab, and then find “FAPAC events” under the “Western Carolina University” heading.

The ban on guns in national parks will continue to remain in place for the time being, despite a move by the outgoing Bush Administration to lift the ban.

Environmental groups and park ranger associations joined forces in filing a lawsuit to keep the ban in place. The U.S. District Court granted an injunction that will keep the guns out of parks until the full case can be heard.

“This decision will help ensure national parks remain one of the safest places for American families and wildlife,” said Bryan Faehner with the National Parks Conservation Association.

Bush overturned the ban on guns in national parks just before leaving office in January. Previously, guns could not be loaded and had to be stowed if passing through the park with one in your vehicle. Bush’s new rule would have allowed loaded concealed guns to be carried on your person.

Park rangers came out en masse against the idea of allowing guns in parks due to safety, but ultimately failure to consider the environmental implications of guns secured this preliminary victory in court.

After years of grappling with the controversial issue of alcohol sales on tribal land, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will vote on June 4 whether to allow the sale of alcohol at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.

If voters approve the measure, alcohol will be sold only at the casino. The rest of tribal land, known as the Qualla Boundary, will continue to by dry, with the sale of beer, wine or liquor banned in all other stores or restaurants.

In recent months, a petition gathered enough signatures to force the measure to be put on the ballot. Before a vote could be scheduled, however, the Tribal Council had to pass a resolution directing the elections board to hold the election. The Tribal Council did so this month.

The Tribal Council’s passing of the resolution is basically a technicality, but the council could have voted it down and stopped the election despite the petition signatures.

Alcohol is a sensitive cultural, religious and political issue for the Cherokee. Despite a push among some over the years to allow alcohol sales, political leaders have avoided voting on the issue themselves, and until recently were even reluctant to give their blessing to a referendum.

Last summer the Tribal Council narrowly voted to allow a referendum to decide whether alcohol should be sold at the casino, but Chief Michel Hicks vetoed it, saying alcohol dishonors the Cherokee forefathers.

However, Hicks said he would not veto the referendum this time since the people have spoken in favor of having an election. There were 1,875 tribal members who signed the petition.

Despite the negative connotations of alcohol for Native Americans, allowing sales at the casino would obviously increase revenues. Casino revenues are used to support tribal operations, from education to health care. A portion is also split among all tribal members in the form of twice annual checks.

With the casino business suffering slightly from the recession, checks are expected to be down. The alcohol vote will be held the same week those checks come out, so the issue will be at the forefront.

Cherokee Preservation Foundation recently awarded 25 new grants totaling nearly $3.2 million. Here are a few targeting the arts:

• A $600,000 grant was awarded to Cherokee Historical Association to complete stair and handicapped access upgrades and install new seats at the Mountainside Theatre, and to improve the Onconaluftee Indian Village by constructing a children’s learning center, creating a new outdoor market for craft sales, and renovating village dwellings. A separate $20,000 grant will enable CHA to develop a new Village Guide and Theatre Training program modeled after a program utilized by Colonial Williamsburg to train their guides to be certified historical interpreters.

• A $95,000 grant will support the continuation of the Festival of Native Peoples, a culture-based event featuring performers and artisans from tribes across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

• A $6,800 grant has been awarded to Cherokee High School so students can participate in a summer program to learn how to harvest, process and dye river cane basket materials.

By Karen Dill

The climatic temperaments in the month of March have been likened to gentle lambs or irascible lions. In the mountains, this description seems especially applicable. On March 1, the wind can whistle through the ridges like the roar of a grouchy lion or it can whisper as soft as a lamb’s kiss. The days that follow tend to be unpredictable and often down right crazy. We’ve had days in March when the schizophrenic weather ran the gamut: bright sunshine, rain, snow, sleet, horrendous winds and blue skies — and this was all in one day. March weather is crazy but fun and never boring.

My relatives are much like March weather. They seem to fall into climatic categories despite originating in the same gene pool. My aunts tend to be lambs; gentle and sweet while my uncles resembled lions with their roars and larger than life personalities. And strangely enough, the sweet lambs fall hard for their crazy and often dangerous lions and despite their tumultuous love, stand by their men.

One particular uncle, my father’s brother, a scowling man called Uncle Fat, reigned terror in my childhood. He did not marry until late in life so had no wife to buffer his behavior for many years. His actual name was Frank but that had evolved into Fat for no reason that I could ever discern. I dared not ask and he wasn’t telling. He was not overweight but he was as mean as a miser, a striped snake, and worse than a junkyard dog. Not only was he a bully, but Uncle Fat had a host of mean little dogs that shared his ancient single-wide mobile home with him and they were yappy and downright hostile to anyone who crossed the threshold. My mother was terrified of dogs and Uncle Fat loved to sic them on her when we visited. He sat on a broken down couch surrounded by spit cans while his legion of little dogs circled the tiny rooms of the trailer like demonic minions. My poor mother, a sweet and gentle lamb, cowered in a corner and the dogs, sensing that she was frightened, happily snapped at her feet. One actually bit her once and with broken skin and spirit, she burst into tears the minute we walked down those rickety trailer steps.

I was not afraid of dogs (or much of anything back then), but Uncle Fat managed to find my Achilles heel. Because I loved sauerkraut and swooned when my kind lamb-like Aunt Wilma (his sister), who lived next door, would give me a bowl full each time I visited, Uncle Fat decided to call me Cabbage-Head. I especially loved the pickled core and I alone was given that prize. And although everyone in the family loved cabbage as it was a year-round staple vegetable in the mountains and could be “boiled up” in a New York minute, Uncle Fat decided that I alone deserved that unflattering moniker.

Uncle Fat liked nothing more than to eat a plate of boiled cabbage, belch loudly, pass wind and complain bitterly to whoever would listen that the “old stink head” consumed “had sure ‘nough give me some powerful gas.” All of the uncles would vocalize an “amen” or nod their agreement depending on who was talking that week. They tended to have periods of silence and dark moods that were as ominous as a blustery cold night in March and could go for weeks without muttering a word.

I would swear silently that I’d as soon be an old maid than marry up with the likes of my uncles. Despite my love for my father, he too could be contrary as his brothers and was stubborn as a mule. His older brother, my Uncle Toot, had long bouts of silence and spent more nights sleeping in his truck than not. All the uncles were certainly colorful characters, and I did learn with maturity to tolerate their strange and often outrageous behaviors. At age 6, however, I was a bit sensitive and “prideful” as my mother reminded me — so “Cabbage-Head” stung.

I would examine my own head in the mirror, looking for signs of cabbage leaves and smell the air around me, sure that the name had permeated my body in some disgusting manner and because the name came from Uncle Fat, I tried with all my might to dislike the vegetable. I could certainly live without the greasy over-cooked mass that usually graced the pots of my relatives, but I craved the tart sauerkraut much like my uncles on my mother’s side craved moonshine. So I continued to eat it and at a family reunion in a moment of rash 6-year-old bravery (or stupidity) or maybe I was just drunk with the salt from the sour cabbage core, when Uncle Fat bullied me with the Cabbage-Head title, I snapped back with “and you’re a mean old fat-head.”

My remark, despite its truth, was met with cold stony silence from the uncles and soft gasps from the aunts. I had definitely crossed a line. While my father’s family was rough as a corncob and lacked many social graces, being disrespectful to one’s elders was frowned upon. What pleasure I derived from the snappy comeback quickly dissipated when I realized that a “whupping” was in my future. Later that day, I endured the pelts from the razor-sharp hickory stick with stoicism, blinking back tears with each stinging blow yet savoring a quiet pride in my soul that I had stood up for myself (however disrespectful and inappropriate my stance might be within my mountain community).

For a while cabbage was not my friend. Even though Uncle Fat gleefully continued calling me Cabbage-Head, I bit my tongue and held my peace. This was a lesson I would continue to learn the rest of my childhood and I’m still working on it. Take the bitter with the better, my mother would say, and Cabbage-Head became easier to bear when Uncle Fat had a stroke and the best he could mutter was “abby-ead.”

As the years passed, I learned to choose my battles, to avoid calling my children silly names and to enjoy cabbage prepared in new delectable ways. Despite my early association with this ordinary vegetable, I found it in a sweet and sour concoction on a plate of Jagerschnitzel in Germany, in a spicy slaw on fish tacos in Mexico, and the star of a gingered cabbage soup in New York City. Over the years I have sautéed diced cabbage with onions, diced sweet potatoes and green and red peppers for a simple and nutritious dinner. I have invented various coleslaw recipes using both green and red cabbage. I use it in soups and stews and once threw some diced cabbage in a meatloaf. And when March rolls around, cabbage is always teamed up with corned beef and potatoes for St. Patrick’s Day.

This year in honor of my Scotch Irish heritage, I prepared the traditional St. Patrick’s Day food in a nontraditional manner. My mother would prepare the meal the same each year — boiled cabbage, boiled then baked corned beef and boiled potatoes with butter — and while ritual is comforting, over the years, I would encourage her to divert from the same presentation. She would reluctantly agree to open the jar of hot mustard to smear on the corned beef or slice the loaf of dark rye that I brought from the big city of Asheville but her heart was never really into changing the time-honored tradition of plain meat, potatoes and cabbage. My father’s favorite part of the meal was drinking the pot liquor from the cabbage with crumbled cornbread, and that ritual was certainly not to be messed with in the name of culinary progress.

For this year’s meal, I have invited friends who are willing participants in my food experiments and are game for new dishes as long as we can wash them down with good local ale. I have decided on combining the meat and cabbage into cabbage rolls topped with a spicy Creole sauce. The potatoes are mashed with leeks and fresh horseradish, and I will bake a loaf of Irish soda bread for the first time. Dessert will be a pistachio pound cake that I made for my first set of in-laws in the ‘70’s in an attempt to impress them with a green dessert on St. Patrick’s Day. They frowned at a green cake (was it moldy?) but it was so moist and flavorful their disdain turned to reluctant approval for the dessert (not their new daughter in-law).

The cabbage rolls begin with a quick blanching of cabbage leaves. This has to be quick as you want the leaves to be pliable yet not too soft. As they are cooling and draining on a clean dish towel, the corned beef mixture can be formed into small oval balls in preparation for the stuffing. I have mixed ground spicy corned beef, some finely ground bread crumbs, sautéed onions, garlic and celery, a bit of catsup, a dash of hot sauce, salt, pepper and chopped fresh parsley together with a beaten egg to bind the mixture. I wrap the cabbage leaves around the beef mixture in burrito style, place in a glass baking dish and cover with a spicy Creole sauce. While the stuffed cabbage rolls are baking, I prepare the vegetables.

Potatoes are boiled and hand mashed with creamed horseradish, buttermilk, butter and freshly ground parsley and chives. I chop the remainder cabbage that I’ve used for the rolls with green and red chopped bell peppers along diced yellow onion and sauté the mixture in a little olive oil and vinegar. I season the cabbage side dish with salt, pepper, sugar and some red pepper flakes. It smells like the cabbage prepared in my mother’s kitchen but is a bit healthier I think and with the smells from the stuffed cabbage and horseradish potatoes, the smell is actually heavenly.

I’ve baked the Irish soda bread earlier in the day and despite its rather flat and bland appearance, I think that it will go well with the spicy meat dish The glorious green cake with a spontaneously inspired green icing was baked the day before and awaits its presentation on a green shamrock doily. It is St. Patrick’s Day, after all, and served with Irish coffee, the cake will be downright beautiful. Bolstered by the Guiness Ale served with the meal, limericks may be invented and blarney will reign as we praise cabbage, green cakes and all things Irish.

The meal is delicious — a crazy combination of sweet and tart, sturdy and delicate. The cabbage is a hit and I’m again reminded that cabbage is not a one-trick pony. It can be prepared in a number of delicious ways and grace any meal, despite its lowly and pedestrian roots. Like my uncles and aunts, that ordinary vegetable can be complex and interesting. Over time I’ve come to appreciate the subtleties in foods and in relatives. Some things in life can be taken at face value but family, despite their warts, offer many lessons and gifts from the heart. They offer variety and spice on mundane days in March, pepper us with humor, teach us humility and grace. I now realize that when Uncle Fat barked out his “Hey, Cabbage-Head” greeting to me each week, he was recognizing my uniqueness and testing my fortitude. Now, in my memory (a little foggy with age), I think I see a twinkle in his eye as he spits tobacco in his tin can and orders his mean little dogs to snap at me. Or maybe not—for memories like March weather and mountain relatives can be tricky.

Preserving Cherokee heritage goes beyond baskets, blow guns and pow-wows to the very foods and crops once grown and savored by the tribe centuries ago.

One of those important foods — for the Cherokee and any mountain dweller of yesteryear — was apples. There were dozens of varieties, nuanced in flavor and colorful in their names. Efforts are underway to propagate the heritage varieties.

At a workshop in Cherokee earlier this month, more than 30 different varieties of heritage apples were grafted — a far cry from the scant half dozen varieties you might find on supermarket shelves.

Some of the grafts will be planted in an orchard managed by the tribe while others will be taken home and planted in the yards of tribal members.

The project was a joint effort by the Cherokee Cooperative Extension, Aerators and Roanoke College.

One of the varieties that was grafted was the Junaluska Apple, a particularly significant variety among the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians as it was the favorite among the famous Chief Junaluska. Community members at the apple grafting workshop livened up the conversation with an argument over which apple varieties had the best flavor.

“Cherokee apple varieties were actually saved and curated right after the Cherokee Removal and the Trail of Tears by two very wise gentlemen,” said Jon Cawley, a professor at Roanoke College who is working on the project.

Namely Silas McDowell in Western North Carolina and Jarvis Van Buren from Georgia.

“They rescued the original varieties so that they can be re-established on sovereign Cherokee land today,” Cawley said. “After several generations, it is a very high privilege for me to be a part of the project to replant their original rare apple varieties on their sovereign estate.”

The AmeriCorps team also built a large shade house so the Center for Cherokee Plants could grow plants that need forested shade settings rather than hot sunny fields. They also planted white oak trees, a traditional material needed by basket makers.

“Heritage crops are important because they represent a living link between people and history,” said Phillip Hash, AmeriCorps member and event coordinator. “They maintain diversity of species and through this diversity allow for resistance to disease.”

Tribal members who run the farm and operate the Traditional Crops Seed Bank believe they are carrying on an important tradition.

“There is belonging to a heritage, and then there is living a heritage. I choose to live my heritage,” said Kevin Welch, operator of the Cherokee farm and seed bank.

According to the current Ornithological Union listing, the appropriate non-scientific name for a crow is “common crow.” How apt! Like most commonly observed objects, crows, for the most part, flit across our field of vision unheeded. Cawing, they flap away over the fields and into the woods like pieces of black flannel caught in a breeze. We hear and see them, but we don’t really pay attention. We rarely think about them. We never ask ourselves, “What are these birds up to?”

But that’s not the case with Lake Junaluska resident Sue Ellen Jackson. Lately, she’s been observing crows up close and personal — one crow in particular. His name is Roger. Here’s the story.

Some weeks ago, Jackson sent me the following email: “I often have crows visiting my porch (usually about five of them who all come together) because I put out assorted bird seed and food scraps, including small chunks of meat, fish, poultry, bread and leftover cat food .... the crows like the hearty food and it keeps them from stealing the seeds and nuts from the smaller birds. My other regular visitors include titmice, chickadees, house or purple finches (I can’t tell which), towhees, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, mourning doves, etc. I just scatter the seed and scraps rather than using a feeder, as this allows more birds to feed at one time, and the larger area gives each species plenty of room since they aren’t competing with bigger birds for the same food. Plus, I can watch them up close, which I enjoy.

“A couple days ago, I noticed an injured crow on the porch. One wing appeared to be dragging a bit, and I could see some feathers missing near his ‘shoulder.’ I tried to catch him in a box but he was able to evade me and run away (he couldn’t fly) and I was in my pajamas so I couldn’t chase him very far. He was back again today. He is able to hop up on the porch (the patio ledge is about 2-feet tall) and he seems healthy except for his wing, though I don’t know how long he can survive without being able to fly, especially in winter.

“I put out lots of extra food today and he ate well, then wandered off again, but I’m worried that some neighborhood cat or other predator will get him. Is there any animal-welfare agency that could trap him and fix his wing, or put him in a bird sanctuary if it can’t be repaired? Or, will it heal on its own, if I can provide plenty of food for him until it does?”

I replied: “Hello Sue Ellen . . . call one of your local animal hospitals and see if they know of anyone who does wild animal rescues ... let me know what happens ... good luck, George.”

On March 20, I received another email from Sue Ellen: “I’ve been meaning to get back to you about the injured crow I wrote about before. I was going to make another attempt to trap him so he could go to ‘bird rehab’ but he kept his distance. So I kept putting food out for him (table scraps — lots of protein and fat to help his bones mend) along with the regular birdseed (several kinds). At first he could only hop, but to my amazement his broken wing healed very quickly and soon he was able to fly, though at very low altitude ... barely a foot off the ground. The wing healed at a bit of an angle, and, when he walks, the wing tip touches the ground, but now he is flying just fine with the other members of his flock. He comes to my ‘bird breakfast buffet’ every morning, sometimes alone and sometimes with his pals. A happy ending.”

This past Monday afternoon I called Sue Ellen for an update. She reported that Roger’s doing fine and still comes to her porch a couple of times a day. Sometimes he brings along one or more of his crow pals. But most of the time he comes alone because, “He seems to like getting all the food himself,” noted Jackson. When asked, she added that she named him Roger, “Because he reminds me of a pirate, as in Jolly Roger.” She obviously likes Roger, and the feelings are apparently mutual. For her, Roger’s no longer a “common crow.”

George Ellison wrote the biographical introductions for the reissues of two Appalachian classics: Horace Kephart’s Our Southern Highlanders and James Mooney’s History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees. In June 2005, a selection of his Back Then columns was published by The History Press in Charleston as Mountain Passages: Natural and Cultural History of Western North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains. Readers can contact him at P.O. Box 1262, Bryson City, N.C., 28713, or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..