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Charles Dodd White will read from his new short story collection, Sinners of Sanction County, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
Originally from Atlanta, White now lives in Asheville and teaches English at South College and is on the creative writing staff of the Hindman Settlement School’s Appalachian Writers Workshop. He is also the author of a novel, Lambs of Men.
“Charles Dodd White is an exceptionally talented writer and these stories secure his place as one of
Appalachia’s best short story writers. He’s the real deal,” said Ron Rash.
Students living in Reynolds Residence Hall of Western Carolina University are seeking new or used books as part of a project to donate them to students at Smokey Mountain Elementary School.
The students are trying to collect 1,000 books by Nov. 18 and are asking people to:
• Donate a favorite childhood book.
• Donate new or gently used books.
• Donate money for book purchases.
• Help spread the news about the book drive.
Books may be dropped off at Reynolds Residence Hall or Scott Hall on the campus of Western Carolina University. Students will pick up books for those what can’t get to campus.
For information or to have books picked up contact Jean Bowen through email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.4642.
To the Editor:
Recent political ads by the Waynesville-Haywood Concerned Citizens contain materially false representations.
There has never been any Waynesville town money or taxpayer money used for the public art pieces described in their ads. These works have been paid for in full by private donations, donations made after many hours of hard work on fundraising.
The Waynesville Public Art Commission (WPAC) is very fortunate to have Mayor Gavin Brown and the board of alderman’s full support in our effforts to make our lovely mountain comunity a place where our residents and visitors love to be. The public art is a wonderful addition to our serene mountain beauty and is made possible by all of those who wish to add to the beauty of Waynesville.
We are very sorry to see anyone supporting and endorsing people for public office who do not take the time to obtain the correct facts before having erroneous and misleading political ads and information published.
Jan Griffin
Chairman, Public Art Commission
To the Editor:
I appreciated your article “Meet the candidates: Who’s who in Waynesville’s race” (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/5412) regarding the upcoming elections, and I am particularly grateful for you drawing my notice to the Waynesville-Haywood Concerned Citizens (WHCC) political action committee — a group to which three candidates are aligned.
A visit to the WHCC website brought some amusement, such as the commentator who saw the sculpture next to the police station as a “progressive socialist statement.” In the 1950s the Brits were concerned about a Red under every bed, but at least ours are apparently in art studios, which must be less claustrophobic for them.
More seriously, the website also contains what I would term falsehoods and hypocrisies. In the former I would include that the street art was privately, not publicly, funded, something you referred to in your article, and also, the claim that Waynesville is $19 million in debt, a claim repeated in bold type in the WHCC advertisement on page 14 of The Smoky Mountain News.
However, from my layman’s reading of the town’s financial statement, (http://www.egovlink.com/public_documents300/waynesville/published_documents/Departments/Finance%20Department/2009-2010%20Audit%20Report.pdf) it has debts of $19 million, mostly liabilities for long-term loans for things like electric substations, which is a completely different thing, and similar to a homeowner having a mortgage. The WHCC’s claim therefore suggests either an inability to read simple accounts, a belief that most people with a mortgage are financially incompetent, or, an economy with the truth.
As for hypocrisy, saying, “most people don’t ride bikes or walk to shop” and therefore what’s the point of making streets “walking friendly,” smacks of an erosion of individual choice and an increase in governmental control, things that the group is supposed to be against.
Most disconcerting, however, is the portrait the group paints of Waynesville. It is certainly not the town I live in and am happy to call home. There’s no disputing that unemployment needs to be reduced, but is having a raft of franchised food outlets the answer? Maybe in the short term, but if they draw customers from locally owned restaurants and ultimately destroy the charm and uniqueness of Waynesville by turning it into Anywhere, USA, it would be a hollow victory.
We are blessed with more stores and restaurants, many of which have recently opened, than a town of 10,000 people would normally have because of visitors who come here because we don’t have a chain store on every corner. Jobs yes. At any price? No.
Finally, I would add that I am a registered independent, and proud of it, since independence is an important trait — after all, it’s the reason this country was created. The WHCC claim there is “no one elected or employed by the Town of Waynesville qualified to tell Walgreen’s, Cracker Barrel, Chili’s…how to do their business,” may or may not be true, but it’s irrelevant. What we need are people independent enough to tell Walgreens, etc., how Waynesville does its business, and to support local enterprise without being beholden to corporate America, a completely different skill set, and one not visible in the WHCC and, by extension, the candidates aligned to them.
Colin Reeve
Waynesville
To the Editor:
As a member of the Waynesville Public Art Commission from September 2006 to March 2011, I am very concerned about the misinformation presented in the ad placed in the Oct. 26/Nov. 1 issue of The Smoky Mountain News by the Waynesville-Haywood Concerned Citizens-PAC (page 14), on behalf of the following three candidates — Hugh Phillips, Sam Edwards and Julia Boyd Freeman.
During my 4.5 years on the commission I served as treasurer for two years and chair of the commission for one year.
The monies to purchase Old Time Music ($20,000), Celebrating Folkmoot ($20,000) and the Art connects the Parks Railing ($20,000) at the mini park, Main and Depot streets, was all donated by private individuals, local businesses and the Tourism Development Association.
No Town of Waynesville money was spent to pay the artists for their creations.
The Town of Waynesville does support the work of the commission with some funds, but the money spent to solicit art works, provide lighting, and install the works is minuscule compared to the benefits derived from these unique and special artworks that enhance our town.
I find it amazing that a group supporting candidates would place an ad before checking all their facts, and that the candidates would not do the proper research before allowing their names to be included.
Please help to set the facts straight.
Kaaren Stoner
Haywood County
To the Editor:
Homework counts. I like to think that candidates running for the Waynesville Town Board would be interested in checking public documents to support or reinforce their point of view. Facts from public documents concerning our entrance corridors such as South Main and Russ Avenue are important to enhance the visitor experience to distinguish Waynesville from “Anywhere USA” and build a better economy.
Public documents on quantity of permits in 1990s are about equal to permits issued after adoption of the LDS in 2003 in our 3 regional centers — Hyatt Creek-South Main, Russ Avenue, and Dellwood/Junaluska — so design standards are not a deterrent nor are they a “undue burdens” on business development.
Of course building permits don’t always equal a “new” business; sometimes it is simply a face lift, or repurposing with a different tenant.
If candidates have read our UDO, (approximately 300 pages, they would know the town also allow business expansion — by our ordinances — using conditional use (the future expansion of Ingles is a current example). Also, Chapter 13 gives other tools to mitigate these concerns of nonconforming design elements and site features.
The review process started in March 2009 to study the UDO. A lot of volunteer time and effort went into amending, organizing and making the UDO “user friendly.” The town board adopted the revised UDO in spring 2011. The board is open and welcomes input. Candidates should show up and attend various board and commission meetings — the door is always open.
Facts matter.
Philan Medford
Waynesville
Registration is still open for the fourth annual Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, “Poverty, Abundance, and Peace: Seeking Economic Justice for All God’s Children,” on Nov. 13-15.
Speakers for this year’s conference include Sen. George McGovern; David Beckmann, executive director of Bread for the World; Bishop Nkula Ntambo of the Katanga Conference in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Michael Ayuen de Kuany, one of the “Lost Boys of the Sudan.”
“Beckmann, Senator McGovern and Bishop Ntambo each bring a long history of effective involvement in issues related to peace, poverty, and hunger,” said Garland Young and Wannamaker Hardin, Chair and vice-chair of the Peace Conference. “They will help us explore ways to be more effective in our witness and involvement in seeking peace and justice for all. The inter-faith approach to peace will continue to be an emphasis of this conference with Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders taking part.”
In keeping with the commitment of the Peace Conference to interfaith peacemaking, the conference will also feature an interfaith panel featuring Jewish, Muslim and Christian scholars on the topic, “Our Sacred Texts Speak to Us in Regard to Peace, Justice and Economics.”
For more information on the Conference and to register go to www.lakejunaluska.com/peace or call 828.454.6656.
Newly released statistics compiled by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons show more than 79,000 breast reconstruction procedures were performed in 2008, a 39 percent increase compared to 2007.
Yet according to a recent report, almost 70 percent of women who are eligible for the procedure are not told about reconstructive options.
The majority of women are not aware that there is a Federal law, the Womens Rights Law of 1998, which requires insurance companies to cover breast reconstruction following mastectomy or partial removal of the breast, according to the report.
“At the time of diagnosis, a patient should be immediately referred to a full team of physicians — including a plastic surgeon — so she can determine which, if any reconstruction option is best for her,” said Dr. Laurence Arnold of Asheville.
The third annual Native American Heritage Expo will be held at Western Carolina University beginning Nov. 7.
All events held throughout the week are free and open to the public.
The Native American Heritage Expo will explore the rich and vast culture of the Native American experience. Its’ series of programs will be held in the A.K. Hinds University Center and include discussions about Cherokee health, first amendment rights of tribal newspapers and Indian identity.
The event kicks off with a free lunch at 12:20 p.m. Monday in the UC Grandroom.
RSVP at 227.2615 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Driver Safety Program is offering a free, four-hour classroom course to all veterans and their spouses, regardless of age, from Nov. 1 through Nov. 30.
It will update participants’ knowledge of roads, traffic laws, vehicles, identify the most common crash situations and cover how to reduce the chances of having a crash.
The class is open to non-veterans at a cost of $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Instructors will set up a class at a veterans’ meeting place, a local church or community center, if there are at least six participants.
Call the following instructors: Sandra Waltzek, Jackson County, 828.743.7910; Ardis Thomas, Swain County, 828.488.2523; Robert Justin, Macon County, 828.369.2829; and Carol Kashmer, Haywood County, 828.926.8948.
With about half of the bricks for the first section of the Western Carolina University Catamount Legacy Walk commissioned, facilitators are expanding publicity efforts in hopes of having the first section installed before spring commencement.
A fundraiser for a student emergency fund, the Catamount Legacy Walk honors each $125, tax-deductible donation with a 4-by-8-inch, reddish-orange brick paver to be engraved with a customized message from the donor and installed on campus.
Eighty percent of each Catamount Legacy Walk donation goes directly to the student emergency fund, with the remaining amount used for maintenance of the walk and Alumni Tower.
About 50 bricks have been commissioned for the Catamount Legacy Walk so far.
828.227.7234 or legacywalk.wcu.edu.
Tourism groups and projects that want to apply for a 1 percent funding grant from the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority have until 5 p.m., Nov. 7, to the town subcommittees in Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Clyde and Canton.
The Haywood County Department of Social Services is hosting an informational recruitment rally Nov. 5 from 1-4 p.m.
Haywood County Department of Social Services is collaborating with other foster home agencies to hold the event, which aims to teach to people more about being a foster parent and the county’s need for available foster homes.
828.356.2367 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Lori Hall has been selected as the new Finance Director for Macon County. Hall replaces Evelyn Southard, a long time county finance director who retired at the end of October.
Hall began Oct. 31. Hall was selected from among two-dozen applicants for the job.
Before accepting the position with Macon County, Hall had served as finance director for the City of Kings Mountain since 1996. Prior to that appointment, she worked as a clerk in accounting and collections for the city.
A community event to help people deal with feelings of grief and loss during the upcoming holidays will be held from 1-2:30 p.m. and from 6:30-8 p.m. Nov. 8 at First Baptist Church of Waynesville.
Palliative Care and Hospice Services of MedWest Health System is hosting the “Hope for the Holidays.” The sessions are free, and refreshments will be provided.
828.452.8811 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Three challengers in the Waynesville town election have staked out clear positions against the town’s commercial development standards. They say they would institute a review of the town’s ordinances if elected and want to loosen the standards.
Current town leaders running for re-election believe the standards protect the unique character of the town.
Others say the standards aren’t perfect but are satisfied that an overhaul of the standards this past year — a process driven by a town-appointed committee of mostly business leaders — addressed the majority of concerns and the ordinances are fine for now.
Supports standards
Mayor Gavin Brown
Brown doesn’t buy claims that Waynesville’s development standards have killed plans by chain stores to come here.
“I would like to see a statement signed by the development companies saying the land design standards are the reason they didn’t come here,” Brown said.
Waynesville’s track record on attracting new businesses, even chain stores, isn’t too shabby, he said.
Over the past four years, the town has seen a Super Walmart, Best Buy, Staples and two new Verizon Wireless stores. Ingle’s has been approved for a major expansion, including a gas station. A new Belks department store, PetSmart and Michael’s craft store have broken ground. Even a manufacturing industry, HVO, met the town’s standards when undergoing a major expansion of its plant.
Brown said efforts to recruit new business are more likely to run afoul over the town’s demographics. Its population, at least on paper, doesn’t look big enough to support the stores, as “the census data doesn’t reflect second homes.”
Alderman Leroy Roberson
Roberson thinks it is important to preserve Waynesville’s character, support small business and protect the charm of its neighborhoods. The town’s land-use plan does that by upholding appearance standards for new commercial development, he said.
The town is one of the most desirable places in the region to live thanks to its progressive vision, and that in turn makes businesses want to locate here, he said, pointing to several chain stores that have done just that.
“You don’t have these large box stores coming to Waynesville because it is a depressed area. They see it as a vibrant area,” Roberson said.
Roberson said smart businesses recognize the value in appearance.
“Why doesn’t Cracker Barrel just put up a tin-sided building with metal posts? Why do they put rocking chairs out there? Because it looks attractive,” Roberson said.
Roberson said his passion lies with helping the local businesses, pointing to new restaurants like Frog’s Leap, Bourbon Barrel and Tipping Point.
“Cracker Barrel is not my main concern. We are getting lots of good restaurants without Cracker Barrel,” Roberson said. “I want to create a climate that provides for small business. The big chains can take care of themselves. They have millions of dollars they can invest.”
Roberson said it is appropriate to ask chain stores to respect the towns they come in to.
“They should at least try to become a part of the community, in terms of ‘OK, this is the appearance you have, how can I fit into this?’ Not ‘This is the way we do it everywhere else and if you don’t like, we are not coming,’” Roberson said.
Roberson said the revised land-use plan is not as rigid as it was and can accommodate specific issues a business might have. “Flexibility is built in without throwing out everything with the bathwater,” Roberson said.
Alderman Wells Greeley
Greeley said the town responded to complaints from development interests that the town’s standards were too strict. The town appointed a committee comprised mostly of business leaders who spent a year revising the standards. Town leaders agreed to most of the recommended changes, loosening them in several areas.
“Now that we have reviewed those, I feel very comfortable; we are poised to really promote business and encourage business,” Greeley said. “This board has not been business unfriendly.”
As for the Cracker Barrel claims?
“I would need to see more evidence,” Greeley said.
Middle of the road
Mary Ann Enloe, challenger
Enloe said Waynesville has lovely neighborhoods that should be protected.
“We don’t need to lose sight of our neighborhoods because we have quite a few really nice ones around in town. By the same token, I am going to tell you what I am hearing everywhere I go, this comes up. People want new businesses here. They just do,” Enloe said.
Enloe said she does not have enough facts to wade into the fray over Cracker Barrel. Enloe said the town should put the facts out there.
“The people I talk to want to know why. They want to know why these corporate entities walked away,” she said.
Enloe said she doesn’t know if the claims are legitimate. If they aren’t, the town “should let folks know that,” Enloe said.
Enloe agrees with revisions made to the ordinance this year and does not see the need to make more changes to it right now. She does believe it should be periodically reviewed at least every five years going forward.
“We have to be business friendly in an appropriate way,” Enloe said.
Alderman Gary Caldwell
Caldwell has had one primary bone to pick with the commercial development standards: where should the parking lots go.
The town’s development standards initially required parking lots to go on the side or rear of the building. That way, building façades and landscaping would define the streetscape rather than parking lot scenes. But, Caldwell said businesses should be allowed to put parking lots in front of their buildings. He supports a change to the ordinance allowing a limited number of parking spaces in front of the building.
“Now we have kind of come to a mutual agreement where we have allowed a row of parking in front,” Caldwell said. “I feel like we have come to a good compromise all the way around.”
Although he personally voted to allow even more parking in front, he can live with it and doesn’t see the need to undergo another revision process right now.
Standards too tough
Julia Boyd-Freeman
Freeman believes the town’s development standards are too strict, and the ordinance wasn’t loosened enough in the recent review process.
“There was some progress made but in my opinion not enough,” Freeman said. “That’s why I think it is a priority to start that review process again.”
Freeman said the ordinance puts “undue burdens” on new commercial developments and should be made more “pro-business.”
She thinks new businesses should have to plant some trees in their parking lot but not as many as the town calls for now. She doesn’t think new commercial developments should have to bear the expense of building sidewalks.
“We need to be a pedestrian community but not at the expense of our small business owners,” Freeman said.
Freeman also doesn’t think chain stores should have to alter their templates to fit the town’s appearance guidelines.
“I truly believe these businesses should be able to submit plans depending on what is their brand. They have their own look. It is a corporate thing,” Freeman said. “They should be able to submit those.”
Sam Edwards, challenger
Edwards is a leading critic of the development standards and accused the town of “chasing businesses off.”
“This is one of the principle things that are a deterrent to businesses opening up here,” Edwards said.
Edwards said there are numerous examples. He cited Cracker Barrel as the poster child. He said Cracker Barrel “canceled the decision to come” after the town wouldn’t allow its tall highway sign. He also cited Annie’s Bakery and Walgreen’s.
Edwards said he had no first hand knowledge nor details of the alleged deals that fell through. He said he got his information from the Waynesville-Haywood Concerned Citizens Group.
Edwards said market forces, not the government, should dictate the appearance of new buildings.
“That is a decision they would have to make corporately,” Edwards said.
Hugh Phillips, mayoral candidate
Phillips said he heard that a Cracker Barrel had pulled out because they couldn’t put up a tall sign. He said he did not know specifics.
“I didn’t get all the details on it but it all boiled down to the land use ordinances,” Phillips said.
When asked for other examples, Phillips said “Chick-fil-A maybe.”
As for where it was allegedly going to go?
“I thought close to Walmart,” Phillips said.
Phillips said he wants to redo the town’s standards.
“We need to go over it page by page, line by line,” Phillips said.
The town actually appointed a committee of business leaders last year to do just that. The team met weekly for the better part of a year, went over every line of the ordinance and recommended dozens of changes to loosen the ordinance. The town board adopted all but one of the recommendations in the spring.
Phillips said he was only vaguely familiar that the town had undergone a review of the ordinance. He said he did not know that the town board had weakened the standards already.
“I heard a little bit about it. I don’t know what the results were. I knew they were going to do that, but I never heard what the results were,” Phillips said. “I didn’t know about it.”
Haywood Community College will offer a new community education certificate in Media Arts: Photography.
The course begins Nov. 11 and run through March, 14, 2012. It will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. The program requires basic knowledge of cameras and computers.
Does your camera have buttons and menus that you wish you knew how to use? Do you have a memory card full of images and you don’t know what to do next? The Media Arts Certificate in Photography offers hands-on instruction in basic camera operation, lighting, printing, editing, promotion, presentation and networking.
Cost of the class is $240. 828.565.4242.
A new film festival that will be held from Thursday through Sunday (Nov. 3-6) in Asheville will feature 39 films from more than 20 filmmakers and includes a number of panels and workshops.
The first Asheville Cinema Festival’s executive director is Wyman Tannehill, who grew up in Haywood County.
“The festival is designed for everyone. The goal is to bring more independent film to Western North Carolina,” Tannehill told the Asheville Citizen-Times. “There are a lot of great films out there that might not otherwise play here.”
Films include features, documentaries, shorts, foreign and student films from around the world, as well as WNC films.
Tickets are $5 online and $6 at the door for each of the films. A package of five tickets for $20 is also available online. Venues include the Asheville Community Theater, the Masonic Temple at 80 Broadway St., the Regal Biltmore Grande 15, Biltmore Park, Town Square and the Lexington Avenue Brewery.
The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series for 2011-12 will get under way at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center on Thursday, Nov. 3, with a concert by the band Blue Eyed Girl.
The group’s 7 p.m. performance of old-time music will be followed by an 8 p.m. jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.
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 Whimzik, Ric Ledford and the Reems Creek Incident, and the New Southern Ramblers.
The events are free and open to everyone. 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.
828.227.7129.
Voices in the Laurel will perform at 3 p.m. on Nov. 6 at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.
The children’s choir “America, Of Thee I Sing Concert” is free and is intended to promote patriotism and honor veterans and those who serve to protect in local communities.
Choir Director Brown designed the concert to celebrate through music the fact that America is a melting pot, a refuge, and champions the oppressed.
The Concert Choir will also perform a recent addition to the folk song genre with text written by elementary students from Haywood County.
Three years ago, North Carolina composer Tom Shelton was commissioned by Haywood County Schools to take the poetry of elementary school students and write a piece for the Sing Haywood event sponsored by Haywood County Schools. Thus, “The Mountains Are Calling Me” was written, and has since been published.
www.voicesinthelaurel.org or 828.734.8413.
Western Carolina University’s Division of Educational Outreach will sponsor the seventh annual Dulcimer Winter Weekend beginning Thursday, Jan. 5, and continuing through Sunday, Jan. 8, at the Methodist Assembly’s Terrace Hotel at Lake Junaluska.
Participants can select from more than 50 classes offered for the mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer, and new for this year, the guitar. Mountain dulcimer instructors will include Anne Lough of Waynesville, Joe Collins of Shelby, and Larry Conger. Collins and Conger are both former national champions on the dulcimer.
The early registration fee of $149 is available until Tuesday, Nov. 15, and the fee will increase to $199 after that day. A non-participant fee of $40 allows accompanying guests to attend jam sessions, nightly events and a Sunday morning singing.
Reservations for accommodations should be made directly with the Terrace Hotel. The cost of a single occupancy room for three nights is $207 per person and the cost of a double occupancy room for three nights is $258 per person. A meal package that includes eight meals is available for $82. To book a room or meal package, call 800.222.4930.
Complete class descriptions, a full schedule and online registration are available at dulcimer.wcu.edu.
828.227.7397 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Bluegrass group Balsam Range will feature award-winning Nashville musician and songwriter John Wiggins in the first show of its Winter Concert Series at the Colonial Theatre in Canton at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.
Wiggins is a Haywood County native who co-wrote a recent No. 1 country hit for Blake Shelton “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking?” and record breaking seller “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” recorded by Joe Nichols. Balsam Range is a Haywood County-based band that recently won the International Bluegrass Music Award’s song of the year for “Trains I Missed.”
The performances is part of a fundraising “Donation Challenge” event to benefit the Haywood County Meals on Wheels program. The artists have each made a donation to start the support. Higher donation levels include business promotion and a “Meet and Greet” with the artists backstage.
General public tickets are now available for $25 through the Balsam Range website: www.balsamrange.com. For higher donation level information, contact Jeanne Naber, Meals on Wheels Program Coordinator, at 828.356.2442 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cullowhee will host a “Day of Mindfulness: Practices to Support a Global Spirituality and Ethic” from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Nov. 5
The day-long session will be led by Trish Thompson, a Dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hahn.
The Day of Mindfulness will include meditation instructions, sitting practice, walking meditation, teaching and relaxation instructions. There are openings for only 25 people on a first come basis. Lunch will be provided. A donation of $25 will be welcomed. All proceeds will go to Clean Slate, a home for women released from jail in Jackson County.
Participants should bring a cushion or a blanket and comfortable clothing. Chairs are available.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.354.0166.
Tickets for the 2011 Madrigal Dinner at Western Carolina University went on sale Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3, in the Grandroom of the A.K. Hinds University Center.
Held annually since 1970, the Madrigal Dinner features entertainment, costumes, pageantry and food authentic of 16th-century England. During each dinner, the Early Music Ensemble, directed by Michael Lancaster — the newly appointed director of choral activities — will perform alongside a trio of herald trumpets and a trio of period instruments played by WCU music faculty Will Peebles and Bruce Frazier and WCU alumna Diana Fisher. Performers include a jester, the lord and lady of the feast and others.
The menu will include a choice of three entrees (grilled pork loin chop with bourbon-apple glaze, honey-citrus glazed Cornish game hen, or a vegetarian plate featuring a shepherd’s pie) and will be served with wassail, salad, roasted garlic mashed new potatoes, glazed carrots, plum pudding, rolls, tea, water and coffee. Tables seat eight apiece.
Tickets are $35 ($20. for WCU students) and may be purchased in the University Center administrative offices (on the second floor) or by calling 828.227.7206 for credit card orders.
The Community Table’s fourth annual Fall Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12, at the 127 Bartlett Street location in Sylva.
The menu includes barbecue with baked beans and cole slaw, a yard sale, activities for the kids, live music and more.
The Community Table is also accepting donations for its yard sale (anything except clothing). Donations are also being accepted for a bake sale and a food drive.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.586.6782.
A performance of Gary Carden’s play “Nance Dude” at the Rickman Store in Macon County will serve as a fundraiser for the Friends of the Rickman Store.
The play is at 6 p.m. on Nov. 4. Tickets are $15 and are on sale at the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce.
This is the fourth play by Sylva playwright Carden that has been presented by the Friends of the Rickman Store. The first was “Birdell,” then “Prince of Dark Corners,” then “Bright Forever” and now “Nance Dude.”
Carden’s relatives are from Macon County and the Cowee area.
Elizabeth Westall has performed the character of Nance Dude many times and has won critical acclaim for doing the monologue. Each time she says it will be her last performance, but she continues to do the play, says Carden.
828.369.5595.
The Jackson County Public Library will host a daytime music program on the first Friday of every month from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. beginning Friday, Nov. 4.
The Nov. 4 show will feature “The Lady and the Old Timers Band.”
The monthly performance by the band enables people who might not want to venture out at night to hear live music from local musicians. The Lady and the Old Timers Band is made up of one lady and seven self-described old timers, five of whom are over the age of 80. They play gospel and traditional country tunes.
828.586.2016.
Haywood Arts Regional Theater will close the 2011 season with Eugene O’Neill’s comedy “Ah, Wilderness!” on its main stage.
The play will run at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11-12, 18-19 and at 3 p.m. on Nov. 20. Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $8 for students with special $5 student tickets for Thursday and Sunday.
“Ah, Wilderness!” is the only comedy by the Pulitzer Prize winning O’Neill, who is considered by many to be America’s best playwright. The play is described as “a wistful fantasy of the family (O’Neill) wished was his. He would later write his masterpiece, “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” telling the story of the family he actually had.
The HART box office opens to season ticket holders Wednesday, Nov. 2, and to the general public on Saturday, Nov. 5. Box office hours are Monday-Saturday 1-5 p.m. Call 828.456.6322 for reservations. Tickets available online at www.harttheater.com.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” a story of revenge and greed and how they can crush the human spirit, will stage Thursday, Nov. 10, through Sunday, Nov. 13, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University.
“Sweeney Todd,” a University Theatre Mainstage production, will show at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.
Written by Hugh Wheeler with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the play won eight Tony Awards and two Golden Globe Awards and is acknowledged as one of the most acclaimed theatrical works of the 20th century. The play tells the story of Sweeney Todd, formerly exiled and recently returned to the seedy underworld of 19th-century London. A barber, he exercises revenge for past wrongs on his unsuspecting customers, finding a willing accomplice in Mrs. Lovett, the owner of a pie shop.
WCU musical theater majors Tierney Cody, a sophomore from Asheville, and Peter O’Neal, a junior from Raleigh, will star in the production. Terrence Mann, WCU’s Plemmons Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre, will direct.
Tickets are $20 for adults; $15 for faculty, staff and seniors; and $10 for students. To order tickets, or for more information about the season, call the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828.227.2479 or go online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
The Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University will host a holiday sale of handmade items and a Fall Family Day in November.
Both events are free and the public is invited.
The second-annual Handmade Holiday Sale will be held from 3-7 p.m. (with wine and appetizers beginning at 5 p.m.) Thursday, Nov. 10, in the Star Lobby, adjacent to the museum. The sale is an opportunity to buy directly from artists including WCU students and staff and community members. All items are priced at less than $100 and include silk scarves, ceramics, jewelry, knitted wear, soaps, note cards and more.
The Fine Art Museum will host a Fall Family Day from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 19. In addition to exhibits currently on display at the museum, activities including a scavenger hunt and opportunities to create works of art, as well as music, stories, snacks and prizes.
The Fine Art Museum’s hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. The museum also is open one hour before Fine and Performing Arts Center Galaxy of Stars performances.
828.227.2553 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Visit the museum online at fineartmuseum.wcu.edu.
It’s by Nature will host well known Cullowhee painter, Susan Ling this Friday, Nov. 4, during Sylva’s After Dark.
Ling will do a demonstration combining the rhythm of both buildings and landscapes into one movement.
“It is not so much what building or barn we see, but how we feel while looking at it or our reactions to the whole surrounding area,” she said. Ling’s watercolor demonstration will be in the bright primary colors of fall.
Jazz guitarist Chad Hallyburton will perform. Wine and cheese reception from 6-9 p.m. 828.631.3020.
The Waynesville Gallery Association will hold its monthly Art After Dark from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4.
Art After Dark takes place the first Friday of each month, May through December.
Studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in Historic Frog Lev will be open with working artists, specials sales and artist receptions. Art After Dark flags denote participating galleries. Musician Chris Minick will provide music on the street.
Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 is hosting an artist’s reception during Art After Dark for its newest show featuring the artists of Signature Studio. Signature Day Program and Signature Studio are an alternative to the traditional Day Program option, offering creative expression and learning opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
For more information visit the Arts Council’s website at www.haywoodarts.org, call 828.452.0593, like the Arts Council on Facebook, and follow it on Twitter.
A collection of Catherine Stinson Yellowroot’s paintings titled “Return to the Wild” will be on display during the month of November at The Wilderness Society’s southeastern regional office in Sylva.
An opening reception for the exhibit will take place from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, at 563 West Main Street, Sylva. This reception coincides with Sylva After Dark, a first Friday celebration where the public is invited to stroll through downtown Sylva for an evening of arts, dining, music, shopping, and more.
Yellowroot’s artwork reflects her intimate relationship with nature. Roaming the woods and waterways of the Appalachian mountains, piedmont, and coastal islands of the Southeast, she communes with the subjects of her paintings.
To the Editor:
Just prior to the opening of the “Bear Smart” program, on Tuesday night at the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center, a very large black bear showed up to protest the theme of the meeting by walking down the ski slope to a nearby dumpster and having an evening snack. Even though it was a fascinating experience for early arrivals to see a “live” bear up close, it was a prime example of how black bears respond to available human food sources and the primary objective of Bear Smart: Do Not Feed the Bears.
Although it provided an excellent jump start for the “Understanding Our Black Bears” presentation, it revealed the importance for across the board cooperation and support regarding denying bears access to human food sources. The actions of this bear, seen by many, indicates it is acclimated to human contact and subject to being killed or destroyed.
It is hoped that the full house of black bear enthusiasts attending this event, sponsored by Wild South and the Sapphire Valley Resort, were later moved to fully understand the importance of denying black bears all human food sources during an evening of informative, entertaining and educational presentations. These were all designed to develop awareness and pursue actions designed to preserve a healthy image of black bears, our iconic symbol of mountain living.
Kate Marshall, using her nationally acclaimed video along with insightful comments, provided exceptional glimpses of black bears and stories with emphasis on the importance of bears to our society. Her five point outline, showing reasons black bears are so valued by many wildlife enthusiasts, was a highlight of the evening.
In an exciting climax to a meaningful evening of discussions, Wendy Howe wowed the audience with her knowledge of black bears and everyone's role in keeping bears wild and wonderful. As a long time resident of the area, her comments were well received and further emphasized the need for major cooperative community action and support as we strive to co-exist with our black bear neighbors.
John Edwards
Director of Mountain Wildlife Days
Cashiers
To the Editor:
In the Oct. 19 Smoky Mountain News, a photo and story feature covered the Oct. 15 Occupy Sylva event. However, what the article did not report was that our Rep. Phil Haire, D-Sylva, chose the Occupy Sylva event to denounce Roses, a North Carolina business, and in fact encouraged the Occupy group not to shop at this store. He even told them where the store was located.
These outrageous remarks were stated by Haire in the midst of a disastrous economy and skyrocketing unemployment with shops and store closing all around us. Roses is the much-needed anchor of Jackson Plaza, a shopping center in Sylva. It is disgraceful that an elected official suggested a boycott that if followed could mean more job losses and even another closing of a business in Jackson County.
Rep. Haire coupled his remarks with high praise for a New Yorker Magazine article “State for Sale.” The New Yorker article, written by an ultra left winger for a ultra left wing magazine, to be read by big-city liberals, spent 10 pages slamming Republican spending in the 2010 elections and specifically the Jim Davis/John Snow race. The article focused on, well actually smeared, Raleigh multi-millionaire Republican funder Art Pope whose business is Rose’s Department Stores … .hmmm now we understand Rep. Haire’s motive.
You can see and hear Rep. Haire’s remarks on a video taken at the Occupy Sylva event. Go to Youtube at http:/youtu.be/LMNSl1yaC-0 or on Franklin videographer Bobby Coggin’s Thunder Pig blog at http://bit.ly/pKIlO4 . Rep. Haire also offered to provide the New Yorker article for anyone who wished to read it … that is if you want to read unbalanced and slanted reporting.
Just for the record, not of course covered by the New Yorker magazine, North Carolina Democrats spent $16 million to the Republican’s $14 million in the 2010 elections. Records also show that Democrats have, with few exceptions, consistently outspent Republicans on legislative races. The New Yorker article would have you to believe otherwise. That kind of money does not come from the coins and $5 checks from ordinary voters. Do we think there might be a Democrat “Art Pope?” How about Democrat funder millionaire Jim Goodmon, owner of WRAL-TV, who follows the Pope patterns of election contributions as well as funding liberal policy groups? Again, no mention of Goodmon in “State for Sale” but then the objective of the NewYorker article was not balanced journalism.
Yes, it is an exorbitant expense to be a candidate for any elected office. So, candidates and political parties must solicit funds from wealthy citizens as well as the general public. TV is extremely expensive and radio spots and effective print media programs are not far behind in cost. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, whose TV ads were shown over and over again, spent $2 million in his campaign against Republican Jeff Miller’s $1 million in 2010.
Is running for political office too expensive by ordinary standards? Probably. Do we want government to dictate to the media, graphics companies, mail houses and other candidate services how much they can charge candidates for their services and products? I don’t think so, unless we intend to allow government to move us farther along a path that is attempting to do away with our free enterprise system.
We see the government encroachment on free enterprise as more and more businesses and industries — healthcare, banking and finance, energy to name a few — are regulated and price controlled. Next thing you know government will be controlling what we are allowed to eat and even how we run our homes, like what light bulbs we can use. Oh, sorry, bad example, the light bulb restriction is already in place.
Carol Adams
Glenville
To the Editor:
In the election article for Maggie Valley, I read three candidates — the mayoral candidate Ron DeSimone and two of candidates for aldermen, Phil Aldridge and Phillip Wight — are quoted as being in lockstep for their agenda, which seems mystical. I question their unspoken agendas and their personal experiences in town government. I have read of Aldridge’s attacks on those he disagrees with. I wonder if this trio has positive approaches to deal with current economic times.
My personal experience began with Ron DeSimone at a public hearing over the sanction of the Maggie Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Home in July 2009. He was chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustment for the Town of Maggie Valley (a position he held from April 2005 until 2010, when he was not re-appointed). A second hearing at the Town Hall was held in July 2009, and in an official capacity I attended to support senior citizens and their needs. I waited until the end of the hearing, listening to both sides, and was recognized to speak.
Mr. DeSimone asked me what right did I have to speak and I answered. I told him I was born in the town in 1937, had lived here all my life, that we needed the facility and the employment and revenues, that I was an aging advocate with the N.C. Tarheel Legislature and a county representative to the Region A Area on Aging, and I believe I may have embarrassed him.
Shortly after, a letter to the editor was published under a false name attacking me and my brothers, who also live in the valley and are business and professional men. The source has been undetermined, but we know it was not a woman and that the writer was at that hearing.
Maggie Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center opened in August and is a credit to the leadership of the Town of Maggie Valley. DeSimone was clearly opposed to this just two years ago. Aldridge has been in office for the last eight years; he has aligned himself with the opposition at each election and then falls out of favor with those he supported. Aldridge facilitated the “no charge” for the Festival Grounds for the Popcorn Jam II in July and yet allowed a private restaurant to sell food and beverages and admission, sell tee shirts and make a profit without allowing other local businesses to partake of the Popcorn Spoils. Wight uses scare tactics of increased taxation yet he is unaware of the recent town audit that does not support his fear-mongering. Maggie Valley voters have a heavy responsibility to look beyond the signboards and rumors to truly understand which candidates are best.
I want my community of Maggie Valley to grow and continue to be a hospitable village where the business people, the residents and the visitors can live and share in harmony of the wonders of our mountains and our streams and our way of life. Bitterness and name-calling do not project a friendly place to live or visit. We all have the responsibility of promoting friendliness and unity. No elected board can bring that about.
Ernestine E. Upchurch
Maggie Valley
To the Editor:
In reply to Shirley Slaughter’s letter of Oct. 19 in The Smoky Mountain News (www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/5374), I don’t think the N.C. Republicans need any help from The New Yorker to discredit themselves because they’ve accomplished that objective pretty well on their own.
Sometimes it’s difficult, Ms. Slaughter, to examine ourselves as others see us. The article by Jane Mayer, “State for Sale,” was unflattering to say the least. But it offered a fair interpretation of North Carolina’s political modus operandi (Republican style).
Obviously The New Yorker writer did her homework. If my understanding of the word “smear” is close to accurate, the campaign Jim Davis waged to unseat John Snow epitomized the performance. The flyers sent by the N.C. Republican Party (which Sen. Jim Davis unbelievably denied responsibility for) were in extremely poor taste, outrageously offensive and framed a picture of John Snow that was blatantly untrue.
Whether it’s Art Pope’s money buying influence for Republicans or George Soros’ buying it for the Democrats or multinational corporations buying it for both, Americans are well aware of the enormous and destructive impact money has on our electoral system.
Subsequently, the editor of the SMN was precisely correct that voters should make every effort to stay informed, and knowing who is pulling the financial strings is very much a part of that responsibility.
David L. Snell
Dillsboro
Vicki Lane returns to City Lights to read from her newest novel, Under The Skin, at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29.
In this haunting tale from the heart of Appalachia, Lane draws together past and present, good and evil, folklore and secrets, mesmerizing readers with the mysterious bond of true sisterhood — richer than blood, stronger than the passage of time.
Elizabeth Goodweather and her city-girl sister, Gloria, couldn’t be more different. Elizabeth lives on a farm in the Great Smoky Mountains. Gloria lives in Florida off an ex-husband’s fortune. Gloria is a beauty; Elizabeth isn’t.
For more information call City Lights Bookstore at 828.586.9499.
Author George Ellison will be conducting a book signing at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and Saturday, Nov. 5, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Ellison is the co-author of the introduction to the new edition of Camping and Woodcraft just published by Great Smoky Mountains Association. The 80-page introduction contains considerable new material about Horace Kephart’s unusual life and the importance of one of the most popular outdoors books ever published. Kephart lived in the wilderness of the Smoky Mountains in the early 1900s and was a famed conservationist, writer and anthropologist of Southern Appalachian lifeways.
Ellison will also do a reading at 2 p.m. Nov. 19 at City Lights book store in Sylva.
828.497.1919.
Hattie Best Polk of Lake Junaluska won the prestigious Robert Bruce Cooke Family History Book of the Year Award for her manuscript, Out of My Life and Reflections, at the North Carolina Society of Historians annual awards banquet.
Polk’s story, much like her recently published family history, is vibrant, colorful and unique in the close-knit community of Lake Junaluska. She is an 85-year-old who lives in the home that she and her husband, Charles, built mostly with their own hands.
The books in the competition are judged by professionals in their field. One judge says this about Polk’s book: “It was an honor to judge this entry, to ‘relive Hattie’s life.” Another says, “It was so refreshing to read the stories that fashioned the life of this beautiful Southern Belle.”
The Jackson County Public Library will host WCU Psychology Professor Hal Herzog for a talk about his book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
The discussion will address the range of questions and moral issues linked to their relationships with animals. Is it OK to kill animals just because they taste good? Why is it OK to feed a mouse but not a kitten to your pet boa constrictor? Why do Koreans eat dogs but Americans don’t? Are pit bulls inherently dangerous? Do most children who abuse animals become violent adults?
Herzog will discuss his book and the research behind it. A question-and-answer session will follow his remarks. For more information contact the library at 828.586.2016.
Students and staff of the Oconaluftee Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center helped with a trail restoration project on the popular Forney Ridge Trail recently in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
After hiking in to the work site, students, National Park Service staff, Friends of the Smokies, and other volunteers from across the Southeast got to work digging water bars, breaking and setting rock, stabilizing banks and moving soil.
Naturalization, restoration and recreation maintenance are vital to the Civilian Conservation Center’s special conservation mission. Hands-on projects in natural resources are integral to fostering these ideals in the nation’s youth.
“It is great to see public land management agencies supporting one another in a unique partnership for the good of the land and America’s young people. National Public Lands Day 2011 was a huge success both for the trail and for the mind,” said Holly Krake, Oconaluftee’s liaison specialist.
There’s no costumed ghouls or pre-recorded shrieks on the Friends of the Smokies’ November hike, but you will trek along a trail with a “road to nowhere,” visit a secluded cemetery and explore a dark, 365-foot tunnel.
On Tuesday, Nov. 1, hiking enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein (Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage) will lead this 9.4-mile hike along the Lakeshore Trail, often called “The Road to Nowhere.” The hike is moderate in difficulty and has a total elevation gain/descent of 1,350 feet.
Participants will depart from Waynesville at 9:15 a.m. and Bryson City at 10 a.m. Exact meeting locations specified upon registration. A donation of $25 is requested, and includes a complimentary membership to Friends of the Smokies. Donations will benefit Trails Forever, a program dedicated to trail improvement projects in the Smokies. There is no cost to current Friends of the Smokies members.
Space is limited. Contact Friends of the Smokies to register for the Road to Nowhere Hike at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720
Nantahala Outdoor Center has opened a retail concept shop from The North Face located inside NOC’s outfitters and retail store in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Covering 1,000 square feet of space within NOC’s Great Outpost, the specialty shop designed and merchandised by The North Face showcases products from The North Face’s full line. Featuring gear, footwear, outerwear and apparel for hiking, camping, running, snow sports and casual, customers can shop for unique and top selling items from the popular brand.
“We are thrilled to open our doors to The North Face. They are a premium outdoor lifestyle brand in line with our mission and values. This reinforces a very dynamic retail partnership,” says NOC President and CEO Sutton Bacon.
The first Smoky Mountain Paddling Club outing will be Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. on Bear Lake in Jackson County, weather permitting. Paddlers of all ability levels are welcome. Bring appropriate clothing, craft of choice, food, water and a personal flotation device. A group will be meeting at the United Community Bank in Sylva (1640 E. Main Street) at 9 a.m. to carpool or give you someone to follow.
252.558.5122 or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The fifth-annual Power of Pink race will be held Oct. 29 at MedWest Health and Fitness Center on the campus of MedWest-Haywood in Clyde, with a 20-mile relay, 4-mile run and fun run/walk.
The event helps raise breast cancer awareness and funds to provide breast cancer detection services and treatment for underserved women in the MedWest-Haywood hospital service area.
Power of the Pink includes The Pink Relay, an all-women relay covering 20 miles between five team members; the Pink 4-Miler Run/Walk open to male and female runners or walkers; and the Bubble Gum Fun Run/Walk, a non-competitive event.
The HRMC Foundation, Haywood County Health Department and MedWest Health System sponsor the annual event. Since 2007, Power of Pink has provided more than 530 procedures for 373 women. Last year, the event raised more than $20,000.
The goal this year is to raise $25,000 and to attract 40 teams for The Pink Relay.
Cost to enter a relay team is $200, the four-mile run for men and women is $25, and the Bubble Gum Fun Run/Walk is $10 for adults and $5 for youth 12 and under. To register, visit www.medwesthealth.org and click on the Power of Pink tab. Or 828.452-8343
As clay is to the potter and stone is to the sculptor, river cane is the vital raw material to the Cherokee basketmaker. But it’s in short supply.
The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River has received a grant from a Cherokee artisans group for $9,500 to locate cane stands along the river to provide a local supply source for basketmakers.
Roger Clapp, WATR director, has issued a call for volunteers to help with the river cane hunt, which will run through September 2012.
With a revival of basketmaking in Cherokee, artisans are having to travel farther and farther from home to find cane suitable for their use, said David Cozzo, director of Revitalization of Traditional Cherokee Artisan Resources, which provided the grant.
It wasn’t long ago, said Cozzo, that the art of basketmaking had gone into decline to the point that there were only two Cherokee artisans making double-weave baskets. Supply of cane wasn’t a problem.
Then the Cherokee Preservation Foundation stepped in and started basketweaving classes. A revival ensued. Now, the craft is even taught in the Cherokee High School.
“With the cultural revival, the need for river cane has increased,” said Cozzo. His group is planning a trip soon to Kentucky to harvest cane from a “really nice stand” there. And the group is working with Sumter National Forest in South Carolina to find cane there for harvesting.
Cozzo is convinced that there is river cane enough in Jackson and Swain counties to provide an adequate local source — it just needs to be located and the owners persuaded to allow the harvesting.
Volunteers or owners of rivercane stands should contact the WATR office in Bryson City at 828.488.8418.
WATR meets Nov. 7
The fall meeting of Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, in the atrium of the new Jackson County Library. Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. Dan Perlmutter, a retired Western Carolina University professor, will discuss the proposed Watershed Activity and Discovery Science Center.
Regional water quality experts will give a state of local forests and streams report in a public forum held by the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, in Highlands. Information will be presented by Jonathan McCall, registered forester with the N.C. Forest Service; Ed Williams, basinwide planner with the N.C. Division of Water Quality; and Mike Wilkins, district ranger with the Nantahala Ranger District, U.S. Forest Service.
They will discuss the challenges they face in protecting these resources along with the current and potential threats to our natural resources. They will also offer solutions to help protect these valuable natural resources for the common good. There will be time for questions and answers, and audience participation in determining solutions to address these threats and challenges.
Held at the Highlands Community Building next to the Baseball field on Fourth Street. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.526.0890, ext. 256.
The leaders of the two primary Great Smoky Mountains National Park partners were recently presented with the Department of Interior Citizen’s Award for Exceptional Service.
Terry Maddox, executive director, Great Smoky Mountains Association and Jim Hart, president of the Friends of the Smokies, were recognized for their outstanding support to the Smokies and the National Park Service.
Maddox has led the GSMA since 1990. The nonprofit corporation runs bookstores in the park and markets Smokies’ interpretive products outside the park as well. Under his leadership, the Association has grown from a small book retailer to a major author and publisher of award-winning educational products including books for adults and children, field guides, maps, videos, podcasts and web-based material.
“For years our bookstores offered mostly generic guidebooks, but our publications are now tailored to tell visitors specifically when and where they can expect to find a particular wild flower, bird, or tree. We also offer vivid stories on the Park’s history and prehistory,” said Smokies superintendent Dale Ditmanson.
Hart has served as president of Friends since 2002. Under his guidance, the Friends has substantially increased the public’s awareness of the value of the park and its various threats. They have placed a strong emphasis on providing educational programs for young people who will be the stewards of the Park in coming years by funding fieldtrips and ranger programs for area schools, as well as internships for high school and college students.
Over the nine years of Hart’s tenure, Friends donations have swelled from about $1.8 million a year to over $3.5 million, supporting everything from the restoration of historic buildings to black bear preservation. The Friends have also created a new “Trails Forever” endowment which is approaching $4 million.
The two groups also worked together to fund the construction of the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the North Carolina entrance to the Smokies.
“The outstanding leadership provided by Terry Maddox and Jim Hart is a tremendous asset to the Park’s preservation and to the service we provide to over 9 million visitors,” Ditmanson said. “Their service stands as a vivid reminder that the public support and individual stewardship which set aside created and developed this priceless national treasure is still alive and well 75 years after the Park’s creation.”
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is looking for great photos of people enjoying the Appalachian Trail in 2011. The conservancy is looking for images that illustrate your idea of a perfect day on the trail. Creative and unique shots are encouraged.
All entries must be submitted by email by Nov. 10. Submissions should be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. A panel of judges will select the top 20 photos. Prizes will be awarded to the top three contestants.
For more information, including rules, or questions regarding the photo contest, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 304.535.6331 ext. 134.
