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Four decades of tradition have built the foundation for the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, which will launch into its 41st year on Sept. 2 and 3 at Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska.
More than 200 dancers and musicians grace the shores of Lake Junaluska to entertain spectators over the Labor Day weekend.
Open tent shows will kick off each evening of entertainment at 5 p.m. Shows on the main stage in the 2,000-seat auditorium will start at 6:30 p.m. and end after 11 p.m.
The festival offers the chance to experience a broad range of musical and dance styles. Masters of traditional bluegrass instruments such as the banjo and fiddle will show of their skills, and more unorthodox and unusual instruments such as the dulcimer, harmonica, Native American flute, bagpipes and even spoons and a carpenter’s saw will provide the weekend’s music.
Buck dancers, square dancers, ballad singers and other traditional performers will round out the thoroughly Appalachian lineup.
The festival finds its history in Festival Director Joe Sam Queen, who teamed up with a local fiddler to celebrate the mountain music and dance of his grandfather, who had recently died.
Those first festivals were held in the gym of what is now Waynesville Middle School.
“My grandfather, Sam Queen, made mountain music and dancing such a big part of this community’s life, we wanted to carry on this family tradition and share it with the community just as he had done,” said Queen.
So he gathered local talents to keep the traditions alive, and they proved popular with local crowds.
The audiences began to grow and eventually outpaced the meager space offered by the gym.
Today, the performances garner more than 1,500 visitors each night.
But though the festival has grown in size, the traditions that inspired its inception still inform the festival today. Each festivalgoer, for example, is still given a free slice of watermelon to munch on while enjoying the show.
Tickets are $12 at the door and $10 in advance. Children under 12 are admitted free. For more information, call 828.452.1688.
Performers List — 2011 Smoky Mountain Folk Festival
Senator Joe Sam Queen- Master of Ceremonies
Friday Sept. 2
5:00 Open Tent Show
Stoney Creek Boys
6:30 — Mountain Tradition
Lee Knight
Honey Hollar
7 p.m. — Cole Mountain Cloggers
George & Brook Buckner
Roger Howell
Rodney Sutton
7:30 — UNC A Smooth Dancers
The Trantham Family
Mack Snoderly
8 p.m. — Dixie Darlin’s
Laura Boosinger
Spirit Fiddle/ Robin Warren
8:35 — Green Valley Cloggers
Phil & Gaye Johnson
Cockman Family
9:15 — Southern Mountain Smoke
Ken Harrison
Joe Pendland
9:45 — Bailey Mountain Cloggers
Ross Brothers
Bryan McDowell
Stony Creek Boys
10:15 — J Creek Cloggers
10:30 — Southern Mountain Smoke
Stoney Creek Boys
Also expected to perform: Don Pedi, Karen “Sugar” Barnes, Bobby Hicks
Hazel Creek, and Mike Lowe
Saturday, Sept. 3
5 p.m.— Open Tent Show
Whitewater Bluegrass Co.
6:30 — Fines Creek Flatfooters
Helena Hunt & Tracy Best
Ken Harrison
7 p.m. — Southern Mountain Fire-Smooth
Betty Smith
Mack Snoderly
7:30 — Stoney Creek Cloggers
Phil & Anne Case
Hominy Valley Boys
8 p.m. — Southern Appalachian Cloggers
Trantham Family
The Cockman Family
8:45 — Appalachian Mountaineers
Paul’s Creek
Spirit Fiddle/Robin Warren
9:15 — Smoky Mountain Stompers
Joe Pendland
Whitewater Bluegrass
William Ritter
10 — Southern Mountain Fire Cloggers
Mike Pilgram
Whitewater Bluegrass Co.
*All performers are volunteer; therefore schedule could change without notice.
The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce exceed goals set for its 2011 “Goin’ Coastal” Membership and Sponsorship Campaign.
The campaign teams recruited 68 new members and approximately $61,000 in sponsorship dollars. The original goal was 50 members and $50,000. During May and June, nine teams consisting of employees from area businesses volunteered to recruit new members throughout the campaign.
“The success of the campaign was directly attributed to the teamwork that the volunteers put into helping build value to both the chamber and the new businesses,” said Campaign Chairman Greg Boothroyd of The Smoky Mountain News.
Representatives from Champion Credit Union, Keller Williams Realty, The Smoky Mountain News, Old Town Bank, BB&T, Home Trust Bank, United Community Bank, chamber ambassadors, and the chamber board of directors shared the benefits of chamber membership as they reached out to area businesses that were not yet with the chamber. Chamber membership extends to all the employees of a member business, allowing them to take advantage of seminars, networking opportunities and special events that provide valuable business information and enable employees and business owners to build resourceful contacts. www.haywood-nc.com.
Drake Enterprises CEO Phil Drake, who owns a family of 18 businesses based in Macon County, will give a free seminar called “Guiding Business Expansion: There Is More Than One Way“ from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, in Asheville.
A master of vertical integration, learn how Drake has spawned new revenue through diversified products, services, markets and businesses. He will talk about successful strategies and tactics Drake has used to leverage key company or business assets for more than one operational or revenue purpose, often transforming internal solutions to a business challenge into a new stand alone enterprise.
Learn how to retain customers, stay ahead of competition, and grow brand strength for any business in any industry.
Sponsored by Mountain BizWorks. Held in the Asheville Chamber Conference Room on Montford Avenue.
RSVP to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.253.2834 ext. 17.
The 28-year-old co-founder and CEO of a global organization committed to eradicating extreme poverty will visit Western Carolina University on Wednesday, Sept. 7, to inform campus and surrounding community members about the issues and inspire them to take action.
Hugh Evans of the Global Poverty Project will present an interactive multimedia presentation called “1.4 Billion Reasons” at 7 p.m. in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. The event, which kicks off a yearlong, poverty-focused interdisciplinary learning and service initiative at WCU, is free and open to the public.
In the presentation, Evans will discuss simple, everyday changes community members can make in what they learn, say, buy, give and do to be part of the solution. He will explore five questions: What is extreme poverty? Can we do anything about it? What are the barriers to ending extreme poverty? Why should we care? What can I do?
Evans’ presentation kicks off a year-long interdisciplinary learning and service initiative called the WCU Poverty Project. Throughout the 2011-12 academic year, students, faculty and staff from across campus will take part in engaged teaching, learning, service and creative and scholarly opportunities focused on poverty, locally and globally.
For more information contact John Whitmire at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.2636, or Cooper at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.2595.
The Waynesville Recreation Center will close for routine maintenance work from Sept. 12-18. The center will reopen on Sept. 19 at 5 am.
The pool will also be closed from Sept. 10 to Sept. 25. The lap pool will reopen on Sept. 26 at 5:30 am and the water park will reopen at 11 am. Both pools will be resurfaced and a new deck installed during the closing period.
For more information call the center at 828.456.2030 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Laura McCue, district director of N.C. Fair Tax, will be the guest speaker at the Sept. 6 meeting of the Mountain High Republican Women’s Club (MHRWC) luncheon and business meeting at the Wildcatcliff Country Club in Cashiers.
She will discuss bills currently in Congress for abolishing the IRS and eliminating the income tax, which she argues will ensure that everyone pays into the system and allow American businesses to compete fairly.
All MHRWC members, prospective members and anyone in the community interested in learning more about the Fair Tax are encouraged to attend. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. The cost of the lunch is $20 with advance reservations and $25 at the door. Reservations are requested by noon on Sept. 2 online at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone to 828.200.7900.
Maggie Valley will have a free Labor Day weekend fireworks on Sunday, Sept. 4, with viewing from the Festival Grounds.
The fireworks will start at dark. During the day, the Maggie Valley Craft Show will be taking place at the festival grounds. Gates at the festival grounds will open at 7:30 p.m. for those coming to view the fireworks.
No food, beverage or coolers will be allowed. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase inside the venue. Bring blanket or lawn chair.
For information call 828.926.0866, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.maggievalleyfestivalgrounds.org.
If you are farming in Haywood County, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service is accepting applications to support efforts that improve water quality.
Cost-share is available for practices include watering tanks, fencing, streambank stabilization, pastureland improvement, sediment control on agriculture lands, agri-chemical buildings, forest stand improvement and more. A percentage for actual costs of installation of projects will be paid through this farm bill program.
Interested farmers should stop by the USDA office at 589 Raccoon Road, Suite 203, in Waynesville by Oct. 14 to submit an application.
828.452.2741 ext. 3 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn how to manage forests for wildlife and timber production, plus review tax strategies and estate planning at an upcoming workshop through The North Carolina Tree Farm Program.
The event is set for Thursday, Sept. 15 beginning at 9 a.m. at Brasstown Community Center in Brasstown.
Participants will visit a Cherokee County forest landowner who is actively managing his property using the techniques discussed in the workshop. Transportation will be provided.
The event is being held in cooperation with N.C. Forest Service, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Natural Resource Conservation Service, N.C. Cooperative Extension and the Southern Appalachian Multiple-Use Council.
A free lunch will be served, sponsored by Valwood Forest Products, Evergreen Packaging, Columbia Forest Products and the Cook Brothers Lumber Company. Advance registration is requested. 828.389.6305. Question about the workshop should be directed to Steve Henson, 828.506.4786.
The Jackson County Farmers Market will hold its annual “Taste of the Market” starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, featuring a variety of seasonal vegetables and local products.
A simple solar panel will be on display. There will be kid games and activities, and music. There also will be a Tomato Tasting, giving participants the opportunity to make their own tomato sandwiches using their favorite tomatoes in exchange of donations to The Community Table. A community garden helps The Community Table incorporate fresh produce in the soup kitchen’s meals.
The Farmers Market is located in downtown Sylva every Saturday on Railroad Avenue (in the Bridge Park) from 9 a.m. until noon.
Hal Herzog of Western Carolina University will discuss the complications of human-animal relationships, the focus of his recently published book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals.
The event is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1 at the Highlands Nature Center, the final installation of the Highlands Biological Foundation’s “Think About Thursdays” summer series.
Herzog, a psychology professor at WCU, has investigated the complex psychology of our interactions with other species for more than 20 years.
828.526.2221 or www.wcu.edu/hbs.
Shutterbug alert: A fall field photography program will run for four weeks starting in September in Haywood County. Class members will meet up Wednesday mornings in Waynesville then head into the field with group leader Bob Grytten, an award-winning photographer. Grytten captured this shot of a Cataloochee elk, a popular subject for his outdoor photography students. Every other Tuesday evening, a classroom session is held to review images, discuss equipment, composition, computers and other photography aspects. Field shoots are $45 each; Tuesday evening programs are $10 each. 828.627,0245 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.lensluggerworld.com.
More than 400 riders participated in the second Blue Ridge Breakaway, held this Saturday (Aug. 20) in Haywood County. The Breakaway, sponsored by the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, has four different rides for cyclists of varying fitness levels, including a 100-miler that takes participants on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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Need help paying for research or educational outreach about the environment, gardening or horticulture?
The Haywood County Master Gardener Volunteer Association has money for either full or partial-matching grants. Deadline for applications is Aug. 31.
Projects must further the association’s and county’s goals, such as gardening projects including demonstration gardens and educational ventures at schools and community workshops.
Grants have been awarded to a Haywood Community College student studying horticulture, a worm bin (vermicomposting system) for a teacher at Hazelwood Elementary, a rain gauge for a teacher at Clyde Elementary, a children’s garden at Pigeon Street Community Center for installation and refurbishing a garden at HCC by a student.
“We encourage county schools that have horticultural classes to apply,” said Tim Mathews, horticultural agent at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Service.
Money for the grants is raised by the association through annual plants sales, sales of the Master Gardener almanac and garden gloves.
828.456.3575.
Young gardeners from Junaluska Elementary School won first place recently in a landscape design competition at the N.C. Master Gardeners conference in Raleigh.
The Junaluska school garden is planted, maintained and harvested by 40 first- and second-graders working with a dozen master gardener volunteers.
Soon after the garden’s modest beginning in 2002, Tim Mathews, horticultural agent at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, brought a small group of master-gardener volunteers on board. Since then, the garden has grown to 3,000 square feet where more than 30 different vegetables are integrated with annuals, perennials, herbs and blueberries.
“We couldn’t do what we do without the tremendous support and enthusiasm of the teachers and other school staff,” said volunteer Jane Young. “It has been a marvelous undertaking. The kids get so excited participating in this process of nurturing the soil and producing really good, interesting food. The sheer beauty of the garden with so many colors and shapes and fragrances, butterflies, and even a resident tree swallow, makes it a wonderful place for children and adults to work together.”
Mathews said that the success of the program at Junaluska has led to the initiation of similar programs at Hazelwood Elementary School and Riverbend, both in Haywood County.
828.456.3575.
A horse in the eastern part of the state tested positive this month for Easter Equine Encephalomyelitis, a warning to horse owners across North Carolina to keep their animals up-to-date on vaccinations.
Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis is a viral disease that impacts the central nervous system of all members of the equine species. Humans can also contract the disease. Healthy adults who contract encephalomyelitis show flu-like symptoms. The equine mortality rate ranges from 75 to 90 percent.
Infected horses often show signs that include fever, depression, loss of appetite, irritability, weakness, excitability, central nervous system disorders (ie. circling, lack of coordination, head pressing, the tell-tale “saw horse” stance, sensitivity to light, and blindness). Horses should be vaccinated against the disease annually. In addition, measures to limit mosquito populations will help decrease spread of the disease. It is also important that horse owners report to a veterinarian any cases in which signs of encephalomyelitis are observed.
Three local dahlia growers in Haywood County, Jack Leatherwood, Johnny Trantham and Ken Zula, were recently visited by Southern Living Magazine and showcased in the Aug. edition of the magazine.
Haywood County’s secret — the temperate climate of cool nights and warm, sunny days — provides the perfect environment for dahlias. The county also has had a long history with this flower, starting with A.L. Freedlander, who was Dayco president and CEO for many years. When he made a donation to establish Haywood Community College, he stipulated that a dahlia garden be included in the initial funding for the 80-acre arboretum. The garden now has about 400 plants with more than 250 varieties of dahlias, and is open to the public.
The Wayesville Council of Gardens Glubs’ Dahlia Show will have a dahlia show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 25 through the 27 at the Waynesville First Baptist Church on Main Street.
All entries should be brought to the church from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Thursday morning. Judging will be done by viewers and a Viewer’s Choice Award in both the single flower and arrangement category. Free admission. www.carolinasdahliasociety.org or 828.452.2411.
Ron Rash will visit City Lights Bookstore to read from his first poetry book in 10 years, Waking, at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28.
Rooted in places such as Watauga County, Goshen Creek and Dismal Mountain, the poems in Rash’s fourth collection, Waking, electrify dry counties and tobacco fields until they sparkle with the rituals and traditions of Southerners in the stir of their lives.
Rash leads his readers on a Southern odyssey, full of a terse wit and a sense of the narrative so authentic it will dazzle you. As we wake inside these poems, we see rivers wild with trout, lightning storms, and homemade churches, nailed and leaning against the side of a Tennessee mountain.
A two-time PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist, Rash has been compared to writers like John Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy. With his eye for the perfect detail and an ear for regional idiom, Rash furthers his claim as the new torchbearer for literature in the American South.
For information call City Lights at 828.586.9499.
Local author Vivian McDarris will read from her recent book, Black Fog, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at Blue Ridge Books in downtown Waynesville.
Of her writing, McDarris says, “stories have echoed through generations of my family; from grandfathers to great uncles, they all had a story to tell. Stories related to our family were the favorite ones shared.”
It was these stories that inspired her writing and desire to share those stories. Black Fog is a romantic time-travel novel and is the first of a series of four books which deal with the Clan of Darrock.
For more information call 828.456.6000 or visit blueridgebooksnc.com.
To the Editor:
Thank you for the thoughtful, informative and balanced article on Lake Emory in Franklin. I would like to put my comments in more context. I do this knowing full well that the worst response a biologist can make in discussions of environmental management is “it’s complex.” Sorry, folks, but this is complex.
My concern over the toxic substances which may be contained in deep sediment layers is just that, a concern. As the article points out, studies of some aspects of sediment toxicity are ongoing. I think it would be fair to report that these studies have yet to reach firm conclusions – it’s complex. My point is that, especially given the importance of the river below Porters Bend Dam for a suite of sensitive and in some cases endangered mussel species, the highest possible degree of caution is in order.
There is another Lake Emory pollution issue, which also rates consideration. Franklin’s municipal wastewater treatment system discharges directly into Lake Emory some distance above the dam. Below that point, all the way through the Needmore Game Lands to Fontana, there are no permitted point source discharges – surely a major factor in the persistence of one of the healthiest large river reaches in the Southeast.
Essentially the river benefits from Lake Emory serving as a free tertiary treatment facility. What would be the effect if all the nutrients from treated effluent were passed quickly to the lower river instead of being acted on by the still waters, sediments and myriad critters of Lake Emory?
Shirley Ches’ perception of the sediment buildup is understandable, and certainly downed trees and other debris serve to trap sediment, sometimes in inconvenient places, but sedimentation was a problem in Lake Emory long before 1993. It is a fact that all artificial lakes, absent dredging, have a finite life span. No matter how deep the reservoir at the outset, and even if the upstream watershed is a pristine wilderness, reservoirs will eventually fill up with sediment.
Today, thanks to the combination of a changing economy and the efforts of organizations such as the Macon Soil and Water Conservation District, the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Little Tennessee Watershed Association, as well as individual land owners, the situation appears to be much better – Lake Emory is probably filling up more slowly. But we still don’t know how quickly a dredged Lake Emory would fill and without that information the cost-benefit aspect of dredging remains decidedly fuzzy.
I share and applaud Quintin Ellison’s asthetic perception of the islands and hidden channels of Lake Emory – a haven for waterfowl. What has been accomplished there is accidental mitigation for some wetlands lost to “development.” And yet, neither they nor a deeper, “cleaner” Lake Emory are natural or stable.
Here is where the matter gets tricky for me as a conservation biologist. Taking the long view, I consider all dams and the reservoirs they create as environmental insults to rivers. A river achieves its full natural potential only when it is continuous and can serve as a corridor for up and downstream migration of fish and other animals. I cannot help but wonder if some of the fish species which today are found below Porters Bend Dam but not above were present upstream before the river was dammed. I cannot help but imagine how beautiful the Little Tennessee must have been at the natural drop the engineers chose for the dam site.
In my Utopian future, Lake Emory and others of its kind would not exist. People in Minnesota would recreate on lakes, but North Carolinians would swim, fish, hunt ducks and paddle on rivers. And there is a constituency for the removal of Porters Bend Dam, just as there was for the Dillsboro Dam.
On the other hand, my realistic side, based on nearly 30 years of living and working on the Little Tennessee, has always inclined to the opinion that on balance, Lake Emory does more good than harm. If that be the case, then the question becomes “how best to manage Lake Emory” – a question which encompasses dredging and a great deal more. It’s complex.
Bill McLarney
Franklin
I recently wrote in the Swain County newspaper about a singularly misguided proposal by Great Smoky Mountains National Park leadership to transfer their archives and artifacts to Townsend, Tenn. A Swain County site makes more sense, and full marks to county commissioners for becoming actively involved in this issue.
Beyond that, any resident in Swain County who gives a fig for the future or cares about our rich role in the Park’s past should speak out as well. The comment period remains open, and I’d strongly encourage readers to make their feelings known to the Park (www.nps.gov/grsm) and Swain native Rep. Heath Shuler (www.shuler.house.gov).
Incidentally, although I have asked specific questions and offered comments on the issue to Park officials, the only response I have had came in a testy conversation with a spokesman, Bob Miller. When I pointed out, repeatedly, inconsistencies between the comments period cited in his press release and what appeared on the Park’s web site (the latter was changed multiple times, with one comment period closing almost as soon as it opened), he said: “We’ll change it on the web site.”
What I could not get him to understand was that saying one thing in a printed press release and subsequently changing the rules of the game was confusing, and in my view disingenuous.
As if that situation wasn’t vexatious enough, close on the heels of the archives/artifacts proposal comes another which is, if anything, more convoluted and ill-conceived. A recent press release proposes changes in regulations governing backcountry camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Park leadership tells us that backcountry “site capacities are frequently exceeded.” In addition, according to their statement, “once backpackers obtain their reservations and arrive at their campsite, they often find the area filled by people without permits.” In the same release they also complain of lack of staff to patrol the backcountry.
Staff issues are matters for Park management, but they are missing in action in the backcountry. Personally I haven’t seen a ranger in the backcountry for decades, and I’ve only been checked while fishing once in the last quarter century.
The release raises questions. “How, other than hearsay, do officials know capacities are exceeded?” “If there are significant problems, why aren’t they addressing the situation with patrols?” “Does hard statistical evidence support changes?” “If problems exist to such a significant degree, hasn’t the Park been guilty of neglect?”
No doubt Park answers will plead budgetary constraints and more urgent frontcountry needs. There is validity to both, notwithstanding troubling examples of Park employee “do nothingness” alongside stellar work by others.
Or to view matters another way, if plans involve demands on Park staff, let’s handle matters proportionally. Look at the ceaseless “circlers” in Cades Cove, asphalt-bound flocks of buzzards filling the air with exhaust fumes.
Closer to home, what about the unending tube brigade parading up Deep Creek? They degrade banks between trail and stream; leave a noxious, never-ending legacy of litter in their wake; and channel the creek with habitat harming “engineering” projects.
Yet it seems such folks, like those breaking dog walking regulations, picking flowers, and much more, are studiously ignored while Park officials focus their fiscal laser beam on the tiny minority — probably less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all Park visitors — who camp in the backcountry. If they are serious about making folks pay as they go or want a fair distribution of what a friend has nicely styled “ranger impact,” let’s bring some balance to the user equation.
Perhaps more to the point, it seems logical to believe that active backcountry patrolling, along with meaningful fines for angling violations, ginseng poaching, illegal camping, and the like, would accomplish two things. It would provide money to justify the manhours involved and would dramatically curtail such activities.
Interestingly, another recent Park press release says that there has been a steady decline in Park visitation over the past several years. Logically, if that is the case, backcountry usage should also be down. The most recent statistics I could find, from a detailed 2008 study out of the University of Tennessee, bear that out and make Park statements seem ludicrous. According to the study, with the notable exception of the shelters along the Appalachian Trail, campsite usage is anything but heavy.
Take Deep Creek as one example. None of the seven streamside campsites had heavy usage. Only Poke Patch and Bumgardner Branch, the most easily reached of the lot, averaged more than one camper a night for the year (375 and 526 campers, respectively).
Indeed, if you look at campsites from Cataloochee to Twentymile Creek, only two other than Appalachian Trail shelters — Lost Cove on Eagle Creek and Proctor on Hazel Creek — totaled more than a thousand camper nights. That scarcely sounds like overcrowding, when most campsites are suitable for anywhere from 8 to 20 campers per night. Some accommodate appreciably larger numbers.
Additional evidence suggesting misrepresentation of the backcountry situation comes from conversations with hikers and campers as well as my personal observations. My brother, who has hiked thousands of Park miles in recent years, says he has encountered precisely one ranger more than a mile from a trailhead. He also notes, in sharp contradiction to what Park management would have us believe, that he seldom sees backpackers and that most of the campsites he walks by are empty or sparsely populated.
Even easily accessible sites seldom have more than a couple of tents except on weekends and perhaps during peak months (May and October). Take the storied Bryson Place, for example, where you might think crowded conditions often exist. Not so. The 2008 study showed 158 camper nights for the entire year.
A key part of the proposal is that Park management wants to charge a user fee. Putting aside all the considerations addressed above for a moment, I would simply remind Park officials, from Superintendent Dale Ditmanson down, that charging a backcountry fee would break a solemn pledge made at the Park’s founding. Namely, that there would be no access fees for the Smokies. Also, I suspect this is a “foot in the door” kind of thing that could lead to other user and even entrance fees.
As the poet of the Yukon, Robert Service, once wrote, “A promise made is a debt unpaid.” Sadly, Park officials have often broken promises, and here we seem to have a case of where a promise made bids fair to turn into a situation where the Park must be paid. That’s how I see this proposal – as a money grab.
If I believed that there was overcrowding, if I believed that the current reservation system didn’t work, if I believed the fees collected would be used exclusively for backcountry-related matters such as maintenance and a meaningful ranger presence, and if I believed it would stop here, I would tolerate a modest fee. Alas, I think the likelihood of such monies being used exclusively for their proclaimed purposes about the same as thistle seeds being unaffected by dust devils dancing across fields in August.
Even as I urge readers to be heard, I’ll close by confessing cynicism. Past experience suggests that these comment periods and informational sessions are often mere façades, not serious factors in ultimate decisions. Nonetheless, I think anyone who cares should make their voice heard. Sufficient, strident opposition just might have an impact.
(Jim Casada is a writer, an editor and a retired professor from Bryson City. His most recent book is Fly Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: An Insiders Guide to a Pursuit of Passion.)
Comment on Proposals
Send comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mail the Superintendent, GSMNP, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, Tenn., 37738.
Principal chief candidate Patrick Lambert is calling foul after refusing to divulge his pay information to the tribe’s internal auditors. Lambert said they were trying to expose his personal information as a political smear.
The tribe’s internal audit office told Lambert it needed to know his salary at the Tribal Gaming Commission to prepare taxes for the Cherokee Youth Center/Boys & Girls Club. Lambert is a board member. The IRS, it claimed, needed the income paid to any board member of the Boys & Girls club by a related entity.
Both the Boys & Girls Club and gaming commission are tribal operations, so that means related, said the auditor.
Lambert, however, said “no.” Of all the people who sit on that board, why, he asked, was he being singled out?
“Nobody else was contacted to my knowledge,” said Lambert. “I refused to give my W2s. There’s often times people on these volunteer charity boards refuse to give these things, and the IRS accepts that fact if the organization has used reasonable effort.”
Auditor Sharon Blankenship, however, wasn’t taking “no” for an answer. She came to the office of the Tribal Gaming Commission, looking for the documents herself.
She was rebuffed there, as well, and asked to leave after Lambert’s staff put in a call to the Cherokee Police Department. Cherokee Code says that no one but a gaming commissioner can access gaming commission files.
Lambert charges that the effort to uncover his salary is politically motivated, an attempt by the current administration to use it as a smear campaign against him. Blankenship contends that she’s just trying to follow the rules set by the IRS.
The issue came up in a special session of tribal council last Wednesday, where Council Member Teresa McCoy asked why the audit office was going after the papers now.
“I was on that board in 2010 and nobody came to my house and said, ‘I want to look at your tax papers,’” said McCoy.
Blankenship, however, defended her actions. They did, she said, get in touch with everyone and the gaming commission is the only one that didn’t provide salary information.
In the end, Lambert’s attorney turned in an IRS form, but maintained that Lambert is in no way obligated to give out his W2s.
A new motorcoach resort for up to 21 recreation vehicles will be built on N.C. 106 in the Scaly Mountain area of Macon County, a project that developer and owner J.B. Corum is touting as earth friendly and good business.
Corum said he hoped other developers would realize that you could be “good to the environment” and still make money.
“It’s going to be done right, and I’m going to make reasonably good money off of it even then,” the Scaly Mountain resident told the Macon County Planning Board last week. The planning board unanimously approved Corum’s plans on the recommendation of County Planner Derek Roland.
“It’s a nice little place,” Roland said.
Corum has built a previous RV park just outside Dillard, Ga.
His newest project, Wildfower Creek Motor Coach Resort, will be built on 11.6 acres off Brown Lake Road. It will include a wetland area, which is to be donated to a conservation organization, a small pond and a community association building.
— By Quintin Ellison
It’s not too late to register for this year’s Gather ‘Round the Blue Ridge, the fifth-annual meeting of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.
This is a must-attend for those in Western North Carolina’s tourism industry. It takes place Tuesday, Aug. 30, with registration starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Lake Junaluska Conference Center. Highlights include examples of partnerships at work in the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, Heritage Area grants at work, Blue Ridge Music Trails, and more.
Cost is $29 including lunch; reservations are required. 828.298.5330, Ext. 301, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
HandMade in America has spent the past year assessing how to make Bryson City a better place to live, and now the Swain County Chamber of Commerce is calling on citizens to help make their recommendations a reality.
The final results of the study will be presented at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 25, at the Swain County Senior Center.
There are 49 pages of recommendations in the report, which works out to about a dozen projects, said Karen Wilmot, executive director of the chamber. They range from getting wayfaring signs leading to local attractions, Wilmot’s pet project, to historical designations for local buildings and sprucing up the parking lot adjacent to the old courthouse. For that final project, an architect has already drawn up an improvement and landscaping plan, pro bono.
Wilmot said that steering committee members will take charge of one project, but they need residents to really make the projects happen. The executive committee, said Wilmot, is only driving the bus.
At the meeting, residents can learn more about the projects, the report and the next step in the process. For more information, call 828.488.3681 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A new roadside rest area is coming to Balsam, serving westbound travelers on U.S. 23-74. It will sit on seven acres just across the highway from the current rest area on the eastbound side.
One main reason for the new rest area is safety, according to Joel Setzer, head of the Department of Transportation for the 10 western most counties.
The existing rest area serves both sides of the highway, forcing drivers on the far side to make a U-turn across oncoming traffic when pulling in and out, which can be unsafe on such a busy stretch of road, Setzer said.
Plans also call for renovating the existing rest area. Construction is scheduled to begin in August of 2013.
— From staff reports
Investigators are looking for two men who followed a woman to her home in the Cashiers area and sexually assaulted her. They believe there might have been similar incidents involving at least one of the suspects, and are urging any other possible victims to call them.
The sexual assault took place Aug. 14 and involved a 34-year-old woman. She described the primary suspect as about 5-feet, 6-inches tall, Hispanic, with brown eyes and black-spiked hair, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
“There have been statements made by other individuals in the community that similar incidents with similar circumstances have occurred in the past,” a news release stated. “The suspect may live or work in the Cashiers area and may frequent stores and restaurants.”
The sheriff’s office is also seeking possible surveillance video of the primary suspect.
The man might have a scratch from his nose to his cheek, though it might at this point be faded, the victim said. Anyone with information should call 828.586.1391.
In an unrelated sexual assault in neighboring Macon County, investigators there continue searching for a suspect who broke into a woman’s home on Rose Creek Cove Road in the Cowee community. The victim did not know the suspect, described as a white male, approximately 6-feet tall, with short dark brown hair, no facial hair, and blue or green eyes. He has a skinny to medium sized frame and a noticeable tan. Anyone with information regarding this case should call 828.349.2104.
Applications are now available for the Haywood County Arts Council’s Grassroots subgrants. These grants are designed to support arts activities occurring through June 30. Nonprofit arts organizations or nonprofits planning an arts activity may apply. The applicant organization must be based in Haywood County and produce its programming in Haywood County.
Grassroots grants are matching grants that must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the receiving organization. Application is by letter describing the organization and the project, along with a budget for the project, and the signatures of parties responsible for the organization. Each first time applicant organization must discuss their proposal with Arts Council staff before completing the application.
An information session to introduce the program to new applicants is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, at the Haywood County Arts Council’s gallery and offices. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Kay Miller at 828.452.0593 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Old-time musicians Trevor and Travis Stuart, natives of Bethel, will perform at this year’s Gather ‘Round the Blue Ridge, the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area annual meeting, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Aug. 30, at the Lake Junaluska Conference Center.
The Stuart Brothers have been playing as a duo for more than 20 years and have played for dances, festivals, music camps and concerts throughout the United States, as well as in England, Ireland, Germany and Russia. They also participate in the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program, teaching schoolchildren to play traditional mountain music.
The keynote speaker for the event is Gerard Baker, who until his recent retirement was the highest ranking Native American in the National Park Service.
The cost is $29 and includes lunch. Reservations are required. For more information, contact Amy Hollifield at 828.298.5330, ext. 301 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Youth Talent Contest will return to the Great Smoky Mountains Railway Railfest on Sept. 17 in Bryson City.
The contest will give the opportunity for youth up to age 18 to share their talents. Participants in this contest must exhibit a talent that will reflect heritage and old Appalachian ways of our region. Applications are due by Sept. 1.
Categories include poetry/storytelling, vocal performance, instrumentalists and dance.
Trophies are offered for first- second- and third-place winners. First-Place Best of Show winner will have the opportunity of playing on the Heritage Stage at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Day.
To register, download the application from www.spirirofappalachia.org and mail to Jackson County 4-H, 538 Scotts Creek Road, Sutie 205, Sylva, N.C., 28779, email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or fax to 828.586.5009.
For more information, call 828.586.4009 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
100-plus artists and crafters from all over the Southeast will gather for a craft show from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4 and 5, at Maggie Valley.
The event will feature piped music throughout the day, and festival foods such as kettle corn, hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecue sandwiches with baked beans, cole slaw, sweet tea and turkey legs will be prepared by local groups. The Java Hut will sell specialty coffee drinks, smoothies and more.
Fireworks will be displayed at the fairgrounds on Sunday, starting around 9:15 p.m.
Admission is free. 828.497.9425 or visit www.maggievalleycraftshows.com.
Gallery 262 in Frog Level will feature the works of Jere Smith and Dan Wright, Aug. 19 thru Sept. 15.
Smith is a woodworker and furniture maker whose work uses strong clean lines reminiscent of the Arts and Crafts movement and Shaker-style furniture. Wright is a stained glass artist whose work reflects the natural surroundings in the mountains, also incorporating elements of the Arts and Crafts movement.
The show’s opening reception will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday Aug. 19. Many artists will be on hand, along with both Jere and Dan. Wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Learn to create an abstract painting in a one-day workshop with artist Silvia Cabrera Williams at Leapin’ Frog Gallery in Waynesville’s Frog Level district.
The workshop will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, with a lunch break.
Particular attention will be paid to composition and design principles. Experimental art techniques will also be used.
Fee for the workshop is $50. Call 828.456.8441 to register and obtain a supply list.
Bring your dancing shoes for a dance from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 26, at the Franklin Community Building, U.S. 441 South across from the Whistle Stop Mall. Music will be provided by the Swingtime Band.
828.369.9155.
Friends and neighbors in the Cashiers area will read their favorite poems and share their reasons for enjoying them at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, at the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library. The Second Annual Cashiers Favorite Poem Readings, sponsored by Friends of the Library, will be followed by a reception in the library’s Friendship Garden.
“I know the word ‘poetry’ makes some folks yawn,” said Marilyn Staats, coordinator of the event. “We were all born with a love of rhyme and rhythm, most of us were raised by parents who read us Mother Goose poems and, if we were lucky, we had teachers who introduced us to everything from Winnie the Pooh to Robert Frost to Shakespeare to nonsense verse.”
Starting off the evening will be a quartet of Cashiers Valley Rotarians acting out “Casey at the Bat.” Other familiar poems on the program include “The Highwayman,” Rudyard Kipling’s “If,” Gerald Manley Hopkin’s “Pied Beauty,” and the inspirational poem, “Invictus.”
Poets whose works will be read include W. B. Yeats, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and one of the most popular poets writing today, Billy Collins.
The North Carolina premiere of the comedy, “Sirens,” is the Highlands Cashiers Players first play of the new season. It continues Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 25-28, at the Performing Arts Center in Highlands.
The story concerns a middle-aged couple, Sam and Rose Abrams, who take a cruise to the Greek Islands, hoping to bring a little romance back into their 25-year marriage. On this voyage, Sam and only Sam hears an irresistible melody wafting over the water and follows it to a strange destination where he encounters a siren. Sam’s adventure and its unexpected consequences when he returns home are totally entertaining.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and $15 a person for groups of 15 or more. Seating is reserved, but tickets can also be purchased at the door before performances. Call 828.526.8084 for reservations.
Grammy-winning folk singer Suzy Bogguss will perform on Sept. 2 at the Highlands Performing Arts Cetner. Bogguss has just released a CD and companion songbook of traditional folk music, American Folk Songbook. The album is filled with songs that are the very fabric of American musical history and Bogguss reclaims this history and revives it with a fresh and beautiful take on classics like “Shenandoah,” “Wayfaring Stranger,” “Ol’ Dan Tucker,” “Beautiful Dreamer” and of course, “Red River Valley.”
Bogguss won a Grammy in 2005 for Traditional Folk Album, the Country Music Association’s Horizon Award in 1992 and album of the Year Award in 1994.
828.526.9047.
Regional favorite The Barefoot Movement will play from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, as part of Music in the Mountains, the free weekly evening concert series held at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot in downtown Bryson City.
The Barefoot Movement is a trio of musicians from North Carolina and Tennessee whose music melds Americana influences with the invigoration of acoustic modern rock and jazz. The group was formed when Noah Wall, singer and fiddler, and Tommy Norris, mandolin player, attended high school together and began setting Noah’s lyrics to Tommy’s chords.
Music in the Mountains spans 22 Saturdays from June to October and includes all genres of the local and regional music scene. For a complete schedule of performers, visit http://www.greatsmokies.com/free-music/ and to check out the sounds of The Barefoot Movement visit www.barefootmovement.com.
The Frog Level Philharmonic will perform a concert of Dixieland jazz music at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 28, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.
Immediately following the one-hour concert there will be a meet-and-greet reception for the 31 artists with artwork in the Community Art Exhibit at the Center for the Arts.
The Frog Level Philharmonic will perform music from the Dixieland era with an emphasis on the early 20th century to the 30s. The band was formed in 2005 by Charles Alley in Waynesville, and has since become known locally for their renditions of Dixieland classics with jazz overtones and mountain soul.
For more information call 828.488.7843 or visit www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta to view the current calendar of events or to get directions to the Arts Center located at Swain County High School.
Local singer/songwriter Liz Nance will perform an evening of acoustic music at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Snacks and refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Marianna Black Library.
Nance has been playing music since she was 13 years old, when she took up the bass guitar to play along with her aunt and uncle. It wasn’t long before she started playing the guitar and by the time she was 18 she was writing her own songs. Nance moved to Bryson City in 2004. She has played music across the region for years now and has recently partnered up musically with her husband, A.J.
For more information, call 828.488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
Summer is slowly turning to fall, school doors are opening for another year, and another hallmark of the season is just around the corner: the Haywood County Fair.
Aug. 23 to 29, the Haywood County Fairgrounds will come alive with events, contests and vendors, as well as the rides and fairway foods that are requisite at every county fair.
A new feature this year will be a draft-horse and mule pulling contest scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27. Horse and mule teams will attempt to pull a dead sled with 500 pound weights added after each successful pull. Teams may enter in one of four classes: light horses, light mules, heavy horses and heavy mules.
FULL LIST OF EVENTS HERE
Saturday also will give the county’s youngest performers a chance to shine at the new youth talent competition, held at 3 p.m. For youngsters more grammatically inclined, a spelling bee could be the venue to show off their skills. For the artists, there’s Saturday’s pumpkin-decorating contest and if you prefer eating food over painting it, an ice cream-eating contest is also on the ballot.
Throughout the week, the fairway and fair facilities will be full of attractions such as local craft vendors, farmers touting their prize vegetables and a petting zoo for the younger crowd. Standard fair fare will be available for hungry patrons, but if funnel cakes aren’t cutting it, a fish fry on Friday afternoon, barbecue lunch by the Haywood County’s Future Farmers of America and a local farm lunch on Sunday morning will offer more substantial dining options. They do cost extra, however, and the luncheon requires tickets. Oh, and don’t forget the cakewalk and cake judging on Saturday morning.
The fair isn’t forgetting its musical heritage, either. In addition to the youth talent show, a hoedown is scheduled for Friday evening, with entertainment peppered throughout the rest of the week. Sunday afternoon, the Smoky Mountain Jubilee will cap off the week’s festivities. Local favorites Balsam Range and other Appalachian acts will perform and the evening will be emceed by former State Sen. Joe Sam Queen.
A fair, of course, isn’t a fair without animals. And in the livestock competition arena, dairy and beef cattle, sheep and goats, horses and even pigs will parade their skills and conformation. Kids with canine friends can show them off at Saturday’s dog show. There will be a game of kid-and-canine musical chairs, a chance to do some tricks for treats and an agility demonstration by trained dogs.
Horses also will prove their pulling skills in a series of horse pulls, along with the more mechanical truck pulls and tractor pulls. The tractor event will give fairgoers a unique opportunity to see some old-fashioned tractors in action. Only pre-1960 models will be allowed to compete in the antique contest.
The fairgrounds will be open on Tuesday for competitors to drop off exhibits, but will be closed for judging until 5 p.m. Wednesday. Gates will open at 9 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Sunday’s festivities will start at 11 a.m. Exhibits can be picked up Monday. Fair admission is $2 per person, or $6 per car.
Want to understand and know about the Cherokee trails that shaped this region?
On Tuesday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m., The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and the Village Green will bring Lamar Marshall to the Cashiers Library for a free community event, “Cherokee Trails of Macon and Jackson Counties,” at 7 p.m. on Aug. 23.
Two years ago, with the first of two Cherokee Preservation Foundation grants and guidance from the Tribal Heritage Preservation Office of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Wild South and its partners started out toward their goal to re-find, restore and re-emphasize the trail and road system of the Cherokee Nation in Western North Carolina and surrounding territory.
The Cherokee Trails Project covers approximately 150 linear miles and 47,000 acres in the Pisgah, Nantahala and Cherokee national forests containing Cherokee historical sites. Marshall, Wild South’s cultural preservation director, said that there is “clear evidence that the main arteries of our 20th century road system in the Southeast were built directly on Cherokee trails and corridors — the Cherokee developed the circuitry for modern transportation.”
Additionally, on Saturday, Aug. 27, Marshall will lead an Eco Tour on a “Cherokee Trails Walk.” Reserve a spot by calling 828.526.1111 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This Eco Tour is $5 for HCLT members and $35 for new friends, which includes a Land Trust membership.
If you are feeling tough and fit, then the Tsali Challenge is just the right event to showcase your paddling, running and biking skills.
The annual race, for solo racers or teams, is set for Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 at the Tsali Recreation Area west of Bryson City.
This is an off-road triathalon, with racers starting with a three-mile flat-water paddle, followed by a five-mile trail run and topped by a 12-mile mountain bike loop.
Bryson City Bicycles is the local sponsor of the Tsali Challenge. Race package pick-up will be held there Friday, Aug. 26, from 3-6 p.m. (at 157 Everett St., in downtown Bryson City). There will be a pre-race party at the Nantahala Brewery from 6-9 p.m., which includes a free Nantahala Brewing Company pint glass for all racers.
828.488.1988 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contact GoneRiding to sign-up or register the morning of the race.
There a few proposed changes being made to the state’s wildlife management and fishing regulations that would impact Western North Carolina.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted July 7 to take 55 proposed changes to public hearing, including one forum scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at Haywood Community College in Clyde.
Proposed changes that would impact this region are:
• Classify Cedar Cliff Lake in Jackson County as hatchery-supported trout waters.
• Allow electronic calls for take of crows and coyotes.
• Add feral swine to the commission’s hunting rules with no closed season and no bag limit.
• Allow the executive director or his designee to waive the rule banning the importation of a cervid carcass or carcass part from any state where chronic wasting disease occurs for a deer or elk harvested within 20 miles of the North Carolina state line.
• Open the raccoon, opossum and bobcat hunting season in the Sherwood and Harmon Den Bear Sanctuaries in Haywood County.
For a full text of the proposed regulations changes, see the proposed changes in fishing and wildlife management regulations for 2012-2013 at www.ncwildlife.org/HotTopics/documents/2012-13_Proposals.pdf.
Increased bear activity in the Appalachian Ranger District of the Pisgah National Forest has led to closings in Yancey County and at Mount Mitchell State Park’s family campground.
The latest Yancey County closures are the Briar Bottom Campground, Black Mountain Campground, Forest Service Road 472 and Neals Creek Road until Aug. 29.
A number of bear-and-human encounters have been reported lately in the High Country. Earlier this month, four trails also in the Appalachian Ranger District were closed until Aug. 29. These were the Buncombe Horse Trail, from Forest Service Road 472 to the intersection the Big Tom Gap Trail; Mount Mitchell Trail, from Black Mountain Campground to Mount Mitchell State Park; Mountain to Sea Trail, from N.C. 128 to Black Mountain Campground’s Higgins Bald Trail.
Visitors are encouraged to practice the following safety measures to reduce bear encounters:
• Make noise to avoid surprising a bear.
• Never approach a bear or other wild animal.
• Do not hike in the dark.
• Carry EPA-registered bear pepper spray.
• Keep a clean campsite by properly disposing of food scraps and garbage. Do not leave food or garbage inside fire rings, grills or around your site.
• Never leave food or coolers unattended, even in developed picnic areas.
• If bear-proof containers are not available, store food and garbage inside a hard-top vehicle or trailer.
• Never store food inside a tent.
• Wipe tabletops clean before vacating a camp or picnic site.
• If a bear is observed nearby, pack up your food and trash immediately and vacate the area as soon as possible.
For more tips on bear safety, visit: www.fs.fed.us/r8/outdoorsafety/wildlife.php.
Learn how to make your own rain barrel, create a stormwater wetland and about habitat rehabilitation projects in general at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 22, at Rickman Store in Cowee Valley.
This event is in Macon County, part of the Gardening for Wildlife Series.
Doug Johnson of Macon County Soil and Water Conservation District will explain how to construct a “rain garden” or stormwater wetland, and he will share information about potential financial assistance to homeowners and businesses interested in habitat rehabilitation projects.
Debbie and Frank Leslie will then demonstrate how to make a simple rain barrel from a plastic garbage can. Participants are encouraged to bring their own if they wish to make one on the spot.
The Rickman Store is located on 259 Cowee Creek Road, next to Cowee Elementary School, seven miles north of Franklin on N.C. 28. 828.349.5201 or visit the Rickman Store on Fridays from 10 to 5 p.m.
Learn how to build your own rain barrel at a Haywood Waterways Association workshop.
Rain barrels are a great source of water for gardening, cleaning equipment and even flushing toilets. They are particularly important during drought conditions. They also help slow stormwater runoff from rooftops — stormwater is the top cause of pollution to lakes, streams and rivers.
The event will be held Thursday, Aug. 25, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Agricultural Service Center on Raccoon Road in Waynesville. The cost is $60. All materials will be provided and each attendee will go home with a fully functioning rain barrel.
Preregistration and fee are required by Wednesday, Aug. 24.
828.631.2823 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A workshop on the State of the Tuckaseegee River will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at the Whittier Community Center.
A series of short panel presentations and discussions on various elements and factors contributing to water quality are scheduled. The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River has hopes to lay the groundwork for periodic, regular assessments of the Tuckaseegee River at the watershed scale.
Presenters include: Anne Marie Traylor of the Environmental Quality Institute; Ed Williams of the N.C. Division of Water Quality; and Mike Bolt, Mike Lavoie, and Patrick Breedlove of the Cherokee Office of Environment and Natural Resources; David Kinner of the geosciences department at Western Carolina University; Ken Brown, chairman of the Tuckaseigee Chapter Alliance; and Michelle Price of the Macon-Jackson Conservation; Gerald Green, head of the Jackson County Planning Department; and county sediment and erosion control officers. Lunch is $9. You are also welcome to bring your own lunch. 828.488.8418 or WATRnc.org.
Clay Bolt, an award-winning natural history photographer, will be at the Highlands Nature Center at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25. He will share the story of how he created an international photography project called “Meet Your Neighbours.” MYN is a global initiative that reveals wildlife living among people in extraordinary ways, but that are often overlooked and undervalued. Bolt often partners with organizations, including the Nature Conservancy, to highlight environmental issues. www.meetyourneighbours.org or 828.586.2221 or www.wcu.edu/hbs.
Shutterbug alert: The ninth annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is now open for registration and submissions.
Amateur and professional photographers 13 years of age and older are encouraged to submit at www.appmtnphotocomp.org. The competition closes at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18.
This annual event is the work of Appalachian State University Outdoor Programs, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The competition celebrates the unique people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians, but attracts entries from across the U.S.
The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition has grown into one of the region’s most prestigious photography competitions, with more than 600 submissions last year, and viewed in person by more than 10,000 people at the Turchin Center for Visual Arts in Boone.
Mast General Store is sponsoring five categories for this year’s competition, and will be providing more than $1,000 in prizes for those category winners.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is sponsoring the category Blue Ridge Parkway — A Ribbon of Road. Photographers are encouraged to capture images of the parkway that incorporate some aspect of the actual roadway itself.
Those submitting images to the Blue Ridge Parkway — A Ribbon of Road will be asked to identify the parkway location, and describe in a short story of a paragraph or more why the parkway is of particular significance as captured by the composition of the photograph. Entries will be judged on creativity, impact, subject matter, center of interest and storytelling — effectively sharing the journey by celebrating the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition offers seven separate categories that will be chosen as winners with more than $4,000 in cash and prizes. Competition categories include: Best in Show; Blue Ridge Parkway; People’s Choice; Culture; Adventure; Flora and Fauna; Landscape, and Our Ecological Footprint.
The Best in Show wins a $1,000 cash prize and the Blue Ridge Parkway category will win a $500 cash award. A panel of professional photographers will review all entries and narrow them down to approximately 46 that will be displayed in exhibition at the Turchin Center. From those images, the judges will select the final winners.
