To the Editor:

I’m deeply troubled to learn that some Haywood Democrats are still disgruntled about the appointment of Greg Christopher as sheriff. First of all, no one was more disappointed than me that Chief Deputy Larry Bryson was defeated. I proudly submitted his nomination to the Executive Committee. However, after talking with several committee members afterward, it was apparent that Greg’s inclusive management style and desire for increased collaboration with other community agencies had resonated strongly. While Larry was viewed as capable and experienced, most committee members thought he represented the “status quo” and Greg reflected a “fresh start” for the sheriff’s department. 

I challenge any Democrat still upset about the outcome to be guided by the example set by Hillary and Bill Clinton. Following her failure to win the 2008 presidential nomination, Hillary was described as “somber, prideful, aggrieved and confused,” but she and Bill regrouped and pledged their full support to Barack Obama. Just think what could’ve happened if Hillary had disengaged from the Democratic Party and encouraged supporters to stay home or vote for John McCain.

It’s time to focus on 2014 and working together to elect Sheriff Christopher to his first full term in office. 

Myrna Campbell

Chair, Saunook Democratic Precinct

To the Editor:

Career politicians are ruining this country. Unfortunately, once elected, most of our politicians’ concerns are to become career politicians. Numerous tactics are used to meet their goal, i.e., gerrymandering, voter ID, caving in to lobbyists, etc.

Currently the hot topic is gun safety involving background checks. Roughly 40 percent of gun sales (Internet and gun shows where the seller is not a licensed dealer) are occur without background checks. Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association, stated in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee in 1999 that the NRA supported expanding background checks. LaPierre has flip-flopped and now does not support background checks. The majority of NRA members support background checks, as well as an overwhelming majority of Americans.  

The Senate won’t pass background checks because the career politicians are afraid they might not get reelected. I respect and admire Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan for saying she would vote in favor of background checks. This could be the demise of her senatorial career; however, she has the intestinal fortitude to vote for what the majority supports.

Ron Rokstool

Maggie Valley

To the Editor:

How will the saga of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad end? There have been many letters written about this grant, comparing it to a loan of Jackson County taxpayer money, which it is not. It is a grant with many terms attached. The state of North Carolina provided this grant money to help counties attract new businesses. This is the money that Jackson County is using to fund the grant for the GSMR. We cannot expect to get more grant money until we use the money we have. 

What are the chances the grant will be successful for both parties? Several weeks ago, Western Carolina University made a presentation to commissioners concerning the impact the railroad would have on north Jackson County and Dillsboro. It was astounding the number of direct and indirect jobs that would result from the return of the railroad. The benefit would be significant if only half of the jobs forecast in the report would occur. 

Our unemployment rate is more than 10 percent. Does anyone think it is likely our rate will decline if we don’t start attracting new businesses? Business owners are depending on the GSMR to bring new customers. Our unemployed people need jobs as well as some of our young people who have not been able to find work. The GSMR can help our county make life better for many of our people.

 Jim Mueller

Glenville

Chris Cooper, associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University, has been named one of the best teachers in the University of North Carolina system in recognition of his engaging and dynamic teaching style.

Cooper is among 17 recipients of the 19th annual UNC Board of Governors Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

A faculty member at WCU since 2002, Cooper regularly wins rave reviews from his students and earns praise from his faculty colleagues as “an engaging professor who is actually energized as a teacher by his interactions with students.”

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors elected Phil Drake, chief executive officer of Drake Enterprises, and Kenny Messer, an executive with Milliken Corp., to four-year terms on the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees.

A native of Franklin, Drake began developing tax software in 1977. His companies now employ more than 500 people in businesses that include accounting, retail, software, dining, theater, golf, printing, Internet service, family entertainment, construction and fiber optics.

Messer is global business director of specialty chemical and packaging at Milliken & Co. in Spartanburg, S.C. A 1986 graduate of WCU, he is a past president and member of both the WCU Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Catamount Club Board of Directors.

Drake and Messer will fill vacancies created by the departure of Joan MacNeill and former N.C. Sen. Steve Metcalf.

The Fines Creek Community Association is offering $500 scholarships to graduating high school seniors living within the Fines Creek, Panther Creek and White Oak communities, as well as home-schooled students who graduate from a program certified by the N.C. Division of Non-Public Education.

The scholarships serve to support motivated students within the community to further their education from an accredited college or university.

The Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam is the primary source of funds for the scholarship program. This year’s event will take place Aug. 9-10 on the grounds of the old Fines Creek School. As the jam has grown in size, more scholarships have been available to area seniors.

Applications are available in the guidance office of Tuscola High School or online. Deadline is May 15.

828.627.1113 or www.finescreek.org.

A free kids festival featuring music, activity areas, performances and give-aways will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Haywood County Fairground by Haywood Smart Start.

There will be craft and activity stations for kids, including face painting and balloon animals, plus storybook characters and clowns on site. Outside, there will be free hayrides by Canton’s The Maize, Haywood County Rescue Squad Ambulance Demonstrations, Mission Children’s Hospital Tooth Bus and Waynesville Fire Department’s Smokehouse.

On the stage, there will be performances by Angie’s Dance Academy, Voices in the Laurel, Take the Stage Fairy Tales, Dixie Darlin’ Cloggers and MusicWorks costumed children performing Seussical Musical & Little Mermaid. 

For parents, there will be dozens of booths offering free literature and handouts on parenting tips and raising happy, active children.

Everything is free. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.586.0661.

A 16-year-old Tuscola High School student was arrested by Haywood County Sheriff’s Office deputies Thursday afternoon, April 18, and charged with a felony after telling fellow students he planned to commit mass acts of violence at the school the following day.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to impart wildlife viewing etiquette in high-traffic tourist areas at the N.C. entrance to the park outside Cherokee, as well as interact with the public and provide general park information.

The Highlands Nature Center is offering a lineup of summer Nature Day Camps for children. Five different camps on ecology and outdoor exploration will be offered for varying age groups. Most of the camp programs are offered more than once during the summer, and sessions run from Tuesday to Friday each week.

A pesky stomach virus has turned up among hikers along the Appalachian Trail near Hot Springs, especially on a stretch of trail running north out of town toward the Tennessee border.

A number of hikers fell sick to the 24-hour bug last week, and it is speculated that the illness is being passed between hikers in the region. The U.S. Forest Service warns that several shelter locations have been identified as hotspots, including No Business Knob, Big Bald and Hogback Ridge.          

A guided hike involving some off-trail bushwhacking to a little-known stand of old growth forest in Graham County will be held on April 20 by the WNC Alliance.

The remnant of old-growth forest that rivals Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in its grandeur and beauty but is simply lesser known. There should be good displays of wildflowers and early arrivals of migratory birds. The hike will be very difficult, mostly off-trail, and will include four very wet stream crossings. WNCA Biologist and old-growth expert Josh Kelly will lead this hike. To sign-up, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Another guided hike in the Joyce Kilmer forest itself will be held April 25 with the Benton MacKaye Trail Association to view the peak of spring wildflowers in the area along the two-mile forest loop trail. The group will then take in a second late afternoon hike to Huckleberry Knob off the Cherohala Skyway.  Bring supper and stay to see the full moon rise.

Sign up by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.479.2503.

Don’t be greedy and keep your favorite swimming hole for yourself. A regional environmental organization is developing a new guide for swim holes to direct locals, hikers and tourist to the closest and cleanest swim holes in the region.

An Arbor Day flower planting will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 20, at Island Park in downtown Bryson City.

Harold Adams of Naturally Green Landscaping will aid volunteers in planting almost 500 native species of wildflowers that will lend color and a natural food source for birds and butterflies. Students and staff from the Oconaluftee Job Corps have prepared the park for the plantings and will also be on hand during the event. 

The event is sponsored by the Swain County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Development Authority.

“This is a project that the Chamber and TDA are very proud to be involved with,” said Karen Wilmot, executive director of the chamber. “While a great deal of the work is being done to ready the Island for the ICF Freestyle Kayaking Championships events that we will be hosting here in Bryson City in September; it also provides an opportunity to improve what is an asset to our town and tourism product. ” 

828.488.3681 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Riders are gearing up for this year’s Tour de Cashiers coming on Saturday, May 4. The route will feature stunning spring scenery and challenging ascents.

The rides will consist of three distances: 100-mile, 50-mile, 25-mile routes. Although varying in difficulty, all three provide a challenge for cyclists wanting to test their conditioning. More than 300 riders from across the southeastern United States are expected to participate.

This year’s Tour will be starting on and returning to Frank Allen Road near the Cashiers Crossroads at U.S. 64 and N.C. 107. Proceeds will support Cashiers-area community development.

Participants will receive a commemorative T-shirt and a post-ride meal. Massage services and shower facilities also will be available. Individual and corporate sponsors are also needed for the event. The ride will supported by about 200 community volunteers, including help from regional fire departments, rescue squads and other law enforcement agencies. Those interested in volunteering can help with registration, SAG wagons, rest stations, course preparation, entertainment and other support activities.

www.TourdeCashiers.com or 828.743.5191. 

A Robbinsville man was sentenced to five months in prison last week for killing an black bear cub in Nantahala National Forest in October 2011.

Tyler Colvin, 20, of Robbinsville used a .50 caliber muzzleloader to kill a black bear cub in the Wayah Bear Sanctuary in the Nantahala National Forest in Macon County, according to court records.

Colvin had fired three shots at the cub, skinned it and removed the paws and some meat. He left the remainder of the carcass and the entrails in the forest. It is illegal to kill a bear weighing less than 50 pounds at any time and killing bears within a bear sanctuary is prohibited even during bear hunting season.

Forest agents then apprehended Colvin and retrieved the bear parts from his vehicle. He pleaded guilty in December 2012 to one count of transporting wildlife that had been taken in violation of federal laws and regulations.

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Dennis Howell ordered Colvin to one year of supervised release and to surrender his hunting license while he is under court supervision. Colvin was also ordered to pay $2,232 as restitution to the N. C. Wildlife Resources Commission for the killing of the bear cub and forfeit his muzzleloader rifle, a powder horn and a deer call device.    

To the Editor: 

I was horrified to learn that my representative in the N.C. House, Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, co-sponsored House Resolution 494, the Rowan County Defense of Religion Act of 2013.  

H494 is designed to allow North Carolina to establish a state religion, declaring itself exempt from the U.S. Constitution, federal law and judicial precedent. This bill garnered widespread support among the radial Raleigh Republicans, including two senior members of the House leadership team, but it was reportedly killed by Speaker of the House Thom Tillis, to his credit.  

The sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Harry Warren, has since apologized for the resolution’s poor wording and how it embarrassed the state, but Rep. Presnell continues to defend it. Perhaps she is unaware that the N.C. Constitution states that it is subservient to the U.S. Constitution. Since she pledged allegiance to the state and federal constitutions, perhaps she should read them.

I was raised a Southern Baptist, granddaughter of a circuit-riding Baptist preacher and daughter of a Baptist deacon. I learned at my daddy’s knee the critical importance of the separation of church and state. My ancestors came to North Carolina from Scotland in the 1700s. The oral family history passed along that, being Protestants, they came to the New World because they objected to the establishment in Britain of the Church of England as the official state religion. Why is there not an outcry from the churches about H494?

For the last several years, some in the Republican Party have been rather “in your face” about the U.S. Constitution, carrying copies around with them and quoting from it. Why is there not an outcry from them about H494?

According to his website, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows is a member of the Constitutional Caucus in the U.S. Congress. I emailed a query to him asking what he thinks about the disrespect from Rep. Presnell and the other co-sponsors of H494, but he has not replied. Why is he not outraged about H494?

The Taliban is an intolerant sect of Muslims who originated in Afghanistan. They enforce their religion, fundamentalist Islam, in areas where they rule. Religious freedom and tolerance are unheard in those areas. Sound familiar?

I wonder if those who voted Republican in the last election and caused the takeover of our state government by this radical gang realized they were voting for the Taliban. This grievous error can be remedied in 2014.

Carole Carson Larivee

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I’d like to ask the Jackson County Commissioners why, in the midst of high unemployment and a miserable economy, is there the rush to seal this dubious venture with the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. It won’t pay off for Dillsboro for three years, much less to the rest of the county? Why do the terms under discussion seem more like a bribe to attract the railroad instead of cautious bargaining to secure a return on our dollars?

Each time additional terms are divulged, I am astonished by the weak stance you have assumed. Shouldn’t these conditions (or tighter ones) be the county’s demands for consideration of the loan — instead of terms that allow the loan to be forgiven? Jackson County leaders could be in the driver’s seat; currently GSMR seems to have everything to gain.

My appeal is to all five commissioners. Restructure your negotiations from a position of strength. GSMR obviously wants this deal. Accept nothing less than secure compensation for Jackson folks’ hard-paid taxes.

Lucy Christopher

Cashiers

To the Editor:

There are conflicting lights in which to view the co-sponsorship by Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, of the ill-founded, ill-fated state religion resolution. Neither is flattering to her or comforting to the public.

In one, she’s a witless wonder who couldn’t pass a high school history test or an immigrant’s citizenship exam.

In the other, she’s a willful demagogue, the kind who says things she knows aren’t true in order to satisfy or exploit the emotions of gullible constituents.

By either interpretation, she was faithless to her oath to support the Constitution of the United States.

The resolution to which Presnell lent her name and the dignity of her office declared that the First Amendment’s establishment clause does not apply to states, cities, or schools; that the federal courts have no power to determine “what is or is not constitutional,” that the state could establish an official religion if it chose; and that federal court rulings to the contrary would not be respected by the North Carolina General Assembly.

Such claptrap brings to mind the “interposition” resolutions by which some Southern rabble-rousers thundered their defiance of the Supreme Court’s school desegregation decisions a half century ago. 

When Florida’s legislature did so, Gov. LeRoy Collins wrote upon the document that if it were to be taken seriously, it was “anarchy and rebellion against the nation.” Col-lins knew, of course that interposition would be futile. Nonetheless, he saw harm in it. “I decry it as an evil thing, whipped up by the demagogues and carried on the hot and erratic winds of passion, prejudice, and hysteria,” he wrote.

That’s what is so wrong with what Presnell has done. She encourages disrespect for the Constitution, for the courts, and for the minority religious faiths which would be the sure losers under any state religion imposed by people like her (She compounded that damage by referring to Islam, in an e-mail to a constituent, as “terrorism.”). Her sorry message lingers even though the House speaker has effectively killed the resolution, which was spawned by a court challenge to the Rowan County Commission’s insistence on opening its meetings with exclusively Christian prayers.

With the First Amendment, Congress intended to put an end forever to such abuses as had been practiced by established churches in Virginia and Massachusetts. Federal courts have had the explicit power to interpret and apply the Constitution for more than two centuries. In the context of the Little Rock desegregation crisis, the Supreme Court declared unanimously in 1958 that “No state legislative, executive, or judicial officer can war against the Constitution without violating his undertaking to support it.” That applies even to back-benchers like Presnell.

Martin A. Dyckman

Waynesville

Western Carolina University will host its inaugural Discovery Forum, an event designed to encourage students to share innovative ideas for making their communities a better places to live, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, April 22, in Blue Ridge Hall at WCU.

During the forum, nine student teams selected by a special campus committee will share results of their research projects with an audience composed of students, faculty and community members in a series of five-minute presentations.

Topics include “The Human Population Problem and Its Environmental Impact,” “Whee Turn the Page: Cullowhee Community Reading Program” and “Military Families: Deployment Impact on College Students,” among others.

828.227.7383.

Seniors around the region are gearing up for Senior Games during the month of May.

In Haywood County, registration will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 17-19 at the Haywood County Parks and Recreation office at 1233 N. Main St. in Waynesville. Haywood County Senior Games will be held May 6-21.

Participants must be 55 or older this year and must have lived in the state for three consecutive months. Events include shuffleboard, tennis, pickleball, horseshoes, bowling and track and field, to name a few. Entry fee is $10 and includes a T-shirt, light breakfast at the opening ceremony on May 6, AARP Ice Cream Social on May 15 and dinner at the closing ceremony on May 21.

For the athletically disinclined, there are also the SilverArts, with categories such as visual arts (photography, painting, etc), heritage arts (pottery, woodcarving and basket weaving), and literary arts (poems and short stories).

828.452.6789 or www.haywoodnc.net.

Barium Springs, a nonprofit that serves troubled youth, is hosting its first Giving Them Hope Breakfast at 8:30 April 25 at the new conference center in the Burrell Building at Southwestern Community College in Sylva.

The free, hour-long breakfast will include testimonials by teens who have used Hawthorn Heights, the nonprofit’s emergency runaway and homeless teen shelter, the only homeless teen shelter west of Asheville. 

The nonprofit is also kicking off its Homelessness to Hope campaign, which aims to raise $300,000 to renovate a new, larger building that will meet growing demands. The current facility is no longer safe or adequate for the level of at-risk youth it serves.

Register for the breakkfast or donate by calling www.bariumsprings.org or 828.231.5413.

The Empty Bowl fundraiser will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 26, at The Community Table in Sylva.

For a $20 donation to the soup kitchen, you get a handcrafted ceramic bowls by a local potter to take home, after partaking in a meal of soup provided by local restaurants.

There will also be live music by Karen Barnes & Friends, Jessi & Chris Bassett, and The Buchannan Boys. 

In 2012, The Community Table served 17,087 meals and provided 4,208 food boxes.

Tickets are $20 and are currently on sale now through Tuesday, April 23, at Soul Infusion and Signature Brew in Sylva.

www.communitytable.org or 828.586.6782.

 The 16th annual Greening Up the Mountains street festival will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in downtown Sylva. 

The spring festival is named for the way spring creeps up the mountainsides — a wave of green moving in succession from lower to higher elevations as leaves pop out. It began over a decade ago as a celebration of Earth Day.

Crafters, environmental groups, non-profits, local businesses and farms and nurseries will provide an engaging experience for this year’s attendees. More than a dozen bands will play over the course of the day. There is also a kid’s area, 5K race and demonstrations on sustainable lifestyles.

Stay tuned for a more detailed line-up in The Smoky Mountain News in coming weeks.

828.506.3419 or www.greeningupthemountains.com. 

Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville will kick off its 29th main stage season this month with a stage adaptation of the popular series of novels “Welcome to Mitford.”

Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. April 19, 20, 26 and 27 and May 2, 3, and 4, and at 3 p.m. April 21, 28 and May 5.

Adapted by Robert Inman and based on the Mitford books by Jan Karon, the series contains nine novels, all set in the fictional town of Mitford and centering on the character of Father Tim Kavanaugh, an Episcopal priest in a small North Carolina town.

The play takes the highlights and condenses the action into two acts, spanning 10 years. Father Tim moves from scene to scene, as the audience is introduced to over 20 characters in the town.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students and teachers. There will be a special $6 discount ticket for students and teachers for Thursday and Sundays.

828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

The outdoor Mom’s Music Festival will be held from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, in Waynesville, featuring a line-up of bands and activities to celebrate moms.

Put on by WOW, the Women of Waynesville, in conjunction with the Haywood Regional Medical Center Foundation, the event will raise money for the Power of Pink, which provides free mammogram screenings for underserved women.

Bands include Smoke Rise, Tarnished Rose, Bohemian Jean, Cherokee Thunder and DJ Ogre of Dizzy Records. There will be vendors, food, local breweries and a kids area with a bouncy house, arts and crafts, small petting zoo and the Waynesville Fire Department.

“It’s been so fun putting this event into production again,” says Nikki White, President of WOW. “The Mom’s Music Festival is going to get bigger and better every year.”

The festival offers a safe, fun area for children to play while moms kick back on a blanket.

The Mom’s Music Festival will be held on behind The Herren House and Bridgets Bistro on East Street in Waynesville, one block from Main Street. It is a cash-only event. 

828.545.6879 or 828.452.7837 or www.facebook.com/Womenofwaynesville.

A “Record Store Day Celebration” will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at In Your Ear Music Emporium in Sylva.

On this day, independent record stores across the United States collaborate with artists to give the public exclusive releases available only at small town shops. Festivities at In Your Ear will include live music performed by local indie-folk band Pearly Peach, raffles, giveaways and exclusive jams.

828.586.6404 or www.inyourearmusic.net.

The Liars Bench presents music group Carolina Dusk at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in the Mountain Heritage Center auditorium at Western Carolina University.

Performances will also include musician Paul Larussi, storyteller Lloyd Arneach and writer Gary Carden who will performing “The Robert Hall Suit.”

The Liars Bench was created in the early summer of 2010 by Carden, recipient of the 2008 Brown-Hudson Folklore Award and the 2012 North Carolina Award for Literature, to promote southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama and folk arts. The group performs southern Appalachian stories, music and songs onstage. 

The event is free and open to the public.

www.theliarsbenchgazette.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/TheLiarsBench or 828.227.7129.

Renowned Appalachian writer Gary Carden will perform “Madison,” a monologue about the life of Dr. Robert Lee Madison, at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

In the 1880s, Madison promoted the idea of a training school that would cultivate teachers for a network of mountain schools. There were no free public schools, only family schools or subscription schools at the time.

Adding impetus to his dream was the “Normal School Movement” that was gaining momentum in the South. Normal schools are believed to have been modeled on the French ecole normale superieure, that were intended to provide a body of teachers, trained in the critical spirit and secular values of the Enlightment.

Madison’s progressive idea evolved through the years from the small Cullowhee Academy to become Western Carolina University.

Tickets are available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce (828.524.3161), UU Fellowship of Franklin (828.524.6777) and at the door the night of the performance.

The work of Linda Anderson, a prolific artist whose pieces depict her life in rural North Georgia, will be on display from April 20 through July 28, at The Bascom in Highlands.

A concert production of “Dead Man Walking” will come to the stage at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

The 2013 Jazz Festival will take place from April 27 and 29 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, featuring jazz classes, concerts and open dress rehearsals.

In the buildup to a large environmental demonstration in Raleigh, a climate change rally will be held at 11 a.m. April 15 in Sylva at the old courthouse fountain downtown.

A Climate Convergence event in Raleigh will be on Earth Day weekend. Thousands of groups and individuals from throughout the state are expected to arrive in Raleigh to raise awareness about climate change and to push the state government to take action to address it. 

The rally is also in support of a proposed house and senate bill that seeks to implement a progressive utility rate structure that promotes energy conservation and investment in energy efficiency by utility customers.

www.climateconvergencenc.org

When science meets the mountains you get: The Mountain Science Expo. The expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville and feature guided nature walks, live animal programs, a range of other demonstrations and displays from local environmental organizations. Also making an appearance will be the Sol Food Mobile Farm, a retro-fitted school bus that runs on waste vegetable oil.

The event is held in conjunction with the N.C. Science Festival.

828.665.2492 or www.ncarboretum.org.

Gotta love that A.T.

A program on the importance of the Appalachian Trail and ways to promote and conserve it will be held at noon on Thursday, April 11, at Tartan Hall in Franklin.

Local trail activists from the Nantahala Hiking Club and Appalachian Trail Conservancy will discuss a variety of topics such as the trail’s history and management, the mutually beneficial relationship between the trail and the town of Franklin, and ways to enhance use of the trail.

Also, Mary Bennett, local A.T. Community Ambassador, will highlight the opportunities the A.T. provides for environmental education and to Macon County schools, and other local activities around the trail.

The program is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Macon County and will focus on Franklin as an Appalachian Trail Community, an official designation the town has carried since 2010. The program corresponds with the Macon County Public Library’s Walking with Spring series and follows Franklin’s April Fools’ Days Trail Festival.

AT education program for teachers

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is currently accepting applications from educators to participate in the Trail To Every Classroom program, connecting students and trailside communities along the Appalachian Trail’s 14-state route.   

The program, in partnership with the National Park Service, trains K-12 teachers to use the Appalachian Trail as an educational resource. Divided into a series of three workshops, the program teaches the fundamentals of hiking, environmental stewardship and ethics, GPS technology, grant writing, and provides an opportunity for backpacking, networking and curriculum writing specific.

An optional three graduate credits are offered for $637 through Mary Baldwin College.  To date this program has trained over 275 teachers from Georgia to Maine.

www.appalachiantrail.org/ttec or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In an effort to clean up Scotts Creek in Jackson County, a coordinated workday will be launched by volunteers from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20.

The Carolina Mountain Club has been awarded $2,200 through the North Carolina Appalachian Trail License Plate Grant Program to help buy safety equipment, rebar and tools for the club’s trail maintenance work along the Appalachian Trail. 

Professional and collegiate lumberjacks from around the East will soon converge on Haywood County to compete in a top-notch woodsman competition.

We have been hearing a lot lately about President Barack Obama’s charm offensive. He has been traveling a short distance from the White House to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, including Republicans. He now seems more interested in developing relationships and a rapport with members on both sides of the aisle whose votes he can use in the days ahead.

All five Western North Carolina microbreweries west of Asheville collaborated on a craft beer that will be simultaneously released at 6 p.m. Friday, April 12, at each establishment.

Bear Waters Brewing (Waynesville), Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville), Heinzelmannchen Brewery (Sylva), Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) and Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) have created “Ryeway 74.” The beer is a smooth red ale with spicy flavors balanced with hoppy and unique malty notes. It was developed with heirloom barley and rye malt from Riverbend Malting in Asheville.

Participating breweries will have the ale available by the sample, pint or growler.

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate will be delight partakers in the 14th annual Taste of Chocolate from 6 to 9 p.m. April 20 at the Maggie Valley Club.

Bakers from professional, bed and breakfast and amateur categories will be serving up samples of 20 chocolate culinary delights. Along with chocolate and more chocolate, there will be a silent auction, milk fountain, coffee and wine bar. Entertainment is by Ray Lyon on the piano.

Proceeds from the Taste of Chocolate go to the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center. The event sponsor is First Citizens Bank.

Tickets are available at Quilters Quarters, Blue Ridge Books, Chocolate Bear, Maggie Valley Club and Dillsboro Chocolate.  Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville will showcase live music from singer-songwriter Ben Wilson at 7 p.m. Friday, April 19, and a jazz dinner featuring Eve Haslam & Satin Steel Jazz at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20. 

The popular Songwriters in the Round series will return to the Balsam Mountain Inn at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 13, with nationally acclaimed songwriters Casey Kelly, Leslie Ellis and Angela Kaset.

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s Annual Pet Photo Contest award ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13, at Bocelli’s Italian Eatery in Waynesville.

A candlewicking workshop will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 18, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva.

Candlewicking is an old form of embroidery technique that used the soft-spun thread that was also used for making wicks for candles. Traditional embroidery stitches including French knots are usually done on cotton unbleached muslin. Extension and Community Association member Diane Herring will be teaching this pillow-sized craft technique.

Cost is $5. 828.586.4009.

The Gathering Table is providing fresh, nutritious dinners from 5 to 7 p.m. every Thursday evening at the Cashiers Community Center to all members of the community regardless of one’s ability to pay. 

The Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K will race through the Western Carolina University campus and greater Cullowhee on Saturday, April 6.

Paddlers are salivating over the first-ever whitewater releases offered on the west fork of the Tuckasegee from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 13 and 14.

DigiX, a digital media and arts event, will bring technology demonstrations, exhibits, workshops and a competition showcasing digital masterpieces to Western Carolina University Thursday, April 11.

DigiX grew out of an interest in sharing with the WCU campus and community what is possible with digital media. The event was inspired by the kind of excitement that surrounds large conferences where vendors demonstrate the latest technology.

For the DigiX competition, WCU students are invited to submit either a digital arts project such as a film, animation or graphic design, or an interactive project such as a website, mobile application or game. 

The daylong event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center. It is hosted by WCU’s Coulter Faculty Commons and supported by the Division of Information Technology.

digix.wcu.edu/2013 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..