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A creative writing group for adults age 18 and over will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
This group is open to any adult who is interested in creative writing of any kind. Genres will include non-fiction as well as fiction, poetry, plays and just about any other type of writing. All levels of writers are encouraged to attend. The group will meet twice monthly, on Tuesdays, through December. Similar groups for children and teens are also sponsored by the library and meet separately.
828.586.2016.
Jackson County writer (author of the heralded travel memoir East Toward Dawn) and translator Nan Watkins will be giving a reading and discussion of Yvan Goll’s Dreamweed as part of the “Coffee with the Poet” series at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 18 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva and 3:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
This is Goll’s great last work, masterfully translated and brought to life in modern English by Watkins, who will present a conversation on the art of translation and process of translating. Formatted as a roundtable discussion, this reading/discussion gives the audience a special opportunity to delve into the work along with the translator, considering questions and contemplating this collection of poems.
Paul Loeb, a writer who has spent more than 30 years researching citizen responsibility and empowerment, will deliver a lecture at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University.
Loeb is the author of Soul of a Citizen, The Impossible Will Take a Little While and co-author of the essay “My Vote Doesn’t Matter.” In 2008, he created and coordinated the Campus Election Engagement Project, a nonpartisan effort to encourage college and university students to vote and participate in the election. Loeb is running the project again for 2012.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.2643.
To the editor:
The world’s first political consultants were ancient Greeks known as Sophists who taught debating skills and boasted that they could make the weaker argument sound stronger. Sophistry, which the dictionary defines as “subtly deceptive reasoning or argument,” is a sad staple of modern politics as well.
But even the Sophists would be ashamed of much of what goes on now. Both parties have been guilty, but I have seen nothing so vile as the torrent of Republican smears against former State Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy, who is running to reclaim the seat he narrowly lost two years ago. Now they’re cranking up the garbage factory against Rep. Ray Rapp, D-Mars Hill.
These Republican flyers (rhymes with liars) should go straight from the mailbox to the trash can. None of them offers any enlightening explanation of such hyperbole as the charge that Snow “racked up record deficits just like Obama.” A fine print footnote on that one referred to four appropriations bills — each one a tremendously complicated issue — as if Snow had voted for them all. In fact, he voted against one of them — as Snow’s opponent, Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, acknowledged after I called his attention to it. Two subsequent mailings repeated the falsehood. Another flyer, misrepresenting Snow’s remarks on the Planned Parenthood funding dispute, prompted the Macon County News to document how the Republicans had taken a quote out of context from one of its articles.
One of challenger Michele Presnell’s mailings against Rapp bears two of the most execrable lies I’ve seen in one paragraph. It accuses Rapp of opposing traditional marriage and says that “extreme left-wing special interest groups” are “bankrolling his campaign.” She pretends to document the first lie with a footnote to a Sept. 12, 2011, Mountain Xpress article that in fact says nothing about any organizations. There’s no documentation — since none exists — for outside money funding his campaign. (However, voters scrutinizing Rapp’s reports for themselves will find two contributions from me. Speaking of accuracy, one of Presnell’s own flyers misspells her name as Presenell.)
More facts: Ray Rapp voted for the North Carolina law that restricts marriage to a union between a man and a woman. That is still his firm position. He opposed Amendment 1 because it was unnecessary and created a lawyer’s relief act of potential litigation.
Equality NC, which opposed the law, has endorsed other candidates but not Rapp, Snow or former Sen. Joe Sam Queen, who is running for the House.
Conveniently for Presnell, the Mountain Xpress article that supposedly supports her lies is not available on the Internet, but the newspaper kindly e-mailed me a copy. In the article, Rapp explained why he opposed Amendment 1 when it cropped up in the legislature:
“It is an unsubtle effort on the part (of) the GOP to get out the vote in the next election, but the sad truth is that it unleashes another cultural war in the state that is bad for business and disruptive to our communities,” said Rapp in response to an Xpress inquiry about the changing amendment identify (sic). (Republican Rep. Tim Moffitt did not respond to the inquiry.) “This is a sad state of affairs when we have flood victims in Eastern North Carolina, high unemployment and our education system sinking under the weight of budget slashes ... and the issue that we are called to Raleigh to debate is the ban on gay marriage,” Rapp said.
Although the Republicans’ gutter propaganda sheds no light on any genuine issue, it is useful in one way. It tells all that the voters should need to know about the character and fitness for office of those who depend on such tactics.
Martin A. Dyckman
Waynesville
By Gordon Myers • Guest Columnist
A letter was recently circulated regarding the euthanizing of a black bear in the Mountain Aire community in Western North Carolina. That letter apparently spawned a letter to the editor published in The Smoky Mountain News on Oct. 10 under the heading “Giving bears a second chance.”
This correspondence sets the record straight regarding the original letter. The original letter draws attention to several issues related to feeding and habituating bears to humans and human food. The letter also implies that reasonable alternatives existed regarding the disposition of this bear; and further that North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) staff were unresponsive to the community and simply suggested killing the bear as the simplest way to address nuisance situations. The account presented in the letter is not an accurate depiction of events as they actually occurred.
To the Editor:
The first presidential debate underscored one thing — what does Romney intend to do when campaign rhetoric must be turned into policy? He certainly gave us no clues. We all know that the economy has severely suffered since 2008 when the reckless practices of the financial industry drove us to the cliff of another depression. We all know that our health care system is broken. We all know that the tax code needs reform. We all know that tax cuts for the wealthy and the gall of George W. Bush to fight two wars on the national credit card have created unsustainable deficits.
But what we don’t know is what Mr. Romney will do about these problems beyond the heavily rehearsed rhetoric he spun out before the American people.
If Mitt Romney really cares about the middle class, why won’t he tell us how he is going to narrow the gap between the haves and the have nots beyond the fairy tale of “trickle down economics” that proved unsuccessful under both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush? How is he going to make health care accessible and affordable to most Americans without the mechanism he put in place when he was governor of Massachusetts? What loopholes in the tax code are going to be closed to miraculously create a balanced budget? And do those loopholes include closing some of the more glaring examples of corporate welfare? Is he really going to pursue $2 trillion more money for the Pentagon to maintain an army based on the strategy of the Cold War that ended in 1989?
The list goes on. How is he going to strengthen American education by cutting the teachers, prepare for future energy demands while concentrating solely on fossil fuels? How is he going to create all those promised jobs by giving us nothing more specific than the specious argument that he is a businessman who knows how to manage a business. Mr. Romney, the global economy is a much more complex organism than a business bought out by Bain Capital.
This is a crucial election in American history. As citizens we are going to have to live with the results. We need specifics.
Suzanne Thomas
Franklin
To the Editor:
Bottom line: our economy, our health and quality of life are all dependent on how we treat our environment.
The American people are the least healthy in the developed world. We spend more money per individual than any other country to cure our numerous maladies. But besides jobs and taxes and the sorry state of the economy, what are we crying over day after day? It’s not environmental degradation, it’s medical assistance!
No amount of money spent on drugs, operations, Medicare, Medicaid or various therapies will solve the catastrophic health condition of our nation until we slam the door on environmental pollution.
The political dialogue is getting boring. There is no such thing as clean coal, Mr. Romney. And all jobs are not created equal. Some jobs ruin the health of workers. Many ruin the quality of our water, air, soil and food by adding poisons that cause diseases that never should have occurred and cost millions of dollars to treat. Cut down on the cause and you save money. That’s basic arithmetic and something we simply haven’t heard from Republican candidates.
President Obama is the first executive in my memory to actively make it a priority tosupport clean, renewable energy, green businesses and jobs, demand his cabinet departments and EPA set regulations on poisons, and clean up the past dumping of toxic wastes which end up in the food chain.
Not enough, but President Obama has shown courage and intelligence to tie the environmental dilemma to economic and health policy. Mitt Romney would run the government like a business — efficient, but without long-term solutions to real problems. We need to move fast before the burdens of taking care of sick people start to bankrupt our economy.
Start with the basic problem — our view of the environment. How many people do you know that have an environmental illness? Yes, cancer is one. We’ll pay and pay and find cures for one disease, only to have it come back or come to someone else, or yet another illness surfacing from a new toxin introduced in the environment, unless we eliminate causes.
At least elected representatives use the word “environment” occasionally. They’re on the right track, even economically, although they may not know it.
Debby Boots
Franklin
To the Editor:
This will be the election of my lifetime. I was born before WWII. I have seen my country survive many serious problems. But this year we have a man running for re-election who has had almost four years to prove his mettle. Millions voted for his “hope and change” slogan hoping he was going to revive our economy in some way. He had absolutely no experience that would suggest he had the ability to do that.
We now know he did not. Instead he decided to tackle health care. The best kind of health care insurance I ever had came with the job I had. In January 2009 the worst part of the recession had already passed by. Instead of focusing like a laser on the job market — which would have put people back to work with health care — Obama spent the next two years trying to pass a health care bill. Since then our national debt has gone up almost $5 trillion and millions of Americans are still out of work without healthcare and many have lost their homes.
Last Oct. 3, more than 67 million Americans watched President Obama try to defend his record for the past four years against Gov. Mitt Romney. When confronted by Romney regarding his poor performance as the president, Obama had no answers. He looked down at the lectern doing something.
His supporters were dismayed by his performance. The country has waited almost four years for Obama to help our employed workers. Do we want to wait any longer? Our country cannot afford to keep millions of Americans on food stamps and welfare checks. Gov. Romney has the business experience to get our country moving again. Which of these two men looked like the president? Over 67 percent said it was Romney. That is the man I will vote to elect on Nov. 6.
Jim Mueller
Glenville
To the Editor:
After listening to Mitt Romney’s excuses over the last several months for what he has and is saying, I have a question I hope will resonate with all voters: Are we really ready to have a president who “flip-flops” every time he gets caught by registered non-GOP voters (many of us in the 47 percent that he’s not concerned about). Oh wait, that’s something else he said and got caught on tape.
Is this the person you want in the White House representing you to world leaders and having his finger on the red button for nuclear war? I know I certainly don’t! We have been in enough wars, have lost more than enough of our younger adult generation and reached the brink of bankruptcy due to Republican “leadership.”
Please take this information to heart and make your decision to vote for our current president, who has taken action to help many factions of our country’s population. According to the Department of Health and Human Services Report on Sept. 11, his Affordable Care Act has saved consumers an estimated $2.1 billion on health insurance premiums. That certainly has helped many families in middle- and low-income populations.
I used to be a conservative registered Republican, but after the Bush dynasty I couldn’t in good faith to my country and fellow voters stay on their registered voters list. Now I am registered as an Independent voter.
Think back on the mistakes, poor judgment and actions the last few Republican presidents have made and we will understand why the current candidate is not using either of them to speak for his candidacy. Protect your Social Security and Medicare funds that you worked for your entire life and have earned. Vote the Democratic slate in tNovember, to help yourself and your loved ones.
It’s your choice, so stand up for your future financial benefits, or lose them to a party who is threatening to severely reduce or eliminate many of the entitlements we earned and need.
Valerie Harrison
Dillsboro
To the Editor:
At the county and state government levels budgets are about choices, and those choices have moral implications, not just economic ones. Since he has participated at both government levels, you would think Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, would appreciate that principle, but he doesn’t.
At a time when Sen. Davis and Republican lawmakers were making dramatic cuts in the state’s education budget, they created a tax loophole putting up to $3,500 into the pockets of wealthy business owners.
Though heralded by Republican leaders as a $50,000 tax exemption for small business, no cap was placed on the size of business that could claim this benefit. As a result, this loophole now applies to roughly 480,000 corporations and business owners such as lawyers, doctors, and even orthodontist like Davis.
This means that these business owners will be able to avoid paying taxes on their first $50,000 of income, providing them approximately $3,500 in savings.
As reported by The Raleigh News and Observer, this tax loophole will ultimately cost the state $336 million each year. This would roughly equal the salaries and benefits of the 6,400 employees who lost their jobs last year. Approximately 900 of these employees were teachers — even though state’s student population increased by more than 10,750.
It makes no sense and it is certainly not good government to provide tax breaks to those who don’t need it — while cutting teachers and increasing class sizes.
However, Sen. Davis and Republican lawmakers have once again required school systems across North Carolina to return to the state a significant percentage of their allocated operational resources, better known as discretionary funds. Since 80 percent of education dollars are in people, this means that once again our school systems will have to cut teachers, assistant principals and support staff.
This year, Macon County is required to return $1,064,424 on top of the $1.25 million sent back to Raleigh last year. Jackson County must return $875,734 and Clay County $322,195. These are the very funds that assist in paying for teachers, state/federal mandated programs, supplies, equipment and student transportation.
If it had not been for the Obama stimulus package and the wise judgment of county commissioners and school boards to place funds into reserve last year, the impact of these cuts would have been dramatic. But the stimulus money and the reserve funds have been depleted, and this year even more cuts of classroom teachers will have to be made.
Budgets are about choices, and those choices have moral as well as economic implications. In our selection of who will represent us in the state Senate next year, it is important that we select one who truly understands and acknowledges that principle with every vote they cast. Regretfully, Sen. Jim Davis doesn’t.
Ben J. Utley
Franklin
Duck Duck Goose is hold a consignment sale from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 18-20 and Oct. 22, just off Russ Avenue on Walnut Street in Waynesville.
The sale will include children’s clothing and other kids’ items, all being sold at cut-rate prices.
MedWest-Haywood and the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation (NCHSF) will partner to distribute onesies, nightlights and parent checklists to new parents during October, in conjunction with National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month.
The front side of the onesies have the message, “This side up when sleeping” in English and Spanish, indicating that the infant should be placed on his or her back to sleep. The nightlight has the ABC’s of infant safe sleep: “Babies sleep safest Alone, on their Backs, in a Crib.” Also included are English and Spanish checklists for parents to use which detail the proper ways to keep babies safe while sleeping.
SIDS is one of the leading causes of infant death in North Carolina, and accounted for 53 deaths in children under age one in 2010. In addition to SIDS deaths, many babies die from accidental suffocation, asphyxiation or entrapment while sleeping.
www.NCHealthyStart.org or 919.828.1819.
The Sylva library will host a class on building a website at 5:45 p.m. Oct. 22 and another course on how to sell items on Craigslist.com at 5:45 p.m. Oct. 24
The classes are the first of a new series of Monday evening computer skills courses that the library is hosting. Each class is a 90-minute stand-alone session dealing with a different topic.
For both of these classes, participants must have basic computer skills including: keyboarding, the ability to cut and paste text, and the ability to open and close active computer windows. An email account is also required.
The Build Your Own Website class will teach students how to create their own website using WordPress.com, a free hosting service.
The Oct. 24 class on Craigslist will focus on how to upload photos to the site, how to enter and edit the description, and how to respond to offers and inquiries. Attendees are encouraged to bring an electronic photo of the item they wish to sell. During class, they will write and post the ad.
The classes will be held in the Library’s Computer Lab and is limited to 15 people.
828.586.2016.
Kids Against Hunger in Franklin is looking for people to help package meals at 8 a.m. Nov. 3 at the First Christian Church of Franklin.
Kids Against Hunger packages nutritious meals for starving and malnourished children and families. The meals are a blend of soy, rice vegetables, vitamins and minerals.
In just a couple of hours, teams of six or eight can package thousands of meals for the needy.
828.332.8771 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Sylva Rotary Club will host its twice-annual pancake breakfast from 7:30-10 a.m. on Oct. 26 at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva.
Proceeds will go to the local Neighbors in Need organization and the international Polio Plus program.
There is a suggested $5 donation, but no tickets are needed to attend the event. All you can eat pancakes, sausage and hot and cold beverages will be served. Take out for businesses will be available.
www.sylvarotaryclub.org or 828.586.2221 or 848.452-2820.
Paul Loeb, a writer who has spent more than 30 years researching citizen responsibility and empowerment, will deliver a lecture at 6 p.m. Oct. 24 in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University. The event is free and open to the public.
Loeb is the author of “Soul of a Citizen” and “The Impossible Will Take a Little While” and co-author of the essay “My Vote Doesn’t Matter.”
In 2008, he created and coordinated the Campus Election Engagement Project, a nonpartisan effort to encourage college and university students to vote and participate in the election. Loeb is running the project again for 2012.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.2643.
A Haywood Community College political science class got a good dose of the mechanics of voting by running a voter registration booth on campus.
“These students did this on their own time,” said Greg McLamb, HCC Lead History instructor. “Voting in one of the most important things we can do as American citizens so seeing the registration process firsthand was a great service learning project for them.”
Sylva and Western Carolina University will raise awareness of conflict mediation as an alternative to litigation and to settle personal disputes on Oct. 23-24.
On Oct. 23, a panel of lawyers and certified mediators from Mountain Mediation Services will discuss the advantages of mediation as an alternative to the often costly and time-consuming process of bringing a civil case to court. The event will be held at the Jackson County Justice Center from 12:30-2 p.m. On Oct. 24, members of WCU’s Campus Mediation Society will stage a mediation followed by a question-and-answer session at WCU in Multipurpose Room B in A.K. Hinds University Center from 5-6:45 p.m. The presentation will feature student mediators who recently qualified for the 2012 National Mediation competition sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Both events are free and open to the public. They are supported by WCU’s College of Business and Campus Mediation Society, Mountain Mediation Services, North Carolina Agricultural Mediation Program and by a grant from the American Bar Association.
828.227.7191 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Western Carolina University’s Department of Political Science and Public Affairs and the Public Policy Institute will host a debate between the two candidates for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.
The debate will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and will feature Republican Mark Meadows, a businessman and entrepreneur, and Democrat Hayden Rogers, former chief of staff for current U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler. It will be held in the theater located on the third floor of the A.K. Hinds University Center.
Russ Bowen, news anchor and reporter for Asheville-based television stations WLOS-TV and WMYA (My40), will serve as debate moderator.
The debate is open to the public, but seating is limited. Those interested in attending should reserve a seat by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 5 p.m. Oct. 22. There is a limit of two tickets per request.
Ticket holders should be seated by 6:50 p.m. By 6:55 p.m., any remaining seats in the theater will be released on a first-come, first-served basis to people who show up without tickets. Anyone not seated by 6:50 p.m. cannot be guaranteed a seat in the theater.
828.227.3898.
Dan Forest, Republican candidate for Lt. Governor, will be at a meet and greet at noon Oct. 29 at Shoney’s on Paragon Parkway in Waynesville. The event is open to the public.
Forest is on a tour of more than 70 counties, meeting with economic developers, business leaders and small business owners.
Forest is the founder and current president of the Triangle Leadership Forum and the former chairman of the board of Wake Forest Pregnancy Support Services.
828.550.2434.
To raise money for its New Generations Birthing Center, Smoky Mountain OB/GYN Associates will host the first “Bootiful Babies Benefit” from 2-7:30 p.m. outside their Sylva office at 64 Eastgate Drive.
There will be a wide selection of activities for families including face painting, pumpkin decorating and belly casting.
The New Generations Birthing Center is a $3 million renovation project of the mother and baby section on the hospital’s third floor. Plans for the Birthing Center include increasing the number of available labor and delivery rooms, implementing new technology and offering a specific operating room for Caesarean sections.
The MedWest-Harris and Swain Foundation has already raised more than $50,000.
Admission and participation are free. Donations are greatly appreciated. There will be live entertainment at the event and homemade chili will be available.
Barefoot Ridge in Clyde was recognized as one of the best affordable housing communities in North Carolina. Barefoot Ridge is an 43-home community in Clyde that provided new housing for flood victims in the wake of two tropical storms that flooded homes along the Pigeon River.
Sponsored by the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, the award recognizes outstanding affordable housing that can serve as models for other communities. The winners were selected for affordability, design, contribution to the community, sustainability as affordable housing, and features such as services for residents and creative partnerships.
The development was led by Mountain Projects Community Action Agency of Waynesville in partnership with Haywood County and the Town of Clyde.
Chaske Spencer, who plays Sam Uley, the leader of the Wolfpack in the “Twilight” saga, will speak at from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center.
Spencer is a member of the Lakota Sioux tribe and was raised on reservations in Montana and Idaho. He’ll be speaking about his project “Be The Shift,” in which he urges Native Americans to create sustainable, prosperous communities and promote dignity, justice, unity and accountability.
Tickets are $11 and can be purchased at the door or online. The cultural arts center is located at 86 Elk Crossing Lane off Big Cove Road in Cherokee.
Western Carolina University Sociology Club’s “A New Lens Film Series” will continue at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 with a screening of “The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality and Relationships” in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Arts Center.
The film examines the role commercial pornography occupies in U.S. popular culture. The next film in the series, on Nov. 1, will be “Miss Representation,” which offers a look at how mainstream media contribute to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power in America. Except for the Oct. 23 event, all screenings in the series will begin at 7 p.m. in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center. The screening is co-sponsored by Women’s Studies and the Feminists on Campus.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.3839.
Judy Goldman will read from and discuss her new memoir, Losing My Sister, at 1 p.m. Oct. 20 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
Losing My Sister tells of Goldman’s relationship with her sister, the struggles they face, either apart or united. Whether it is long hidden family secrets, cancer or the failing health of their parents, the two sisters manage to bridge the distance between them and re-forge a relationship that had been strong since childhood.
828.586.9499.
Clean Slate Coalition has launched a fundraising campaign called “Sew Crafty” that will create a funding stream to help women leaving jail or prison by recycling and selling sewing and craft items that can be repurposed by local crafters.
Clean Slate operates a local transitional housing program for women in transition. Located in Sylva, the program serves up to eight women at a time.
An open house will be held from 2-4 p.m. Oct. 28.
Clean Slate urges local artisans to clean out fabric remnants and other supplies taking up space in homes and studios. Donations can be delivered to the Cross Stitch Emporium, located at 2 Dills Street in downtown Dillsboro. The campaign is also seeking volunteers to gather materials, build shelves, organization work, marketing, etc. The cause is also looking for two women to lead the project.
828.586.2726.
Elin O’Hara Slavick, distinguished Professor of Art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will give a public talk titled “Art after Aftermath” at 4 p.m. Oct. 29 in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.
Slavick, primarily a photographer whose work is based on issues and ideas, will discuss her art and her curatorial activities. Most recently, she has focused on the aftermath of the atomic bomb. In her presentation, she will include photos of atomic bomb artifacts and images from her book Bomb after Bomb: A Violent Cartography. While at WCU, Slavick also will meet with and have critiques with graduate and undergraduate students.
Her visit is supported by the School of Art and Design’s Visiting Scholar Funds. The event is free and open to the public.
828.227.7210.
Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker will be performed at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 24 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center. Celebrating its 19th year, it’s the largest Russian ballet tour in North America.
A one-day “Introduction to Cherokee Language” class will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 19 in Western Carolina University’s Cordelia Camp Building.
Thomas Belt and Hartwell Francis from WCU’s Cherokee language program will begin the class by introducing the Cherokee syllabify. Students will then move on to holding brief conversations in Cherokee. Sound files on CD, a syllabify chart and reference sheets will be provided for review and further study. The event costs $59, with lunch included, and is sponsored by Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing Education.
learn.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.
Cherokee basket artist Betty Maney and Western Carolina University crafts scholar Anna Fariello will host a program entitled “From the Hands of our Elders: Cherokee Traditions” at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
This program will expand upon the themes of the WCU public history student exhibit, “Weaving a Way: A Story of Cultural Preservation,” which is on display at the library, just inside the doors leading from the atrium. The exhibit “Cherokee Traditions” is part of the larger “Journey Stories” project, which includes a Smithsonian exhibit on view at the Mountain Heritage Center at WCU, now through Nov. 9.
828.586-2016 or www.fontanalib.org.
REACH of Haywood County will be putting on a “barn dance” at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 20 at a new barn nestled in the Camp Branch area.
The Bryson City Chamber Chili Cook-off will take place 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Depot.
The Liars Bench will present “Appalachian Spook Tales” at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center auditorium.
Christie mystery to be screened
Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19-22 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.
The film portrays a snowstorm that traps boarders at Monkswell Manor Guest House with a murderer on the loose. All is well until one guest is murdered. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. Who is the murderer? Find out in Agatha Christie’s longest running mystery.
Box Office opens at 6:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for adults and $5 for children.
828.488.8227 or www.smctheatre.com.
Cradle of Forestry to present Halloween drama
An outdoor drama titled “The Legend of Tommy Hodges“ will be presented at 6:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. Oct. 19-20 at the Cradle of Forestry in Brevard.
During the outdoor performance, visitors will hear the story of Tommy Hodges, a student of the Biltmore Forest School, who disappeared Halloween night 1907. A guide will lead the audience around the paved Biltmore Campus Trail at the Cradle of Forestry to find out what happened that night. The show is a mile long, meaning the audience walks one mile to see the entire play. It’s most suitable for ages 6 and up.
Audience members are asked to dress warmly, wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a flashlight. Hot cider and cookies will be served after each show. Ponchos and other raingear are welcome if the weather is showery, but please leave umbrellas at home.
Admission is $6 for ages 16 and up, $3 for ages 15 and under and holders of America the Beautiful and Golden Age Passports. Diamond Brand Outdoors is sponsoring the event.
828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.
Free potluck and a movie
The Groovy Movie Club will show the film “Hunger Games” at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Buffy Queen’s solar-powered home in Waynesville. A mostly potluck dinner will precede the screening at 6:15 p.m., with a discussion to follow for all who wish to participate. The event is free and open to the public. The club meets the second of third Friday of every month. The mission of the organization is to show films, feature and documentary, with a message.
828.926.3508 or 828.454.5949 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Western North Carolina Encouragement Jubilee will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 21 through Oct. 24 in the Beall Auditorium at Haywood Community College in Clyde.
WNC Encouragement Jubilee begins Sunday evening with a gospel music concert featuring The Browns from Lemars, La. Monday’s guest speaker will be David Horton, president of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville and Interim Pastor of Encouraging Word Baptist Church in Waynesville. Dr. Jim Henry, former pastor of First Baptist Church Orlando, Fla., and Past President of the Southern Baptist Convention will preach on Tuesday evening. Wednesday evening features Dr. Don Wilton, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Spartanburg, S.C., and founder of the Encouraging Word, a national television ministry.
The public is invited to attend. WNC Encouragement Jubilee is a ministry of Encouraging Word Baptist Church, Waynesville.
828.454.5933.
The Community Table in Sylva has two fundraising events coming up. The Community Table is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing nutritious meals to neighbors in need in a welcoming environment.
• You can bid from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on items generously donated by festival artists to benefit The Community Table at the 8th Annual WNC Pottery Festival & Silent Auction in Dillsboro. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 3 and features 40 potters from 13 states.
• The Headliner, a benefit for The Community Table, will be from 6:30-9 p.m. on Nov. 3. Headliner Beer, generously donated by Sierra Nevada and Heinzelmsannchen Brewery of Sylva, will be for sale. $10 for a pint and plate of bratwurst, sauerkraut using Heinzelmannchen’s own recipe or $5 a pint, plus Heinzelmannchen’s homemade Root Beer for $2 a pint.
828.586.6782, www.WNCPotteryFestival.com or www.communitytable.org.
The next community music jam at the Marianna Black Library will be from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 in downtown Bryson City.
Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle or dulcimer (anything unplugged) is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen.
The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Barnett starts by calling out a tune and its key signature and the group plays it together. Then, everyone in the circle gets a chance to choose a song for the group to play together. The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month, year round.
This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts.
828.488.3030.
A costume character ball will be held during family night at 6 p.m. Oct. 25 in the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. Children are invited to come dressed as their favorite story character. There will be snacks, crafts and activities like bowling, twister, beanbag toss and more.
828.586.2016.
Submissions are now being taken for the 2012-13 edition of “Milestone,” the biennial art and literary review published by Southwestern Community College. “Milestone” is a publication that showcases the creative expressions of local writers and visual artists.
All residents of Jackson, Macon and Swain counties and the Qualla Boundary, as well as SCC students and alumni, are eligible. Only unpublished work may be submitted. Prose should not exceed 2,000 words and poems should be limited to two pages in length. Writers may submit more than one work. All writing must be double-spaced and submitted in paper format or via email. In addition, each page must be numbered, and the author’s name, address, telephone number and email address should be included on the last page of each submission.
Visual artists and photographers may submit only black and white copies of original artwork and must also include name, address, telephone number, email address, title of work and photo caption (if applicable) on the back of each submission. Artists and photographers may also submit more than one work. First and second place cash prizes will be awarded in three categories: poetry, prose (short story or nonfiction works) and visual arts, including photography. In addition, one cash prize will be awarded for cover art.
Literary submissions must be postmarked by Dec. 3 and sent to SCC Milestone; Attn. Owen Gibby or Toni Knott; 447 College Drive, Sylva, N.C. 28779 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Submissions in visual art must be postmarked by the same date and sent to the same address; Attn. Bob Keeling or via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
828.339.4314 or 828.339.4325.
The Smoky Mountain Fall Art and Craft Festival will celebrate 20 years on Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27 at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Franklin. The fairgrounds will be decorated for the season and artisan booths will be filled to the brim with quality crafts.
This is a juried art and craft show with a warm and festive atmosphere. There will be paintings, photography, pottery, baskets, soaps and lotions, stained glass, wood turnings, furniture, dog clothing and accessories, heirloom crochet, quilts, stunning jewelry, candles, gourd art, clocks, knives, whimsical dolls, Indian clothing, florals and Christmas ornaments.
Admission is free for Oct. 19-20, but donations are kindly accepted. Admission for Oct. 26-27 is $2, which also gains you admission to the Chamber’s 24th Annual Leaf Lookers Gemboree next door at the community building.
828.371.0595 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A harvest festival will take place Oct.19-21 at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center on the grounds of the Stecoah School.
Friday evening begins with a campfire and storytelling with Civil War-era soldiers on patrol.
Saturday starts at 8 a.m. with a 5K race and a “One Mile Fun Run.” From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. the grounds will be filled with the sounds of mountain music and dancing feet. Music acts include the Stecoah JAM Kids, Britthaven Band, Valley River Gospel Trio, Vance Trull & Friends, The Dixie Darlin’s Cloggers, The Oktoberfest Square Dancers, The Leftovers Band and The Welch Family. At 7:30 p.m. The Dismembered Tennesseans will perform on the grand old stage, with adult tickets being $15 and students (K-12th grade) are $5 for that performance.
On Sunday, there will be free gospel singing in the auditorium from 2:30-5 p.m. featuring The Wilson Family, Shining Pathway, Valleytown Trio and Marble Springs Singing Men. Saturday festival admission is just $3 per adult and free for K-12th grade and younger. Parking is free.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 828.479.3364, at the Stecoah Gallery or online at www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.
The North Hominy Apple Festival will take place from 7 a.m. until closing Oct. 20 at the North Hominy Community Center on Newfound Road in Canton.
The festival will feature a variety of apple pies, butter and jellies. There will be craft vendors onsite and a country breakfast at $7 per person.
The Haywood County Apple Harvest Festival will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 in downtown Waynesville. The annual festival, which celebrates the beauty of the harvest season in Haywood County, features handmade arts and crafts, locally grown apples and apple products for sale.
To the Editor:
A letter was recently circulated regarding the euthanizing of a black bear in the Mountain Aire community in western North Carolina. That letter apparently spawned a letter to the editor published in the Smoky Mountain News on Oct. 10, 2012, under the heading “Giving bears a second chance.”
This correspondence sets the record straight regarding the original letter. The original letter draws attention to several issues related to feeding and habituating bears to humans and human food. The letter also implies that reasonable alternatives existed regarding the disposition of this bear; and further that North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) staff were unresponsive to the community and simply suggested killing the bear as the simplest way to address nuisance situations. The account presented in the letter is not an accurate depiction of events as they actually occurred.
The letter states that the bear emerged from its winter den and soon discovered human food, perhaps implying that the bear accidentally came across human foods. In reality the bear was fed intentionally by construction workers in the Mountain Aire community, despite the community’s “bear aware” program and other ongoing efforts to coexist with bears.
Bears quickly become habituated to humans under these conditions and this bear was no exception. Having lost its fear of humans, the bear returned regularly and broke into several cars during the month of May, 2012. The NCWRC was contacted by community leaders about the bear and began working directly with them to harass the bear and attempt to discourage it from remaining in the community. The community leaders also addressed the feeding issue with the construction workers.
Those efforts appeared successful at first as the bear disappeared from the community for several weeks. Unfortunately, the bear returned in late June and the NCWRC received a report on June 28th that the bear had damaged the roof of a convertible sports car, reportedly enticed by a pack of gum inside the car. Community leaders stressed that concern among residents was increasing.
On July 30th, the NCWRC was informed that the bear had increased its interactions with humans, having entered homes at least four times and entered or damaged several vehicles. Community leaders and other residents expressed heightened concern and desire for action beyond harassment.
NCWRC staff informed the community that the bear had developed behavior that was inconsistent with normal bear behavior and recommended that the community increase harassment activities and offered assistance to trap and aggressively harass the bear in a final attempt to stop the bear’s behavior.
On August 2nd, the community reported that the bear had entered another residence, removed two pies from the kitchen counter and re-entered the house that night. It was also reported that the bear entered the bedroom while the owners were sleeping. Subsequently, community leaders requested authorization to pursue other options, including euthanasia, as they felt the harassment techniques were not effective.
Several residents in the community began investigating the idea of trapping the bear and placing it in captivity as an alternative to euthanasia. The residents investigated a location in Georgia and indicated that arrangements were in place to take the bear to that location. NCWRC staff contacted officials in Georgia to assess feasibility of this option. We determined that this was not a viable option because neither a transportation permit nor a license to possess the bear would be granted by the State of Georgia. NCWRC staff informed the community that while we did not support trapping a wild bear and placing it in confinement, we did investigate the proposal as requested by the community. Subsequently, NCWRC staff authorized the community to take action as appropriate should the bear return and pose a threat to persons or property.
On August 9th, NCWRC staff discussed with the community specific actions to be implemented should the bear return. The community natural resources director indicated that most residents wanted the bear removed immediately as they viewed it to be a threat. It was also noted that a group of residents had begun to explore the possibility of moving the bear to a pen at Grandfather Mountain.
While this option was being examined, the bear returned to the community. Specifically, the bear appeared near a child’s playground and then approached a condominium on the following day (August 10th). The property owner reported the bear to the community leadership and employees of the community humanely euthanized the bear.
The NCWRC supports the actions of the community as this bear clearly demonstrated threats to persons and property. State law provides private landowners the right to protect their property and their person from damage caused by wildlife. It is unfortunate that human habituation of wildlife often results in the animal’s demise.
Sincerely,
Gordon Myers
Executive Director, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
A Clip and Save Coupon Club meets from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays at the Senior Resource Center in Haywood County.
“It seems to me that now more than ever, people need help at the cash register, not to mention everywhere else,” Suzanne M. Hendrix, a program coordinator at the senior center.
Far from the days of checking Sunday’s newspaper circulars, coupon clipping has reached a whole new level in American today, with coupons easily being mined on the Internet. The senior center has several computers and iPads as well as printers.
Located on 81 Elmwood Way off Russ Avenue past K-Mart. 828.356.2816.
A panel of veterans ranging from World War II to Afghanistan will discuss of the physical, emotional and psychological journeys of soldiers before, during and after war at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University
The program,“Over There and Coming Home: Veterans’ Journeys,” is part of the “Journey Stories” exhibit Developed by the Smithsonian Institution on on display at WCU through Nov. 9.
An accompanying exhibit focusing on local “journey stories” that was researched, designed and built by WCU public history students, “In, Out, Through and Back Again: Smoky Mountain Journeys,” is being shown at the Jackson County Public Library through Saturday, Nov. 17.
A program titled “Captain Orr’s Badge: A Civil War Journey,” will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at the Mountain Heritage Center, chronicling the journey of a Civil War-era U.S. Army officer’s badge from New York state to a flea market in Western North Carolina, which inspired a graphic novel by retired WCU art professor Lee Budahl. 828.227.7129.
The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will hold an organizational meeting 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 8, for the adult and masters basketball league at the Waynesville Recreation Center.
This meeting is a mandatory meeting for anyone interested in entering a team in the league. The adult league is open to all players between the ages of 18 to 34, and the Masters League is open to all players over the age of 35.
The adult league games are held Mondays at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. The masters league games are held Thursdays at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. 828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
People can drop off gently used or new winter clothing articles for children and adults at any Swain County governmental facility such as the County Administration Building, Health Dept., Social Services, all Swain County Schools, the bus garage and the Swain County Chamber of Commerce. Items may include coats, sweaters, jackets, hats, gloves, toboggans, or sweatshirts.
To participate, contact Mike Clampitt at 828.736.6222.
A genealogical “how to” presentation will be held Monday, Oct. 15, at the Boiler Room restaurant in Franklin by the The Silas McDowell Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Dinner starts at 5:15 p.m. and the meeting starts at 6 p.m.
The session is open to anyone who would like to learn more about how to find ancestors involved in the American Revolution. Learn how to become a member of the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution; and, for current members, how to recognize additional family patriots.
828.526.3374 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Members of the Silas McDowell Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution are collecting items for homeless veterans in the region through Oct. 31. The group is working with the Veterans Restoration Quarters in Asheville and will be collecting items needed by homeless veterans as they transition back into the community. Items can be dropped in the box at the Sylva Walmart or the Highlands Chamber of Commerce.
The following items are needed: work clothes and boots, casual and dress clothing and shoes in good condition, new underwear and socks in package, backpacks, ponchos, umbrellas, linens and toiletries.
828.507.2351 or 828.557.0162.
