Relive the classic age of MGM movies, the magic of Disney and the special effects of contemporary film through the music that made them memorable as sung by Voices in the Laurel Children’s Choirs.

The Valentine’s concert will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 11 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville and will include a dinner.

Tickets are $20 per person, $35 for couples or $140 for a table of eight.

Voices in the Laurel consists of three children’s choirs under the direction of Martha Brown and has performed all over the globe.

828.335.2849 or www.voicesinthelaurel.org.

Songwriters have three months to enter The Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival 2012 Songwriters Contest in Gatlinburg.

“The primary goal of the SMSWF 2012 Songwriters Contest is to showcase and bring a broader spotlight to the talent we have here in the Smoky Mountains and the Southern Appalachian region,” said Cyndy Reeves, founder of the festival.

The contest is open to all ages and the deadline for entering songs is April 30. The contest will give twenty songwriters the chance to perform at The Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival on Aug. 23-25.

“Songwriters from everywhere have asked me how can they get to perform at the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival,” Reeves said.  “So we decided to create something fun and profitable for songwriters throughout the southeast to participate in when we designed the SMSWF Songwriters Contest.”  

The five categories are:  Bluegrass, Country, Folk/Pop/Rock, Gospel/Inspirational, and Lyrics.

865.604.9066 or www.smswf.com.

Haywood Community College and Champion Credit Union will once again host a Share the Warmth benefit concert from 2 until 5 p.m. on Feb. 12.

Donations collected will go 100 percent to Mountain Projects to help area residents with heating costs. Admission is a minimum donation of $10.

Hominy Valley Boys will host the event and will be joined by several other local bands and performers. The event will be held in the HCC Auditorium.

There will also be designated rooms for jamming with these bands. Bring your instruments to join in the fun.

828.627.4522 or 828.648.1515.

Visual artist Andrea Dezsö will speak at 4 p.m., Feb. 9, in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

The lecture is free and the public is invited.

Originally from Eastern Europe, Dezsö specializes in handmade books, cut-paper illustration, embroidery, sculpture, animation and large-scale public art. Her work reflects her childhood in Soviet-controlled Romania. Her hand-painted tunnel books were shown at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and a room-sized tunnel book was installed at the Rice Gallery in Houston.

“I’m interested in Andrea’s work because of her rich imagination, impeccable craft and delightful sense of humor,” said Matthew Liddle, associate professor in the WCU School of Art and Design. “Her work is appealing because it is ambitious and fun and includes an exciting variety of approaches and techniques.”

During her visit, she will work with students, make an original print in the university’s printmaking studio and work with the art museum to plan an upcoming exhibit.

828.227.3594 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Whimzik, a mask and music performance, will perform a Valentine’s dinner theater at 7 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Mad Batter Bakery & Café in Cullowhee.

Kjelsty Hanson wears masks that she sculpts while Glenn Kastrinos improvises to her movements bringing the characters to life. Kastrinos also plays a variety of traditional flutes and the guitar. The husband and wife duo moved to Cullowhee from New Zealand, where they performed at various festivals and venues.

In addition to the performance, the night will include a three-course meal — appetizer, entrée and dessert. Couples are allowed to bring their own drinks.

The Mad Batter

Tickets are $45 per couple in advance and $50 at the door. To purchase tickets or for more information regarding the menu, call 828.293.3096.

A new display at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva showcases the artistic work of 10 local woodworkers.

The display opened in late January and will remain on view until March 31. It features the work of Jackson County residents Jack Mincey, Robert Hopper, David Liberman, Bill Lyons, Bill Hyatt, Lebern Dills, Ron Yount, Brian Bartel, Don Marks and Chris Behere.

Items on display include wood-turned pieces such as plates, bowls, candleholders, kaleidoscopes, ornaments, toys, carvings and boxes.

The display also includes a collection of miniature handcrafted baskets from around the world from the personal collections of June Smith of Tuckasegee and Lydia Aydlett of Sylva.

828.586.2016.

Lois Hornbostel and Ehukai Teves will perform a concert at 3p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

Their music will feature dulcimer, ukulele and the Chapman Stick guitar along with original songs and music styles from Appalachian roots to classical Celtic music to traditional Hawaiian. Immediately following the concert, there will be light refreshments and a meet and greet reception for the musicians in the lobby. The concert is free and open to the public.    

Hornbostel, a Swain County resident since 1987, is a nationally known developer of playing techniques and colorful music styles for the Appalachian Mountain dulcimer. She is also the author of eight dulcimer books.

Teves, who hails from Hawaii, has been a professional musician for 45 years. He has more than 300 copyrighted songs and is known for playing “almost anything that makes a sound,” including lead and bass guitar, ukulele, Chapman Stick guitar, drums, keyboard and mountain dulcimer.

828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

The Haywood Community Band will begin rehearsing for its 10th season of free concerts.

Concerts take place on the third Sunday of each month from May to October and are held in Maggie Valley. In addition to the scheduled themed concerts, the band also performs at community activities on Memorial Day, July 4 and Veterans Day.

Band rehearsals are held at Grace In The Mountains Episcopal Church in Waynesville. The first rehearsal will run from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on March 8.

Donations of band instruments are gladly accepted, as are monetary donations.

The Community Band, in cooperation with band directors from Tuscola and Pisgah High Schools, selects students in the spring for scholarships to attend summer music camp programs in the region.

828.456.4880 or www.haywoodcommunityband.org.

The Friends of the Marianna Black Library will host the 5th Annual Chocolate Cook-Off between 2 and 4 p.m., Feb. 11, at the Bryson City Presbyterian Church on Everett Street.

The event will raise money to help the library improve services and materials. More money means more books, better children’s programming, more DVDs and newer technology.

Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for children 4-16 years old and members of the Friends of the Marianna Black Library group.

The Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center is looking for volunteers to help coordinate its annual Taste of Chocolate fundraiser as well as bakers to participate in the event.

The fundraiser will take place April 21 at the Maggie Valley Country Club. This year, in addition to chocolate, the event will be expanding the entries to include “Bakers Choice.” The new category doesn’t require that chocolate be included in the recipe.

828.356.2833.

Elementary school-aged children and their families are invited to a free ARTSaturday workshop and Valentine party from 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 11 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Make-and-take projects include 3-D valentine cards and decorations, with music by keyboardist Lionel Caynon. The event is dedicated to the memory of long-time ARTSaturday volunteer Jeanie Whitehead.

There’s no pre-registration and adults must stay with their children.

ARTSaturdays are a monthly series produced by the Arts Council of Macon County.

828.524.7683 or www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

Learn how to make handmade cards for any occasion from weddings to birth announcements to holidays with card makers Doris Mackey and Pam Galloway on Feb. 16.

Mackey and Galloway will teach an “Embroidery on Cards” workshop from 10 a.m. to noon in the conference room of the Community Service Center in Sylva.

Participants will make a card and receive take-home materials to complete another. Cost for the workshop is $5. The program is open to the general public, but registration is required by Feb. 13.

Jackson County Extension and Community Association Craft Club, which holds monthly workshops aimed at helping people develop skills in a variety of crafts, is sponsoring the event.

828.586.4009.

Local artist Jo Ridge Kelley will exhibit the latest painting from her WaterDance series at The Jeweler’s Workbench on Main Street in Waynesville starting Feb. 11.

The paintings are a personal expression in vivid colors played against subdued darks with textural effects added with the palette knife. The paintings are intended to evoke the beauty of nature on the surface of the canvas and each one can mean something different to the viewer.

The very first painting in this series was created three years ago, a large commissioned piece for The Gateway Club in Waynesville.

“It has been a magical journey working from my soul, pulling from within, experimenting and letting go. It has been amazing to see how folks of all walks of life relate to this series of paintings in oil,” Kelley said.

Best known for her landscape paintings, especially mountains and mist, Kelley said it thrills her that the WaterDance paintings have been so well received.

“They are a very personal response to the beauty of nature, without having to actually see trees and other objects. You can just ‘feel’ the essence of nature. That is what I love about creating these paintings,” she said.

Kelley lives in Waynesville and paints in her home studio.

828.456.2260 or www.thejewelersworkbench.us or www.JoRidgeKelley.com.

The Liars Bench, a program featuring authentic traditional Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, and drama, has announced that its February performances will be a benefit for the organization.

In addition to Liars Bench regulars, the February performances will feature a play, “Coy,” written by Gary Carden and performed by Tom Dewees.

Admission will be $10 at the Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 performances, which start at 7 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale at City Lights Bookstore.

“The show has become quite popular and part of the program’s appeal is due to the fact that admission at all of the City Lights and Mountain Heritage Center performances has been free. However, in order to stabilize our finances we have decided to charge admission for this special program,” said Carden, the founder of The Liars Bench.

828.586.9499.

Sarah T. Meltzer, an assistant professor of secondary education at Western Carolina University, has published her book Step-by-Step Professional Development in Technology.

The educational book offers guidelines for bringing about effective professional development in technology and contains tools and resources such as preplanning worksheets, needs assessment surveys, long- and short-term inventory plans, technology inventory forms and training schedule templates. The chapters conclude with checklists to help readers track the steps they take.

“It was obvious that schools demonstrated a need for assistance in these areas,” said Meltzer. “My book evolved to be a basic hands-on ‘how-to’ book for school district technology directors, principals and teachers to use as a resource.”

828.227.3308 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The HART Studio season continues this week with “Collected Stories” by noted playwright Donald Margulies.

Margulies won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2000 play “Dinner With Friends,” and has followed that up with a number major works on and off Broadway including “Shipwrecked: An Entertainment” which HART produced as part of its 2011 Main Stage season. “Collected Stories” appeared on Broadway in 2010 at the Manhattan Theater Club and received rave reviews.

The play chronicles the relationship of an established artist and an enthusiastic fan who become a protégé, disciple, colleague, friend and finally a threatening rival. Ruth Steiner is a short story writer and Lisa Morrison her gifted student. In HART’s production, under the direction of Suzanne Tinsley, Lyn Donley appears as Ruth and Emily Warren as the ambitious student Lisa.  

“Collected Stories” will perform Friday and Saturday, Feb. 10 and 11, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 12, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10 for all adults and $6 for students, general admission. To make reservations call the HART Box Office at 456.6322. All performances are in the Feichter Studio Theatre, 250 Pigeon Street, Waynesville.

To the Editor:

I had to read “Shame on you, SMN, for poking fun” (Smoky Mountain News, Feb. 1 edition) twice before I grasped that Danya VanHook was serious in her criticism of The Smoky Mountain News and hurt by receiving the “Public Service Award.” Considering her accomplishments and service to the community (which were pointed out by the award), it didn’t cross my mind that Ms VanHook (or anyone) would take offense at remarks that were nothing but complimentary in nature (which I’m positive the editor intended to be).

To be honest, I was a little disappointed not to have been included among the “Annual Newsmaker Awards” recipients. Having been rebuffed three times by “North Carolina Teach” (through WCU) for a lateral licensure, I thought I would surely qualify for the “Least Likely to Look Good in a Dress Award.”

David L. Snell  

Dillsboro

To the Editor:

In a recent article in The Smoky Mountain News, Jackson County Commissioner Jack Debnam was quoted as saying that he did not believe in self-gratification. The Debnam quote went on to say “I would prefer the plaque say ‘built by and for the people of Jackson County.”’

Drawing from Commissioner Debnam’s statement from the closed session meeting of the county commissioners on Jan. 13, I would like to suggest that our current county commissioners do exactly what they say regarding the ongoing issue of what kind of “plaque” is installed in our new county library complex.

Over the past decade hundreds of people have donated time and money to create the new Jackson County Library. Taking Commissioner Debnam’s lead, I would like to take his idea one step further and suggest that a Scroll of Honor be created that lists all the individuals and businesses that converted a dream into a reality. The scroll could be appropriately designed, produced and hung in a prominent location, easily visible to anyone entering the Library Complex (the main Foyer, for instance).

It seems a shame to spend $1,000-$1,900 of taxpayers money for a small, fancy plaque that only honors a few county commissioners when a large, artistically designed scroll made of fine durable materials and protected by glass for a fraction of the cost would pay homage to the actual people and businesses whose effusive efforts actually went into the creation of the complex. We, the people of Jackson County, can create a permanent artifact that will be all-inclusive and thus honor the new library and newly renovated historic courthouse as an effort by the whole community. It would be something that we could all take pride in in honoring those who put their money and their energy where their mouths were and whose names have already been collected and documented in a book in the library‘s possession.

So, right on commissioner Debnam. I applaud your sentiments. But now let’s take action and dedicate this lovely historic landmark of ours “to the people of Jackson County,” name by name.

Michael Revere

Dillsboro

To the Editor:

State Sen. Jim Davis had an excellent idea. He suggested that anyone who wondered about contributions to his 2010 campaign could just check out the NC. Board of Elections website. I did.

Here is what I found. He raised a total of $500,377, not counting loans to his campaign. Every contribution over $50 is listed by person, address and amount. There were a lot of reports to go through, but the board of election does a great job of laying it out. Check it out for yourself. Go to, www.ncsbe.gov/, “campaign reports”.

Of the $82,050 received from individually listed contributors to his campaign, it turns out that only $25,380 of that amount was donated by people living in his district. The remaining $56,670 was donated by people who did not live in the counties he represents or who lived out of state.  

The bulk of the money that funded his campaign came from the Republican Executive Committee in Raleigh. The state Republican Party put in a total of $395,178. Other political organizations, often called PACs, put in another $17,008. These included lobbying groups like AT&T, BB&T, Petroleum and Convenience Marketers PAC, NC. Beer & Wine Wholesalers Assn. PAC, and GOPAC.

If you add up all the money he raised in the district he actually represents, it amounts to $31,500. If you compare that to the total he raised, $500,357, it amounts to 6 percent. In other words, 94 percent of the money he raised to run for election came from outside the 7 counties he represents.

But that is not all I learned from the all-knowing web. It turns out that since the “Citizens United” decision, unlimited money can be spent by anonymous persons for or against any candidate they want. In 2010 Jim Davis was the beneficiary of over $265,000 in Super PAC money. This money was spent “independently” of the Davis campaign in ads against his opponent. Actually we do know where that $265,000 came from — three Art Pope front groups.

The figures don’t lie. Only 6 percent of the $500,375 his campaign raised came directly from the people in his district. Another “independent” $265,000 dropped out of the sky from some anonymous source. So the question is, just who does Jim Davis represent?

Louis Vitale

Franklin

Several Republican candidates for the 11th Congressional District will participate in a Feb. 17 forum sponsored by the Smoky Mountain Republican Women.

The forum will be held at 7 p.m. at the Swain County Community Services Facility on Brendle Street in Bryson City across from Ingles and the State Employees Credit Union. The event will be preceded by a meet and greet with refreshments at 6 p.m. The candidates who have committed to attending are: Mark Meadows, Dan Eichenbaum, Jeff Hunt, Spence Campbell, Kenny West and Vance Patterson.

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

In an effort to recruit new Troop Leaders and volunteers, Girl Scouts will host “Information Hours” from 1 to 6 p.m., Feb. 15, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville.

Current Troop Leaders, parents and Girl Scouts are also welcome to come by to ask questions or pick up materials.

828.252.4442, ext. 3304 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Western Carolina University is offering a self-defense class for women Thursday, Feb. 16.

The class, sponsored by WCU’s Division of Educational Outreach, will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Room 143 of the Cordelia Camp Building.

The class will focus on helping women learn basic skills and techniques to help thwart an assault. Topics will include violence awareness; unarmed self-defense techniques; and the most common weapons used for self-defense.

Instructor David Bradley has more than 20 years of experience teaching training and survival skills to civilian and military groups.

Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable active wear. Techniques are appropriate for most ages and levels of physical ability.

The cost of the class is $25, and registration is required.

828.227.7397 or www.learn.wcu.edu.

The Haywood Board of Commissioners agreed to put its John Hancock on a letter asking the N.C. Department of Transportation to post an additional “This way to Cherokee” sign near Dillsboro.

The letter is a classic case of turn-about being fair play. Jackson County previously touched off a firestorm when it asked for a sign in Haywood County directing Cherokee-bound travelers past their own doorstep, hoping to divert traffic from the Maggie Valley route its way.

“Traffic is the livelihood of Maggie Valley,” said Commissioner Mike Sorrells “As we all know, that particular area is struggling.”

So in a rebuttal of sorts, Haywood leaders are asking for a sign in Jackson that would direct tourists to Cherokee back through Haywood County.

Specifically, Haywood’s letter asks DOT to consider placing a sign on U.S. 441 in Dillsboro to catch travelers coming up from the Atlanta area. The new signage would inform motorists that they can also reach Cherokee by coming back through Waynesville and Maggie Valley, although it is considerably longer than simply continuing on U.S. 441 to Cherokee.

Haywood County leaders stated that they are willing to share the expense of the new sign pointing Haywood’s way.

Because DOT’s safety and travel time survey’s do not favor one route over the other, Haywood County officials say there is no reason to post alternative signage directing Cherokee traffic through Jackson County instead of Maggie Valley.

“I don’t necessarily oppose it, but it’s not necessary,” said Chairman Mark Swanger.

However, Jackson County leaders say that two-lane U.S. 19 can be treacherous for large vehicle drivers and during the winter months.

Cece Hipps, president of the Greater Haywood County Chamber of Commerce; Teresa Smith, executive director of the Maggie Valley chamber; and Lynn Collins, executive director of the Haywood County Tourism and Development Authority have already signed the letter.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited the Cherokee Bear Zoo for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

During the agency’s Jan. 5 inspection, the officials found that the Cherokee Bear Zoo was failing to provide adequate veterinary care to a 3- to 4-month-old tiger cub that had not been vaccinated, according to the report.

Cherokee Bear Zoo acquired the cub when he was about 4 weeks old and fed him only milk replacer and no supplements. The USDA cited the zoo for failing to feed the cub an adequate, veterinarian-approved diet.

“It’s inexcusable that this cruel pit remains licensed when it repeatedly violates the most basic provisions of the laws designed to protect animals,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “The USDA has ample reason to revoke the Cherokee Bear Zoo’s license and should do so immediately.”

Animal-rights activists for two years or so have been calling on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to shut bear-keeping facilities down.

Interstate 40 near the Tennessee line in Haywood County reopened early Sunday morning following two rockslides in as many weeks. Only one lane of the Interstate is open through the Pigeon River Gorge near the state line, however.

Following the initial rockslide at mile marker 451 in Tennessee, about one mile from the North Carolina state border on Jan. 31, a second rockslide occurred on Feb. 3 near mile marker 7 in North Carolina.

The westbound lanes of the Interstate in Haywood County were closed to traffic for only six days — shorter than earlier estimates and far shorter than a five-month closure two years ago.

The latest slide left 600 tons of rock in the roadway, with some boulders the size of small cars.

N.C. Department of Transportation crews, with help from Ameritech Slope Constructors Inc. of Asheville, removed an additional 150 tons of loose rock from the mountainside and hauled off the debris from the road by the late afternoon Sunday. The site is now clear and safe for travel.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation anticipates the re-opening of Interstate 40's westbound lanes by Monday Feb. 6.

TDOT has awarded an emergency contract to remove debris and unstable rock near the North Carolina border. Currently, the westbound lanes of the interstate are closed at Exit 20 in North Carolina due to a rockslide in Tennessee.

Phillips and Jordan, Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn. was awarded the $59,350 contract. The contractor will begin work at the rockslide site Thursday afternoon.

The N.C. Department of Transportation reminds motorists that Western North Carolina destinations such as Asheville, Cherokee, Waynesville, Maggie Valley and North Carolina sections of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are still accessible via I-40 West without taking a detour. Only interstate travel into Tennessee is affected by the closure of I-40 West near the state line.

The primary detour route for all vehicles is I-240 West in Asheville to I-26 West to I-81 South in Tennessee back to I-40. In addition to the primary signed detour route for all vehicles, non-commercial vehicles can also bypass the I-40 West closure by following U.S. 74 West (via Exit 27) or U.S. 19 South (via Exit 20/U.S. 276 South) to U.S. 441 North, which travels through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into Tennessee and connects back with I-40.

Motorists are advised to expect increased traffic in the Asheville area. Message boards with traffic and detour information have been activated.

Updated information is available through the Tennessee Department of Transportation website and on the TDOT SmartWay travel information map.

NCDOT reminds motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.

For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type "m.ncdot.gov" into the browser of your smartphone. Then, bookmark it to save for future reference. NCDOT Mobile is compatible with the iPhone, Android and some newer Blackberry phones.

A three-year, $225,000 grant from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation will help the Conservation Trust for North Carolina accelerate land and water protection by aiding the state’s network of land trusts.

CTNC supports local land trusts by providing grants and loans for land acquisition, advocating for government funding and policy support for conservation, and building public awareness of the benefits of land conservation. The Conservation Trust also works directly with landowners to protect properties along the Blue Ridge Parkway’s natural and scenic corridor, which the grant will help bolster.

North Carolina’s land trusts have protected more than 340,000 acres in nearly 2,000 places statewide. The grant will allow CTNC to leverage partnerships, develop relationships, lift up model projects, and establish incentive programs to enable the local land trusts to take innovative steps to meet today’s conservation challenges.

Hunters, anglers and wildlife enthusiasts can now receive the most up-to-date information about the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission via social media.

“Like” the state agency on Facebook and follow it on Twitter to see the latest news releases, view photos, get updates on fishing and boating and learn of new regulations.

The commission in December started a blog and made plans to expand its videos on its YouTube channel later this year.

“And we’re supplementing Facebook by providing mirror information on Google+,” Rickard said. “It’s not as big as Facebook now, but we anticipate Google+ growing as a social networking option because it’s tied in to Google’s search engine and maps, which businesses and schools need every day.”

Links to the Wildlife Commission’s social media options will be posted on the bottom, right corner of the agency’s newly redesigned website, www.ncwildlife.org.

The public also can go online to receive N.C. Wildlife Update, a periodic newsletter featuring season dates, bag limits, legislative updates and more.

The Benton MacKaye Trail Association elected Ernest Engman, of Maryville, Tenn., as a board member and maintenance coordinator for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A member of the group since 2005, Engman hiked the entire trail in 2008. He later wrote a publication Benton MacKaye Trail Thru-Hikers’ Guide aimed at the long distance Benton MacKaye hiker. www.bmta.org.

The Highlands Biological Foundation has received a $25,000 grant from the Eckerd Family Foundation to create “Backyard Naturalists,” an after-school program designed to inspire a lifelong appreciation of the natural world through science, art and technology.

It is intended as a model program that could be replicated other places.

Backyard Naturalists participants will learn the essentials of how to be an amateur naturalist. The program will include eight weeks of lessons, one afternoon per week, structured to promote a better appreciation and understanding of the natural world by nurturing creativity and independent observation skills.  

Study topics will include learning about plants and animals, community interactions between species, nature journaling, illustration and a nature photography workshop. Using this knowledge, the students will work together to develop a wiki, a website that is collaboratively developed by a community of users, which allows them to freely add content, edit and become active participants of the website rather than just visitors

The program is created in partnership with Meet Your Neighbors, an international photographic initiative designed to reveal wildlife living amongst us. The program will draw upon the educational resources of the Highlands Nature Center.   

The pilot program starts March 19. After the initial pilot program is launched in Highlands, images produced by other Meet Your Neighbours photographers around the world will be added into the wiki to encourage the development of similar Backyard Naturalists programs in other communities.

backyardnaturalists.com, meetyourneighbours.net or 828.526.2221.

A new program called experience Your Smokies is a different method now in place to get to know the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its employees.

“If you have ever wanted to be a park ranger or get a behind the scenes look at what goes on in Park, this is your opportunity,” Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said of the program put together by the park in conjunction with Friends of the Smokies and the Great Smoky Mountains Association. “This program gives us a chance to make more meaningful connections with our neighbors and for them to do the same with us.”

Experience Your Smokies is designed for local business, civic and educational leaders to get a behind-the-scenes look into the national park while networking with others from Western North Carolina.

“Western North Carolina and the people of this region have such a deep and long connection with the Park,” said Waynesville Town Manager Lee Galloway, who is participating in the program. “This program is intended to give participants an inside look at the day-to-day operation of the Park and a better understanding of this wonderful asset we have in our region.”

Participants will attend two half-day and three full-day sessions at a variety of locations in the Park, accompanying park employees in activities that may include radio-tracking elk, excavating archeological sites and monitoring salamander populations. They will venture to places like Cataloochee Valley, Deep Creek, Oconaluftee, Clingmans Dome, and Purchase Knob.

Representatives of Smoky Mountain Hosts, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, the Swain County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Waynesville and others are helping with the program.

Experience Your Smokies is seeking applicants from the surrounding communities for a program this spring. Program dates are March 13, March 27, April 17, May 1 and May 19. Class size is limited to 25 participants; those attending will be asked to commit to attending all class days. Applications accepted between now and Feb. 15. www.friendsofthesmokies.org/events.html or 828.452.0720.

A program on Straw Bale Gardening will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Sylva.

The program is being put on at the February meeting of The Sylva Garden Club. Refreshments will be served at 9:30 a.m.

The gardening club meets the first Tuesday of  every month (September – May) and is open to the public.

Wild South’s Roosevelt-Ashe Society is seeking nominations for its annual conservation awards, with winners recognized next month in Asheville. Nominations are being accepted through Feb. 10.

Awards are presented in seven categories: outstanding journalist, outstanding youth, outstanding educator, outstanding business, outstanding philanthropist, outstanding conservationist and outstanding volunteer.

Wild South is a regional nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire people to enjoy, value and protect the wild character and natural legacy of the South.

Online applications are at www.wildsouth.org. 

MedWest Health & Fitness Center in Haywood County will hold a Fitness Expo from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 18 to help New Year goal-setters reinvigorate their fitness wishes.

“Spring into Fitness” is free and includes a variety of group fitness classes with certified instructors. Classes will be in 20-minute sessions. Formats include cycle, water, cardio, strength, mind/body and youth fitness.

“This expo is an opportunity for members and non-members to sample the wide variety of classes we offer at MedWest Health & Fitness Center,” said Douglas Gregory, Fitness Coordinator.

During the expo, non-members will be invited to join the facility without paying an initiation fee (upon signing up for a six-month membership). Members and nonmembers are also invited to take advantage of two personal training packages, a single 30-minute session for $15 or six, 30-minute sessions for $95.

Additionally, Youth Escape will be offered at 10:30 a.m. and Youth Cycle will begin at 11 a.m. Youth classes are appropriate for children ages 8 to 13. Childcare will be available at no charge during the expo for children ages 3 months to 8 years in a onsite nursery. www.medwesthealth.org or 828.452.8099.

Meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, to take part in a winter walk along the Little Tennessee River at Needmore to the old Brush Creek Farm.

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will host the walk, and staff member Dennis Desmond will lead the two-mile walk to this secluded cove.

Meet at Queens Branch to carpool. To get to Queens Branch, go north on N.C. 28 from Franklin for 10 miles. The gravel parking lot is on the left side; look for a Land Trust sign. Free, but registration is required.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.524.2711 ext. 209.

The annual Environmental Scorecard is now out that ranks how friendly or unfriendly state legislators are to the environment, and the results aren’t pretty.

A record 55 representatives and 24 senators failed to cast a single vote in favor of the environment last year among votes that were used to measure ranking.

“Let’s face it, from drastic cuts to land conservation, to the promotion of drilling and fracking, to overturning protections for our waters, it was a bad year for the environment. This scorecard helps explain why,” said Elizabeth Ouzts, Environment North Carolina’s state director.

The scorecard tracks 10 contested votes in the House and 10 in the Senate.

Legislators scoring 100 percent were all Democrats, including Rep. Phil Haire, D-Sylva, and Rep. Ray Rapp, D-Mars Hill.

On the other side of the aisle, all Republican Senators, including Jim Davis of Franklin and Ralph Hise from Spruce Pine, got a score of 0.

Because the scorecard only tracked contested floor votes, the organization noted that it did not reflect “the few acts of the body that were kind” to the environment.

For example, the legislature unanimously enacted new standards to make new homes and businesses more energy-efficient. And the House leadership rejected “gutting” the state’s air toxics protection program, removing protections for the Neuse and Tar Pamlico Rivers and eliminating the state’s renewable energy standard altogether.

Researchers need organic farmers to help them test-grow broccoli to determine the best varieties for the mountains.

The majority of broccoli varieties currently available were developed for California and not East Coast growing conditions. N.C. State University wants to screen varieties for Western North Carolina.

Researchers promise getting involved will not take much time or effort, two commodities in short supply on most organic farms. A meeting is set for Feb. 9 in Mills River to determine varieties and factors to measure — farmers wanting to participate should plan to attend.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.684.3562.

Nantahala Outdoor Center is celebrating the company’s 40th anniversary by giving its flagship outfitter’s store in the Nantahala Gorge an environmentally friendly facelift: the store is en route to the coveted LEED Gold certification.

The Outfitter’s Store will be NOC’s third LEED-certified retail store.

“We hold ourselves to a high environmental and professional standard. It is vitally important that our industry move forward, and our goal is to lead the way with a positive example,” NOC President and CEO Sutton Bacon said.

The overhaul of NOC’s Outfitter’s Store will improve the environmental impact of NOC’s business and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. The project of transforming the store includes replacing the HVAC system with a high efficiency system, replacing existing lights with reduced-wattage ones and recycling most of the leftover construction materials.

NOC has applied for LEED certification with the U.S. Green Building Council, the top third-party designation for green building.

LEED Gold certification involves adhering to extensive measures in construction and interior design, and requires close to a “perfect score” when measuring the overall environmental efficacy of a building.

A grand reopening of the building is planned for April 2012.

City Lights Bookstore will host two writers this weekend.

Anne Clinard Barnhill will be at the bookstore at 7 p.m., Feb. 3, to read from her new novel, At the Mercy of the Queen.

A tale of sexual seduction and intrigue at the court of Henry VIII, At the Mercy of the Queen is a dramatic debut historical about Madge Shelton, cousin and lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn.

The following afternoon on Feb. 4, poet doris davenport will read from her latest poetry collection. During the reading, which starts at 2 p.m., she’ll focus on her latest collection of poems (with a dash of prose), titled ascent. Previous works include Madness Like Morning Glories and Hunger for Moonlight.

828.586.9499.

Southwestern Community College will once again offer the popular Fight Like A Girl course from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 11.

This module is especially effective for dealing with attacks in parking lots and garages where victims could be transported to a secondary location. Students learn to escape the dreaded and deadly “blitz” attack from behind as well as how to defend their space.

It is centered on the “Stay with People” principle and covers the most common sexual assault scenarios.  

The course will be held on the Jackson Campus and cost $30. 828.339.4497.

REACH of Haywood will hold its annual Volunteer Training Day on Saturday, Feb. 4, in Waynesville.

Anyone who would like to offer volunteer services for the nonprofit agency, especially in the area of Helpline phone volunteers, shelter helpers and office assistants, are invited to sign up. The multi-media, interactive training will begin at 9:30 a.m. and continue until around 5 p.m. with snacks and lunch provided for all attendees.

REACH of Haywood provides services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse. The services include a 24-hour crisis helpline, emergency shelter for adults and their children who have been displaced from their homes, legal and court assistance, counseling, support groups, housing assistance and community education and prevention programs in the schools (Safe Dates).

To request more information or to sign-up for the volunteer training day, call REACH of Haywood at 828.456.7898 and ask for Buffy.

An Asheville Democrat going up against Congressman Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, in the May primary held his first town hall meeting in Waynesville at the library last Thursday.

Hoping to gather more name recognition and answer voter questions, Cecil Bothwell led an almost 90-minute-long meeting in which he addressed a variety of topics ranging from his electability to education. The mostly liberal-leaning audience also asked about subjects such as alternative energy, limiting the power of lobbyists and a tax on stock trading.

One attendee asked for Bothwell’s response to comments that he has no chance of beating Shuler.

“The first thing I say is: Obama never had a shot at being elected,” Bothwell said. “The election sometimes brings surprises.”

In past interviews, Shuler said he is confident that he will receive the Democratic nomination and is focusing all his efforts on defeating the Republican candidate.

Rick Bohleher, of Waynesville, said it is Congress that must change, not the president. Congressional leaders, whether Republican or Democrat, have caused problems in the U.S. for decades and are easily swayed by lobbyist contributions, he said.

“I would have a baseball bat over my door saying ‘This is for lobbyists,’” Bohleher said.

Democrats need to stick to their convictions, Bothwell said, adding that current congressional Democrats have caved too quickly amid pressure from Republicans.

A popular subject following state budget cuts, education has been a key topic of discussion among politicians from both sides of the aisle and voters.

Local leaders should be allowed more control over education, Bothwell said, and the government must look for ways to make higher education more affordable.

“Kids shouldn’t be getting out of college with $60,000 in debt,” he said. In some countries, college is, or is very nearly, free for residents.

Vanessa Ezekowitz, of Waynesville, suggested a similar solution to N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue. Perdue is advocating to raise the state sales tax three-quarters of a cent to help offset the education cuts. Ezekowitz proposed raising the tax a full cent.

Meet the candidate

Congressional Candidate Cecil Bothwell to hold Town Hall Meeting in Sylva at Lulu’s on Main from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Feb. 11.

To the Editor:

I wish to address the controversy surrounding the Macon County Planning Board. Maybe, just maybe you’ll understand our fight against you and your quest to control our property and lives. The word “you” applies to all who want to add more government and regulations. The word “we” applies to all of us who stand in opposition. The residents of Macon County are known for being fiercely independent. We love these mountains. We will give you the shirt off our back, but start messing with our “stuff” (land, family, property rights, etc.) and you’ll have a fight!  

You say, “We must protect OUR mountains.”  

We say these are not “your mountains” other than the 50 percent US Forest Service land in Macon County. The remaining 50 percent is owned by individuals who pay the taxes and whose name is on the deed. If you wish to make them “your (our) mountains,” kindly get out your checkbook.

You strive to further regulate us yet you can’t cite a truly valid reason why.  

We say show us the problem, one that you could really fix. There isn’t one! You can’t protect us from the hazards of everyday life.  

You know full well additional regulations will slow growth through increased construction costs.

We say construction and real estate are all we have left to make a living with.  

You say we have big problems and use the environment to try to impose your will upon us through regulation.

We say there has been substantially more injury, loss of life and property damage resulting from kitchen and heating unit fires in recent years than from anything you are trying to regulate! What’s next? No fireplaces, annual cooking and training classes, licensing, certifications, home inspectors?

You have a sympathetic press to support your efforts and a planning board that for years has been dominated by outspoken activists pushing your agenda. Facts have been distorted. The deck has been stacked. At the August 2010 Planning Board meeting, Chairman Penland even went so far as to prohibit anyone who had spoken out on steep slope at previous meetings from speaking again – even in public session!

We have Commissioner Ron Haven (top vote-getter in 2010) who we elected to fight for us. He is now following through on the promises he made. How refreshing!

Our property values have been slashed, retirements decimated, our children forced to move away looking for work, our taxes increase daily and you want to regulate us even further than the myriad of regulations already on the books, thereby making it even harder for us to make a living?   

Commissioner Haven stated “either fix it or shut the Planning Board down.” Commissioner Corbin also recognized there is a problem. We agree. Thank you Ron Haven for having the guts to take on the fight. We encourage all commissioners (especially Republicans Corbin and Tate) to stand with Haven.  Stand tall … we, the silent majority, the working folks, stand with you!  

Bill Vernon

Macon County

To the Editor:

Macon County Commissioner Ron Haven is a man of character, courage and conviction. He is knowledgeable of and responsive to the beliefs, feelings and opinions of the people he represents.

He is keen on liberty, individual rights and the individual’s property rights and attempts to safeguard those rights for his constituents. Deception and manipulation are foreign to him.

He is to be admired for encouraging the board of commissioners to address the changes he has proposed for the planning board, regardless of the outcome.

Gail Chapman        

Otto

To the Editor:

Macon County should be proud to have a politician who makes promises to voters and then works to try to keep them. I’m referring to Commissioner Ron Haven. He received significantly more votes than his opponents in the 2010 election by promising to work to prevent a steep slope ordinance from being passed and to make changes to the county’s planning board. Those promises apparently resonated with many voters.

He has been working for more than a year to keep those promises.

With the resignations of two commissioners over the past year, Commissioner Haven’s progress has been slowed. I believe Commissioner Haven’s recent public e-mail, sent to his fellow commissioners, county manager, media, and others, was a display of his frustration with the slow progress. He has met one delay after another

Commissioner Haven’s e-mail removes the facade that the board of commissioners is one big happy family. Politics is, and has been, alive and well in Macon County. Many issues can be handled amicably between partisans. The planning board is apparently not one of those issues.

Environmental groups like the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Western North Carolina Alliance would like to severely limit the development of private property in Macon County and elsewhere. They diligently work to get overly restrictive land use and development ordinances established — thus their strong support for a steep slope ordinance and its advocates on the planning board.

Expect environmental groups, Democrats, and local newspapers to attack Haven. It has already started. Commission-ers Kevin Corbin and James Tate can expect the same treatment if they support Commissioner Haven. They both will have to run for election this year, and once again the planning board will be an election issue.

Keep up your efforts Commissioner Haven, and know that many Macon County citizens support you on this issue. I expect Republican Commissioners Corbin and Tate to do the same.

Vic Drummond

Franklin

To the Editor:

My wife and I were richly blessed at a recent presentation of a unique ministry called “Let Heaven and Nature Sing” before a packed auditorium at the Music Road Hotel in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. This one-of-a-kind ministry is designed and intended for Christians (along with others) in hopes of sharing the “Glory of God” in a special way using biblical references, inspiring comments, outstanding professional quality music, and world class nature photography.

The fantastic music included a wide variety of well-known Christian songs carefully selected and beautifully arranged by Judy Felts. Lee Porter thrilled the audience with his smooth tenor voice and his skill playing the acoustical guitar. Judy, an accomplished keyboardist, joined in as a vocalist. The heart of the program centered around Ken Jenkins who provided his acclaimed photographic images on the big screens, coordinated with the music. Prior to each song, Ken shared God’s word, inspiring quotes, and his own well-chosen comments pertaining to the Glory of God’s Creation.

We are inspired and motivated to continue helping develop a similar ministry, “Creation Calls,” that will afford an opportunity for others in WNC to experience “God of Wonders” in a special way.

John and Phyllis Edwards

Cashiers

To the Editor:

There are two ways to look at the Supreme Court decision that enables corporations to spend what they wish to influence elections to public office. It will come to be known either as the death knell of our democracy or as the fire alarm that aroused the people to save it. It is up to us which future prevails.

The decision two years ago in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission was a predictable corollary to the tragic mistake the court made in 1976 when it held in Buckley v. Valeo that limits on spending by candidates and their supporters violate freedom of speech. Our democracy has been dying by degrees ever since. But too few people seemed to notice until the outrageous central premise in Citizens — that corporations are no different from natural persons — jolted everyone awake.

The majority in Buckley recognized the corrupting potential of large contributions given directly to candidates. It pretended, however, that large sums spent by others would not have the same effect. Such a sophistry makes sense only to amoral politicians and their black-robed enablers. When Art Pope and the Koch billionaires invest millions of dollars through political action committees and other fronts, the legislators they elect can be left in no doubt as to whom there is a debt to be paid.   But however wrong the Supreme Court may be, the Constitution is still what the court says it is. Our present crisis calls for amending the Constitution to say that corporations are not people and that Congress and the states may enact reasonable regulations on campaign spending whatever the source.

Amending the Constitution is difficult, as it should be. Two-thirds of each house of Congress must propose an amendment; it takes 38 states to ratify. Corporate power will resist at every step. For the people to do nothing is to sign democracy’s death warrant.

Our task begins with signing the petitions, being circulated by many organizations, that respond to Citizens United. It means refusing to vote for any candidate for Congress or the General Assembly who does not pledge to support an amendment. If ever there was a time for single-issue voting and an issue that merited it, this is the issue and this is the time.

Martin Dyckman

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Last year I watched news coverage of the Occupy movement as it took root in cities around the globe, but I didn’t imagine it would reach Main Street in Bryson City. But there we were — about 60 of us holding up signs around the Federal Building on a damp January morning. Our message: corporations are not people, and they should not be granted our right of free speech.

In this case, free speech allows powerful corporations to make unregulated donations to any political group that serves their interests. Does Exxon-Mobil really need government assistance? These sorts of ideas were written on our signs, one of which read “Due to corporate tax cuts, the light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off.”

Countless people expressed support as they drove by, but the most poignant case against corporate personhood came from a heckler who drove past and yelled, “Get a job!” He appeared to be about 70, driving an old truck loaded with construction equipment. Ironically, the majority of demonstrators he berated were also of retirement age. Indeed, as corporate juggernauts exercise their personal right to free speech, it’s likely that ever more people in their 70s will need to compete for jobs. History repeats itself: the ruling class can stay in power by pitting one set of have-nots against another.

Jonathan Bentley

Bryson City

Shame on you, Smoky Mountain News, for making fun of my attempts at public service and, in so doing, potentially deterring other qualified individuals from running for public office.

We need more interested young people to run for elected office, not less. Your “joke” was hurtful and mean-spirited to me, personally. More importantly, however, it very well may serve to discourage others from putting themselves out there and running for office for fear that they will be ridiculed if they should lose.

When you run for office, you make yourself vulnerable because there is always a chance you could lose. (Even if you are uncontested, there are always the write-in candidates.) I knew this when I put my name out there for Maggie Valley Alderman a mere four months after losing an election for District Court Judge. I knew people would say, “Oh, she can get appointed, but not elected,” should I lose the Maggie Valley Town Board election.

Nonetheless, I sought the appointment and subsequently placed my name on the ballot out of a sense of duty and loyalty. I strongly felt that my talents were needed on the board at that time. Obviously, the board agreed, because I was appointed; however, I lost by a mere 28 votes because, as a novice to the Maggie Valley political scene, I failed to get out the vote.  

Getting out the vote is extremely difficult any time, but particularly in non-presidential election years and in municipal races. To say that 2010 was a rough year for Democrats and incumbents would be an understatement.  When I began campaigning for District Court judge shortly after President Barack Obama and Gov. Bev. Perdue were each inaugurated in January 2009, no one could have predicted how far our economy would fall and how fast. (By the way, I had my first child that January, as well.)  

When I was appointed a District Court judge by the governor in June 2009, there seemed like there was hope to be elected to the same position when I came up for election in November 2010.  

By then, however, there was little or no hope for a young, incumbent judge with little or no political experience who was so closely associated with the Democrats.  (Oh, and I gave birth to my second child a mere two weeks before the election.) In a seven-county district, I proudly received over 22,000 votes.  

Turn the page to 2011. I had two small children, a husband, and a law practice on which I was focusing. That was a quick and easy recipe for not enough time to campaign properly to get those necessary 28 votes. If you think that is laughable, go right ahead. But do not publicly ridicule a hard-working wife, mother and young professional for desiring to give more of herself to her community. It may seem like a harmless joke, but it could have the undesirable effect of deterring other interested, qualified individuals from seeking public office for fear of failure and ridicule.

Running for public office is a noble and honorable action, and I encourage others to run. Even if you don’t win, you learn a tremendous amount and meet wonderful people in the process.

My heart was, and still is, in the right place. I am not ashamed of losing two elections in two years; in fact, I am immensely proud of my accomplishments and have been enriched by my political experiences. I am in a good place with my family, my business, and my career. You can’t laugh at that.        

(And I’m still proud to be a Democrat!)

— By Danya VanHook

Editor’s note

In the newspaper that is published on the last week of the year, The Smoky Mountain News gives out what we call our “Annual Newsmaker Awards.” It is our attempt to look back at the stories from the past year with a different slant than the typical newspaper tradition of doing a “Year in Review.” The awards are marked by sarcasm, humor and, hopefully, a small dose of wit.

Danya VanHook was given the “Public Service Award” in this year’s edition. Here’s what we printed, in its entirety, about VanHook:

Danya VanHook of Maggie Valley gets an “A” for effort when it comes to her desire to serve in office. Twice in two years, VanHook put her name in the ring to serve in a public capacity when elected seats were vacated mid-term: once as a District Court judge and later as a Maggie Valley alderman. Both times she secured an appointment to the seat, but when it came time to officially run with her name on the ballot, she lost the election.

Mountain BizWorks will host a free, women only three-part series on increasing your financial independence. The series is sponsored by OnTrack Women’s Financial Empowerment Center, and starts Thursday, Feb. 9 from 5:30-7 p.m. at City Lights Cafe located in downtown Sylva.

Here is the three-week agenda:

Part 1: 10 Rules of Money Management — Learn the rules governing smart money management and change your personal finances.

Part 2: Budgeting 101 — Learn how income, expenses, and debt all affect a successful budget and gain tools to help you create a realistic budget.

Part 3: Dealing with Debt — This class addresses the financial and emotional impact of being in debt and discusses the options for managing your debt.    

The series continues on March 8 and April 12 at the same time and place. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

828.631.0292 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..