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The Cradle of Forestry in America will host its annual Firefly Twilight Tour from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 16 at the Pink Beds Picnic Area in the Pisgah National Forest.
Naturalists from the Cradle of Forestry conduct the tour while waiting for nightfall. The group will discuss the life cycle and special features of firefly biology and behavior and take a short walk on the Pink Beds Trail to search for fireflies. Participants will explore the surrounding forest and discuss forest ecology while children can create a firefly craft.
Participants are asked to bring a flashlight. The cost of the program is $6 for adults, $3 for youth 15 and under and holders of America the Beautiful and Golden Age passes.
828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.
The first moment of summer will occur at 7:09 p.m. June 20, say astronomers with the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute near Brevard.
At the moment of the solstice, the sun be at its northern most point in the sky. In Western North Carolina, the noontime sun will appear only about 78.5 degrees above the southern horizon its highest point of the year. What’s more, the sun rises at its most northern point along the eastern horizon and sets at its most northern point on the western horizon.
After the summer solstice, the sun begins its return to the south. The days will gradually shorten and the sun will appear lower in the sky at noon. It will rise farther to the south along the eastern horizon each morning and set farther to the south in the west. This continues through the fall through the autumnal equinox at 10:49 a.m. on Sept. 22. Following that date, the sun continues its southward journey until on the winter solstice (6:12 a.m. on Dec. 21) the sun reaches its most southern point in the sky.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park officials confirmed that the invasive emerald ash borer beetles — which can kill ash trees — are near the Sugarlands Visitor Center and in the Greebrier area on the Tennessee side of the park.
The insects were recovered during routine inspection of traps and sent to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist for confirmation. The emerald ash borer was first discovered in Michigan in 2002 and has steadily spread from there, damaging millions of ash trees across the country. The ½ inch-long beetle lays eggs in bark crevices on all species of ash. Upon hatching, larvae burrow under the bark, creating feeding tunnels that interfere with the tree’s ability to translocate nutrients and fluids. The tree gradually starves and eventually dies.
The park began trapping the beetles in 2008. The spread of emerald ash borer beetles primarily results from transport of infested logs and firewood. A park-wide ban remains in effect for any firewood originating from a location for which a federal or state quarantine is in effect. A list of all quarantined areas may be found at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/quarantine-counties.htm.
This week the Community Garden will begin its Fresh Produce Initiative by taking weekly donations from vendors and customers at the Jackson County Farmer’s Market to the Community Table.
The donation cooler will be located at the Market Information Booth. Last year about 200 pounds of vegetables were collected.
National Park staff and volunteers will pay tribute to rural women of the past from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 16 at the Mountain Farm Museum in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The park will pay tribute to these women through demonstrations of traditional women’s work. The day recognizes the many contributions of the region’s rural women by providing an opportunity to experience the past and to actively take part in the traditions of the southern Appalachia through hands on activities.
As part of the celebration, demonstrations among the historic Mountain Home buildings will include hearth cooking, soap making, cornshuck crafts, sewing, and traditional mountain music. Exhibits of artifacts and historic photographs will also provide a glimpse into the many and varied roles of rural women. The Davis-Queen house will be open of visitors to walk through with an audio exhibit featureing the last child born in the house.
All event activities are free. The Mountain Farm Museum is located on Newfound Gap Road adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. 828.497.1904.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is hosting a hike titled “Down to the Graveyard” at 10 a.m. June 15 on the Graveyard Fields Loop Trail.
Rangers will lead the easy two-mile hike to see a waterfall and learn more about the history of the area. The group will meet at the Graveyard Fields Overlook at milepost 418.8. Hikers are encouraged to wear good hiking shoes, bring water and a snack, and be prepared for changeable weather conditions.
828.298.5330 ext. 304
To the Editor:
Ask yourself, for just one day, can I match the passion and dedication of Alzheimer’s caregivers and those with the disease? For them, it’s every day. For us, just one–- June 20, 2012, the longest day of the year.
The Longest Day™ is a sunrise-to-sunset relay event to raise funds for the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association. This event is about love, patience, strength and endurance, but it’s also about a challenge. On June 20, 2012, my teammates and I will test our physical limits by completing approximately 16 hours of endurance activities, such as biking, running or walking — even a motorcycle rally. That doesn’t mean the individual has to do the entire 16 hours by themselves, but rather that the team be in motion for 16 hours.
Personally, my endurance event will be completing a marathan of Beachbody workouts from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. in Las Vegas which will include P90X™ Certification training, Insanity™, and Tai Cheng™. Your event can be whatever is meaningful to you, for as long as you want to do it.
To join or sponsor my team, please visit http:/www.xfit.org/recommends/alz or call me at 828.506.4726.
Please join my team as we exercise from 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. on June 20, 2012. Or, make a donation today and show your support for the millions of people around the world living with Alzheimer’s, including more than 5 million Americans. Give to honor nearly 15 million American caregivers, who generously dedicate themselves to those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. All proceeds go to The Alzheimer’s Association.
Thank you in advance for your generosity! Together we can send a message - You are not alone. We’re in it until Alzheimer’s is finished.
Inspire yourself, then others.
David Ginn
Jackson County
Sam Miller, Western Carolina University vice chancellor for student affairs, has received the John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award, the highest honor bestowed by the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments.
The award is given annually in recognition of service to UNC system students and to honor those who advocate in the best interests of the students.
Miller was nominated for the award by T.J. Eaves, president of WCU’s Student Government Association for the 2011-12 academic year. Eaves said the vice chancellor “is a valuable asset to not only the students of WCU, but all students in the UNC system. Through his dedication to a great SGA at WCU and his advocacy for students, Dr. Miller has proven his commitment to student success.”
Miller was named to his current post in June 2007 after serving in student affairs positions at the universities of Alabama, Virginia and Connecticut.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the student leaders in ASG,” Miller said. “This award also reflects all the great work by the outstanding student affairs team at WCU.”
“Collecting for the Community,” a new exhibit at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, opened June 7 and will be available for public viewing in the museum’s gallery B through Aug. 17.
During the years, the Mountain Heritage Center’s collections have been enriched by numerous gifts from residents of Western North Carolina who have been willing to share their families’ heirlooms and history with the public. Those donations range from entire collections, such as Haywood County dairy farmer Albert J. McCracken’s family who contributed a collection of 3,000 Native American artifacts, as well as more than 500 objects relating to the 18th and 19th century Southern Appalachian settlers, to single objects like a Catamount mascot costume worn on the WCU campus in the late 1950s. The museum’s collections now total more than 10,000 objects, including artifacts such as prehistoric projectile points, modern Cherokee crafts, logging tools, moonshine stills, quilts, coverlets, saddles and firearms.
The Mountain Heritage Center, open to the public free of charge, is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building. Visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but the museum is open until 7 p.m. on Thursdays.
828.227.7129 or www.wcu.edu/mhc.
In contrast to its peaceful and stunning high-mountain setting, Maggie Valley’s Cataloochee Ranch has been at the forefront of a battle — a battle to restore the American chestnut, the iconic Appalachian tree devastated by blight in the mid-20th century. In 2007, working in partnership with The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF), Cataloochee Ranch became the host site of a test orchard of potentially blight-resistant American Chestnut trees, and starting this week, they will open this orchard to the public for tours.
The Haywood County Amateur Radio Club will construct an emergency station in the parking lot of the Employees’ Credit Union facility on Paragon Parkway June 23-24 to celebrate “Amateur Radio Week” with other ham radio operators across the U.S.
The group will demonstrate the use of ham radios’ new capabilities and teach people how to get their own FCC radio license from 2 p.m. June 23 to 2 p.m. June 24. The event is open to the public.
During the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications during unexpected emergencies in towns across America, including the California wildfires, winter storms, tornadoes and other events worldwide. The radio can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, Internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 35,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.
“The fastest way to turn a crisis into a total disaster is to lose communications,” said Allen Pitts, of the national amateur radio association ARRL. “Because ham radios are not dependent on the Internet, cell towers or other infrastructure, they work when nothing else is available. We need nothing between us but air.”
By Paul Clark • Contributor •
Norris Bunch called his dog Maxo to attention. Maxo, alert and ready, waited for his release.
Barbara Holt, a judge for the U.S. Police Canine Association, gave the go-ahead, and Bunch, a K9 handler at the nuclear Savannah River Site, shouted for Maxo to move.
Laser-quick, Maxo charged toward the “decoy” – a fellow K9 officer acting as a criminal suspect. The decoy had a 25-yard head start on the football field at Waynesville Middle School. And, he certainly had the sympathy of the civilians spending a sunny June morning watching the police dog trials from the stands.
All Haywood County residents can get in to the Waynesville Recreation Center for free from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 23.
Also on Saturday, residents can enjoy the annual “Spring Fling” event sponsored by the Waynesville Kiwanis and the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. This event begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. There will be tubing in Richland Creek, food, music, games for children and a water slide. Kids can have a blast on the 21-foot Ninja slide, the 30-foot obstacle course or bounce on a large castle. The Waynesville Kiwanis will also sell hotdogs.
The event will feature a kid’s dog show at 10 a.m. on the softball field at Vance Street Park beside the Waynesville Recreation Center. Kids of all ages may enter their dog in up to three categories: largest dog, smallest dog, best trick, best dressed and cutest dog.
The deadline to register for the dog show is 5 p.m. June 20.
828.456.2030 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Haywood County businesses will join forces with MANNA food bank from June 15 to July 15 to help address hunger in the county through a program called Hunger Free Haywood.
To give, just look out for the red barrel posted outside or inside area businesses and organizations. They will be accepting food staples, which will then be distributed directly to the local food pantries and soup kitchens in Haywood County. Most needed items include canned meats, fruits and vegetables, dried or canned beans, box meals, juice, peanut butter, hearty soups, dry milk, cereals and grains. The goal is to collect 50,000 pounds of food as well as increase awareness about hunger in the county.
If you would prefer to make a monetary donation, stop by any Haywood County BB&T location for additional information.
In Haywood County, 16 percent of residents do not have consistent access to food and 29.8 percent of children experience hunger.
For a list of participating businesses and organizations, call the MANNA food bank at 828.299.3663 or the Haywood Chamber of Commerce at 828.456.3021.
The Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center Schoolhouse Café is now open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
The café serves lunch, fresh baked goods, coffee and snacks. Café patrons can use the free high-speed wireless internet and the option of outdoor seating on the deck or the grounds. The gallery at Stecoah is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Handcrafted items from more than 135 local and regional artists are available for purchase.
828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.
A “Crafting with Lavender” workshop will be held from 9 to 10:30 a.m. June 21 in the conference room of the Community Services Center in Sylva.
The workshop is sponsored by the Extension and Community Association Craft Club. Herbal crafter Kerri Rayburn will instruct the class. She is well known in the area for her handmade soaps, salves and other herbal-related crafts. She will teach participants ways to use lavender in soaps, scrubs and wands. Participants can make a product to take home. The class is $4.
828.586.4009.
Waynesville painter and jewelry artist Kel Tanner will have her work on display at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City through July 24.
Her collection includes realistic portraits, figures, animals, landscapes and still lifes. Her jewelry brand is called ONLY 1 and incorporates semi-precious stones, silver and unique designs.
A reception for Tanner will be held July 22 in the lobby of the Swain County Center for the Arts immediately following a piano and bassoon concert at 3 p.m. by touring musicians Rosalind Buda and Vance Reece of Pan Harmonia based in Asheville. The public is invited to the concert and the reception free of charge.
828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.
Smoky Mountain Living prominently features images from across the southern Appalachians in each edition. Photo essays adhere to the issue’s overall theme.
The next issue of Smoky Mountain Living will focus on things that have been found. Have you found yourself in the mountains, discovered a secret spot, unearthed an artifact, hunted antiques? What do you find in the Smokies?
Four ceramics workshops are being offered as part of the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS Summer Visual ART Series at Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design.
• June 25 – 29: Hayne Bayless will teach the workshop “Happiness is A Warm Extruder and a Sassy Slab.” Bayless will help students to explore extrusion and slab techniques in making functional stoneware. Topics include cutting stencils from Tyvek, colored slip inlay, stretched slabs, liquid latex resist using deer-tail brushes and making custom extruder dies. The class is for non-beginners to advanced. Bayless has exhibited at Smithsonian Craft Show and Minnesota Potters Tour.
• July 9 – 13: Gay Smith will teach the workshop “Working to Make the Pots You Want to Make.” This workshop will cover making functional ware, mugs, cups, etc. on the pottery wheel. Demonstrations will cover techniques, altering form and surface design. Discussion may include raw glazing and soda firing. All skill are levels welcome. Smith’s work is exhibited at the Mint Museum and Taiwan’s Yingge Museum.
• July 16 – 20: Nick Joerling will teach the workshop “Pots/Possibilities.” Beginning with wheel-thrown pots, students will be guided to push, cut, coax and stretch forms. Time will be given to exploring ways of making handles, lids and spouts. Some throwing experience is recommended. Joerling maintains a studio in Penland.
• July 30 – August 3: Melisa Cadell will teach the workshop “Dynamic Anatomy.” The emphasis will be to hand-build dynamic figures in clay that create tension or mood. Surface treatment as it relates to the sculptural form will be also addressed. The goal of the class is to give the student the tools they need to create successful work that incorporates proportion, visual movement and color. Cadell owns and operates “Cadell Studios” in Bakersville, where she works primarily with the figure in clay.
The Haywood County Arts Council will host a dedication ceremony for the “Stars & Stirrups” and “City Streets” quilt block at 5:30 p.m. on June 19 at the Town of Waynesville Police Department & Development Office on Main Street.
The quilt block, which was installed on May 25 on the Ned Hildreth Memorial Walking Quilt Trail, is comprised of two quilt patterns: “Stars & Stirrups” and “City Streets.” The “Stars & Stirrups” pattern pays homage to the history of the installation site as a livery stable, with the star representing law enforcement. “City Streets” is in honor of the late Ned Hildreth who, with his partner Paul Germann, took daily walks through downtown Waynesville. Quilt blocks located within the downtown district are being partially funded by Ned’s $5,000 donation to the Downtown Waynesville Association.
If you are a property owner or a business owner within the DWA district and you are interested in having a block on your building, partial funding is available through DWA courtesy of the Hildreth Estate funds. Representatives from DWA and the Haywood County Arts Council are available to meet and discuss specifics of the project at your convenience.
Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center will turn into an upscale night club when celebrity DJ and reality TV star Pauly D appears at 10 p.m. July 20.
There will be multiple bars and club dancers to go along with Pauly D’s eclectic track selection and unique style. His music library spans nearly every genre of club music, and he has the exceptional ability to mix in and out of top 40 and house music. He is recognized for his musical talent as well as his reality star status on MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”
www.djpaulyd.com, www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.
The Liars Bench, a successful regional authentic, traditional southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama and folk arts presentation, will play in the Jackson County Library community room at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 15. Admission is free.
The Concerts on the Creek series will present Balsam Range from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. June 15 at the downtown Bridge Park Pavillion beside Scott Creek in Sylva.
Balsam Range is one of the hottest bands in the bluegrass nation and is based in Haywood County. They have garnered international acclaim for their rich bluegrass sound. In 2011, the band received the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Song of the Year award for “Trains I Missed.”
The band will play that award-winning song at the free concert, along with several cuts from their soon-to-be-released fourth CD.
800.962.1911, or www.mountainlovers.com.
Four artists with a mix of media and styles have been invited to join the Main Street Artists’ Co-Op in Waynesville.
Bob Luciene of Clyde works with wood and woodturning. He has observed many world-class woodturners and has developed his individual style from the bits and pieces he learned from these professionals. His inspiration comes from the wood he uses.
A free Aikido class for participants ages 16 and older will take place at 7 p.m. June 19 at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
A Scottish Dinner will be held at 6 p.m. June 16 at the Mill Creek Country Club.
A traditional Celtic menu will be served and dinner guests are encouraged to wear their Highland dress and clan tartans. The skirl of the bagpipe will welcome diners to the clubhouse for an evening of Scottish cuisine and entertainment.
Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Celtic music and a “Travel Through Scotland” film will emphasize the history and traditions of Scotland. A special award will be given to the person with the best Highland dress. Ladies in tartan scarves, tartan caps and authentic Highland dress will be included in the judging.
Tickets are $12.95 and available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. 828.349.0402 or 828.371.8498.
A series of summer events for teenagers will be held from June 20 to June 22 in the Program Room of Macon County Library.
• A workshop featuring Dream Journals and a Twilight Trivia Game with prizes for teens will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. June 20. Writing down dreams helps people to remember them. Materials will be provided for participants to construct their own dream journal. After the construction of the journals the group will form teams and play a game of “Twilight Numbered Chairs.” If participants don’t know Twilight the team will help them. There will be trivia about other spooky things as well.
• A Reduce-Reuse-Repurpose with Zombie Dolls and Franken-Toys event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. June 21. Participants can dismember and reassemble a pile of once-loved toys. They can glue things, paint things, give something two heads, four arms and a tail.
• An Anime Cub with Trivia and a YouTube Afternoon will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. June 22. Someone will be declared Anime Sensai at the end of the trivia contest. At the end of the program participants can sit back and laugh at some of the funniest and dumbest videos on YouTube.
Western Carolina University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts is hosting a theater summer camp from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday July 16 to 20 at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts with an end-of-camp Friday Showcase performance at 6 p.m. July 20.
The summer camp is for children from 8 years (and who have completed the second grade) to 17 years old and is limited to 30 students. The camp will include games, improvisation, stage direction, basic directing, character work, discussion, tours and more. Students will work in small groups to create characters and situations that will evolve into short scenes for the Friday Showcase. Two professional actors with Bright Star Children’s Theatre, an Asheville theater company, will run the camp.
No previous theater experience is required for participation, but children with a theater background are welcome. The cost of the camp is $110 per child, with additional children from the same family able to register for $100 each. Campers must provide their own snacks and beverages. Registration is under way through Friday, July 13, with payment (cash and check only) due the first day of camp. 828.227.2505 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
By Shannan Mashburn • SMN Intern
Singing, lonely goat herders, nuns, and Julie Andrews are just a few things Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center will be prepared for on Father’s Day with the “Sound of Music” sing-a-long event.
At 3 p.m. June 17, participants of the sing-a-long will watch “The Sound of Music” with the subtitles so they can sing along with their favorite tunes. They’ll also receive a “magic moments pack” that contains all of the props participants will need to enjoy the event. Everyone is encouraged to design his or her own unique costumes for a parade that will take place after the screening of the timeless movie.
Enjoy the high elevation views from Andrews Bald in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park during a guided 7-mile hike with the Friends of the Smokies on Thursday, June 21.
The hike is part of the “Classic Hikes of the Smokies” series, designed to connect people with special places in the park. Hiking enthusiast and author Danny Bernstein (Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage) will lead the hike.
The hike will traverse a newly renovated section of trail, improved as part of the three-year Trails Forever initiative to fix deteriorating trails in the Smokies’ 800-mile hiking network. Trail crews and volunteers reconstructed the trail by installing drainage structures, constructing staircases out of locust wood and native rock, as well as a few elevated turnpikes and even a plank walkway or two.
The hike also traverses segments of the long-distance Appalachian Trail and Mountains-to-Sea Trail. It is moderate in difficulty and has a total elevation gain/descent of 1,600 feet.
“Classic Hikes of the Smokies” occur on the third Thursday of every month. Other hikes in the 2012 series include Purchase Knob in July and Mt. Cammerer in August.
A donation of $10 is requested from Friends of the Smokies members or $35 for non-members, which includes a membership. The donations will go to the Friends’ Trails Forever program.
To register, contact Friends of the Smokies at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720. For more information, including a complete list of the North Carolina Classic Hikes series, visit www.friendsofthesmokies.org.
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee is hosting a nature walk at Gibson Bottoms at 8:30 a.m. June 9. LTLT Executive Director Paul Carlson will lead the walk.
Gibson Bottoms, a preserved tract along the Little Tennessee River near Franklin, includes extensive river frontage, floodplain and river bluff habitats. The property is a showcase for restoration from riverfront tree planting to open woodland restoration in uplands. Gibson Bottoms was fated to be an RV park before hundreds of Macon County citizens asked the state to halt the permit on the ground of pollution to the river.
LTLT purchased the 36-acre frontage tract from the developer in 2003 and added another 28 acres with a second purchase in 2005. LTLT named the tract Gibson Bottoms for the generations of Macon County families who grew corn, hay and other crops on the land.
It is free for LTLT members, but a donation of $35 is requested for non-members, and it includes a complimentary membership to LTLT. RSVP by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.524.2711 ext. 304.
A guided canoe trip down the Little Tennessee River will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, June 15, with the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and The Wilderness Society.
The four-hour canoe trip will stop periodically on the tour to observe unique flora, fauna and areas of cultural significance along the river. The group will float down the Needmore Tract of the river, which is a 4,500-acre parcel that was preserved through local conservation efforts and is now managed as a N.C. Game Land. The tract encompasses 26 miles of the Little Tennessee River, 37 miles of tributary streams to the river and serves as the keystone to the forested corridor connecting the Nantahala and Cowee Mountain ranges. This section of the river is home to half of the native freshwater fish species and the greatest diversity of freshwater mussels in N.C.
The trip is free to LTLT and TWS members but $5 for non-members. Space limited. RSVP to 828.524.2711, 828.587.9453, 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..
Learn how to safely preserve locally-grown foods using the pressure canner and high acid foods using the boiling water bath, and get tips on pickling and freezing in a food preservation crash course from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, July 12, in Sylva. Cost is $4. Register by June 11 by calling 828.586.4009.
An exhibit called “Ferns of the Smokies” that showcases the beauty and diversity of ferns is on display at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville through July 2.
The exhibit showcases almost half of the 49 ferns and fern allies that exist in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was created by Discover Life in America and was developed with funding from the Knoxville Garden Club.
Discover Life in America is involved in a quest to identify and understand all species of life within the 800-square-mile ecosystem of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Researchers seek to learn more about the components, abundance, and diversity of life, from spiders in the soil to slime molds in the forest canopy. The project has brought scientists from around the world to inventory the estimated 80,000 species of living organisms in the park.
Since collecting began in 1998, the massive species survey has uncovered more than 900 species new to science as well as more than 7,300 species that are newly documented to exist in the park. The project involves hundreds of “citizen scientists,” volunteers who collect specimens for the scientists to analyze, thereby keeping the project cost-effective.
The exhibit will be on display in the education center of the Arboretum through July 2. 828.665.2492 or www.ncarboretum.org.
The Highlands Biological Station is hosting a Mountain Biodiversity course for science educators June 25 to 29.
This field-based course will be taught by Karen Kandl, the associate director of the biologcial station. Educators of all levels are invited to enroll in the study of the biogeography and biodiversity of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
It focuses on the theory and practice of conservation biology as it relates to this unique regional environment. Topics will include Southern Appalachian historical geology, regional biogeography, principles of ecology and evolution, biodiversity assessment, and conservation biology.
Science educators may take the course for three CEU’s or two graduate credits through Western Carolina University. There are no prerequisites, and the registration fee of $150 includes housing. www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2602.
Two dozen snakes and lizards will make their debut at the Jackson County Library in Sylva during a special “Snakes Alive” program held at 10:30 a.m. June 15.
Herpetologist Ron Cromer will give an hour-long program that includes an educational presentation, a slideshow, and a hands-on session for those who want to stroke the soft, shiny scales of his traveling cold-blooded pets.
Cromer’s Snakes Alive presentation dispels common myths associated with snakes and instructs attendees in the proper way to hold a snake. He will show pattern identification, provide an overview of a snake’s anatomy and characteristics, and offer a strong warning about handling snakes in the wild.
The “hands-on” session will be an opportunity for participants to hold and pet the snakes. The session will conclude with the handling of a giant python. There will also be a “snake-free” zone for those who do not wish to participate in the petting session. 828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.
From plant identification to map reading to fly fishing to canoeing, the Cradle of Forestry is encouraging Americans to enjoy the outdoors with “National Get Outdoors Day” on Saturday, June 9.
The free event will feature a line-up of outdoor skills demonstrations, hands-on activities and crafts in just about all manner of outdoor pursuits — including adventure sports, traditional sportsmanship, and camp and trail skills.
The festivities will include:
• Fly fishing and fly tying demonstrations with Trout Unlimited and the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education.
• Archery with Heritage Outdoors and the N.C. Bowhunters Association.
• Still-water paddling with canoes and kayaks taught by Headwaters Outfitters.
• Biking techniques and maintenance with The Hub and Sycamore Cycles.
• Interactive camping displays and knot tying instruction with REI.
• Map and compass skills with Muddy Sneakers naturalists.
• Demonstration of Leave-No-Trace principles.
• Ethnobotany walk will teach plant identification and historical uses.
• Interactive camping displays.
• Outdoors-inspired crafts.
• Music program, “Songs of the Big Outdoors.”
• An appearance from Smokey Bear.
National Get Outdoors Day is a campaign that encourages Americans to seek out healthy and active outdoor lifestyles, to connect with nature and embrace public lands. The Cradle of Forestry in America has been designated as one of eight Signature Sites from across the country for 2012.
The Forest Service has an ongoing commitment of engaging children to nature in support of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative and the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign.
Located on U.S. 276 four miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.
By Brent Martin • Contributor
Mention the name George Ellison to most people living in western North Carolina and what immediately comes to mind are tales of neotropical songbirds, Horace Kephart, James Mooney, Cherokee folklore, a dizzying array of plant life observations and of course, the beauty and wonder of the mountains themselves. I suppose that given his elegant and prosaic renderings of these subjects we should therefore find it no surprise that he is also a poet.
His new collection of poetry, Permanent Camp, is a kaleidoscope of poems that began more than 35 years ago when he and his wife Elizabeth, an artist, arrived at their mountain “shack” on Lands Creek in Swain County. The book’s ambiguous title and opening poem by that name originate with Ellison’s rumination on Kephart’s observation that there can be no such thing as a permanent camp – for, as Kephart says, “a camp of any kind is only a temporary hiding place.” Yet what we might imagine within the lines of this tone setting entrée is that Ellison has indeed found his permanent camp here within the folds of these ancient mountains.
There is no hiding within these poems though, for Ellison bares much to the reader of raw and personal moments surviving harsh winter nights, pondering the aftermath of a destructive fire, looking for a lost horse, the clarity of chickweed, or the instincts of a Kingfisher. Consider the poem, Sleepless:
The creek is frozen.
All this clothing and still I shiver.
The goat rattles loose boarding behind the shack.
A decayed tree on the ridge gives way under ice.
Peering into the mirror by lamplight I see the
mole splotch spreading on my right cheek
and gray hairs spurting from my nostrils.
This is no occasion for talk so I grin
a gap-toothed grin at my new
friend who grins back at me
gap-toothedly so we nod
back and forth time and
again in full agreement
that it’s cold.
There is a crazy wisdom in this poem, which points to Ellison’s homage and connection to the Chinese poets Tao Ch’ien and Han Shan. Midway through the collections there is a defined break where Ellison places his personal renderings of these two ancient poets in a way that works seamlessly within the subject matter of Appalachia. “Twenty Poems after Drinking Wine” and “Guffawing at the Wilderness: Thirteen Poems by Han Shan” sit boldly within the body of the collection, drawing the reader into the sparse and universal world of Chinese poetry, infused with nature as it is, and somehow completely integrating it into the inner and outer landscapes of Ellison. Brilliant and wonderful stuff, particularly since the two continents share an ancient and closely related plant world.
Along the way, there are also stories of ghost dogs, Cherokee mystics, God’s Horses, and much, much more, but worthy of note and further illustrative of Ellison’s influences, is his acknowledgement of nineteenth century British poet, William Barnes. Barnes was a master of rural verse, and his most persistent theme, as Ellison points out in the notes to his poem “Radiance A-zweep’en (In Praise of William Barnes),” is the holiness of the commonplace. This poem, originally titled “Crossing,” has as its central feature the onomatopoeia of a horse crossing a stream, a sound which the Ellisons live with nightly as their horse Sochan repeatedly crosses the ford outside their window. With a nod to Barnes, Ellison delivers a poem that translates a restless horse into an agent of radiancy and the crossing a place of illumination. This is no easy task, and the assemblage of word and verse in this particular poem illustrates his own ability to make holiness of the commonplace.
Elizabeth Ellison’s artwork adds an enormous dimension to Permanent Camp and deserves its own review, for it is a critical element in conveying the book’s gravitas. For example, “The View from the Horse Trail,” a stunning work of color that captures Appalachia in much the same way as Chinese and Japanese nature painters, fills one whole page opposite the poem “Seeing You,” a poignant statement on the beauty of two lives spent together in harmonious awareness of the natural world around them. The red home of their many years together sits diminutively in the bottom left corner of the painting, dwarfed by purple grey mountains and stark winter trees, which to me signifies the contemplative awe that they have shared together in so many creative works such as Mountain Passages and Blue Ridge Nature Journal.
Back to the original title poem. In it, George explains to Elizabeth of his next move upon their settling on Lands Creek:
“But the next move,” I say,
“and we’ll just go on home, over the ridge
and into the park, hide out on Peachtree,
up the Middle Fork, where it’s really quiet.
And the stones in the creek bed will speak quite clearly.
And the wind in the treetops will speak softly to the stones.
And without even trying the water will listen and understand.”
If there can be a clearer commitment to the love and power of a place, I’d like to see it. Permanent Camp in many ways represents the oeuvre of the Ellisons, and with its publication, it will find a permanent home within the region’s most significant literary contributions.
Release celebration
City Lights Bookstore will celebrate the release of George Ellison’s new collection of poetry and prose at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 8.
Permanent Camp is a retrospective celebration of living in and observing the natural world of the Smoky Mountains. Through poetry and narratives, Ellison relates raising a family with his wife as they make a life as a writer and artist inspired by the local landscape.
To complement Ellison’s writing, the vivid watercolor work of Elizabeth is featured throughout the book. To reserve a copy, call City Lights at 828.586.9499.
To the Editor:
This letter is in direct response to Ginny Jahrmarkt’s May 30 letter titled, “Jones made wrong vote at last Jackson meeting.”
Jahrmarket inferred that Mark Jones, a Jackson County commissioner, “showed his true colors” by “siding with an anti-capitalistic, anti-commerce group like the Occupy Movement” and his “railings against the evils of corporations and capitalism ….” If I may, let me try to provide a more accurate overview of what you call “The Entitlement Society.”
The recipients of TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) funds included Bank of America, $46 billion; Wells Fargo, $25 billion; Sun Trust, $4 billion; BB&T, $3 billion; United Community Bank, $180 million; PBS (USA) $43,000.
On the other hand, our hometown banks did not receive “entitlement society” funding State Employee Credit Union, Macon, and HomeTown Bank received zero.
Now what did many of these large banks do with the entitlement funds? They continued taking depository funding to invest in derivatives, risky overseas investments (how patriotic), and the purchase of other banks, making themselves even bigger today than in 2008 when they received the TARP funds precisely because they were classified as “too big to fail.”
By using entitlement society funding is how these banks take a “pro business stance” to help themselves and cause “negative economic growth rate and an unemployment rate in double digits” in some North Carolina counties.
A handful of the top largest banks hold around 60 percent of the USA depository assets, but give only 18 percent of main street loans (how patriotic). Our hometown banks, on the other hand, hold 11 percent of the USA depository assets yet 56 percent of main street business loans come from these small hometown banks.
As for Jackson County residents trying to get back to work in this meager job market arena, consider how the big banks affected our nation’s employment growth rate. In 2011 JP Morgan Chase, Citibank and Bank of America moved $5 billion worth of IT and back office jobs to India, laying off thousands here in the USA.
Just one more way these trans-national corporations with no national or patriotic allegiance take a “pro-business stance” to enrich themselves while depleting Jackson County resources.
The entitlement society is big on privatization of profit and socialization of losses.
Time and space do not allow, but it would be so easy to go on and on and on with concrete, solid, and well-documented examples of the trans-national corporate controlled entitlement society.
This is not a new phenomenon. In colonial days the Americas were subjected to the same as the English Crown empowered private corporations to plunder resources. Fortunately, the American colonists did not take this sitting down and instead held a Tea Party in the Boston Harbor that changed the world.
Mark Jones, like the early patriots and unlike the English loyalists of the day, believes in the spirit of our nation’s founding document, the Declaration of Independence, that states all men are created equal and endowed with certain unalienable rights — life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Fortunately, in this election year, Mark Jones is standing with and for the people of Jackson County against the tyranny of treasonous trans-national corporations that plunder our local economies. Mark Jones, can hold his head high as a true and loyal patriot who is looking out for the prosperity and economic development of Western North Carolina while protecting our most valuable assets — Jackson County’s economy and its residents.
Thank you, Mark Jones, for continuing to support the “Move To Amend Resolution” set before the Jackson County Commissioners that supports the concept that corporations are not persons and money is not speech.
Geraldine V. Collins
Sylva, Occupy Western North Carolina
To the Editor:
It was disappointing to read that Commissioner Mark Jones representing District 4 voted to support a resolution from Occupy WNC attacking corporations. Since he was elected in 2006 he has consistently voted for anti-business regulations, stripping private property rights and done little to represent or improve his district, let alone provide necessary infrastructure and services.
It is no surprise Mark Jones has never been elected by the people in his district who know him best. Since our commissioners are elected at large, it is important for countywide voters to know more about the candidates they are voting for in each district. This November we have an opportunity to vote for candidates who are pro business, understand our economic needs and do not practice class warfare. It is time for a new commissioner to “Occupy” the 4th District seat.
Shirley Slaughter
Cashiers
To the Editor:
When I think of the word arrogant, I usually think of someone who is so intelligent or so beautiful that they think they are above the rest of us common folk. However, after reading the article concerning the Jackson County Sheriff and alcohol sales in The Smoky Mountain News, I will forever think of arrogance as Sheriff Jimmy Ashe, and certainly not because he is so intelligent or so beautiful.
I guess when you have been in the law enforcement business — or for that matter a career politician — for years, you start to think of yourself as above the law and above the voice of the citizens. This certainly is a case for term limits for local and national elected officials.
I salute those businesses that went directly to the ABC Board. And I salute commissioners Jack Debnam and Doug Cody for speaking up for the vote of the people and against the arrogant Sheriff Jimmy Ashe. Growth is coming to Jackson County whether we like it or not. Times are changing. We all need to accept that as a fact, just as we accept death, taxes, higher electric bills and higher gas prices. We need to protect the beauty that surrounds us, protect the voice of the people and get rid of arrogant elected officials.
Frank Parrish
Sylva
To the Editor:
The word austerity seems to have saturated world and national news of late, sometimes used in a positive vein but often displaying a strong negative quality. One fellow in Greece insisted recently that austerity (as employed by his government) is a “crime.” I think most of us would agree that to be austere is simply to be moderate in ones financial dealings, more temperate perhaps, self-restraining, or even self-denying.
When I was unceremoniously nudged into retirement by my employer a few years ago (at the same time our economy tanked) my wife and I quickly realized we had to seriously curb our spending to coincide with our severely reduced income. People have to do this, countries have to do this. So I will gladly argue the point with the gentleman from Greece, that to limit spending isn’t a crime; arguably it’s a crime not to when times get tough.
The United States (like much of Europe) is between a rock and a hard place and neither of the two major parties seem to act in a manner which will resolve the problem, or even show a willingness to work together in seeking possible solutions. Yes, I know, this is an election year and Washington critters are solely intent on feathering their own nests to get elected.
Several European nations are rapidly coming to the realization that government handouts (however well-intended) eventually become unsustainable. Even with their countries facing insolvency and near collapse, citizens are feverishly demonstrating against necessary cutbacks. They would sooner see their nations self-destruct rather than give up that which they’ve grown so dependent and without which they are helpless.
That same spectacle is very likely to be played out here in America when enough people begin to feel real pain. Politicians talk about reining in government entitlements and reforming the tax structure, but those in power want only to stay in power and subsequently don’t dare to seriously attempt trimming government programs or equalizing the tax burden.
Lets be straightforward. The base of the Democratic Party is the poor, the downtrodden, the perceived “needy” and “marginalized” special groups. The voting body of the Republican Party appears to be largely the rich, the retired, and the relaxed and (thanks to the Supreme Court) corporate “people.” Both parties have a vested interest in protecting their respective constituency and they are not about to upset that which has provided them such unlimited success, power, and wealth, not even to rescue the country.
David L. Snell
Dillsboro
Maggie summer camp
The Maggie Valley Club will hold a Summer Kid’s Camp program from June 18-22 and from July 16-20. These one-week camps begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. Lunch is provided.
The camp provides traditional camp experiences focused on building friendships and confidence. The activities include sports, cooking, arts and crafts, swimming and more.
The cost is $125 for members and $175 for non-members. Space is limited.
828.926.4826.
Summer camp for kids to be offered at WCU
A summer camp for kids is being held July 23-27 at Western Carolina University. The Good Old Time Summer Camp is for children ages 9 through 13.
Participants will attend the camp from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It will provide an opportunity for children to explore the region’s culture, including the Cherokee and pioneer experience.
Participants will investigate and create crafts such as mask-making, weaving, candle-making, open hearth cooking and pottery. They also will hear a performance by an old-time musician and go on a field trip to local sites of natural and historical interest.
The camp, sponsored in part by the Jackson County Arts Council, will culminate with a day of show-and-tell to allow the children to present their activities and creations to their families.
The fee is $90 per child, and daily lunch in a WCU dining hall is included. http://learn.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.
The Waynesville Recreation Center will institute new hours for its water park for the summer.
The water park will open at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays. The slide will not open until 10 a.m. due to swim lessons.
828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The new dog park in Franklin will open at 10 a.m. June 9. The park, sponsored by the Friends of the Greenway, is adjacent to Big Bear Park on the Greenway in Franklin.
Officials of the city and county and other guests are expected to attend the brief ceremony.
In late April, the public was invited to submit names to the Friends of the Greenway to consider for the new facility. The name of the dog park will be announced at the ceremony.
The new fenced park has been open for several weeks while finishing touches are being added. Two benches for dog owners are being installed, and eventually, the group hopes to add more benches and canine agility equipment. Dog lovers who want to help with these improvements may donate to the dog park through the Friends of the Greenway.
The dog park has been funded entirely by fund-raising and donations from individuals and groups.
The Friends of the Library are holding a birthday party for the new Jackson County Public Library beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12, in the atrium.
Cake and other refreshments will be served during a reception to celebrate the library opening its doors to the public one-year ago.
Then at 7 p.m., guests will be invited to adjourn to the community room for a brief Friends business meeting. Following this, Marvin Cole, the famous Mark Twain impersonator, will entertain the audience. During his impersonation show, Cole regales the audience with Twain’s tales of mankind’s foibles and follies. Guests are asked to bring a gently used book as a “birthday” gift to the library. These books will be transferred to the Friends of the Library Used Book Store to be sold. All profits from the sale of these and other books go to the library for their operating expenses.
Republican group FreedomWorks will host a debate between candidates Mark Meadows and Vance Patterson at 8:30 a.m. June 9 at the Angel Hospital Cafeteria Meeting Room.
Meadows and Patterson are running in a second primary election on July 17 for the 11th U.S. Congressional District. The event will be moderated by Senator Jim Davis and will be broadcast live by station WFSC.
Live table games at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino cleared its final hurdle this week with passage in the N.C. House of Representatives.
Both the Governor and N.C. Senate had already given live table games their blessing, and only lacked approval from the House.
As of press time Tuesday, the exact break down of the final vote in the House was not known, but it did indeed pass. A preliminary vote in the House last week came out 66 in favor and 49 against.
Harrah’s Casino is limited to video-based gambling only. Adding live table games like roulette and poker would attract a new clientele of player, in turn mean more money and jobs flowing through the entire region, according to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
The tribe has been lobbying for live table games for years, making its final passage this week a significant milestone. Live table games at Harrah’s could be seen by year’s end.
N.C. Rep. Ray Rapp, D-Mars Hill, tried to introduce a last minute amendment that would curtail the possible reach of live table games. Rapp, who philosophically is opposed to gambling, voted against the bill. In particular, he was disturbed by the prospect of the Eastern Band launching new casino operations, also with live table games and Vegas-style gambling.
Initially, Cherokee would have been permitted to expand to up to four additional new sites. To improve the chances of passage as it headed for a House vote, it was already reduced once to no more than two additional sites. Rapp’s amendment to curtail it further and limit the live table games to only the existing casino failed.
The Shelton House in Waynesville will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with a series of summer lectures and demonstrations this weekend.
The event will start at 7 p.m. June 8 with a commemorative celebration of the Civil War featuring the reenactment troops of the North Carolina 25th Infantry Regiment, the Captain Julius Welch Chapter of the Sons of the Confederacy, and the Order of the Rose.
There will be also a lecture by Jule Morrow, a Civil War reenactor. Morrow has 56 ancestors who fought in the war, all from Haywood County and Western North Carolina except one. His topics for the evening will be the Civil War in Haywood County, Civil War tactics and Civil War weapons.
The fun will continue on Saturday with the Appalachian Lifestyles Festival. Saturday’s schedule at Shelton House is as follows:
• 10 a.m. — Civil War Infantry Drill/Musket Firing
• 11 a.m. — Public demonstrations/Lecture – Civil War Tactics
• 1:30 p.m. — Civil War Fashion Show/Living History
• 2:30 p.m. — Skirmish at Waynesville
• 3:30 p.m. — Lecture – Battle of Waynesville Aftermath
• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Tours with Shelton House docents
• 7 to 10 p.m. — Square/contra dancing on the lawn in front of the barn
A living history camp will be open all day with military and civilian re-enactors present. All events for the weekend are free of charge, but donations are welcome.
The Shelton House is located on Pigeon Street in Waynesville.
828.452.1551.
The Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association will host its annual American Kennel Club dog show from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 16 and 17 at the Haywood County Fairgrounds on Crabtree Road in Waynesville.
The event will include conformation, obedience and rally competitions. More than 1,000 pre-registered dogs will compete for best in show each day. The public is invited to view the many breeds that will be competing. However, non-entered dogs should not attend. There will be a small parking fee for visitors but admission is free. Food and concessions will be available for breakfast and lunch, and a variety of dog supply vendors will be on hand.
The Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association is an area kennel club that promotes the enjoyment and sport of purebred dogs. They meet every third Wednesday in each month in both Waynesville and Sylva because of the wide range of membership.
