Popular Asheville-based Americana/folk act Zoe & Cloyd will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin. 

Poets Jane Hicks and Thomas Alan Holmes will present their latest book of poems, “The Safety of Small Things” and “In the Backhoe’s Shadow,” at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

Americana/indie singer-songwriter Mean Mary will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, May 17, at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. 

When Andrue Smith walks across the stage this spring after earning his bachelor’s degree in middle grades education and history, he will have charted a path for men of color wanting to become teachers. 

Women of Waynesville will host a “Queens of Country” themed karaoke party starting at 8 p.m. Friday, May 24, at The Gem at Boojum Brewing Co. in downtown Waynesville. 

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of North Carolina announced the completion of the Money Mule Initiative, an annual campaign to identify, disrupt and criminally prosecute networks of individuals who transmit funds from fraud victims to international fraudsters. 

Legendary Western North Carolina storyteller Gary Carden is at it again, this time, with a new memoir due out from UNC press later this year. 

Shannon Swimmer received a master’s degree in human resource management from Western Carolina University in 2007. After several years working in tribal law, Swimmer has returned to WCU in a new capacity, as director of  the Cherokee Center.

The Smoky Mountain Host held its annual meeting on May 1 at Harrah’s Conference Ballroom, bringing together businesses from across the seven counties of the region and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

For 36 years, the Smoky Mountain Host has been a champion for tourism in the North Carolina Smokies. This year’s meeting celebrated the continued collaboration between businesses of all sizes, from family-owned inns to major attractions, in promoting the region’s outdoor recreation, authentic experiences and unique offerings.

The event also recognized the tireless dedication of Monica Brown, operator of Bryson City’s Fryemont Inn and the longest-serving member and Chairwoman of the Smoky Mountain Host Board of Directors. In recognition of her decades of service, the Host presented Ms. Brown with a plaque in her honor.

The meeting also offered exciting news for businesses in the region. Del Holston, curator from Audubon Marketing, unveiled the new regional website, VisitSmokies.org. This extensive website serves as a powerful tool for businesses to reach a wider audience.

David Huskins, Director for Operations, also presented the newly released 8-year regional tourism economy pocket factbook. This data showcased the significant impact tourism has on the region and highlighted the opportunity for collaboration to raise the tide for all businesses.

Donovan, a spirited third-grade student from Junaluska Elementary School, is the winner of the mascot naming contest for the upcoming Haywood County Bike Park. 

Bonnie Refinski-Knight, an N.C. State Extension Master Gardner volunteer, will host a presentation on composting. The class will include an example of a compost bin. 

The Haywood County Solid Waste Department will be holding a spring household hazardous waste collection event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 18. 

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) is celebrating 50 years of conserving clean water, plant and wildlife habitat, farmland and scenic beauty in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.

Come out to the Macon County Master Gardener Association’s plant sale. 

Officials with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission have announced the approved season dates, bag limits and applicable regulations for the 2024-25 waterfowl, webless migratory game bird (including doves) and extended falconry seasons.

The N.C. Source Water Collaborative — a statewide drinking water protection group — has announced the winners of the Source Water Protection Awards during the Water Resources Research Institute’s annual conference, held last month, and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians took home one of the prizes. 

There will be a special concert in memory of late Haywood County banjo great Steve Sutton kicking off at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 19, on the big outdoor stage at Silverados in Black Mountain. 

The 21st annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 11, in the Historic Frog Level District of Waynesville. 

The 22nd annual Strawberry Jam festival will be held May 18-19 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. 

Leonidas Lagrimas will present “Musical Storytellers: A Piano Recital” at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will open its 40th season with the enchanting Tony Award-winning musical “The Secret Garden,” which will be held at 7:30 p.m. May 17-18, 24-25, 30-31 and June 1 and 2 p.m. May 19, 26 and June 2 on the Steve Lloyd Stage in Waynesville. 

Singer-songwriter Andrew Wakefield will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.

The “May Gemboree” will be held May 17-19 at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building in Franklin. 

Author Anne Jobe will be hosting a special reading at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 

The Western Carolina University School of Nursing in Cullowhee is the recipient of a $2 million contribution from the Bedford Falls Foundation-DAF (“Bedford Falls”) that will provide scholarship support to undergraduate nursing students and enable the hiring of additional faculty to guide them in their clinical experiences. 

Haywood Community College Construction Technology students recently helped the Waynesville Housing Authority add much-needed storage behind several homes in the Ninevah housing community. 

Martin Medina, 32, an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison and three years of supervised release for a firearms offense, assaulting federal officers and assault with intent to commit murder. 

The U.S. Attorney for Western North Carolina’s office announced that a Canton man, Michael Worley, 51, has been sentenced to over three decades in prison for traveling to Fort Mill, South Carolina, to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor while being a registered sex offender. 

Efforts are continuing to bring high-speed internet access to communities across North Carolina. 

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is encouraging equine owners to have their animals vaccinated against Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis and West Nile Virus. 

The Carolina Mountain Club Remote Overnight Crew (ROC) convened near the Walnut Mountain shelter on the Appalachian Trail for a trail enhancement event. The outing drew 19 volunteers, who enjoyed splendid weather while working on various trail improvements.

Haywood Waterways Association and the Haywood County Environmental Health Department are hosting a workshop about septic systems. 

The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to change fees at several recreation areas on the Nantahala and Uwharrie National Forests and the public is invited to provide input to proposed fee changes for 60 days beginning on May 3 through July 2, 2024. 

Come clean up the Pigeon River in Haywood County.

On Saturday, May 18, volunteers will gather at Pigeon River Outfitters in Canton from 9-10 a.m. The cleanup is expected to finish by noon. 

NC State Extension Master Gardener volunteers staff a booth on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month (May through August) at Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market in Waynesville.

Larry Edward Wood, 62, of Mount Airy, Georgia, was sentenced to 188 months in prison late last week for trafficking methamphetamine, including in Western North Carolina. 

Gallery 164 in Waynesville welcomes esteemed woodturner Mike McKinney to its roster of talented artists. In celebration of this exciting addition, Gallery 164 will host a reception for McKinney during Art After Dark from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, May 3, in downtown Waynesville. 

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) will present the Haywood County Jazz Festival at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Tuscola High School in Waynesville. 

Americana/bluegrass artist Darren Nicholson will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, May 3, at Happ’s Place in Glenville. 

As part of the “Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series,” author Ann Miller Woodford will interpret the legacy and culture of Western North Carolina’s African Americans at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center, located at 450 Pigeon Street in Waynesville. 

The 21st annual “Thunder in the Smokies” spring rally will be held May 3-5 at the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds. 

Dr. Kevin Young will present his new book, “The Violent World of Broadus Miller: A Story of Murder, Lynch Mobs, and Judicial Punishment in the Carolinas” at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. 

The Friends of the Greenway (FROG) will host an arts and crafts fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the FROG Quarters, located at 573 East Main St. in Franklin. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s Executive Director, Cameron Ingram, signed a  proclamation outlining the state’s Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) primary and secondary surveillance areas as well as the 2024-25 deer season dates in which mandatory sample submission is required.  

On May 18, Haywood Waterways Association and Haywood Community College will lead a moderate 6-mile hike in the Sunburst area of Haywood County. 

Lake Junaluska’s Artists in Residence invite the public to visit “Art in the Gardens,” now through Wednesday, May 15.

The Department of Environmental Quality’s State Energy Office is accepting proposals for weatherization training and technical assistance projects, with $14.68 million in federal funding available.

TU-Cataloochee’s next trout stocking event is coming up Monday, May 6, along the delayed harvest section of the West Fork of the Pigeon River. 

On Sunday, May 5, in cooperation with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Shore Cemetery Association will decorate the Woody and Hoyle Cemeteries on Forney Creek.  

The annual Memorial Day Trout Tournament is again coming to Cherokee.

The tournament is open to all ages and will be held on the beautiful Freestone Streams.