Western Carolina University will offer eight weeks of blacksmithing classes from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept. 20 through Nov. 10 at Calerin Forge in Balsam.

Taught by David Burress, participants will learn fundamental skills in shaping iron on a traditional coal forge. The cost of the course is $375 and includes all materials with the exception of safety glasses, which participants should supply for themselves.

For more information, call 828.227.7397 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To register, visit learn.wcu.edu and select “community classes, conferences and workshops.”

Capt. Joseph E. Myers, historian for the Asheville Composite Squadron of the North Carolina Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, will be the guest speaker at the Carolina Round Table on the World Wars. The group will hold its first meeting of the fall from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Killian Building at Western Carolina University.

The Carolina Round Table on the World Wars addresses various aspects of the era of the world wars of the 20th century. While it focuses primarily on the military history of the two conflicts, the group also examines political, economic, technological and social factors associated with the wars.

828.227.3908 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Haywood County Arts Council will hold registration for new students in the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Canton Middle School. JAM instructors will be on hand to assist beginning students with their choice of instrument. Instruments are available for rental from Strains of Music in Waynesville. Classes meet on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Sept. 27.

The JAM program is designed for children in fourth grade and older who want to learn old-time mountain music. Students will be taught banjo, fiddle, guitar or mandolin. A string band class is offered to advanced students by instructor referral only. JAM instructors are Barry Benjamin, Michael Pilgrim, Robby Robertson, Travis Stuart, and Trevor Stuart.

All students in Haywood County are eligible. Students in adjoining counties may participate on a space available basis. Lessons are $90 per child for the school year and fees must be paid in advance.

828.452.0593, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.haywoodarts.org.

Mandy Barnett, a country music singer and stage actress, will perform a Tribute to Patsy Cline at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Throughout Barnett’s music career, which began at the young age of 5, she has released three albums and chartered three singles on the Billboard country charts. She received high honors from Rolling Stone magazine when her album, I’ve Got a Right to Cry, was named top country album of the year.

As a teenager, Barnett held the title role in the musical, Always … Patsy Cline, which she performed at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. She credits Patsy Cline as one of her greatest influences. In 2009, she reprised her role as Patsy Cline for a special 15-year anniversary performance.

Tickets are $15. For more information, call 866.273.4615 or visit greatmountainmusic.com.

The Highlands Playhouse will hold a fundraising auction at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Highlands Playhouse.

The auction will include items donated from businesses throughout Highlands and across the country.

The auction will include items such as an Orlando vacation package which includes tickets to Disney World and a Wheel of Fortune prize package including four VIP Passes to a taping of the show, a piece of the wheel signed by stars Pat Sajak and Vanna White, and a signed 8-by-10 of the stars. Theater fans will find tickets to theaters in Atlanta, Asheville and Pigeon Forge. The Carolina Hurricanes, Carolina Panthers and Charlotte Bobcats are just a few of the sports teams that have sent memorabilia packages, including many signed items. Movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Tim Allen as well as playwright A.R. Gurney have signed memorabilia at the auction. 

Admission is free and there will be an open bar with a generous selection of wines.  

For more information or to donate items, call 828.526.2695.

Dogwood Crafters will host an English tea, with two seatings at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sept. 24 at the Jarrett House in Dillsboro.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling 828.586.2248. The cost is $10. All proceeds are for Dogwood’s Building Fund.

A basket-weaving class will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, in the Macon County Cooperative Extension Services building. Participants will construct a functional and decorative Williamsburg basket, designed after a popular basket used in Colonial times. Instructor Joanne Nolen is a skilled weaver and basket maker. No experience is needed.

A $35 fee covers all materials and instruction. Pre-register with the Macon County Arts Council by calling  828.524.7683 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The band Cullowhee will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at the Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University.

The band began at WCU in 1974 and inhabit a musical genre encompassing the sounds of folk, bluegrass, country, gospel, rock and blues.

Advanced reservation is required. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students and $30 for VIP table seating.

A checkpoint on the Pakistan-India border and Peruvian workers traveling by boat to an island of birds are just two of the scenes from the upcoming opening of Doxita, a film festival that began in 2008 and showcases documentaries under 40 minutes in length.

The festival starts at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the theater of the A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University. This year, Doxita consists of four films, each centered on a common theme of inside/outside.

The films are “Guañape Sur” (Janos Richter, Italy), about Peruvian workers who harvest soil from an island of birds; “Wagah” (Supriyo Sen, Germany), about national identity expressed daily by thousands of spectators at a flag ceremony on the border between India and Pakistan; “My Name is Sydney” (Melanie Levy, USA), about the complex inner life of a severely autistic teenage girl; and “Arsy Versy” (Miro Remo, Slovakia), a quirky portrait of a man who follows his own spirit.

The program represents a variety of documentary styles – domestic and foreign, short and longer format, serious and funny – and is designed to profile the content and artistic vision that nonfiction short films provide but that people don’t often get a chance to see.

828.227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

The Haywood Community Band will present its monthly free concert at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Maggie Valley Pavilion, adjacent to the Maggie Valley Town Hall.

The concert will include a Sept. 11 anniversary tribute. Music for this concert will feature some of the great arrangements done of both classical and popular favorites.  The band will play Leroy Anderson’s Boston Pops arrangement of Seventy Six Trombones, and Greensleeves: a Fantasia based on Vaughan  Williams’ setting. Other titles include William Walton’s Crown Imperial and Gordon Jenkins’ Manhattan Tower Overture, a flashback to the music of radio dramas.  

For more information call Rhonda Wilson-Kram at 828.456.4880, or Bob Hill at 828.452.7530 or visit www.haywoodcommunityband.org.

Native American tribes the Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, Seminole and Cherokee return to Cherokee for a two-day event that celebrates the revitalization of their ancient traditions. The Southeast Tribes Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sept. 16 and 17, reuniting people from the original American Indian tribes of the Southeast on the sacred ancestral ground of the Cherokees at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds.

Visitors can share in the tribes’ traditional dances, food, storytelling, stickball games, crafts demonstrations, living history encampments, a Cherokee marbles tournament, a blowgun competition and native languages. The event also includes a 5k fun run at 9 a.m. on Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. and a writers gathering Sept. 14 and 15.

Adult daily admission is $7, $3 for children 6-12 years. Children under 6 are free. Admission includes evening performances. Special group rates are available for schools on Friday. For more information, call. 828.497.3481, ext. 207, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.cherokee-nc.com.

The 380-member Western Carolina University band will perform as halftime entertainment during the Carolina Panthers regular season home opener against defending Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers, on Sunday, Sept. 18.

The game has a 1 p.m. kickoff at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The band was selected based on its recognized showmanship and musicianship, as well as its previous experience and ability to execute a halftime performance under stringent NFL halftime guidelines, Panthers team officials said.

The WCU band received the 2009 John Philip Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Trophy, the nation’s highest award for college and university marching bands. The Pride of the Mountains enjoyed a 2011 New Year’s Day appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade and was named “best band” in the parade in an online poll conducted by KTLA-TV of Los Angeles.

A limited number of single-game tickets for the Sept. 18 game are available. For information, visit www.panthers.com.

For some adrenaline-pumping outdoor flicks, catch the Sept. 12 “Radical Reels” tour hosted by REI in Asheville, with proceeds benefiting the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

These outdoor sport films feature on-the-edge skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and more. The show gets under way at 7 p.m. at Carolina Cinemas, with tickets on sale at REI for $15 ($17 starting Sept. 11). Prizes will be given away at the screening.

This is an outgrowth of the famous Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. The Radical Reels Tour showcases nine short films that capture some of the most progressive talent in action.

Some of the films include strong language that might not be appropriate for children under 14 years old.

828.687.0918 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Smoky Mountain Jet Boats in Bryson City, which for six years has been building New Zealand style jet boats, is now expanding to build larger boats.

Smoky Mountain Jet Boats has been making a 12-passenger boat since 2006. This year, the business has expanded to include a four-person recreational model that boasts a 410 horsepower Corvette engine and two models of 24-passenger tour boats.  

Construction of the first 24-passenger boat started last week. This all aluminum jet boat is capable of traveling in four inches of water at speeds of 45 knots.

A pair of 12-passenger boats is being delivered to Gatlinburg, Tenn. Because of a very flat bottom, the boats are capable of spinning 360 degrees. Other boats, including one this week, are being sold in the international market.

Get a firsthand understanding of stream buffers by touring a demonstration trail at Monteith Farmstead Park in Dillsboro at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, just before the annual fall dinner of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River.

There are educational signs along these trails to explain why maintaining a natural strip of land next to streams is so important for healthy mountain creeks.  

After the tour, everyone is invited to the fall dinner, which will be held at Carol’s Cabins on Mockingbird Lane. Bring a covered dish, salad or dessert. Beverages will be provided. For directions, go to www.WATRnc.org. RSVP at 828.488.8418 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The third-annual Citizens Race, a competition for amateur paddlers on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River, is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.

Participants are timed as they paddle canoes, kayaks or stand-up paddle boards through nine slalom gales, which are plastic poles hung over the water about three feet apart, on a flat section of the river off Old Cullowhee Road. Canoes, life jackets and paddles will be provided for participants who do not have their own equipment.

Entrants may get a feel for the water and boats from 1 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9, as they practice the course.

“This event is to show that the downtown area of Cullowhee can be used for river recreation, and is a fundraiser for the planned park between the dam and the bridge,” said Maurice Phipps, a parks and recreation management professor and member of the Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor, or CuRvE. “It is designed to be a community event — a citizens race for families, individuals, kids and students.”

The race is sponsored by WCU’s Parks and Recreation Management program and Parks and Recreation Management Club and Base Camp Cullowhee. Registration is $5 per person, and registration forms (one per boat) are available at Base Camp Cullowhee.

828.227.3633 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Learn about the functions of shelters, including how animals and humans adapted to various environments, through a new exhibit at The N.C. Arboretum.

Opening September 24, Sustainable Shelter explores biodiversity, human and animal architecture, ecosystems, and energy and water conservation, all from the perspective of the “home.”  

Sustainable Shelter investigates the ways that human dwellings extract, use, and discard energy, water, and other precious natural resources.

Sustainable Shelter will be on display at arboretum through Jan. 2. The exhibition will be open to the public during regular Baker Exhibit Center hours, 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. Exhibit admission is in addition to the standard parking fee ($8 per personal vehicle), and is $3 for adults and $2 for students age 18 and under.

828.665.2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org.

Western North Carolina’s lackluster economy could get a significant boost from leaf lookers this year, if the annual prediction is right and we enjoy an excellent fall color show.

Kathy Mathews, who serves as the region’s and Western Carolina University’s fall foliage forecaster, said weather conditions over the spring and summer bode well for the critical autumn period.

“2011 should prove to be an excellent year for fall color,” said Mathews, a WCU associate professor of biology specializing in plant systematics. “While heavy spring rain is generally not a good sign for fall color, records indicate that rainfall was slightly below normal for March, average for April and May, and slightly below normal for June and July, as gardeners struggled to keep their crops watered,” she said. “These conditions actually are promising for good development of leaf color in September and October.”

In addition, mid-August brought a respite from the hot temperatures of June and July, another good sign of vibrant leaf color during autumn, she said.

Mathews believes that the formation of higher levels of yellow, orange and red pigments in the leaves seems to correlate with dry weather throughout the year. The drier the climate, the more brilliant the fall leaves tend to be, she said.

Of course, when it comes to forecasting the vibrancy of the fall color season, just as with forecasting the weather, there are no guarantees. Cloud cover and ample rainfall in the weeks ahead could mute the color show, Mathews said

“Anyone remembering the last two years may have noticed a shortage of brilliant red leaves in our area, which could be blamed on cloudy weather and rain during the fall,” she said. “Hurricane season also can be hard to predict as far as bringing rain to the mountains, but if we see cool and sunny weather, we can expect nice red color to develop this year.”

Cooler temperatures of autumn contribute to the decomposition of chlorophyll, the chemical that gives leaves their green color in spring and summer. As chlorophyll breaks down, yellow pigments – always present in the leaves, but masked by the green of chlorophyll – are revealed, and new red pigments are produced

Depending upon the timing of the first frost, the peak of fall color should arrive during the second week of October in the higher elevations, and during the third week of October in the mid-elevations, Mathews said.

“Early November can bring surprising bursts of color, too, particularly between 2,500 and 3,000 feet as the oaks peak out in oranges and reds while other trees’ colors are lingering,” she said. “Those planning leaf-peeping vacations should have a fairly broad window of time in which to choose for viewing excellent color change in the mountains this year.”

The color change should begin at the higher mountain elevations in late September and continue through mid-November in the lower levels of WNC.

“Look for the earliest color change to take place on the sourwoods and dogwoods, which both turn red, as well as the tulip poplars, which become yellow but tend to turn brown early,” Mathews said. “Colorful maples, with hues of red, orange and yellow, and birches, which turn yellow, bring us into the peak period. Finally, oaks turn orange and red to round out the later color change in the season.”

Sweet birches and tulip poplars already are starting to turn yellow in the mid-elevations around Cullowhee, which is a normal occurrence for this time of year, she said.

“Over the month of September, the color change should continue and spread. Expect buckeyes to give pops of orange early, as well. Maples will add more yellow, oranges and reds as they gradually change in late September, and sourwoods should turn a beautiful, deep red,” Mathews said.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate National Public Lands Day by hosting several volunteer projects Saturday, Sept. 24, in a unified effort with many public lands across the country.  

National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance the public lands that Americans enjoy. Those interested in participating at the Smokies will have a chance to work on a trail rehabilitation or a native meadows restoration project.

• The Trails Forever program – a partnership between the national park and Friends of the Smokies – will be hosting a Forney Ridge Trail project. Adult volunteers (18 years old or older) can work with the park trail crew to reconstruct a section of this popular trail. The work will include collecting, moving, breaking and setting rock as well as naturalizing some sections where work has already been completed. To RSVP, contact Trails and Facilities Volunteer Coordinator, Christine Hoyer at 828.497.1949 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• Park resource managers also are recruiting for volunteers to help restore native meadows in Cades Cove. Remnant stands of native Indian Grass remain scattered throughout the cove. Volunteers can help the park collect seed from this native grass that provides outstanding wildlife cover and nourishment for a variety of wildlife including ground nesting birds, small mammals, turkeys, and deer. To RSVP to contact Volunteer Coordinator Dana Soehn at 865.436.1265 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Pinnacle Park Foundation, the Jackson County Greenways Project and the town of Sylva will hold a volunteer workday at Pinnacle Park beginning at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept.16.

Tasks include bridge installation and trail repair and construction. Pinnacle Park, the town’s 1,088-acre former watershed, has been permanently protected under a conservation easement and offers hiking and limited camping to visitors.

Volunteers with experience in masonry, trail building and construction are especially welcome to participate! Participants should plan to bring a lunch and water and to wear sturdy clothing and shoes, and to meet at the Fisher Creek trailhead no later than 10 a.m.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.586.2719.

The Green Thumb Gardeners in Haywood County has received a state grant that will enable the group to expand its community garden.

The funding is through Nourishing North Carolina, a statewide community garden program making local, healthy food more accessible to people across the state. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina launched the program in partnership with the North Carolina Recreation and Park Association to create or enhance community gardens in all 100 North Carolina counties over the next three years.

Town of Waynesville employees and others began brainstorming, and Daydreamz decided to sponsor the community garden. Since that time, the project has become one that also benefits Kids at Work. The group uses some of the herbs and vegetables for its youth cooking program, the Open Door Soup Kitchen, and the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Summer Youth Program.

Other folks who come regularly to learn and grow together in the garden are local ARC group home residents, Meridian Behavioral Health Services participants, as well as Daydreamz volunteers and members of the Master Gardeners program. Anyone is welcome.

828.456.6629

With September’s arrival, many different species of hawks are winging their way south across the Blue Ridge Parkway, making for a great opportunity to work on identification techniques.

To this end, on Saturday at Waterrock Knob Visitor Center (M.P. 451.2) from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., there will be a program on raptors: where they come from, where they’re going and how they get there.

Binoculars are available, or bring your own. Tips will be given on how to properly use them when hawks are in full flight. Additionally, experts will provide information on hawk counts, and where the best areas on the parkway are for spotting these grand birds as they migrate.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.456.9530, Ext 3.

One of the South’s most-recognized horticulturist names is headlining the 12th annual Native Plant Symposium held Sept. 16-17 at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

Michael Dirr, author of the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants and a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia, is one of the speakers.

There’s also a list of 10 fieldtrips to choose from, ranging from a tea party in the Highlands Botanical Garden to a tour of the Southern Highlands Reserve, plus several guided hikes. Woody plants are this year’s focus at this annual event by the Highlands Biological Foundation.

The symposium concludes with a wine reception and native plant auction.

All of the proceeds raised go to support the Highlands Botanical Garden, which was established in 1962 as a refuge for more than 450 species of southern Appalachian plants. Seating is limited to 200; early registration is encouraged.   www.wcu.edu/hbs/NPSymp.htm to register online and download a brochure, or 828.526.2221.

Hikers can learn how to use proper dehydration techniques to make their own trail and backpacking foods at the monthly meeting of the Nantahala Hiking Club, set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, at the Macon County Public Library.

Participants will learn to build up a shelf-stable food supply unaffected by power outages; how to make trail food; and basic dehydration techniques. The demonstration will focus on fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, ready-mixes, one-pot-meals, storage, various dehydrators and resources.

Free. 828.369.1951 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

It’s not everyday you get to have afternoon tea with llamas, those unusual but valuable pack animals that are showing up frequently now on our trails. The Cradle of Forestry in America will offer Afternoon Tea with Llamas at 11 a.m. and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10.

The program allows kids of all ages the chance to learn about these animal companions.

George Appenzeller and Sarah Meadows will conduct the presentations. The duo founded Challenge Adventures, a nonprofit organization experienced in leading hiking and camping adventure programs for youth groups. Since 1989, they have involved more than 4,000 young people in educational experiences in the outdoors with llamas.

Visitors will hear about the llamas’ cooperative social structure, which includes teamwork and caring. The llamas will carry visitor lunches or snacks during an easy walk along the Forest Discovery Trail at the Cradle of Forestry. Ice tea and cups will be provided. As the group walks the Forest Discovery Trail, children can take turns leading the llamas. The group will picnic along the trail before returning to the Discovery Center.

This easy walk through scenic woods is about two miles roundtrip.

Admission to the Cradle of Forestry is $5 for adults. Youth 15 and younger are admitted free. Golden Age passports and America the Beautiful passes are honored. In addition to the llama program, this fee includes the

Forest Discovery Center with 15 hands-on exhibits, the film There’s Magic at the Cradle, historic cabins and antique equipment on two paved trails, the Adventure Zone, living history interpreters and a 1915 Climax logging locomotive.

The Cradle of Forestry is located on U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest, six miles north of Looking Glass Falls and four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

828.877.3130 or go to www.cradleofforestry.org.

The Friends of the Haywood Public Library offers the fifth and final book discussion in the Discovering the Literary South series at 4 p.m. on Sept. 15, in the auditorium of the Waynesville library.  

The book to be discussed is The Coal Tattoo by Silas House. Dr. Merritt Moseley of UNC-A will lead the discussion. Books are available free at the library. Moseley’s teaching interests include English and American literature as well as the art of the novel.  He specializes in Jane Austen and American humor.

828.456.5311 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Join a special story time with author Gail Nolen at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Nolen will read from her book, Johnny, My Favorite Mouse.

Based on a true story, this book tells of the adventures Robert Andrew “Andy” Nolen enjoyed with his imaginary mice, Johnny being his favorite. Gail relates the story from memories of Andy when he was four years old.

Local artist Doreyl Ammons Cain created drawings for the book.

828.586.9499 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Martin A. Dyckman, a retired associate editor of the St. Petersburg Time who lives part of the year in Waynesville, will discuss Florida political history and present his latest book, Reubin O’D. Askew and the Golden Age of Florida Politics at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Dyckman is also the author of His Century: The Courage of Governor LeRoy Collins and A Most Disorderly Court: Scandal and Reform in the Florida Judiciary. In 1984, the Florida Bar Foundation recognized his writing on judicial reform with its Medal of Honor Award.  A book signing will follow the discussion.

828.586.9499 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Marty Stuart, a four-time Grammy winner and platinum recording artist, will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 9, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.  

Stuart is best known for his traditional country music and has roots in gospel and bluegrass. He is a self-taught guitar and mandolin player which led him to join Johnny Cash’s back-up band where he played for six years before breaking out on his own.

Stuart has played with music legends such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young and Billy Joel. He has toured beside county greats such as Travis Tritt and Merle Haggard.

Tickets are $25. For more information, call 866.273.4615 or visit www.greatmountainmusic.com.

The Masters of Motown’s “A Tribute to Hitsville U.S.A.,” will open the Galaxy of Stars Series at Western Carolina University. The show features many of the greatest hits from the legendary Motown era at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, in the Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU.

Based in Virginia Beach, Va., Masters of Motown features a 10-member cast that has toured extensively together for decades. Audiences can expect to hear plenty of hits from Motown artists such as the Temptations, the Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight and the Pips and many others. Masters of Motown’s eight vocalists are backed by a band of seasoned musicians.

John Hodgens, vocalist-bandleader, formed the group in 1973 after graduating from high school in Virginia.

This is the seventh season of Galaxy of Stars performances. The series began in 2005 and features theater, music and dance.

Tickets are $20 for adults and seniors; $15 for faculty and staff; $10 for groups of 20 or more, and $5 for children and students. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 828.227.2479 or visit fapac.wcu.edu.

Elementary school-aged children and their families are invited to a free ARTSaturday workshop from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sept. 10 in the Macon County Public Library children’s wing. The theme is the United States Constitution, with a variety of make-and-take learning activities and patriotic music, including singing the Preamble to the Constitution.  

Keyboardist Lionel Caynon will provide live music. Children should wear play clothes and come for any part of the session. The Arts Council provides all materials. For more information call 828.524.7683 or visit www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

The Green Energy Park in Dillsboro is offering more classes this fall in both glassblowing and blacksmithing. Come make a glass pumpkin or ornament for the holidays, forge a handmade knife for a gift or just try a new experience.

For details on the classes, costs, and times, visit the website at www.jcgep.org. To register for a class call 828.631.0271 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Classes marked WCU may be registered directly through Western Carolina University at http://www.wcu.edu/29054.asp.

Blacksmithing/Metals Classes

• Sept. 24-25 — Introduction to Coal Forging

• Sept. 24-25 — Introduction to Medieval

Chainmaille Armor

• Oct. 8-9 — Beginning Blacksmithing

• Oct. 8-9 — Intermediate Blacksmithing

• Oct. 22-23 — Introduction to Coal Forging

• Oct. 22-23 — Beginning Knifemaking

• Nov. 12-13 — Introduction to Medieval

Chainmaille Armor

• Dec. — Intermediate Blacksmithing

Glassblowing Classes

• Sept. 10 — Fundamentals of Glassblowing (WCU)

• Sept. 13 — Turn Recycled Bottles into Drinking Glasses (WCU)

• Sept. 15 — Create a Glass Tumbler (WCU)

• Oct. 1 — Grow a Glass Pumpkin

• Oct. 15 — Grow a Glass Pumpkin

• Nov. 12 — Holiday Glass Ornaments

• Dec. 3 — Holiday Glass Ornaments

Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville is holding a Star Wars party from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10. The event will include games and crafts for children, a trivia contest for all ages, free Star Wars souvenirs for the first 100 participants, and a costume contest. Star Wars prizes will be given for contest winners and there will be a raffle for other Star Wars prizes.

The highlight of the event will be a special appearance by several members of the 501st Legion.  The 501st Legion is a costuming organization formed in 1997. Since that time, its members have spread the magic of the Star Wars genre worldwide through its authentic-looking costumes, and it has become the leading force in fan-based charity events.

This event is free. 828.45.6000.

Sylva resident Mercedes Fernandez will present an introductory Reiki workshop at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library.

Reiki is a form of hands-on healing that was originally popularized in Japan in the late-18th and early-19th centuries. The practice was brought to America in the 1940s and has since spread worldwide. It is most probably based on ancient Oriental ideas about human energy systems. In Reiki treatment, the healer guides the Reiki energy to where the person receiving it needs it and allows the excess energy to be released.

Fernandez is a Master Reiki teacher who has been helping people sharpen their spiritual skills and healing abilities for nearly 40 years. During the program, Fernandez will discuss the history, practice and techniques of Reiki and will take questions from the audience.

For more information, call 828.586.2016.

Country singer Jody Medford will head to Maggie Valley on Sept. 21 to film the music video for his new single “Moonshine.”

The shoot is open to the public, who are encouraged to attend and be part of the video. The single will debut on CMT and GAC Networks.  

The drummer from Lonestar, Keech Rainwater, has started a production company and will be producing the music video and there will be other on location shoots around town and the Maggie Valley Police Department will facilitate.

Six independent filmmakers and their films will land on the campus of Western Carolina University this year, as part of the Southern Circuit, a tour of independent filmmakers that provides communities across the South access to smaller films and opportunities to join film directors in post-screening discussions.

Kicking off the season is “Surviving Hitler: A Love Story” by filmmaker John-Keith Wasson. It will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the A.K. Hinds University Center.

This documentary chronicles war, resistance and survival through the eyes of Jutta, a teenager in Nazi Germany, and her sweetheart, Helmuth, an injured soldier. As members of the Nazi resistance, the two become co-conspirators in the final plot to assassinate Hitler. The film includes narration by Jutta and original eight mm footage shot by Helmuth.

For more information, call 828.227.3622, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit ACE online at ace.wcu.edu.

To the Editor:

Last week, North Carolinians joined citizens from all over the nation to celebrate Great Outdoors Week to focus on public lands and their importance to the state’s economy. Getting people outdoors is a growing business in North Carolina, accounting for almost $7.5 billion a year and 95,000 jobs. The money isn’t always easy to track, but it benefits many rural western areas of the state.

There’s a ripple effect through the economy. When somebody comes to the mountains, they buy supplies, they fill up their car with gas, they purchase equipment for their activity from outfitters, they stay at a hotel or a bed-and-breakfast; they go out to eat — and so those dollars support the local economy.

Janna Martin, owner of the Pinecrest Bed and Breakfast in Asheville, said, “Our guests come to this tiny hamlet from all over the country and the world — attracted by the remarkable natural beauty of the area. A good part of our business is folks from all walks of life who come to explore the forests, to hike the trails, to paddle the rivers and to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. We are truly blessed by the mountains that surround the city of Asheville.”   

North Carolina is home to many remarkable publicly owned treasures …. That are important for clean water, wildlife and the recreation economy in our state.

However, current threats in Congress would remove current protections for more than 60 million acres of public lands. The Wilderness and Roadless Area Release Act, H.R.1581, disregards the importance of our public lands to the American public. Industrial activities such as mining, logging and drilling are already allowed in more than half of our national forests and other public lands. This bill proposes to open up most of the rest. As a result, roughly 70 percent of America’s most valuable landscapes and waterways could be degraded through large-scale development and off-road vehicle use.

The measure is just one of multiple attempts by lawmakers in Washington, D.C., and the state to undo fundamental environmental protections for clean air, clean water, endangered species and public lands.

Great Outdoors week calls attention to and is a celebration of these magnificent lands. Hundreds of people joined outings throughout the Southeast which included hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and biking. These activities were especially important to raise public awareness and provide an opportunity for the public to get out of doors – leading up to Sept. 25 when Gov. Beverly Perdue proclaims “Public Lands Day” in recognition of these valuable public treasures. 

North Carolina residents are encouraged to get out and enjoy their public lands and to speak out for their protection. I hope Great Outdoors Week and Public Lands Day gives people a chance to appreciate areas they might sometimes take for granted and to recognize that they can play a part in keeping these regional treasures protected.

They also serve as essential sources of clear water and habitats for fish and wildlife. We must ensure that they are protected and that we leave our public lands to future generations in as good or better shape than they were left to us.”  

Mark Shelley

Executive Director

Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition

To the Editor:

The best way to keep private forestlands in forests is to have an economic environment that makes the timber on these lands valuable enough to encourage landowners to continue to manage their forests and receive a decent return on their land. This requires viable markets for lumber, pulpwood and other wood products in the region. In these tough economic times, timber and pulpwood markets are fluid throughout the country and in our region as well. Forest landowners who want to improve their position in today’s fluctuating markets may want to consider third-party certification.

Third-party forest certification is basically where an accredited organization, usually an independent nonprofit organization, certifies that the landowner is properly managing their land for natural resource sustainability, following applicable laws and regulations, and adhering to a written management plan guiding the management into the future (usually a ten year plan). All of these certifying organizations have standards that must be met in order to qualify in their particular program.

Third-party forest certification is a relatively new development in timber markets and it is uncertain whether a landowner will receive a premium price for “certified” timber. However, I believe it is wise to investigate forest certification because some forest product companies, including some in Western North Carolina, welcome “certified sustainable” timber to attract customers who want to claim they are utilizing products sourced from these lands. While you may or may not receive a premium price, depending on market conditions, you may get preferential attention and more competition for your timber when you decide to harvest timber on certified lands.      

Landowners who want to pursue forest certification have several choices of organizations to negotiate with in order to achieve valid certification. I believe that the American Tree Farm System is the best choice for private landowners. It is the oldest certification program in the world – beginning over 70 years ago – and relies heavily on trained volunteer natural resource professionals to accomplish its certifications, inspections, etc. As a result, there is currently no charge for their certification or inspections. I don’t know of another certification program that is free.  

Also, the American Tree Farm System certification is recognized by some other sustainable forest interests as meeting their standards, including the North Carolina Forest Stewardship Program, US Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (an international certification program).

You can learn more about the American Tree Farm System first hand by attending a free day-long workshop (including lunch) that will be held in Brasstown on Sept. 15 at the Brasstown Community Center. You can find out more about the workshop and the American Tree Farm System in North Carolina by going on the Internet to www.nctreefarm.org. Click on the “Workshops” feature for specifics on the Brasstown Workshop. You can register for the workshop by calling the Clay County Extension Office at 828.369.6305 to reserve a spot.

Steve Henson

NC Registered Forester #496

Haywood County

To the Editor:

For more than 25 years after the 1983 amendments to Social Security, the federal government collected more in Social Security payroll taxes each year than it paid out in benefits. Those surplus revenues were supposed to be saved, but instead Congress spent every last dime of them and replaced the excess payroll tax revenue it looted from the Social Security Trust Fund with IOUs written to itself. At the end of 2010, the federal government owed the Trust Fund $2.61 trillion. Congress has drained the Trust Fund dry. (Source: Forbes)

This should outrage every American who receives Social Security benefits and every American who has paid or is currently paying Social Security payroll taxes. What can we do about this? First, contact your Senators and Representatives in Congress and demand that the funds they stole from us be returned immediately. It is called a Trust Fund for a reason. Second, demand that these funds be designated for the payment of Social Security benefits and nothing else, under penalty of law.

Third, remove the cap on payroll taxes. Finally, spread this news to your family and friends. It matters not what political party you belong to. What matters is we have been robbed by the very people we trusted.

Jim Hartje

Macon County

To the Editor:

We traveled to Clayton, Ga., last week to attend a presentation featuring “The Transition Movement.” This movement started in Ireland, spread to the U.K. and is now being discussed in the U.S.  

Transition towns are those that promote reduced energy consumption and less outside dependence on goods such as food and clothing. Victor Harris of Long Creek, S.C., was the presenter. He showed excerpts from the movie “The End of Suburbia” and then led a discussion on weaning ourselves from oil. There is consensus that oil has “peaked.” He asked for suggestions on what we as concerned citizens should do to facilitate a more sustainable community.  

Two men in the audience took exception to the idea that oil has peaked, claiming that there is plenty of oil and that there is a United Nations conspiracy called Agenda 21 which has been pushing this sustainability idea. Look “Agenda 21” up on your computer. It doesn’t sound much like a conspiracy to me. They then pulled out their slick flyers about this Agenda 21 and proceeded to hand them out those in attendance.

I looked at the fine print to discover it was literature from the John Birch Society, a.k.a., the Koch brothers! I was furious and declined their propaganda. Of course the Koch brothers do not want us to live locally. It’s Big Business who has the “Agenda.” That is, to control us, the middle class.

Needless to say these men hijacked the meeting. It was a total disgrace to question the veracity of Mr. Harris and the people who gathered to talk about sustainable living. If anything it will push “we the people” to embrace a transitions movement!

Those men should go back under the rock they slithered out from and take the John Birch Society’s money with them.

Joan Palmroos

Macon County

High school students and residents will have a chance to talk with college representatives from over 55 southeastern universities, colleges and trade schools at the 2011 College Night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 19, in the Haywood Community College Auditorium.

Prospective students and college transfer students get valuable information and talk first-hand with college personnel which could aid them in making the right choice of which college or university to attend.

All juniors and seniors in Haywood County, including private and home school students are invited. High school teachers and counselors are also encouraged to attend. For more information call 828.565.4095.

•••

A one-day seminar on how to abolish capital punishment will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, at Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center. The seminar will focus on “The Church & the Death Penalty: Winning New Victories in the Old South.”

There is no cost to attend the seminar, which is being co-sponsored by People of Faith Against the Death Penalty, a nonpartisan, nonprofit, interfaith organization, and the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society.

The training will provide an interactive process on how to become strategically engaged with the movement for abolition.

To register, go to http://www.umc-gbcs.org/ChurchAndDeathPenalty. For more information, call 202.488.5657.

•••

The Bogey Fore Volunteer Center Golf Tournament will get started at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Maggie Valley Club, to benefit the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center.

The fee is $175 for a two-man team with captain’s choice. Up for grands is $5000 for a hole-in-one on one par 3 and there will be door prizes as well as lunch.

Holes can be sponsored for $100.

For more information, call 828.356.2833.

•••

Macon County Commissioner Ronnie Beale was elected Second Vice President of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners on during the association’s annual conference.

Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons performed the inauguration ceremony for Commissioner Beale and the other elected county commissioners who will serve as NCACC officers in 2011-12.

As NCACC Second Vice President, Beale will work closely to guide the NCACC Board of Directors on legislative and administrative issues affecting counties throughout the year.

Beale is in his second term as member of the Macon County Board of Commissioners. As chair of the NCACC Health and Human Services Steering Committee, he served as a member of the NCACC Board of Directors.

Verizon Wireless will pay Western Carolina University to put an antennae on top of Scott Hall as it starts providing “4G” wireless broadband service in the area.

This is a faster wireless service than what Verizon currently offers.

The Verizon Wireless network promises users 10-times faster download and upload services than current 3G technology. Verizon Wireless already offers a dozen or so 4-G capable devices, including smartphones, tablet PCs, USB modems and portable WiFi hotspot devices.

Ed Broadwell, a WCU board of trustee member, told fellow members last week about the deal, explaining Verizon Wireless already has antennae space on top of the nine-floor dorm.

The lease agreement calls for Verizon Wireless to pay WCU $30,000 during the current term and for each five-year renewal period, that amount would increase by 15 percent, Broadwell said.

Western Carolina University’s Division of Student Affairs will coordinate WCU’s annual Red Zone campaign during the fall semester.

The Red Zone refers to the period of time early in students’ first or second years at college during which they are at higher risk of unwanted sexual experiences. Campaign activities across campus are designed to educate and empower students to help protect themselves and others from sexual assault.

Red flags, ribbons and posters will be displayed across campus in September to raise awareness. Information regarding sexual assault, red flags in relationships, campus and community resources and upcoming events will be in the gallery on the second floor of A.K. Hinds University Center through Friday, Sept. 30.

Students, staff and faculty also are invited to make the Red Zone pledge to take a stand against sexual assault and dating violence.

Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher has appointed a 36-member committee that will help guide the university’s direction over the next decade.

The group includes representatives from the university community and from the broader external community.

“Because they are drawn from all of the university’s major stakeholder groups, the members of the 2020 Commission each bring a unique set of perspectives, expertise and knowledge to the table,” said Melissa Wargo committee chair. “These individuals will play a vital role in ensuring that Western Carolina’s new strategic plan is based upon a shared vision of the university’s future.”

The 2020 Commission will hold its inaugural meeting Wednesday, Sept. 7. The nearly yearlong process will include opportunities for participation, including separate roundtable discussions for faculty, staff and students, ongoing online input and hearings on and off campus.

About 20 young hunters, accompanied by licensed-to-hunt adults, will take part in a dove hunt Saturday, Sept. 3, at the Mountain Research Station off Raccoon Road near Waynesville.

There also will be a lunch and special educational sessions throughout the day, including hunter safety, responsible hunting, and a trapping and banding demonstration workshop.

“Many young people today are far removed from the land and our agricultural and wildlife resources,” said Chris Graves, the lead instructor of fish and wildlife management technology program at Haywood Community College. “It is opportunities like this one that provide a much needed connection with children and nature.”

Haywood Community College Student Chapter of The Wildlife Society will help host the event.

“This experience will put our fish and wildlife students in real world situations that they will encounter when they begin working. It’s hands-on training and experience that they can’t get in a classroom,” Graves said.

Monarch butterflies are back.

The first of the monarch butterflies have been spotted recently on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a key migration route for Monarchs on that long journey south to Mexico for the winter. A wave of monarchs will increase over coming weeks.

A special program at Waterrock Knob Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, prompting educators and workers there to launch a “Winging it on the Parkway” program Saturday, Sept. 3, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The environmental program at the visitor center, located a few miles south of the Parkway entrance at Balsam, will share information on the butterflies’ lifecycles, migration patterns and more. This is for kids of all ages, and activities include making butterfly puppets.

Swain’s newest 4-H Club, the Outdoor Adventurers, waded into a mountain stream recently looking for salamanders, damselflies and other critters in a program led by Smokies Rangers Katrina Krebs and Will Butler at Smokemont Campground.

Outdoor Adventurers 4-H Club youth get to experience the outdoors by participating in field trips, hikes, the Junior Ranger program, and other outdoor projects.

Outdoor Adventurers meets at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City every other Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. through November, and monthly December through March. Adult supervision is available until 5:30 p.m. for parents to pickup kids after work, and at 3 p.m. prior to the meetings. Fall registration is Sept. 7.

828.488.3848.

The Maggie Valley Moonlight Race this past weekend had 430 runners take to the street, a respectable comeback after a two-year hiatus, boding well for the likelihood the storied race will be on the calendar again next year.

“It was a good crowd. We had so many people thank us for bringing it back. That was the overwhelming thing, whether it was people who had been running it for years or people who lived in Maggie,” said Greg Duff of Glory Hound Events, the race’s organizer.

Sarah Beth Lee of Waynesville was the top female overall winner; Justin TeBockhorst of Asheville was the top male overall winner.

See results

Come celebrate the return of the great American chestnut tree Saturday, Sept. 10, at Cataloochee Ranch outside Maggie Valley.

This second-annual event features live bluegrass music by Hazel Creek, clogging demonstrations, crafts (including wood-turned bowls, pine needle baskets, stained glass, handcrafted wooden benches, pottery and paintings), and a tour of one of the American Chestnut Foundation’s most successful research orchards, located on the ranch grounds.

For centuries, the American chestnut was the dominant tree of the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Mississippi. It was a fast-growing deciduous hardwood that reached 150 feet in height and 10 feet in diameter. But, in 1904, a deadly airborne fungus was introduced into the United States; by 1949, nearly four billion chestnut trees were lost.

Cataloochee Ranch is helping the American Chestnut Foundation bring back this tree, borrowing genetic code from the Chinese chestnut, which is blight resistant. By using the backcross method, researchers are working on a new tree that has just enough of the Chinese variety to be blight-resistant, but has the dominant characteristics of the original American chestnut. The ranch’s chestnut orchard is in its fifth growing season.

Tickets for the event are $10, and children 12 and under will be admitted free.

The night before, on Friday, Sept. 9, a fundraising dinner with entertainment and live auction will be held beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets to the steak dinner are $80 per person, or $120 per couple, which includes a one-year membership to the American Chestnut Foundation.

828.926.1401 for dinner reservations. For more information about Chestnut Saturday, call Richard Coker at 828.926.1345.