Send care packages to troops overseas

Mast General Store is again collecting packages for U.S. soldiers in combat zones.

The deadline for packages is Dec. 8. Customers can cover their own boxes or bring items to Mast and employees will package them. Customers who choose to wrap their own shoebox are reminded that top and bottom must be wrapped separately so the box can be opened for inspection.

Christmas cards or letters are important, as are the following suggested items: jerky, paperbacks, lotion, protein bars, playing cards, eye drops, hard candy, sunglasses, pencils, pens, dental floss, socks, sunscreens and bug repellant. Soldiers have also requested small toys they can pass out to local children. Packages can be designated for male or female soldiers.

Prefilled boxes are available for purchase for $15.

Cowee Community to honor Veterans Nov. 8

Cowee honors its Veterans at the Rickman Store on Sunday, Nov. 8.

This will be the third year that the neighbors of Cowee Community will gather at the Rickman Store to honor the men and women who have served or are actively servicing in the Armed Forces. The event will take place on Sunday, Nov. 8, from 2 to 5 pm. Veterans, families and neighbors are invited to share in the afternoon of memories, music, pictures and memorabilia displays, and more.

Call 828.369.5595 or 828.369.5595.

Macon seeks input on growth issues

Macon County planning officials are developing a comprehensive plan for the county and are inviting citizens to weigh in on what is important to them during the Macon County League of Women Voters meeting on Nov. 12 in the Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church.

County officials will give a brief presentation on growth and demographic projections, then participants will be able to tell committee members what issues are important to them and how they would like to see Macon County develop in the future. Surveys about growth issues will be distributed and can be completed at the meeting, returned to the Planning Department, or filled in online.

Lunch will be served at noon by reservation, but program only attendees can just arrive by 12:15 p.m. Call 828.524.5192 or email lwvmacon@wild-dog-mountain.info.

Waynesville launches “Pack the Pantry” community food drive

The Town of Waynesville’s food drive has begun. Citizens may drop off nonperishable food items at collection boxes during regular business hours at the Police Department/Development Office, Municipal Building (old Town Hall), Fire Station No. 1, Recreation Center, Old Armory, and Public Works. They may drop off donations in the parking lot of the Municipal Building from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays, Nov. 6, 13, and 20.

Donate at a truck stationed on the corner of Main Street and Miller Street from 12 to 5 p.m. on Nov. 22 during the Downtown Waynesville Association’s “Holiday Open House.”

If you are interested in donating additional items or your time, please contact Haywood Christian Ministry or any other local nonprofit.

For a complete calendar, please visit www.townofwaynesville.org or call 828.452.2491.

Contractors courted for new HCC craft building

Plans for the new craft building at Haywood Community College will be unveiled at a seminar designed for contractors from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 9, in the auditorium on the main campus.

The seminar will brief contractors, subcontractors and tradesmen on construction opportunities with the new building, including preliminary construction plans and a bid timeline. It will incoporate solar panels and solar thermals systems, as well as other green features.

This seminar is not mandatory to bid on the project. 828.627.4512.

Waynesville to sell mulch to residents

Waynesville will sell compost and double-ground mulch for $10 per pickup truck or trailer load from 8 a.m. to noon on Nov. 6-7 and Nov. 13-14. The yard waste landfill is located on Bible Baptist Drive off Russ Avenue, near the bypass.

State regulations require that loads be covered, and the town will have a front-end loader on-site. The sale will be canceled in the event of wet weather. 828.456.3706.

Republican candidate to speak in Waynesville

Andy Webb, Republican candidate for North Carolina’s 47th Senatorial District, and Kirkwood Callahan, retired professor of government and local Republican party organizer, will speak at the Haywood County 9/12 project meeting on Nov. 5 at Bocelli’s Restaurant at 6 p.m. in Waynesville.

The 9/12 Project says it is a nonpartisan group dedicated to a more responsive and constituent centered government. The meeting is open to the public and organizers ask that attendees “leave your political party at the door.”

Pigeon Community Center to be featured

Waynesville’s Pigeon Community Center will be featured in a documentary called “North Carolina Giving: Philanthropy Across Cultures & Communities,” airing on UNC-TV from 10-11 p.m. on Nov. 9.

The Pigeon Community Center was formerly an African-American school in Waynesville during the segregation era. The African-American community has converted the old school into a community gathering place with youth programming. The broadcast will include stories from the Pigeon Community Center and also feature Lin Forney of Waynesville and Eduardo Bernel and Brenda Arroyo of Franklin.