The road, it appears, stops here. Now, elected leaders and citizens must demand a timetable for the $52 million settlement due Swain County.

By John Armor • Guest Columnist

There are certain categories of ads on TV which offend me, and no doubt you, whenever they appear. There are the impotence ads. (Known as “E.D.” to its friends.) Plus the constipation/diarrhea ads. Plus the mobility (scooter) ads. The implication is that older men can’t get it up, can’t get it out, or can’t get it moving. Throw in the Alzheimer ads, and we can’t remember whether we’ve done any of that.

“It’s well past time to bury this boondoggle and resolve the issue in this positive way for the park and the people. The ‘Road to Nowhere’ has been a dark cloud over the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the nearby communities for more than three generations. Anglers will still have some of the best streams in the East to fish, and hikers will have some of the best trails and wild country to roam — without the din of highway traffic nearby. The community will get a much-needed economic boost to make the best choices for investing in its future. ”

Memorial Day with a soldier

He’s just a kid, 23 year old I think, dating one of my young cousins. My brother, a veteran who is 51, and I stood against the privacy fence at a weekend cookout in Fayetteville drinking beers and listening to his stories from two tours in Afghanistan. The scenes he talked about in an almost off-handed way were of violence and gore of the worst kind, maimed bodies and women and children blown to bits by bombs. He extended his enlistment for five years while in Afghanistan, and he’ll head back in November. These are the defining, formative times of this young guy’s life. He was a polite, not-yet-shaving boy from a farm in Idaho who loves to hunt and fish, and he already has a lifetime of horror stories from war. He never voiced his opinion of the politics of the war, just of doing his job and of the camaraderie with the guys in his unit. He let it slip that he’s having trouble sleeping since he’s returned. He’s the face of this war, now, for me, one of the young men who might make it back or might not.

All the roadrunning

Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler — of Dire Straits fame — put together this disc last year, and it’s worth adding to your collection. Central Elementary School Principal John Sanderson gave it to me before Christmas, but I’m only just now getting around to really listening to it. Both of these artists have made careers of producing great music not just by themselves but by working with other musicians, and their ability to blend styles is evident on this collection. Knopfler’s understated, almost mundane singing and inspired guitar playing work well with Emmy Lou’s near-perfect vocals. There are no great songs here, but they are all very good and get better with each listen. The most memorable is easily “This is us,” a scrapbook of poetic memories from a marriage. Old musicians making quality new music is a good thing.

Coming home

Every time I go down east, approaching the mountains gets me excited. As soon as I can see them down by Marion I get excited. By the time I’ve passed Old Fort, I feel like I’ve arrived. I was a military brat who moved frequently as a kid, but I’ve found home. It’s more a feeling than anything else, an emotional tie to a place. Most people probably know it from an early age, and I envy those folks. It took me a while longer.

— By Scott McLeod

By Chris Cooper

John Prine and Mac Wiseman: Standard Songs For Average People

John Prine just sounds like a nice guy. You can almost hear the side of his mouth curl into a grin as he finishes a line, even on a sad little waltz like “The Blue Side Of Lonesome.” He’s also not a “singer’s singer,” he doesn’t belt it out and wow you with his pipes. But for most of us that’s another reason to love the guy, because what he does with what he’s got is always so satisfying and genuine. Joined here by bluegrass troubadour Mac Wiseman, Standard Songs For Average People collects 14 songs, some well known and some not, for these two remarkable singer/songwriters to interpret however they see fit.

You get anything from the brushed snare and tinkling piano nostalgia of “Old Cape Cod” to the world-weary storytelling of “Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine,” both endowed with gorgeous backups from the Carol Lee Singers. You’re also afforded the opportunity to hear these two artists having fun with each other, trading verses with an almost conversational quality that masks some of the fact that this is a studio recording, not an impromptu songwriter’s jam among friends. The acoustic guitars are warm and woody, the vocals sweet, and the arrangements impeccable in their simplicity. It can’t hurt to have a virtual laundry list of fine players contributing to the project, with Tim O’Brien on banjo and mandolin, Del McCoury bassist Mike Bub and multi-instrumentalist/session man extraordinaire Pat McLaughlin on just about everything else with a string on it.

Swinging, two-stepping and tear-in-the-beering its way through just over an hour, Standard Songs For Average People is just the right thing for when you’re just a little blue, and these guys are just such characters on the microphone that it’s hard not to crack a smile after a while. This is an album that draws from many traditional American country sounds, from the mountains way down to Texas. Add to that the caliber of musicians delivering the material, and all you’ve left to do is cue up “Saginaw, Michigan” and turn the volume in a general “up” type direction.

Various Artists: Texas Hoedown Revisited

Fiddle tunes have served as a kind of boot camp not only for budding fiddlers but for many bluegrass mandolinists and guitarists alike. Doc Watson made a name for himself by adapting many such songs to the guitar’s repertoire. With County Records’ recent re-release (with the prerequisite bonus material) of 1965’s Texas Hoedown, you get to hear a few of the lesser known Texas fiddle practitioners; Benny Thomasson, Bartow Riley and Vernon Solomon. Thomasson gets the majority of the aural real estate here, sawing his way through half the CD on the classics “Ace Of Spades” and “Lady’s Fancy,” as well as some more obscure picks like “Killie McCrankie.”

Things almost veer into the realm of swing when Vernon Solomon tackles “Beaumont Rag,” accompanied here by chopping guitar and loping piano from his two sons, only 13 and 16 at the time of these recording sessions. Listening to the performances of all three fiddlers is a lesson in the appreciation of expression and technique inherent in the instrument, with Thomasson going pizzicato in the middle of “Black Mountain Rag” or Solomon’s exceptionally smooth bowing and intonation on “Red Apple Rag.” Riley gets some quick legato runs and a few blue notes in “Grey Eagle,” and in all, though Texas Hoedown Revisited is whole bunch of fiddle to consume in one sitting, it’s an enjoyable meal.

This re-issue as well includes some unusual tracks and live material- Thomasson’s “Star Waltz” is a pretty little tune that suffers a bit from wobbly intonation. He and an unknown group of accompanists get the last word here with live performances of “Forty Years Ago Waltz” and “Golden Eagle Hornpipe,” complete with wind noise in the microphone and the occasional chuckle from an audience member. Taken as a whole, though, Texas Hoedown Revisited surely succeeds in its goal: unearthing 24 tracks of fine Texas fiddle music from three of its best players.

(Chris Cooper can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

With vigorous hip pops and shimmies, members of the Sidra bellydancing group are sending small metal coins and beads flying. The costume decor rolls and bounces across the hardwood floor and the dancers smile, knowing that while it will take hours to sew each of the tiny adornments back on, all that shaking makes for a great show.

To the Editor:

Just over five weeks ago a mentally disturbed 19-year-old young man went into a school in Connecticut and slaughtered 20 young people and 6 adults. Mentally disturbed people caused similar incidents in the last few years, including the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Gifford, the death of the soldiers at Ft. Hood in Missouri, and the people in the movie theater in Colorado.

On the day the 20 first- and second-graders were gunned down, 4,200 innocent unborn babies were also terminated. That was a total of 4,220 very young people who died that day. The difference between the deaths of the 20 young kids and the 4,200 unborn babies is that the 20 kids had loving and caring parents, brothers, sisters and grandparents. Not so the other 4,200 unborn babies. This same thing happens 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year for a total of about 1.2 million unborn babies a year. That has been going on since 1973. For 40 years would be mothers have been doing away with their babies for whatever reason. Some abortions are necessary and required to save a mother’s life and they are totally justified. The majority are not.

I knew a young girl who got pregnant and her comment was, “I made one mistake but I am not going to try and cover that up with another mistake.” Any girl who gets pregnant has three options: abortion, adoption and keeping the child. There are millions of families who would be happy to adopt a child born in our country. Making a mistake is one thing, but compounding it by making the second mistake is wrong.

There are many ways to prevent pregnancy. Why do women young and old choose not to either take the pill or have the boyfriend use a condom? Condoms also prevent some nasty diseases like herpes, AIDS, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

When I was a kid we had prayer and the Ten Commandments in schools. On the wall we had the Pledge of Allegiance. Abortions were nearly nonexistent since they were illegal and murders happened infrequently. When they took prayer and the Ten Commandments out of our schools the moral decline quickly followed as an end result of this attack on religion and the Ten Commandments. Using the name of God in a public school was banned. This is a great example of the unintended consequences of the actions of some American anti-religious “zealots.”

Jim Mueller

Glenville

To the Editor:

Thank you for your excellent reporting on the consideration to a change in the development rules in Jackson County. The economy is not a reason for a change in the rules. Once a mountain is changed there is no reversal possible. In recent years there has been severe damage to the mountains of Western North Carolina. If anything, it has been too easy to decimate the mountains in exchange for big money. The recent heavy rains have identified some of the results of our irresponsible development.  

Unless we change our attitude toward the maintenance of these lands, future generations will pay the price for the damage. Your paper has made reference to a report by the forest service regarding our forests and water and how the changing land use will impact our future. It should be required reading by our land planners and government officials.  

Thomas Moore

Waynesville

Angler and Sylva native Josh Stephens recently earned a silver medal in team competition during the National Fly Fishing Championship in Bend, Ore., as a member of one of the Team USA squads competing.

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park was recently awarded $2,000 from Sustainability for Generations to Come, a Western North Carolina organization formed to support conservation efforts in the mountain region.

28 Western North Carolina farmers received nearly $150,000 total in grants to help diversify their farm businesses. The money was awarded by WNC AgOptions grant program, which is funded through the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.

Most of the awards were $6,000, given to farmers undertaking projects that are unique to their counties or innovative for agriculture nationwide. Joe Ward, one of the recipients, in Jackson County is establishing a no-till planting system in an area where few farmers use this method. In no-till fields, soil erosion and runoff are decreased.

A grant also helped sustain several significant farms, such as a Bethel Valley farm that has been in the family Joseph Cathey for more than 200 years. Grants include:

• Macon County, $6,000 to Rabbit Creek Bee Company for pollination services.

• Haywood County, $3,000 to Walnut Cove Farms Sustainable for vegetable production.

• Swain County, $6,000 to Balltown Bee Farm Pizza Love for a mobile pizza-making oven.

• Swain County, $6,000 to Van Winkle Farm for shiitake and goldenseal production.

• Jackson County, $6,000 to Ward Farm for a customized Kinze row planting system.

The U.S. Forest Service may increase, or begin charging, fees at seven recreation sites within the national forests in North Carolina. The Sliding Rock Recreation Area, within the Pisgah National Forest and three shooting ranges in the Nantahala National Forest are some of the areas being considered for the increase.

At Sliding Rock the daily fee would increase from $1 to $2 to provide expanded hours for lifeguards and pay for the maintenance. In Nantahala, all three shooting ranges will begin charging a standard $3 daily fee per person, instead of per vehicle charge. The annual fee would also change to $25 per person.

All proposals will be presented before a citizen’s advisory committee at meetings this spring which are open to the public. If approved, the Forest Service will implement the fee changes later in 2013 over a two-year period.

Comments can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. through Feb. 28.

828.257.4256.

A free program on “The Business of Growing Hops” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Haywood Community College.

Haywood Community College will celebrate National Entrepreneurship Week Feb. 16-23 with a week-long schedule of events.

The events will allow HCC to highlight the college’s strengths in the areas of entrepreneurship, sustainability and creativity.

The following events are planned:

• Monday, Feb. 18: “I Have a Great Idea” student entrepreneur contest. Students may submit a “Great Idea” for a new business concept or invention. Submissions will be in the form of a three-minute or less YouTube video. Prizes are $100 for first place, $50 for second place, and $25 for third place.

Online submission can be entered at www.entrepreneurshipathcc.blogspot.com and are due by midnight on Feb. 18.

• Tuesday, Feb. 19: Marketing Your Business on Facebook. This workshop is for businesses that are already using a business Facebook page and want to learn how to use it more effectively for marketing the business. Space is limited. Contact Sharron Donnahoe, HCC Small Business Center Director, at 828.627.4512. 6-8 p.m. in HCC Room 219. Open to the public.

• Wednesday, Feb. 20: “Meet Local Business Owners” game show and Amanda Sorrells of New Generation. Local business owners will share, in a game show format, their biggest challenges, tips for success, and advice to new entrepreneurs. 10 a.m.-noon in the Student Center Auditorium. Open to the public.

• Thursday, Feb. 21: Showcase for Student Entrepreneurs. Two categories of participation include product/service or craft. HCC students will pitch their ideas to win money to help start their venture. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. in the HCC Library. Open to the public.

• Thursday, Feb. 21: Salon ownership forum. Local entrepreneurs from the cosmetics industry will be panelists and share their years of experience and answer questions about the industry and their professional success. 3-4 p.m., Student Center Auditorium.

For more information about HCC’s Entrepreneurship Week activities, contact Dr. Michelle Choate, HCC Department Chair of Business and Entrepreneurship, at 828.565.4219.

Deanne Oppermann, a chemistry instructor at Southwestern Community College in Sylva, is the recipient of the R.J. Reynolds Excellence in Teaching Award for 2012-2013 by the North Carolina Community College System.

Oppermann is known at SCC for embracing multiple teaching styles and incorporating mastery learning, the philosophy of providing more than one chance to demonstrate mastery of content or skill, into her courses.

However, Oppermann’s passion for teaching goes beyond the classroom. Her passion for teaching is solidified by her interaction with students during the advising process and the countless professional development hours she logs to improve student learning and stay current in her field.

Oppermann has worked at 17 years, with six years’ experience in the industry as a research chemist. She also holds a U.S. Patent based on novel chemical surfactants.

“I am humbled, honored, and excited to have been selected as the 2012-2013 NCCCS Excellence in Teaching recipient,” Oppermann said. “The true reward of teaching comes from making a positive difference in my students’ lives.”

Oppermann was chosen as one of the five finalists for the award from a field of 58 candidates, one from each community college in the state.

“Deanne Oppermann is a superstar in the classroom. Because Dee has never mistaken activity for achievement, every activity she connects with (and there are many) leads to something spectacular for the student,” said Cheryl Contino-Conner, director of Student Support Services and Honors Program at SCC. “As an instructor, an advisor and a champion of SCC’s Honors Program, Dee Oppermann is simply the best when it comes to student service and teaching/learning at SCC. We are very lucky to have her, and I say that as a colleague and as a friend.”

Oppermann will receive an $8,000 stipend, a $2,000 contribution to Southwestern Community College and a commemorative plaque.

Haywood Public Transit will hold a ribbon cutting for a new transit shelter at 1 p.m. Feb. 12, in Clyde.

Haywood Public Transit offers free rides to anyone in the county, and the central location of the new transit facility will benefits users of Haywood Public Transit. The transportation operation will now be more efficient and more convenient, especially for people visiting the hospital or one of the number of doctors’ offices nearby, said Susan Anderson, director of Mountain Projects.

The transit facility also offers a lobby where passengers can wait while being transferred to a vehicle or between routes.

Connections are available to Buncombe County’s Trailblazer Route, which runs from the Haywood County line along the Enka-Candler business area and ends at the Goodwill Store on Patten Avenue. Connections can then be made from that point to other transit routes under Asheville Transit.

Haywood Public Transit runs from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Reservations are required and should be made a business day before an appointment or trip.

828.565.0362.

Waynesville residents will get their first chance to weigh in on the possibility of adding Lake Junaluska to the town limits with two public hearings this month.

Season tickets are now on sale for the “2013 Appalachian Evening Concert Series” in at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center outside Robbinsville.

There will be a variety of pottery classes offered at Pincu Pottery in Bryson City.

Guitarist Frank Vignola will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Wislawa Szymborska

One of the best poets I’ve read in quite a while, this Polish Nobel Laureate has a wonderful collection, Poems New and Collected, which includes some of her best work over the past half century. She turns a clever eye to the oddities of humanity, the perplexities of modern life, and everything from Atlantis and acrobats to museums and miracles. She imagines angels watching slapstick comedy, celebrates the gift of clouds, and watches a bodybuilder flex. It’s hard to say what a typical Szymborska poem is since her style and subjectivity have such range. In one poem, she contemplates the ethereal hour of 4 a.m. In another, she struggles to capture the hollow experience of a concentration camp. One poem observes a surreal scene outside a bar as the final seconds tick down before a terrorist’s bomb goes off. In another, she’s in the Himalayas calling out to Yeti. Above all, Szymborska keeps alive a dreamy hope, grateful for the opportunities we have to discover and share life in all its subtleties — if only in the moment of poetic ponderance.

Smoothies

It’s hard to think of a time when I didn’t have that milkshake goodness with a fruity delicious twist. Great for hot days when you want a cool, refreshing drink to energize your mind without the addiction of caffeine. So pull out the blender. Spoon out some yogurt, toss in some strawberries and bananas (or whatever fruit you desire), pour in the milk, and add a scoop of soy protein powder for a vitamin boost. Press blend. Enjoy.

Richard Cheese

He’s the swanky version of Weird Al Yankovic in a tux. Crooning with his back-up jazz trio, this Gouda with the golden voice turns Top 40, rap, metal and punk into lounge music renditions that will leave you laughing all the way to the martini bar. With albums like Aperitif for Destruction, The Sunny Side of the Moon, and most recently Lounge Against the Machine, His Cheesiness is in high demand playing shows in Vegas, the Big Apple and groovy joints across the land. Check him out at iTunes or at www.richardcheese.com.

— By Michael Beadle

By Chris Cooper

OK, yes, it’s a widely held opinion that the Reagan years doled out its fair share of really, really awful music, clothes and other cultural oddities. Geometrically impossible haircuts, weirdo shoulder pads, ridiculously pointy, paint splattered guitars — the list could roll on for miles.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Haywood Community College is finally on track to receive some much needed funding after county commissioners announced plans this week to allocate $3 million to the school.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Haywood County officials are jumping at the chance to purchase 22 acres of land for recreational space that will help make the county’s master recreation plan a reality.

Blessed are the planners, for in their hands rest the fate of these mountains.

By Chris Lowe • Guest columnist

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education,” said Albert Einstein. Einstein is credited with several accomplishments, some of which you may be familiar with and not know exactly what they mean to your everyday life, while others may linger totally in obscurity and yet still bear meaning on everyday life.

By Kathleen Lamont

Soy is found in all kinds of foods we eat today, but do you know what’s in soy?

By John Armour

At the end of every week I take stock of what’s happened. Rare are the weeks which have actual bookends — something that was sublime, and something that was ridiculous. This was one of those weeks. I have Harry Reid of Nevada and David and Joel Letterman of Arizona to thank.

We want the state Agricultural Research Station in Waynesville to remain open, but the Senate budget proposal that attempts to weed out duplication and conduct agricultural research more efficiently isn’t such a bad idea.

By Michael Beadle

William Bartram only came through Western North Carolina for a handful of days in the spring of 1775. The record of his travels through Cherokee country (including present-day Highlands, Franklin and the Nantahala Gorge) wouldn’t be published until more than a decade later. By that time, many of his plant discoveries were credited to others.

By Chris Cooper

Sometimes your ears want something different. Maybe they need to hear that which steps beyond traditional form into something at once simpler and more complex; where pure, unadulterated melody and soulfulness carry the music to places unfamiliar but undeniably inviting. Or maybe you’re just getting sick to death of guitars and drums and three-minute pop ditties that are about as filling as a handful of stale Cheetos.

By Julia Mrchant • Staff Writer

A decades-long battle between advocates for a clean Pigeon River and the Canton-based company Blue Ridge Paper Products reared its head last week at a rally where several groups called for further clean-up of the river, which some have referred to as “the dirty bird” due to its pollution levels.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

After months of rigorous planning sessions, Maggie Valley town officials are finally ready to reveal to the public a new land-use plan they hope will help the town deal with anticipated growth.

A recent study in the Bethel Community revealed that “working land conservation easements” would be valued as high as $7,900 to $9,400 per acre for flat or rolling land outside the floodway of the Pigeon River or other streams.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

In the end, the acquisition of Blue Ridge Paper Products by the New Zealand-based Rank Group for $338 million last week may have been the result of the purchase of a single factory in tiny Pine Bluff, Ark.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

It appears that the re-opening of Ghost Town in the Sky on Memorial Day weekend has made the town of Maggie Valley anything but.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Architects last week unveiled plans for a new three-level building that will house the Waynesville Police Department and town planning offices.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Parking for free

Public parking for as long as you want in downtown Waynesville:

The damming of creeks and streams by private developments is on the rise in Western North Carolina — so much so that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has voiced concern over the cumulative impacts.

Those who supported Heath Shuler’s bid to represent this region in Congress probably did not believe the detractors who spent most of the last election harping about how he would become Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s lapdog once he arrived in Washington. Well, a recent study of voting trends in this Congress reveals Shuler as one of the most independent congressmen in the House. That description is almost a badge of honor in the highly charged partisan atmosphere that currently rules in our nation’s capital.

The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust honored those that donated land and conservation agreements in 2006 at a recent celebration.

By Michael Beadle

Fishing for something fun to do this weekend? Head downstream to the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds for the 18th Annual Smoky Mountain Trout Festival on Saturday, June 23.

By Chris Cooper

It’s been a year at least since I did a live show review, and it’s likely that that last review involved Sylva’s one bright hope for a live music venue, Guadalupe Café. I’m also pretty certain that in the aforementioned article a particular ever-evolving band of musical n’er do wells (Shiner Miners) made an appearance, and there may have been some minor chastising involved by yours truly regarding certain long-winded excursions into the great wide world of tuning by Mr. Webb and Co. that evening.

It was a while back and my memory is hazy, so that’s merely my best recollection.

But Friday night, a little after 10 o’clock, a band that so closely resembled the Shiner Miners it was shocking took the, err “stage,” at the Guad and proceeded to bang out some of the tightest and freakiest “smartass with a sense of humor” rock I’ve heard just about ever in this town. Still quirky, still a bit disheveled and glassy eyed, but this new, leaner three-piece gave me the distinct impression that they actually had their *&^% together, and have developed into one of the better rhythm sections in town.

Put simply, no matter how goofy the music may occasionally come across, drummer Isaac Sturgill and bassist Jason Beck have achieved that joined-at-the-hip quality that defines a band’s sound and momentum. As a guitarist, Webb has embraced the creative use of effects (namely echo) lending a whole new atmosphere to the mutated reggae/rap/dub/country/spoken word/rock thing that’s become a sort of trademark.

That’s not to say that the slop we all know and love isn’t still there — it’s just that the Shiner Miners are getting so good at being themselves that even the slop is refined. The usual crowd of locals was present, and by the second set was wound up into such a frenzy that clothing began disappearing, footwear was set aloft, spontaneous wrestling matches broke out and even a fine example of the good old fashioned “drunken lip-lock on the dance floor” made an appearance. If my calculations are correct and all the votes have been processed and accounted for, the Shiner Miners easily won the “most improved local band of people that I’m friends with but that I’m not obligated to say nice things about” award, and that ain’t no small feat.

The next night was the fourth (fifth?) installment of Sylva’s “Play For Peace” music ... thing, with multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Matt Williams kicking off the late evening festivities. Considering the amount of times a mysterious “scheduling conflict” was mentioned into the mic, my educated guess is that there may have been some kind of “scheduling conflict” regarding who (Williams or funky jam upstarts Ideal Way) was the opener and headliner, but again, that’s just a guess — albeit a sarcastic one.

There’s no doubting the considerable skills of Williams and accompanist Stephen Foster (who qualifies as a multi-instrumentalist in his own right, looking at the sheer number of horns of varying shape and size he brought along for the ride) when you see them perform.

Williams has so many instruments under his belt, such a command of on-the-fly looping and layering (including his vocals) that it’s tough not to be a little knocked out when you see the guy pull it all off right in front of you. His fondness for vaguely 70’s styled “prog-pop” is apparent, with phased-out Jean Luc-Ponty styled violin solos taking flight over his major and minor seventh based “mini jams.”

And as carefully rehearsed as this kind of performance has to be, there were true moments of spontaneous improvisation, especially when he and Foster began trading fours and playing off each other. My only wish was for a little more ebb and flow in the set, maybe a few more numbers delivered sans looping and such fanciness, so that when Williams does build that miniature orchestra of sound we know he carries around in his head it’s just that much more meaningful.

Regardless, Williams has been hard at work in WCU’s studio on several new albums slated for fall and winter release, and if the new tunes in his set are any indication, they’re going to be quite excellent.

Back to the rhythm section thing — Ideal Way has a great one. As if it wasn’t difficult enough to basically improvise an entire set of music (in this case, an hour or two) it’s even tougher to make the majority of it actually work, and it’s that quality that may eventually separate Ideal Way from much of the tie-dyed jam band pack. There are bassists that groove, and there are bassists that noodle, but in Christian Ferri you get the better elements of both. Positively super-glued to Caleb Beissert’s bass drum, the duo struck the just the right balance of busyness and dynamic interplay in order to give Brett Dumsha’s guitar enough space to cluck, squawk and squeal as needed.

Though some of the transitions between the “songs” got a little lost, once these guys found a groove they chomped down on it like an emaciated pitbull on Ronald McDonald’s burger scented hand. Amidst the wacka-wacka of the wah pedal and the syncopated goodness of the drums and bass, there was a head-bobbing, hippie-dancing good time to be had by all, and though the vibe was completely different than that of the previous night, having two nights in a row of fine music on Main Street is nothing to scoff at.

But even better — it was proof that people do indeed still enjoy hearing talented players stretch out and take chances onstage, be it the brainy oddball antics of the Shiner Miners, the meticulously crafted singer/songwriter pop of Matt Williams or the inspired, mercurial soundscapes of Ideal Way: all local musicians, and all damn good. Now stop whining about being bored and go see a show.

(Chris Cooper can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Traveling Wilburys Re-release

On June 12 the Traveling Wilburys re-released the supergroup’s two albums along with (depending on whether you buy the deluxe or standard edition) bonus DVD content and 40-page collectible book with photos, original liner notes, new liner notes and a uniquely numbered certificate of authenticity. Really, I shouldn’t have to say any more. That alone should make you run right down to your local music store and order it, lest they actually have it in stock — then you’re really in luck. For those sad and lonely few not already acquainted with the Traveling Wilburys this is the perfect chance to get a musical education. Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Rob Orbison and George Harrison teamed up to create the Wilburys as the result of what was originally supposed to be a single B-side track. Upon hearing that track — “Handle Me With Care,” which incidentally is the song I walked down the aisle to — album producers said it had to be more than just a one tune gig. And oh, how lucky we are.

Buying a House

In about a month’s time the husband and I will be moving to a new house. It’s our very first house house, not a townhouse or a condo as we currently own. It’s an all-consuming task for sure. We’ve already spent way too many hours discussing various colors tones — “too cool,” “warm grey,” “reminds me of pea soup” — and have plans out the yin yang for all that we’re going to do — landscape this, rip out that, install a new one of these, refinish those. And I have to say that there’s a great part of me that has seriously enjoyed being a girl in all this. I’ve picked out new dishes — something I failed to do for the wedding — contemplated a few new specialized pots and pans to fill all the cabinet space in what will be my new kitchen, picked out flowers for the garden and bought a new rug for the bedroom (thank you Carpet Barn). All of it is part of making a house our home.

— By Sarah Kucharski

By Chris Cooper

In the mid 90’s it would’ve been nearly impossible to write about “new to the scene” female artists without mentioning Paula Cole. You know, “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” and all that.

A Man, A Can, A Plan

My youngest son and I have gotten a kick out of using this cookbook this summer. Subtitled “50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make,” this durable, stain-resistant cookbook should be in every guy’s kitchen. The recipes taste great, are healthy and inexpensive, and even include pictures of the ingredients.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Walking his dog in a Waynesville neighborhood one summer evening several weeks ago, fear was the farthest thing from Dan Elliott’s mind. So when a pit bull came charging after Elliott and his 80-pound Australian Shepherd mix, sinking his teeth into the dog’s hindquarters, Elliott was shocked. It took a full minute for the owner to unlock his pit bull’s jaws from Elliott’s dog.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Searching for the term “dowsing” on the Internet will bring up all kinds of Web sites related to the paranormal. But to many who practice the craft, including Alvin Fradey, dowsing is simply an unexplained technique that works and can help locate everything from skeletons to minerals. It was first used to find underground water sources.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

After decades of neglect, an overgrown hill in Jackson County holding the remains of residents of the old Jackson County Home was nearly forgotten. Thanks to the determination of one man, however, the old cemetery has been saved.

Following months of course reconstruction, Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier will re-open 9 holes of golf this weekend.