By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Haywood County commissioners have agreed to pay for the creation of a farmland protection plan they hope will guide efforts to preserve the region’s farming tradition for generations to come.

The native garden located at the Bridge Park parking lot in the triangle surrounding the Jackson County Farmers Market sign provides a mini native plants lesson. On the back of the sign, you will find a map of all of the plants planted in the triangle and an article about native landscaping with a list of a variety of plants to choose from.

The Speaking of Gardening symposium Aug. 24-25 at the N.C. Arboretum will bring some of the world’s finest gardeners to Asheville.

The annual symposium is a popular event for horticulture professionals and enthusiasts. This year’s event features speakers from the U.S., the United Kingdom and Japan presenting lectures on creative design and cutting-edge plants. A number of lectures are scheduled this year, as well as book signings and live and silent plant auctions showcasing rare and unusual plants.

The keynote speaker is Mike Buffin, Gardens and Parks Adviser for the National Trust of the United Kingdom. He provides technical advice for historic gardens and parks in London, Southeast England, and Northern Ireland. Among Buffin’s published works are Winter Flowering Shrubs and The Illustrated Guide to Trees.

Lectures scheduled for the symposium include:

• Plants Come First; Imagine That!, presented by Jenks Farmer.

• The Evolution of Japanese Horticulture, presented by Takayuki Kobayashi.

• Is it a Vegetable, Fruit or Ornamental?, led by Rita Pelczar.

• Growing Plants in a Global Greenhouse, by Mike Buffin.

• Soul Gardening, led by Jenks Farmer.

• Ornamental and Edible Selections & Trends in Japanese Horticulture, presented by Takayuki Kobayashi.

Registration for the symposium is $145 for Arboretum members and $170 for non-members. The fee includes lectures, book signings, lunches and snacks for both days. Seating is limited and registration is required. 828.665.2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org.

The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River is offering guided adventure tours from 9 to 11 a.m. each Saturday morning at Monteith Farmstead Park.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Appalachian Trail with a summer games competition from 5-9 p.m. on Aug. 14 at the Highland Brewing Company in Asheville.

Participants will compete for a variety of outdoor gear prizes by playing classic activities like a water balloon toss, watermelon seed spitting contest and a cupcake walk.

The event will also feature Jay Leutze, noted national conservation spokesperson and author, who will read from his new book, Stand Up That Mountain. Musicians are welcome to come and perform during the competition. The Highland Brewing Company will also feature beer specials throughout the event.

“Not only does this anniversary celebrate the completion of the Trail, it also celebrates the unique collaboration and determination of countless individuals, private organizations, and state and federal agencies in their efforts to complete this long-distance hiking trail from Maine to Georgia” said Mark Wenger, Executive Director and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The A.T. was completed on Aug. 14, 1937. This task took more than 15 years to complete and involved thousands of volunteers, agency partners, local Trail maintaining clubs and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The A.T. is one of the longest continuously marked footpath in the world, measuring roughly 2,180 miles in length. The Trail goes through fourteen states from the southern terminus at Springer Mountain in Georgia to the Trail’s northern terminus at Katahdin, Maine.

It has been estimated that 2 to 3 million people visit the Trail every year, and about 1,800–2,000 people attempt to “thru-hike” the Trail.

Prizes for the competition have been donated by Mountain Khaki, Gregory, and ENO.

304.535.2200, ext. 117 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

New state hunting laws make it legal to hunt coyotes and feral swine at night on private lands.

The laws were passed in an attempt to control burgeoning populations of the animals, both of which are non-native to North Carolina and destructive to the landscape, livestock and domestic animals.

It is still illegal to hunt feral swine and coyotes on public lands.

The temporary revisions to the state hunting laws will remain in effect for up to 270 days during which time the Wildlife Commission will continue to pursue permanent rules. The new regulations are year-round, seven days a week. Hunting on Sundays is allowed only on private lands and only with archery equipment.

To learn more, visit www.ncwildlife.org.

Haywood Community College’s Natural Resources Division and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer Hunter Safety courses from 6-9:30 p.m. on Aug. 20-22 in rooms 309 and 310 on the HCC campus. Participants must attend three consecutive evenings to receive their certification.

Additional hunter safety courses will be offered Sept. 24-26, Oct. 8-10, and Nov. 5-7. All sessions will be offered from 6-9:30 p.m. in Rooms 309/310 on the HCC campus.

Courses are free and open to all ages. Pre-egistration required and can done at ncwildlife.org.

The WNC Sportsman’s Club and the Lake Logan Episcopal Center are sponsoring an Outdoor Sportsmans Day beginning at 9 a.m. on Aug. 18 at the Episcopal Center.

Vendors of outdoor-related equipment will be on hand. There will be traditional blackpowder hunters in period dress, and survivalist and long-range shooting instructor Tres Moncet. There will also be a Sportsman’s Challenge Contest, Youth Fishing Contest and demonstrations in archery, taxidermy, trapping, fly-fishing, fly-tying and more.

There will be no sale of firearms or alcohol allowed. Free. For information contact Troy Carroll at 828.231.8864 or Mark Rogers at 828.648.5845.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation will hold a fundraising banquet and auction on Aug. 18 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Hotel Ballroom in Cherokee.

Dr. Ron Sutherland will give a presentation on the eastern cougar at 7 p.m. on Aug. 16 as part of the every Thursday Zahner Conservation Lectures at the Highlands Nature Center.

“Eastern Cougar: Their ecological importance and prospects for recovery in the southeast,” will be Sutherland’s topic. Recently, the US Fish & Wildlife Service declared the Eastern cougar to be extinct, closing the door on decades of sporadic sightings up and down the Appalachian Mountains. The loss of the cougar poses challenges to maintaining the biodiversity of recovering wildlands. Sutherland will review recent evidence suggesting the importance of cougars and options for restoring cougars to the Southeast.

All Zahner Conservation Lectures are free and open to the public. www.highlandsbiological.org or call 828.526.2221.

North Carolina State University’s Forestry & Environmental Outreach Program is co-sponsoring a series of four workshops for private forest landowners called the “Woodland Steward Series: Mountains Program.”

The final two programs in the series are Aug. 15 and Aug. 17 at Bent Creek Experimental Forest and the Cradle of Forestry near Brevard.

Workshops are led by natural resource and land management specialists, and include both hands-on activities in the field and instruction in the classroom. For more information or to register online visit www.ncsu-feop.org/woodlandstewards. Contact Addie Thornton, Course Coordinator, with any questions or concerns at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 919.515.9563.

An author reading, book signing, and Vietnamese food tasting with Deanna Klingel, will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, in the meeting room of the Macon County Library in Franklin.

Klingel’s book is Bread Upon the Water, based on the life of Father Duong Tien of St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church in Franklin.

524.3600, www.booksbydeanna.com.

Author Wayne Caldwell will discuss his novel Cataloochee at 6 p.m. on Aug. 9 in the Haywood County Public Library auditorium in Waynesville.

Caldwell’s talk is titled “The Genesis of a Novel,” and he will talk about how he attempted to bring to life the community’s historic struggles and close kinships during a span of six decades.

828.356.2507

To the Editor:

Both political parties say with a straight face that the other party is to blame for the “fiscal cliff” that we will face come Jan. 1, 2013. The truth is that neither party was willing to compromise during the Bush tax cut negotiations last fall, and a bipartisan group voted to approve the sequestrations. They are both to blame for the state of affairs we find ourselves in now.

I am staggered at the comment made by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), member of the Senate Budget Committee, announcing the fact that the Democrats are willing to allow the country to sail off this cliff unless they get their tax increases on the “rich.” The tax cuts were actually given to all taxpayers, but Democrats refer to them as tax cuts for the “rich.” The rich already pay a disproportionate share of income taxes. The top 1 percent pay 38 percent of all tax revenues while earning only 20 percent of all income generated).

Whether or not this is fair is an argument for another day. Regardless, the result of the expiration of these tax cuts will be severe economic contraction in an already stressed economic environment. Here is what will happen:

•  Your income taxes will go up. Those in the lowest brackets will see the greatest percentage of increase.

• If you are married you will pay more taxes than two single people with the same income.

• The phase-out rule for itemized deductions will return for many people. The more you make, the less you can deduct.

• The phase-out rule for personal exemptions will return for many people. The more you make, the less your personal exemption will be.

• Taxes on long-term gains and dividends will increase for everyone.

• The current renditions of the child tax credit, earned income credit, dependent care credit, and adoption credit will expire, thus increasing the tax burden on many people who can’t afford it.

• The inflation indexing of the Alternative Minimum Tax will expire, ensnaring many more middle and lower income people in its odious tentacles.

• Medicare expenditures will be drastically reduced.

• Defense spending will be reduced to the lowest level since WWII, resulting in the inability of the U.S. to respond strongly to a serious threat from any source.

In a nutshell, if these tax cuts are allowed to expire expect to pay substantially more so your government can keep up its spend thrift ways. Democrats and Obama only talk about raising taxes. Had enough? I have.

Lynn Riggsbee

Cashiers

To the Editor:

In answer to the statement made two weeks ago by Lisa Weeks as to why working people would ever vote Republican, I would suggest this: simply, to keep on working.

The Republican approach to government is that it should be smaller; that citizens should keep more of their hard-earned money; and that taxes should be lower so that businesses can expand and create the jobs we so desperately need. Republicans believe in an America where people reach goals by honest work, by doing for themselves what they can. They believe in a “hand up” rather than a “hand out.” They believe in encouraging initiative. This sounds like a working class party to me.

 It is very inaccurate to label the Republican Party as the “rich man’s party.” That very idea is one of the ways Obama has divided this country and created class warfare. Rewarding effort and success is a good thing, not an evil thing. Lowering taxes even for “the rich” (many of whom risked their time and savings and worked hard to get to where they are today) encourages business to expand. When more people earn a paycheck the government takes in more revenue and fewer people have to depend on welfare.

As Lisa points out, Roosevelt put people to work. But this adminsistration is expanding programs that keep people in poverty. Yes, we need to help those who need it, but the best way to do that is to provide those who can with a way to help themselves. As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime.” This is how the Republican Party favors the little guy. It is the people who have the capital who help the people who don’t, by providing them with jobs.

Democrats look to bigger government to solve our problems. But as Gerald Ford said years ago “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take everything you have.”

Americans value their freedoms and, with expanding government, these are eroding bit by bit each day. The mandate in Obamacare that would force people to do what is against their consciences is a good example. And we see in Greece a preview of what could happen here economically if things don’t change drastically.

So when you go to the polls in November, recall the longstanding 8.2 percent unemployment rate (15 percent if you consider those who have given up looking for work), the massive deficit, the promise of more taxes (with little hope for relief), the high prices of food and gas, the stale economy and the sense of hopelessness that prevails. Three and a half years should be enough to show us where we have gotten and where we will continue to head without a change in direction. It is imperative to give someone else a chance to lead our country and restore hope for America’s future.

Loretta Hastings

Franklin

By Shannan Mashburn • Intern

Democrat Hayden Rogers has commanded the lead in the money race for the congressional election to take over U.S. Congressman Heath Shuler’s seat in Washington next year.

Neither Rogers nor his Republican opponent Mark Meadows raised a staggering amount of money during the spring and summer, when most candidates typically see a drop off in political contributions before the big push going into fall.

The community is invited to attend a memorial butterfly release ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 9 at Angel Medical Center.

The ceremony will feature music, inspirational readings and a time of prayer, followed by the release of live butterflies by all in attendance.

“The program is intended to provide a nurturing, renewing experience for people grieving the loss of a loved one,” said Rev. Vic Greene, Angel Hospice Chaplain. “The ceremony is really a celebration of the lives of those being remembered and honored.”

Angel Hospice’s mission is to provide the highest quality hospice and palliative care to their patients and their families.

“The staff of Angel Medical Center and Angel Hospice encourages everyone to join with us for this free event. We are sure it will lift your spirits,” said Jean Sprinkle, director of Angel Hospice.

The Town of Waynesville had a discharge of untreated wastewater from a sanitary sewer line located along N.C. 209, Crabtree Road adjacent to Richland Creek and the County fairgrounds.

The spill amount is estimated at 9,000 gallons. The sanitary sewer overflow was discovered around noon, July 31 during heavy rainfall. It lasted about two hours.

Diluted but untreated wastewaters entered Richland Creek. The discharge ended when rainfall and stream flows subsided, and the area affected was raked, cleaned and limed.

Maintenance activities and sewer system rehabilitation are being performed to identify and correct infiltration and inflow sources connected to the sewer system to prevent overflows in the event of future storms.

828.456.4410.

By Peggy Manning • Correspondent

Every Friday morning, a small group of mothers meet in Bryson City to pray for students, teachers and school administrators. Called Moms in Prayer, the sessions last about an hour and focus on issues participants are concerned about in the school system, said organizer Brona Winchester.

Adult volunteers are needed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Aug. 21 to help youth register for the Haywood County Fair.

If you are available to help, volunteers are asked to sign-up for three-hour shifts from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 1-3 p.m. or 3-6 p.m. Lunch will be provided for folks volunteering during the morning and afternoon shifts. Please call the Extension office at 828.456.3575 to sign-up.

Last year, 4-H had more than 400 entries. Youth are invited to enter their artwork, photography, sewing, vegetables, canned or baked items, etc. Please see Haywood County Fair enclosure for full details.

Republican and unaffiliated voters are invited to the grand opening of a new Republican Party office at 4 p.m. Aug. 9 at 58 D Sunrise Park, a retail complex located opposite the intersection of Highway 107 and the Asheville Highway in Sylva.

Featured grand opening guests are Mark Meadows, Republican candidate for the U.S. House seat presently held by Heath Shuler, and N.C. GOP Vice Chair Wayne King.

Reservations are requested but not necessary and can be made by calling the Victory 2012 Sylva office director Krista Carter at 318.376.9476, Jackson County GOP Chair Ralph Slaughter at 828.743.6491 or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

www.jacksoncountygop.com.

Mission Health, Angel Medical Center, and the American Red Cross will offer a free Citizen CPR, hands only, class at 9 and 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18.

During the 30-minute class, participants learn how to check for consciousness, call 9-1-1 and give continuous chest compressions. The technique involves no mouth-to-mouth contact and is best used in emergencies outside of hospitals where a bystander has seen another person suddenly collapse.

“This life-saving skill is invaluable, easy to learn and empowers everyone to respond in an emergency to help to save someone’s life,” said Frank Castelblanco, director of cardiac emergencies at Mission Health.

The classes will be held at Angel Medical Center on 120 Riverview St. in Franklin. Sign-up.

828.258.3888, ext. 202.

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners declared Aug. 10 as the official “Balsam Range Day” to celebrate the upcoming release of the bluegrass band’s newest record as well as its contributions to the county.

“Congratulations. Very well deserved,” County Commissioner Chairman Mark Swanger said after passing the formal Balsam Range Day resolution at a county meeting Monday.

By Paul Clark • Contributor

Implementation of a new state law that increases the amount of land that can be clear-cut in front of highway billboards will get final tweaking and a public audience this month.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will take public input before finalizing rules for how the controversial tree-cutting will be performed. A law clearing the way for more clear-cutting passed the General Assmebly in July 2011. The law itself is not up for discussion, said Jamille Robbins, a DOT transportation engineer associated with the public hearing. But, commenters can have a say in the permanent rules that will be used to put the law in effect.

Local residents will have an opportunity to learn how to develop a website in “The One-Day Website,” a class that will be offered from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Aug. 17, by Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing Education.

The class will meet in Room 137 of the Cordelia Camp Building. The cost of the class is $59, which includes lunch.

Participants will learn to design, create, publish and maintain the files needed for a free personal website by establishing a free account on Tripod.com. Using the features, options, templates and tools available in their accounts, students will define text, images and tables according to their needs. No book, program download or special computer skills are required.

learn.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

The Haywood Community Band will present its fourth free concert of the Maggie Valley Concert Series at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19, at the pavilion adjacent to Maggie Valley Town Hall.

The band will take the audience on a musical tour around the world with its theme, “Touched by History.”  Come and enjoy listening to “A Morning in Madrid,” “One Night in Athens,” “In a Persian Market,“ and other familiar music. Bring a picnic dinner and enjoy a beautiful Maggie Valley sunset.

828.456.4880 or visit www.haywoodcommunityband.org.

Musician and folklorist Lee Knight will perform in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 14.

Knight is a native of the Adirondack Mountains and a long-time resident of Cashiers. He has studied the folk cultures of the Southern Appalachians and the Adirondacks as well as the sea islands off the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. He refers to his musical style as “musical archaeology,” and he has developed his repertoire by visiting with local residents and musicians who have kept regional traditions alive. He plays several instruments, including the fretless five-string banjo, Appalachian dulcimer, Cherokee flute, rattle, and water drum, in addition to the guitar and mouth bow. He plays traditional Appalachian and Adirondack mountain music, but he often sings the traditional songs a cappella.

In April 2006, Knight performed at Carnegie Hall and has earned a reputation among folk music performers for his authentic style and traditional rhythms.

Knight’s performance at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is free and open to the public. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. For more information, please call the library at 828.586.2016. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (www.fontanalib.org).

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater is once again presenting a chance for area talent to take home the gold with the Second Annual “Haywood’s Got Talent” event in September.

HART is offering a $1,000 top prize for the winner and cash prizes for the two runners up. Contestants are not limited to Haywood County, and there are no age limit or category restrictions. However, all contestants must first make it past a screening audition.

Everything from musicians to jugglers to dancers to acrobats are encouraged to come in and audition from 1-3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18, and at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 19. Anyone unable to attend auditions may submit a recorded audition via mail to HART at P.O. Box 1024, Waynesville, NC 28786 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or YouTube prior to auditions.

Those who get past the initial audition will be part of a semifinal round of performances during Labor Day weekend, which will be presented as full variety shows on the HART main stage.

There will be three guest adjudicators at each level who will narrow the field down. The finals will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 22 and will be presented as one evening featuring the best of the best.

At the end of the evening at both the semi-final and final rounds, the audience will be allowed to cast a vote which will count 25 percent towards the final outcome. The winner selected by the three judges, and the audience will be presented with a check for $1,000, and the runner-up will received $300 and $200 prizes.

The Charlie Daniels Band, a Grammy-winning group that requires little introduction, will perform live at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts on at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17.

The Smoky Mountain Community Theatre is holding auditions for its December production, “A Christmas Carol,” at 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 16-17.

This play is based on the classic book by Charles Dickens. The story tells about the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, in an attempt to show Scrooge the error of his ways.

The cast consists of 11 males, six females, four boys, and two girls; however, the cast is expandable. There are several non-speaking roles as well. The theatre is located on Main Street in Bryson City. For information contact Director Toby Allman at 828.488.8103.

Visit the web site at www.smctheatre.com or look for the theater on Facebook.

Haywood Arts Regional Theater will present Neil Simon’s play “Lost in Yonkers” which premiered at the Richard Rogers Theater in February 1991 and won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony award.

The play will show at 7:30 pm. on Aug. 17-18 and Aug. 23-25, with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. on Aug. 19 and 26.

This coming of age tale tells the story of two young brothers left to live with their grandmother when their traveling salesman father can no longer take care of them. Living with them is Bella, their aunt, a mentally slow and excitable woman intimidated by her immigrant mother and also on the scene is their hoodlum uncle.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $8 for students. Special discount tickets for students for Sundays and Thursdays are $5.

828.456.6322 for reservations or at www.harttheatre.com.

Forty-seven students played and sang their way through the week as Voices in the Laurel Children’s Choir recently completed its third annual summer music camp.

Western Carolina University will host two bands and screen the horror film “Cabin in the Woods” on Saturday, Aug. 18, as part of the university’s annual outdoor Valley Ballyhoo event.

The Marianna Black Library will present an evening of acoustic music with local singer/songwriter team Liz and AJ Nance at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9.

Weather permitting, this program will be presented on the front porch of the library; otherwise, it will be moved to the library auditorium. Snacks and refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Marianna Black Library.

The program is free. 828.488-3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

The Summer Concert series at Fontana Village Resort will feature The Elderly Brothers from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 11, in the Events Hall at Fontana Village Resort. The Elderly Brothers play classics from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

There will also be music on the deck of the Wildwood Grill Thursday and Friday nights. Randy Flack will play from 8-11 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9. Flack plays everything from country, classic rock, Motown, gospel, blue grass, and his own original songs. On Friday, Aug. 10, from 7:30-10 p.m. enjoy the Logan Murrell, a songwriter and musician from Knoxville. 

Visit fontanavillage.com or call 828.498.2211.

Kellie Pickler, a small-town North Carolina native who competed on NBC’s American Idol, will perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 18.

The next Second Sunday Contra Dance will be from 2:30-5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 12, in the community room on the second floor of the old courthouse in the Jackson County Library Complex in Sylva.

Jennie Wakefield will call the dance to the music of Out of the Woodwork. There will also be a potluck dinner following the contra dance, starting at 5:30 p.m. Bring a covered dish, plate, cup and cutlery and a water bottle.

All dances are done to live music, and local musicians are invited to sit in with the band, to jam and learn how to play music for dancing. No previous experience with contra dancing is necessary, and all dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

“Answering the Call: Religion and Chaplains during the Civil War” will be the topic of a lecture by Ronald Vinson at 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Macon County Public Library.

Vinson is a graduate of Georgia Tech and has worked with many museums on historical projects. He is the executive director of the Presbyterian Heritage Center in Montreat near Asheville.

The Center currently features an exhibit, which he helped design and which will be subject of his talk. The 1,100-square-foot display contains diaries, letters, documents, uniforms, buttons, swords, rifles, and rare photos. The exhibit, which runs to October of this year, provides information and photos on many chaplains from a variety of denominations including Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Roman Catholic, and Jewish. Vinson recently spoke at the 15th Annual Salisbury Confederate Prison Symposium.

704.637.6411 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Kiwanis Club of Waynesville is reviving the very popular Spelling Bee fundraising event that was run, for many years, by the Haywood County Literacy Council.

The event is scheduled for Nov. 2 at the First Methodist Church in Waynesville. Members are already seeking sponsors and individuals willing to be a part of this fun and great community experience.  

The sponsorships and funds raised will go directly to assist the children of Haywood County with their educational, medical, nourishment and clothing needs. For more information please call Marti Peithman at 828.926.3678 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call George Dixon at 828.452.3573 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Folk Art Center will host its annual celebration of woodcrafts at Wood Day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Aug.11 at The Folk Art Center’s auditorium.

Demonstrations include carving, wood-turning, broom-making, and furniture design and construction. Southern Highland Craft Guild members Sandra Rowland and Jan Morris will host activities for children.

Another part of Wood Day is the 12th Annual Carve-Off Competition from 1 to 3 p.m. Participants have two hours to turn a simple block of wood into a work of art. Carvers must sign up by 12:30 p.m. to participate.

Admission is free. The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville. Headquarters to the Southern Highland Craft Guild, the Center also houses three galleries, a library, Allanstand Craft Shop and a Blue Ridge Parkway bookstore.

828.298.7928 or visit www.craftguild.org.

Elementary school-aged children and their families are invited to a free “Back To School” ARTSaturday workshop from 10 a.m. until noon on Saturday, Aug. 11, in the children’s area of the Macon County Public Library.

Make-and-take projects include personalized book covers, bookmarks and caps. Music will be provided by keyboardist Lionel Caynon and ice cream treats will be served. No pre-registration; children should wear play clothes and come for any part of the session. Adults can work with their younger children at a designated workstation.

The library is off Siler Road in Franklin adjacent to Southwestern Community College. The Arts Council presents ARTSaturday workshops at the Library the second Saturday of the month.

www.artscouncilofmacon.org or 828.524.7683.

Jackson County Visual Arts Association (JVCAA) is sponsoring the Sylva Art Stroll in historic downtown Sylva starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 10.

Metal artist Grace Cathey of Haywood County will display her work and talk about her artistic journey from 7 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 24 in the barn behind the Shelton House in Waynesville.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

The problem with trying to interview a ventriloquist is that he — in this case Jeff Dunham — represents not just himself but multiple other personalities — in this case five — and in summoning a cast of half a dozen from the back of his throat said ventriloquists’ voice was shot by the time we were supposed to talk.

Ugly Truths

Has the entertainment industry really crumbled to such a sorry point that rather than attempting to make the best music they possibly can, the current “superstars” are more interested in making bets on whose outrageously hyped, fancily packaged and hopelessly mediocre product will outsell the other’s equally lame-o new disc? Yeehaw — 50 Cent’s going to retire if Kanye wins.

Haywood County commissioners have taken a first step forward — albeit a small one — to protect farmland in the mountains, but they and leaders in other counties need to do more. If they don’t, the region’s agriculture traditions is going to just fade away before our eyes.

By David Curtis

I would like to think Haywood County is still considered a rural county. At least to me, sexing a possum is something I can’t really associate with an urban lifestyle.

Swain County inched a notch closer this month toward seeing a cash settlement in lieu of the long-promised North Shore Road.