By Kenn Jacobine • Guest Columnist

Washington is full of drama. Americans are constantly being treated to high political suspense. Whether it’s the scandal ridden death of an ambassador, an outrageous gun dealing policy gone wrong on our southern border, or the spectacle of politicians scurrying frantically at the eleventh hour to raise the federal debt ceiling to keep Uncle Sam running, there is usually no shortage of political theater emanating from the nation’s capital.

Franklin’s Main Street Program has found itself in an uncomfortable spotlight in recent weeks as Franklin merchants have complained that the town’s formal downtown association isn’t doing enough.

A Jackson County resident has taken it upon himself to show county decision-makers that a Cashiers ABC store is a must.

The Haywood Community College Board of Trustees will meet on Dec. 19 to interview eight candidates who hope to be the college’s next president.

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation is holding its “Home for the Holidays” promotion, in which “Youth For Sarge’s” members make Christmas stockings and each time a cat or dog is adopted, hang them at the Haywood County animal shelter to celebrate the animal going to a new home.

Also as part of the promotion, through Dec. 31, there will be a special adoption fee of $60 for dogs, $37 for female cats and $27 for male cats. The fee covers the cost of spay or neuter and a rabies vaccination.

“Home for the Holidays” has helped hundreds of abandoned or stray dogs and cats at the Haywood County Animal Shelter find homes during the holiday season by providing those low-cost adoptions. Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation and Aidan’s Fund supplement the fees to keep them lower to encourage more people to adopt.

www.sargeandfriends.org or 828.246.9050.

Southwestern Community College has been awarded a nearly $1.3 million grant under the Upward Bound Programs from the U.S. Department of Education. Upward Bound is among seven federal programs that serve middle, high school and college students with the goal of increasing postsecondary enrollment and completion. The money will go toward a college preparatory program for teenagers designed to encourage academic success in high school as well as college.

Research has shown that program graduates are seven times as likely to attend college and graduate from college as those who do not participate. Southwestern Community College has successfully hosted the Upward Bound program since 1999.

The program provides support during the academic year, summer and after high school graduation. Services include tutoring, mentoring, college visits, exam preparation, service opportunities, financial workshops, cultural, social and activities — all provided at no cost.

828.339.4281 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Southwestern Community College will launch a training program for live game dealers, in conjunction with Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort, thanks in part to a nearly $400,000 back-to-work grant from the N.C. Department of Commerce.

Specifically, the grant will help the nearly 1,000 people in SCC’s three-county service area whose unemployment has run out with financial assistance to enroll in the gambling course.

The newly developed course is a seven-week training program that will teach participants live gaming techniques and casino regulations. With the addition of live gaming this past August, Harrah’s anticipated that 500 new jobs would be created. These positions pay an average of $25 per hour.

“The timing of this grant was perfect for what was happening at Harrah’s. It allowed SCC to develop a trained workforce for Harrah’s and help the people in Western North Carolina get back to work,” said Sonja Haynes, dean of Workforce and Economic Development at SCC.

In addition to the technical skills needed to be a dealer, this program has been expanded to include classes teaching communication, time management, problem solving and how to have a positive self-image. Instructors will also work with the students on how to write a resume and interview for a job.

828.339.4218.

Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing is the recipient of nearly $700,000 in federal grant funding to help address a shortage of primary health care providers in Western North Carolina.

The Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is awarding WCU $349,877 annually during a two-year period to increase student enrollment in it’s specialized master’s degree program for family nurse practitioners.

The funding will be used to support second- and third-year graduate students in the university’s program by providing up to $11,000 annually to each student to help defray the cost of education, including assistance with the cost of tuition, fees, books and living expenses.

828.654.6506 or 828.654.6498 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

An encore performance of “Mother Jones,” a monologue written by Gary Carden, will be staged at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

In the late 19th Century, Mother Jones befriended mistreated workers across the nation. She encouraged employers to improve working conditions and to pay fair wages. Actress Lara Chew portrays Mother Jones in the theatrical monologue.

Carden recently received the 2012 North Carolina Award for Literature, the state’s highest literary honor.

Tickets are $15. Proceeds will benefit the UUFF Operating Fund.

828.524.3161 or 828.524.6777 or 828.369.8658.

The Liars Bench presents “A Foxfire Christmas with Randy Flack” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, in the Mountain Heritage Center auditorium at Western Carolina University.

The group will perform southern Appalachian stories, music and songs onstage. Flack, born in Western North Carolina and raised in Swain County, is a Nashville recording artist and has performed at the Grand Ole Opry and the Blue Bird Cafe. He learned to play guitar and sing at an early age and has traveled all across the United States performing his own songs and delighting audiences.

The Liars Bench was created in the early summer of 2010 by Gary Carden, recipient of the 2008 Brown-Hudson Folklore Award and the 2012

North Carolina Award for Literature, to promote southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama and folk arts.

theliarsbenchgazette.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/TheLiarsBench or 828.227.7129.

The final downtown Sylva Art Stroll of the year will feature luminaries to light the way at 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14.

Art will be the highlight of this candlelit evening where people are encouraged to shop, dine and explore historic downtown. Amid numerous participating businesses, there will be plenty of events going on around the community.

• The Jackson County Library Complex Rotunda will feature an art exhibit with works by Norma Hendrix, put on by the Jackson County Arts Council.

• The Jackson County Library Complex Atrium will be the location of an art exhibit featuring the works of four advanced art students from Smoky Mountain High School.

• Nichols House Antiques and Collectibles will present a student art show featuring Scotts Creek Elementary School students.

• Gallery 1 will hold a “Tiny Works” show featuring small works of art for sale.

• It’s By Nature is will be offering arts and crafts from the region’s finest artisans.

• City Lights Cafe will exhibit “Southern Scenic Photography” by Karen and Chris Mobley and music by Divergent. Signature Brew Coffee Company will feature additional photographs by Karen and Chris Mobley.

• Survival Pride Clothing Store and Art Gallery will display and sell artwork by Smoky Mountain High School students.

• Heinzelmannchen Brewery will have holiday gift baskets.

• Skinny Gallery will host a grand finale exhibit.

The event is sponsored by the Jackson County Visual Arts Association and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.

828.337.3468 or www.mountainlovers.com.

Western North Carolina artist Norma Hendrix will hold an opening exhibit of her work from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14 at the Jackson County historic courthouse rotunda.

Hendrix sees life through a complexity of layers. The works in this exhibit are constructs of landscapes, interior and exterior spaces and visual play from musings and journeys. Each piece combines rubbings — direct impressions taken from flora or architectural matter — with paint and drawing, papers and layers of marks. Hendrix is the executive director of Cullowhee Mountain ARTS and serves on the board of the Jackson County Arts Council.

This is the first of exhibits that will be sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council in what is to be known as the “Rotunda Gallery” at the historic courthouse. The exhibits will feature regional artists who will be able to submit proposals for exhibitions through the arts council.

The exhibition will be open for viewing until Jan. 10.

828.342.6913.

A mural project called “On Hallowed Ground” aims to honor the heritage of Dillsboro, showcase artistic talents and lend a hand in the revitalization of the village.

The Little Tennessee River in Macon County landed a spot on the N.C. Wildlife Federation’s “top nine” list of spots to enjoy wildlife and wildlife-associated activities in the state.

Volunteers and scientists planted 200 American chestnut seedlings in the Nantahala National Forest that are hopefully blight resistant in efforts to restore the mighty giant to its rightful place as king of the Appalachian forest.

In November the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy purchased 89 acres at the southern end of the Yellow Mountain State Natural Area in a move to protect vulnerable conservation lands and pristine views.

The tract, in the Highlands of Roan, adjoins and provides a key gateway to hundreds of acres that the organization has protected in past years as well as lands in state-designated scenic areas.

The now-protected property is adjacent to and visible from hundreds of acres of public lands. The purchase also saves White Oak Creek, a tributary of the North Toe River, from potential harm. The creek flows through the property. The property is also close to the Roan/Cane Creek Mountain Important Bird Area.

“Gaining a gateway to the other lands we have protected at Burleson Bald has been a priority for SAHC.” said Jay Leutze, SAHC representative and local author. “We are thrilled to add this tract to the other lands we have protected.”

Downtown Waynesville will be hosting “A Night before Christmas” from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8.

The event will include numerous Christmas choral groups and musicians, candlelight shopping, thousands of holiday lights, with plenty of shops, galleries and restaurants open for the evening. Santa Claus will also be going up and down the streets to greet the little ones.

Local church carolers and musicians will perform throughout the evening. The First Baptist Church will recreate a “Bethlehem Marketplace” with a live nativity and village of Bethlehem in their parking lot on South Main Street.

Caroling groups will be from Hazelwood Presbyterian Church, Beth Eden Church, Waynesville First Presbyterian Church and Haywood Christian Home Educators.

Other music will be performed by Ginny McAfee, Haywood Community Band, Tuscola Band Ensemble, students from Junaluska Music Studio, SongSpinners, Signature Winds and First Methodist Church Hand Bell Choir and Production Paranoia Bluegrass Teen Band, “Poetry People” Michael and Scott roving downtown, FunShine Faces will be set-up at at Main Street PERKS, Mr. Tom “The Balloon Man” will be outside City Bakery, and Angie’s Dance Academy will perform outside United Community Bank.

www.downtownwaynesville.com or 828.456.3517.

From WWII Christmas memories to an audience sing-along, the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts is bringing a full line-up of holiday performances to the stage in Franklin this month. 

• Overlook Theatre Company will present “Christmas Memories: Postcards from the USO” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 and 8, and at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 9. A lively cast of talented actors, singers and musicians will take a trip back to a celebrate Christmas, World War II style. Festive music, Hollywood stars and side-splitting comedy honoring and cheering soldiers will remind audiences there is no place like home for the holidays. Tickets are $13 each.

• There will be an old-fashioned Christmas carol sing-a-long at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13. Friends and family of the theatre will enjoy sounds of the season as they echo throughout the auditorium, reminding them of their most cherished Christmas memories and traditions. Tickets are $7.

• Jim Brickman, the best-selling piano artist of all time, will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 14. Brickman’s talent for songwriting and his engaging personality has earned him album/radio hits, Grammy nominations and numerous music awards. To celebrate the Christmas season, he will delight audiences with beautiful music and heart-felt songs. Tickets are $29.

www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Vox Audio takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Charles Dickens’ classic work “A Christmas Carol” is coming to the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville this month.

Holiday classic “The Nutcracker” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Art students from Western Carolina University will exhibit their work through Friday, Dec. 14, at the WCU Fine Art Museum. A reception for the exhibit will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6.

To the Editor:

The following letter was sent to firefighters, first responders, and law enforcement personnel for all those who helped with HCC’s recent fire:

The purpose in my letter is to thank all of you who responded to the recent fire at Haywood Community College. We often forget the services of firefighters, first responders, and law enforcement personnel until we are in a time of crisis.

While the circumstances were unfortunate ones, I watched in amazement at the skill that all of you displayed as you worked together in minimizing the loss to Haywood Community College. The competence, proficiency, and expertise that all of you displayed was impressive. Above all, your spirit of cooperation contributed in a positive way to helping reduce the potential for a more loss to the college.

I hope that Haywood Community College can continue to strengthen its partnership with all safety units throughout the county. Working together, we can all assist in making Haywood County the pleasant place for which it has become known.

Again, thank you for your professionalism. The college welcomes the opportunity to serve your needs as well.

William C. Aiken

Interim President

Haywood Community College

To the Editor:

It is apparent that history is still being written and revised by the victors and their descendants. I read this past week a letter that attempted to describe the ancestors of many Haywood County residents as “traitors” and said that honoring them is disgraceful. That is very far from the truth.

Let me first offer some historical context to answer the charge of treason. Treason is defined as “the betrayal of one’s own country by waging war against it or by consciously or purposely acting to aid its enemies.” That definition would certainly include the actions of men like Thomas Jefferson, George Mason and others in their defiance to King George and the reprehensible actions of the Crown against her “citizens” in the forms of unfair taxes and levies. These “patriots” chose to dissolve their ties with England and form their own country.

The sectional crisis that existed between the industrial North and agricultural South came to its eventual head: war. Failing to have their grievances addressed by the federal government, Southern leaders felt no choice but to dissolve the Union. The South and the citizens of the region chose to exercise what they felt was their right. Even Abraham Lincoln, before he became president, stated in 1848 on the floor of Congress: “Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up and shake off the existing government and to form one that suits them better.” This statement holds true for the people of the South.

In 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Gen. U.S. Grant. He did not surrender the entire Confederate States of America or its resources at that point. Several other Confederate armies surrendered later. The federal government later gave equal veteran status to Confederate soldiers and offered them the same benefits as their Union counterparts (Veteran’s Benefits US Title Code 38) and recognized them as “Civil War” veterans. Why would we do this for traitors?

The state of North Carolina in 1961 (HR Resolution 1058) does allow a flag of the Confederacy to be flown over the State Capitol on certain days as long as a U.S. flag is flown in equal display. Flying a flag of the Confederacy on county property does not violate this policy as long as the U.S. flag is flown in connection with this action. The state constitution does not prohibit the flying of a Confederate flag. And in the context of the State’s Historic Sites flag policy, these flags can be designated as historical in meaning.

This issue is bigger than the symbol of a Confederate flag flying on county property. It is a test of upholding our nation’s founding principles. Do we respect the right of individuals to express themselves regardless of how we view their form of expression, or do we allow censorship to happen? County property should reflect the opinions of all citizens and not just a select few. Censoring the Confederate flag or other displays does just that.

H. Kip Rollins

Waynesville

To the Editor:

BINGO! Most North Carolinians caught on that Barack Obama’s economic failures are not so much ineptness but rather his agenda. The more people collecting unemployment insurance, receiving welfare checks and using food stamps the more dependency on government. This is the Obama administration’s dream — big government, big spending, and higher taxes to pay for it all.

Recently I saw an election bumper sticker that said “Osama Dead; Auto Industry Alive,” and of course, “Vote for Obama.” North Carolinians know that Osama Bin Laden is dead but al-Qaida is not. This was proven when al-Qaida attacked the U.S. in Benghazi, Libya, where four Americans, including a U.S Ambassador, were murdered by al-Qaida militants. For days and weeks Obama and high members of his administration tried to tell us the attack was not a planned al-Qaida attack but was spontaneous because of an anti-Islam video. We now know the truth — al-Qaida is alive and well.

The auto industry is alive? North Carolinians see that the auto union is alive! Obama used taxpayer money to bail out General Motors, leaving the union intact while destroying the investments of pension and bond holders, terminating hundreds of dealerships — thus thousands of jobs — and devastating the business of many auto suppliers.

North Carolinians wisely voted for Romney/Ryan, for Republican Gov. Pat Mc Crory, and for the continuation of a Republican legislature. Now North Carolinians must insist that our state leaders maintain our state sovereignty as the Obama agenda’s big federal government tries to chip away at our states’ ability to govern as constituents wish.

Carol Adams

Glenville

One-time assistance with heating expenses is now available for low-income disabled or senior citizens through county social services departments. The funding provides for a one-time payment for heating assistance for qualified low-income households that include disabled persons or at least one member who is age 60 or older. Call or stop by the social services department in your county for more information.

After more than a year of wrangling, a new Jackson County tourism authority was finally created this week, its board members officially named, and formal marching orders handed down.

The overhaul of tourism operations in Jackson County are intended to bring a new approach to tourism marketing and promotions, and hopefully increase tourism. Past tourism marketing efforts were stymied by turf wars and duplication of efforts by similar agencies.

Tune up your listening ears and wipe down the binoculars: the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society is calling all birders to participate in the Christmas Bird Count on Friday, Dec. 14.

A $50,000 grant will fund improvements to the red wolf exhibit and build a covered pavilion at the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville.

A biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, who hails from Haywood County and has played a leading role in establishing bobwhite quail habitat in the state, has been honored for his work.

A guided hike of the Mingus Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be held Saturday, Dec. 15, followed by a trip to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center for history lessons and holiday shopping at the gift shop.

Friends of the Smokies member and author of two regional hiking guides, Danny Bernstein, will lead this six-mile hike. There will be a 700-foot elevation change. Hikers will see the historic Mingus Mill, the Mingus family cemetery and a slave cemetery. The hike is moderate in difficulty and may be muddy.

At the visitor center afterward will be the Holiday Homecoming event, featuring traditional mountain holiday music and Christmas celebrations.

Participants will gather to depart from Asheville at 8:30 a.m., in Maggie Valley at 9 a.m. or in the Park at 9:30 a.m. A donation of $35 to go to the Friends Smokies Trails Forever program is requested, and includes a complimentary membership to Friends of the Smokies. Current Friends of the Smokies members hike for $10. Hikers who bring a friend hike for free.

To register for the hike, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720.

After four endangered red wolves were killed by hunters who possibly mistook them for coyotes while night hunting, a North Carolina judge has temporarily halted spotlight hunting of coyotes in five eastern counties where the world’s only wild population of red wolves is found.

The N.C. Wildlife Commission permitted this year nighttime spotlight hunting of coyotes, hoping to put a dent in the nuisance species. But coyotes look a lot like endangered red wolves, whose wild population numbers only about 100.

Red wolves had once been declared extinct in the wild until reintroduced through captive breeding programs.

Environmental groups vigorously protested nighttime spotlight hunting of coyotes, when the Wildlife Commission first proposed it earlier this year, for its potential harm to red wolves. Red wolves and coyotes are similar in size, fur, and coloring, so red wolves are frequently mistaken for coyotes, even in daylight.

But the state Wildlife Commission moved to allow the practice starting in August anyway.

The Southern Environmental Law Center has now filed a lawsuit to stop the spotlighting hunting on behalf of several conservation groups. It sought a temporary injunction against the rule while the full case is waiting to be heard.

A Wake County Superior Court judge granted the injunction, halting night hunting of coyotes in those five counties for now.

“The court acted to prevent the killing of more endangered red wolves,” said Derb Carter, a senior attorney at the law center.

But the injunction is only a small victory for environmental advocates who hope the spotlighting of coyotes will be prohibited permanently.

But Commission officials claim the spotlight hunting is an effective way of control coyotes, which are non-native to the state, destructive to the landscape and potential disease carriers.

“While we accept the judge’s decision, it is important to note that this is a decision on a preliminary injunction only. It is not a decision on the lawsuit,” said Wildlife Commission Executive Director Gordon Myers. “We remain confident of our position and its merits.”

Coyotes also kill pets and livestock, but the order does not prevent killing wildlife, including coyotes and red wolves, while in the act of depredation.

Once common throughout the Southeast, intensive predator control programs and loss of habitat eliminated wild red wolf populations. Red wolves bred in captivity were reintroduced on a North Carolina peninsula in the late 1980s.

The first backcountry emerald ash borer infestation has been confirmed in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Congressman Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, who is stepping down this year after spending six years in D.C., announced his next career move this week: directing the lobbying arm of Duke Energy in Washington.

As senior vice president of federal affairs with Duke Energy, Shuler won’t engage in lobbying himself. Under federal rules, retired Congressman must take a yearlong cooling-off period before actively working as a lobbyist.

Shuler’s retirement came as a surprise last winter, a last minute announcement on the eve of the deadline for candidates to declare their intentions. At the time, he said he wanted to spend more time with family rather than splitting his time between D.C. and his Waynesville home.

Governor-elect to headline holiday dinner

North Carolina Governor-elect Pat McCrory (R) will be the keynote speaker at the 20th annual Charles Taylor Holiday Dinner at 7 p.m. Dec. 8, at Grove Park Inn in Asheville. The event will be McCroy’s first public appearance in Western North Carolina since sweeping the North Carolina Governor’s race earlier this month. Tickets for the dinner are $50 per person. Reservations must be made in advance.

828.243.2187 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Meadows to join breakfast event in Jackson

Congressman-elect Mark Meadows (R-Cashiers) will join Jackson County Republicans at the group’s annual prayer breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at The Jarrett House Inn & Restaurant in Dillsboro.

Meadows recently won election to the U.S. House in North Carolina’s 11th District. He will replace outgoing Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville), who retired.

Reservations for the breakfast needed.

828.743.6491 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

HCC Foundation accepting calendar submissions 

The Haywood Community College campus is known for its iconic mill pond and natural beauty. Community members frequently use the campus for photographs, walking trails and the disc golf course. 

The HCC Foundation is asking community members to dig out your best photo to use in making a 2022 calendar showcasing the campus in its full glory during each season. Only scenic images will be accepted; no people, pets, etc. Once completed, the calendars will be available for purchase. Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit HCC students to provide emergency assistance through the HCC Cares Lavender Fund. If your photo is selected for the calendar, you will receive photo credit in the calendar as well as a free calendar. Deadline for photo submissions is 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5. Photos must be horizontal and high resolution of 300 dpi. By submitting a photo, you are agreeing that the image can be used in the 2022 HCC Calendar for reproduction. For more information, visit www.haywood.edu/foundation/hcc-calendar. To submit a photo, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To the Editor:

Doctor Raymond Turpin’s opinion of Michele Presnell, Mike Clampitt and Jim Davis seems based on the premise they “don’t get it” regarding the value of childhood programs (Oct. 24 edition of The Smoky Mountain News, www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/9154)

To be scrupulously honest, these three former Republican candidates for state House and Senate (Davis and Presnell won, Clampitt lost to Rep. Joe Sam Queen) probably “get it” all too well. They recognize, for example, that at some point over the years, parenting (considered native intelligence in my parent’s generation) is somehow akin to rocket science in my children’s.

The transfer of parenting has made possible the creation and nurture of a myriad of early childhood programs and the proliferation of the mental health industry, both at great cost. Dr. Turpin accuses Clampitt and Presnell of viewing pre-schools as “free babysitting,” and all three of “backwards thinking.” It’s conceivable the good doctor is right, because the greater truth is far worse.

Childhood programs, created in collusion between education and the psychological service industry, have conspired to replace parents as primary caregivers, the custodians of our nation’s youth.

What Presnell, Clampitt and Davis were unwittingly pointing out is the difference between “experts” and parents. Experts talk about things parents can’t see while parents see things experts never talk about. Yesterday’s “undisciplined brat” is today’s “hyperactive” or “strong-willed” child. Children haven’t changed at all, but the rhetoric has.

Children have absolutely no idea what is in their own best interest. If they did, they wouldn’t need parents for 18 or more years now would they?

Over the last 40 years or so, the “experts” have done a good job of replacing child-rearing realities with “parenting” theoretical rhetoric. Parenting comes only from mothers and fathers, it is not something you can outsource to early childhood programs and self-styled experts who profit abundantly from tinkering with our culture’s child-rearing traditions. This has destabilized both the family and the culture. For proof of this, look around you.

Good parenting emanates from the heart and from the gut. From the heart springs love; from the gut springs common sense. Many of today’s parents could sure use a healthy dose of the latter.

David L. Snell

Dillsboro

To the Editor:

Democracy is working in Jackson County! This week’s passage of the Tourism Development Authority (TDA) Resolution is a much-welcomed newly sprouting seed in the political landscape in the national drought of our country’s overall political climate. Our compliments to the Jackson County Commissioners and the members of the Occupancy Tax Steering Committee.

The passage of the TDA Resolution was a year-long process, beginning with all the interest groups far apart with very strongly held views. Although it has at times been a heated exchange of ideas, it was always without rancor and always moving forward with some give and take. Because the end goal — increased tourism and an economic boost in Jackson County — was a goal common to all.

Even in the end, rather than having a merely pro forma public comments session, the commissioners seriously considered the public input and made changes that integrated others’ ideas making the final resolution an acceptable compromise.

Recognition should also be given to the County Manager, Chuck Wooten, and the County Attorney, Jay Coward, who both worked quietly and effectively behind the scenes, to ensure a solid piece of legislation.

My only regret — and we have talked privately — is that Mark Jones, the only county commissioner directly involved in the hospitality industry, the Chairman of the Occupancy Tax Steering Committee and a county commissioner, did not take the opportunity to move consensus further forward, to wit, by publicly stating his opposition to the tax raise but voting for the TDA Resolution — recognizing it was the best possible compromise that every one involved had worked so hard on.

It should also be noted that the County Manager has taken action so that any member of the Hospitality Industry in Jackson County who desires to serve on the TDA Board can “throw their name in the hat” — an expansion of the program that Mr. Wooten implemented to increase public participation on all county boards.

Now it is the task of the TDA board that will take over operations from the two Travel & Tourism Associations at the beginning of the year, to develop an integrated and unified program representing all of Jackson County and effectively using the additional tax revenue to increase tourism in Jackson County, thereby enhancing the county’s economic well-being.

George & Hanneke Ware, Chalet Inn

Whittier

Students from the far western counties of North Carolina majoring in music, fine arts or industrial arts at Western Carolina University can tap into a $10,000 scholarship fund set up by Robbinsville native Elaine Howell, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel.

Howell, who earned her bachelor’s degree in music education at WCU in 1968, taught band in the N.C. public school system for more than six years before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. A 1964 graduate of Robbinsville High School, she currently lives in San Antonio, where she was stationed for a portion of her military career.

Although WCU students majoring in music will be given top priority, students majoring in fine or industrial arts also will be eligible. Howell said she included those areas of study in honor of her parents. 

828.227.7124 or 800.492.8496 or give.wcu.edu.

North Carolina Arts Council has provided initial funding for the research and development of the Scotch-Irish exhibit at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center outside Robbinsville.

The Arts Council is now matching funds for the printing, mounting and placement of the exhibit. This exhibit will be a companion piece to the Cherokee exhibit at Stecoah and will feature the history of the Stecoah Valley after the removal of the Cherokee Indians in 1838. Most of the photographs for the Scotch-Irish Exhibit have never been seen outside of the families that have granted the exhibit the permission to publish them. Funding for this exhibit is being generated by power2give. The Arts Council will match contributions dollar for dollar. 

To make a donation visit www.power2give.org or 828.479.3364.

Choir to perform Christmas story in Canton Dec. 23

The choir of Rockwood United Methodist Church will present a cantata titled “Silent Night, Holy Night” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, in Canton.

Written by Russell Mauldin and Sue C. Smith, this performance celebrates the miraculous story of Jesus’ birth and is built around one of most beloved and cherished Christmas carols of all time. The cantata will be followed by a time of refreshments and fellowship. The event is free and open to the public.

828.648.6870.

Songs from ‘Polar Express’ to be performed Dec. 8

Voices in the Laurel will perform a special Christmas concert featuring the poetry of Robert Frost, traditional and international Christmas carols and a medley from “The Polar Express” at 2:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at historic Stewart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

The performance is a preshow to the Lake Junaluska Singers 3 p.m. matinee performance. Both concerts are part of Lake Junaluska’s Appalachian Christmas Celebration Dec. 6-9.

Now in its 17th season, Voices in the Laurel is comprised of 60 children, in grades first through 12th from five counties in Western North Carolina. Included in the Voices in the Laurel’s repertoire will be "El cant des Ocells" (Song of the Birds), a Catalan Christmas carol.

Tickets for the matinee performance of the Lake Junaluska Singers and the Voices in the Laurel preshow are $16.50 for reserved tickets, $15 for general admission, and $8 for children, age 8 and under.

800.222.4930.

Voices in the Laurel to host silent auction

Voices in the Laurel’s “Winter Silent Auction” will be held from noon to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Harrell Center in Lake Junaluska.

Come bid on a variety of local and national items, art, pottery, gift baskets, jewelry, salon and massage services, restaurant gift certificates, golf outings, resort vacations and tickets to various regional theme parks. The auction is on the same day as the Junaluska Christmas Craft Show, which will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Harrell Center. This event is held in conjunction with the Appalachian Christmas pre-concert with the Lake Junaluska Singers that afternoon at 2:15 p.m. in the Stuart Auditorium.

828.564.3638.

Waynesville Christmas parade to be televised

WNC Television will broadcast the Waynesville Christmas Parade held on Monday, Dec. 3, several times during the coming week.

The parade will be aired on Charter cable channel 16. The schedule is 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 21, 22, 24 and 25. It will also be shown from noon to 1 p.m. and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 23.

It will also be available for viewing online at www.wnctelevision.com for the next several weeks.

The Canton Annual Christmas Tour of Homes will take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2.

The North Carolina glass community will hold an exhibit from Oct. 28 to Feb. 1, at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum.

Nationally acclaimed Western North Carolina bluegrass group Balsam Range will be kicking off their winter concert series at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at The Colonial Theatre in Canton.

A free Christmas Concert with award-winning bluegrass and gospel band Mountain Faith will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

An annual Appalachian Christmas Celebration will run from Dec. 6-9 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.