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The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce has launched its 2012 membership campaign, which will run through June 14. The campaign will reach out to over 1,000 businesses in the Haywood County area that are not yet benefiting from membership with the chamber.
Nearly 40 business leaders and 11 teams have volunteered to recruit new members during the chamber’s “Wild, Wild West” campaign. Volunteers will share their stories about the positive impact the chamber has had on their business and the many benefits of chamber membership. The campaign will also include a sponsorship drive focusing on chamber events, publications, and programs.
In addition to monthly networking events and professional development programs, membership with the chamber offers seminars, networking opportunities, and special events that provide valuable business information and enables those attending to build resourceful contacts. 828.456.3021 or www.haywood-nc.com.
MedWest Health System opened its new $3.4 million inpatient hospice unit in Haywood County, The Homestead, with an open house and dedication ceremony in March.
The Homestead is a new six-bed facility that offers specialized end-of-life care to patients and their families. It is the only inpatient hospice facility west of Asheville. The Homestead is staffed by a team of experts including physicians, nurses, social workers, nursing assistants, a music therapist, and spiritual and bereavement counselors. The Homestead is open to patients with a physician’s referral from across the region.
The Homestead has accommodations for family gatherings and meals, outdoor activities, and a memorial garden. Long-term plans include expanding to 12 beds and construction of an end-of-life outreach center, which will provide counseling and bereavement services, a resource library and a community education program. 828.452.8811.
Mountain BizWorks will host Merchandising WOW, a new merchandising course, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for three consecutive Wednesdays starting May 30.
Students will learn merchandising skills from an expert, discover what makes effective merchandising ignite sales, learn hands on tools to develop visual merchandising, learn how to integrate visual catalysts into current marketing plans, and build brand presence into merchandising strategies.
The course will be held at the Mountain BizWorks office in Sylva. 828.631.0292 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Southwestern Community College is offering a free Employability Lab designed to help unemployed people obtain jobs.
It will be held on the Jackson Campus from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. It will be held on the Macon campus from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
During the lab, participants assess and identify job interests, learn advanced job search techniques, learn how to keep their resume out of the trash, develop interviewing skills, discover the importance of social media and networking, and earn their Career Readiness Certificate.
Walk-ins are welcome. Held in Founders Hall Room 124 on the Sylva campus and at the Macon Annex Campus Room 104. 828.339.4272 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A wide variety of healthcare speakers are headlining the second annual Flourish Women’s Expo put on by MedWest Health System on Saturday, May 19, at Harrah’s Cherokee Events Center.
The event is intended to support women’s mind, body and spirit, and attracted hundreds of participants last year. The vision of the event is for women to join a sisterhood, embracing health for themselves and their families.
“The ultimate purpose of the event is to let women know what’s available here in terms of healthcare and wellness,” said Jan Wilson, co-chairwoman of the event and wife of MedWest radiologist Dr. Al Wilson of Carolina West Radiology.
Country music superstar and American icon Naomi Judd will give the keynote speech. Judd will draw upon her experiences as a hepatitis C survivor and as a former registered nurse in her talk about the importance of women’s health and wellness.
Sessions being held include topics such as skin care, creativity and aging, weight management and better communication for better health. There are also sessions for teens scheduled, including tips on healthy dating and avoiding dating violence.
Also on tap is a “Meet the Doctors” mini-event to give participants the opportunity to meet local physicians in a non-clinical environment. About 20 physicians will participate in this one-hour session.
Flourish Women’s Expo attendees also will have the opportunity to participate in specific medical screenings. Last year, about 400 screenings were performed at the event.
Sponsors of the event are the Foundations of MedWest Health System, Haywood Regional Medical Center, MedWest-Harris and MedWest-Swain, Carolina West Radiology and 21st Century Oncology.
Tickets to the all-day event are $45 and can be purchased online by visiting the Flourish Women’s Expo section at www.MedWestHealth.com.
The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce will host their annual Business Start-Up Competition Luncheon to honor this year’s recipients of up to a $10,000 business grant from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 17.
The Chamber Business and Community Development Committee believes that a key pillar of economic development in our community is to promote the start-up and expansion of local and small businesses, in addition to the typical focus on recruitment and relocation of big industries that employ a large number of people.
The luncheon will be held at The Gateway Club. Tickets are $25 for members and $30 for non Chamber Members. Advanced purchase is required.
www.haywood-nc.com. 828.456.3021.
Western Carolina University’s Forensic Science Program has acquired two state-of-the-art pieces of DNA sequencing instruments to help it establish a DNA sequencing core facility on campus.
“We will be able to offer a multitude of DNA sequencing services to institutions across the state and enhance research and educational opportunities for students, particularly in areas such as forensic genetics, cellular and molecular biology, environmental health sciences and biochemistry,” said Brittania Bintz, a forensic research scientist at WCU.
The new equipment enables WCU to increase the number of samples that can be processed and supports research collaborations for faculty members across forensic science, biology, and health and human sciences disciplines and researchers at Highlands Biological Station. Currently, students and faculty use the laboratory to not only gain hands-on experience with sample preparation, genotyping, sequencing and analysis but also research the newest sequencing instruments to develop methods that may be employed in crime laboratories in the future.
A $175,000 grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center allowed WCU to purchase a fourth DNA sequencing instrument. Then, a new research collaboration with Illumina Inc., a manufacturer of next-generation DNA sequencing instrumentation, helped WCU to acquire a fifth sequencer, an Illumina MiSeq, for evaluation and use.
Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.3680.
Angela Laird Brenton, dean of the College of Professional Studies at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been appointed provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Western Carolina University. She starts Aug. 1.
The selection of Brenton, dean at Little Rock since 2001, concludes a national search by a 16-member campus committee to fill a vacancy created by the departure of Kyle R. Carter, who was named chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in April 2010.
“Angi is one of the most passionate people I know in terms of the importance of a university focus on engagement with the external community,” WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher said. “She is a strong advocate for the academic affairs of her institution, and she is one of the best communicators I have ever met in my life. She is a respected member of her community, and she is loved and adored by her faculty and staff.”
As dean at Little Rock, Brenton is responsible for the departments of audiology and speech pathology, criminal justice, and speech communication; the School of Social Work; the School of Mass Communication; Institute of Government; public radio stations KLRE-KUAR; and the Mid-South Center, which is responsible for all child welfare training in the state of Arkansas. She oversees 150 faculty and staff in a college with an annual budget of $12 million.
A free community forum on planning and decision-making for end-of-life events is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20, in the sanctuary of the First Presbyterian Church of Waynesville.
The forum is sponsored by Hospice & Palliative Care Services of MedWest Health System. Topics being covered include advance planning, patient care and bereavement. Expert panel members will be joined by community members who will share their personal experiences.
“People need to be prepared,” said Jenny Williams, hospice director. “We see problems related to lack of prior communication on a daily basis. Not having anything decided has the potential for catastrophe.”
Also available at no cost will be forms that include living wills, health care powers of attorney and advance instruction for mental health treatment.
The instructors of Stecoah Junior Appalachian Musicians will host a Spring Bluegrass Celebration at Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center on May 19.
The JAM instructors formed the group “The Leftovers” and include Bill Pruett, Dwight Bradshaw, Karl Sutter, Bradley Adams, Larry Barnett, Sue Bullock and special guest Sonny Reighard.
The efforts of these JAM instructors and local musicians to preserve the Appalachian heritage and musical roots give cause for this Spring Bluegrass Celebration. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and the show will start at 7:30 p.m. In addition to celebrating these musicians and Appalachian heritage, the center will be showing their new state-of-the-art sound and lighting systems made possible in part by grant funds from the Golden Leaf Foundation. In addition, the newly expanded Schoolhouse Café will be open before the show and during intermission for a light dinner or snack.
The Highland Cashiers Players will spend their last weekend as Sheree, Lexie, Dinah, Vernadette, and Jeri Neal of “The Dixie Swim Club.”
The final performances are at 7:30 p.m. on May 17, 18, 19 and 2:30 p.m. on May 20 at the performing center on Chestnut Street in the Highlands.
The funny, touching comedy celebrates the enduring friendship of five women who met in college on the swim team. During a span of 33 years, they have gathered for long weekends at a beach cottage on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to catch up, laugh, and meddle in each other’s lives. The play presents four of these weekends.
Tickets are $20.
828.526.8084.
New exhibits are heading to The Bascom art gallery in Highlands this month.
Admission for these exhibitions is free.
• Alex Matisse: Ometto: “In Italy, the word Ometto, meaning ‘little man’, is used to describe rock cairns that lead the way on hiking trails above the tree line,” said Matisse, whose works will be at The Bascom through October 21. The pots in the exhibition originate from the tradition of salt-glazed stoneware grave markers that were made in abundance in the counties of the eastern Piedmont of North Carolina.
• Green Art, which will be on display through July 8 in the atrium gallery, is a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the American Studio Glass Movement; Harvey Littleton, its founder; and environmentally friendly art. Tracy Kirchman, a glass artist who aided in the establishment of the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, and her students from the Little Black Pearl Glass Lab in Chicago, will be creating works of art from recycled glass wine bottles for this exhibition.
• From Mud to Art, Highlands High School Ceramics will be in the landing gallery through July 8. The Highlands High School students will demonstrate their proficiency in pottery making and understanding of the science that makes it happen. Student work and an explanation of clay bodies, firing and glazing will be on view. Now in its third year, the High School Ceramics Class is an ongoing partnership between Highlands School and The Bascom.
www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.
Legendary rock band Foreigner will take the stage at Harrah’s Casino and Hotel at 9 p.m., June 8.
With over 50 million sales to their name, and six multi-platinum albums between 1977 and 1987, Foreigner’s place as one of the frontrunners of the rock genre is hard to dispute.
Their multi-platinum debut album, “Foreigner,” was released in 1977. It was an immediate hit with tracks like “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice” and “Long, Long Way From Home,” reaching the Top 20 in the Billboard charts. The 7x platinum follow-up, “Double Vision” (1978) proved to be their best-selling album and established their credentials as arena-filling rockers. Tickets are already on-sale. Must be 21 or older to attend. www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.
The Jackson County Public Library will host a free two-part drawing class with Norma Hendrix at 7 p.m. on May 22 and 24.
“Drawing can be both observational and therapeutic,” said Hendrix, who has been teaching art to all ages and levels for nearly 40 years.
Through a variety of simple lessons, she will help attendees learn the difference between “looking” and “seeing.” The class is geared for people (ages 13 and up) who would like to try drawing for the first time, or those who used to draw but have fallen away from the practice. No previous experience is required.
Hendrix is the director of Cullowhee Mountain ARTS, a new non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the arts in the Western North Carolina.
Class size is limited to 16 people and supplies will be provided.
828.586.2016 or www.cullowheemountainarts.org.
This summer, high school students and recent graduates can participate in a summer art program at Oconaluftee Institute for Cultural Arts. The three-week program is designed for students who are interested in pursing a degree in art.
“Students will be able to experience what a college level art class is all about,” said Jeff Marley, the fine arts coordinator at OICA. “Our goal is to help the students develop their skills and build a portfolio for college admissions. In the process, students will be able to explore printmaking, drawing and sculpture in our studios.”
The program will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday, June 11-29. The deadline for registration is May 31. Pick up an application at the Oconaluftee Institute or any Southwestern Community College center, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cost is $50 per student, with aid available based on need. The program is made possible, in part, by funding from the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.
The OICA is located on U.S. 19 North, behind Tribal Bingo in Cherokee.
828.497.3945 or www.southwesterncc.edu/finearts.
The City Lights Coffee with the Poet series continues at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 17, and will feature the poetry of Webster resident Dave Waldrop. He has written a poetry collection titled, Am I and co-authored a nonfiction book titled, Appalachian Roots.
The Coffee with the Poet series is a monthly gathering held every third Thursday and is co-sponsored by NetWest.
828-586-9499.
The Haywood Arts Regional Theater will perform “The Marvelous Wonderettes” at 7:30 p.m., May 25, 26, June 1, 2, 8 & 9 and at 3 p.m., May 27, June 3 and 10.
The premise of the show is simple; it’s a 1958 high school prom. The band scheduled to play isn’t available so instead a girl group takes their place at the last minute. During act one, the audience gets to know each of the girls, their hopes dreams and quirks. Act two skips forward 10 years to their 1968 reunion. Songs include “Mr. Sandman,” “Lollipop,” “Secret Love,” “Goodnight Sweetheart,” “Heatwave,” “You Don’t Own Me,” “It’s My Party,” “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Leader of the Pack.”
Tabitha Judy, Tierney Cody, Kelli Brown Mullinix, and Morgan St. Clair will star in the HART performance. They are under the direction of Mark Jones, assisted by Alexia Grant in production number staging and music direction by John R. Crawley.
Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors and $10 for student/teachers. There is a special $5 discount tickets for students and teachers for Sundays.
The performing arts center is on Pigeon Street in Waynesville.
828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.
The summer Tail Wagging Tutors reading hours will return to the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, starting May 23. The reoccurring event takes place at 3:45 p.m. Wednesdays.
Read to the library’s dog Pilar, a.k.a. Miss P. Reading to the dog is good practice for beginning readers or kids working on public speaking, and dogs love to hear stories. She is always ready with a doggie kiss for readers.
The library is located at 249 Frank Allen Road in Cashiers.
828.743.0215.
The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will host a Blacklight Party for teens in sixth-12th grade from 3:30-5 p.m. on May 21.
The event will include glow-in-the-dark carnival games, including bowling. Teens will learn about “Own the Night” summer events that meet from 3-4:30 p.m. on Mondays, starting June 4 and ending on July 27.
Teen volunteers are also needed to help with younger groups this summer.
Call 828.488.3030 and ask for Sara or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
The 18th Annual Swain County Heritage Festival will take place on Memorial Day weekend and feature local arts and crafts, food, kids’ games, music and a log-sawing contest.
Bands and singing groups ranging from gospel to country and bluegrass will perform during the holiday weekend event. The festival will begin with Gospel Night from 6-9 p.m. on May 25 at Riverfront Park, near the Swain County Administration Building in Bryson City. Several groups will perform that evening, including Shining Pathway, Brian Birchfield, The Masters Four, One Step Closer and The Hinkle Family.
On Saturday, the musical lineup will include country, bluegrass and gospel favorites, including The Ross Brothers, The Hinkle Family, The Locust Ridge Quartet, Appalachian Fire Blue Grass and Mountain Faith. In addition to the musical performances, Saturday’s events will include performances by the J Creek Cloggers and the Southern Appalachian Cloggers. The festival will run from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
There will also be dozens of crafters and vendors on hand to sell their products, plus children’s games and a kid’s potato sack race.
There is no charge for persons attending the Festival. Crafters wishing to participate are encouraged to contact Festival organizers.
828.488.0454 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The SongSpinners and the First Ringers will perform at 3 p.m., May 20, at the Waynesville Public Library as part of the Haywood County Arts Council’s Sunday Concert Series.
The free concert series is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Earthworks Gallery and Frame Shop are the concert sponsors.
The SongSpinners, formerly the Haywood Women’s Chorus, is comprised of singers from Haywood County. Their repertoire includes Broadway hits, spirituals, and among other genres. The First Ringers is a 13-member handbell choir from First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. The group plays a five-octave set of Schulmerich Handbells and a five-octave set of Malmark Choirchimes.
The Liars Bench will perform the third of the Balsam Chronicles series with the story of Osley Bird Saunooke, colorful chief of the Cherokee, at 7 p.m., May 17, at WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center.
Supported in part by a grant from the Grassroots Arts Program of the Jackson County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council, the story is about a young Cherokee man’s rise from Indian boarding school, entry into and success in the world of professional wrestling, and finally becoming the elected leader of his band during a turbulent period in their history.
“Chief Osley Saunooke had a reputation for honesty and was quite popular all over WNC. Historical accounts say he was the most approachable, the most well known — and in terms of being chief and politics, he was the most amenable,” said Gary Carden, host and storyteller.
The Liars Bench is a two-year old program featuring authentic traditional Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry and drama.
In addition to Liars Bench regulars Carden; Lloyd Arneach, the Cherokee storyteller; Paul Iarussi, claw-hammer guitar specialist; William Ritter, vocalist and musician; and Karen Barnes, the May 17 performance will also feature Dave Waldrop singing home-spun vocals.
828.227.7129. Free.
Buy Haywood is connecting the community with local farmers and chefs in an effort to reintroduce people to the simple pleasure of preparing seasonal, local foods.
The first cooking demonstration will be held on May 12 at the Whole Bloomin’ Thing Spring Festival in Waynesville.
This Cooking Local project, funded by a grant from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and administered by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, aims to foster healthy eating and increase the sale of locally-grown fruits and vegetables in Western North Carolina through expanded knowledge of fresh food preparation and nutrition education.
It will include a series of cooking demonstrations in Haywood, Jackson and Buncombe counties featuring a locally-grown product, the farmer who grew it, and a local chef who will show just how quick and easy it is to cook with fresh, locally-grown ingredients.
Demonstrations will take place through November at a variety of venues including farmers markets, festivals and other events.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn how to coexist with black bears through a free Bear Education and Resources program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, at the Macon County Community Center in Franklin.
Bear Education And Resources (B.E.A.R.) Task Force is kicking off its 2012 B.E.A.R. Talk Program series with the presentation. A growing population of both bears and people in the area means that problems stemming from improper storage of garbage, barbecues and birdfeeders are growing. Potentially dangerous encounters with bears are increasing as well.
The program will begin with a short film, “Living in Bear Country: Practical Advice on Living Responsibly in Bear Country.” Then Anne Allison and Kathy Sherrard will share information about black bears and explain how to reduce human and bear conflicts. Allison and Sherrard have been wildlife educators for more than 15 years and currently work closely with Appalachian Bear Rescue and B.E.A.R.
B.E.A.R. is a task force of the Western North Carolina Alliance.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.526.9227.
Registration will take place May 14-21 for adult summer soccer leagues through Haywood County Recreation and Parks.
There will be two leagues, an open league and a women’s league. The open league will feature a maximum of 10 teams and will consist of teams with a maximum roster size of 13 people. The women’s league will feature a maximum of six teams and will also consist of teams with a maximum roster size of 13 people; however, this league will feature women only.
Both leagues will have games from June 11 through Aug. 1 on Monday and Wednesday evenings at Allens Creek Park. The registration fee is $365 per team, which includes a soccer jersey for each player and tournament prizes. Registration should be submitted to the Haywood County Recreation and Parks office at 1233 N. Main St. (Annex II Building) in Waynesville.
828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn about aquatic insect sampling starting at 9 a.m. May 16 at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in Macon County.
You’ll learn what aquatic insects are and why they are important, plus how to use insect data in conjunction with fish data to monitor a stream’s health. This is a project of the Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and David Penrose, who is an aquatic insect expert. Penrose helped develop the metrics and assessment protocols needed to assign bioclassification criteria to streams and rivers.
Participation with field sampling is encouraged, but not required, please dress accordingly.
828.524.2711 ext. 309 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Patrick McMillan, the host, co-creator, and writer of the popular and award-winning ETV nature program “Expeditions with Patrick McMillan,” is headlining an event celebrating the Highlands Botanical Garden’s 50th anniversary with a talk at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 12, at the Highlands Biological Station.
McMillian is a professional naturalist, biologist, and educator, and has extensive experience in botany. He is the director of the Campbell Museum of Natural History at Clemson University, plus the interim director of the South Carolina Botanical Gardens. His intense interest in natural history, which he attributes to his grandmother, has taken him all over the world.
McMillan will talk about the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment in “The Southern Blue Ridge: Crucible of Life.”
Registration for Saturday includes a wildflower walk, lunch, the chance to bid on silent auction items while listening to live music and enjoying a reception and cash bar, and, of course, the opportunity to hear McMillan’s talk. Cost is $50 for members and $60 for non-members.
828.526.2221 or highlandsbiological.org/wildflower-whimsy.
A trip for seniors to the Mountain Farm Museum with the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will be held from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday, May 14.
The cost is $7 per person for members of the Waynesville Recreation Center or $10 per person for nonmembers.
828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Learn how to take great photographs of spring wildflowers by participating in a guided photography hike on Tuesday, May 15.
Professional nature photographer and teacher Don McGowan (Earthsong Photography) will lead this photography hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
McGowan has been a professional nature photographer for 18 years, including five years as staff photographer for Friends of the Smokies. McGowan’s images and articles have appeared in Smoky Mountain Memories, Georgia Journal, Outdoor Photographer, Smoky Mountain Living, Preservation, and Smokies Life magazines. He currently operates EarthSong Photography, providing in-depth nature photography workshop experiences around the country.
Participants will gather to depart from Waynesville at 8 a.m. Hikers should come prepared with food, water and appropriate hiking gear for the all day excursion. DSLR cameras preferred. A donation of $35 to go to the Friends of the’ Smokies is requested and includes a complimentary membership to Friends of the Smokies.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720.
A bird walk and program led by N.C. Audobon’s Curtis Smalling and international birding enthusiast Romney Bathurst will be held in Lonesome Valley in Cashiers May 12.
The event is sponsored by the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. Participants will look especially for migratory warblers. Interested birders will carpool from The Bascom parking lot in Highlands at 7:30 a.m. Cashiers and Sapphire Valley residents are encouraged to carpool from the area just behind Wendy’s restaurant, or go directly to Lonesome Valley. The walk, which will take approximately three-and-a-half hours, will begin at 8 a.m.
At 4 p.m., Smalling will present a program at The Bascom, “The Birds of the Highlands Plateau: Amazing Stories from a Remarkable Place.” The program is free.
James T. Costa, Western Carolina University professor and director of Highlands Biological Station, is the recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Biodiversity Educator of the Year award bestowed by Discover Life in America.
The nonprofit organization helps run the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. ATBI has resulted in the discovery of more than 900 species new to science and more than 7,000 species never before recorded in the park.
The annual educator of the year award recognizes a person’s contributions to outreach and education in the study of biodiversity. Dan Pittillo, retired WCU professor of biology, nominated Costa for the award, citing his commitment to education and to research in areas such as the socialization of insects.
“As Costa pushes the knowledge frontier further, he is passionate about providing this information to everyone,” said Pittillo. “Working as the director of Highlands Biological Station, he continues to make the biodiversity of our very diverse region available to all that come into contact with the station.”
The award was presented to Costa at the ATBI Conference held in Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Author Bob Plott will discuss Western North Carolina’s unique Plott Hound at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 17, at the Bethea Welcome Center.
Plott’s The Story of the Plott Hound: Strike & Stay, was published in 2007 and awarded the 2008 Willie Parker Peace N.C. Historical Literary Award.
Plott will chronicle how five of the Plott family hunting dogs survived the passage to America from Germany in 1750 with his ancestor, Johannes Plott, and in the ensuing years developed into a breed that is sought worldwide as a premier hunting dog.
This event is sponsored by the Live and Learn Committee of the Junaluskans, an organization of the residents and friends of Lake Junaluska.
800.222.4930 .
The North Carolina Arboretum will participate in National Public Gardens Day on Friday, May 11, waiving the parking fee for those visitors who present the National Public Gardens Day coupon, which may be printed from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine website, www.bhg.com.
The coupon is only valid for the one day. Coupons must be presented to receive free admission and must be surrendered upon entry.
National Public Gardens Day celebrates all public gardens, arboreta, botanical gardens, educational gardens, specialty gardens, entertainment gardens, farm gardens, historical landscapes, and zoos with each institution participating in its own unique way.
Now in its fourth year, National Public Gardens Day is a national day of awareness in which communities nationwide are invited to visit and learn about the important role their public gardens play in promoting environmental stewardship and awareness, plant and water conservation, and education.
828.665.2492 or www.ncarboretum.org.
Former Cullowhee resident Marly Youmans will return to City Lights Bookstore at 6:30 p.m. on May 16 to read from her latest book A Death at the White Camellia Orphanage.
“Marly Youmans’ new book is a vividly realized, panoramic novel of survival during the Great Depression,” said author Ron Rash. “There is poetry in Youmans’ writing, but she also knows how to tell a riveting story.”
David R. Dorondo, associate professor in Western Carolina University’s Department of History, is author of the newly published book Riders of the Apocalypse: German Cavalry and Modern Warfare, 1870-1945.
In the 336-page work, Dorondo examines the history of the German cavalry and describes how the cavalry’s tradition carried on against a backdrop of rapid military industrialization.
Dorondo, a scholar of modern German military and political history, said the inspiration for his book was a modern European military history course that he teaches at WCU, combined with his lifelong affinity for horses. He grew up around horses in Savannah.
Dorondo also is the author of Bavaria and German Federalism: Reich to Republic, 1918-1933 and numerous articles and reviews.
Leah Hampton, an English instructor and associate director of the Writing and Learning Commons at Western Carolina University, is the winner of the 2012 Doris Betts Fiction Prize competition for her story “The Saint.”
Hampton will receive a cash prize from the North Carolina Writers Network, and her story will be published in the North Carolina Literary Review’s 2013 issue.
Liza Wieland, fiction editor at the North Carolina Literary Review, selected Hampton’s story from 12 finalists out of a total of 89 entries. “The Saint” was “both disarmingly wise and breathtakingly beautiful,” Wieland said. She chose it as the winner in large part for its “quiet, deliberate voice,” “energy of the language” and “experiment with chronology,” Wieland said.
“It felt so good to finish it, to feed that part of myself. I am so thrilled and fulfilled by this whole experience,” Hampton said.
To the Editor:
The recent letter authored by the new chairman of the Macon County Democratic Party seemed to be more about personal attacks on Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and Republicans in general than about “Why I’m a Democrat.” Such hostile and inaccurate rhetoric is counterproductive in Macon County, as many Democrats and Republicans are friends and work together on non-partisan boards and organizations to make our community a better place.
One big difference between the two political parties is in how they approach challenges with regard to the needy. The Republican philosophy is to empower rather than enable. The Democratic Party created the “Great Society” with the best intentions, but that approach of helping the poor caused generations to become dependent on and enslaved by government for their needs. A more favorable path would have been creating an environment of personal responsibility leading to success in their lives. As Billy Graham recently observed, “we have rewarded laziness and called it welfare”.
Historically, the Democratic Party has had moments which do not reflect well on its reputation. One in this state that comes to mind is the 1887 County Government Act in which county commissioners were not elected but selected by (Democrats), thereby controlling the money and preventing blacks and Republicans from gaining political power. And who can forget Democrat Gov. George Wallace attempting to prevent black children from entering a public school. Certainly nothing to be proud of, but by no means representing today’s Democratic Party either.
Decades of Democratic control of the government in Raleigh resulted in being in debt and out of touch with where the money came from (us). Raleigh’s Democratic-controlled legislatures spent money faster than it could be sent to them.
Republicans in North Carolina are now making the tough choices. Sen. Davis, to his credit, is one of those Republicans. Sen. Davis has attempted to correct the inaccurate numbers being offered by the new Democratic county chair with regard to adjustments in education funding and other areas, but the inaccuracies keep coming.
With over three years of divisive rhetoric coming from President Obama against Republicans, the wealthy, the fuel industry and others, it is no wonder it has trickled down. This is unfortunate. It is unbecoming of the new Democratic chair to be so visceral and lies in stark contrast to an earlier time when Ben Utley and I sat having breakfast together at the Huddle House. Ben Utley is the former chair of the Macon County Democratic Party and a gentleman.
I believe a more civil tone would be productive and better represent Macon County citizens who are registered Democrats, but who may expect more of their leader.
Chris Murray, Chairman
Macon County Republican Party
“No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”
– Abraham Lincoln
To the Editor:
I am going to give Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, the benefit of the doubt and suggest that he suffers from a poor memory rather than a duplicitous character. He apparently does not remember a long and protracted discussion that took place at the Macon County public library on June 23, 2011. The objective of that well-attended meeting was to discuss the severe budget cuts to public education inflicted on North Carolina residents by the current Republican-led State General Assembly.
As 40 percent of the school-age children in North Carolina are now living in poverty, and numerous studies have indicated a correlation between academic performance and socioeconomic status, the issue of poverty was acutely germane to the conversation. Like several other people who attended that meeting, I am blessed with an adequate memory; however, memories can be unreliable, so I also took copious notes, in which I recorded verbatim some of Sen. Davis’ more startling statements.
Consequently, I read with disbelief Sen. Davis’ response to a letter to the editor of The Smokey Mountain News by Dr. Ed Morris dated May 2, wherein Sen. Davis accused Dr. Morris of “false claims.” Morris paraphrased Sen. Davis as saying, “Poor women have no business having children.” In his letter, Morris in no way implies that he is directly quoting Davis. What Sen. Davis actually said was, “People in poverty shouldn’t have children.” Dr. Morris’ statements do not conflict at all with this sentiment and are therefore not “false.”
Furthermore, Sen. Davis’ statement was not one could be easily misconstrued. He elaborated at length. Citing a statistic that 75 percent of the babies born at Angel Hospital are under Medicaid, he stated that “We are rewarding people to be parents who shouldn’t be parents.” I would argue to Sen. Davis that every child deserves to be born with adequate medical treatment, whether the parents should be “rewarded” or not.
Now Davis says his comments were taken out of context and what he really meant was “… people should not procreate unless they are prepared to support and nurture their offspring.” This cloaked statement merely clarifies the unreality with which Sen. Davis and his Republican colleagues view the world. Unlike privileged Romney and Davis, most Americans cannot “loan” their children several hundred thousand dollars for college or even afford the approximately $20,000 it costs to deliver a baby. This does not make them bad parents. It makes them average Americans — average Americans who are tired of Republican policies that enrich the privileged class while undermining the infrastructure of the middle class.
Kathleen McNary Wood
Franklin
To the Editor:
I live in Albuquerque currently, but I grew up in North Carolina and spent summers at Lake Junaluska. My father is a Methodist minister. I am a Christian, lesbian and in the most committed, loving, relationship of my life.
My mom called keep me updated on the vote next week to exclude gays and lesbians from marrying, having civil unions and/or domestic partnerships.
Every day as a psychotherapist I work to keep heterosexual families together. Every day, my wife (significant other,single on tax forms) and partner who works in child psych and pediatrics, put family’s lives back together.
Every single day we work with children who have been raped, tortured, molested and otherwise by married mothers and fathers. And each day in New Mexico a gay or lesbian family steps up to adopt another unwanted child. We work with all families, believe in all families, and are pro families, regardless of makeup.
We have been considering moving back home to be closer to our families.
How can we ever return to North Carolina to be closer to our family if when we do we: would lose the right to adopt, lose the right to have one of us covered under the other’s insurance, lose the right to visit each other in the ICU, and lose the right to teach our children that the state of North Carolina, and the South in general, believe in and provide rights for all families.
I thought Jesus was a civil rights activist. He promoted love and rights for everyone. Frankly, I think he would be disgusted.
You may never know of the positive impact this paper had on the lives of people because you stood up and voiced such a necessary opinion to protect all children and all families (in the column in last week’s Smoky Mountain News, “Voters should defeat bigotry and Amendment One,” www.smokymountainnews.com/component/k2/item/6928). Thank you.
Traci Tippett,
Clinical Trainer, Psychotherapist
Albuquerque, N.M.
To the Editor:
No president serves for more than eight years but his influence on the Supreme Court lasts far longer. Andrew Jackson was 12 years in his grave when his Chief Justice, Roger Taney, brought on the Civil War by holding that Congress could not bar slavery from the territories. Nothing that can be asked of any presidential candidate is more important than what sort of justices he would appoint.
Barack Obama has already demonstrated his preference for mainstream justices by appointing Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.
Mitt Romney, on the other hand, would choose justices like the ones he says he admires: the right-wing activists Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts Jr. and Samuel Alito. And when it seemed that Romney’s judicial outlook couldn’t get any worse, it did. He chose Robert Bork to co-chair his justice advisory committee.
Bork, it will be remembered, brought so extreme a record to his 1987 Supreme Court confirmation hearing that the Senate rejected him by a vote of 58 to 42, the largest margin ever. In Bork’s opinion, there was no constitutional right to privacy, no broad protection for freedom of speech, no equality for women and minorities. Only a few months ago, he asserted that women “aren’t discriminated against any more.”
Bork’s character impugns Romney’s judgment no less than Bork’s views. That character was laid bare in the Watergate crisis of 1973.
President Nixon was desperate to keep Archibald Cox, the special prosecutor, from obtaining the White House tapes that he knew would prove him guilty of obstruction of justice. When Cox insisted, Nixon ordered Attorney General Elliott Richardson to fire him. Richardson refused and resigned. So did his deputy, William Ruckelshaus. Bork, as solicitor general and third in line, had no compunctions against becoming Nixon’s hatchetman.
For such a person to have Romney’s ear is to give cause for wonder as to whether any part of the candidate’s soul remains unsacrificed to his ambition.
Martin A. Dyckman
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Oh I am so distraught; and Chief Hicks is “appalled.” The Franklin maintenance crew has killed the weeds on the Indian mound! Is nothing sacred? Why must we be subjected to these cruel and heartless insults? Is there no justice in this world? And look, just because I’m not eligible enough of an Indian to get any free casino money, that doesn’t mean I can’t empathize. When I was a kid and we’d play cowboys and Indians, sometimes I’d be the Indian. So you can’t tell me anything about hurt feelings.
Indignantly yours.
Scott Muirhead
Maggie Valley
Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, Department of Art and Hunter Library are joining forces to offer the Good Old Time Summer Camp for children ages 9 through 13.
Participants will attend the camp from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 23-27. The camp will provide an opportunity for children to explore the region’s culture, including the Cherokee and pioneer experience.
Participants will investigate and create crafts such as mask-making, weaving, candle-making, open hearth cooking and pottery. They also will hear a performance by an old-time musician and go on a field trip to local sites of natural and historical interest.
The fee is $90 per child, and daily lunch in a WCU dining hall is included. To register or for more information, visit learn.wcu.edu and click on “Camps and Programs for Kids” or call 828.227.7397.
Haywood Habitat for Humanity is holding an open enrollment through this month for people interested in purchasing a home through the agency.
Requirements for participants include being a resident of Haywood County and having an annual household income between $20,400 and $32,880. Additionally, participants must currently live in substandard, unsafe, overcrowded or subsidized housing, and be willing to invest time into building your own home.
Houses are sold to approved partner families at cost to keep monthly payments affordable. There is no interest on the mortgage.
828.452.7960 or www.haywoodhabitat.org.
There will be a barbecue fund-raiser for the Waynesville Skate Park from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 2, at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The cost is $5 per sack lunch, which will contain a sandwich, chips and a drink.
Construction will begin late summer. The park will be 8,000 square feet and located at the site of the old horse ring on Vance Street in Waynesville.
The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is also selling T-shirts promoting the new Waynesville Skate Park. The shirts are $10 each and may be purchased at the Waynesville Recreation Center. All proceeds will go towards the cost of the park.
828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter will celebrate children and animals of all ages with a day of fun and games at the second Annual “PAWSitively Fun Kids Day” festival starting at 10 a.m. on May 12 at Rivermont Park in downtown Bryson City.
Bring your furry best friend or come and play with one of the shelter animals that will be at the festival. There will be all kinds of fun games, contests, a crafts table for kids to unleash their artistic talents, refreshments, and a prize for every kid that completes the “Waggin’ Trail” scavenger hunt.
All pets must be on leash to enter festival grounds. For more information and directions call P.A.W.S. Thrift Shop at 828.333.4267.
The Haywood Home Builders Association is having its 2012 Spring Home Expo May 11-12 at the Waynesville Armory.
Those looking for a contractor, ways to update their home, or a way to update their landscaping should attend the Spring Expo. There will be more than 40 booths featuring construction industry leaders from Haywood and surrounding counties. Booths include local contractors, lumber suppliers, kitchen and bath companies, wood carving demonstration outside, indoor garden display, home security and home insulation, real estate, heating and cooling, cooking demonstrations, tools for men and women, educational seminars and more.
The Expo is free, and there will be a drawing for a new iPad 3 and also raffle tickets will be available for a custom built 6-by-12 foot tool/garden shed. Also, on May 12, be sure to visit The Whole Bloomin Thing festival in Frog Level .
Times are 10 a.m.-7 pm. on May 11 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on May 12.
Randal Garrison will be the guest speaker at a meeting of the Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable at 7 p.m. on May 14 at the Mountain Heritage Center Auditorium on the campus of Western Carolina University.
His topic will be “The Most Important Union Brigade at Gettysburg Who No One Ever Heard Of.” This was Willard’s Brigade on the Second Day, the Mystery Unit who sought redemption at Gettysburg for a humiliating performance at Harper’s ferry.
Randal is a native of Burke County and a teacher at Freedom High School in Morganton. He also instructs at Western Piedmont Community College on the subject of the Civil War.
Members and guests will meet at 5 p.m. at Bogart’s for dinner with the speaker followed by a social time at 6:30 pm. in the lobby of the MHC. 828.293.9314.
Angel Medical Center will unveil new technology aimed at improving its treatment of stroke victims during a demonstration from 2-3 p.m. on May 15 in the hospital dining room.
“The Telestroke Robot is cutting edge technology that will allow the hospital to better diagnose and treat stroke victims,” said Bonnie Peggs, AMC director of marketing and public relations. “While mainly for use in the emergency room, the unit can also be taken to patient floor for rapid diagnosis.”
“This new technology allows Angel to utilize videoconferencing and image sharing technology with stroke specialists from Mission Hospital. Even though they are miles away, the physicians can remotely examine patients to help diagnose the patient’s ailment and recommend a plan of care for them,” said Peggs.
828.349.6639.
The annual national Letter Carrier’s “Stamp Out Hunger” Food Drive is May 12, and postal customers are reminded to leave bagged food and other non-perishable items at their mail boxes.
The drive is the largest one-day food-collection event in the nation. In Haywood County, nearly 30,000 pounds of food was collected last year and distributed to local residents through the Haywood Christian Ministry, the Salvation Army, the Open Door Ministry and the Community Kitchen.
Items should be in bags or boxes and not put out until the day of the food drive. Residents who receive their mail at the post office should bring their food items to the lobby of the post office.
The North Carolina Baptist Church Library Team will host a library workshop for Western North Carolina at First Baptist Church in Waynesville on May 19.
This field training is aimed at greatly reducing the time and cost of training for anyone currently working in a church library or interested in starting one.
The workshop will focus on starting, managing and promoting church library ministry. Lunch is included in the registration fee. A guest author will be speaking and signing books during lunch.
All churches and denominations welcome. Since the N.C. State Baptist Convention is underwriting a part of the cost, the fee for churches that are members of the convention will be $30; for all others, the fee will be $35.
