Take a trip to downtown Waynesville for its “A Night Before Christmas” celebration from 6-9 p.m. on Dec. 10.

“This is a magical evening in Downtown Waynesville.  Let us entertain you and create wonderful holiday memories,” said Buffy Phillips, executive director of the Downtown Waynesville Association.

Businesses remain open until 9 p.m. Downtown is filled with bright lights, hundreds of luminaries, beautifully decorated windows, fine food and drink. Musicians and entertainers perform throughout the evening. First Baptist Church of Waynesville will host its “Bethlehem Marketplace” with a live nativity in its smaller parking lot downtown.

Musicians include Ginny McAfee and McKayla Reece along with Steve Summey and Karen Conner, and Michael Pilgrim, a downtown favorite. The Poetry People return by popular demand.

828.456.3517.

The Jackson County’s Green Energy Park will hold its holiday open house on Dec. 11, inviting the public to visit and observe local artists who will be giving demonstrations and offering locally made gifts at low prices.

“This is a chance for folks to watch handcrafted glass and metal art being made up close, to interact with the artisans, and purchase a locally-made gift or ornament that will be treasured for years,” said Timm Muth, Director of the Green Energy Park.

Glass artists Tadashi Torii, Aaron Shufelt, Judy McMannus, Clayton Hufford, Hayden Wilson; along with metal artist John Burtner and jewelery artists Brock Martin and Julie Boisseau will be giving demonstrations starting at noon and until at least 5 p.m.

Some of the available gifts will be glass and metal ornamental jewelry, vases and platters, sculpture and fireplace tools.

www.jcgep.org or 828.631.0271.

Local songwriter Mackenzie Leigh Wilson, fresh off of performances at the Curb Café and the Hard Rock Café in Nashville, will host a holiday concert to benefit the Open Door of Haywood County.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. on Dec. 21 in the Venue at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church. The concert will feature Wilson as well as other local and Nashville musicians, performing a mixture of original and seasonal music.

Wilson, a graduate of Tuscola High School, is now pursuing her songwriting dreams in Nashville. She attends Belmont University and is a songwriting major. The concert will benefit Open Door, a ministry that serves the poor and homeless of Haywood County.

“I am excited to sing my music, and some of my holiday favorites back in my hometown, all benefiting a great cause,” Wilson said.

828.452.3846.

Southwestern Community College’s Heritage Arts Program is pleased to announce clay classes for spring 2012.

Students taking these classes have the opportunity to work towards a Master Potters Certificate. All classes will be held at the Heritage Arts Ceramic Studios at the SCC Swain Center located at 60 Almond School Road in Bryson City.

Classes include glaze fabrication, the basics of ceramics, beginning and intermediate wheel, bowls, firing and throwing. Costs associated with the courses range from $65 to $175.

828.497.3945 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin has added another show to its holiday lineup.

The Annie Moses Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 9. The band blends fiddle, jazz, and classical music with folk-inspired vocals. It will celebrate the season with such holiday favorites as, “O Holy Night” and “Carol of the Bells” as well as the group’s own songs such as, “When the Christmas Baby Cries.”

This five-member, string-playing group dates back three generations. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. Buy at the box office or at GreatMountainMusic.com.

Hikers taking the trek across Grandfather Mountain’s ridgeline can now enjoy five new ladders on the Grandfather Trail. The new ladders on MacRae Cliff replace the old ones that had been up for decades.

The five ladders are all in a row, and transport hikers along a steep rock cliff. Members of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation Interpretive Staff worked for months planning the project. Wood, cables and bolts had to be purchased, ladder posts and rungs had to be cut to size, and corners and edges had to be smoothed before each piece of equipment was carried out into the backcountry.

Carriage bolts were used in place of nails on the new ladders. The carriage bolts run through the rungs and posts and are much thicker and stronger than nails. In addition, cables that provide extra support for the ladders’ placement are now anchored more than an inch deeper than in the past.

828.737.0833 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Get a different view of the Star of Bethlehem Friday, Dec. 9, beginning at 7 p.m. at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI).

Activities include a tour of the PARI campus and celestial observations using PARI’s optical or radio telescopes, along with a presentation by PARI Astronomers Michael Castelaz and Bob Hayward.

Through the ages astronomers have teamed with historians and biblical scholars in searching for an astronomical explanation for the star the magi followed to Bethlehem so long ago.  The presentation will look at possible astronomical explanations and weigh the arguments for and against each.

PARI is located in Pisgah Forest outside Brevard. Reservations are required and will be accepted until 3 p.m. on the day of the event. The cost is $20 per adult, $15 for seniors/military and $10 for children under 14.

Register and pay online at www.pari.edu or call 828.862.5554.

More than 1,800 high-resolution images of U.S. Forest Service history in the region are now available online for public viewing.

Photos include images of early rangers and foresters such as Carl Schenck and Gifford Pinchot. Additionally, there are photos of Forest Service sites in North Carolina such as fire lookouts and guard stations, early forest visitors camping, hiking and horseback riding, as well as early construction by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The earliest photos date back to the Biltmore Forest School of the 1890s.

Through a cost-share project with the UNC-Asheville’s Ramsey Library, the forest service’s historic photos were scanned and are now available on a new website.

UNCA is uploading another 3,000 historic images to the new website from the archives of Forest Service Southern Research Station. The photos will be available for viewing in the near future. This combined collection will provide researchers and the public access to nearly 5,000 images, making it one of the country’s largest online Forest Service image databases. The full project should be completed by January 2012.

To view the photos, go to: http://toto.lib.unca.edu/findingaids/photo/nfnc/default_nfnc.htm.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will host a free, guided tour of its Bobby N. Setzer State Fish Hatchery in Transylvania County from 9-11 a.m. on Dec. 17.

The tour is being coordinated by the commission’s Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. Pre-registration is required for this “behind the scenes” glimpse of how the commission operates a trout hatchery, from egg production to stockable-sized fish.

The program will cover coldwater conservation and trout management practices. The center is located off U.S. 276 in Transylvania County north of Brevard.

828.877.4423 or www.ncwildlife.org/Education_Workshops/Pisgah_Center.htm.

Encouraged by the success of experimental stockings during the last three years, biologists with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission are continuing their efforts to restore fish and mussels in the Cheoah and Pigeon rivers.

They are using aquatic species propagated in hatcheries as well as some moved from other streams.

The restoration work reintroduces aquatic animals into waters where they were once found in abundance. So far this year, biologists have placed several thousand fish and mussels in both rivers.  

While most of these reintroductions were accomplished by collecting large numbers of relatively common fishes from places where they were abundant and releasing them into the Pigeon, some species were not plentiful enough to make collecting and releasing feasible. In those cases, the commission worked with conservation partners to hatch and raise species to release in these restoration projects.

The releases of wavy-rayed lampmussels in the Pigeon and Cheoah rivers, and rainbow mussels and the spotfin chub, a federally threatened fish, into the Cheoah River in early June, mark the third consecutive year that commission biologists, in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Conservation Fisheries, have propagated and grown out species in order to introduce them.

“The goals of these restoration efforts are to restore native fauna into rivers where they were found historically, and to improve the overall ecological health of the rivers,” said Steve Fraley, the commission’s western aquatic wildlife diversity coordinator.  

“We conduct annual surveys to monitor the status of reintroduced species in the Cheoah and Pigeon rivers and have been pleased with the results. We can now claim that three fish species we’ve been working on in the Pigeon have been successfully re-established, and we’ve seen good indications of survival of other reintroduced species there, and also in the Cheoah.”

On the horizon is another restoration project and one that could have bigger implications for the existence of the Appalachian elktoe, a federally endangered freshwater mussel found only in relict populations in the mountain rivers of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

Since 2009, commission staff, along with N.C. State University and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has worked to perfect successful propagation techniques for Appalachian elktoe, a federal and state-listed endangered freshwater mussel, for eventual release into the Cheoah River to augment a small existing population there.

The Commission For a Clean County in Haywood County wants to recognize those individuals and organizations that made an outstanding commitment to a clean environment during the year.

Entries must be received by Dec. 10.

Several categories will be honored, includes litter control, recycling efforts, beautification projects to enrich the county and forms of environmental stewardship, such as “green” building, use of non-toxic fuels and new technology which is non-polluting and can improve the environment.  

The Commission For a Clean County, formed in 2001, has raised awareness of the great advantages — financially, healthwise and aesthetically — of a clean county. The group sets a practical example by litter pickups along the roads during the spring, summer and autumn.

For an entry form, go to haywood.ces.ncsu.edu, or pick one up at the Waynesville, Canton or Maggie Valley library, Clyde Town Hall or the county manager’s office in the courthouse. Or call 828.456.3575.

The CCC awards luncheon will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 15, at the Waynesville Golf Club, Spa and Resort.

Land-of-Sky Regional Council has released “Stimulus Stories of Western North Carolina,” a video highlighting the success of the WNC Forest Products Cooperative Marketing Project.  

The project provided dollars and technical assistance to 15 businesses and organizations that make or market forest products, from a mushroom cooperative to ramp delicacies to woodworkers.

A grant of $1.974 million in federal stimulus money was made through the USDA Forest Service’s Southern Research Station to help create jobs and stimulate the economy of Western North Carolina by promoting forest products.

Stimulus Stories of WNC showcases the diverse group of forest enterprises participating. The companies used the funds to expand and diversify their businesses. Partner organizations provided one-on-one technical assistance, marketing analysis, training and critical business support.

www.wncforestproducts.org

Ten years after the first elk touched down in Cataloochee Valley, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has made the reintroduction of the species official. Until now, the herd of 140 elk in the Smokies were considered merely an “experimental release,” not a formal reintroduction.

The park has made the announcement following an environmental assessment and analysis of the herd, which found that the elk had no detrimental impacts. As part of the analysis, the Smokies crafted a long-term management plan for the herd.

The primary objective is to maintain an elk population that is self-sustaining and allows only acceptable impacts to park resources.  

“By creating a framework of flexibility, park managers can employ a variety of management strategies to deal with a range of behaviors,” Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said.

Research findings from the experimental elk release indicated that the elk population was sustainable, had minimal impacts on the park’s resources and that human-elk conflicts were manageable.   

Monitoring of the elk herd will continue. However, these activities will be scaled back.  A portion of the elk population will be fitted with radio-collars and tracked, primarily the adult females and all newborn calves, and vegetation will be monitored to see if the elk are too damaging to native plants. In addition, the management plan transitions responsibility for elk management issues outside park boundaries to the appropriate tribal, state or federal agency.  

View the plan at: www.nps.gov/grsm/parkmgmt/index.htm.

Haywood County farmers are offering a variety of products this holiday season, including standards such as Christmas trees and wreaths, as well as honey, poinsettias, jams and jellies, meats, cheeses and pickles.

“The holiday season provides another great opportunity to support Haywood County farmers,” said Anne Lancaster, project coordinator for the Buy Haywood program, which promotes high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers.

“Whether you are looking for gifts, food, or decorations, Haywood County has many great options, both at farms and at winter tailgate markets,” Lancaster said. “When you buy local products, you can prepare for the holidays and support local farms at the same time.” 

The Buy Haywood project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Haywood Advancement Foundation, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Johnson’s Packing House, Bethel Rural Community Organization, Carolina Farm Credit, Boyd Mountain Christmas Tree Farm and other donors.

www.buyhaywood.com/holiday

Steve Troxler, the state’s agriculture commissioner, will be the speaker for the Haywood County’s Friends of Agriculture Breakfast from 7-8 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the WNC Regional Livestock Center in Canton.

The ongoing series of breakfast meetings in Haywood County provide an opportunity for farmers and other supporters of agriculture to enjoy breakfast and discuss issues related to farming.

The Buy Haywood Market Development Project is sponsoring the event, with support from WNC Communities. 

“The first Friends of Agriculture Breakfast was a big success,” says Anne Lancaster, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator. “We are excited to make this a regular event where people can come together in support of the agricultural community.”

The Haywood Friends of Agriculture Breakfast is free of charge and is open to the public. 

R.S.V.P. at 828.713.5431 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Highlands Plateau Audubon Society will participate in the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count on Friday, Dec. 16.

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is an early-winter bird census where tens of thousands of volunteers across the U.S. and many other countries in the Western Hemisphere go out for one day to count birds. Audubon and other organizations use data collected in this longest-running wildlife census to assess the health of bird populations and to help guide conservation efforts.

Local participants will cover a specific area of a 15-mile diameter circle on a specific route. Anyone is welcome to participate, since inexperienced observers are always out with seasoned veterans. 828.526.2775 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Carolina Field Birders, a birding club in Haywood and Jackson counties, will hold its Christmas Bird Count for Audubon on Dec. 30. To participate, call 828.627.2546.

The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust’s acclaimed coffee table book, First Creation, will be available at Shakespeare & Co. bookstore in Cashiers from 12:30-2 p.m. on Dec. 3.

The book was published to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust’s first acquisition. First Creation: 100 Years of Land Conservation is a photographic record of the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. The North Carolina Historical Review called it “... an enjoyable read for nature and wildlife enthusiasts, and for anyone interested in the North Carolina mountains.”

The cost of the book is $50 and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. Publisher Ran Shaffner and past HCLT President Mercedes Heller will be available to sign copies of the book.

www.hicashlt.org or call 828.526.1111.

To the Editor:

On behalf of Veterans Of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5202 in Waynesville, I would like to thank the all the businesses who allowed us to sell poppies at their locations on Nov. 11-12: Ingles, Big Lots, K-Mart, Ammons, Bi Lo, Elks, and Mast General.  

I would also like to thank all the patrons who purchased or made donations for the poppies. This year, despite the poor economy, we raised over $2,000 which is one of our best years ever. I would like to make special mention of Mary Sager (the Post Angel) who worked tirelessly in soliciting the largest donations as well as all the long hours and hard work she does at the VFW.

Per the VFW.Org website, the VFW conducted its first poppy distribution before Memorial Day in 1922, becoming the first veterans' organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

It was during the 1923 encampment that the VFW decided that VFW Buddy Poppies be assembled by disabled and needy veterans who would be paid for their work to provide them with some form of financial assistance. The plan was formally adopted during the VFW’s 1923 encampment. The next year, disabled veterans at the Buddy Poppy factory in Pittsburgh assembled VFW Buddy Poppies. The designation “Buddy Poppy” was adopted at that time.

In February 1924, the VFW registered the name “Buddy Poppy” with the U.S. Patent Office. A certificate was issued on May 20, 1924, granting the VFW all trademark rights in the name of Buddy under the classification of artificial flowers. The VFW has made that trademark a guarantee that all poppies bearing that name and the VFW label are genuine products of the work of disabled and needy veterans. No other organization, firm or individual can legally use the name “Buddy” Poppy.

Today, VFW Buddy Poppies are still assembled by disabled and needy veterans in VA Hospitals. The minimal assessment (cost of Buddy Poppies) to VFW units provides compensation to the veterans who assemble the poppies, provides financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans' rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our nation's veterans. VFW Post 5202 will use the funds collected for the Veterans Assistance Program.

James Danek

Vice Commander,

VFW Post 5202

To the Editor:

I believe I can answer the question used as a headline for Quintin Ellison’s story in the Nov. 23 edition about dog’s barking: “Are dog-barking complainers simply howling at the moon?”

Yes. In fact, one is apt to obtain a more constructive answer from the moon than from local officials who doggedly (no pun intended) deny there’s a problem.

Margo Gray is precisely correct that “with owning a dog (or any pet) comes responsibility.” Therein lies the rub. Teaching responsibility was once considered a primary parental obligation, was fostered in our schools and cultivated in our communities. It was an axiom in American culture that along with any “right” came responsibilities. That time has regrettably passed.

Setting community rules is a lot like parenting. A rule is not a rule unless it’s enforced consistently. Otherwise it’s a wish, a fraud, and a child (or a citizen) so misgoverned is a prisoner of uncertainty.

That county managers, county planners, sheriffs and commissioners will doubtlessly find a reasonable solution elusive causes one to conclude silencing a barking dog is something akin to rocket science.

It isn’t. It’s just a matter of having the courage to do the right thing. And the right thing is to protect responsible citizens who play by the simple rules of society rather than providing shelter for those who do not.

David L. Snell

Dillsboro

To the Editor:

The deficit reduction supercommittee failed for two reasons.

A deficit results when expenditures exceed revenues. The Republicans adamantly refused to eliminate the temporary Bush tax cuts on the wealthy (increasing revenue) and would only support expenditure cuts. The other reason was they were afraid of not being re-elected if they were to compromise with the Democrats.

More 90 percent of the Republican congressmen signed a written pledge to Grover Norquist, president of the group Americans for Tax Reform, promising to never increase taxes while they were in office. Norquist is probably one of the most powerful and influential lobbyists in Washington. He is financially backed by some of the wealthiest individuals and corporations in America, including Koch Industries, AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, Pfitzer, UPS, and major tobacco companies, to name just a few.

In a recent interview on MSNBC with Sen. Alan Simpson, Simpson stated the only thing Norquist could do to a Republican who supported a tax increase was to prevent him or her from being re-elected.

The wealthiest people in America now have the lowest tax rate in over 30 years. The deficit can only be resolved by both decreasing expenditures and increasing revenues, according to leading economists.

We need term limits on congressmen. Elections next year will prove to be most interesting. Your vote counts.

Ron Rokstool

Maggie Valley

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen approved the construction drawings for a pavilion and restrooms to be located at Parham Park.

Among the other amenities, walking trails and a handicap assessable deck have been installed to provide residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy Jonathan Creek from a bird’s eye-view.  Maggie Valley continues to seek opportunities to improve economic development, recreational assets, and to serve the residents/businesses in an efficient professional manner while maintaining that small town feel.

The Educational Talent Search program at Western Carolina University recently was awarded a five-year, $1.7 million grant to serve 780 students at five Western North Carolina high schools.

With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, WCU Educational Talent Search will embrace a new name – Project Discovery – while continuing the work of helping low-income and first-generation college-bound students complete high school and enroll in and graduate from the college of their choice.

The schools involved are Swain County High School, Robbinsville High School and Cherokee High School, all of which Educational Talent Search has served in the past, and Madison County High School and Buncombe County’s Erwin High School.

The program’s curriculum is designed to support students in their completion of a rigorous course of study, help them explore and learn about careers and colleges, assist them with SAT and ACT registration and preparation workshops, as well as providing fee waivers, college tours and assistance with college and financial aid applications.

828.227.7137.

The Town of Maggie Valley approved a five-year contract for five events to be held at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds beginning in 2012.

The confirmed dates are May 25-27 for the Slammin’ & Jammin’ Car & Truck Show and Southeastern Gas & Petroleum Expo to be held July 20-21. The festival director will continue to work closely with Autoshows Motorsports Events to schedule a series of three concerts to be held during three consecutive months in 2012.

A discussion titled “The Western Carolina University Cuts Hurt Education Forum: Collaborating Toward the Success of North Carolina Education” will be held on campus Monday, Dec. 5.

The event, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center, is designed to bring faculty, staff, students, political leaders and WCU community members together to talk about the effects of budget cuts to education and what community members can do to affect changes. More than $400 million was cut last year from the budget for the University of North Carolina system.

The nonpartisan forum is being sponsored by the Office of Leadership and Student Involvement and the WCU Student Government Association with support from student political groups and the North Carolina Association of Educators.

828.227.3618.

The next community music jam at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, in the library auditorium.   

As in past years, the December concert will feature holiday favorites. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer — anything unplugged — is invited to join. Singers are also welcome to join.

Patrons are also invited just to come by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Normally Barnett starts by calling out a tune and its key signature, and the group plays it together

The music jams are held the first and third Thursday of each month. 828.488.3030.

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series will continue at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center on Thursday, Dec. 1, with a concert featuring the duo Whimzik.

The 7 p.m. performance by the husband-and-wife team of Glenn Kastrinos and Kjelsty Hanson will be followed by an 8 p.m. jam session in which local musicians are invited to participate.

Kastrinos and Hanson perform a variety of songs “that connect back to the origins of what is today referred to as old-time music,” said Peter Koch, Mountain Heritage Center educational associate. Originally from Idaho, the couple moved to Cullowhee after living for several years in New Zealand. Kastrinos sings and plays the guitar, flute and tin whistles, while Hanson plays bodhran, the bones and spoons.

The concerts and jam sessions will continue at the Mountain Heritage Center through the winter, with programs from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. Other performers scheduled to present concerts are Ric Ledford and the Reems Creek Incident and the New Southern Ramblers.

The events are free and open to everyone. Pickers and singers of all ages and experience levels are invited to take part in the jam sessions, and the events also are open to those who just want to listen.

The Mountain Heritage Center is located on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building.

828.227.7129.

A guitarist who has written songs for Widespread Panic and Ray Charles will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands.

Phil Roy’s show is billed as “Hope in a Hopeless World,” and is a benefit for the leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Roy is a singer/songwriter from Philadelphia who has written songs over the past 15 years for names including Widespread Panic, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker and The Neville Brothers. The performance was organized by Dave Linn of Macon County after learning a close friend was diagnosed with leukemia.

Tickets are $20. A special “Meet Phil Roy” featuring cocktails and dessert will be held at Old Edwards Inn & Spa Hummingbird Lounge. The private event is limited to 20 people. Roy will talk about his famous songs and why and who he wrote them for, as well as give another private concert. The cost is $50 and includes a performance ticket.

A silent auction will be held before the performance

Tickets can be purchased day of the event or will call at Highlands PAC. 828.526.9047.

Macon County singer/songwriter Angela-Faye Martin will perform at the Jackson County Public Library Complex in downtown Sylva on at 7 p.m. on Dec. 6.

Martin calls her haunting songs “mountain folk-rock.” Her latest album is titled “Pictures from Home” and came out in  2009. It was produced by the late Mark Linkous, aka Sparklehorse (a collaborator of Dangermouse, David Lynch, and Daniel Johnston) and was his last album before his untimely death. Martin derives her inspiration from the Western North Carolina mountains, where she lives with her poet and conservationist husband Brent Martin.

“Together we have formed our own two-person art colony and are constructing a new paradigm of creative success … That is, when we aren’t feeding the local crows cat food.” 

During her performance in Sylva, Martin will feature some of her new material as well as older favorites. She’ll also offer her reflections on being a songwriter in the Western Carolina mountains.

828.586.2016. This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

A special evening program featuring poets, musicians, songwriters and historians will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the Mountain Heritage Center on the campus of Western Carolina University.

The gathering is being called “The New Appalachia.  No more moonshine, Li’l Abners and Daisy Maes.”

Performers and presenters include Western Carolina University historian and director of the university’s Special Collections archives George Frizzell; singer-songwriter and recording artist Angela Faye Martin; poet and rock’n’roll drummer Michael Revere; and poet and publisher Thomas Rain Crowe.

The concert/performance will be free to students and to the general public. A free copy of Michael Revere’s illustrated book of writings, Appalachian Roots, will be available free for all attending.

Frizzell will give a presentation with personal inflections about the strange marriage of classic rock ‘n’roll and its possible and/or imagined influences on the history of Southern Appalachian music and culture. Martin hails from Macon County. Her latest CD is titled “Pictures From Home” and was produced by the late and legendary Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. Revere, originally from Brevard and well-traveled, is back in Jackson County after several years in Montana. His lyrical and rock-beat song-style poems are both powerful and profound. He will be accompanied on the evening’s program by percussionist Gabe Wood, who is a native of Cullowhee. Crowe hails from Tuckasegee and is known as much for his nature and environmental writing as his poetry. He has performed for many years throughout the region with different variations of his spoken-word and music band Thomas Rain Crowe & The Boatrockers.

Donations will be accepted and will go to the Charles George V.A. Medical Center in Asheville. 828.227.7129 or 828.506.2854.

Haywood Studio’s annual Holiday Craft Sale will be held Thursday and Friday, Dec. 1-2.

The sale will be held in the Student Center auditorium at Haywood Community College from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday.  

Haywood Studios is the craft club organization for students in the Professional Crafts program at HCC. The four mediums in the program are clay, fiber, jewelry, and wood. All work in the Holiday Sale is created by students in the Professional Crafts program.

The Southern Highland Craft Guild’s holiday sale at the Folk Art Center will be held Dec. 3 and Dec. 10. Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild will be on hand in the center’s auditorium on these two Saturdays to sell select work at 10 to 50 percent discounts.  

The sale is an excellent opportunity for the artist to liquidate overstocks and 2011 items, try out new techniques, and sell studio seconds. For the customer, the sale means great deals for holiday shopping and a chance to connect with the craftsperson.

Buying from artists supports the local economy and promotes the mission of the Guild which is “bringing together the crafts and craftspeople of the Southern Highlands for the benefit of shared resources, education, marketing and conservation.”

More than 70 artists will be participating over the course of the two sales, with a different group of artists each weekend – so plan on coming to both for best selection.

The Folk Art Center is located at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in east Asheville.

828.298.7928 or www.craftguild.org.

The Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble will present its final concert of the fall semester at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The musicians will perform under the direction of John T. West, director of bands and associate dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts at WCU. Admission is free.

The concert will begin with a performance of Mozart’s Serenade No. 12 in C Minor, featuring a collaboration of four WCU faculty members – Terri Armfield, Shannon Thompson, Will Peebles and Travis Bennett – and four student musicians – Erin Pugh, Hannah Austin, Julie Popelka and Andrew Gore.

The full wind ensemble will perform three major original wind works, beginning with Norman Dello Joio’s “Variants on a Medieval Tune.” Graduate assistant conductor Jody Brent McCarn will lead the ensemble in Eric Ewazen’s “A Hymn for the Lost and the Living,” a tribute to those lost in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, and Austin will be featured on clarinet in a presentation of Frank Ticheli’s “Blue Shades.”

828.227.7242.

The second Annual Arts, Crafts & More Festival will be held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the National Guard Armory on Webster Road in Jackson County.

The craft festival has space for artists, crafters and those promoting a home-based or small business for $20, $25, $30 or $50. To reserve space contact Sharon at 828.226.0045 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

There is no admission but non-perishable food for the Community Table Soup Kitchen will be accepted.

The Waynesville Gallery Association will celebrate the holiday season during its final Art After Dark of 2011 from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2.

Attendees can stroll through working studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in Historic Frog Level. Art After Dark flags denote participating galleries like Burr Studio and Gallery, Earthworks Frame Shop, Earthworks Gallery, Gallery Two Six Two, Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden and Gallery, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86, Jeweler’s Workbench, Textures, TPennington Art Gallery, and Twigs and Leaves Gallery. Christmas music will fill the streets while holiday shoppers visit the shops and galleries.

• Gallery Two Six Two will celebrate its grand re-opening. Stop by the new location at 142 N Main Street for drinks and hors d’oeuvres and meet several artists.

• Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 will host a reception during Art After Dark for its newest exhibit, “It’s A Small, Small Work 2011.” Now in its fourth year, the small works show features over 100 artists from western North Carolina in a variety of media including acrylic painting, clay, collage, egg tempura goldleaf, encaustic, fiber, glass, jewely, oil painting, pastel, photography, steel, watercolor, wood, and more.

• TPennington Art Gallery will unveil “St. Nicholas’ Chocolate Factory,” and feature art and chocolate — lots of chocolate — with recipes on Dec. 2 from 5-9 p.m. and all day Dec. 3 from 10 a.m.-.5 p.m.

• Twigs and Leaves Gallery is celebrating 2011 and the coming holiday season during this year’s final Art After Dark. Embrace the festive sights and holiday spirit, and enjoy special treats and piano music as you browse through hundreds of gift ideas ready for complimentary wrapping (and shipping is available). Twigs and Leaves Gallery offers extended holiday hours on two consecutive Sundays, Dec. 11 and Dec. 18, from 1-4 p.m.

The Haywood County School District will hold its district competition of the Poetry Out Loud (POL) National Recitation Contest at 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 1 in the Tuscola High Auditorium.

The competition will feature school champions from Haywood Early College, Pisgah High School, and Tuscola High School. District winners will move up to the semi-final competition to be held in Greensboro on Saturday, March 24, 2012. Winners of the semi-final competition will compete in Raleigh for the North Carolina Poetry Out Loud state championship.

This is the second year that Haywood County High Schools have participated in Poetry Out loud, a program presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, and advanced through partnership with local arts councils like the Haywood County Arts Council. The Haywood County Arts Council supports Poetry Out Loud by providing performance opportunities for students, transportation funds to attend competitions, and gifts for winners.

In 2010-2011, Ann Kram, a senior at Tuscola High School won the district level competition and Pisgah High School senior, Ashley Lee was runner-up. Ann went on to perform at the state POL competition in Raleigh.

Poetry Out Loud, is a national recitation contest that “invites the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class. Poetry Out Loud helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.”

Michell Hicks, chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will allow a controversial vote to go forward next April on whether to legalize alcohol sales on the reservation.

“At this point, I just feel strongly that it’s the people decision,” Hicks said. “It’s an issue for the people to vote on.”

Cherokee is currently dry, with no beer, wine or liquor sold in restaurants or convenience stores — with the exception of Harrah’s Casino. Tribal council last month voted to hold a referendum that would give all tribal members a chance to vote on legalizing alcohol sales.

The chief had until Wednesday to decide whether to veto tribal council’s decision. He spent the full 30-day time limit praying about it, he said.

Hicks said he wants the tribe to control how and where alcohol is distributed on the reservation, as well as benefit revenue-wise from its sales.

Hicks is okay with restaurants selling alcohol but doesn’t want to see beer and wine turning up on the shelves of gas stations and package stores cropping up across the reservation.

Instead, Hicks wants the tribe to be the sole proprietor of alcohol sales to the public. Liquor sales both to the public and restaurants would be handled through a tribally owned and operated ABC store, as is the norm for anywhere in North Carolina.

Hicks would like beer and wine to be handled the same way. He does not want beer and wine to be sold in gas stations and grocery stores, saying that is “something I won’t support.” Instead, he wants the sale of beer, wine and liquor limited to tribal ABC stores.

Hicks is not advocating for the alcohol vote to pass, but if it does, he wants the tribe to control the sale of alcohol for two reasons. One is to keep gas stations peddling booze off every corner of the reservation, citing that he doesn’t “think it’s healthy.”

Confining sales to a tribally run store would keep alcohol from cropping up on rural areas of the reservation as well, like the Snowbird community in the remote mountainous reaches of Graham County.

The other reason is financial. Cherokee would reap the profits from selling the alcohol.

The revenue from alcohol sales “could be substantial,” Hicks said.

Many local businesses support the referendum, saying alcohol will boost their bottom line and keep tourists who might other leave the reservation in search of alcohol in Cherokee.

However, many in Cherokee are strong Christians and have a long history of alcoholism and diabetes, making many inclined to oppose such a referendum.

The Eastern Band has shot down similar measures in the past — and even halted some cries for alcohol on the reservation before a vote could take place.

The referendum passed tribal council in late October, with nine of 12 representatives voting for it. Two council members wanted to table the resolution, and the remaining member was not present.

Members of the Eastern Band are expected to vote on the referendum in April and can approve all, none, or one or two of the following:

• To permit a tribal ABC store to sell liquor to the public.

• To permit the sale of beer, wine and liquor drinks only in restaurants licensed by the Eastern Band.

• To permit the sale of beer and wine only in grocery stores and convenience stores licensed by the Eastern Band.

Don’t forget you must get written permission from landowners and leaseholders before hunting, fishing or trapping on privately owned, posted property in North Carolina under a new state law.

The Landowner Protection Act provides two ways for landowners to post their lands to allow only hunters, trappers and anglers with this prior permission to enter their property legally. Landowners can now post their land by using vertical purple paint marks on posts or trees to indicate no trespassing, or, as in the past, by placing signs or posters.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has posted information on its website about the new Landowner Protection Act.

The website also contains answers to frequently asked questions about the law. 

www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Conserving/documents/LandownerProtectionAct/LPAFAQ_2011.pdf.

Run off some of those holiday calories at the inaugural Reindeer Dash 5k and one-mile fun run starting at 9 a.m. on Dec. 3 in Bryson City.

The town’s Rotary Club is hosting the event. Participants can enjoy Bryson City’s Christmas Parade after the race, plus there will be costume contests, giveways and hot chocolate.

The course will loop from town to Deep Creek and back, and features chip timing.

Register at www.runbrysoncity.com.

Haywood Waterways Authority’s annual banquet will be held Thursday, Dec. 8, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Lambuth Inn, Lake Junaluska. Haywood Waterways will celebrate the Pigeon River Watershed, reflect on the year’s accomplishments and talk about goals and projects for the coming year. The $15 cover charge per person will be collected at the door. Please RSVP no later than Nov. 29.

828.226.8565 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Haywood Waterways Association has spotlighted the farm efforts of Bill Holbrook, a farmer in the Bethel community.

Holbrook, who owns Cold Mountain Farms, is part of six generations who have farmed on the family land.

Holbrook says that he runs his farm operation as an efficient and productive business, but the way he does it attests to the strong ties to the river and what it has meant to his family over the years.  

The state some years ago awarded Holbrook its River Friendly Farmer recognition as part of a statewide initiative that recognizes farmers who help to keep North Carolina’s rivers, lakes and streams clean. To be awarded this honor, a farmer has to do a double duty by using sound economic and environmental farming practices that protect and improve the precious water and soil resources for future generations.

Among other protections, Holbrook added an inventive system to his farm so that he wouldn’t lose chemicals sprayed on his 36 acres of crops as he filled tanks with water at the river’s edge. The pit holds any runoff from the tank and cleans the water before it is returned to the river.  

The River Friendly Farmer Program makes sure that farmers who protect and preserve natural resources while making their living are publicly recognized for going the extra mile. These farmers provide their local Soil and Water Conservation districts with valuable information about the watershed that feeds the land they farm, as well as how they are improving the quality of the water that leaves their farms and flows into other areas.  

“Farming has always been about surviving disease and weather,” Holbrook said. “But it’s also about being resourceful and creative.”

Just because winter is here doesn’t mean you have to skip on locally produced foods. Haywood’s Historic Farmers Indoor Winter Market is open Wednesdays and Saturday through Dec. 17, from 9 a.m. until noon.

Farmers are offering vegetables, greens and squash, pastured beef, pork, chicken, jams, pickles, honey, crafts and more.

The market is at 449A Pigeon Street, at the corners of Pigeon and Craven Streets, in Waynesville. www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com or facebook.com/waynesvillefarmersmarket.

The Jackson County Farmers Market is holding its market indoors at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Jackson Street in downtown Sylva every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. 828.631.3033.

A leading national activist in climate change will visit Asheville as part of the Climate Reality Project at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at UNC-Asheville.

Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature, The Global Warming Reader, and other defining books on the environment has become a galvanizing force in American politics. The program is sponsored by Western North Carolina Alliance and Canary Coalition.

McKibben’s organization, 350.org, is building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis. Non-violent direct action has been a strong component of 350’s effectiveness and McKibben is encouraging this type of activism on climate change-related issues in all of the locations at which he is speaking on his current tour.

At 5:30 p.m., regional ecologist Dr. Edward Hauser will discuss climate change from an ecological perspective, including the loss of coral reefs, and solutions including conservation measures, energy efficiency and new technologies.

Hauser’s talk will be in the Humanities Lecture Hall and McKibben will be at Lipinsky Auditorium.

movingplanetavl.org.

A holiday celebration benefiting Friends of the Smokies will be held at the Classic Wineseller in Waynesville starting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7.

This special “Wine on Wednesday” event will feature wine tasting by the Classic Wineseller, live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres from The Patio Bistro, and a raffle for a framed print by local artist Teresa Pennington.

A donation of $10 is requested per five-wine flight to benefit Friends of the Smokies. Classic Wineseller is located at 20 Church Street. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 828.452.0720 or www.classicwineseller.com.

A kick-off meeting for developing a regional bicycle plan for Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, and Transylvania counties will be held from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Haywood Community College High Tech Center in Waynesville.

The goal of this two-year long project is to coordinate existing bicycle plans while developing this regional plan.

“Bicycling is important to the economic development goals of Western North Carolina—each year thousands of people visit the region and take part in bicycling activities such as the Blue Ridge Breakaway, or otherwise ride for recreation,” according to organizers. “While bicycling currently accounts for a small share of commuter trips, it is a critical component of a multi-modal transportation system and can help provide more affordable transportation alternatives.”

The study is funded by a grant from the Division of Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation of North Carolina Department of Transportation. Land-of-Sky Regional Council, in cooperation with the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization, is coordinating the effort.

Learn about wildlife by tapping into Wild South, which offers a wide range of educational wildlife programs through school presentations and community events.

In addition to programs about other critters, Wild South is offering black bear experts to share insights and knowledge on these mighty animals.

Naturalists and other wildlife experts provide activities to get individuals directly connected with nature involving the outdoors.

Wild South’s Wildlife Outreach Coordinator, John Edwards, will assist schools and other organizations in scheduling and coordinating animal kingdom experts who can provide up close and informative presentations for all ages.

A limited amount of “special funding” for events during the 2011-12 school year is available for both schools and organizations, made possible by friends of Mountain Wildlife Days and other contributors.

828.743.9648 or 864.934.1935 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is seeking nominations through Jan. 30 for the seventh annual Thomas L. Quay Award.

The award recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to wildlife diversity in North Carolina and who are considered leaders in wildlife resources conservation.

The Nongame Wildlife Advisory Committee will recommend nominees for consideration at their May meeting. The winner will be announced at the commissioners’ meeting in July.

You can submit a nomination form at www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/News/documents/2012WildlifeConservationAwardForm.pdf.

919.707.0063.

Voluntary land protections have increased by 27 percent over the five-year period from 2005-2010.

The first census of land trusts during this period found 10 million new acres conserved nationwide since 2005, including 339,669 acres here in North Carolina.

The National Land Trust Census was released by the Land Trust Alliance. In the same period, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, a major federal conservation program, added just more than 500,000 acres even while experiencing a 38 percent funding cut.

A total of 47 million acres — an area over twice the size of all the national parks in the contiguous United States — are now protected by land trusts.

An enhanced tax deduction for conservation easement donations has helped America’s land trusts work with farmers, ranchers and other modest-income landowners to sustain a remarkable pace of more than one million acres protected by conservation easements each year.  Proponents are worried that Congress will allow this incentive to expire at the end of 2011, meaning fewer landowners will receive tax benefits from the generous donation of development rights on their land.

The census can be found online at www.lta.org/census.

Four new landfill gas extraction wells are being drilled at the Green Energy Park in Jackson County, with the resulting energy helping to fuel craftspeople at work.

The Green Energy Park taps methane landfill gas to provide fuel for blacksmith forges and foundry, glassblowing studios, and greenhouses. Methane builds up as a byproduct of decomposing trash below ground.

The new wells to tap the landfill gas marks the first time that extensive excavation has been done at the landfill since the original dozen or so in 2005. Quality Drilling of St. Paris, Ohio, is boring the wells 70 feet deep.  

“It’s important because it will allow us to maximize our gas supply here at the GEP,” said Timm Muth, director of Green Energy Park. “We’ll be able to run all of our equipment at the same time and have more artists working at the GEP creating beautiful works of art which helps to attract tourists to Jackson County — a win-win for all of us.”

Jackson County is paying $33,000 for the new wells. Several of the original wells had seen decreasing gas flow, likely indicating that the high density polyethylene well casings had become clogged with sediment, and that new wells needed to be drilled to tap the continually generating gas coming from the landfill.

“If we didn’t drill these wells the landfill gas could migrate into the ground water,” Muth said.

The Jackson County Green Energy Park is an award winning, community-scale landfill gas project located in Dillsboro. www.jcgep.org.

There are butterfly gardens and wildlife-oriented gardens, so why not reptile and amphibian gardens, too?

For people looking to make their property more inviting to frogs, toads, lizards and snakes, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has on its website a new publication that provides tips on creating suitable habitat.

Reptiles and Amphibians in Your Backyard is a color, eight-page publication that was produced by biologists from N.C. State University, the wildlife commission, N.C. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation and the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

“Many of the practices explained in the book to attract reptiles and amphibians are easy and fairly quick to do, even for folks who aren’t gardeners,” said Jeff Hall, a wildlife commission biologist. “It’s mainly a matter of taking these critters into consideration when managing your lawn and garden. Things such as adding a water garden, planting native vegetation, providing shelter such as rock piles and log and brush piles, and limiting the use of pesticides and chemicals are simple yet effective techniques to create a backyard habitat that will attract a wide variety of wildlife.”

Even better for wildlife enthusiasts, these same practices and techniques will also attract birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other wildlife to a backyard.

Along with habitat tips, the book provides information on the life history of reptiles and amphibians as well as the ecological importance of “herps,” as reptiles and amphibians are collectively called.

More than 160 species of reptiles and amphibians are found in North Carolina, and many of them are common to urban and suburban areas. However, some species have experienced declining populations over the last decade due to a variety of factors stemming from the state’s rapid growth.

Check it out at www.ncparc.org/pubs/Reptiles%20and%20Amphibians%20in%20Your%20Backyard_final.pdf.

Mary J. Messer, author of the Appalachian memoir Moonshiner’s Daughter, will read from her book and answers questions from the audience from 3:30-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the WCU Bookstore in Cullowhee.

Messer’s powerful and often disturbing memoir, set in Haywood County in the heart of the Smoky Mountains as well as northern Virginia and New York City, tells of her life as the middle daughter of an abusive moonshiner and his mentally ill wife, the incredible hardship her mother and the four children suffered at her alcoholic father’s hand, as well as the trauma the children suffered from the cruelty of other youth and adults as they grew up.

Robert Morgan, award-winning, best-selling author of Gap Creek and many others and also a WNC native, said:

“Moonshiner’s Daughter is a gripping testimony of one woman’s struggle, and one family’s struggle, to survive against overwhelming odds—financial, social, emotional, physical. This book is a window on a world many of us assume is long in the past. Most of all it is a story of human connection, of victory over poverty, pain, discrimination, the haunting story a woman finding her voice and place. Though heart-breaking at times, this is a book you will not soon forget.”

Refreshments will be served and the public is invited to this free event. Copies of thebook will be available for purchase and author signing. 828.227.7346 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..