Take it all in: The art of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
It’s about finding your center. Though they’re hundreds of miles from the closest ocean, the members of Sylva-based Positive Mental…
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This must be the place: You may be gone, but your impact remains
I remembered immediately. Scrolling through the Facebook stream on Monday afternoon, I came across a post from a dear high…
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Hop, skip and a pour away: Waynesville’s Leap Frog Tours
Stepping out of a large passenger van into the sunshine last Saturday afternoon, a group of around 10 people entered…
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Bryson City welcomes second brewery
Although the official “Grand Opening” is May 20 for Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City, the newest brewery in Western…
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HCC crafts students in Atlanta
Haywood Community College Professional Crafts students recently participated in the School-to-Market Program at the American Craft Council’s American Craft Show…
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One small step toward ending discrimination
North Carolina and its citizens are better off with HB2’s repeal. It’s a giant step forward, and despite criticism from…
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Admit it Tar Heel fans, you were squirming
I was all set to write another column on Donald Trump, who somehow seems more unhinged with each passing week,…
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We can’t trust anything Trump says
By Norman Hoffman • Guest Columnist A guest column by Joseph Trisha in the March 22 edition (www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/19589) makes a plea…
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Take the money out of politics
To the Editor: We the people of these United States deserve a better way to put into power those who…
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Employers should provide benefits
To the Editor: I have one thing to say to the business owners who feel that equal pay for equal…
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Why so much disrespect for Trump?
To the Editor: From where comes all this hate and disrespect directed at the President? I expect and respect differing…
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The president must be impeached
To the Editor: It’s terrible that such a thing has come to pass, that the “so-called President” must be removed,…
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One day we may have healthcare for all
To the Editor: Our Congressman Mark Meadows may have forgotten the needs of the voters who elected him. While Meadows…
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Get the money out of politics
To the Editor: We are loudly and frequently reminded of the many things that we are supposed to be afraid…
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Freshmen legislators are led astray
To the Editor: Like Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and others before them, Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and Kevin Corbin,…
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A conservative wants to conserve
To the Editor: I am a conservative. I conserve. A conservative wisely preserves, conserves and saves. A conservative secures and…
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Insubordinate public servants
To the Editor: If you were the boss of three employees (let’s call them Mark Meadows, Thom Tillis, and Richard…
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Trump still holds the upper hand
To the Editor: The media is crowing over this so-called big loss for Trump by having to postpone the elimination…
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This must be the place: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
It was familiar, yet weird. Over the last two weeks I’ve crossed paths twice with my immediate family. Once down…
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The art of being in ‘the now’: Tony Award nominee, WCU professor Terrence Mann on acting, life
When you’re in the presence of Terrence Mann, you find yourself within reach of an energy — a vibe, perhaps…
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Hand-me-down reasons: The DuPont Brothers return to Waynesville
It’s needed now more than ever before. The place of the singer-songwriter in a modern world is a tricky spot.…
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This must be the place: Just when you found me, I’m gone
You don’t know me. In recent weeks, I’ve found myself saying that exact statement above to folks I love and…
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New Jackson Arts president
Gayle Woody has been named the new president of the Jackson County Arts Council.
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This must be the place: I was never cool. Then again, who is?
She is still a fox. Midnight. Last Tuesday morning. Wide-awake and in front of a large HD television at my…
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Dawg days of bluegrass: David Grisman picks on WNC
He’s the common denominator. When you look back at the career of iconic bluegrass mandolinist David Grisman, you’re diving deep…
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This must be the place: We won, but what’s the real prize?
Once they announce your name, you stand up and move towards the bright lights. Meandering around a sardine can ballroom…
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Through the fingertips, echoes the history
“You know, history becomes personal,” Reggie Harris said to a silent auditorium last Sunday afternoon. “These are our stories, and…
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This must be the place: I remember you, the one in the dusty photos
It came out of the blue. Sunday morning. My smart phone dinged next to my bed. I groaned, rolled over…
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Portrait of WCU’s Belcher unveiled
A future addition to Western Carolina University’s gallery of presidential portraits was recently unveiled for the first time as the…
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The weight of desire: David Joy releases second book
What would you do? A pile of drugs. A stack of cash. More money than you’ve ever seen in your…
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This must be the place: It’s midnight, do you know where you life is?
I finally had a moment of silence. After a raucous Saturday night attending the Perpetual Groove show at The Salvage…
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HCAC elects new members
The Haywood County Arts Council has elected three new members to its Board of Directors. The new members, who will…
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Triple Threat wins in Asheville
The Competition Teams of Triple Threat Performing Arts Academy in Sylva traveled to Asheville recently to compete in the regional…
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HART’s traveling backdrops wow theaters far and wide
Haywood Arts Regional Theatre is known for is top-rate shows and high-caliber acting not typical of community theaters. But HART…
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HART’s scenic artist sets the stage for drama
Lyle Baskin is a man of high places. He’s spent most of his life on a ladder.
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Six life lessons from a backdrop artist
The Smoky Mountain News asked Lyle Baskin, the scenic artist for Haywood Regional Arts Theatre, to share the secrets of…
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Sylva welcomes fourth brewery
Though exact details are unknown, BCNC Investments in Bryson City has announced the purchase of the building that formerly held…
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This must be the place: I’m a white man, and I know nothing
It wasn’t the film that was shocking. It was the mere fact I had previously thought “I was aware,” and…
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Mountain Heritage Center exhibit on African-American community, music
Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, in partnership with One Dozen Who Care, will host a display on the cultural…
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SCC pottery chosen for NC Welcome Center
Heritage arts instructors Susan Coe and Ed McIlvaine, along with Kari McIlvaine (Ed’s wife and a heritage arts student), recently…
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Shouted, Written Down & Quoted: Paul Hoffman of Greensky Bluegrass
Within almost two decades together, Greensky Bluegrass has grown from a scrappy string band to one of the premier live…
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Sharing the craft: Jo Ridge Kelley Fine Art
With the traffic and noise of a busy Main Street in downtown Waynesville zooming by outside her window, Jo Ridge…
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This must be the place: So many miles, so many roads
I hadn’t slept that long in years. After driving up and down the East Coast for the better part of…
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‘Blackbeard’s Ghost’ wins national award
Western Carolina University’s 2016 original radio-style production of “Blackbeard’s Ghost and the Queen Anne’s Revenge” has won a “best of…
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HART welcomes Arnette, Dykes
The board of directors of the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville held its annual meeting recently in the…
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Feet in the sand, not your head
How could something so beautiful be so ugly? Standing at the edge of the ocean on the Gulf Coast of…
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Lonesome and a long way from home: John Cowan on bluegrass, life
They wanted to shake things up. In 1971, a young Sam Bush aimed to create a new kind of bluegrass…
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The love that we need: WNC welcomes Hayes Carll
Sitting in the back of his tour van in a Texas parking lot on a recent cold prairie night, Hayes…
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This must be the place: Ode to Butch Trucks, Texas sunsets
Popping the tailgate down in my truck, I jumped up, my eyes gazing straight ahead.
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Creating a community: Haywood Arts celebrates 40 years
In her short tenure, Executive Director Lindsey Solomon has righted the unknown direction of the ship that is the Haywood…
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