The Smokies’ biggest job
 

The Smokies’ biggest job

Alan Sumeriski, chief of facility management, was selected as Great Smoky Mountains National Park employee of the year for major…
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Lifeguard training at Haywood fitness center
 

Lifeguard training at Haywood fitness center

Medwest Health and Fitness Center in Haywood County will be holding its last American Red Cross lifeguard training course beginning…
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Spring Fling for kids coming to Waynesville
 

Spring Fling for kids coming to Waynesville

The Waynesville Kiwanis will host a “Spring Fling” at the Waynesville Recreation Center on Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m.…
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Corridor K back for public comment
 

Corridor K back for public comment

An open house and public hearing is set for Tuesday, May 17, on a segment of Cooridor K, a controversial…
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Bike rodeo serves up riding for kids and bike plan input
 

Bike rodeo serves up riding for kids and bike plan input

The third-annual Bicycle Rodeo is set to take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, in Clyde.…
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Session to explore prospect of science center on the Tuck
 

Session to explore prospect of science center on the Tuck

A discussion about creating a science discovery center along the Tuckasegee River will be held from 5 p.m. to 7…
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Leave Bambi alone
 

Leave Bambi alone

They might look abandoned and waiflike, but the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is urging folks to not approach, touch, feed…
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Event makes for good company, good birding
 

Event makes for good company, good birding

This past Saturday, May 7, was (I believe) the 12th-annual “Birding for the Arts” fundraiser for the Haywood County Arts…
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Running medicine: prevent injuries, improve performance
 

Running medicine: prevent injuries, improve performance

There will be a free lecture on “running medicine” Tuesday, May 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30. p.m. at the…
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Runners take on tough terrain in Smoky Mountain Relay
 

Runners take on tough terrain in Smoky Mountain Relay

You’ve got to be just a little bit crazy, maybe, to do this trail race — crazy for an epic…
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Lake Junaluska foot bridge under repair
 

Lake Junaluska foot bridge under repair

Until May 23, walkers and runners at Lake Junaluska won’t be able to make their usual circuit. The Turbeville Footbridge,…
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Landowners protect 13 acres in Haywood
 

Landowners protect 13 acres in Haywood

A conservation agreement with landowners has preserved 13 acres in the Bethel community of Haywood County. The property is largely…
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If you teach a child to fish …
 

If you teach a child to fish …

Two free fishing clinics for ages 6 to 15 will be offered at the 21st Annual Great Smoky Mountain Trout…
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Ruby Ride and Run showcases best Macon County scenery
 

Ruby Ride and Run showcases best Macon County scenery

The  annual Ruby Ride & Run will be held Saturday, May 21, in Franklin. There will be a 5K and 10K…
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Chunky Gal campout and hike this weekend
 

Chunky Gal campout and hike this weekend

A hike and campout at Tusquitee Bald, the highest point in Clay County, will be held Friday, May 6, by…
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Cradle of Forestry to hold songbird celebration
 

Cradle of Forestry to hold songbird celebration

A Songbird Celebration will be held at the Cradle of Forestry in America Saturday, May 7, to honor the annual…
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Buzzin’ right along
 

Buzzin’ right along

I spoke with Blair Ogburn, senior naturalist at Balsam Mountain Trust, the other day and she related a perplexing incident.…
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Naturalists host day of birding at Balsam Mountain Preserve
 

Naturalists host day of birding at Balsam Mountain Preserve

In a combination celebration of migratory birds and Balsam Mountain Trust’s 10 year anniversary, hikes and classes are scheduled at…
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The great Wasilik poplar’s time at the top may be numbered
 

The great Wasilik poplar’s time at the top may be numbered

The U.S. Forest Service is warning hikers to stay back a good 50 feet or so from a towering poplar…
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New gameland preserved along Blue Ridge Parkway
 

New gameland preserved along Blue Ridge Parkway

Hikers, hunters and others who enjoy North Carolina’s mountain landscapes will soon have access to 534 acres of gameland and…
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Smokies ranger honored for service
 

Smokies ranger honored for service

Kevin M. FitzGerald, deputy superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, recently was presented the U.S. Department of the…
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Time to wet those hooks
 

Time to wet those hooks

The West Swain Fire Department is hosting its 18th annual Bass Tournament at Almond Boat Park on May 7. The…
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Spring wildflower and bird pilgrimage
 

Spring wildflower and bird pilgrimage

Celebrate Appalachian nature with the 39th-annual Spring Wildflower and Bird Pilgrimage April 29-May 1, with a line-up of 16 hikes,…
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Rhodos, azaleas at peak now for Arboretum annual show
 

Rhodos, azaleas at peak now for Arboretum annual show

The North Carolina Arboretum will host the annual show of the American Rhododendron Society’s Southeast Chapter from noon until 5…
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Kids take on triathlon and aquathlon in indoor setting
 

Kids take on triathlon and aquathlon in indoor setting

A Kids Indoor Triathlon and Aquathlon will be held May 6 for ages 15 and under, hosted by MedWest Health…
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HCC student advances to championships
 

HCC student advances to championships

Daniel Jones, a forest management and fisheries/wildlife management student at Haywood Community College from Hayesville, took home top honors in…
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New nesters
 

New nesters

I believe all of my feathered friends that nest and raise families in my yard and in the woods surrounding…
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Kephart Days: Bryson City gearing up to honor, remember writer
 

Kephart Days: Bryson City gearing up to honor, remember writer

Luke Hyde is too young to remember Horace Kephart, but his parents and grandparents knew the great American outdoor writer…
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Great Smoky Mountains Audubon Society gets official welcome
 

Great Smoky Mountains Audubon Society gets official welcome

The Great Smoky Mountains chapter of the Audubon Society, based in Maggie Valley and Waynesville, has been officially recognized and…
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Dust off those pesticides and get rid of them
 

Dust off those pesticides and get rid of them

A pesticide disposal collection day has been scheduled in Haywood County from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 18,…
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Get wet and help monitor area streams
 

Get wet and help monitor area streams

Help protect the creeks in the Tuckasegee River Watershed by learning to collect and identify aquatic insects, considered key indicators…
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Summer camps equal big bucks for local economy
 

Summer camps equal big bucks for local economy

Western North Carolina has one of the highest concentrations of summer camps in America, and an economic-impact study completed in…
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Families meet the outdoors during adventure day
 

Families meet the outdoors during adventure day

Families can discover how the great outdoors exists in their own backyards during “Outdoor Adventure Day,” from 10 a.m. until…
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Plant sales in full force this spring
 

Plant sales in full force this spring

Several plant sales are coming up for gardeners and flower lovers. • Haywood Community College will hold a Spring Plant…
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Celebrate new bike trails at Jackrabbit
 

Celebrate new bike trails at Jackrabbit

The grand opening of a 14.5-mile trail system near Hayesville in Clay County is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, April…
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Grove Park Inn makes way for onsite NOC adventure outpost
 

Grove Park Inn makes way for onsite NOC adventure outpost

Nantahala Outdoor Center and The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa have unveiled plans for NOC’s Basecamp Asheville, solidifying a…
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Great Garlic Mustard challenge on the Appalachian Trail
 

Great Garlic Mustard challenge on the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is seeking volunteers to help remove the invasive weed garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) from the trail’s…
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Look up Friday night and marvel the night sky
 

Look up Friday night and marvel the night sky

A meteor shower with up to 20 meteors per hour will happen Friday night, April 22. The most meteors are…
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Want to take photos this good?
 

Want to take photos this good?

Wildflowers, Waterfalls and Vistas will be featured in an upcoming Field Photo Program by Bob Grytten beginning May 17 to…
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Sixty-one years young!
 

Sixty-one years young!

Pilgrims from across the country and around the globe are on the move. They are headed to the Mecca of…
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Little fish in a big picture: Fixing ecosystems one species at a time
 

Little fish in a big picture: Fixing ecosystems one species at a time

Ed Williams lugged a giant plastic bag teaming with silvery blue fish down a creek bank in Waynesville where they…
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From classroom to creekside, students study water quality by raising and releasing fish
 

From classroom to creekside, students study water quality by raising and releasing fish

Richland Creek is now teaming with new inhabitants raised by Haywood County students in classroom fish tanks. After feeding and…
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Macon birding hike follows Little Tennessee
 

Macon birding hike follows Little Tennessee

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Franklin Bird Club will host a bird outing at the Tessentee…
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Recycle cell phones
 

Recycle cell phones

In honor of Earth Day, Steve and Mary Abranyi of Green Mountain Builders & Realty Group are collecting unused cell…
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Freestyle Shootout and Demo Days at NOC
 

Freestyle Shootout and Demo Days at NOC

The annual Freestyle Shootout and Demo Days are set for April 15-17 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The competition in…
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Tour de Cashiers rolls on April 30
 

Tour de Cashiers rolls on April 30

More than 200 riders are expected to participate in the 19th anniversary of the annual Tour de Cashiers on April…
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Sponsored bicycle rides begin in Haywood
 

Sponsored bicycle rides begin in Haywood

BicycleHaywoodNC is sponsoring group rides for new and newly returning bicycle riders. The focus of the rides will be to…
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Mushroom workshop planned for April 14
 

Mushroom workshop planned for April 14

A workshop on preparing shiitake or oyster mushroom long will take place at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 14, at…
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Cherokee Runners Organization seek sponsorships for race
 

Cherokee Runners Organization seek sponsorships for race

The Cherokee Runners Organization is seeking sponsors for its first Cherokee Runners Moonlight Race 5K Run/Walk, which will take place…
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Help clean-up Panthertown Valley
 

Help clean-up Panthertown Valley

The Friends of Panthertown and the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust will hold a clean-up day along trails in Panthertown Valley at…
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