It is the heartbeat of a town and its people.

While some communities pride themselves on their Christmas, 4th of July or Memorial Day festivities, the town of Canton showcases Labor Day — a time every year when any and all cheer the workingman, the blue-collar nature of a place as special and unique as its inhabitants.

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• So, why Canton?

It’s a question I get a lot. “Why do you like Canton so much?”

Strolling Main Street in downtown Canton mid-morning, the steam stacks of nearby Evergreen Packaging rise high into another bluebird sky day in Haywood County. Train cars shuffle to and fro in the rail yard surrounding the enormous paper mill.

Sitting down next to each other, it’s pretty apparent that Pat and Zeb Smathers are father and son.

The Bryson City Board of Aldermen is formally asking for public input after mulling over the idea of closing Fry Street in downtown for almost a year.

Based on public input and survey results, it appears the overwhelming majority of folks in Sylva are opposed to creating two-way traffic in the downtown area. 

Begonias are blooming and umbrella-shadowed tables awaiting lunchtime as the finishing touches go into the newly renovated Depot Park in Sylva.

Ask around downtown Sylva, and it’s not hard to find someone with an opinion about traffic. Main Street should be two-way. It should remain one-way. There’s not enough parking. The new parking area on Mill Street is a godsend. The recently installed posts and left-turn lanes are obnoxious and confusing to visitors, or they are a great way to slow the speed of traffic and prevent accidents.

Sylva police can now start enforcing a town ordinance aimed at paring down the number of unpaid parking tickets, thanks to a law recently adopted in Raleigh. 

After two years of getting a feel for Canton politics, two Canton aldermen hope to continue their work for another four years.