The “Mountain Street Dance” will be held from 6:30-9 p.m. Friday, June 27, in front of the historic courthouse in downtown Waynesville. 

Elizabeth and Quintin Ellison will share their poetry and photography book created with the late George Ellison, “Land of Blue Shadows: Mountain Life in Verse & View,” at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. 

A special stage production of “Ripcord” will be held at 7:30 p.m. June 20-21, 27-28, July 4-5, 10-12 and 2 p.m. June 22, 29, July 6 and 13 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 

Americana/folk singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. 

The annual “Thunder in the Smokies” summer motorcycle rally will be held June 27-29 at the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds.

The oldest and largest motorcycle rally in the Great Smoky Mountains, the weekend celebration will feature live music, dozens of vendors, motorcycle shows/games, prizes and much more. 

Rising regional Americana/bluegrass act Upstream Rebellion will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 19, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Hailing from the depths of Western North Carolina, Upstream Rebellion is rooted in the intricate musical traditions of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky mountain ranges.

The Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC) is now presenting “Form,” its newest themed exhibit on display at the Haywood Handmade Gallery, located at the HCAC in downtown Waynesville. 

Last weekend, Haywood County’s Republican Party hosted a fundraiser at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds that featured music, professional wrestling, a car show and a hearty helping of conservative politics.

Following the event, event organizer and Haywood GOP Treasurer Kim Genova thanked the volunteers that made the event go smoothly, as well as those who turned out. 

Since 1932, the ashlar veneer of the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville has borne silent witness to memorable events in local and national history — the Great Depression, World War II, Korea, the Civil Rights era, Vietnam, 9/11, Afghanistan, the Gulf Wars and most recently the county’s first LGBTQ+ Pride celebration — but a gathering on Flag Day, the same day President Donald Trump celebrated his birthday with a military parade in Washington, D.C., may prove to be just as enduring. 

I get asked about it after every protest I’ve been to, from Andrews to Asheville, from Chicago to Washington, D.C., and everywhere in between. 

Rally attendance is one of the most debated aspects of any public gathering — be it left, right, center, secular or spiritual. At outdoor venues that don’t use ticketing and don’t have fences or walls to contain the crowds, estimates can be even more difficult.