Thanksgiving morning. The streets of downtown Waynesville are quiet save for a slight, crisp breeze whirling through from the mountain ridges cradling the community. Emerge from bed and peer out the window blinds onto the cloudy sky holiday unfolding in real time. 

While most of the river access points and parks are open along the Jackson County Greenway, there has been some damage that will take some time to clean up since the FEMA cleanup group has to remove debris before the county can start its own cleanup and repairs.  

On the weekend of Sept. 20-21, I went to the Grindstone 100-Mile Ultramarathon at Natural Chimneys Park in Virginia, where my oldest son was a participant. 294 runners took part in this grueling ordeal. Of these, 168 finished the race in the required time of 36 hours. 

The Tsali Ultra Trail Race, in its 15th year of operation, will host the NC USATF 50-Kilometer Trail Championships on Jan. 18, 2025, in Almond. 

Thursday, July 4, marks the 34th running of the Firecracker 5K in Bryson City. Created in 1989 to celebrate the town’s centennial, this annual tradition has grown from 30 to 300 runners. 

Author Anne Jobe will be hosting a special reading at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. 

Recently, Kevin Fitzgerald left his Waynesville home and made the long trek up to West Virginia University to watch one of his former athletes, Tuscola High School running standout Eva Rinker, compete at the college level. For Fitzgerald, it was a moment of immense pride to be there and cheer on Rinker. 

The Riley Howell Foundation Fund’s (RHFF) yearly fundraiser race, the Mighty Four Miler, will take place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, in downtown Waynesville. 

Presented by The Smoky Mountain News, the fourth annual Gateway to the Smokies half-marathon and four-miler will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 6, at 285 North Main St. in Waynesville. 

Winter hikes, winter lights, frosty runs and outdoor ice skating will offer ample opportunity for chilly fun in celebration of the N.C. Smokies Ice Fest Weekend Jan. 26-28.