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‘Unto These Hills’ opens in Cherokee
 

‘Unto These Hills’ opens in Cherokee

Showcasing the dramatic retelling of Cherokee history and culture, “Unto These Hills” has hit the mid-point in its 10-week summer…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

Ever since we splurged on a $2.99 plastic magician’s wand at Santa’s Land last year, my daughter has treated us…
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Claymates celebrates one year in business
 

Claymates celebrates one year in business

Claymates, a “Paint-Your-Own-Pottery & Glass Fusing Experience,” is celebrating its one-year anniversary from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 13,…
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Hula-hoop jam for kids and teens in Bryson
 

Hula-hoop jam for kids and teens in Bryson

Two hula-hoop jams will be held at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 17, at Marianna Black Library in…
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Rained out fireworks rescheduled
 

Rained out fireworks rescheduled

Due to record-breaking rainfall throughout Western North Carolina, Cashiers, Dillsboro and Highlands Fourth of July fireworks were canceled and moved…
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Chamber music comes to Waynesville
 

Chamber music comes to Waynesville

The 19th annual Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival continues at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 14, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It’s the question I get asked the most. “Is there any music around tonight?”
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Cherokee festival honors tribal music, dance and culture from around the Americas
 

Cherokee festival honors tribal music, dance and culture from around the Americas

Known as the finest showcase of native traditions, the ninth annual Festival of Native Peoples will take place July 12-13…
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High mileage, some rust, still running
 

High mileage, some rust, still running

By John Beckman • Columnist I’ve had quite a few cars on the road in the past 40 years, and I’ve…
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DOT decision could finally lay the Southern Loop to rest
 

DOT decision could finally lay the Southern Loop to rest

I’m not sure it represents a new philosophy or perhaps is just an acknowledgement of reality, but the decision by…
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Help shape pedestrian-friendly street plan
 

Help shape pedestrian-friendly street plan

A citizen drop-in meeting to discuss the progress of Waynesville’s North Main Street Complete Streets Study will be held from…
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All clear declared in Richland Creek search
 

All clear declared in Richland Creek search

An all-night search Monday along Richland Creek in Waynesville for a possible missing child turned out to be a false…
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Town election time: Who’s in, who’s out, who’s still in the wings
 

Town election time: Who’s in, who’s out, who’s still in the wings

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. The sign up period…
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Rags to riches: Unlocking the value of antiques rarely results in a jackpot
 

Rags to riches: Unlocking the value of antiques rarely results in a jackpot

Lake Junaluska resident Hattie Polk finally inched her way to the front of the line and released her clutch on…
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Southern Appalachia goes squatchin’
 

Southern Appalachia goes squatchin’

Bigfoot is alive and well in Haywood County, at least through the pages of Eric S. Brown. 
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Armadillos in the mountains? You betcha
 

Armadillos in the mountains? You betcha

It make have taken 50 million years, give or take, but the small, armored animal known as the armadillo is…
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Talks break off on railroad deal, but door not closed
 

Talks break off on railroad deal, but door not closed

The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County reached an impasse on an economic development agreement last week after two…
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Railroad, Jackson leaders at impasse on plan to bring train back to Dillsboro
 

Railroad, Jackson leaders at impasse on plan to bring train back to Dillsboro

The news of stalled talks between the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad and Jackson County was met with mixed feelings in…
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Passel of new patrol cars on Waynesville’s shopping list
 

Passel of new patrol cars on Waynesville’s shopping list

The town of Waynesville plans to buy 15 new police cars in the coming year for $500,000, a move that…
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Haywood Schools shuffle the deck ahead of new year
 

Haywood Schools shuffle the deck ahead of new year

Haywood County Schools has announced a handful of promotions among principals and assistant principals ahead of the upcoming school year.
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Who are we? Cherokee programs find innovative ways to keep the flame burning for future generations
 

Who are we? Cherokee programs find innovative ways to keep the flame burning for future generations

Growing up on the Isleta Pueblo reservation in New Mexico, 26-year-old Cody Grant could name off the tribes he descended…
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Taco Bell to find new home on South Main
 

Taco Bell to find new home on South Main

Waynesville’s South Main Street continues to see slow but steady commercial growth, with a Taco Bell and Mattress Firm soon…
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After 65 years, pool 	is back on the table	for bars in Franklin
 

After 65 years, pool is back on the table for bars in Franklin

Pool sharks rejoice. The town of Franklin has lifted an antiquated law that banned pool tables from being on the…
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Doc may have been most civic-minded Swain citizen ever
 

Doc may have been most civic-minded Swain citizen ever

Note: Every July 4th from 1973 through 1990, I used to go in Bennett’s Drug Store here in Bryson City…
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NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats
 

NC wildlife officials awarded grant for bats

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is awarding more than $950,000 to 28 states for projects to combat and study…
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List of Top 10 animal species on the demise
 

List of Top 10 animal species on the demise

The N.C. Wildlife Federation has released its list of the Top 10 wildlife species struggling to survive. These critters are…
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Project invites public for day at stream
 

Project invites public for day at stream

Aquatic enthusiasts have the chance to tag along with the scientists for a lesson on stream sampling. The Highlands Biological…
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Kick ball kickin’ off
 

Kick ball kickin’ off

Test your kick-ball skills this summer in the big leagues. Registration is underway for the 2013 Haywood County Recreation and…
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Catch the water ski show to remember at Lake J
 

Catch the water ski show to remember at Lake J

Jon boats and canoes are a common sight on the water at Lake Junaluska. But a water ski team stacked…
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Riveting topics in store for conservation lecture series
 

Riveting topics in store for conservation lecture series

The summer Zahner Conservation Lecture Series will kick off in Highlands next week with a talk on biodiversity in the…
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Nowhere to go but down on this guided hike
 

Nowhere to go but down on this guided hike

A nearly all-downhill hike will be held in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Tuesday, July 16, with Friends…
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Forest service curtails ginseng picking
 

Forest service curtails ginseng picking

U.S. Forest Service officials are limiting the harvesting of wild ginseng in the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests, citing concern…
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Disc golf takes off in Waynesville
 

Disc golf takes off in Waynesville

The Waynesville Disc Golf Juniors team has received a boost from the Professional Disc Golf Association, helping the team buy…
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“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves…”
 

“Ye elves of hills, brooks, standing lakes and groves…”

And ye elf and sprite lovers and lovers of the Bard whose words have seeped so deeply into the fabric…
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One-night trips into the Smokies
 

One-night trips into the Smokies

For day hikers who want to take the next step or for a seasoned backpackers who can’t find the time…
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Kingsbury gives us a comfortable summer read
 

Kingsbury gives us a comfortable summer read

In The Bridge (ISBN 978-1-4516-4701-3, $19.99), Karen Kingsbury treats readers to a tale of romance and tribulation centered on a…
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Mountain Momma
 

Mountain Momma

My husband is from South Carolina — the state where you don’t have to wear helmets on a motorcycle and…
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Cathey memoir on life, metal sculpture
 

Cathey memoir on life, metal sculpture

Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will hold a signing for her book, Fire & Steel: The Sculpture of Grace Cathey, from…
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SCC quilts for returning soldiers
 

SCC quilts for returning soldiers

Quilting students from Southwestern Community College recently participated in the Quilts of Valor project, a non-profit organization with the goal…
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Dunham brings comedy to Cherokee
 

Dunham brings comedy to Cherokee

Acclaimed comedian Jeff Dunham will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 6, at Harrah’s Cherokee.
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Spice and tea store opens in Highlands
 

Spice and tea store opens in Highlands

The Spice & Tea Exchange opens its doors this Independence Day weekend in downtown Highlands. The new retail destination is…
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Bascom benefit features floral design, garden tours, photography
 

Bascom benefit features floral design, garden tours, photography

The “Mountains in Bloom” fundraiser for The Bascom Visual Arts Center will be July 11-14 in Highlands.
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Battistelli, Jars of Clay play Franklin
 

Battistelli, Jars of Clay play Franklin

Christian singer Francesca Battistelli and rock group Jars of Clay perform at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts…
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Dulcimer conference to feature historian, progressive dulcimer virtuoso
 

Dulcimer conference to feature historian, progressive dulcimer virtuoso

A mountain dulcimer historian who discovered the instrument while living in Greenwich Village in the 1960s and a 19-year-old dulcimer…
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This must be the place
 

This must be the place

It had been 10 years. I kept thinking those words while boarding a plane in Charlotte this past weekend, bound…
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Finding inspiration in Appalachia
 

Finding inspiration in Appalachia

Standing in an empty field, Martin Cook has a vision.  Founder of the renowned Western North Carolina gospel group The Inspirations,…
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Cowee disaster is a moving story
 

Cowee disaster is a moving story

To the Editor: My appreciation goes to Gary Carden and Dave Waldrop from “The Liar’s Bench;” George Frizzell of the…
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Phone questions not a good business practice
 

Phone questions not a good business practice

To the Editor: MedWest, the company that has taken over our local hospitals as well as many local medical practices,…
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Teaching people to care about conservation
 

Teaching people to care about conservation

To the Editor: I would like to share with your readers what I have come to realize are fundamental objectives…
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A great country needs a wise immigration policy
 

A great country needs a wise immigration policy

By Doug Wingeier • Guest Columnist In a previous letter, I described how devastating to human beings our current immigration system…
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