George Ellison’s response to Gwen Breese’s letter regarding his article on Horace Kephart and his condition when he arrived at Hazel Creek states, correctly, that as someone who is working on a biography of Horace Kephart, he is “obligated to examine, as best I can, each episode in Kephart’s life in the light of available evidence.” We wholeheartedly agree with that obligation. However, the information and supposed evidence which Ellison offers in an effort to describe Calhoun’s story of the meeting with and “drying out” of Kephart as nothing more than the equivalent of a “tall tale spun by Mark Twain” is at best open to serious question and at worst highly suspect. Here are some of the reasons why this rewriting of history is so fraught with problems.

To the Editor:

“Freedom, freedom is a hard won thing and every generation has to win it again.” This is a refrain from a civil rights song from the sixties. My generation marched, staged sit-ins, spoke out and some even died to achieve rights for minorities, women and future generations of Americans. 

Today we are old folks. We who fought so hard are tired, and what do we see happening? Young people are sitting on the sidelines while the voting rights, civil rights and women rights we fought and sacrificed for seem to be slipping away. Many of us are putting on our orthopedic shoes and marching again. We look around and see very few youthful faces. 

When the older generation of activists dies away, will hard-won gains in voting and civil rights disappear with us? Will this young generation be contented living in a world where elections are bought for the benefit of the few? Do they care if their voting rights are suppressed?

Past gains in minority and women’s rights are being eroded. Is this the future the younger generation wants to live in? Who will be left to carry freedom’s torch when we are gone?

Margery Abel

Franklin 

To the Editor:

Have you wondered why worldwide the leftists, environmentalists, and most media are waging a war against that new dirty word — fracking?

The answer is simple, and it has nothing to do with the hyperbole, misinformation and propaganda these anti-frackers use to scare the public.

The first commercial-scale use of fracking is generally credited with starting in 1947. After 67 years and the fracking of over one million oil and gas wells, anti-frackers abruptly started their war only three or four years ago. Why not 67 years ago if it is as devastating to the environment, health and safety as anti-frackers now claim? Why were some lukewarm fracking proponents prior to the war?

Over the past 10 years, the combination of fracking and directional drilling has opened up vast new sources of natural gas and oil in formerly unproductive shale formations in the U.S. and worldwide. These are resources potentially lasting up to 100 years.

Because of shale fracking, this year the U.S. is expected to become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia. Fracking has resulted in substantial economic benefits and improved energy security for the U.S.

With this new supply of natural gas coming to market, the economics of supply and demand have come into play. Natural gas prices have fallen dramatically. Basic business sense has also come into play as companies generating electricity have begun utilizing the cheaper natural gas to replace more expensive fuels. This reduces both their generating costs and carbon dioxide emissions.

Suddenly the anti-frackers’ “green energy” agenda to replace electricity generated from fossil fuels and nuclear with expensive, unreliable and non-competitive wind, solar and biomass could be mortally in danger from the abundant and less expensive natural gas.

So there is the explanation. They must stop fracking for their own self-interests to save their “green energy” agenda from extinction by natural gas.

Some of the anti-frackers’ arguments against fracking could also be applied to their “green energy,” which has its own environmental, health and safety issues they avoid mentioning.

Fracking, like everything, has tradeoffs. Accidents and mistakes happen. Any actual safety, health and environmental issues should be addressed after fact-based and science-based study, not hysterical accusations. That 67 years of unchallenged fracking experience should allay the public’s fears. The public should also recognize fracking’s tremendous economic benefits.

Vic Drummond

Franklin

Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in a number of workshops in two upcoming sessions available at half tuition to residents of the following counties: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey.

Penland’s final summer session runs Aug. 24-30 with openings in books, clay, hot glass, iron, jewelry, photography, and textiles. 

Looking ahead to fall, discounted spaces are available now in Penland’s eight-week session, which runs Sept. 21-Nov. 14. The workshop roster includes a pottery class focusing on innovative ceramic surfaces; a hot glass class; a class in the iron studio that will cover forging, welding, and fabrication; a jewelry class emphasizing the use of color on metal; a workshop in encaustic and mixed media painting; a class covering four fundamental printmaking techniques; and a natural dying workshop in the textiles studio. 

The Penland Standby Program offers discounts to area residents who take unfilled spaces in Penland classes shortly before the classes begin.Regular room and board charges apply, but students are not required to stay on campus. Most of these workshops are open to students of all skill levels. 

To enroll, call the Penland registrar at 828.765.2359, ext 15 or www.penland.org.

An open call for artisans is currently underway for the Shining Rock Riverfest that will be held from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at Camp Hope in Cruso.

All arts and crafts must be handmade, and can include sculptures, pottery, clothing, leather, etc. Send an artist bio, photographs and/or samples of your work to the Town of Canton, Attn: Shining Rock Riverfest, 58 Park Street, Canton, N.C. 28716. Entries must be submitted by 4 p.m. Aug. 29.

Live music at the festival will be provided by Soldier’s Heart, Bobby G, Indigo, Grits and Soul, Wilhelm Brothers, West Went, Shiloh Hill, Owner of the Sun, and special guests. Barbecue will be available onsite, with children’s activities also offered.

828.648.2363 or www.cantonnc.com. 

The Buy Haywood initiative will host the inaugural Uniquely Local Food Crawl around Haywood County Aug. 21-24 and 28-31.

A red carpet release party to celebrate the release of “Bigfoot Wars,” a major motion picture based on the novel written by Canton author Eric S. Brown, will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the RE/MAX Mountain Realty on Main Street in Waynesville. 

A botanical watercolor workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Highlands Biological Station.

Acclaimed southern gospel groups The Whisnants and The Old Paths will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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Following Saturday morning’s fire on Main Street in downtown Sylva, Mayor Maurice Moody has scheduled an emergency meeting and work session for the Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners and local business owners for Monday at 4:00 p.m. in the board room of Municipal Hall, 83 Allen Street, Sylva.

The purpose of the meeting is to allow for an opportunity for merchants and the town board to discuss Saturday’s fire, the impact on businesses, and any updates as they become available.

Photos courtesy of Kristin Moore

By Chris Cooper

It’s not unusual in music circles for one’s sound to be recognizable but the name to be mostly unknown. Such is the case for bluegrass veteran Curly Seckler.

King of the Hill

I picked up a nasty rumor that Fox is planning to terminate my favorite cartoon show, “King of the Hill.” Shame, Fox! Shame! In my opinion, KOTH is not only the best cartoon show; it is also the best sitcom on TV. After six years, I know Hank and Peggy Hill far better than I know my own relatives. I worry about Hank’s secret shame (he has a small urethra) and Peggy’s qualifications as a substitute Spanish teacher at Arlen High School in Texas (and not too far from Crawford).

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Following a re-evaluation of Haywood County Arts Council programming, two of the organization’s mainstays have been cut from the roster — the Atlanta Ballet’s annual Mountain Homecoming and the Razzle Dazzle children’s arts festival.

By Michael Beadle

Even with the holidays over, traffic safety is still a major priority for public safety agencies and law enforcement.

A snapshot of other incubators across the state offer models of how the incubator in Waynesville could be revamped.

By Lee Shelton

The town limits of Maggie Valley encompass only 1.8 square miles, and there is only one commercial strip, which also serves as the sole access road for many of the residents in the area. It is also a U.S. highway. Even with adding in the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) together with the incorporated limits, 83 percent of what is identified as Maggie Valley falls outside that area. Thus, there are a lot of folks affected by actions taking place in the very small incorporated area of Maggie Valley.

By Michael Beadle

Once again Cataloochee Ski Area will be hosting a series of once-a-week skiing and snowboarding classes this season designed exclusively for women. It’s called Women on Wednesdays, or WOW, and it targets women of all ages and abilities who are interested in learning to ski or snowboard or who want to improve their skills on the slopes.

By Sarah Kucharski

John Nickerson is a very exacting man. Tall and solidly built, he moves with efficiency, his speech measured and pointed as he explains how he came into being a glassblower.

“I don’t do this to make tons of money. I do this because I can’t stand working for anybody else,” he said.

“Firefly”

As a proud member of the Star Wars generation, I enjoy a healthy dose of otherworldly sci-fi plots and special effects. Enter the world of “Firefly.” Five centuries into the future, the totalitarian Alliance regime rules an outer space colonized by humans from Earth.

By Joe Hooten

When it seems like you’ve heard all there is to hear from our Carolina troubadour Mr. Ryan Adams, he follows through with his promise and comes out with his third release in one year. The album 29 is a relatively short nine-track disc that symbolically recounts a year of his life during his 20’s.

By Sarah Kucharski

Students at Fairview Elementary School in Sylva have a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of reading through three signature programs that encourage literacy development.

The Rockin’ Readers program offers students in grades Kindergarten through second grade a chance to partner up with an adult volunteer who will read to them for 15 minutes each week. Readers meet with their assigned child in the school’s lobby where two sets of double rocking chairs are located.

It’s 11 a.m. on Friday at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville, and that means Story Time, a regular date for parents and their children to have some fun reading.

The children, who range in age from 2 to 5 years old, sit on carpet mats in a corner just outside the children’s library area and settle around Youth Services Librarian Jennifer Prince. Prince has a collection of colorful books to read, but before reading, she invites parents and kids to join in a brief sing-along.

By Michael Beadle

Remember when Mom or Dad read you your favorite bedtime story? Maybe it was a book like “Where the Wild Things Are” or “Guess How Much I Love You”? Even if you knew the ending of the story, each book became a magical journey before a new night of dreams.

• Read with your child everyday. Make it part of the daily routine.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

In his first month as the newly elected mayor of Highlands, Don Mullen has already earned a reputation as a service-oriented, civic-minded, friend of the environment.

Macon County officials have contested the legality of a moratorium Highlands enacted on commercial building within the town’s extra-territorial jurisdictions this November.

Controversy over proposed changes to the mission of the National Park Service has landed at the doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Approximately 70 families are in limbo as Jean’s Kids Palace, a daycare in Whittier, faces possible closure.

The privately run daycare is located in the Old Whittier School near the Jackson-Swain county line and services children ages birth to 12 years old. The building was owned by Doug Revis of Revis Hardware in Whittier and has been for sale for several years. However, the $500,000 price tag — more than $160,000 over tax value — was too expensive for daycare director Jean Cochran to purchase.

By Michael Beadle

Darfur may seem a world away from Bryson City, but a group of Swain County High School students is raising awareness about the horrific refugee crisis going on in the east African country of Sudan.

The Save Darfur Student Coalition, a group of about 15 Swain County High School students, will be raising money for the hundreds of thousands of refugees starving and at risk of disease in west Sudan in what world aid agencies are calling an overwhelming humanitarian crisis.

The proposal to hold a referendum on whether alcohol could be sold at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino was withdrawn before it got a formal hearing at a recent tribal council meeting. This is a potentially earth-moving change for the Eastern Bandof Cherokee, and it deserves careful consideration and a thorough, open debate before it is put before voters.

By Stephanie Wampler

One day last year, I had high hopes for a glorious time at the library. I envisioned smiling children listening attentively to the librarian, singing the innocent songs of childhood, learning all about the world around them. A whole morning would pass so sweetly by. My reality, however, was quite different. There were smiling children with glowing faces and sweet voices, and there was a librarian with a stack of engaging books. But when those children raised their voices in song, my son was not among them. He was curled in a fetal position on the floor, crying.

(Editor’s note: Haywood County Manager Jack Horton tendered his resignation to the board of commissioners on Jan. 3. The three commissioners who wrote this letter supported his resignation.)

This letter to the citizens of Haywood County sets forth our views of events that led to the resignation of former county manager Jack Horton.

By Chris Cooper

When the bio sheet for a band arrives with the greeting “Dear Pop Revivalists,” I feel a mixture of curiosity and dread. Good pop or bad pop? Classic pop, schlock pop, punk pop (ugh) or what? For Pete’s sake, Beethoven was the “pop” music of his era; so exactly what kind of pop am I reviving here?

By Michael Beadle

In gathering the performers who would help make the Sounds of Jackson County a reality, organizers invited 40 different local musical groups to donate their time and talents to record an album and play a concert that would serve as a fund-raising event for the construction of a new Jackson County library.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Backstage at Western Carolina University’s Fine and Performing Arts Center, the rehearsal room buzzed with activity as musicians tuned guitars, rosined their bows and warmed up their voices in preparation for last Tuesday’s (Jan. 10) Sounds of Jackson County concert.

A visiting team from LifePoint Hospital network made the rounds to their newly acquired hospitals in Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties over the past week. They pledged to roll up their sleeves and get to work fulfilling the promises made when courting the community hospitals here to join their national hospital network with a growing presence in North Carolina.

The Western Carolina University community is making preparations to welcome what is expected to be a record number of students for the start of fall semester classes on Monday, Aug. 18.

“Indicators are pointing to another all-time high in student enrollment, and we should exceed last year’s record enrollment of 10,107. Also, we anticipate that we will surpass last year’s first-year student enrollment of 1,614, and we could even see an entering class of 1,700 or more,” said Phil Cauley, WCU’s director of student recruitment and transitions.

U.S. Senator Kay Hagan visited the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation Aug. 6, meeting with Chief Michell Hicks, Vice Chief Larry Blythe and members of the Tribal Council to receive an update on the reservation and discuss her advocacy on behalf of Western North Carolina in the U.S. Senate.

“I am so honored to have the opportunity to visit Cherokee today, a place so deeply tied into the history and fabric of our state. Cherokee continues to be a vital part of our tourism economy in North Carolina,” Hagan said. “Every year, people from all over come to visit the unique cultural and historic sites of the western North Carolina mountains, whose beauty is unmatched anywhere in the world.” 

Hagan, who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Children & Families, also toured the Birdtown Recreation Center and visited with local children. Hagan is cosponsoring legislation to address the unique challenges faced by Native American children. The Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act would establish a commission within the Office of Tribal Justice of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The bill would require the commission to conduct a comprehensive study of federal, state, local and tribal programs that serve Native children, identify models of successful initiatives and make recommendations on federal policy to improve the current system by building on the strengths of Native communities.

“We can and must do better for our kids,” Hagan said, explaining that the Commission on Native Children would conduct an intensive study into the issues facing  children and actions needed to ensure children have a shot at academic and economic success.

The cell phone tower proposed for the Whiteside Cove area is off the table for now. Verizon has “indefinitely suspended” plans to locate a tower in the area after requests from Jackson County planning officials that various issues be addressed in the company’s application, chiefly that the design incorporate a camouflage-style tower instead of the originally-proposed mono-pole design.

A Winston-Salem man is hoping to set a record for a good cause with his plan to run the entire Blue Ridge Parkway in nine days. Ned Erickson started his 469-mile run Aug. 9 in Cherokee and plans to finish in Waynesboro, Virginia, by Aug. 17. 

Along the way, Erickson is raising support and awareness for the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and Carolina Point, a Young Life camp in Brevard that’s looking to make improvements to accommodate children with special needs. 

www.nederickson.com/werunforthem.html. 

A popular trail access area and jumping off point for the Shining Rock Wilderness area at Balsam Road will be closed from Sept. 2 through early October for a resurfacing project. 

Balsam Road, located off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Haywood County, is a high-traffic trailhead for the Sam’s Knob area and balds of Shining Rock.

“We’ve received a number of complaints regarding the condition of the road. This project will address the numerous potholes and greatly improve visitor experience,” said Derek Ibarguen, district ranger for the U.S. Forest Service Pisgah Ranger District. “To avoid the highest use times and to be able to meet the requirement of resurfacing the road during warm weather, we are implementing the project just after the Labor Day weekend and before the leaf season.”

This year’s Taste of the Market celebration at Jackson County Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 16 in downtown Sylva,will feature a tomato tasting contest right next door to the 100th anniversary festivities for Jackson County Cooperative Extension. 

A $25,000 Pigeon River Fund grant will help the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department purchase kayaking supplies to add paddling to the offerings of Base Camp Waynesville, a department program dedicated to helping town residents enjoy the outdoors. 

“This program will give us the opportunity to offer kayaking classes in our pool, in our local flat-water lakes and various local rivers,” said Tim Petrea, outdoor programming director for the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. “We will also offer two-hour kayak and paddle board sessions on local lakes and half-day, full-day, and overnight kayak/paddle board trips.”

The resources will also be used in kids day camp programs offered during summer and other school breaks. 

Using the grant, the department bought 13 single kayaks, five tandem kayaks, 10 sit-on-top paddle boards and paddles, flotation devices and other accessories. 

The goal, Petrea said, is to encourage stronger stewardship of local waterways. By putting people in closer contact with those waterways, he hopes to accomplish that aim.

828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The historical documentary film Cataloochee will be shown at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cullowhee at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 21.  

The documentary tells the story of the Cataloochee Valley, the settlers who lived there for a hundred years, and the movement to form the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that includes this special place. The beginning of the film includes a section on the Cherokee relationship to the land prior to white settlement. The Cataloochee settlers themselves tell the story of their time in the valley with humor and poignant memories, reflecting on how their feelings toward the national park have either changed over time to embrace the public space or remained embittered. The narrative repeats the universal themes of migration, settlement and loss of community.

Historians involved in producing the film will elaborate on the film and answer questions. The documentary was a thesis project of WCU film student Katherine Bartel. 

828.743.0585.​

The watermelons will take over Aug. 16 at the Original Waynesville Tailgate Market’s August Kids Corner Market.

A Save the Trails ride and run through DuPont State Forest will be held Aug. 23 to help Pisgah Area Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association raise money to maintain trails that mountain bikers use. The event will feature four long-distance fun races — no timekeeping involved — with volunteers also needed to make everything go off smoothly. 

A handful of teachers, high school and college students recently completed a program designed to teach them about the Great Smoky Mountains National Park through six weeks of hands-on engagement.

Friends of the Smokies will take to the silver screen from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, for the 20th annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon to benefit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Over the last two decades the broadcast has raised more than $2.9 million. 

To the Editor:

The Johnny-come-lately public hearing on fracking scheduled by the N.C. Mining and Energy Commission (MEC) at Western Carolina University on Sept. 12 appears to be nothing more than a public relations move to appease those Western Carolina residents whose opposition to the practice has finally been acknowledged in Raleigh.  

This hearing, like numerous other after-the-fact gambits by politicians, will essentially do nothing to reverse state law on fracking which was enacted by the Raleigh crowd without a millisecond of public input. While some local jurisdictions, including town boards, are standing up to Raleigh by passing anti-fracking resolutions for environmental reasons, these are merely symbolic gestures trumped by state law. Bottom line: the state legislature has basically emasculated local governments. 

MEC chairman Jim Womack said recently that the Western Carolina hearing was scheduled “to give voice to the people of the west.” How noble of the MEC to allow citizens of the region to voice their concerns over fracking when, in the end, it will make little or no difference. In fairness, the hearings may have some small impact on the draft oil and gas rulebook now in place thanks to Raleigh, but a little tweaking here and there doesn’t change the basic game. 

Mr. Womack went on to state that local concerns, while “meaningful” are still only “symbolic” and that passage of anti-fracking resolutions is “probably not a good thing” because it might offend the industry, heaven forbid. Apparently, it doesn’t matter if the industry is offensive to the people. Amazingly, he then suggested that voters should note those local public officials objecting to the fracking and “go the ballot box armed with that information.”

So, let me try to understand this conundrum. Mr. Womack wants voters to possibly punish elected local officials who oppose fracking, but it is perfectly fine for the state legislature to ram through this legislation with no prior public input. In other words, the state has spoken (Big Brother), and any local yokels who oppose Big Brother can be voted out. Here’s a suggestion. Have people go to the ballot box armed with the knowledge that their state representative(s) supported and passed fracking legislation in record time without public input. What about that scenario, Mr. Womack? 

Perhaps the public comments next month at WCU will have a positive impact on how fracking is rolled out in North Carolina. After all, the three-minute comments will be recorded by the MEC. Let’s just hope the recording isn’t erased once it’s played in the sequestered back rooms of the state legislature.

Gerald Soud

Rabun Gap, Ga.