Buy Haywood has gone high tech to help promote the county’s abundance of locally grown produce, flowers and food items, and handcrafted products. A YouTube video at www.youtube.com/use/BuyHaywoodProject gives viewers a sample of the various products they can buy that originate from Haywood County. The video is designed to help boost agritourism in Haywood County, according to Tina Masciarelli, Buy Haywood project coordinator. “Each product is a whole that makes up our vibrant community,” she said. Masciarelli is also working on a Haywood County Agritourism Guide (formerly known as the Farm Map & Brochure).  She is looking for Haywood County farms that accept visitors, value-added or specialty food retail stores that feature products with Haywood County grown ingredients, farm to fork restaurants that support local farmers consistently throughout the growing season by featuring Haywood County ingredients in their menu items, roadside stands that sell Haywood County grown products or other farming or agriculture related recreation and/or educational opportunities.

www.facebook.com/buyhaywood or 828.734.9574.

More than $22,000 was raised for the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation at the 2nd annual Cherokee Harvest Half Marathon & 5K in Cherokee recently. Jill Konkol of Winston-Salem (18:50) and Phil Latter of Bryson City (15:38) were the winners of the 5K.

Duke Energy will spend more than $100,000 on seven streamside habitat projects in the watersheds and tailwaters of its Nantahala area hydroelectric projects. Duke’s Riparian Habitat Enhancement Fund grant of $109,057 plus matching and in-kind funds for the projects total $406,873.62.

People with physical disabilities will have better access to Lake Glenville, thanks to upgrades to some of the lake’s amenities.  

Blackrock Mountain summit, a 5,700 foot peak that overlooks the Blue Ridge Parkway, has been purchased by the Southern Applachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC).

To the Editor:

When Reconstruction came to the South after the Civil War, big plantations were worked by nearly destitute farmers for a share of what their labor produced. They got enough to live on — barely — but the lion’s share of the produce went to the landowner. Farmers were intentionally kept poor, and this form of economic servitude lasted until the South became industrialized. 

Now can it be that North Carolina is trending back to a modern form of sharecropper economy? Disturbing indicators coming from the new administration in Raleigh point to a small, wealthy segment of the population controlling a larger, economically depressed population. Consider recent legislation designed to widen the separation between the wealthy and working man:

 Education — Reductions by the Republican legislature in per capita spending on public education has put North Carolina in the cellar, on a par with Mississippi where the schools are often so poor that employers have to retrain graduates on simple skills, in what are called “learning laboratories.” As has been proven for decades, a progressive school system graduates enlightened, capable students. However, the Mississippi case proves the reverse is also true. Dumbing down public education produces students who don’t know how to read a ruler, limiting them to menial jobs only. On the other hand, the legislature is working to build up private secondary schools, those that require substantial tuition to attend. Whose children do you think are going to be able to pay these high tuition costs? If this comes to pass, wealthy kids will do calculus; poor kids will be stuck with arithmetic … if even that. 

Massive jump in the number of sales tax items — Taking 4.75 percent out of the pocket of a millionaire for a purchase is chump change. But when you take 4.75 percent out of the pocket of someone who makes $10 an hour, it’s a big bite. Thus, when the Republican administration lowered the income tax to favor the rich and boosted the numbers of items by over 130 on which to impose sales tax, they swung the burden of paying for state services onto the middle and low-income people. 

Unemployment — To have a workforce available to work low-paying jobs, it is necessary that they stay hungry and under-employed. The drastic cut in unemployment benefits by the Republican administration in Raleigh effectively does just that: keeps wage earners desperate for any work they can get. 

Voting — In the legislature, 108 members don’t want elderly, Black, Hispanic, or working people to vote — because the fear that these voters would not vote for them. They are probably right, but it doesn’t mean that a restrictive voter identification law is the right thing to do. The spirit of democracy demands that everyone who is eligible to vote be encouraged to do so. The mandatory voter ID law passed by the Republican legislature is a pointless hurdle to be overcome by would-be voters and smacks of the old poll tax that was used to suppress the Black vote in North Carolina. Also, they have shortened the early voting period and eliminated on-site registration. What the Gang of 108 is saying is that if you are not with them, they don’t want you to vote. Remember, voting is power. The Gang of 108 wants to keep the power to themselves, the rest of us on the outside looking in. 

Healthcare — The Affordable Care Act will reduce health insurance premiums for working people by 25 to 50 percent, and ensure that they get timely health care, not desperation health care at emergency rooms. But, our elected Republican leaders in Raleigh have turned their backs on this extraordinary benefit from Washington. So, those of us who have been health care poor will stay health care poor. 

It’s clear that the Republican-led legislature in Raleigh is taking North Carolina toward a new plantation mentality, where the wealthy and empowered decide what share of the economic crop the rest of us can have. In the old days after the Civil War, it was “40 acres and a mule.” Are you ready for the 21st Century version? 

Rick Bryson 

Bryson City

To the Editor:

With the government shutdown fiasco, we have learned what TEA in Tea Party really stands for “Totally Egocentric Anarchists.” Tea Party legislators meet the definition of anarchist: a person who promotes disorder or excites revolt against any established rule or law.

They are certainly not patriots. They were willing to damage the U.S., its reputation, credit, and economy to oppose a law. That law (Obamacare) is largely based on previous Republican proposals and principles. The opposition — without any alternative solutions — seems based primarily on the fact that those Republican proposals are now embraced by a president who is not an old white guy.

They are not conservatives because the only things they seem to want to conserve are their personal bank accounts and the wealth of the rich. In this state they passed a law that could force landowners to allow oil companies to do fracking on their land to get at natural gas. At the national level, they want to do away with the Environmental Protection Agency so that corporations can pollute at will.

Before you think that the solution is to kick out all incumbents, remember that this mischief of the shutdown was caused by newly elected Tea Party legislators. If you want to avoid more mischief, kick out the Tea Party extremists and replace them with rational Republicans or Democrats.

Norman G. Hoffmann

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I would like Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, to realize that there was a time when opposing parties would come together and work for the good of our citizens. Though there are many examples, let me point to one with which I was intimately involved. 

Throughout the fifties and sixties, the pollution problems of the Potomac River had become infamous. In 1957, the U.S. Public Health Service declared the Potomac unsafe for swimming. A sign fastened to the pier at Mt. Vernon advised visitors to “Avoid Contact With Polluted River Water.” The Potomac, the drinking water source for D.C., had become very difficult to adequately treat. 

This growing problem was addressed not by a political faction, but by a coalition of U.S. congressmen from the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Maryland’s Republican Rep. Gilbert Gude led the group and brought national river legislation before the House. The coalition’s work continued over the next several decades, culminating in vastly improved water quality for all those who depended on the Potomac. “Environmentalist” was not a dirty word, but a term of which one could be justly proud.

Fast forward to October 2013. The Tea Party, willing to work only for their own narrow interests, reportedly has called Rep. Meadows their “poster boy.” The shutdown occurred because the Tea Party finds the Affordable Care Act — duly passed into law by our Congress — unpalatable for their taste. Thus they held the entire U.S. hostage.

Never mind the consequences. The small businesses wrecked by this shutdown, businesses that reach far beyond the direct furloughs, businesses that may not survive. The incredible devastation to the lives of hard-working men and women, barely keeping their heads above water in the best of times. This country is being taken back to the Dark Ages and those who are the architects – the Tea Party – are disclaiming any responsibility.

Give hope to those who have had their trust betrayed by their elected representatives.

Doug Woodward

Franklin

To the Editor:

I once asked a gentleman why he placed so much reliance on government and he replied, “Because your life can turn on a dime.” To me, that can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. A recent example can be found in the recent problems with electronic bank transfers for food assistance. For these people, life did indeed turn on that dime. In the time it took to say “system down,” they went from being able to walk into the grocery store and purchase their whims to not being able to put food on the table. Dependency placed them in a very vulnerable position. 

Dependency is as much a mindset as it is a financial position. Those that ascribe to personal responsibility were better able to weather that storm because they took the time to practice restraint, watch the sales flyers, and cut coupons. They opt to methodically build upon their pantry staples. When the system went down, they were prepared. They may have failed to get that gallon of milk, but their family was not going to go hungry.

This exposure to vulnerability is not limited to individuals. During the government shutdown, when the White House ordered the park closed and the Pisgah Inn to cease operations, it had a ripple effect because so much of our area’s prosperity is based on tourism. 

The good news is that our citizens rallied to support the Pisgah Inn and both North Carolina and Tennessee decided to use state funds to reopen the park and preserve our local economy. The bad news is that both of these measures were reactive versus proactive.

We must be like the individual I noted above and keep staples in the pantry. The state must reconsider the current political power structure and revenue stream. It is as if we send a whole pig to D.C. then beg for a few strips of bacon for our compliance. 

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a single government. Public servants at such a distance, and from under the eye of their constituents, ... reduces us to a single consolidated government, it would become the most corrupt government on the earth.”

A bureaucrat in D.C. does not know you as a neighbor or friend, but rather as a statistic and a nuisance to be dismissed. As Brian Roberts stated in a recent piece regarding our politicians in D.C., “They are ignoring you, return the favor.” We must reclaim our state’s authority granted under the Tenth Amend-ment. If we do not change our level of dependency upon the federal government we will always be vulnerable to its decrees. After all, it was the states that created the federal government, not the other way around.

Ginny Jahrmarkt

Sapphire

Haywood Community College recently received a $20,000 matching grant from the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership (BRNHAP) to develop and implement an Appalachian Heritage Arts Music Program at the college.

Music Heritage is identified as one of the core interpretive themes for the BRNHAP focusing on traditional music with significant history in the region.   

The Appalachian Heritage Arts Music Program is designed for individuals to be able to explore the rich heritage of Appalachian music from the novice to those with career ambitions. Continuing Education classes are being offered in HCC’s Creative Arts Building in a dedicated space equipped with state of the art theatre surround sound and recording capabilities.

Classes include Guitar Basics, Introduction to the Banjo, and Getting Started on the Fiddle. As the program grows, other courses will be offered such as: Beginning and Advanced Old Time Bluegrass and Clawhammer Banjo; Bluegrass, Folk, and Bass Guitar; Mandolin; Dulcimer; Dobro; and Appalachian Clogging.

828.246.9233 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Eric Davis, 23, was indicted on one charge of first-degree murder and two charges of felony child abuse Monday. He is currently being held without bond.

Davis’ 4-year-old daughter was found injured and abuse in the Qualla Motel in Whittier Oct. 11. She was transported to Mission Hospital where she later died.

Davis initially faced charges of intentional child abused and inflicting serious bodily harm, but after an autopsy was completed, law enforcement added first-degree murder to the list of charges, which a grand jury indicted Davis on.

If found guilty of murder, Davis could face life in prison or even the death penalty.

The Jackson County Planning Department will host a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 5 at Cullowhee Valley School to gather input from residents about the future development of the area.

Jackson County Planner Gerald Green said the department is seeking the opinions of residents and business owners as it moves forward with the development of the Cullowhee Community Plan.

The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. with an informal question and answer session. The formal program will begin at 6 p.m. with an opportunity for attendees to provide their thoughts regarding the future development of Cullowhee. 

For information, contact Green at 828.631.2255 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Haywood Community Band will honor founding director Bob Hall during a performance at 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.

Selections include Joplin’s “Ragtime Follies,” The Symphonic Beatles and Greensleeves: A Fantasia for Band. The Haywood Community Band is supported in part by a grassroots grant from the Haywood County Arts Council and the North Carolina Arts Council.

Free.

www.haywoodcommunityband.org or 828.456.4800.

Art After Dark will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in downtown Waynesville.

Stroll through working studios and galleries on Main Street and Depot Street. Festive Art After Dark flags denote participating galleries, such as Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86, Earthworks, Jeweler’s Workbench, Twigs and Leaves Gallery, TPennington Art Gallery, Main Street Artist’s Co-op, Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden and Gallery, Cedar Hill Studios and the Village Framer.

The event is presented by the Waynesville Gallery Association. Free.

www.downtownwaynesville.com.

Tickets for the 2013 Madrigal Dinner at Western Carolina University will go on sale at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, in the Grandroom of WCU’s A.K. Hinds University Center. 

Held annually at WCU since 1970, the Madrigal Dinner recreates the pageantry, music and food of 16th-century England, with authentic madrigal entertainment and costumes. The menu will include a choice of three entrees: grilled pork loin chop with bourbon-apple glaze, honey citrus glazed Cornish game hen, or a vegetarian plate featuring a shepherd’s pie. They entrees will be served with wassail, hearts of romaine salad with sugared pecans and dried cranberries with a balsamic vinaigrette, roasted garlic mashed new potatoes, honey cinnamon glazed carrots, plum pudding, rolls, tea, water and coffee. Tables seat eight patrons.

Tickets are $23 for WCU students and $38 for all others. They may be purchased in the administrative offices located on the second floor of the University Center from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reservations can be made over the telephone by calling 828.227.7206, but the tickets must be purchased with a credit card (MasterCard, Visa or Discover.)

www.wcu.edu. 

Quilter Susan Sheets (pictured) was one of many first place winners from Jackson County at the 2013 Mountain State Fair.

George Frizzell, head of special collections at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library, is the 2013 recipient of the Thornton W. Mitchell Service Award for outstanding service to the archival profession in North Carolina.

The Western Carolina University School of Music will present a concert by the Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the recital hall of the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

A Sylva conservation organization was featured at the Making a Difference Monday program Oct. 21 at the Oskar Blues Tasty Weasel Taproom in Brevard. 

The Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards demonstrated cross-cut saw skills they use when building and maintaining trails in wilderness areas. They also discussed SAWS’ work in the national forests of the Southeast. SAWS is a project of the Southern Appalachian Office of The Wilderness Society in Sylva. 

Sales in the Tasty Weasel Taproom went to SAWS to support its trail stewardship and restoration work in the Appalachians.

www.trailcrews.org.

A Bryson City brewery has chipped in $1,000 to support the Appalachian Trail Ridgerunner program, whose mission is to preserve and improve the hiking experience along the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

The recent donation by Nantahala Brewing Co., which uses water from the Smokies in its beer making, came from sales of its newly released Trail Magic Ale. This sixth installment of the Trail Magic Ale series is a 10.2 percent Rye Wine and an award-winning beer, named for the random acts of kindness many hikers experience along the A.T. 

The brew company was founded in early 2009 and brewery operations and distribution began in May of 2010. For 15 years the Ridgerunner program has recruited individuals to provide visitor information, perform trail maintenance, advise hikers on trail conditions and provide vital real-time information for emergencies and possible problem bears along the 71 miles of A.T. that run through the Smokies. 

www.friendsofthesmokies.org or 828.452.0720.

Olympic silver medalist and Asheville resident Lauren Tamayo will serve as guest speaker at the Haywood Chamber of Commerce Women in Business luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 5 at the Gateway Club in Waynesville.

Tamayo is a veteran rider with 15 years racing experience, a multiple Junior and U23 National Champion and Pan American Champion, and a National Team member who has represented the United States in both the Junior and Elite World Championships for both the track and road. 

Cost is $25 for Chamber members and $30 for non-members. Registration is required. The Gateway Club is located at 37 Church St. in Waynesville.

828.456.3021 or www.haywoodchamber.com.

Paddlers and swiftwater rescue experts from across the country will gather Oct. 25-27 in Jackson County for the 2013 American Canoe Association Swiftwater Rescue Conference, much of it on the Tuckaseegee River.

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT) will host its 14th annual fall celebration from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Historic Cowee School near Franklin.

Forget roses. Susan Belcher is hoping for beds of Cullowhee lilies to blanket Western North Carolina in the coming years. 

Belcher — the wife of WCU Chancellor John Belcher — is leading an effort by the Western Carolina University Alumni Association to re-establish the flower in the Cullowhee valley by selling packages of the flower bulbs. The proceeds will be used to support the development of Cullowhee lily flowerbeds on campus and to grow a WCU Alumni Association Scholarship fund.

The packages will be sold through the month of October for $10 each. They may be purchased at Catamount Clothing and Gifts and Tuckasegee Trading Co. in Cullowhee; Bradley’s General Store, Dillsboro Smokehouse, Dogwood Crafters, Hopberry – A Primitive Home Collection, Oaks Gallery, Tunnel Mountain Crafts in Dillsboro; at Bryson Farm Supply, Country Road Farms Nursery & Garden Center, Ray’s Florist & Greenhouse and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce in Sylva; and at other locations in Jackson County. The bulbs and Cullowhee lily notecards will be for sale before and during the Catamount Homecoming game against Elon Saturday, Oct. 26. 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.7335.

Award winning naturalist and writer George Ellison will present a lecture titled “Edible, Utilitarian, and Religio-Medical Plants Used by the Cherokees” at 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.  

Every fall, folks flock to Rhodes Big View between Highlands and Cashiers to photograph the bear shadow that appears in the Chattooga River headwaters. Photographers set up their cameras and wait for the shadow to creep over the mountains. 

George Frizzell, head of special collections at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library, is the 2013 recipient of the Thornton W. Mitchell Service Award for outstanding service to the archival profession in North Carolina.

A native of Jackson County, Frizzell is a descendant of a family that has lived in the area for more than 200 years. His grandfather attended the small school that was the predecessor of WCU, and his father was employed by the university. Frizzell earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WCU and a Master of Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

 In recent years, Frizzell has given dozens of talks, tours and presentations to community organizations, regional historical and genealogical societies, public libraries, civic groups, community centers, elementary school classes, student organizations, churches, and conferences and symposia on regional history. A founding member and former president of the Jackson County Historical Association, he is a Cherokee scholar and has published many articles on the Native American experience in professional journals. He also is a published poet and an aficionado of rock ‘n’ roll music.

For more information, visit specialcollections.wcu.edu or contact Frizzell at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.7474.

Western Carolina University’s state-of-the-art Health and Human Sciences Building, which opened in fall 2012, has won two awards for its architectural design.

To the Editor:

On Tuesday, Oct. 15, I delivered to Rep. Meadows’ office in Hendersonville more than 32,000 signatures of people from all over the U. S. who were objecting to his role in trying to close down the government. This website was from Faithful America, made up of Christians from many denominations who are concerned about the poor and needy being exploited by the far Right. Many people from all over WNC had signed on to the web site, which was in operation only six days. Signatures from people in Rep. Meadows’ district include the following locations: Burnsville, Hendersonville, Rosman, Sylva, Waynesville, Bat Cave, Asheville, Cedar Mountain, Franklin, Lenoir, Brevard, Mars Hill, Cullowhee, Flat Rock, Bakersville, Leicester, Candler, Whittier, Hildrabran, Barnsville, Newland, Weaverville, Morganton, Murphy, Hayesville, Mills River, Maggie Valley and Lake Junaluska.

According to the an article in the New Yorker in August, our congressman sent a petition to many of the tea party Republicans suggesting a government shutdown if they could not stop ObamaCare.  He also voted to keep the government shut down; fortunately there were enough intelligent Republicans and Democrats to end the shutdown.

This shutdown has cost the government more than $24 billion and caused thousands of people hardship and loss of income.

When election time comes around, I suggest we send Rep. Meadows back to his gated community in Highlands, where he and his wealthy neighbors live.  I think the poor and middle class people in our district deserve someone better.

Robert G. Fulbright

Waynesville

To the Editor:

This is my first ever letter to the editor.  I feel I must respond to comments made in local papers by several candidates for Alderman for  the Town of Canton. One statement made was that there had been no progress made in Canton over the last four years, and that things had declined during that time; others referred to lack of infrastructure and economic development.

Some of the many accomplishments made over that last four years are as follows:

• A new larger sewer line was extended to Buckeye Cove at a cost of $1.8 million, paid for with grants and local funds with no additional debt, all contributing to future economic development.

• The town cooperated with the county, the hospital, and private business to locate a new Urgent Care in Canton.

• Purchased a new fire truck for more than $300,000, which enabled our fire department to maintain top rating so our citizens get the best homeowner insurance at a lower cost.

• Secured grants to fund a new water line in the Beaverdam and North Canton Road area that would have otherwise cost town citizens.

• Secured funding in excess of $1 million to install a new storm drainage system from Radio Hill to Evergreen Packagin which will help mitigate future flooding problems.

• Helped form a N.C. Step Group in Canton that has acquired $125,000 to help promote Canton businesses.

• Worked with DOT to secure funding for new sidewalk on Penland Street.

• Have paved more road footage that any board in the past decade and have in place a sidewalk replacement program that has spent $50,000 plus each of the last four years.

• Fought two major legal battles — one to keep Camp Hope public and one to prevent large billboards all over town.

• Invested more money into recreation to hire a fulltime recreation person, installed a sand volleyball court, enhanced lighting at old tennis courts, began walking in the Armory in the winter, and also picking in the armory in the winter, along with new batting cages and some much needed drainage work at IP Complex.

• Worked to get the question of staggered terms on the ballot for our citizens to decide which way they wanted to elect the board.

• We were able to provide new weapons for our Police Department to replace other outdated ones along with new radar equipment and drug fighting equipment. Funding was acquired through grants and sale of surplus equipment.

All of this and more were accomplished over the last four years with no ad valorem tax increase to our citizens; and we were also able to give a small raise to our employees by combining several positions as people retired. Several candidates have stated they will move Canton forward and recruit new business downtown, but no one has stated how they plan to do it and where the funding will come from.

 As for the new town manager, I will not refer to what was discussed in closed session concerning personnel; however, I feel we have capable personnel to run the town government in the interim while the new board decide who they want.

Last of all, I sincerely give my best wishes for the new board, whom ever is elected and hope they can accomplish great things for the Town of Canton, and I encourage them to vote on all issues with the Town of Canton taxpayers and employees’ best interest at heart.  There are many other accomplishments over the last four years I would be glad to discuss one on one with any taxpayer. I will always support the Town of Canton in any way I can.

Jimmy Flynn

Canton alderman

To the Editor:

Have you Canton folks taken a good look at the candidates for the four seats on the Canton Board of Aldermen? With the current board, in its entirety, choosing not to run for reelection, Canton is looking at four new faces to help run the town and we need to elect the best!

Zeb Smathers has tossed his proverbial hat into the ring and hopes to earn one of these seats.

Completing his education at Duke and UNC Law, he has chosen to return to his hometown to live, practice law, and promote the advantages of living in Canton. More than that, he would like to use his time and talents to insure that Canton with these unique advantages continues to move forward and meet the challenges of an ever more changing and challenging future.

Zeb has much to offer as an alderman. In addition to his legal expertise, he is an enthusiastic and proactive individual, always exploring new ideas from a logical point of view. He currently serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church, is on both the Haywood County and Canton recreation boards, the Haywood County Schools Foundation, the N.C. Film Commission, and the Folkmoot Board of Directors, all of which have given him firsthand leadership and problem solving experience. I have worked side by side with Zeb and witnessed the sincere dedication, thoughtfulness and determination with which he approaches tasks and decisions. My observations have convinced me that he truly cares about Canton and its future as well as that of Haywood County. 

Zeb is aware of some of the challenges presented to the town, especially in the areas of economic development. He sees the importance of Canton’s role in taking a more pro-active approach in attracting new businesses along I-40 but also encouraging Canton’s existing businesses to expand. Accordingly, he is passionate regarding the town’s hardworking employees in making sure they have the training and resources to provide the best services possible.

Zeb’s slogan is “Believe in Canton,” and because I believe that he can help lead and unite our town, I strongly endorse Zeb for election to the Canton Board of Aldermen.

Edie Burnette

Canton

To the Editor:

As a better solution to the proposed “killing” of more black bears being advocated by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, I am a strong advocate for providing more educational opportunities to better equip communities and individuals with information regarding “living safely with black bears.” 

As an iconic symbol of the wildness we all enjoy in Western North Carolina, black bears are highly valued by most residents and visitors. The controversial regulations to lengthen black bear hunting season and increase the number that can be killed — along with other proposals — are not in the best interest of the bears or the large percentage of residents who deeply appreciate wild lives and wild places. 

There are better solutions. Organizations such as the B.E.A.R. Task Force, Mountain Wildlife Outreach, Wild South and other highly qualified black bear educators in the region are well prepared to provide education opportunities for schools, organizations and individuals. Both the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and North Carolina Wildlife Federation and other organizations have the resources to provide sound “living safely with black bears” information for the general public.

The voices and opinions of many of the very large percentage of WNC residents who love and appreciate the wildlife and beauty of our region need to be heard by those who manage wildlife in our state along with members of the North Carolina General Assembly. It is hoped the NCWRC, NCWF, responsible hunters, N.C. legislators and wildlife advocates will find better ways to communicate and to cooperatively work together. After all, wildlife belongs to all of us.

John Edwards

Director, Mountain Wildlife Days

Cashiers

Country superstar Ronnie Milsap will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Milsap is best known for his signature combination of R&B, bluegrass and country music. 

$25/$30. 

866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com. 

Artisan in the Mountains will host a woodcarving demonstration featuring the Pigeon River Woodcarvers Club from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at 99 Depot Street in Clyde. 

The club has nine active members and meets every Saturday afternoon. The purpose and mission of the club is to promote woodcarving as an art of the mountain region. This is achieved by attending several festivals for demonstration and carving shows for competition. The club welcomes anyone with an interest in the art. 

Free.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.702.5448 or 828.565.0501 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Classic Broadway drama “The Heiress” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-2, and 3 p.m. Nov. 3, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 

 The School of Music at Western Carolina University will present a performance of Franz Schubert’s Octet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, in downtown Dillsboro.

The 24th annual Leaf Lookers Gemboree will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 25-26 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 27 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin.

Bryson City

• Haunted Halls of Havoc and Corn Maze will be from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Oct. 24-27 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Haunted house, hayrides and corn maze. $5 per person, with children under age 3 admitted free. 828.488.3167 or 828.488.2376 or www.greatsmokies.com. 

• The Peanuts Pumpkin Patch Express will ride from Oct. 25-27 at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot. Guests will hear narrations of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Characters will be on-site at pumpkin patch. Tickets are $55 per person, $31 for children ages 2-12 and free for children under age 2. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com. 

• Plow Day Festival will be an all-day event Saturday, Oct. 26, at Darnell Farms. Hayrides, corn maze, plowing demonstrations and live bluegrass music. There will also be a pumpkin patch, ice cream and fresh produce. 828.488.2376 or www.greatsmokies.com. 

• A spooky comedy will be screened at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. The film stars Adam Sandler as the Hotel Transylvania owner Dracula. Free. Popcorn provided. 828.488.3030.

• Octoberbest will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at The Storytelling Center in Bryson City. Celebrate the season with mountain stories, live music by the Dulcimer Duo, cowboy coffee and glazed almonds. $5 for adults, $3 for students. 828.488.5705 or www.greatsmokies.com. 

• “Downtown Trick or Treat” will be from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. With the streets closed, children can go trick or treating around to downtown merchants. There will also be a costume contest, with the winner receiving a gift certificate to Soda Pops. Free. 800.867.9246 or www.greatsmokies.com. 

Cherokee

• The third annual Haunted Cherokee Halloween celebration will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 25-27, 30-31 and Nov. 1-2 at the Mountainside Theater and the Oconolafutee Indian Village. The 5 Little Pumpkins Scare-Free Kids Zone will showcase a magician, obstacle course/maze, hayride and other activities, with tickets at $5 per person. The Haunted Theatre will offer a frightening performance, $10. The Little Dorm of Horrors building presents a “worst nightmare” as creatures try to catch you in their habitat, $8. The Myths and Legends Ghost Walk offers storytelling and characters, $10. The Cherokee Zombie Run fundraiser for the Mountain Discovery Charter School will be from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2. The celebration is sponsored by the Cherokee Historical Association. Tickets available in advance online or day of at Mountainside Theater Box Office. 828.497.2111 or www.hauntedcherokee.com. 

Cullowhee

• The “Pumpkin Patch Trail” will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at the Jackson County Recreation Complex. Trick or treating will be offered throughout the park. Free. www.mountainlovers.com. 

Dillsboro

• Halloween activities will run from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in Dillsboro. Children can trick or treat around downtown, with games at Dogwood Crafters and hayrides provided by Jarrett Memorial Church. Free. www.visitdillsboro.org. 

Franklin

• Fall Hayrides and Haunted Hayrides will be from 4 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Parker Meadows. www.franklin-chamber.com. 

• Halloween in the Park will be Thursday, Oct. 31 at the Macon County Recreation Park. 828.349.2090.

• The Fall Festival and Trunk or Treat will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the First Christian Church. Cars will be lined up in the parking lot ready to fill candy buckets and bags. There will also be face painting, marshmellow roasting and a hot dog meal. Free. 828.524.6840 or www.firstchristianfranklin.com. 

Fontana Lake

• The “Hauntober Weekend & Haunted Trail” will be Oct. 25-27 at Fontana Village Resort. The celebration features a variety of activities, crafts, hayrides, campfires and live entertainment. The “Kid’s Hauntober Fun Time” will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 26, with a pumpkin carving, face painting and corn hole. The “Haunted Trails” tour will be from 8 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and is $3 per person. www.fontanavillage.com. 

Highlands

• The inaugural “Fall Festival” will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28, in the Eckerd Living Center at the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. Activities include a cakewalk, hayrides, trick or treating, pumpkin decorating contest, face painting, llama petting zoo and other games. Lunch is available for $5. 

• The Halloween “Enchanted Forest” Nature Trail will run every 15 minutes from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the Highlands Nature Center. Encounter friendly forest creatures and learn interesting nature facts about each one. Bring a flashlight. $1 per person. 828.526.2623.

Nantahala Gorge

• “NOCtobefest” kicks off at noon Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Events include pumpkin decorating, noon; egg race, 1 p.m.; corn hole tournament, 3 p.m.; with live music from Bear Down Easy, 3:30 p.m. and Playing on the Planet, 7 p.m. The key event will be the “Great Pumpkin Pursuit” at 2:15 p.m., where costumed competitors try to get as many of the 400 pumpkins placed in the river as possible into their kayak. www.noc.com. 

Sylva

• “Treat Street” will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26 in downtown. Children can go around trick or treating to local merchants. Free. www.mountainlovers.com.

• A “Halloween Egg Haunt” will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at Mark Watson Park. Costume contest begins at 7 p.m. Free. www.mountainlovers.com. 

Waynesville

• The fifth annual “Ghosts and Goblets” storytelling and children’s event will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts in the Shelton House. The fire circle in front of the barn will feature musicians Anita Pruett and storyteller Lynne Leatherwood. Hugh Burford, Gary Carden, Bob Child and Cliff Hannah will also spin tales in the house. Children are encouraged to dress in costume. Refreshments will be available. Tickets are $10 for ages 12-adult, $5 for ages 5-11 and free for children ages 5 and under. 828.452.1551 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.sheltonhouse.org. 

• “Treats on the Street” will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31. Children can go around downtown and trick or treat at participating merchants. Free. www.downtownwaynesville.com. 

Whittier 

• The “Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Pumpkin Patch” will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in Whittier. Pumpkin carving, bouncy houses, marshmellow roasting, costume contest, trick or treating, with character appearances by Mickey and Minnie Mouse. $7 per person. 800.872.4681 or www.gsmr.com. 

The recycling group Macon Pride congratulated three local organizations who at lunch or dinner meetings bring and take home their own setups, thereby creating very little or no trash. 

The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is hosting a public Star Party Oct. 24-27 as part of a weekend-long celebration of the site’s 50th anniversary.  

Spend the weekend on campus and use PARI telescopes, attend workshops, and enjoy campus tours, nature hikes and other activities. PARI is located on a 200-acre campus in the Pisgah National Forest near Rosman. A former U.S. satellite tracking facility, PARI now houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments and infrastructure to support science, technology, engineering and math education and research. PARI offers educational programs from K-12 through post-graduate research.  

Register for the Star Party at www.pari.edu/psp. Registration will be confirmed on receipt of a check. Mail to PARI, 1 PARI Drive, Rosman, N.C., 28772.  

828.862.5554 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Once again the Town of Waynesville is offering its popular Waynesville Watershed Hike, which offers hikers a walk through a portion of its 8,600-acre protected tract of land that is usually off-limits to the public. 

Except for Newfound Gap Road (U.S.441), the Spur, and the Gatlinburg Bypass, all visitor centers, picnic areas, campgrounds, trails, and roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park remain closed as part of the partial federal shutdown 

In the Park, 279 employees were placed on furlough, leaving only a few dozen rangers to protect property and resources throughout the park, as well as the public traveling the Spur and Newfound Gap Road. While most overlooks and pull-offs along the roadway are open to accommodate safe traffic flow over the mountains, facilities and trails remain closed. Park rangers are dependent on personnel, now furloughed, trained to support search and rescue operations when hikers become lost, injured, or ill in the backcountry. 

“We ask that the public voluntarily respect the closure of the backcountry for everyone’s safety,” said Chief Ranger Clay Jordan. “With less staff on duty, we do not have the personnel on hand to sufficiently respond to emergency situations in the backcountry. We understand the desire of visitors to hike during this beautiful time of year and we are hopeful that the park will soon reopen.”

865.436.1200.

Joel Zachary, a noted black bear enthusiast, professional outdoor guide and author of Bears I’ve Met, will be the featured presenter at the upcoming “Adventures in Bear Country” program at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24 at the Sapphire Valley Resort Community Center. Also speaking will be officials from the local B.E.A.R Tasl Force, who will present an interactive program titled “Living Safely with Black Bears.” The task force is a major organizer of black bear education in the Cashiers and Highlands areas. Opening the program will be music by the “Grateful Dudes Trio” with George Reeves, Lee Ladensack and Dave Hunter from the Hurricane Creek Band. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children under 12. The event is sponsored by the B.E.A.R. Task Force, the Sapphire Valley Master Association and Mountain Wildlife Outreach.  The goal is to provide residents and visitors in Highlands, Cashiers, Sapphire, Lake Toxaway and others with a better understanding of the area’s black bear.

743.7663, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

More than 600 runners from across the mountains and Southeast are expected in Cherokee on Saturday, Oct. 19, for the second Cherokee Harvest Half Marathon & 5K. 

Two recent marathon winners from the mountains — Jason Bodnar of Canton who won the Biltmore Marathon and Scott Williams of Asheville who won the Asheville Citizen-Times Marathon — are both entered in the half marathon and will go head to head against each other. Williams won the inaugural Harvest Half Marathon in 2012.

The race is put on by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and benefits the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation.

Both the half marathon and 5K courses begin and end at the Acquoni Events Center and offer runners a scenic tour of many of the communities in Cherokee. Twelve of the half marathon’s 13 miles are flat, making this one of the fastest half marathon courses in the mountains. The 5K has a rectangular course encompassing central Cherokee and is also very flat.

Online registration for both races continues through Thursday, Oct. 17, with onsite registration and packet pickup on Friday and Saturday at the Acquoni Events Center in Cherokee. Race information and the link to registration can be found at www.cherokeeharvesthalf.com.