Admin
To the Editor:
In 2010, the Macon County Board of Commissioners, under the leadership of then Chairman Ronnie Beale, voted to raise property taxes by 1.5 cents per $100 of valuation, or approximately $1.4 million.
In the depths of terrible economic conditions, with many folks losing their jobs, many homes in foreclosure, many filing for bankruptcy, the county commission raised your property taxes.
Each year since, the county has collected approximately an additional $1.4 million as a result of that tax increase. The increase wasn’t needed; it hasn’t been spent. It sits in the county’s treasury instead of your bank account or paying your bills.
County management says a huge fund balance is a sign of good financial management. To the contrary, it reflects poor financial management. Good financial management would result in a fund balance near the target of 25 percent a previous commission established, not in the mid-40 percent range and rising annually.
In next year’s budget, soon to be decided, the tax rate should be dropped by 4.5 cents per $100 of value, returning the excess money collected by the ill-conceived increase of 2010. Such a decrease would not affect county services one iota and would result in a fund balance of approximately 38 percent.
In an interview on May 8, Commissioner Beale was quoted as saying, “If we could find a way to do it (tax reduction), great, but without penalizing our school systems and other things we have going for us, but if you cut taxes, something has to be cut out.”
This could not be further from the truth. The county could budget an increase in expenditures by $10 million for next year and have enough fund balance left to meet the 25 percent targeted reserve.
The current property tax rate is 27.9 cents. Next year’s should be 23.4 cents.
Don Swanson
Franklin
To the Editor:
North Carolinians are fortunate to now have a legislature that is making historic strides towards fiscal responsibility and maintaining the values of the citizens of this state.
After Republicans gained both houses of the state legislature in 2010 and in 2012 voters seated a Republican governor, I am writing to praise the voters of the state who recognized that such change was sorely needed.
Jackson County played an important role in setting this scene. We voters re-elected Senator Jim Davis, R-Franklin, to the N.C. State Senate, voted for Gov. Pat McCrory, Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, and helped turn North Carolina to a red state.
Because of these leadership changes, on Thursday, May 23, the North Carolina Senate passed a $20.58 billion budget. Below is a statement from Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham):
“In spite of a massive $1.2 billion shortfall in Medicaid, the Senate has passed a balanced budget that funds our state’s core priorities, demands greater government efficiency and accountability, and strengthens public education — without raising taxes. I’m proud of the Senate’s commitment to delivering budgets that reasonably and responsibly direct available resources toward real needs. This plan sets a solid foundation on which North Carolina will move forward.”
Under state law, having a Republican governor allows the Jackson County Board of Elections to now include two Republican appointed members on the three-member board.
Since 2008, three Jackson County Commissioners — Republicans Charles Elders and Doug Cody, along with Independent Commission Chair Jack Debnam — have voted to bring greatly needed reform to our county. After many years of delay, there is a brand new Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center. The commission led the way for a county-wide vote in favor of alcohol sales and an ABC Board has been appointed. Commissioners consolidated two county Travel and Tourism Boards into one Tourism Development Authority now working hard to bring more tourism business into Jackson County and therefore create jobs. A radio station, WRGC of Sylva, has been reborn thanks to the efforts of the Jackson County Commission.
Many volunteers, contributors, donors, hosts and hostesses, organizers and workers made all of the Republican gains possible. Untold hours were devoted to complete the many election cycle functions that lead to the improvements we now enjoy in Jackson County and North Carolina.
I think as these men and women who are now leading our governments continue, there will be many more good things to come.
Ralph Slaughter
Chairman, Jackson County Republican Party Executive Committee,
Cashiers
To the Editor:
The committee at Western Carolina University charged with evaluating academic programs issued its report on May 22. The report can be found at www.wcu.edu. Several of the committee’s recommendations, if approved, will adversely affect the Fine Arts College. In particular, the committee recommends the elimination of graduate programs within the School of Music.
After speaking with several people, it appears that the decision was based on numbers. I will save my arguments opposing the decision for the committee. However, one of the stated reasons — the program does not serve the region — is without merit, in my opinion.
I urge all who live in the region served by WCU to express the ways the School of Music, its faculty, and students have touched your lives. In particular, if you have had a positive experience with the graduate program, or a student(s) within the program, please make that known.
Music faculty will be meeting with Chancellor David Belcher later in June to present their arguments for maintaining the graduate program. As the faculty prepares their arguments, hearing from you would be a huge help. Please send your comments to Will Peebles (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.), Dan Cherry (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or contact Chancellor Belcher directly.
Linda Watson
Cullowhee
To the Editor:
At a school bus stop north of Franklin, I pick up trash weekdays from kids apparently tossing stuff out the bus windows: chewed off pencils, pens, wadded up paper, numerous snack foods, gum and candy wrappers, all ugly litter that should have been recycled by the user, not me.
Getting down to basic ABCs, many of us consider recycling not a silly bothersome chore but a deep moral obligation, one that could, and should, be subject matter for a few Sunday sermons. Many believe the earth is our home with God the master gardener ... and the earth our schoolhouse with Mother Nature the wisest teacher. And one small lesson addresses the way nature deals with waste. Everything is recycled including animal homes and even the animals themselves. All plants are biodegradable and reused. There is no waste in nature.
As a child, I learned to appreciate how the earth takes care of itself, not so much from my family, church or school, but at Girl Scout camp. The counselors kept insisting, “Leave the site better than you found it.” That entailed discovering what was there, how it worked, and taught me that we should fit in rather than change nature’s most wonderful design. It also meant trying to do no harm and leave no trace that we had been there. Can we leave no trace in our neighborhoods?
Recycling should be a part of everyone’s daily agenda, wherever you are. Not too difficult for a teacher to place a box in the classroom and tell kids to use both sides of paper before tossing in the recycle box. Buses can provide recycle baskets for snacky kids. If adults aren’t recycling at home, school, church, picnics, etc., how do we expect our children to be more responsible citizens? What’s so funny and sad at the same time is that to reuse and recycle is so darn easy and still, like lazy slobs, we continue to waste resources.
When I taught at a middle school on the Navajo reservation, my first lesson plan integrated recycling with language arts. After reading/reviewing the subject of “reusing resources,” teams of two students each, armed with empty grocery boxes, visited younger classrooms to make an oral presentation on why and how to recycle. Our students also interviewed the cafeteria staff on reusing containers, etc., and we even got in some math lessons on measurement from our cooks. Easy lesson right on the premises and the students became part of a solution rather than a problem. They learned a few civic and social skills along the way.
Thanks to parents, teachers, preachers and friends who care to do the right thing by helping our children to respect the earth as well as each other. A group of volunteers at Macon Pride is working hard in the county to encourage reuse/recycling with short demonstrations on how to set up an easy, no-cost recycling station in your school, club, business, church. We are also awarding “Proud to Recycle Here” stickers to all organizations who recycle the nearly 98 percent of items that are accepted by Macon Solid Waste Department. Call Shirley Ches at 828.524.9991 or Elena Marsh at 828.369.8915 for more information.
Debby Boots
Franklin
There will be two upcoming benefits for children with serious medical issues on Saturday, June 1, in Waynesville and Sylva.
The “Birthday Fiesta for Tye” will be at 11 a.m. at Los Amigos Restaurante in Waynesville. The event will benefit the Tye Blanton Foundation, which is a nonprofit providing help to NICU families. The foundation was formed in honor of Tye Blanton, the infant son of the slain Highway Patrol Trooper Shawn Blanton, who was born premature and died after a prolonged fight in neonatal intensive care. There will be a cornhole tournament, with a $40 entry fee per team of two (bring your own partner). Money prizes and trophies will be awarded. There will also be kid’s activities and refreshments available, with the restaurant open for business as well. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.734.6692 or www.tyeblanton.org.
The TeaM (Treyson and Megan) Bradley Benefit will be held from 3 to 8 p.m.at Bridge Park in Sylva. Megan has Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and Treyson remains in pediatric intensive care with an undiagnosed medical problem. The TeaM Bradley Benefit will sell hamburgers and hotdog plates, TeaM Bradley T-shirts and bracelets. There will also be an auction, cakewalk, live music and cornhole tournament. Please bring your own chair and come and hang out for a good cause.
850.294.1670.
Gary Carden and Dave Waldrop will lead a discussion on a recent finding in a long-held Appalachian mystery at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 6, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.
“Tears in the Rain” is about a chain gang of 19 convicts who drowned in the Tuckasegee River near Dillsboro in 1882. Weighted down by chains and shackles, they sank in the river. Their bodies were not reclaimed for two days and then they were quickly buried in unmarked graves somewhere in the vicinity of the Cowee Tunnel. Two months ago, members of the Liars Bench found the graves that had been a mystery for 132 years. In addition, the group now knows who they were since their names have been found in an obscure file in Raleigh. During the program, Carden and Waldrop will relate the details of how these graves were found and discuss plans for the removal of the remains.
Thursdays at the Library, sponsored by the Macon County Friends of the Library, is an eclectic mix of programs by authors, musicians, and educators on topics designed for enjoyment and learning.
The event is free and open to the public.
828.524.3600.
Tipping Point Brewing will hold its inaugural charity golf tournament at 12:20 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Waynesville Country Club.
Proceeds from the tournament will benefit Disabled Veterans Chapter #89 of Haywood County. The tournament will be a four-man captains choice. Hole sponsorship is still available. A post tournament buffet will be at the Tipping Point, with prizes, raffles and lunch provided. Registration is the day of the tournament at 11:30 a.m. at Tipping Point.
Cost is $100 per player.
828.246.9230 or www.tippingpointtavern.com.
Appalachia, the newest exhibit from the Haywood County Arts Council, will run from May 30 through June 29, at Gallery 86 in Waynesville. An artist reception will be held at the gallery from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 7.
The display focuses on the numerous genres of intricate local crafts and techniques and will highlight several local artists and how their work ultimately impacts the heritage of the region.
Artists include Doc Welty, a 30-year potter and proprietor of Leicester Valley Clay; Patti Best, a self-taught painter and drawer; Sandra Brugh Moore, a landscape artist, who explores new painting techniques in her attempt to capture the peace and spirit of nature; James Smythe, a retired art professor who now enjoys painting full-time and maintains a studio in Sylva; Crystal Allen, an artist focusing on calligraphy, painting in watercolors and spinning natural fibers; Mike McKinney, a third generation woodworker who is a carpenter, furniture maker and wood turner; Matt Tommey, a basket weaver using natural materials; Caryl Brt, a furniture maker whose resume includes car mechanic, landscaper, itinerant apple picker, railroad brakeman and carpenter, dabbling in metal-working, polymer clay and handmade paper; Susan Balentine, a potter that focuses on functional individually thrown pottery; and Kaaren Stoner, a potter with an endless fascination with the beauty of leaves, grasses, flowers, rocks and landscapes.
828.452.0593 or www.haywoodarts.org.
The Concerts on the Creek summer music series returns for its fifth season with the Rye Holler Boys from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, May 31, at the Bridge Park Pavilion in Sylva.
The annual summer concert series on the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University will begin with Floating Action at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 6.
Gourd artists from around the world will gather at the 11th annual Gourd Artists Gathering and Art Festival May 31 to June 2 in Cherokee.
There will be a public reception for Cherokee artist Joel Queen and the formal presentation of a pottery piece he designed at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.
Volunteers are needed in Panthertown Valley during Memorial Day weekend on Saturday, May 25, to help complete a new section of the Wilderness Falls Trail.
The work will entail re-routing the popular trail to make for safer and easier access to the waterfall below. There will be no more than five miles of hiking, and the work will be completed by 2:30 p.m.
REI Asheville is providing giveaways for those who show up, plus each volunteer gets entered into a drawing to win camping gear. All ages and skill levels are welcome. Volunteers will meet at 9:30 a.m. at the western entrance to Panthertown Valley at the Salt Rock Gap trailhead, located at the end of Breedlove Road in Cashiers.
www.panthertown.org or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.269.4453.
The Elkmont synchronous firefly viewing will take place June 6-13 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Every year, thousands of visitors gather near the Elkmont Campground to observe a firefly species that flashes synchronously. The occasion became so popular that in 2005, the park began closing the Elkmont entrance road each evening and operating a mandatory shuttle bus system. Last year, a mandatory reservation system was implemented, which can be accessed online.
Visitors also must receive a parking pass to leave their car at the Sugarlands Visitor Center before taking the shuttle.
Reservations went on sale in late April but some were held until closer to the event. The cost for the shuttle is $1 and the parking pass is $1.50.
www.Recreation.gov or 877.444.6777.
A forum on community and environmental change will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at the Rickman Store in Macon County.
Brian Burke, an environmental anthropologist with the University of Georgia’s Coweeta Listening Project, will facilitate the May 25 discussion and help Friends of the Rickman Store plan for the remainder of the series. The historic Rickman Store is located in the heart of the Cowee-West Mill’s Historic District on Cowee Creek Road, seven miles north of Franklin.
It is the first event in a new discussion and action series and includes, hands-on learning and calls for action. The series will be held each month until November.
828.369.5595.
United Christian Ministries of Jackson County is asking gardeners to plant an extra row in their plots this year to help feed the hungry.
Rather than relying on donations of canned food, the organizations has been reaching out to local gardeners to help supplement the diets of residents in need with healthy, homegrown vegetables and fruits. In 2012, the ministry was able to help more than 9,500 Jackson County residents and give away more than 100,00 pounds of food.
The need for food is especially great in the summer when the children who benefit from the free and reduced school lunch program are not in class. The United Christian Ministries is asking that as gardeners’ harvests come in that they bring donations to the organization’s house at 191 Skyland Drive in Sylva. The hours of operation and any additional information is available by phone.
828.586.8228
Volunteers are needed to assist in a breeding bird monitoring and education program throughout the spring and early summer at two sites along the Little Tennessee River.
From May to August, Southern Appalachian Raptor Research is conducting eight monitoring samples at the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve and the Cowee Mound property. The first workday was May 18, but volunteers can sign up for any of the 15 future survey dates, and no experience is necessary. The second of the 16 sampling dates is May 23 at Tessentee.
The project is designed to monitor productivity, survivorship, and population trends of birds and provide other information relating to the ecology, conservation of their populations. The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians are also partners in the project. A calendar of sampling dates and further information can be found online or by calling
www.bigbaldbanding.org/calendar or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.736.1217.
The off-roaders responsible for causing damage to the popular Pisgah National Forest hiking spot Max Patch have reached a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Western Carolina University received 75 new recycling bins through the Alcoa Foundation Recycling Bin Grant Program and have begun placing them around campus.
The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will get a boost on Saturday, June 1, when Mast General Store locations in Waynesville and Asheville donate a percentage of the day’s sales to the organization.
A letter from Jane Harrison in the May 8 edition of SMN, “Meadows in the wrong on background checks,” was edited incorrectly. It was written as an open letter to Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and not to Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers. The letter referred to the gun control debate in the Senate and said Sen. Burr was on the wrong side of the background checks issue. We regret the error.
To the Editor:
New York City has been attacked twice in the past decade — first by Al Qaeda and then by Hurricane Sandy. In response to the first, our nation spent billions invading Iraq and Afghanistan, creating a secret, invasive internal security empire and launching a worldwide war on terror. In response to the second, we are cleaning up the mess and compensating the victims, but doing little if anything to address the cause — climate change.
Many flatly deny its existence and blithely continue a fossil fuel-dependent lifestyle as though nothing is wrong. Our government subsidizes the tax-evading oil companies despite their obscene profits and CEO salaries. Many advocate the pollution-causing, health-threatening practice of fracking, and want to lay the risky Keystone XL pipeline to bring oil from the dirty tar sands of Alberta.
We have just passed the 400 mark in CO2 parts per million, when 350 is the safe upper limit that will preserve the temperature range that allows human civilization to survive. If we don’t reverse this soon, the world we leave to our grandchildren will be characterized by violent storms, food scarcity, both drought and floods, human trafficking, homelessness, extinction of species, a growing rich-poor gap, spiking energy prices, and armed conflict over water and arable land. We’re seeing clear signs of these already.
Old Noah built an ark to save the species and the few humans who would listen. To follow his example, as a nation we must reduce our fossil fuel consumption, invest in renewable energy production, and make dirty energy expensive and clean energy cheap. As individuals, we must cut our carbon footprint. As a society, we must turn away from planet-threatening actions and choose the common good and a hopeful future over individual ease and inevitable disaster.
“Those who have ears to hear, let them hear.”
Doug Wingeier
Waynesville
To the Editor:
I continue to be mystified by the behavior of Art Pope’s legislature in Raleigh. While ranting against Washington mandates and interference in state and local affairs, they are aggressively using those same tactics.
They have legislated a seizure of the Asheville water system, which the citizens of Asheville have improved and maintained. It will be turned over to a regional board with appointed members that do not represent the customer base of water users. There has been no documented benefit to either the city or the county. There will be no compensation to the city for an asset valued in the hundreds of millions. Imagine that the government took over your land or business that you had grown and invested in and didn’t pay you for it. Because of the way you vote? Even Carl Mumpower, conservative columnist of The Ashville Citizen-Times, characterized this as “theft.” Similar seizures are being legislated for the city built and operated airports in Asheville and Charlotte.
In the course of authorizing fracking in North Carolina (a silly piece of legislation since it is decades from being an issue here) they have prohibited local governments from restricting or prohibiting deployment of this problematic technology in their jurisdictions.
In education, they mandated a salary increase (modest) for teachers, while pulling back the funding to support that raise. Macon County has “reverted” more than $3.2 million since 2010. This from an already inadequate and shrinking commitment by the state to public education.
While I can understand their cutting back unemployment benefits and not expanding health benefits for the poor as being ideologically consistent with their Tea Party agenda, the fact that they are sending over $6 billion of tax dollars paid by North Carolina citizens to other states is a bit bizarre and fiscally irresponsible. Florida figured it out; it would seem that North Carolina could have too.
As a former resident of South Carolina, I watched as this philosophy took over and made that state a serious contender in the “Race to the Bottom” with Mississippi and Alabama. It is unfortunate that North Carolina has chosen to join in that competition. Surely, we can do better!
John Gladden
Franklin
A 100-page business plan created by Western Carolina University seniors are helping guide development of a self-sustaining primary care health clinic in the university’s Health and Human Sciences Building.
The team explored the needs of the WCU School of Nursing, such as opportunities for hands-on student training, as well as available services and needs of five regional public health departments and MedWest-Harris hospital.
In addition, the students interviewed staff at regional medical and health practices to gain an understanding of how patients are processed and how patient billing works.
“The students have learned how to do research, conduct a business situational analysis, derive appropriate strategies and write a business plan to attract investors,” said Ed Wright, associate professor of global management and strategy in the College of Business.
828.227.3603 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Western Carolina University has joined forces with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the latest addition to its digital photograph collections, housed at Hunter Library on campus.
“Picturing Appalachia” is a collection of more than 1,000 early 20th-century photographs that provides a glimpse into the life, culture and natural landscape of the Southern Appalachians. Functioning as an open-access database and interactive, educational web-based resource, the images are part of a growing online archive resulting from the library’s digital initiatives program.
The “Picturing Appalachia” project was made possible through an award from the State Library of North Carolina. The digital collection has grown in large part through partnerships with entities including the WCU Mountain Heritage Center, John C. Campbell Folk School, Southern Highland Craft Guild, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual and the N.C. Office of Archives and History.
www.wcu.edu/library/DigitalCollections or 828.227.2499 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A benefit for PAWS will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, June 2, at the Fryemont Inn in Bryson City. The event will feature a gourmet five course champagne brunch.
PAWS (Placing Animals Within Society/PAWS Animal Shelter) was started in 1990 to help the plight of homeless animals in Swain County. They are only animal welfare option in the county since there is no county animal control.
Tickets are $25 per person with all proceeds going directly to PAWS. Tickets for the brunch can be purchased at the Fryemont Inn or PAWS Thrift Store. Tickets sales will end May 23 or when the event sells out, whichever comes first.
The Georgia Symphony Orchestra will present their “Symphonic Spectacular” at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
The event includes music from the movies, Broadway and popular classics. The GSO is constantly redefining what a modern orchestra can be. Their 21st Century orchestra focuses on innovative programming, education and community engagement.
Tickets are $22 or $26 per person.
866.273.4615 or www.greatmountainmusic.com.
The Broadway musical “Ring of Fire,” honoring the work of Johnny Cash, will open at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
Named after one of Cash’s most popular songs, the production celebrates the storied career of the country star, with an array of musicians and actors showcasing the timeless beauty of the “Man in Black.”
Ring of Fire does not dramatize Cash himself, but his presence is felt.
“By the end of the show, the audience will feel that they have spent the evening in the presence of an extraordinary and real man. In many ways, Johnny Cash wrote and sang about the lives we lead, regardless of where we lead them,” said the creator of Ring of Fire, Richard Maltby.
HART’s production is being directed by Mark Jones with music direction by Kelli Brown Mullinix. The show features a talented cast of musicians and vocalists, including Mandy Wildman, Matthew Curry (who performed Cash’s music last fall in Haywood’s Got Talent), Ed Mathis, Dominic Aquilino and Clara Burrus. The five member back-up band includes two members from the local group “Sons of Ralph.”
There will be a special preview performance on Thursday, May 23, as a fundraiser to benefit REACH, with admission being $20 per person.
The musical will run at 7:30 p.m. May 24-25, 31, June 1, 7-8, 14-15 and 3 p.m. June 2, 9, 16. Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors and $12 ($8 on Sundays) for students/teachers.
828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.
The Swain County Heritage Festival will be May 24-25 at Riverfront Park in Bryson City.
A day of craft beer and music will be had at BearWaters Brewing Company as they celebrate their first anniversary on Saturday, May 25, in Waynesville.
Artisan in the Mountains will host a leather carving demonstration featuring local artist Martin Carter from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 25, at 99 Depot Street in Clyde.
The Shady Ladies quilt league will unveil their latest artistic creations during their annual quilt challenge showcase running May 31 through June 2 at the Lake Logan Episcopal Center in Haywood County.
Blues, Brew and BBQ will be filling bellies at the Village Green in Cashiers from 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.
The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department is offering British and Brazilian soccer camps for youth this summer.
The Brazilian soccer camp, called TetraBrazil, is for advanced players ages 10 to 18 and will run from July 8 to July 12 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The cost is $145 for the half-day camp and $195 for the full-day camp. Players who sign up before May 24 will receive a free jersey.
Waynesville will also be hosting a British soccer camp from July 22 to July 26 at Vance Street Park. Each day players will practice individual skills and team tactics. Players who register by Friday, June 7 receive a free jersey. There are camps for a variety of age groups starting at age 3, and registration costs vary from $80 for an hour of instruction each day to $175 for the full-day camp.
828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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The first annual Summer Soccer Camp sponsored by Tuscola High School will be held from 8 a.m. to noon June 10-14 at Weatherby Stadium in Waynesville.
The camp will focus on skills training and game play to help players improved ball handling, passing and tactical skills for offensive and defensive play. Regional school and club coaches will lead the camp.
Contact Coach Chris Douthit via Tuscola High School at 828.456.2708.
A book that aims to make hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park fun and educational for kids, Scavenger Hike Adventures by Kat and John Lafevre, is on Smokies visitor center bookshelves now. The book features 13 hikes, seven are relatively easy, three are moderate and three are extreme. All are set up like scavenger hunts and lead to discoveries within the park, most of which are missed by casual hikers and other visitors.
In addition to the hikes, points for finding important park features and scavenger hunts, the book goes into detail about conservation, black bear tips and the park’s cultural history. The park’s plant and animal life also receive attention, with extra points awarded for finding and identifying things like hemlock trees, black-bellied salamanders and quartz boulders.
The book can be purchased online, over the phone or in park stores.
www.SmokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102, ext. 226.
The Ruby Run 5K and 10K will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 1, in Franklin. The annual race that pays homage of the town’s title of gem capital of the world. The winner will take home a 5.5 carat red ruby.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a star gazing event at 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 31, at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center on Purchase Knob in Haywood County.
A guided trip down the Little Tennessee River aims to teach paddlers about the area’s cultural and biological history and follow the route of William Bartram, a naturalist who traveled the river in 1775.
The wild romantic comedy “Perfect Wedding” will hit the stage at 7 p.m. May 24-27 and May 31-June 2 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.
A disastrous situation happens on the day of Bill and Rachel’s wedding. Bill finds himself in the honeymoon suite with another woman. Scrambling to get rid of her, Tom, the best man, tries to solve the situation for Bill by claiming her to Rachel. However, Tom mistakes a chambermaid for the girl. Confusion and mayhem ensue when lines of communication get crossed.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-17.
828.488.8227 or www.smctheatre.com.
The romantic comedy “Love, Loss & What I Wore” will take the stage this month at the Martin-Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands.
Performances are May 23-26 and May 30-June 2 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday nights and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The play is humorous and charming, an insightful drama of monologues and ensemble pieces in which several contemporary women remember moments and people in their lives — and of course also clothes that they wore, from prom dresses and wedding outfits to bras, purses and shoes. Clothing evokes memories for women and is part of the story of their lives. Written by the late legendary storyteller Nora Ephron and her sister Delia.
$20. 828.526.8084 or www.highlandscashiersplayers.org.
Several summer youth art camp workshops will be held by the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS at the Fine Arts Building at Western Carolina University.
“Around the World in a Week” features young artists having fun packed days of art making focused on world cultures. They will be able to experience a different medium each day including drawing, painting, collage, sculpture and printmaking. They will also take time to discover the culture, folklore, history and even the food from each these special places. Prices include materials and snacks. Ages 5 to 8 will run from 9 a.m. to noon June 17-21 at $125 per child. Ages 9 to 12 will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 24-28 at $225 per child.
“Garden Party” will be incorporating science and art and embracing what is blooming in the summer. Featured projects include making terrariums and wind chimes. Prices include materials and snacks. Ages 5 to 8 will run from 9 a.m. to noon July 17-18 at $50 per child.
“Nature Fest” will explore outside and identify birds, butterflies, and bugs and will come back into the classroom to illustrate them with painting, mixed media, sculpture and clay. Prices include materials and snacks. Ages 9 to 12 will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 15-16 at $90 per child.
“You Other Self” is a weeklong workshop that lets your alter ego run wild. Make masks that express your imagined self: a super hero, animal, insect or diva. Make clothes, jet-powered sneakers, a hoop skirt, armor, whatever costume your invented self needs - even a vehicle to cruise in, fly, float, or zoom. Each day will be a different focus, using a wide range of materials and techniques. Ages 13 to 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 14 – 19 at $275 per child.
“Clay Works” will spend five days teaching the basics of clay. Projects include pinch pots, pinch animals, coil building, slabs and wheel throwing. Price includes all materials and a glaze firing. Age 9 to adult will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 8-11 and from 10 a.m. to noon July 19 at $225 per person)
Saturday Morning Family Art are all ages classes that explore new and exciting techniques during these Saturday morning family art classes. Sessions include “Paint Sunflowers in the Manner of Van Gogh” on July 13, “Create a Mosaic Planter” on July 20, and “Make Colorful Marbled Papers and Paste Papers” on July 27. Price includes all materials. Each class is $15 per person and runs from 10 a.m. to noon.
The film program at Western Carolina University scored a professional $100,000 motion picture camera from Sony, presented during the recent Controlled Chaos Film Festival featuring student productions.
The Cullowhee Studio Tour will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. May 25-26 in the Caney Fork community of Jackson County.
A bluegrass festival will showcase the sounds and tastes of Southern Appalachia at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
The Taste of Home Cooking School will demonstrate live recipes and cooking tips on stage at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
Community Cherokee bonfires will kickoff for the summer season on Friday, May 17, at Ocoaluftee Island Park in Cherokee.
To the Editor:
A little over a year ago, the concept of annually awarding donated and refurbished PCs to Haywood Community College’s GED graduates started to evolve. A small group of dedicated faculty, staff and students overcame a tremendous amount of organizational work, limited resources, and no knowledge of where the inventory for refurbishing would come from — let alone what condition it would be in. As elements fell into place, the program got its first PC in June of 2012. To date, over two dozen individuals and one corporation have made hardware donations, either through our standard drop off point at the HCC library or at special on-campus events like Jammin’ at the Mill Pond and the recent WNC EcoFest.
To all who were even remotely involved with the first-ever PCs for GED computer awards give-away at HCC’s 2013 GED graduation ceremony, on Friday, May 3, I wish to offer our heartfelt gratitude. Please know that your meaningful contributions of hardware, time, talent, and even monetary donations to the program through the HCC Foundation have already enriched the lives of the 10 graduates who applied for and received a refurbished PC. It is hard to describe the vibe in the air while helping these accomplished graduates load their computers into their vehicles. Because of all of you in the greater Haywood County area who stepped up, you enabled us to meet 100 percent of the demand for these worthy graduates. You have done an amazing thing given that this is only the first year of the program.
Gratefully, our local media has recently picked up the story as the program has had the opportunity to complete what it set out to do — for this year. Now it is time to work toward sustaining the PCs for GED graduation award events in the years to come. Thankfully, many generous people in our surrounding area have contributed beyond expectation. With your continued support, we look forward to providing future GED graduates with one of the best tools to aid them as they further their education.
Marc Lehmann
On behalf of the PCs for GED Program
To the Editor:
Congratulations to the National Park Service for getting the word out about the predator beetles being used to protect our hemlocks in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. However, there is a factual error in this article in the assertion that the origin of the Sasaji-scymnus tsugae beetle is “northern Japan.” In fact, the origin location for this predator beetle is the Osaka area in southern Japan, the same origin as our hemlock wooly adelgid [HWA] “import.” So this beetle is a native predator for our HWA.
It is good to know that the massive USDA-funded HWA predator beetle releases on public hemlock lands (about 500,000 per year for more than 10 years) are being recognized as effective. But what about the hemlocks on private lands?
The good news is that the Sasi (Sasajiscym-nus tsugae) predator beetle has also been shown effective on privately-owned hemlock lands, both woodland and residential. And there is a noncommercial source to obtain information about bio-control of HWA on private lands (www.savinghemlocks.org <http://www.savinghemlocks.org/), as well as a commercial source for private landowners to purchase these predator beetles (www.Tree-Savers.com, http://www.Tree-Savers.com/).
But while USDA is releasing large quantities of HWA predator beetles on public lands, they and their colleagues at USFS and N.C. Exten-sion typically advise private landowners against using the same USDA-approved predator beetles on private lands. The rationale for this misinformation campaign is unclear. But what is clear is that hemlock areas in WNC that don’t receive biological control assistance for HWA will have little or no prospect for long-term hemlock survival or recovery.
So unless you want your only access to our eastern hemlocks to be on state and national park and forestlands, you should consider an HWA biological control strategy for hemlocks on your own property.
Patrick Horan
Sapphire
To the Editor:
North Carolina’s once proud public education system is under siege by the radical Republican gang in control of state government. Thanks to the last round of budget cuts, North Carolina ranks 48th in per pupil spending and teacher salaries, below South Caroli-na.
The gang is now working on even more diabolical legislation to privatize education. Senate Bill 337 sets up a separate charter school board, removing these schools from regulation by the State Board of Education. It also takes funding and facility space from public schools, eliminates requirements for charter school teachers to be certified, and makes criminal background checks optional. This is another step on the road to privatize public education in N.C..
House Bill 944 is even more blatant. It diverts $90 million from already underfunded public schools to private schools for vouchers. While this will be devastating to public schools, availability of vouchers has not been shown to improve student achievement. In Milwaukee, the oldest voucher program in the U.S., study after study has shown no improvement in performance of students receiving vouchers. Florida voters defeated an amendment to channel public funds to private schools. And this month, by a bipartisan vote of 103-43, the Texas legislature (not exactly a hot bed of liberalism) voted against using taxpayer money to fund private education. Numerous organizations have come out against HB 944, including the National Parent Teacher Association and the National Rural Education Association.
I would normally urge you to contact your GOP state legislators and beg them to support public education, but this is futile. They are in control now and will do as they please, answering only to the wealthy and corporations. They will continue to siphon taxpayer money to the wealthy and corporations who will fund their reelections. The only way to save North Carolina is to vote them out in 2014.
Carole Larivee
Waynesville
The Proctor Revival Organization is hosting its third annual month long remembrance and celebration of the Proctor, Judson, Bushnell and Japan communities, which were flooded during the creation of Fontana Dam during World War II.
The power generated at Fontana Dam was needed for the nation’s war effort, but also forced 6,000 residents to relocate as the waters rose and flooded their farming villages and Appalachian towns. In remembrance of their sacrifice, the Proctor Revival Organization has planned a number of events.
• Each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., people can meet local authors and artists and hear stories told by fascinating mountain folks. Bobbie Jayne Curtis will be performing Gary Carden’s one-woman play “Birdell” at 3 p.m. June 1 on the porch of the Historic Gunter Cabin at Fontana Village Resort. The play is a heartwarming and uplifting story about the life of a mountain family pre-WWII.
• On May 24 from 6-9 p.m., the Kennesaw State University Swing Dance Association will teach an instructional dance course. Then, the following day from 7–9 p.m. Asheville Gentleman Swing Band will play as people dance. Held at Fontana Village Resort.
• The Fontana Marina will have various historical lake tours and hikes throughout the month.
• There will three educational exhibits on display until June 2 at Fontana Village Resort. The Chestnut Room located at town hall in Fontana will host two WWII exhibits contributed by Kennesaw State University, including “Remembering Ravensbrück: Women and the Holocaust” and “Beyond Rosie: Women in World War II”. The Historic Gunter Cabin will be home to the Plott Hound Exhibit, contributed by the Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center. This exhibit tells the story of how North Carolina’s state dog came to be.
www.proctorrevival.com or 828.498.2150.
