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Jekyll and Hyde, the musical thriller, will be shown at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 11, 12, 13 and at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 14.
Jekyll and Hyde is the musical telling of the classic short story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lewis Stevenson. Adapted for the stage by Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse, Jekyll and Hyde explores the journey of Dr. Henry Jekyll’s attempt at trying to rescue his father from mental illness. By performing a series of experiments upon himself, Dr. Jekyll ultimately releases an alter ego named Mr. Hyde whose existence thrives on anger and revenge.
This show may not be appropriate for children under 10 years of age. Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for students/children. Visit GreatMountainMusic.com or call 866.273.4615. Tickets are also available at the box office or at Dalton’s Christian Bookstore in Franklin and Waynesville.
Highlands Culinary Weekend returns for the fourth season Nov. 11-14, showcasing Highlands’ award winning restaurants, innovative chefs and a huge selection of wine varietals against the beautiful backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The Opening Night Celebration kicks off the weekend festivities at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at The Bascom center for the visual arts.
For information or sponsorship opportunities, call 866.526.5841, 828.526.5841 or visit www.highlandsculinaryweekend.com.
Catch the Spirit of Appalachia will hold a 2-hour holiday celebration of its writing program starting at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 in the Jackson County Public Library.
The program will open with stories, poetry and song in a fast-paced production, showcasing the creative talents of Rev. Jack Hinson, Waynesville; Rev. Victoria Casey McDonald, Sylva; Matthew Baker, Franklin; Rev. John Reed, Sylva; Betty Brown, Tuckasegee; Mary McGlauflin, Maggie Valley; Nancy M. Pafford, Cherokee; Edwina Crowe Jones, Cherokee/Lexington; Roger Chapman, Lincoln County; Linda Owen Vinson, Honea Path, S.C., and others. At 7:45 p.m. there will be the book signing and a reception with refreshments. This year Catch the Spirit of Appalachia has published a record 11 books. All of the showcased books will be available for purchase. For more information call 828.631.4587.
The continuing cultural education series, “Short and Sweet,” will present a cooking program at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, at the Shook House Museum on Morgan Street in Clyde.
This introductory talk is meant to be the first in a two- or three-part cooking series, depending on audience interest. All attending will receive a delicious complimentary hors d’oeuvre from Chef Richard Swanson. Coffee also will be available.
Chef at Mountain Mist, the inn in Waynesville owned by him for 10 years, Swanson had a great deal of experience preparing tasty and healthful gourmet meals for discriminating guests. He also taught a creative cooking class for two years at Haywood Community College, as well as a cooking series fundraiser for Haywood Animal Welfare Association (HAWA)
The cost for the first class is $20 and the class size is limited to 20 people. Reservations are necessary.
This second class will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 20. Only 12 people can be accommodated. Swanson will provide all the food for the class; therefore, the second class costs $30.
For the first class only, please send a check to Richard C. Swanson at P.O. Box 155, Hazelwood, N.C. 28738. Be sure to include name and telephone number. If registering for both classes, send a check for $50. All reservations will be confirmed.
828.565.0039.
The Pavel Wlosok Trio will perform original music at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.
The performance is part of WCU’s Catamount Concert Series. The jazz trio includes Pavel Wlosok on piano, Eliot Wadopian on bass and Byron Hedgepeth on drums.
Wadopian is a multiple Grammy Award winner and adjunct faculty member at WCU. Hedgepeth is an educator and Asheville Symphony Orchestra percussionist. Wlosok is an associate professor in the School of Music at Western Carolina and composed the music the trio will perform. He will play a 1970s Fender Rhodes electric piano.
Free. For information call 828.227.3261 or visit This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“Rock Against Cancer” will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at The Gateway Club in Waynesville.
This event is a rock ‘n roll charity event organized by local musicians to support cancer research. Three local bands will perform: 32 Reasons, a punk band from Waynesville featuring teen-aged musicians.; Jets for June, a pop punk band from Canton; and Solito, a jazz punk band from Asheville.
Cost is $3 and all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
The Western Carolina University Percussion Ensemble will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 11, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at WCU.
The group comprises 13 undergraduate percussion students and performs music exclusively composed or arranged for percussion instruments, including drums, xylophones, marimbas, vibraphones, timpani and more.
The event is free and open to the public. For information call 828.227.3263 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“Open Mic Nights” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month beginning Nov. 4 at Blue Ridge Books on Main Street in Waynesville.
The series is hosted by Chris Minick and sponsored by The Haywood County Arts Council and the Music and Poetry Lover’s Network.
The events are free and open to the public; attendees will have the opportunity to make donations with all proceeds going to benefit the Arts Council’s JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) program that offers old time mountain music lessons on guitar, fiddle, and banjo to students in fourth grade and up.
Participants may begin signing up at 6:45 p.m. at the bookstore. For information call 452.0593 or 456.6000.
The Haywood Community Chorus will hold its fall concert at 4 p.m. on Nov. 14 at the First United Methodist Church in Waynesville.
The 60-voice chorus has prepared the much-cclaimed “Messa di Gloria” by Giascomo Puccini. Featured Soloists are Herbert Kraus, tenor, and Ed Davis, baritone.
Randall Thompson’s “Testament of Freedom” will also be performed.
The choral director is J. William Stephenson, with Kathryn Stephenson as accompanist.
The Haywood Community Chorus was founded in 1997 to help preserve an appreciation for the great liturgical music of the past and present. The Haywood Community Chorus is sponsored in part by the Junaluskans and also the Haywood County Arts Council through a Grassroots Grant from the North Carolina Arts Council. Admission is free.
The Western North Carolina Pottery Festival expects record attendance this fall as the juried festival continues to attract master potters from across the U.S.
This year’s event will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, on the streets of downtown Dillsboro.
The festival features 42 clay artists, each demonstrating their craft throughout the day; roughly half of the potters hail from the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, while the other half are from as away as: Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Illinois and Ohio.
“The festival has taken off higher than we ever imagined,” said organizer Joe Frank McKee of Dillsboro’s Tree House Pottery. “Attendance increases each year and the potters who apply get better and better. What started as a local pottery festival has blossomed into more of a regional and national pottery festival.”
Admission is $3 and includes a ticket for a day-long raffle. Children under 12 are admitted free.
828.631.5100, or www.wncpotteryfestival.com. For lodging information call the Jackson County Visitors Center at 800.962.1911.
Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community, was awarded the Willie Parker Peace History Book Award and the Presidents Award at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Society of Historians at Mooresville on Oct. 23.
The Peace History Award is given to encourage the writing of histories of North Carolina counties, institutions or individuals. The Presidents Award was presented at the conclusion of the day’s events to the most outstanding entry for 2010. This year there were 729 entries and a total of 95 awards.
Society President Elizabeth Sherrill described the Haywood County history as “the most interesting, well-researched history … I loved all the visuals in every aspect of the work. It is for this reason that I chose Haywood County: Portrait of a Mountain Community, by Curtis W. Wood, as my choice to receive the 2010 Presidents Award.” The judges described the book as “a credit to the history of Haywood County and its people. This is a textbook example of how we envision all bicentennial history books to be … complete, readable, articulate, clear and authoritative.”
The project was begun in 2006 by the Historical Society of Haywood County for the celebration of the county’s bicentennial. Curtis Wood, emeritus professor of history at Western Carolina University, was the book’s editor. An advisory committed chaired by Bruce A. Briggs oversaw the project. The committee included Bette Hannah Sprecher, Joan Routh, Kenneth F. Wilson, and Robert Busko.
Six writers researched and wrote the 15 chapters of the work and helped select the hundreds of photographs included with the text. The writers were Kathy Nanney Ross, Michael Beadle, Patrick Willis, Leon M. “Chip” Killian III, Christina Fulcher Osborne and Richard D. Starnes. The book was published in December 2009 and is available at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.
The three-year project also included a comprehensive collection of photos and documents that were digitally scanned by the Haywood County Library, and are housed there as a permanent collection. The Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University created a permanent exhibit entitled “Haywood County: A Family of Communities” in support of the project, based on the writers’ research. The exhibit is currently traveling in the Haywood County school system.
The Downtown Sylva Association’s 3rd annual Chilly Fest is from noon until 5 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Bridge Park and Poteet Park in historic downtown Sylva. There will be live music from Ian Moore’s Mountain Music Miscellany and The Vinyl Brothers Big Band, children’s activities and crafters during the event. Ian Moore will emcee the event and start the festivities with his Mountain Music Miscellany, raucous, rollicking old-time music with breakdowns, blues and ballads. The Vinyl Brothers Big Band are next up on the stage with a throwback to the Soul and Horn Rock bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s. An 11-piece ensemble, made up of friends with a common love of the soulful music of their youth, the band brings new energy to that heavy vibe you enjoyed as a kid.
During the festival, raffle tickets can be purchased for a chance to win prizes: an acoustic guitar from Guitar Stop, a portrait sitting from Teri Clark photography, a half day wade for one angler from Hooker’s Fly Shop, and more.
There will be an after party from 5 to 11 p.m. at Sapphire Mountain Brewing featuring beer from Heinzelmannchen Brewery, live music and food and drink specials. Chilly Fest crafters are invited to move their booths to The Village at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company during the after party.
For more information visit www.downtownsylva.org, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call the Downtown Sylva Association office at 828.586.1577.
Bryson City Bellydance and Movement will host a Harvest Hafla (celebration of dance) from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Swain County Senior Center at 125 Brendle St.
The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served and there will be an arts and crafts bazaar along with family friendly dance performances by Bryson City Bellydance and other regional dance troupes.
Bryson City Bellydance and Movement is a new, nonprofit organization whose mission is to share the ancient art of bellydance with the Bryson City community through education, instruction and performance and to use this empowering dance form to create a sense of self and community for the women of Bryson City. 828.736.6118 for more information.
Benjamin Elliott will teach a glassblowing workshop for beginners from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 and 5 at Jackson County’s Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.
Elliott has worked with glass as a medium for 11 years. In 2009 he obtained a master’s degree in glass from Kent State in Ohio before returning to the area to open his own studio in the Burnsville.
Students will learn the basic skills necessary to begin to sculpt and blow objects using hot glass. Techniques will be taught in gathering, centering, marvering and blocking. This course is designed for students with little, or no, prior experience. Class size is kept small so there is plenty of instructor and bench time for each person.
Participants should dress in clothing made of natural fibers and wear close-toed shoes and long pants. Bring a bag lunch to eat during the brief lunch break each day.
Space is limited. Pre-registration required.
Cost $295 for two-day class, due at registration
For more information or to register 828.631.0271.
The Haywood County Arts Council will install the first Quilt Block on the Haywood County Quilt Trail at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Historic Shelton House in Waynesville.
The Shelton House Quilt Block, designed by Chris Sylvester, is a 4-foot-by-4-foot wooden block painted with her design and will be installed on the lower front left portion of the house where it is visible from every direction on Pigeon Street/U.S. 276.
The design incorporates traditional star, arrows, and Milk Maide quilt patterns and is emblematic of historical associations with the Shelton family. The star motif symbolizes Stephen Jehu Shelton’s duties as high sheriff of Haywood County. Arrows represent second-generation Will Taylor Shelton’s years of service to the Indian community in New Mexico and in North Carolina. The Milk Maide pattern is symbolic of the dairy farm Will Shelton developed on the Shelton farm when he retired from the Indian Agency.
The heritage-based project aims to help communities in tell their stories. The Haywood County Quilt Trails project also has blocks nearing completion for several sites in Clyde, including the Shook House, and the Town Hall in Maggie Valley.
Anyone who would like a quilt block installed on their building should call 828.452.0593 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The next Sylva After Dark will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday Nov. 5 in downtown Sylva. The evening features art, music, food, shopping and more.
Events include:
It’s by Nature (678 W. Main St.) — Scott Hotaling, “Light of the Wild” photographer and Sylva native, will be November’s feature artist. Hotaling’s landscape and nature photographs have been published in several magazines including Our State and N.C. Wildlife. His images have also taken numerous top awards throughout the state in recent years. The gallery will be hosting a wine and cheese reception for Scott during Sylva After Dark, from 6 to 9 p.m. 828.631.3020.
Heinzelmannchen Brewery (545 Mill St.) — From 5 to 8 p.m. the Heinzelmannchen Brewery will hold a food & beer pairing at the Brewery.
City Lights Book Store (3 Jackson St.) — Beginning at 7 p.m., Charles White, formerly of Cullowhee, will be at City Lights to read from his new historical novel, Lambs of Men.
Annie’s Naturally Bakery (506 W. Main St.) — Annie’s Bakery will continue to host their “Bread Pairing/Sampling” and will also be showcasing dinner rolls with herbed butters and cranberry sauce and samplings of hot apple cider. Dinner roll flavors include: whole wheat, sour dough, parmesean peppercorn, and dill onion.
Gallery One (604 W. Main St.) — Gallery 1 will host the opening of the Winter Members Show, which will run through December. 828.293.3407.
James Smythe Studio (563 W. Main St.) — From 6 to 8 p.m. James Smythe Studio will be open for viewing and possible purchases. The purchase prices are without a gallery commission, a 50 percent savings.
Papou’s Wine Shop and Bar — From 6 to 9 p.m. Papou’s will have a free wine tasting.
Waynesville’s next Art After Dark will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5.
Held the first Friday of each month, Art After Dark allows customers to visit working studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in Historic Frog Level. Festive flags identify participating galleries.
Frog Level, down the hill from Main Street, will display metal sculptor Grace Cathey at Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden. Watch Cathey’s progress as she uses steel to sculpt life into a three-dimensional native bird, the Ruffed Grouse.
Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 will host the Second Annual Juried Exhibition of the Appalachian Pastel Society. The show features 48 pastel works from across the United States. Find out more about the show at www.haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.
Local artist Keri Kelley Hollifield, will be featured at Ridge Runner Naturals. The artist will be taking Christmas orders for unique designs. www.earthstarstudioart.com or call 828.456.3003.
Twigs and Leaves will feature a show of LIFESPAN artists. LIFESPAN transforms the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities by providing education, employment, and enrichment opportunities that promote inclusion, choice and family supports, and other best practices. www.twigsandleaves.com and on Facebook.
Event is free. For information visit www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com or call 828.452.9284.
By Kristen Davis • Contributing writer
Triple-threat musician Bryan McDowell was first introduced to bluegrass music as a young child while riding in the car with his parents. His father taught him and his sister, Emma, how to identify the sounds of the different instruments and would quiz them on the new knowledge.
“By the time I was 3 or 4, I could tell anybody what instrument was playing when they took a solo,” said Canton native McDowell, now 19 years old.
By age 5, McDowell liked the sound of the fiddle best, so he and his sister played with their parents at local churches as “The McDowell Family Band.” At age 9, McDowell began taking lessons from Arvil Freeman, the renowned old-time fiddler who is a native of Madison County. After the fiddle, the musically precocious pre-teen took up the mandolin and then the guitar.
Several years later in 2009, McDowell became the first musician in the history of the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, (known as “Winfield”) to win first place in all three instrument categories — flat-pick guitar, fiddle and mandolin. McDowell’s two band mates and friends, Brandon Davis and Eric Hardin, won second and third place respectively in the flat-pick guitar competition. First known as “4 Fret Knot” then “Second Circle,” the three musicians now perform as the “Winfield Three.”
McDowell has not slowed down his big “year of firsts” in 2009. This fall, he has won the Galax Fiddlers Convention Guitar Competition, another mandolin championship at Winfield and the Georgia State championships for the flat-pick guitar, fiddle and mandolin.
Right before this year’s Winfield festival in September, McDowell released his first album, “The Contestant,” which is a compilation of his contest tunes and arrangements that he has played over the last two years.
“A lot of people were curious about how I actually sounded in the contest, so I tried to record something that depicted how I sound in the contest,” McDowell said. “It was a success in that it is like a snapshot of my playing at the time.”
To make the recordings sound as much like his live performance as possible, he would listen to the live recording or watch a video of his performance, he added.
While the songs on his “Contestant” album are traditional bluegrass tunes that he has embellished, his next album, which he is currently crafting, will include original material. Compared to the first, this next album will be “different by a long shot” because he has developed a different style, the singer-songwriter said. The album should be released within a year.
“Bryan has got his own style of playing,” said Freeman, who taught fiddle lessons to both McDowell and his sister, Emma. “While teaching him, that’s what I taught him to do — not play exactly like me, but take what I taught him and create his own style.”
McDowell’s approach to the fiddle is more progressive and jazz-like, whereas Freeman’s playing involves more bluegrass, country and “a little swing,” Freeman explained.
McDowell’s style has also been influenced by the bluegrass gospels song he played while performing with his parents and sister in their family band, said Donna McDowell, Bryan McDowell’s mother.
“We always tried to pick music with a gospel message that would speak to people,” Donna McDowell added. “He still does some gospel, but he does a lot of other things. The biggest thing I see in his playing — I call it finesse. He has this really smooth style that folks enjoy listening to.”
Over the past two years, people all over the country have had the opportunity to hear Bryan McDowell play at shows and competitions — in Maine, New York, Colorado and throughout the southeast.
When McDowell was a young boy, his family saw famous country-bluegrass singer/songwriter/fiddler Alison Krauss in concert and met her backstage. Krauss told her young fans, “If you play the music you love, you’ll always have an audience.” That truism has stuck with McDowell and his sister, their mother said.
Now, in addition to writing songs for his new album, McDowell is teaching music lessons in Waynesville.
“I want [the music] to be passed on,” McDowell said. “That’s how the music world is. You can’t be learning something and not pass it on to others, otherwise the music dies with you. That’s an idea [Freeman] instilled in me.”
As for his future plans, McDowell said he wants to focus on recording his music and playing shows with Davis and Hardin as “The Winfield Three.” Having won all the major competitions for the instruments he plays, he has his sights set on turning his musical passion into a feasible living. He is considering getting a college education, most likely in business rather than music.
“I was kind of ready to be done with contests,” McDowell added. “There’s a point when it’s kind of hypocritical to say that one musician is better than another one. At competitions, there’s a lot musicians can teach each other on any given day.”
Freeman said he hopes to see his former student pursue studio work rather than playing in a band long-term.
“I would love nothing more than to make a living playing music,” McDowell said. “Even if that wasn’t my main job, I never see myself laying down the instruments. I’d always have to be playing.”
For music clips and booking information, visit his web site: www.bryanmcdowellmusic.com.
In a short while our weather will be a tad chilly for frequent riding of motorcycles. Ah, a sad time indeed for those who love the brushing of wind against our face and the expression of freedom afforded to bikers everywhere.
My intermittent affection for two-wheeled motorized pleasure vehicles dates back to my early teenage years. There was a decades-long period where the affection waned to nil. Then about five years ago there was a feeling of covetousness as bikes and their helmeted pilots lured my eyesight. I wanted a motorcycle. I searched the classifieds … but I digress.
Feeling a need for transportation in my youth, I owned two Cushman Eagle motor scooters. One black, one red. Both marginally reliable. Chain driven with a two-speed transmission, the Cushman was not a model of design genius. It received its power from a massive eight horsepower, single piston engine that relied on a “kick” start.
Its spring-supported seat was large enough to accommodate a modestly hefty behind. Once I was encouraged to put 98 octane Sonoco gas in it. While it was definitely “peppy,” someone told me to drain it before I burned up the engine!
Today those same Cushmans, in excellent condition, can bring between $5,000 and $8,000. My black one cost $50 and the red one was purchased for $35. The years: 1955 and 1956.
My scooters were replaced, thanks to a full-time, after-school job. The Cushman was replaced by a ’48 Chevy convertible! Wish I had that today.
The Air Force sent me to Clark Air Base in the Republic of the Philippines in 1963. It was the largest Air Force base in the world until the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo on Luzon Island forced is closing in 1991. Being the largest base, having transportation was nice. Mine was a 1959 Italian-made Lambretta. Cost me $125.
It differed greatly from the Cushman. Although it still started by the “kick” (a lever, not a kick to the body), it had a windshield and gear changing was on the left handlebar. Pull the clutch lever and rotate the grip to the desired gear. Nice. Easy. The windshield was wonderful protection from the huge rice bugs that could give one a momentary concussion. However, during the torrential four-month rainy season the windshield did little.
It provided good transportation on the base for two years. Sold it for $125! But I really lost $7.50, which was the cost of an engine rebuild.
Then comes the decades-long absence of any two-wheel vehicle in my life. About five years ago, the riding bug hit me … ”gotta have a motorcycle.” The search began and ended quickly with the location and purchase of a 1985 Honda Shadow 500. It suited me just great. And since then I have learned that bikes are to fit the rider, not the other way. More on that.
I listened to other bikers. “For the mountains you need at least a 750cc engine” was the most common comment. However, the little 500cc Honda did just fine. After a year the desire for a bigger bike hit and hit hard. So the Honda Shadow was sold and I bought a like new 2001 Honda American Classic Edition with what is noted as an 800cc engine (really 750cc from what I was told). It’s silver gray and light cream color generated lots of comments.
But after riding it for a few months and a couple of “lay downs” at very slow speed, I decided again to change. Single-handedly trying to hoist a several hundred pound bike from ground level to upright just isn’t an easy task for an aging 150-pound frame.
So another sale and another search. This time I thought I’d revert to my first experience in the 50s: a scooter. Touted as probably the most reliable and easy for self-maintenance, I found a Honda Helix. Comfortable, capable of 65 mph with fantastic gas mileage. Mine averaged 65 mpg. During my period of ownership I changed the oil and plug three times with no problems. (I’m not a mechanic; however, I do own a few screwdrivers, pliers, etc.)
A couple of trips, one up to Hot Springs on I-40, were a tad nerve shattering. I was aware from years of driving that semis cause turbulent air in their aftermath. The turbulence made me feel like a Piper Cub airplane flying behind a Boeing 747. While I never lost control of the Helix, the whipping of the air resulted in a feeling of momentary lost control. Also, getting only 3,000 miles out of a $300 set of tires wasn’t expected. Scooter tires have to make so many more revolutions to get you anywhere.
For those considering a Helix, I’d rate it high for comfort, reliability and mileage. However, there isn’t extra power when you need it. It climbed both sides of Cowee Mountain just fine.
Where am I now? Back to a 750cc bike. Red and cream 1995 Yamaha Virago. Like new too. Has a windshield and thankfully the mountains are absent of rice bugs. Its padded seat, comparable in size to the thin form rubber and vinyl seat on the Cushman, is sooo comfortable. It has power to spare. Unlike the Helix, though, the miles per gallon are about 60 percent less.
Now I have the urge, not for another bike, but for heading out on the main highway like William H. Macy in “Wild Hogs.”
Why? I found a bike that fits me!
(Dave Redman is a Sylva resident.)
The Macon County League of Women Voters will host a program on comprehensive immigration reform on Nov. 11 at the Tartan Hall in Franklin.
Victoria Lyall, of America Springs Eternal, a non-profit organization working to cultivate understanding between immigrants and native-born citizens, will address fair, practical solutions to immigration problems.
Lunch is available by reservation at noon, the program is at 12:15. No cost for the program, public invited and encouraged to attend. Call 828.371.0527 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for lunch reservations.
The town of Waynesville’s annual food drive, including a Nov. 5 curbside pick-up of food donated by residents, will take place during November.
Hazelwood Elementary School and Junaluska Elementary School are participating in the drive. The collection by the schools will be during the month of November. Merchants on Main Street are also participating during the month of November by displaying collection boxes in their shops.
Cash donations are being accepted at the town’s Hazelwood Office located at 280 Georgia Avenue, the Recreation Center at 550 Vance Street, and the Planning/Development Office at 9 South Main Street. This money will be given to Haywood Christian Ministry to purchase food for their pantry.
John “Jack” L. Ewing, Jr. has been named the new executive director of Lake Junaluska Assembly. He will begin his new duties on Jan. 1, 2011, and fills a position that is being vacated by the retirement of Rev. Jimmy L. Carr.
Ewing currently serves as the executive director of the Foundation for Evangelism, which is also based at Lake Junaluska.
“I am excited about the opportunity to build on the good work of those that have gone before me. This is a special place and together we will make it an even more special place for many more people,” said Ewing during a presentation to the Lake Junaluska Board of Directors.
Dr. Ewing has degrees from Asbury College (1974), the University of Kentucky (1975), and the University of Minnesota (1982). He has served on the faculty of his alma mater and South Dakota State University, and as president of two United Methodist institutions of higher education: Dakota Wesleyan University (1994- 2000) and Mount Union College (2000-2005).
In 2010, Lake Junaluska will host 150,000 people from all 50 states and over 40 countries. Lake Junaluska is owned by The United Methodist Church and is open to all for vacations, banquets, reunions, weddings, spiritual enrichment retreats, conferences and recreational activities.
A welcome reception honoring Richard Collings, Southwestern Community College’s new president, will be held Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 4-5 p.m. at the Macon Campus’ Groves Center.
Collings, who was president of Wayne State College in Nebraska, became Southwestern’s fifth president upon the retirement of SCC President Emeritus Cecil Groves.
A PhD graduate of Tulane University, Collings previously served as vice chancellor for academic affairs at Western Carolina University. He and his wife, Marilyn, live in Jackson County’s Webster community.
The Public Policy Institute at Western Carolina University has created a new blog site designed to offer a nonpartisan glimpse into the world of North Carolina politics and policy.
The site, “Politics and Policy in the Tar Heel State,” features ongoing analysis and commentary about political issues.
After the election, the site will include posts designed to help explain what happened and what the results are likely to mean for North Carolina residents in the months ahead.
The site is the brainchild of Chris Cooper, director of WCU’s PPI and associate professor of political science and public affairs, and Gibbs Knotts, head of the WCU department of political science and public affairs.
“We intend to use this as a platform to add to the policy debate in the Tar Heel State,” Cooper said. “Most of our posts will try to connect findings in political science and public affairs to the real world of politics and policy in North Carolina. Many of our posts will include original data analysis.”
To read the PPI blog, visit wcuppi.blogspot.com/
Kathryn Magendie will celebrate the release of her new novel, Sweetie, at Blue Ridge Books at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6.
Sweetie is Kat Magendie’s third novel. Her first two novels, Tender Graces and Secret Graces, tell the story of Virginia Kate Carey from West Virginia. A third book in this trilogy is planned. Magendie’s books have been praised by the Asheville Times-Citizen, the Baton Rouge (LA) Advocate, by bestselling author Wayne Caldwell, and by respected reviewers including Story Circle and the Midwest Book Review.
Magendie is a Maggie Valley resident. She co-publishes The Rose and Thorn online journal. Her next project is Peetie, a novella, that will be part of an anthology in 2011 with New York Times bestselling authors Sarah Addison Allen and Deborah Smith.
Blue Ridge Books is located at 152 S. Main St in Waynesville. For more information call 828.456.6000.
Jackson County honors veterans
Southwestern Community College will honor veterans of all wars for their patriotism and willingness to serve during a Veterans Day observance at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11, in the Balsam Center Auditorium on the Jackson Campus.
This year, special tribute will be paid to veterans within the SCC family — students, faculty and staff. In preparation for this tribute, a photo of the veteran while in service, as well as a recent photo are requested. Along with the two photos, include veteran’s name, rank and years served. Send photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. or bring them by the admissions office in the Balsam Center.
Items for care packages will be collected all day on Nov. 11 in the Balsam Lobby. To have one of the care packages sent to someone currently deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan, contact Dominique Benson at 828.339.4217 or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cullowhee Valley School hosting veterans
All local veterans and their spouses are invited to join the teachers, students, and staff of Cullowhee Valley School in activities on Wednesday morning, Nov. 10, honoring those who have bravely served our country.
At 8:15 a.m., Robin Coggins and her staff will begin serving breakfast to veterans and other guests in the school cafeteria. A Veterans Day program will follow in the school gym, starting about 9 am.
Church has dinner, program for vets
Local veterans are invited to a dinner and program on Wednesday, Nov. 10, as guests of the East Sylva Baptist Church, which is located at 61 Faith Avenue in Sylva’s Dillardtown area.
The caterer, Bogart’s of Sylva, will begin serving at 5 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The program will start at 6:30 p.m. in the church sanctuary, and will feature instrumental and vocal patriotic music. American Legion Post 104 Chaplain Burrus Jones will serve as master of ceremonies, and the Rev. Charles Dean will be the speaker. All veterans plus one guest each are invited to attend. Those planning to attend should 586.2853.
Warren Wilson College chemistry professor John Brock was recently awarded a grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fund a sabbatical leave to study the human health impacts of climate change in Appalachia and the southeastern United States.
Brock will combine existing databases on climate and health to develop new models to assess and predict the human health impacts of climate change. After the sabbatical, the project will be adapted for continued research with undergraduate students at Warren Wilson.
“I have been looking for ways to bring together my interest in public health and the environment,” Brock said. “In addition, I have been trying to find projects of interest to students for research that can be done relatively inexpensively on campus. This project fits the bill perfectly.”
Cataloochee Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will re-open next year under a new advance reservation system.
When the campground opens March 11, campers will be required to have made advance reservations through Recreation.gov. Historically, the popular but remote 27-site campground has operated on a first-come; first-served basis, which did not provide prospective campers a way of knowing whether they would be able to get a site until after they arrived at the campground.
“Cataloochee Campground offers one of the park’s most sought-after camping experiences, but getting there involves a 30- to 40-minute, 11-mile, drive off I-40, with much of that along a very-narrow and circuitous gravel road,” said GSMNP Superintendent Dale Ditmanson. “There is no cell or landline phone service, and no regularly-assigned staff assigned at the campground, so there is no way for anybody to check to see if sites are available. The reservation system will eliminate the frustration of finding no campsites left after having made the difficult drive to the campground.”
The reservation system typically allows reservations to be made up to six months in advance, but the reservation database for Cataloochee in this first year is not expected to be active until Feb. 1. On that date, reservations for sites from the March 11 campground opening date through Aug. 1 will be reservable at once. Each day after Feb. 1 a new date, six months ahead, will become available. Reservations will be made either online at: www.recreation.gov or toll-free at 1.877.444.6777.
Cataloochee Campground is too small to have regularly-assigned staff on-site to collect fees, so reservations must be made in advance by phone or on-line. The cost of camping at Cataloochee in 2011 will be $20 per night beginning in March.
The U.S. Forest Service has begun using a series of new approaches to save hemlock forests under attack from the woolly adelgid.
The new approaches include aerial application of an adelgid-killing fungus, use of the chemical dinotefuran in high-priority areas where trees are in immediate danger of dying, expanding the number of sites that will be treated, releasing new species of predator beetles as they are evaluated, and allowing the use of the longer-lasting chemical, imidacloprid, on all treatment areas as needed. The use of new treatments began in mid-October.
Marisue Hilliard, forest supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina,
“We are very concerned about how many hemlocks have already been killed by the hemlock woolly adelgid,” said Hilliard. “It is a catastrophic pest that is continuing to kill eastern and Carolina hemlocks throughout their range. We intend to use all appropriate tools in conserving hemlock for future generations.”
In 2005, the forest service identified 159 eastern and Carolina hemlock areas that were distributed throughout a conservation network designed to represent genetic diversity within the distribution of known hemlock stands. These areas were part of a larger conservation network of areas being treated in surrounding states. Initial treatments focused primarily on release of certain predator beetles and treatment of high-priority areas with imidacloprid.
Follow-up studies have shown that hemlocks in a number of the conservation areas have died. Hilliard decided in late August to increase the number of treatment areas. In addition, the wider range of allowed treatments will help forest managers select the treatments best suited for a specific area. The recent decision will also give the forest access to new treatments and predator options in the future.
Having followed Indians trails and routes for decades, I have learned that some fascinating cultural road markers and signpost elements were and still are to be found along the old travel ways. Two of the most interesting are trail marker trees and dendroglyphs, which are found scattered across the Southeast in association with the old paths. Mountain Stewards, the partnering organization in the Cherokee trails project, has to date documented 1,597 Trail marker trees in 39 states, including Alabama, Georgia and North and South Carolina. (See www.mountainstewards.org.) Recently, a set of twin trail trees was found near Bryson City. Others have been found on the Little Tennessee River. Bending and forming trail trees, sometimes called thong trees, was an art practiced by native people to permanently mark trails. The old trees are hundreds of years old.
Dendroglyphs, also called arborglyphs, are pictographic or lettered carvings in the bark of trees. The American beech was the preferred species in the Southeast as it has a smooth bark and lives upwards of 500 years. Beech trees found along American Indian trails, campsites, village sites, pioneer homesteads and pioneer roads were used extensively as boundary markers, signposts, message boards, religious motifs and artistic expression.
The archaeological and historical significance of pictographs is that the ideographic, written language contained therein adds to the study of other forms of expression, such as the paintings on the cliff walls in the Southwest which honor deities and chronicled events. These trees are living monuments to the past, denoting historical ecology, native history, early American settler history, family presence, and ancient trails and signposts. Early symbols were used to mark territories and scare off intruders. Some denoted forts, villages, tribal symbols, battles, and prisoners or scalps taken. Later they were used as witness trees by the first surveyors. No doubt, there are thousands of these old carved beeches and hundreds of trail trees in Western North Carolina.
The public lands of the national forests are the best places to walk and explore some of these important roadways of the past. Always get permission before setting out across private property. Readers can contact Lamar Marshall at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.wildsouth.org and The Smoky Mountain News at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market will host a customer appreciation event during the last day of its regular season on Saturday, Oct. 30, in the parking lot of the Haywood Arts Regional Theater at 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.
Several vendors, including Carolina Wild Seafood, will continue selling each Wednesday through the end of the year. Plans are also under way for special winter markets.
Festivities on Saturday will take place during market hours, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited to join the celebration of the market’s third successful season by sampling these menu selections: butternut squash and sausage soup, hotdogs with all the fixings, grilled assorted greens and potatoes, sautéed spiced apples, pumpkin bread and , mulled apple cider. In addition, there will be samples of grilled fish and baked goods.
There will be demonstrations, musical entertainment and a raffle. Many vendors still have ample supplies of fall greens, vegetables, eggs, meat and cheese. Some vendors offer rabbit, chicken and turkey and will take holiday orders. Dates for the winter markets are Saturday, Nov. 20th and Wednesday, Nov. 24th; and, Wednesday, Dec. 8th and Saturday, Dec. 11th.
For more information, visit www.waynesvillefarmersmarket.com.
A new documentary about the Blue Ridge Parkway will air at 10 p.m. on Nov. 4 on UNC-TV.
Documentary filmmaker Bruce Bowers and Bowers Media Group, Inc. produced the documentary, which is called, “The Blue Ridge Parkway: A Long and Winding Road.”
Bowers’ historical documentary, say its producers, is the first to reveal a secret deal that determined the route of the Parkway.
The hour-long documentary also takes a fascinating look at the people along the parkway corridor and addresses how the scenic road affected their lives and cultures. The documentary contains a significant segment on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, including interviews with Amanda Swimmer, Jerry Wolfe, Faren Sanders Crews and Freeman Owle. The opening song is by Bo Taylor, and Eddie Bushyhead performs rivercane flute music throughout. Eastern Band Cherokee tribal consultant was Faren Sanders Crews.
The Cooperative Extension Service in Swain County will hold a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certification program for beef cattle producers in Western North Carolina from 6 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 15 at the Extension Center.
BQA is a voluntary program in which cattle producers assume responsibility for producing beef that is a healthy, quality product and free from injection-site lesions and bruises and other defects that are often the result of poor handling practices. The certification — good for a three-year period — can also offer potential price advantages to producers who plan to market cattle through graded sales.
Cost is $15 for N.C. Cattlemen’s Association members and $40 for non-members. Keith Wood, NCSU Extension Agriculture Agent from Cherokee County, will cover feeds, feed additives and medications, record keeping, handling, hauling and husbandry practices. Preregistration required by Nov. 12. 828.488.3848.
By Lamar Marshall • Contributing Writer
It was a crisp, cold day with snow on the ground when I pulled my old 4-Runner to the shoulder of U.S. 441 near the north side of the gap at the top of Cowee Mountain between Dillsboro and Franklin. I was on the headwaters of Savannah Creek, on national forest land, looking at an 1850 map of the Western Turnpike, which identified the gap as Wilson Gap. Since then it has been known as both Watauga Gap and Cowee Gap. This was also the old Rutherford Trace, so named after North Carolina’s Gen. Griffin Rutherford, who attacked and burned the Middle and Valley Towns of the Cherokees in 1776.
Rutherford was to meet the South Carolina army under Col. Andrew Williamson at Nikwasi Town located at modern Franklin. From there the two combined armies would cross the Nantahala Mountains and burn the Valley Towns on Hiwassee and Valley rivers. As Rutherford marched across the Blue Ridge near modern Asheville and Waynesville, Williamson was burning the Lower Towns in South Carolina.
This nvnah, or trail, was an ancient and major thoroughfare of the Cherokee people. It, like most trails, connected important places by following a corridor of least geographical resistance, which meant utilizing the lowest and best mountain passes and the shallowest fording places along rivers. After the 1776 Rutherford invasion of Cherokee country, it was called Rutherford’s Trace and later became known as the Cherokee Road, then the State Road in the 1830s, the Western Turnpike by the1850s, and today is part of the corridor of U.S. 441.
See also: Ancient road signs
This point atop the Cowee Mountains was known to the first white traders as Seven Mile Mountain, being seven miles from Watauga Town on the Little Tennessee River. This was part of a major east-west Cherokee trail that connected the Catawba Indian country of central North Carolina to Tennessee and Georgia, passing through modern Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Cherokee counties. The gap here can be identified easily by travelers today by the bright yellow Gold City mine located on its south side.
Both the ancient gap and its historical Cherokee trail had been blasted away by modern highway construction to make way for our modern “gasoline-powered wagons.” In so doing, they also blasted away the spot where Billy Alexander was shot through the foot by one of about 20 Cherokee warriors who boldly ambushed a thousand American troops in 1776. By the time the troops rallied and returned fire, the Cherokees, like ghosts, had vanished into the woods. Billie was carried on a litter for the rest of the expedition.
A path of destruction
I was tracking ghosts myself this day, on the trail of about 2,800 American troops who in 1776 found themselves not only at war with Great Britain but with the Cherokee nation. Finding themselves caught up in the War of Independence, the Cherokees sided with England, which promised to curb Western colonial expansion into their lands. The brutal Cherokee attacks on the American frontier were preceded by equally brutal atrocities committed by frontier riff-raff, no more than professional scalp hunters who made a living by either murdering Indians and collecting the government bounty on their scalps or selling them alive as slaves for British sugar plantations on islands around the Caribbean. The Cherokees attacked the colonial frontiers in July 1776, and by late summer and fall found three American armies totaling more than 6,000 men attacking from the north, the south and General Rutherford marching towards the heartland of their nation on this trail. The Cherokee fighters numbered around 2,000.
The trail ascended the Blue Ridge at Old Fort, where Rutherford’s army began its invasion on Sunday, Sept. 1, 1776. The men were inspired by Army Chaplain Reverend James Hall, who had preached a sermon the day before from 2 Samuel 1:10. “So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.”
Six days later the chaplain shot and killed an innocent black slave belonging to a British trader named Scott at modern Sylva. He is said to have claimed that he thought the slave was an Indian. It seems the American “Canaan” was about to be cleaned out by the Euro-American belief that the anointed white race was like the Israelites of the Old Testament and Rutherford’s troops were the “soldiers of the Lord.” The Cherokees had a different theological point of view. They argued that the Great Spirit gave them their land and the white man had no right to take it.
So it was on this wintry day I was following along, as near as possible, this Cherokee trail that became a path of destruction. At Webster, the little village of Tuckasegee was burned and 16 acres of corn destroyed by army horses within a few hours. In an attempt to engage the retreating Cherokees, Rutherford sent a thousand troops up Savannah Creek to where I now stood, the remaining 1,800 troops and packhorses to follow. From the top of the gap looking south, the old Indian trail peeled off to the left down the drainage following Watauga Creek.
When U.S. 441 was built, it spared the old trail and the beautiful rural valley along Watauga Road. The trail followed Watauga Creek on to the Little Tennessee River where it crossed into the Cherokee town of Watauga near the junction of Riverbend Road and N.C. 28. The Middle Town Cherokee families were evacuated over the mountains, frustrating the American armies who could but wreak their vengeance on Cherokee houses, crops, cattle, food stores, and the few unlucky elderly and handicapped Cherokees that could not travel. In spite of being ordered by the North Carolina Council of Safety to protect Indian women and children, Rutherford could not restrain his men.
When they did choose to fight, Cherokees did so on their own terms. They were masters of guerrilla warfare who utilized mountain gaps and river narrows as places to set up “ambuscades.” These places funneled men and horses into small passes surrounded by high ground, from which the warriors could shoot down on their enemies. Most of Rutherford’s men were trained riflemen, crack shots armed with rifles, tomahawks, butcher knives and corn knives. They were hard men, born on the American frontier, raised on the land farming, hunting, raising animals and lately, fighting the British. But unlike the British, most were adapted to the more effective Indian manner of warfare, preferring to shoot from behind trees and rocks.
Perhaps the ambush at Cowee Mountain was intended to buy time for the evacuation of Watauga, Cowee, Nikwasi and other Middle Cherokee towns. The next ambush laid for Rutherford was to be on Wayah Creek, along modern Wayah Road, east of the Lyndon B. Johnson Job Corps Center in Franklin. This was to be the largest battle that Rutherford and Williamson’s armies would engage. Unfortunately for Rutherford, he failed to take Indian scouts with him and got lost at Franklin. He crossed the mountains at the wrong place, basically following the route of modern U.S. 64, and burned the Cherokee towns along Shooting Creek, Hayesville and Peachtree.
The army apparently surprised and surrounded the first town they came to. Quanassee was located just south of modern Hayesville. Six Cherokees were killed, two wounded, and an old man and boy captured. John Robinson killed the old Cherokee the next day and was tied and put under guard. It is doubtful that he was prosecuted.
The South Carolina army arrived at Canucca Town very near Nikwasi at modern-day Franklin, and followed what is now the Wayah Road, where about 500 to 600 Cherokees attacked Williamson’s troops. At least 13 American soldiers were killed before the Cherokees retreated. They were buried in a swampy place, with a causeway built over the graves to hide them. There is not so much as a historical marker to mark their graves or tell the story. The army then marched over the mountains to the site of modern-day Andrews, where they burned all the Valley Towns down to the Murphy area and soon met Gen. Rutherford.
Sally Salyards will lead a discussion of The Secret Life of Bees at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4 in the Jackson County library as part of the library discussion group Bookends.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is set in South Carolina in 1964 and tells the story of 14-year-old Lily Owens, who lives in a house with a neglectful father, T.Ray, and a black maid, Rosaleen.
The novel, which is considered historical fiction, has received much critical acclaim and was on the New York Times Bestseller List. There will be extra copies of The Secret Life of Bees available at the library for patrons to read prior to the discussion on Nov. 4.
Are you in a book group? Do you want to be in one? Is your book group looking for good suggestions of books that bring out lively discussion?
Come to City Lights in Sylva from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, and meet others in book groups in the area and get inspired reads for the new year.
Bring a favorite snack, appetizer or drink to share with the group and get insights from City Lights staff on strategies for picking good discussion books in all genres and some staff picks to beef up your reading list for 2011.
For more information call 828.586.9499.
To the Editor:
In my conversations with responsible hunters, wildlife advocates, employees of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and organizations who value wild lives and wild places, it is generally agreed there is a need to build bridges and work together in addressing a host of issues facing our mutually owned wildlife.
A growing population in Western North Carolina, shrinking wildlife habitat and wild places, poaching and other crimes against wildlife —along with some insensitive hunting practices — create an urgent need for cooperative efforts to help identify pressing concerns and seek workable solutions to complex challenges we all face in WNC. A commitment to “do the right thing” is a worthy goal for those who deeply value wildlife and our unique natural resources.
There is a need for creative thinking and a willingness to seek compromises that have the support of responsible hunters, the general public and wildlife friendly organizations; for the expressed purpose of getting the attention of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and the General Assembly.
An encouraging step in the right direction is an article in the fall issue of the “North Carolina Wildlife Federation Journal” called “Resolving to Fight for Wildlife.”
Of particular interest was one of the resolutions passed by the NCWF Board of Directors called a “Sportsman Responsibility Doctrine.” It states, “the NCWF pledges to work in cooperation with hunting and fishing groups, the general public, the NCWRC and NC General Assembly to develop a slate of amendments to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Law and implementing rules to be known as the ‘Sportsman Responsibility Doctrine.’” It goes on the say, “this is designed to help end conflicts among hunters and anglers, landowners and the general public.”
In addition, during a recent meeting in Waynesville, an effort was set in motion to build and share common interests regarding wildlife and public concerns in WNC. A diverse group of hunters, wildlife advocates, NCWRC employees, a representative from the NC General Assembly, representatives from the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance and Highlands Plateau Audubon Society met in a gathering sponsored by Wild South.
Some success emerged in this attempt to create compromise along with better understanding and awareness regarding our “commonly valued wildlife” and other related issues. This WNC Wildlife Advocate Group feels more discussion is needed and plans involve meeting again, in the near future, with additional organizations and individuals invited to participate.
Most of those who value property rights, sportsmanship and the passion of the outdoor experience share some of these specific concerns: hunters and dogs trespassing on private property, finding ways to add NCWRC enforcement officers in a strapped economy, firm prosecution and sentencing of those who commit crimes involving “our wildlife” and insensitive hunting practices that diminish the sporting image of hunting. Efforts to address any of these will entail public support, cooperation and the courage needed to make changes beneficial to the majority of residents in WNC.
John Edwards
Wild South Wildlife Outreach Coordinator
Cashiers
To the Editor:
If ever there was a need for common sense and independent thinking among our nation’s leaders, that time is now.
One can hardly blame voters for being angry with both political parties (indeed, annoyed at just about everyone at all levels of government). It can be said perhaps, if you’re not angry, you’re not paying attention. And doubly infuriating, the political class is seemingly oblivious of their responsibility to dispel some of the anxieties so many Americans feel.
With the economy pretty much in shreds, jobs permanently lost, unendurable (and even less definable) wars draining our resources and costing the lives of our youth, the politicians seem unrestrained from playing the “blame game.”
Aside from the fact our government(s) are nearly paralyzed and awash in special interest money and influence, I had hoped for a little less partisan bickering and a little more transparency and (dare I say it?) honesty in this election cycle.
There’s no way to disentangle the hyperbole and hubris and the sometimes outrageous accusation (mud) being exchanged in order that voters might form an intelligent decision as to whom to support. This only serves to escalate voter’s wrath, discouragement and frustration. It prompts the poet to exclaim ... my kingdom for one honest statesman.
Every President in modern times has promised to pursue a bipartisan venture based on cooperation and civility. Barack Obama was no exception and our hopes and expectations were high, perhaps too high. No President can succeed when the party out of power acts only to ensure the party in power fails. That’s the inherent drawback to our two-party system and why I am so incessantly adamant that we desperately need independent-minded, honest candidates who will stand up for the fundamental guiding principles and convictions that made this great nation the envy of the world.
David L. Snell
Dillsboro
The Haywood County Health Department is offering flu vaccines on a walk-in basis, with no appointment necessary, to persons ages 19 and older.
The walk-in vaccines are available from 9 a.m. to Noon Monday-Thursday and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Nov. 30 at the Health Department, located at 2177 Asheville Highway. Persons who are ages 18 and younger, or who can’t come during walk-in hours, may schedule an appointment to get the vaccine by calling the Health Department at 828.452.6675.
The cost will be $28 for flu vaccine and $35 for flu mist. The Health Department will accept full payment in cash, check and from the following insurances: Medicare, Medicaid, Unicare, Humana, NC Health Choice, Today’s Option Pyramids, Medicare PPO insurances, Railroad Medicare, Aetna, BCBC of NC insurances, BCBS NC state Health Plan – if the policies covers vaccines. The Health Department will not be able to bill any other insurances including Tricare. Clients are asked to please bring their insurance cards with them. Pneumonia vaccines are not currently available.
This year’s seasonal flu vaccine, available in injectable and nasal spray formulas, includes protection against the H1N1 strain of the virus as well as two other anticipated flu strains, according to the N.C. Division of Public Health. For most people, that means only one flu immunization is necessary. However, children under 9 years of age who haven’t been vaccinated against the flu in the past will need two doses of flu vaccine.
Seasonal flu is most deadly for very young children and senior citizens. However, the 2009 H1N1 flu disproportionately affected middle-aged adults and young people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that more than 12,000 people died from H1N1 last year, including more than 10,000 who were under 65 years old.
For more information, call the Haywood County Health Department Flu Hot Line 24 hours a day at 828.356.1111 or the health department at 828.452.6675 and pressing Option 5.
Find out what it takes to produce a bankable loan proposal in a free class at Southwestern Community College on Thursday, Nov. 4.
Small Business Loans: Fundamentals & Options will be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. in the Bradford Conference Center on the Jackson Campus.
Led by Mike Arriola, Small Business Administration regional director, the class is geared for small business owners or those who want to start a business.
Participants will learn about the Five Cs of Credit and how a lender views these elements of a business credit application. They will discover the importance of business plans and financials and how they fit into a lender’s credit decision-making process.
Find out what financial assistance is available through the U.S. Small Business Administration and its lending partners, including the highly popular SBA Community Express Program which offers small business loans to startups and existing businesses - up to $25,000, with no collateral in most cases.
For more information, contact Sonja Haynes, SCC Foundation and Small Business/ Industry coordinator, at 828.339.4218 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
How do you feel about the death penalty? Two upcoming events at Western Carolina University by the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice will explore the public’s opinions about this controversial issue.
The first event is a presentation titled “Issues in the Death Penalty: Wrongful Convictions,” scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center on the WCU campus.
The program will feature Edward Chapman, who spent 14 years on North Carolina’s death row before his convictions on two murder charges were overturned in 2008 and who now travels the state discussing his case. Chapman will be joined by Pam Laughon, a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a mitigation specialist who found evidence to support his release.
A panel discussion on the topic “The Death Penalty under Debate: Experts Weigh In” is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, also in the Grandroom of WCU’s University Center. The panel will feature Ken Rose, former executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to representing capital defendants and to assisting attorneys representing persons charged or convicted in capital cases; Bob Clark, who spent 14 years as a prosecutor and another 14 years as a defense attorney and handled numerous capital cases; and Megan Smith, a member of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, whose father and step-mother were killed.
“The application of the death penalty in North Carolina has received a great deal of scrutiny in recent years,” said Cyndy Caravelis Hughes, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at WCU. “We invite the public to join us in hearing a panel of experts weigh in on the pros and cons of keeping the death penalty as a punishment and the effect that decision may have on the criminal justice system.”
For more information about the events, call Hughes at 828.227.2165.
If you’ve got a young reader who has difficulty reading to parents or teachers, the Haywood County Public Library may have a new approach to consider – reading to a friendly, non-judgemental canine.
Puppy Tales, a program designed to encourage children to read by providing a certified therapy dog who will lie next to them and listen while they read, is now available by appointment on Tuesday afternoons and on Saturday mornings at the Waynesville library branch.
Assistant Library Director Sharon Woodrow, said she is excited to be offering the program to Haywood County children. Puppy Tales currently has three certified therapy dogs – Myles, an Australian Shepard trained by Kristen Walker; Bodie, a Shelty trained by Joy Newton; and Lily, a Shih Tzu, trained by Susan Hale.
“Around the country, programs similar to this one have been very successful in helping children improve their reading skills, sometimes by as much as 16 percent,” Woodrow said. “The children like being with the dog, so they begin to view reading in a more positive way. Over time, their confidence improves because they are practicing their skills.”
Puppy Tales kicked off with a reception on Wednesday, Oct. 14th, and the library is now taking appointments, Woodrow said. The program is aimed at children in grades 1-5. Appointments are available by contacting Donna Surles at 828-356-2519. Each session is for 20 to 30 minutes per person.
All dogs that participate in the program are certified. Woodrow said the library welcomes the opportunity to work with other certified therapy dogs. If you have a dog that could join the Puppy Tales team, please contact Donna Surles, Librarian, at 828-356-2519; Carole Dennis, Youth Librarian at 828-356-2511; or Woodrow, at 828-356-2504.
Michelle Wilson Price has been named the new executive director of the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance.
Price grew up in the Glenville area and graduated from Blue Ridge School and has worked in the Plateau Region with the Upper Cullasaja Watershed Association.
She is a water quality specialist and has worked at the state, regional and local level more than 18 years in the environmental field. She earned a bachelor of science in public health with a major in environmental science and engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill, including a summer studying urban planning at Oxford University. After graduation, she was employed in the state Department of Environmental Science and Natural Resources as an environmental modeler and subsequently as the District Programs Section Chief.
She has also held positions with the Buncombe County Soil and Water Conservation District as a Soil Conservationist and the Watershed Resource Coordinator. She then became the Water Quality Coordinator with RiverLink, Inc., the nonprofit working to restore the French Broad River.
In her last position, she was the Water Quality Advisor to the Land of Sky Regional Council. Highlighting some of her responsibilities there included developing stormwater and urban watershed initiatives, identifying project funding sources and developing proposals for implementing Best Management Practices projects, educating community leaders and landowners about water quality issues, public outreach, and working with stakeholders to ensure success.
She has developed throughout her career an extraordinary level of expertise and an extensive network of collaborators and colleagues all of whom are involved in supporting sustainable growth and development in Western North Carolina. She understands the perspectives of personnel throughout the local, regional and state systems and organizations.
“In our nonprofit role, we seek to identify areas where our efforts can combine with all other governmental and associational entities to produce sustainable practices as we live, work and grow in this beautiful and sensitive area” said Robert E. Smith, J-MCA Board Chair. “We found in Ms. Price a person with a unique set of skills, knowledge and enthusiasm and we look forward to working with her as J-MCA moves forward on initiatives focused on sustainability issues concerning our communities. Her previous work demonstrates her capacity to bring know-how and persistence to each project to achieve results. As we celebrate 10 years of work in our area, we look forward to being even more effective.”
The Haywood County Register of Deeds Office took a big step toward going paperless with the debut of a new technology that electronically records land record documents submitted by attorneys, real estate agents and title companies.
The process, known as e-filing, allows documents such as deeds, deeds of trust, mortgage satisfactions and other legal documents to be accepted electronically by the register of deeds. Sherri Rogers, Haywood County register of deeds, said it will cut the time it takes to record documents from days to minutes.
“With e-filing, you’ll know exactly when a document was sent, acknowledged and recorded,” Rogers said. “If the document is rejected, you’ll receive a reason for the rejection electronically. Once a revision is made, the document can be filed immediately.”
While e-filing won’t eliminate paper transactions with the register of deeds, Rogers said she expected it to greatly reduce the amount of documents that come into the office daily.
E-filing works by allowing those sending documents to navigate through a series of web browser-based screens that gather the required index information, such as document type, grantor/grantee, taxable amounts, number of pages and other types of information. The document is uploaded over a secure connection, and is instantly sent to be recorded. After the document is recorded, it is electronically routed back to the office of the sender.
In order to use e-filing, an account must be established through the register of deeds office. Minimum requirements to use e-filing include a scanner and a web browser with internet access, but there is no software to install. Recording fees are collected through an Automated Clearing House transaction, or through a prepaid escrow account.
The Region A Partnership for Children will kick off its annual fundraising campaign this month with a new emphasis on gaining community support for early literacy and early reading preparation.
Local contributions to this year’s Smart Start fundraising campaign will be used to support programs such as Raising a Reader, which promotes shared reading with families in the home, library outreach programs to reach children in their every day settings, and other early literacy programs.
Haywood County Recreation & Parks Department is now accepting registration for the Kids Recreation Basketball League.
Intended for ages 5-15, the recreation basketball league guarantees that each child will get the opportunity to play at least half of every game. The program focuses on learning the game where each age group has adapted rules to ensure the development of skills, such as 8-foot goals for ages 5-8.
Registration fee includes a NBA replica jersey for each child to keep, practice one night a week, one practice game on Dec. 4, eight official games and a completion certificate. Practice begins the week of Nov. 15 and the last scheduled game is Feb. 12.
Early registration of $40 for first child and $75 for two children ends Sept. 24. Regular registration of $50 for first child and $95 for two children will be from Sept. 27 – Oct. 8. Registration forms are available online through the Recreation Department link at www.haywoodnc.net or at the Haywood County Recreation & Parks Dept. office at 81 Elmwood Way (former MARC Building). Scholarships are also available upon special request.
828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cholesterol, glucose and vision screening, sonography ultrasound demonstrations, body fat checks, flexibility assessments, door prizes and a wide variety of demonstrations and display tables will highlight Southwestern Community College’s Health Fair Wednesday, Nov. 3.
Sponsored by SCC medical assisting and nursing students, the event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Balsam Lobby on the Jackson Campus. It is open to the public.
Organizations providing information and materials include: American Cancer Society, Caplinger Chiropractic, Cardio Pulmonary rehabilitation, Curves, Department on Aging, Dogwood Women’s Health, HIT Club, Jackson County Department of Health, March of Dimes, Medical Assisting Club, Medical Sonography, Medwest/Haywood Regional Health and Fitness, Mountain Sleep and Respiratory Medicine, Mountain Trace Nursing Center, REACH, Smoky Mountain OB/GYN, Smoky Mountain Pregnancy Center, Sylva Chiropractic Center, Sylva Orthopedics, Carolina West Sports Medicine, Tobacco Free Colleges, United Christian Ministries, Wellspring Family Practice, Western Carolina Digestive Consultants, WNC Internal Medicine, Your Herbalist and SCC medical programs.
Drawings for door prizes will be held throughout the event, and include gift certificates to Navitat Canopy Tours, Wheels Through Time, Rivers Edge Outfitters, Oaks Gallery, Santa’s Land, Smoky Mountain Gem Mining, Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department, Lake Junaluska Golf Course, Asheville Historic Trolley Tours, City Lights Bookstore, Well House, Cullowhee Café, Dillsboro Smokehouse, Nick & Nate’s and the Jarrett House.
Haywood Builders Supply has recently been certified by the Smartwood Program of the Rainforest Alliance for the “Forest Stewardship Council” (FSC) as a duly licensed “Chain-of-Custody provider of FSC wood products.
Haywood Builders Supply is one of a small number of independent full-service building supply retailers in North Carolina to have achieved this certification. FSC Chain-of-Custody certification helps customers choose products that contribute to global conservation, community well-being and economic stability.
Obtaining this FSC certification continues and increases the efforts of Haywood Builders Supply Company toward being a “green” leader in both the industry and the community. The company was one of the early participants in the LBM Journal sponsored program to become a “Certified Green Dealer” by having 100 percent of its sales personnel complete that training. More recently, several of Haywood’s sales representatives attained recognition from NHBA as “Certified Green Professionals” upon training sponsored by the National Home Builders Association.
A workshop regarding the legalities and liabilities of employee use of social networking websites will be held from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, in Room 143 of the Cordelia Camp Building on the campus of Western Carolina University.
Jon Yarbrough, an employment attorney with the national labor and employment law firm Constangy, Brooks & Smith, will lead the three-hour workshop.
Many employees use social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook — the latter claims 500 million active users — for personal use, such as connecting with family and friends. According to Yarbrough, the sites can lead to unwanted liability for employers based on employee misuse.
Registration, which includes lunch, is $99. Call 828.227.3688 or visit www.wcu.edu/26755.asp
Haywood Community College’s Sherri Myers was recently honored by the North Carolina Council of Officers for Resource Development with its Harriette McKinnon Crump Award.
The award is given annually to recognize the potential of members who are pursuing education in community college resource development.
Myers received the award at the group’s annual conference in Southern Pines. With the award, comes a $750 scholarship to attend the Council of Resource Development Specialist Training Program, a two-week training is an intensive introduction to all facets of resource development in the community college. Many of the nation’s most successful community college development and alumni professionals have participated in this program.
Myers works with the HCC Foundation as its director of Institutional Advancement.
“I know each day that what I do impacts our students, their future, our community and our world,” said Myers in accepting the award. “It is also really special to be back where I started my education and to help others as I was helped.”
