Learn how to raft guide with a three-day clinic Friday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County.

The curriculum is suited for everyone from beginners to experienced paddlers seeking to solidify their skill and confidence on the river. Professional instructors from NOC will meet participants at their skill level and ensure they leave with newfound knowledge, technique and confidence.

Cost starts at $550. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Learn more or register at noc.com/courses/learn-to-raft-guide.

A beloved long-time Western North Carolina tradition, the 49th annual Mountain Heritage Day will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, on the campus of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Americana/bluegrass artist Darren Nicholson will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the gazebo in downtown Franklin.

There will be a stage production of “Good Ol’ Girls” at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22-23, 29-30, Oct. 5-7 and 2 p.m. Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and 8 on the Fangmeyer Stage at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 

An intimate performance by renowned Americana/indie act Hurray For The Riff Raff will be part of the “Salon Series” at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Highlander Mountain House in Highlands.

Americana/indie singer-songwriter A. Lee Edwards will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, in the Speakeasy Bar at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley.

A community jam will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. 

The Haywood County Arts Council’s annual “Haywood County Studio Tour” will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24. 

Eight people charged in Haywood County with trafficking and possessing illegal drugs are now serving active time in state prison, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch said.

Champion Credit Union announced that Ecusta Credit Union, which has served Transylvania and Henderson counties since 1976, will formally merge into Champion Credit Union later this year, in a move a press release noted is aimed at enhancing financial services and member experience.

Hawthorn Heights WNC, a nonprofit founded in Bryson City, announced it has purchased its current facility from Children’s Hope Alliance.

State and local officials are reminding people during “Child Passenger Safety Week” to buckle up their youngest passengers because car crashes are still a leading cause of death for most children. 

The N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, the N.C. Department of Insurance, Office of the State Fire Marshal, Safe Kids NC and others hosted a press conference in Greenville on Monday to underscore the importance of child passenger safety. During the child passenger safety clinic, experts also demonstrated how to properly install car seats. 

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed Sept. 17-23 as “Child Passenger Safety Week” in North Carolina.

While car seats and boosters provide crash protection for infants and children, car crashes are still a leading cause of death for children between 1 and 13 years old. According to Safe Kids North Carolina, nearly 100 children under age 14 die annually from vehicle-related crashes, and about 45,000 minors are injured and need medical treatment.

More than 3,000 nationally certified child passenger safety technicians across the state teach parents and caregivers how to properly install car seats in their vehicles. Thanks to these and other child safety efforts, North Carolina maintains its position as having one of the nation’s strongest programs promoting child passenger safety.

For more information, visit NCDOT’s webpage on child passenger safety.

Roughly a decade ago, Mike Wade heard a quote from successful industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie: “I spent the first half of my life making money, and the second half of my life giving it away to do the most good and the least harm.”

Monarch Butterfly Day will be filled with fun, informative activities for both kids and adults 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville, coinciding with a fall plant sale that will also run during those same hours Friday, Sept. 29.

Western Carolina University’s resident fall color expert is predicting that the start of leaf season will come earlier than usual but that peak will lack the intensity it had last year, primarily because leaves won’t be changing color at the same time.

Following a three-year absence, the Mountain Life Festival will return 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Mountain Farm Museum in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Haywood County Fair will take over the Smoky Mountain Event Center — formerly known as the Haywood County Fairgrounds — Thursday, Sept. 28, through Sunday, Oct. 1.

Help “rewild” Fontana Lake campsites during a volunteer workday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at Tsali Boat Ramp.

A $100,000 grant from the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority has put a $2 million project to build a red spruce nursery past the halfway mark of its fundraising goal.

Haywood County native Kyle Miller has moved into the top leadership position at the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, after his predecessor Will Morrow retired following more than 30 years with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The annual corn maze and pumpkin patch will return through Oct. 31 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City.

Ruby Dixon, a third-year student in Western Carolina University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, considers the entire state of North Carolina her home, having lived in different parts of the state throughout her life. 

Last week, a Swain County jury convicted Daniel Ryan Sutton, 39, of first-degree murder.

Graffiti has appeared on properties along the N.C. 107 corridor for several months.

Haywood Regional Medical Center announced that Dr. Brandon B. Herndon has joined its staff and will be offering services in family medicine to patients throughout Haywood County and beyond.

Celebrate the millions of acres of public lands covering Western North Carolina during National Public Lands Day Saturday, Sept. 23.

Audubon North Carolina is urging residents to help keep the skies dark this fall to help birds as they migrate south.

The Mountain Monarch Festival will return to Gorges State Park in Transylvania County for its second year 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, celebrating the monarch butterfly during its migration season.

After a monthlong closure enacted when a bear scratched a park visitor, Rich Mountain Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has reopened.

A public meeting 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26, in Candler will give the public the chance to help shape the forthcoming master plan for the new Pisgah View State Park, with an online survey also offering an opportunity for input.

The Haywood County Fair is coming up Sept. 28-Oct. 1, and the Home Economics Division is looking for volunteers to help handle the more than 350 entries expected for contests in preserved foods, home furnishings and more.

Help plan the future of Pinnacle Park, a 1,500-acre natural area in Sylva, by participating in a survey now open online.

Take a 4.6-mile hike to a spectacular view along the Bartram Trail near Highlands 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.

A weekend of riverside games, whitewater rafting, adventure films and gear deals will liven up the fall Sept. 22-24 at Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County.

Join in for the sixth annual Pollinator Field Day 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River.

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Sara Snyder Hopkins, assistant professor and director of the Cherokee Language Program at Western Carolina University, a grant of $64,905 for her ongoing translation project, Eastern Cherokee Histories in Translation. 

Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital, Duke LifePoint hospitals, announced the appointment of Ashley Hindman as the new chief executive officer.

With 54 volunteers turning out for the Carolina Mountain Club’s Quarterly Crew Day at Sam Knob last month, the group was able to check a lot of items off its to do list.

A total of 20 organizations located across the western region have received grants from Made X Mtns in support of their work to increase outdoor recreation access and economic opportunity.

N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser has been chosen as the next president of the Environmental Council of States, a national association of state and territorial environmental agency leaders.

Spend time with beekeepers during the next meeting of the Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Association at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at the Swain County Business Education Center in Bryson City.

The 16th annual Power of Pink 5K Run/Walk/Dog Walk will raise money for early breast cancer detection on Saturday, Sept. 23, at Frog Level in Waynesville.

A $36,500 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will fuel education efforts on the wonders of the French Broad River Basin over the next several years.

Registration is open for an after-school program at the Waynesville Recreation Center, which will kick off Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Three freshwater mussel species have been proposed for designation as endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Cumberland moccasinshell, Tennessee clubshell and Tennessee pigtoe all occur in the Tennessee River Basin, while the Cumberland moccasinshell and Tennessee clubshell are also found in the Cumberland River Basin.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail turns 46 on Sept. 9, and Friends of the MST is offering a variety of opportunities to celebrate all month long.

Adult pickup futsal games will be held starting 6:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Sept. 14 at the Cullowhee Recreation Center gymnasium

A biking skills program will meet after school at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Canton on Thursdays from Sept. 14 through Oct. 5.

The staff of the Smoky Mountain News won 18 advertising awards, including three first-place honors, as well as 16 editorial awards, including five first places, at this year’s North Carolina Press Association awards banquet. Awards were won in Division C, the largest division for nondaily publications.

To recognize their exemplary contributions to Western Carolina University and the local and regional community, WCU’s Board of Trustees is honoring Phil and Connie Haire with an honorary naming designation.