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Hendersonville resident Stefanie Kompathoum will offer a workshop on how to make handmade paper at the Jackson County Public Library Complex at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 25. The program will take place in the building’s Atrium, just inside the main doors that lead to the Library entrance.
“Making your own handmade paper is easier than you think,” says Kompathoum. And once made, it can be the foundation for a variety of other craft ideas, including stationery, picture mats, lampshades, journals, 3-D castings and sculptures, even pulp painting. Kompathoum’s presentation will include a basic papermaking demonstration, as well as an introduction to the varied possibilities of pulp and paper art.
Kompathoum is currently a resident of Hendersonville but is a long-time member of the Sylva community. One of her interests is plants and the ways they can be used for food, medicine, inspiration, and art. She is also dedicated to teaching and inspiring people of all ages to be more creative in their daily lives. “Papermaking brings these passions together nicely,” according to Kompathoum, and she has been experimenting with new materials, techniques and applications for more than 12 years.
For more information contact the Library at 586.2016. This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.
The Jackson County Public Library will host a special evening storytime for children at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 27, in the Storytime Room. The event will feature Thomas Rain Crowe reading from his new book for children, entitled The Wake Up Man.
In the tradition of the “Sandman,” who visits us at night and with his magical dust and puts us to sleep, the Wake Up Man, with his own unique magic, wakes us up. Crowe’s book is the tale of who the Wake Up Man is and how he came to be. This charming picture book is illustrated by Crowe’s mother, Mary King Dawson.
Crowe, who lives in Tuckasegee, is an author, poet, translator, and publisher. This is his first book for children.
For more information call the Library at 586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.
Starting on Oct. 21, a spooky Haunted Trail will be set up at the Oconaluftee Indian Village in Cherokee. The last night of the Haunted Trail is Halloween, Oct. 31. Tickets are $10 a person and children 12 and under must have adult supervision. The trail opens at 7 p.m. each night.
The National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China will perform at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at 4 p.m. on Oct 23.
Direct from Beijing, this company of 35 performers is known for its stunning displays of the best in Chinese martial arts, illusion and acrobatics, all set to traditional music.
Since its founding in 1950, the National Acrobats of China have become recognized as the premier large touring acrobatic troupe in the world, winning high honors and awards, including the Presidential Gold Award at the Cirque de Demain Festival in Paris, and the Golden Clown Award at the 28th Monte Carlo International Circus Festival.
Tickets are $15-$60 and are on sale now at the Asheville Civic Center Box Office, ticketmaster.com, or by calling Asheville Bravo Concerts at 828.225.5887. Student tickets are half-price. www.ashevillebravoconcerts.org.
Comedian Bo Burnham will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.
Burnham rose to fame in 2006 — while still in high school — after posting YouTube videos of himself in his bedroom performing autobiographical songs such as “My Whole Family Thinks I’m Gay.” The videos have since had millions of views worldwide. He soon had secured a four-record deal with Comedy Central Records, releasing “Bo Burnham” in 2009, and four days after his 18th birthday became the youngest person to record a “Comedy Central Presents” special. He subsequently debuted a second Comedy Central special, “Words, Words, Words,” and with it released a companion CD/DVD.
Entertainment Weekly named Burnham one of the “12 Rising Stars of Comedy” and Variety named him one of the “10 Comics to Watch.” He has toured the nation and taken his show abroad, is developing a show with MTV, and has appeared in the films “American Virgin,” Hall Pass” and “Funny People.” Burnham lives in Massachusetts.
Last Minute Productions, a student-run organization that has provided entertainment programming to WCU students for more than 30 years, is the event sponsor. LMP strives to bring artists to campus who will have wide appeal, said Rotimi Ariyo, interim associate director for University Center programs and LMP staff adviser. “We look forward to this event and to bringing more high-caliber concerts and comedians to Western Carolina,” said Ariyo, who called Burnham an “exciting and dynamic performer.”
Tickets are now on sale and cost $15 or $20 on the day of the show (WCU students pay $10 prior to the show and $15 on the day of; IDs will be checked at the door). Tickets are available at the Bardo Arts Center box office by calling 828.227.2479 and online at bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. For more information about LMP, call 828.227.7479 or visit lmp.wcu.edu.
The Arc of Haywood County’s third annual “Arc”toberfest will be held from 7-11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Gateway Club in Waynesville.
The $50 per person ticket includes music, dancing and heavy hors d’oeuvres. The event provides The Arc of Haywood funding to support the residential programs and services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
“Each year there is a mix of guests dressed in Halloween costumes as well as regular street clothes. We just want everyone to come and have a great time,” said Rhonda Schandevel, event chair.
For a contribution of $500 business and organizations who are sponsors may receives 10 tickets and a reserved table as well as recognition. Contributors can also sponsor the event at $300, $200 and $100 levels and will also receive special recognition.
“This activity is not just a fund raising event for The Arc, it provides a wonderful opportunity for our residents and other individuals with developmental disabilities to interact and be involved with our community,” said Schandevel.
To purchase tickets or sponsor the event call the Arc at 452.1980 or Rhonda Schandevel at 421.4190. Proceeds from the event, will be used to support the residential programs and services of The Arc of Haywood County, a United Way Agency. For more information about The Arc programs and services please go to www.arcofhaywood.org . You can also like Arctoberfest on Facebook.
The Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands has set the standard for fine craft shows across the country since its first year in 1948. The tradition continues this year on Oct 20-23 in Asheville.
More than 200 craftspeople fill two levels of the civic center selling their works of clay, glass, leather, metal, fiber, mixed media, natural materials, paper, wood and jewelry.
All exhibitors are mountain artists who are masters of their craft and have been accepted into the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Guild is a non-profit organization that has been supporting local and regional craftspeople since 1930. The Guild has grown to represent more than 900 members living and working in the mountain counties of nine states from Maryland to Alabama.
Crafts rooted in Appalachian customs are featured along with the work of contemporary artists. Tradition and innovation are trademarks of the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, setting it apart from other shows.
Throughout the show, the Guild sponsors educational craft demonstrations. Some demonstrations for the 2011 Craft Fairs include natural dyeing and spinning, raku firing, and doll making.
In addition to crafts for sale, there will also be ongoing craft demonstrations all weekend and there will also be live music.
At a glance
What: The 64th Annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands
Where: Asheville Civic Center
When: Oct. 20-23, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday
Admission: Adults $8, children under 12 free. Group discounts available
Additional information: www.craftguild.org/ or 828.298.7928
Historic Downtown Franklin is gearing up for the 15th Annual Pumpkinfest to be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22. During this event you can take part in some traditional and some very non-traditional fall festivities.
Bring your pumpkin (or purchase one downtown) and sign up early for the World Famous Pumpkin Roll sponsored by the Franklin Fun Factory. The “roll” takes place from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with signup running from 9 to 1. The winner receives $100 cash. Other highlights of the day include a pumpkin carving contest sponsored by DNET, a costume parade and contest along with crafters, food, and live entertainment for all ages.
Among this year’s acts scheduled to perform is Magic by Chaz. Magician Chaz Misenheimer, a North Carolina native, is a festival specialist with more than 20 years experience and though he often performs from the stage, he’s best known as an elite roving entertainer.
Roxy, the miniature horse, will be back offering rides to kids beginning at 10 a.m. Roxy, a pintaloosa, will be located in front of the Macon County Historical Society on Main Street. There is a rider weight limit of 80 pounds. A small fee will be charged.
www.pumpinfestfranklin.com or 828.524.2516.
The vibrant hues of autumn come to life Saturday, Oct. 22, at the third annual “ColorFest, Art of the Blue Ridge” showcase.
ColorFest transforms downtown Sylva into a Paris-like setting with artists painting at easels along Main Street surrounded by the wonderful fall foliage of North Carolina’s mountains.
Joining the painters is a variety of other artists, showcasing their talents in glass, clay, sculpture, fiber art, caning, wood carving, ceramics and fine furniture.
Visitors are encouraged to navigate sidewalks filled with colorful umbrellas and watch as the canvases yield their treasures.
Local musicians and street entertainers add live music to festivities, while restaurants and shops are open to serve the crowd throughout the day.
“ColorFest, Art of the Blue Ridge” is produced by the non-profit Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, in partnership with the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson County Visual Artists Association.
Funding for the program is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council and the Jackson County Arts Council.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and admission is free. Attendees making a donation to Catch the Spirit of Appalachia receive a ColorFest 2011 tote bag.
800.962.1911 or www.MountainLovers.com.
See Green Energy Park glass artist in action
New Jackson County Green Energy Park resident glass blower Tadashi Torii won the Best in Show Oct. 8-9 at MeccaFest Fine Arts Festival in Carrollton Cultural Arts Center Downtown Carrollton, Ga.
Tadashi and his partner, artist Corina Pia, are both participating in ColorFest which is Oct. 22 in downtown Sylva (see above). Friends of the Library bookstore has art by both artists on display and is hosting the live demonstrations the day of the festival. A Jackson County radio interview featuring the two artists will go on air the day of ColorFest Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. and will be online at www.storiesofmountainfolk.com.
Live Glass Blowing demonstrations will be given at the Green Energy Park in Dillsboro Sunday, Oct. 23, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. It is a free event and open to the public. Inquire about upcoming glass blowing classes, events for couples and families including birthday parties and custom events. No experience required.
www.jcgep.org or 828.631.0271.
Western Carolina University will host a screening of the movie “The King’s Speech” followed by a discussion focusing on stuttering, including treatment, self-help groups and other resources for people who stutter and their families, on Sunday, Oct. 23.
The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is hosting the event, which is free and open to the public, at 2 p.m. in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center. The discussion will be led by David Shapiro, WCU’s Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor and author of “Stuttering Intervention: A Collaborative Journey to Fluency Freedom.”
The movie is an Academy Award-winning historical drama inspired by the true story of King George VI and how speech therapist Lionel Logue helped him gain control over severe stuttering and deliver critical radio addresses during World War II.
“‘The King’s Speech’ reminds us that everyone has a voice, that every burden is lightened when it is shared, and that there is no replacement for the strength gained from human interaction,” said Shapiro. “Indeed, when people gather with a common focus and shared purpose, willing to learn and grow together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.”
The event is being held in honor of International Stuttering Awareness Day. Shapiro also is participating in the 2011 International Stuttering Awareness Day Online Conference. His paper, “Stories of People Who Stutter: Beacons of Hope, Portraits of Success,” is posted on the conference website at www.mnsu.edu/comdis/isad15/papers/shapiro15.html. Shapiro is answering questions posted in an online forum, which is open through Oct. 22.
Dr. Shapiro will host a discussion after the movie as part of International Stuttering Awareness Day.
828.227.3291 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The author of the newly released second edition of Stuttering Intervention: A Collaborative Journey to Fluency Freedom admits that his tome is a textbook for students in communication sciences and disorders and a reference work for speech-language pathologists. But to Western Carolina University Professor David A. Shapiro, it is not just a scholarly work, it also is a love story.
The book draws from Shapiro’s 35 years of experience as a speech pathologist in its examination of ideas and practices for assessing and treating people of all ages who stutter. He refers to working with people who stutter as a joy.
“Helping someone visualize dreams and work toward achieving them is such a special and empowering experience,” he said. “It is the birthright of every person to be able to use speech and language freely and to enjoy communication freedom.”
Stuttering Intervention is winning fans from the speech pathology profession.
“This book captures, better than anything I have read over the past 50 years, the unique sensitivities and deep feelings experienced by many people who stutter,” said David A. Daly, professor emeritus of speech-pathology at the University of Michigan and author of books on treating fluency disorders, particularly cluttering. “In my opinion, Dr. Shapiro’s understanding of the problem of stuttering and his thoughtful organization and presentation of the vast research and clinical information on this topic is unparalleled.”
WCU’s first Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor, Shapiro is internationally renowned for his work in communication sciences and disorders and has engaged in teaching, clinical service and research across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.
After being asked at conferences and in courses to identify where others could read more about the ideas he was sharing for working with people who stutter and their families, Shapiro felt compelled to write the book’s first edition, which was released in 1998.
Throughout “Stuttering Intervention,” Shapiro weaves real and instructive stories from his clients’ challenges and successes in communication and life and his own experience as a person who stutters with information about a range of topics. These include concrete strategies for evaluating and treating stuttering in clients from preschool children through senior adults, background about fluent and disfluent speech, historical and theoretical perspectives, and the personal impact stuttering can have on people’s lives. Shapiro shares international perspectives that cross disciplines and cultures and provides guidance about how to cultivate knowledge, empathy and understanding of stuttering and people who stutter.
For Shapiro, the bonds formed with his many clients and their families have been lasting. They keep in touch over the years, apprising him of special moments in their lives such as graduations, weddings and new jobs, all of which are possible or even more meaningful because of their ability to communicate independently.
“It is hard to imagine the challenges people who stutter incur on a daily basis as well as the joy that communication success brings,” said Shapiro. “Success is more than fluency. It is life-altering and freeing in many ways.”
In response to the invitation issued in the book for readers to contact him directly, Shapiro has received and responded to messages from people throughout the world. “If I don’t respond,” Shapiro said, “I didn’t get the message.”
For more information about stuttering, including treatment and self-help groups for people who stutter and their families, contact Shapiro at 828.227.3291 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Time to get those lines wet, via the Rumble in the Rhododendron in Cherokee coming up Oct. 21-23. The cost is $225 per fly-fishing team.
“Fips Mouche” rules for two-person teams apply. Additionally, there will be a separate casting competition. Non-competitors can enter the casting competition for $25 per attempt.
The tournament is limited to 30 teams, with 15 teams competing on Saturday morning and 15 on Saturday afternoon. The top seven from each session move on to Sunday morning. The top seven fish that afternoon for $10,000 in cash.
The Cherokee Chamber of Commerce in association with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fish and Wildlife Department is presenting the event, with assistance from the North Carolina Fly Fishing Team.
Volunteers and judges for the tournament are needed. Anyone interested should contact Larry Hofferberth at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.497.6700.
Fly fishermen are passing on their craft with a series of how-to classes in Sylva.
Members of the Tuckaseigee Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold basic fly fishing courses from 6 to 8 p.m. the first and second Thursdays of each month at St. John’s Episcopal Church. They will cover the basics of mountain trout fishing and will be followed with a half day on a local stream for those who decide to take up trout fishing and purchase the necessary equipment to fish.
$50 donation to cover expenses and support a youth fishing camp in the summer.
828.631.2613 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Kids ages 12 and older can take a free fly-fishing class Oct. 15 at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education.
The “Kids’ Introduction to Fly Fishing” class will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Instructors will cover equipment, knots, casting techniques and aquatic entomology. Equipment and class materials will be provided free of charge. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; call 828.877.4423.
The center is located about 50 minutes south of Waynesville on U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.
Want to find the best fall color? The U.S. Forest Service of North Carolina has posted a new leaf viewing page on its website. It describes the colorful foliage that folks can enjoy in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests and the scenic roadways from which to enjoy the vibrant hues.
To access the page, go to www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc and click on “Leaf viewing in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests.”
An environmentally friendly weed-eradication strategy that has been gaining popularity across the nation made its way to Western Carolina University recently in the form of 70 kudzu-chomping goats.
The goats were transported from Wells Farm in Horseshoe to eat away a massive kudzu patch that had covered the site of WCU’s old landfill, said Roger Turk, grounds superintendent for the department of facilities management.
The three-acre landfill, located in a wooded area off Monteith Gap Road, closed in 1994, but it is still subject to annual inspections by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
“After this year’s inspection, DENR officials expressed concern that the kudzu growing on the landfill site could attract groundhogs, which might then burrow into the cap, which is the compacted soil and clay cover on the landfill, and compromise it,” Turk said. “We did find evidence that groundhogs had been burrowing at the site, but no indications that the cap was breached. But we still had to remove the kudzu to eliminate the problem.”
Turk had read a newspaper account of goats being used to eradicate kudzu, and he suggested that method as an economical and green alternative rather than trying to remove the invasive plant with repeated applications of chemical herbicides.
Two trailer-loads of rented goats arrived during the second week of August and were let loose on four acres, encompassing the landfill site and a surrounding buffer zone, that had been enclosed with a solar-powered electric fence. The goats, which prefer browsing on any kind of plant life before resorting to grass, immediately went about their business of eating the kudzu, Turk said.
The goats remained at the site until the end of September. They were watched over for the entire seven-week period by a guard dog from Wells Farm that was bred and trained to protect the herd. The grounds staff fed the dog and kept a water trough filled for the goats, and the goats’ owner drove from Horseshoe once each week to give the goats supplemental feed.
“It was amazing to see how quickly and effectively they were able to clear the site,” Turk said. “The goats were able to do in a few weeks what would have taken my undermanned staff a few months to do by hand. I’m glad we were able to take care of an overwhelming issue of three acres of mature kudzu in an environmentally safe and fiscally responsible way.”
The goats will make a return visit next spring to eradicate whatever kudzu starts growing again, and then the grounds staff will apply a small amount of herbicide and seed the site with native grass to keep the kudzu from coming back in force, Turk said.
Learn all about beef cattle in two upcoming workshops scheduled for Macon County.
The first is designed to teach the basics, from genetic selection, herd health and management, on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Macon County N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. Cost is $5.
A Beef Quality Assurance certification class will be offered from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24. This is a voluntary program in which cattle producers assume responsibility for producing beef that is a healthy, wholesome, quality product and is free from defects such as injection site lesions and bruises. A test must be taken at the end of the class to become certified. The fee is $15 for members of the N.C. Cattlemen’s Association and $40 for nonmembers.
Space is limited and a headcount is needed for materials, so please pre-register for the classes by Wednesday, Oct. 18, by calling the Macon County Cooperative Extension office at 828.349.2046.
The Franklin Cross Country team will hold the Grayson Hall Memorial 5K race on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 9 a.m. at Tassee Park on the Little Tennessee Greenway in Franklin. There will also be a one-mile fun run/walk.
This is the seventh year for the Grayson Hall Memorial race, which raises money for a Franklin High School scholarship. The idea for the race was conceived by Tiffany Allen, a FHS graduate and cross country runner, as a tribute to a former classmate who was killed in a car accident. Yearly scholarships in his memory have been awarded since.
Trophies will go to the top three male and females in both races, plus medals to the winners in each age group. Two gift certificates for a pair of Brooks shoes will be raffled off to registered 5K runners. The top three children ages 12 and under in the fun run will also win medals.
The course is a fast one, primarily flat and paved, and follows the scenic greenway alongside the Little Tennessee River. The registration fee is $20 and you can register online at active.com. Registration for students is $15. Those who register before Nov. 4 will receive a free T-shirt.
828.524.6467 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cataloochee is welcoming new Ski and Snowboard School Director Mark Rozof, who was a member of the Cataloochee school last season. He worked as an instructor, clinician and supported the race program. Rozof has been a member of Professional Ski Instructors of America for 16 years and he holds a Level Three PSIA Certification. In addition to his work at Cataloochee, he has taught at Deer Valley in Utah, Seven Springs in Pennsylvania, Wisp Mountain in Maryland and Pine Knob Mountain in Michigan.
Get out your work gloves and head over to Tsali Recreation Area this month (Oct. 15-16) to help work on the famous mountain biking Mecca’s trails.
The local Nantahala chapter of the Southeast Off-Road Bicycle Organization, or SORBA, is organizing the “mega trail work party weekend” along with the International Mountain Bike Association, a.k.a. IMBA.
The Cheoah Ranger District will provide free camping for trail-work party volunteers on Friday, Oct. 14, and Saturday, Oct. 15. Camping is in the Tsali Campground, best suited for tents and small trailers.
The sign-in starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. It won’t be all work and no play — rides are scheduled for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, so bring your bike.
No experience required to be a volunteer. Bring a hard hat or helmet (bike or riding), gloves, water and a snack.
The Nantahala Outdoor Center is offering special dinner pricing for anyone volunteering Saturday. There will be a pizza buffet for $5 per person. Beer, wine and drinks will be available to purchase.
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The “Eagle Lady” will be doing a free program with her live birds of prey at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Oconaluftee Visitor Center outside Cherokee at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15.
Naturalist Doris Mager has been working with raptors for more than 35 years. She will bring four birds with her, including an American kestrel, a screech owl, and a great horned owl, allowing the public to “get up close and personal” with these fascinating creatures.
At age 86, Mager still travels the Eastern U.S. giving educational programs such as this one. She has cared for more than 80 injured eagles and hundreds of other raptors, and has housed up to 36 birds of prey in her backyard at one time.
A one-man show will portray the life of Theodore Roosevelt, the Conservation President, in two upcoming performances on Friday, Oct. 14, in Highlands at the Performing Arts Center and on Saturday, Oct. 15, in Cashiers at the Orchard Restaurant.
Roosevelt, a lover of the outdoors, used the presidency as a bully pulpit to educate the public to the dangers of waste and pollution. During his time in the White House he established 150 national forests, 55 bird and game preserves and five national parks, along with 18 national monuments.
Roosevelt is portrayed by Joe Wiegand. The Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance helped organize the performance.
For more information and to buy tickets go to www.j-mca.org.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has launched a new, interactive website at www.ncwildlife.org that features reorganized content, streamlined navigation and improved menus.
Whether you’re a hunter, angler, boater or just simply enjoy nature, the newly redesigned website is designed to let you quickly access licensing information, game lands maps, boating access areas, public fishing areas and other tools, information and services.
“For many, the first stop for information on wildlife, hunting, fishing and boating in North Carolina is this website,” said Gayle Myers, the agency’s webmaster.
For a good part of the past decade I have spent a lot of time riding and racing my bike. That is, up until the last few years, when starting both a career and a family finally brought an abrupt halt to my bike racing schedule. Long, daily training rides and weekends on the road traveling to races simply no longer fit into my lifestyle.
As this past summer waned, I began to get that competitive itch again. I had been hearing a lot of buzz about cyclocross, a no-holds-barred, off-road race that several of my friends talked about constantly. I noticed a flyer for a local fall race series near Asheville. What the heck, I thought, the races are relatively short, so how hard could it be? Like it or not, I was hooked already, before I had even lined up at the start.
A few years back I had bought a cyclocross-style bike off of E-bay for the gravel roads near my parent’s home. At the time it had seemed like a good bike for rambling around on Sunday afternoons. Little did I realize that I would soon be hammering that bike across a muddy field, wheel to wheel, handlebar to handlebar with other riders.
Fast forward to late September. I was lined up with several dozen other intrepid souls in a grassy field north of Asheville. The first timers exchanged nervous glances, each wondering what the next half hour would hold. I reminded myself that I was under no pressure to be competitive, after all, this is only for fun, right?
Bang! The start gun interrupted my moment of inner reflection. Like a shot we are off, 40 racers scrambling for position up a grassy incline, wheels rubbing and shoulders bumping as we jostled for position before the first of many tight turns.
The course repeatedly wound back upon itself in a myriad of snake-like, 180-degree turns. I slammed on my brakes as we hurtled into the first turn, almost coming to a complete stop to negotiate through the U-shaped path. Once through the turn, I immediately stood on my pedals and gave it everything I could muster to keep up with the surging field of racers.
Almost as soon as I got up to full speed, we hit another tight turn. The dirt path we were racing on was slick thanks to the ever present drizzle hanging in the misty fall mountain air. Boom! A skinny dude on a sleek looking race bike hit the muddy deck just in front of me, taking down two others with him. Immediately they sprang off the ground and begin running with their bikes as I churned past them up the first of several short, but steep climbs around the course. “Welcome to cyclocross,” I thought in my head …
As you read this, you’re probably wondering, “What the heck is this brutal event called cyclocross?” You aren’t alone. Until recently, many Americans had never heard of it. It originated in Europe, where road biking is a popular sport — think Tour de France. Most road races are held in the late spring or summer to avoid cold weather. Cyclocross began as an outlet for bicycle racers to train and have fun on their bikes during the off season.
Races are held primarily off road on specially designed courses with tight, twisty turns and a variety of obstacles such as mud, sand, stairs, and wooden barriers that require the rider to dismount from the bike and run for short distances. It is these obstacles that truly make cyclocross different.
Oh, and did I mention the weather? Because of the seasonal aspect of cross racing, the weather can be nasty! Rain, snow, mud—anything goes. The nastier the weather, the more cross aficionados love it. Cross races seldom get cancelled due to the weather.
One thing that makes cross racing so unique is the sheer intensity. Cyclocross races are short, generally only running from 30 minutes to an hour in duration. There are no breaks in a cross race so racers give it full gas for the entire race.
Either you are sprinting out of a corner, jumping over obstacles, or carrying your bike up a flight of stairs at a full run. In the simple words of one of my racing cohorts a few weeks ago, “that was freakin’ hard!”
Some ‘cross racers use mountain bikes to race, but the primary steed of choice for serious cyclocrossers is a skinny-tired bicycle with drop handlebars, very similar to a road bike. Although similar to a road bicycle, it has unique features such as knobby tires, mountain bike style brakes, and extra room for muddy tires to clear the bike frame.
One last element of ‘cross racing can’t be overlooked — the party. It’s impossible to show up at a cyclocross race, either as a spectator or a racer, and not have fun. At the larger races, spectators line the race course, clanging cowbells and yelling encouragement at the participants. Usually the event has a beer sponsor, which always adds to the revelry. For many of the enthusiast level racers, the post-race libations are as much a part of the event as the race itself!
My own personal half hour of pain wasn’t getting any easier. I felt like my heart was going to explode as my lungs strained for gasps of dirt-filled air. I continued to mash the pedals around each turn and up every climb.
“One lap to go,” yelled the race announcer! I put my head down and pushed on. Around the turns and through the mud, then one more time over the barriers. “Stick a fork in me, I’m done,” I thought to myself as I rounded the last turn. Despite the pain, I somehow found just enough in reserve to sprint for the finish line, surprising myself as much as the three racers I passed at the end.
After the race it was it was all handshakes and laughter as the muddy racers gathered together. Each of us had our own personal stories about “turn three” or “that little, steep climb at the back.” Someone shoved an ice cold can of beer in my hand and asked if I would be back next week. Would I? Absolutely.
— By Jamie Arnold • Guest writer
Folklorist and author Randy Russell will tell true ghost stories and read from new young adult novel at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Canton Branch Library.
Asheville-resident Russell is the Edgar-nominated author of five published novels for adults, two books of short stories about Southern ghosts, and two volumes of Southern Appalachia folklore.
Earlier this year, Russell saw publication of his first young adult novel, Dead Rules, which received a starred Kirkus Review and was a Junior Library Guild Summer 2011 high-interest selection.
In addition, Russell is an academically trained folklorist who has collected hundreds of first-person accounts of ghost experiences from across the South.
828.648.2924. Free refreshments provided by the Friends of the Library.
Stan Dodson will read from his novel, Poor Memory, at 3 p.m. on Oct. 15 at Blue Ridge Books and News in Waynesville.
In Dotson’s novel, a young preacher finds that uncovering the mystery of Memory Bloodsworth, an eccentric old woman, is the key for resolving his own crisis of calling. Dotson, founding director of In Our Elements, wears many hats — educator, minister, curriculum designer, life coach, musician, writer, and community organizer. He spent 12 years as dean of the LifeWorks Learning Partnership at Mars Hill College.
828.456.6000.
John Lane will be at City Lights at 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 to read from his news book, Abandoned Quarry.
The books is a selection of poems from his past and most recent works. Abandoned Quarry takes the reader into the hearth of nature as well as into the nature of the heart, and Lane writes of both wonder, wisdom, and profound attentiveness.
828.586.9499
Norma Watkins will read from her memoir, The Last Resort, at 7 p.m. on Oct. 14 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
The Last Resort begins in childhood at Allison’s Wells, a popular Mississippi spa for proper white people, run by her aunt. Life at the rambling hotel seems like paradise. Yet young Norma wonders at a caste system that has colored people cooking every meal while forbidding their sitting with whites to eat. The Last Resort conveys at once the idyllic charm and the impossible compromises of a lost way of life.
828.586.9499.
Western Carolina University faculty member and writer Ron Rash is one of six North Carolinians chosen to receive the state’s highest civilian honor, the North Carolina Award.
Rash, Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture at WCU, will receive the award Thursday, Nov. 10, at the N.C. Museum of History with a group of distinguished North Carolinians that includes musician Branford Marsalis and former congressman H. Martin Lancaster.
Recipients were announced Sept. 29 by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. “Each year, the North Carolina Awards are a chance for us to honor men and women who reflect the very best in imagination, exploration, creativity and humanitarian service,” said Linda A. Carlisle, state cultural resources secretary.
Rash said he is particularly gratified to receive the award “because my family has such deep roots in North Carolina going all the way back to the 1700s.”
Rash put the final touches on his latest novel, The Cove, this summer, and the book will be released in April. His other eight fiction books include the best-selling novel Serena and the short story collection Burning Bright, which garnered him the Frank O’Connor Short Story Award, the world’s richest prize for the short story literary form.
In July, Rash learned that Burning Bright had been named the top fiction work for 2011 by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. Rash previously won that award twice for his novels Serena and Saints at the River, and this year marked the first time a short story collection had won the SIBA’s fiction honor. Another literary milestone that occurred for Rash over the summer was the release of his fourth book of poetry, Waking.
On the same day state officials announced that Rash would receive a North Carolina Award, he was in West Virginia to accept the 2011 Appalachian Heritage Writers Award from Shepherd University and to deliver the keynote address for the university’s Appalachian Heritage Week.
A native of Boiling Springs, Rash teaches Appalachian literature and creative writing at WCU.
To the Editor:
In response to the article written by Quintin Ellison published Oct. 5 regarding the developer request to the mayor and council of Forest Hills village to allow a premier student housing complex, I offer the following viewpoint and comments on the article.
While I appreciate the coverage of the project, I attended the last council meeting and saw no indication of the village leader’s lack of willingness to at least have a public hearing and official vote on the matter. The article seems to say it is a foregone conclusion that the project will not happen.
I am not sure whether or not the writer (or any of the residents of the village) has actually visited the site Monarch proposes to replace. If so, they will see the current physical state of the Linmar Loop Apartments. If they haven’t visited, I suggest doing so immediately. If I were a resident of FHV and knew that I had a chance to make such a positive change in my community, I would jump all over it, especially knowing the project is near the entrance of the village and close to 107.
For full disclosure, I am the real estate broker representing the owner of the land Monarch intends to purchase. This is a class-act developer (though not perfect; none are) that will provide jobs for the community, no doubt increase the desirability of the village and, most of all, clean up the place and provide better amenities, not to mention a higher tax base.
Residents of Forest Hills, don’t you think it’s time to consider the future now rather than later and allow something positive to occur?
Dana Smith
Bryson City
To the Editor:
An elderly widow on a fixed-income already cannot afford a healthy diet and her medications, and now she wonders how she will afford to heat her home this winter. She relies on the food assistance The Community Table of Sylva provides. A family of four and dad is out of work due to a severe back injury after falling off a roof at his construction job. Mom cannot find sufficient work to make ends meet. They depend on The Community Table to help feed their two young children. These are just some of the folks we serve at The Community Table, and the emergency food assistance we provide is threatened.
The Table relies on federal programs such as TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) to provide food to our neighbors experiencing hunger and food insecurity. Last month we again set a new record, distributing 233 food boxes. We also served an additional 1,375 nutritious home-cooked meals through our dinner service program. We continue to see new faces each week, many due to job losses or reduced hours and a lack of living wage work. It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the overwhelming need for our vital programs, and the fact that programs like TEFAP are on the federal budget chopping block scares and angers me.
Please consider sending a message to Congress that budget cuts on the backs of the hungry at a time when emergency food assistance is critical is simply unconscionable.
Amy Grimes
Executive Director
The Community Table
To the Editor:
One of America’s greatest statesmen, Thomas Paine, wrote a book called Common Sense. Unfortunately, this trait is not too prevalent in our government nowadays.
However, Mary Ann Enloe, a candidate for Waynesville alderman, possesses it in great quantity! She also has the heart to thoroughly commit herself to town affairs and — very importantly — the time to do so.
As a past county commissioner, as well as a past mayor of Hazelwood, MaryAnn has the experience to do the job well. As a commissioner, she was able to obtain a birds-eye view of the entire county and of how government works, both overall and in each of the towns. As a mayor, she was “hands-on” and is well versed in the intricacies of town government.
Another notable plus is that MaryAnn Enloe is very much pro small business! And small business is extremely important to Waynesville.
The election for the Waynesville Town Board is coming up soon. The board has done a good job and deserves re-election. But one seat is now vacant, as Libba Feichter will not be running again. If we elect MaryAnn Enloe to fill it, we will be obtaining another excellent alderman.
JoAnna Swanson
Hazelwood
To the Editor:
It has become evident that the principle guideline being used by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and the Republican-led General Assembly in governing North Caroline is to cut state expenditures by placing the burden for traditional state services on local administrations.
Most counties this year are being forced to use tax revenues and reserve funds for the retention of magistrates, teachers and support staffs. And now, with the significant reduction of our State Highway Patrol (NCHP), they will have to look seriously at increasing the size and duties of their sheriff’s departments.
The State Highway Patrol is now short 102 troopers from being fully staffed. Because of the General Assembly eliminating the trooper training center, there will be no further troop replacements. Compounding the problem is the loss of seven to nine troopers per month because of retirement and resignation.
With more than six million drivers on the state’s highways, reducing state troopers will mean less enforcement, less highway safety, and longer response time to accidents. Greater stress will be put on troopers, knowing they will be working with no or at best with limited backup and support. Their vehicles will have to be driven further and longer. Along with outmoded equipment and their same workload with fewer resources, trooper safety will certainly become an issue.
Their salaries have already been frozen, and they are seeing an amazing increase in their co-pays and medical insurance. But the scary part of all this is that the Highway Patrol budget will be cut an additional $10.3 million over the next two years, reducing even further the state’s transportation safety.
Only time will tell how all of this will work out. But one thing is certain. With fewer troopers on the road and less eyes and ears to ensure our safety, the county sheriff’s departments will be forced to take on more responsibility and add more deputies, and we will see our county taxes increase to cover the cost.
For years, North Carolina Republicans have extolled the principles of public safety and law enforcement. That mantra has now been deliberately cast aside. And as a former county commissioner, Jim Davis should know better than to pass such burdens on to local administrations.
What in ‘tarnation’ was he thinking?
Ben J. Utley, Chairman
Macon County Democratic Party
Grant helps outfit new Haywood hospice center
With help from two Appalachian Regional Commission grants, Haywood Regional Medical Center plans to expand its existing facilities and add 24 jobs.
The medical center will use two federal grants, totaling $146,592, to buy equipment and furnishing for a new inpatient hospice facility and create a psychiatric evaluation area in the hospital’s emergency room. The hospice center is already under construction, funded to a large extent by private donations. Equipment was a missing piece of the puzzle.
“I am pleased that ARC has recognized the need for Haywood Regional Medical Center to expand in order to meet the growing demand for high-quality health care in the far western counties,” said U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville.
WCU receives accredited electrical engineering program
Seven years after starting its electrical engineering program, Western Carolina University received accreditation from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
“It makes the degree that much more valuable and robust,” said James Zhang, the Kimmel School’s interim dean.
The accreditation means the university must follow uniform and measurable standards but also improves job possibilities for students.
Previously a joint program with University of North Carolina in Charlotte, the university has now established an independent program with about 60 students.
Cherokee gets MRI unit for hospital out of Harrah’s contract deal
Cherokee Indian Hospital will get a $1 million MRI unit and $200,000 annually for five years to maintain it under an agreement between the tribe and Caesars Entertainment.
The tribe has granted Harrah’s, a subsidiary of Ceasars, a five-year management agreement to manage, operate and maintain the casino operation.
The original agreement began in 1996 and has been periodically renewed.
The tribe announced its plan to renew the contract for another five years in May, but the management agreement has now been approved by the National Indian Gaming Commission.
“I know we’ve taken great risks, but we’ve also seen great rewards,” said Honorable Chief Michell Hicks. “We wanted to make sure we put a product out at that customers would enjoy. Our decision was to make sure that we kept up with the market.”
Connie Haire, vice president for the Macon Campus Southwestern Community College, has retired after serving 25 years at the college.
Under her leadership, enrollment at the $6 million Macon campus grew 87 percent in four years and a second building to accommodate growth was built.
In fundraising and development positions, she grew foundation assets from $30,000 to more than $2 million, securing $9 million in grants. She has coordinated staff training and development, managed student services and provided leadership and administration of the public information and resource development offices.
“Connie’s strength is that she works well with so many diverse groups of people,” said SCC Board of Trustees Chairman Conrad Burrell. “She’s a visionary who can see what is possible and she also understands how to bring people together to make it happen.”
A luncheon program at noon Thursday, Oct. 13, at Tartan Hall, located in the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin, will give people an opportunity to learn about the new organization, MaconSense.
The group’s initial campaign is for safe slope development regulations. Organizers Mike Jackson and Kathy Tinsley will speak. The event is sponsored by the Macon County League of Women Voters.
MaconSense, according to a self description, is “committed to working for the future of Macon County by promoting civic engagement, being a source of information and developing community service projects. The goal is to give everyday people a voice in where the county is heading, free from political posturing and heated rhetoric.”
The lunch fee is $5, but lunch is not required. The program is free.
828.371.0527 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Jackson County Public Library will host a free business seminar on how to create and maintain successful businesses in this current difficult economic climate.
The program is aimed at owners and employees of businesses of all sizes and types, from one-person kitchen-table operations to major organizations with dozens or even hundreds of employees.
Ron Robinson of Land of Sky Advisory Group will lead the seminar.
He will outline the core elements for sustaining a business organization of any size: customer service, partnerships, collaboration, problem solving and re-organization.
Robinson has a bachelor of science in industrial relations from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is certified to provide Lean Production, Continuous Improvement, Anger Management, Coaching and Mediation services to businesses and organizations. He has served as a consultant to a variety of business and corporate clients, and he will use a case study from his own experience to demonstrate to attendees how the principles he discusses have been implemented by a real-world business.
Those planning to attend are encouraged to pre-register. The program, co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Library, is free.
828.586.2016.
Help filing claims in the $760 million Keepseagle Native American Farmer and Rancher Settlement is set for Oct. 18-20, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express on Painttown Road in Cherokee. This help is being offered free in the U.S. Department of Agriculture settlement. The claims deadline is Dec. 27.
888.233.5506 or www.indianfarmclass.com.
Haywood Animal Welfare Association Spay/Neuter is offering 100 free vouchers for surgery, rabies vaccination and parasite treatment for cats. Vouchers are available to Haywood County residents at 145 Wall Street Thursday Oct. 13 and Oct. 20, and Monday, Oct. 17.
The Humane Alliance Spay/Neuter Clinic will be in Asheville starting at 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday.
828.400.5981
Know a volunteer who deserves recognition?
The Haywood/Jackson Volunteer Center is now taking nominations for the North Carolina’s Governor’s Award for Volunteer Service.
The Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center will select nominated volunteers in a host of categories to receive the Haywood County Volunteer of the Year. Those nominations will be sent to the North Carolina Commission on Volunteerism to be considered for the North Carolina Volunteer of the Year Medallion Award. Haywood County will celebrate our volunteers in a ceremony
Forms are available at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center at 81 Elmwood Way, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Entries must be submitted by Nov. 14.
With a paper mill that constantly bellows smoke, Canton will not likely be the next Western North Carolina tourism destination.
But, a local development group StepUp Canton does think the old mill town could become a quaint hometown for young families and others who want stay within an easy distance of Ashville without paying big city prices.
StepUp Canton, an eight-member committee, began meeting in June 2010 to about how to create jobs and grow the economy.
“The goal is to create jobs whether directly or indirectly,” said Patrick Willis, who is spearheading the movement. Willis is also running for a seat on the Canton town board this fall.
The committee received a $25,000 planning grant from the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center to develop concrete goals and will receive another $100,000 to implement the projects.
Thus far, the group has outlined 12 projects such as establishing a business association, upgrading the town’s website and offering façade makeover grants to help clean up the downtown area. The next step is to divvy up the money based on their priorities.
“If we get started on some of those projects, hopefully, that might get the ball rolling,” Willis said. One of the main hurdles will be keeping people motivated and participating in StepUp Canton, he said.
In the past, grassroots efforts have emerged to promote growth in Canton, but staying power dwindled and the attempts fell short.
Several long-term goals set by the committee include transforming vacant property downtown into multi-use buildings and construct a multi-million dollar exposition center to draw passersby off of Interstate 40.
“(The expo center) is over our heads here, but it’s something we’re thinking about,” Willis said, adding that the town would consider public-private partnerships to pay for some of the larger redevelopment projects.
StepUp Canton is accepting new members and feedback from area residents and business owners. The committee will hold its next meeting Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. at the Colonial Theatre.
Jackson County Early College High School is recruiting for the 2012-2013 school year.
Information sessions are scheduled at 6 p.m. at Southwestern Community College Sylva’s campus, in the lobby of the Early College building. The dates are: Monday, Oct. 24; Tuesday, Nov. 8; Wednesday, Dec. 7; Thursday, Jan. 12.
The high school/college program allows students to earn both a high school diploma and a two-year (associate) college degree free of charge. Interested students and their parents should attend only one of the sessions.
Applications may be obtained at any of the information sessions. The early application deadline is Feb. 1.
828.339.4468.
Myron L. Coulter, chancellor of Western Carolina University from 1984 until 1994, died Tuesday, Oct. 4, at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer.
Coulter, known to friends and colleagues by his nickname of “Barney,” guided WCU for a decade characterized by a renewed emphasis on excellence in teaching, strategic planning and goal-setting, service to the Western North Carolina region, and outreach to the international community.
During his tenure as chancellor, the university established the Faculty Center for Teaching Excellence, later renamed the Coulter Faculty Commons for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in recognition of his support of the center’s efforts both as chancellor and, upon his retirement, as chancellor emeritus.
As part of his emphasis on global outreach, Coulter led delegations to The Netherlands to establish a partnership in business education with Hogeschool West Brabant, to China to set up agreements for educational and cultural exchange with Yunnan University, and to Thailand, Swaziland and Jamaica to create and strengthen agreements for vocational, technical and teacher training.
Coulter served as chairman of the board of directors for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in 1988-89 and was a founding member of the board of directors of the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. Among his other professional appointments were the Commission for a Competitive North Carolina, Inter-American University Council for Economics and Social Development, and Governor’s Task Force on Aquaculture.
The Altrusa Club of Waynesville is collecting one-serving pop-top canned goods for the Haywood County Meals on Wheels program, to coincide with Altrusa’s “Make A Difference Day” on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Canned goods can be dropped off until Friday, Oct. 21, at the Meals on Wheels kitchen located at 486 East Marshall Street in Waynesville, the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Public Library and the Economic Development Commission at 144 Industrial Park Drive, next to the Regional High Tech Center.
The specific food items will be used for a box of 10 shelf-stable meals to be distributed to each of the 200 Meals on Wheels recipients. Shelf stable meals are meals that do not require cooking and can be used for winter days when Meals on Wheels cannot be delivered because of bad weather.
The items needed are:
• 8-ounce canned corn, green beans, green peas, carrots.
• Soups – tomato, chicken noodle and vegetable.
• Canned meats – tuna and chicken (regular top).
• 64 ounce juice and individual dry milk packs.
After the collection date, the Altrusa Club will pack the items for distribution.
Western North Carolina boasts several clubs for Civil War enthusiasts, from scholarly programs to reliving the experience.
• Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable: The discussion group meets the second Monday of each month to discuss Civil War history and promote the preservation of Civil War battlefields. They regularly invite guest speakers to meetings and special events during the year. Chuck Beemer, 828.456.4212 www.wnccwrt.org
• The 25th North Carolina Infantry Regiment: The civil war re-enactment group portrays both Confederate and Union troops in about 12 events each year and relives battles across North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Jule Morrow, 828.400.7829 www.25thnctroops.com
• Sons of Confederate Veterans: The SCV is a national organization that works to preserve the history of Confederate heroes. Members must be male descendents of Confederate veterans. Jule Morrow, 828.400.7829 www.scvcamp229.org
• Order of the Confederate Rose: The order is a national organization that helps the Sons of Confederate Veterans with its historical, educational and social functions, including preserving the Confederate symbols and legacy. Laura Stallard, 336.993.8330 www.confederate-rose.org
Jule Morrow isn’t a rebel; Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” isn’t his personal mantra. He doesn’t relive the Civil War, hoping to change the outcome.
“What I honor is the courage,” said Morrow, a Civil War re-enactor whose regiment, the 25th North Carolina Infantry, plays both sides — Union and Confederate. “One thing we all have to remember is the same blood that flowed in those guys flows in us.”
Morrow is named after his ancestor Civil War Capt. Julius Welch and has ties to other prominent Haywood County residents, including the Love, Dillard and Leatherwood families. Although he has never fought in a war, Morrow has re-enacted Civil War battles throughout Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania for the past two decades.
About once a month, Morrow and his men in the 25th North Carolina Infantry travel up to nine hours away to participate in re-enactments, depicting both battlefield combat and camp life of the soldiers.
No matter the weather, the re-enactors sleep in canvas A-frame tents with wool blankets, eat rations of hardtack and salted beef, or if they’re lucky, build small fires to roast a chicken or cook stew. They may even scavenge the surrounding area for wild edibles.
While many battles are re-enacted during the course of a weekend, Morrow said he has slept in the field for up to five days.
In addition to reliving camp life, re-enactments showcase the war tactics of the time. Like the Romans, Civil War fighters lined up, confronting their enemy face-to-face.
Occasionally, re-enactors portray specific soldiers in specific battles — replaying the actual movements of the men on the field in real time — for the more well-known and well-documented battles where such records occur. Re-enactors are given background on the person they are depicting, including how, where and when they died or surrendered.
“I like it when you’re a particular soldier,” said Morrow, who once surrendered to Union troops while playing a member of the color guard.
The original 25th infantry back in real Civil War times was one of only a few regiments from the mountains, comprised of men from Haywood, Jackson and Macon counties, plus Buncombe, Henderson, Cherokee, Clay and Transylvania.
But at least half the time, Morrow and his men find themselves donning Union uniforms, playing the part of Union soldiers — after all, a re-enactment wouldn’t be much good without someone playing the other side.
The re-enactors’ alter ego is the 14th Iowa regiment, a Union troop with soldiers from across the western part of the U.S., making its most celebrated stand at the Battle of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest conflicts of the war.
To play both sides, the re-enactors need two sets of authentic fatigues, both grey and blue. All 25th North Carolina soldiers have in their wardrobe a black felt slouch hat, a 100 percent cotton or wool socks, a U.S. 1854 black leather belt and a U.S. 1858 Smoothside canteen, among other items.
To play the 14th Iowa regiment, men must be suited in an enlisted man’s frock, sky blue wool pants and a forage cap. Specialty haberdashers around the country make entire lines of Civil War-era clothing and accessories for re-enactors.
Twenty-five men currently belong to the regiment, down from 56 in 2002. Morrow and some of his compatriots are putting off retirement from re-enacting until the end of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary, a four-year event that promises additional pomp and circumstance.
Before too many re-enactors lay down their bayonets for the last time, Morrow said he hopes to replenish their ranks with new members, and the regiment has plenty of muskets and uniforms to loan new recruits.
For Morrow, the Civil War and its repercussion are an important part of his family history.
“Everybody’s grandma’s got the story of the Yankee that comes and takes their mule,” he said.
Morrow, who describes himself as a proud Southerner, is glad the North won the war.
“If we hadn’t lost the war, today, we would probably be like Europe; we would be 13 countries,” he said. “South Carolina would be their own little country because they can’t get on with anybody.”
A different outcome to the Civil War could also have affected future wars, he added. A divided U.S. might not have defeated Germany during WWI.
Several books and television programs have explored the world of Civil War re-enacting. But, none of them adequately represent re-enactors and many focus on the extremes, Morrow said.
In 2001, a History Channel program “The Unfinished Civil War” drew fire from re-enactors, who said the show depicted them as racists — a group of people for whom Morrow has zero tolerance.
Once during a re-enactment in Tennessee, the 24th North Carolina regiment was portraying Union troops when some Ku Klux Klan members appeared.
“These guys had the audacity to ‘boo’ me,” Morrow said. “I told one of ‘em, I said, ‘Let me tell you something.’ I said, ‘Son, when your wife sees what you’ve done to her jade satin sheets, she’s going to whoop your ass.’”
For Morrow, the Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern pride and part of his family history, but he said he understands why people find it offensive.
“We have allowed our symbol to be trashed by a bunch of ignorant pinhead klansman,” Morrow said. “What we should have done is when we saw them is go just beat the crap out of them and take their flag from them.”
See the re-enactors in action
Civil War re-enactors will be outfitted in in authentic dress, depicting camp life and battles at two upcoming events.
Appalachian Harvest Festival
When: Oct. 15, starting 11 a.m.
Where: Stecoah Valley Center outside Robbinsville
The Battle at Warm Springs
When: Nov. 4 - 6
Where: Hot Springs Resort and Spa in Hot Springs
Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City will stage “Little House: By The Shores of Silver Lake” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14-16 and Oct. 21-24.
The play is based on the book by Laura Ingalls Wilder and shows the struggles and triumphs of the Ingalls family as it deals with the blindness of their eldest daughter, Mary. The main characters include Mr. Boast, played by Scott Wade; Mrs. Boast, played by Teresa Maynard; Big Jerry, played by Mitchell Smith; and Rev. Alden, played by Jack Hunt. Throw in an upset Railroad Man played by Matt Millard and Charles Ingalls’ adventurous older sister, Docia, played by Kathie Morris, and you have an adventure at every turn.
Special music will be provided by Bronson Lindsay and Push McCann.
828.508-0564, 828.488.8103 or www.smctheatre.com.
Anna Fariello, associate research professor at Hunter Library at Western Carolina University, will speak about the identity of American craft as part of American Craft Week in October.
Fariello will speak on the collective identity of craft at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at Charles Beall Auditorium on the campus of Haywood Community College. The event is free and open to the public.
Fariello directed Hunter Library’s online Craft Revival Project and now oversees the library’s digital collections. The talk, derived from “Objects and Meaning,” a book Fariello co-edited and to which she contributed two chapters, will address how academic disciplines and cultural institutions have assigned meaning to expressive objects over time. Fariello argues that it is not effective to examine craft using the language and system of evaluation for art history and that craft must have its own discipline-specific vocabulary.
“I used to think that it was possible to carry on deeper conversations about craft using the formalized language shared by art history, aesthetics and criticism,” Fariello said. “I no longer believe this. The very term ‘fine art’ negates the egalitarian values of craft and its influence upon the visual arts.”
For more information about WCU’s Craft Revival Project and WCU’s other digital collections, go online to www.wcu.edu/library/digitalcollections or contact Fariello at 828.227.2499 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will host a free Halloween-flavored performance of “The Liars Bench” Southern Appalachian variety show at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20.
“The Liars Bench” was founded by Sylva writer and storyteller Gary Carden in June 2010, and the show’s cast presented programs in Sylva during its first year. The ensemble has been staging its monthly productions in the Mountain Heritage Center auditorium since July.
With the theme “Haints, Boogers and Belled Buzzards,” the upcoming show will feature Carden, Cherokee storyteller Lloyd Arneach, musician and poet Barbara Duncan, claw-hammer guitarist Paul Iarussi, guest musician William Ritter and a “mystery guest,” Carden said.
“This is the second Halloween show we’ve done, and I believe it’s going to knock your socks off,” he said. “This ‘Liars Bench’ won’t be a funny-face, jack-o-lantern-type of Halloween show. You need to be ready for Southern Appalachian scary.”
828-227-7129 or www.wcu.edu/mhc/.
‘Raindrop Waltz’ in Franklin
Playwright Gary Carden’s “The Raindrop Waltz” will be performed at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14, at the Unitarian Church in Franklin.
The play will be performed by the Burnsville Theater Troupe.
828.524.6777.
Carden at City Lights Oct. 19
“A Conversation with Gary Carden,” noted storyteller and author, will take place at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19 at City Lights Café in Sylva.
Admission is free, but donations are welcome.
828.587.2233 or www.citylightsnc.com.
Mountain traditions come alive at the annual Harvest Festival on Oct. 14-16 at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center on the grounds of the historic Stecoah School.
The three-day event begins with a Friday evening campfire and storytelling. Saturday begins with a 5K race and a one-mile fun run. Then from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., the grounds are filled with the sounds of mountain music and dancing feet.
Hit and miss engines, antique tractors and the corn-grinding exhibit provide more excitement. Local artists offer their handmade crafts and foods for sale, often conducting demonstrations of their craft as well. The country fair features competition and exhibits of jams, jellies, pies, cakes, quilts, needlework and much more. There’s even flat foot dance instruction and bed turning of antique quilts. Saturday admission is $3 for adult and free for kids K-12 and younger.
Balsam Range will perform at Saturday night at 7:30 on the grand old stage. Adult tickets are $15 and students (K-12) are $5. Tickets may be purchased by calling or coming into the Stecoah Gallery or on line at stecoahvalleycenter.com
On Sunday, Oct. 16, there will be free gospel singing in the auditorium from 2:30-5 p.m. featuring local groups Robbinsville Quartet, Shining Pathway, and the Barker Family.
828.479.3364.
