Thursday, April 16 • 3pm-6pm

Ingles Markets — West Waynesville — 1670 Brown Ave., Waynesville

Complimentary Samples (Limited Availability) 

Hello from Room 8 at the Atlantis Inn, located in downtown Tybee Island, Georgia. It’s Monday morning and I’m currently sitting on the small balcony attached to the room. Sunshine overhead, the ocean just a block away. 

This is the final day of an extended road trip down to Saint Augustine, Florida, and back to my humble abode in Waynesville. I’ve been gone for the better part of the last three weeks, albeit working remotely and unrelentingly, as per usual.

The Haywood County Arts Council invites the community to experience “Art Off the Wall,” a unique and intimate fundraising event taking place from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, at the HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery in Waynesville.

With only 30 tickets available, this exclusive evening promises a memorable blend of art, atmosphere and excitement. Guests will enjoy heavy appetizers, beverages and live music by Betina Morgan, whose harp performance creates a soothing, dreamlike backdrop for the night. 

The first “Conversations with Storytellers” of the 2026 season with Chris Aluka Berry will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville.

Berry has worked in the South as an award-winning documentary photographer for more than 20 years, with his images appearing in major American and international publications. 

Dr. Bart Ehrman will discuss his newest book, “Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West” at a ticketed event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8 in the Feichter Studio at Haywood Arts Repertory Theatre in Waynesville. 

The latest exhibit, “Little Hands, Big Imagination,” will be showcased through April 13 in the Haywood Handmade Gallery at the Haywood County Arts Council in downtown Waynesville.

Join the HCAC for a joyful exhibit of large-scale collaborative artwork created by elementary students across Haywood County. Each school contributes one piece, made with many little hands and big imaginations. All works will be auctioned off to support each school’s art program. 

Haywood Christian Ministries has announced its fourth annual Farm Fresh 5K on to be run at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 18.

The Farm Fresh 5K is a chance to come together as a community and make a difference. Runners will support local farmers, putting food on the tables of families in need while strengthening the local economy. 

Knots can mean the difference between success and struggle in the great outdoors.

A hands-on class will dive into the essential knots every adventurer should know — whether securing gear, building a shelter or handling unexpected challenges in the wild. 

The numbers arrive without warning, often weeks after the crisis has passed, stamped in clinical language and coded in ways few patients understand — turning moments of vulnerability into prolonged financial strain. 

“My first feeling was a very big thud in my stomach to get a big bill like that and not at all expect it. And then the second feeling was like, what the hell?” said Kasha Williamson. “A little bit of anger, I would say.” 

In October 2020, amid the shutdown and about halfway through the first set of the sold-out Goose drive-in show at the Smoky Mountain Event Center on the outskirts of Waynesville, a friend turned to me and said with a smile, “You know, we’re probably going to follow this band around for the next few decades, right?”
Nodding in sincere agreement, I sipped my drink and gazed around the massive property.