A man paddling in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park last Wednesday (July 1) died after his kayak capsized.

Kenneth Worthington, 53, from Apex, was paddling the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River on the Tennessee side of the park when his kayak flipped. His friends pulled him from the river, but Gatlinburg police and firefighters — who responded to the emergency call along with park rangers — were unable to resuscitate him. 

Information about water safety in the park is available at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/watersafety.htm.

DockDogs to be held in Cherokee July 10-12, will showcase three days of leaping dogs doing tricks in mid-air while jumping into a pool of water.

Backcountry trails and campsites are open again in the Hazel Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time since a black bear attacked a teenager sleeping in a hammock.

A program titled “4,000 Reasons to Love (and Protect) Native Bees” will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Highlands Nature Center as part of the Zahner Conservation Lecture Series.

Mountain Wildlife Days will return to Sapphire Valley Resort outside Cashiers July 17-18 this year, bringing plenty of opportunity to learn about — and meet — the creatures that call Western North Carolina home.

The classic stage production Oklahoma! will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. July 16-18, 23-25, 30-31 and Aug. 1 and at 3 p.m. July 19, 26 and Aug. 2 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The Glenville Area Historical Society “History Tour” will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 18.

“Chasing Grace,” a faith-based, family thriller filmed in Haywood County, will make its premier at 8 and 10 p.m. July 10 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

The story takes place present day. A tragic accident threatens to destroy a pastor's family and sets into motion a complex betrayal between two brothers, while exposing secrets no one wants to face. Based upon the Amazon hit, Discovering Grace, author David Temple weaves a dramatic tale in his debut novel with this screenplay adaptation.

Film locations included The Classic Wineseller, Pisgah High School, Town of Waynesville building, First Baptist Church, and other locations around Haywood County.

The film will also be have regular showings at 4 and 7 p.m. July 11, 2 and 4 p.m. July 12 and 7 p.m. July 14-15. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for children ages 12 and under. 

"Chasing Grace" was produced by Temple’s Film & TV production company, Catalyst Pictures, LLC in association with N2ition Cinema. Catalyst Pictures is developing a variety of films ranging from family and romance, to documentaries and horror. They are in early talks about a possible sequel; likely adapting Temple’s second novel, Stealing Hope. 

The Haywood County Tourism Development Authority’s Film Office assisted in the location scouting and services rendered during the making of this film.

www.38main.com or www.haywoodcountytourismdevelopment.com. 

There will be a pottery studio tour during the inaugural Dillsboro Arts & Crafts Market from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 18, in downtown.

Acclaimed bluegrass acts Town Mountain and The Snyder Family Band will perform July 18 at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.

Unto These Hills bridges past, present

The Unto These Hills outdoor drama will run at 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday through Aug. 15 at the Mountainside Theater in Cherokee. 

The acclaimed outdoor drama traces the Cherokee people through the eons, through the zenith of their power, through the heartbreak of the Trail of Tears, finally ending, appropriately, in the present day, where the Cherokee people, much like their newly re-scripted drama, continue to rewrite their place in the world. 

General admission tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12 and free for children under age 5. Reserved tickets also available. 

866.554.4557 or www.visitcherokenc.com. 

Cherokee bonfire features tales, history

The ceremonial Cherokee bonfires will run from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Sept. 5 at the Ocoaluftee Island Park in Cherokee. 

Spend an evening with the Cherokee people by a roaring fire. Listen as Cherokee storytellers in period dress from the 17th century spin tales of days gone by, myths and mysteries passed down through the ages and talk of the history. Learn Cherokee survival skills and experience the dance. 

Your hosts will provide light refreshments, which include marshmallows for roasting and drinks. Guests sit by the fire near the Oconaluftee riverside enjoying a unique and entertaining experience.

The bonfires are free and open to the public. 

800.438.1601 or 828.359.6492 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 Nearly 100 people gathered on June 24 below the steps of the old Jackson County courthouse in Sylva for a vigil organized by the Jackson County Branch of the NAACP.

The vigil was to to honor those who died June 17 when Dylann Roof entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and killed nine African-Americans. The case is being investigated as a racially motivated hate crime. The NAACP’s position is that this act of terrorism was directed at the African-American community. 

After Rev. Porter Barringer, associate from Liberty Baptist Church, opened with prayer, Dr. Enrique Gómez, president of the NAACP area branch, presented the main address. 

Branch members from Franklin, Selma Sparks and Dan Kowel, read short biographies honoring the lives of each person — among whom were religious leaders, service members, teachers, librarians, recent college graduates — each a member of Mother Emanuel church and a cornerstone of their community. 

Participants then kept a 20-minute, candlelit and silent vigil to reflect on the meaning of the event.  

Gómez stressed afterward that a vigil is not sufficient to address the racism and violence in our society. “We have just begun,” he continued, “to overcome the legacy of centuries of slavery and racism. Each of us has an obligation to go back to our institutions, workplaces, friends and families and confront racism wherever it shows up.”

A video of the vigil can be seen at www.jacksonncnaacp.org/2015/06/just-begun/.

Signups for town elections opened Monday, but as of Tuesday afternoon only three people had put their hat in the ring for Sylva’s four open seats.

Ginseng collectors have until July 15 to put their names in the hat for the U.S. Forest Service’s annual lottery for ginseng harvest permits. 

The lottery system has been in place since 2013, when a marked reduction in wild ginseng numbers led the Forest Service to change its permit process. The decline was likely due to poaching, said Forest Service botanist Gary Kauffman, as ginseng is highly sought after in East Asia as a tonic.

The number of ginseng plants of harvestable size has decreased by 45 percent on forest lands, Kauffman said. 

A permit, of which 136 are issued, allows a person to harvest as much as 3 wet pounds of wild ginseng in the ranger district where the permit is issued within the two-week season of Sept. 1-15. 

Call or visit a ranger office to register for the lottery. Email requests not accepted.

A pilot education program for food pantries and other emergency food providers will hold a series of training classes from 5 to 8 p.m. July 21, July 28, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11. 

The Appalachian Food Pantry School four-week training program will cover everything from public relations to financial planning to volunteer management, with course topics including fundraising, food safety regulations, marketing and grant writing. 

It is put on by the Western North Carolina Food Policy Council  and co-sponsored by MANNA Food Bank and the MountainWise Public Health Partnership, with financial support from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. The WNC Food Policy Council coordinates efforts to build a stronger food system, encourage agricultural development, and reduce food insecurity in the seven western counties. 

A kickoff event at 6 p.m. Friday, July 17, will feature a catered reception, live music and a panel of pantries whose boards of directors have demonstrated exceptional engagement and action.

$45 registration includes course materials and dinner during class. Participants can send different members of their organization to different courses dependent on their needs. 

The location of the courses and kick-off are to be announced.

www.wncfpc.org.

Seniors interested in getting out for an early morning walk this summer are wanted for a now-forming group through the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. 

The group would likely meet at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday in various locations, such as Waynesville’s Main Street, Lake Junaluska and Vance Street Park. 

Michelle Claytor, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.356.2813.

Lightning is one of nature’s most ephemeral forces, but scientists are still able to detect and measure these electrical displays. A presentation at 7 p.m. Friday, July 10, at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute will explain how.

By Wil Shelton • SMN Intern

For Whittier resident Anne Hill, sharing the history of Appalachia goes far beyond the realm of classrooms and textbooks.

By Wil Shelton • SMN Intern

For Jeff Alt and his family, hiking is more a lifestyle than a hobby.

“After experiencing all the great positive physical and mental benefits gained from hiking, I wanted to share it with my family,” he said.

Acclaimed musician Marshall Ballew will perform at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Ballew is a singer-songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist, whose repertoire spans over a century of traditional music in an array of styles, from blues and ragtime to folk, old-time, and bluegrass. He has performed with such folks as David Lindley, Jorma Kaukonen, Doc Watson, Dave Alvin, and more. His dobro and lap steel work can be heard on recordings by Christine Kane, David Childers, Chris Rosser, The Gospel Playboys and others. 

The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. Free.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

Haywood Community College continues the Student for a Day Series with Creative Arts on Saturday, July 11. 

• The Intro to Felting workshop will acquaint students with the technique of wet felting. This workshop will be held from noon to 4 p.m.

• In the Beginning Basics of Mountain Style Dance, students will learn the basic flat-foot/buck/clogging steps. This workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• In the Intro to Enamel workshop, students will use powdered glass fused to the surface of metal using heat to make one-of-a-kind wearable enamel samples. This workshop is available from either 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or noon to 4 p.m.

• The Play in Clay workshop is a fun, no pressure introduction to the potter’s wheel and fundamental techniques. Workshops will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m. 

• In the Artful Finishes for Wood workshop, participants will play with unusual surfaces and finishes such as torching, sandblasting, grinding, dyes, grain filling, and photo-transfer. This workshop is held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

• Participants in Handspun Fun will learn how unique and wonderful yarn was made by experiencing fiber spinning using HCC’s new spinning wheels. This workshop is available from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m.  

• In the Designer Tote Bag workshop, participants will design and piece together their own unique tote bag. This workshop is available from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. 

• The Altered Image workshop is an introduction to transferring images to fabric then altering and embellishing that image through stitching, dying, and painting. This session will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. 

• Cuttlefish casting is a quick and fairly accurate metal casting method. It is difficult to achieve fine details, but rather creates a richly complex texture that is a natural by-product of this method. This session will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. 

These sessions are free of charge and lunch is provided. Registration is required and space is limited. 

828.627.4522.

The 18th annual Sweet Corn Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 11, at St. Cyprian’s Church in Franklin.

There will be an array of upcoming artisan and craft workshops at The Bascom in Highlands.

The ‘Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest’ will be July 9-11 at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

To the Editor:

Nearly 240 years ago, our founding fathers declared our national independence from Great Britain. This Fourth of July, let’s declare our independence from the meat industry.

More than 60 percent of U.S. agricultural subsidies pay for meat, dairy and egg production. Fresh fruit and vegetable farmers receive less than 1 percent of the total. It’s time to declare our independence by stopping these subsidies.

Our annual medical care expenditures for diseases associated with consumption of animal products are estimated at $300 billion. Much of the cost is borne by our taxes through Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Administration, and Obamacare. It’s time to declare our independence by taxing animal products to recover these costs.

Currently, the meat industry is getting Congress to gut dietary recommendations by a government-appointed panel of our nation’s top nutritionists. The panel recommended incorporating reduced meat consumption and sustainability of food sources in our dietary guidelines. It’s time to declare our independence by telling the meat industry to butt out of our dietary guidelines.

In the meantime, each of us can declare our personal independence from the meat industry by refusing to subsidize it on our next trip to the supermarket.

Weston Madrigal

Waynesville

To the Editor:

This piece could be titled, “How to beat a dead horse in 350 words or less.”

First let me say that Waynesville is a great place to live. My wife and I picked it for retirement over 20 years ago; however, every time I return to the city from elsewhere I try to look at the city the way a tourist or newcomer might view it. Coming from east, west or south you are immediately confronted with junkyards or eyesores. Across from Junaluska Elementary School there are dozens of junk trucks and trailers (many parked on the road right of way) that have been there for at least 20 years and probably far longer than that. Who pays the personal property tax on those? You and I pay tax on our vehicle, why should someone not pay the tax on those?

After you get past the junk, the fillings in your teeth begin to rattle because of the poorly maintained streets in town. South Main, Haywood Road, Pigeon Street and many others are in deplorable condition. Are we trying to discourage people and businesses from settling here? Where is the appearance committee and ordinance enforcement? Where is the Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Realtors? After all, is this the impression that is good for business and appealing to people looking for a place to live?

The best way to get the attention of any public officeholder was best described by an ex-senator from Illinois when he said, “when I feel the heat, I see the light.” Chamber, board of realtors and Waynesville residents, it’s up to you to supply the heat. Call the city, attend the alderman meetings, write the paper, let your voices be heard. I do.

Bruce Gardner

Waynesville

“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.”

 –Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Jay (Aug. 23, 1785)

To the Editor:

It’s that time of year again: DOT Trash Season. The unnatural season of the year in which our NCDOT becomes the biggest litterer in the state! How is this so, you may be asking? 

It is because our DOT turns a small amount of easily removable litter into incalculable amounts of mostly irretrievable litter by not picking up the trash on the sides of our taxpayer-funded roads before mowing it into a million pieces. Maybe we could hire all the teachers assistants back with the fine the DOT would face?

How environmentally and fiscally lazy! We have 546,918.02 people unemployed in our great North State (5.5 percent unemployment, April 2015, multiplied by our US Census Bureau estimated N.C. population from 2014) so there are plenty of citizens in need of work who might love the opportunity for a state job walking the roads picking up litter out in our glorious state. 

Now, I do know that the DOT does provide bags for citizens to use to pick up litter and the DOT will pick the bags up. I also know that all county sheriffs place incarcerated citizens on our roads occasionally to remove litter (although this seems to not have happened for many months in Jackson County). 

I do not understand why my fellow citizens litter at all, never have. I myself stop on the roadside multiple times per week to pick up trash. I remember speaking with a juvenile male who wants to go to Mars when he “grows up.” While telling me this, he stated that we (earthlings) think we have the best planet, but it’s not the best because so many people disrespect it by littering.

I asked him if he and his parents ever stopped and picked up litter. His whole posture and expression went from happy and adamant to sad, and he said: “No, we’re always in too much of a hurry.” This is so sad. He probably learned to not like littering from his parents who are then simulta-neously teaching him to not act, to not walk his talk, to just continue complaining.

I guess trickle down theories do work when it comes to litter.

Curt Collins

Cullowhee

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

Young drivers in North Carolina may no longer be required to take driver education to get their learner’s permit if a Senate subcommittee’s modifications to House Bill 97 are passed by the General Assembly.

QUESTION: Could I be sensitive to wheat because it has been genetically modified?

ANSWER:  NO! 

Registration is now open for the 2015 Cullowhee Native Plant Conference at Western Carolina University, a four-day event featuring more than a dozen plant walks and workshops and a demonstration of how drones can aid in environmental conservation mapping.

A much-used riverbank in the Canton Recreation Park is now a lot more stable, thanks to a protection project recently completed by Haywood Waterways Association and the town of Canton. 

A lineup of summer programs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give young park-lovers the chance to earn their credentials as Junior Rangers.

The N.C. League of Conservation Voters named Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, as its 2015 Representative of the Year in the organization’s annual Green Tie Awards.

The National Park Service is still waiting on the results of an autopsy looking into the cause of hiker Jenny Bennett’s death in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earlier this month, but investigators have ruled out a bear attack and do not suspect foul play.

Registration is ongoing for Western Carolina University’s 16th annual Dulcimer U Summer Week, a gathering that brings mountain dulcimer virtuosos and students to the campus in Cullowhee for six days of classes and concerts.

The year’s conference, set for July 19-24, will feature an instructional staff of nationally recognized musicians and performers, including hosts Larry and Elaine Conger. A variety of classes will be held during the week, and participants will get to choose the group that is best for them based on their ability level and the skills they wish to improve. 

Special classes will include “Dulcimer Building” with Bob Magowan, “Caregiving and Comfort Using the Mountain Dulcimer” with Lorinda Jones, “Learning to Teach the Mountain Dulcimer” with Judy House and Joe Collins, “Exploring our Dulcimer Heritage” with Aubrey Atwater, and “Mountain Dulcimer Ensemble” with the Congers.

The schedule for July 23 includes a mountain dulcimer concert featuring the instructional staff playing “in the round.” The show, which is open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Tickets, priced at $10 for the public and $5 for WCU faculty, staff and students, are available by calling the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828.227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. 

Registration that includes all confirmed classes, materials, staff concerts and other events is $350 per person. On-campus accommodations and meals packages are available for an additional $349 for single-occupancy rooms and $299 for double-occupancy rooms.

www.dulcimeru.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

The faculty of the Mountain Collegium Music Workshop will perform a recital of medieval, renaissance, baroque and contemporary music on early and folk instruments at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at the Cullowhee Baptist Church adjacent to the campus of Western Carolina University.

The musicians and their instruments include Lisle Kulbach, Holly Maurer, Gail Ann Schroeder (violas da gamba); Valerie Austin, Jody Miller, Patricia Petersen, Gwyn Roberts and Anne Timberlake (recorders); Erik Schmalz (sackbut); Lorraine Hammond and John Maschinot (harp and folk instruments); Robert Bolyard (voice and viola da gamba); and Jack Ashworth (harpsichord and viola da gamba).

The summer Mountain Collegium Early Music and Folk Music Workshop at WCU offers classes in recorder, viol, voice and other early instruments as well as classes in folk, Appalachian, Celtic, Sephardic and contemporary music. The teaching organization’s site can be found at www.mountaincollegium.org.

Admission to the concert is free, but donations to the Gerald R. Moore Mountain Collegium Scholarship are accepted.

404.314.1891 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 40th annual Pow Wow will be held July 3-5 at the Acquoni Expo Center.

A state-of-the-art entertainment facility, Eaglenest will have its grand reopening at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in Maggie Valley.

Country superstars Alabama will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

The “Week of Rock” celebration will run at 8 p.m. June 26-July 4 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.

Join officials from the United States Mint and the National Park Service for the launch of the quarter honoring Blue Ridge Parkway at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 25, at Pack Square Park in Asheville.

Invited guests include Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Grammy award-winning musician and TV host David Holt will serve as master of ceremonies.

A coin exchange, where the public can trade their cash for $10 rolls of new Blue Ridge Parkway quarters, will take place after the ceremony.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

A recurring theme emerged in a congressional oversight hearing last week aimed at shedding light on the questionable tactics and motives of wildlife agencies behind the now-infamous undercover poaching sting known as Operation Something Bruin: where is the line between personal freedoms and governmental oversight?

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

No hitting, punching, elbowing or tripping people — and definitely no biting or yelling at the referees. Fourteen-year-old Autumn Pine, or “Fall Out Girl” as she’s known on the track, will quickly tell you there are rules to roller derby.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

When his restaurant doors are open, Chris Chagnon keeps busy, playing the role of owner, chef and greeter.

QUESTION: Should I be worried about arsenic in my food?  

ANSWER: There are two different types of arsenic, organic and inorganic. Inorganic arsenic is found naturally in rocks, especially in areas where there is or has been volcanic activity.

A pair of programs about Horace Kephart, an adopted son of the Smokies who captured the culture of mountaineers in the early 1900s in writing and championed the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will explore the life of this giant of Smoky Mountain history at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at the Western Office of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources in Asheville. 

Naturalist and historian George Ellison, a columnist for The Smoky Mountain News who hails from Bryson City, will give a talk titled “A Room of One’s Own,” looking at the places in WNC most closely associated with Kephart.

Kephart’s great-granddaughter Libby Kephart Hargrave will present “Horace Kephart: His Way Back,” taking an intimate look into the life of Kephart and discussing his wife Laura, his parents and his children. 

The traveling exhibit “Horace Kephart in the Great Smoky Mountains,” created by the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University, will be on hand for visitors to view afterward. The free exhibit will be available at the office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June 30. 

Free, with RSVP required. 828.296.7230, ext. 221 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The Swain County Farmers Market is branching out, this week launching a second market day 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sept. 16. 

The market, located at the barn on Island Street in downtown Bryson City, sells produce, nursery plants, herbs, eggs, honey, trout and a variety of artisan crafts. Regular hours 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays through October will continue along with the new Tuesday hours.

Christine Bredenkamp, 828.488.3848 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. www.swain.ces.ncsu.edu/swaincountyfarmersmarket/. 

Seven Cherokee cyclists from North Carolina are in the midst of a 950-mile bike ride to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, an annual ride commemorating the forced removal of the Cherokee people along the Trail of Tears in 1839. 

“The ‘Remember the Removal’ ride not only marks this important event in our people’s history, it is chance for our youth to learn more about our history,” said Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indidans.

The riders joined 12 members of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, leaving Cherokee June 7 and scheduled to arrive in Tahlequah, capital of the Cherokee Nation, June 25. 

Riders were chosen in December and embarked on four months of training starting in February, preparing for the physical aspects of the trip as well as the cultural ones. Riders study leadership skills, Cherokee language and tribal history preceding their departure. Along the route, they’ll stop at historic sites such as graves of those who died along the way, stockades used as prisons and museums, and they’ll document the journey using video diaries. 

“In this way, ride participants become more deeply immersed in our culture and serve as ambassadors of the Eastern Band as they set out across the country,” Hicks said.

Follow the ride at www.facebook.com/removal.ride