‘Airing of the Quilts’

The Appalachian Women’s Museum “Airing of the Quilts” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the museum in Dillsboro.

If quilts could talk, they would tell of decades of cold nights and warm bodies, of wrapping up babies and comforting the elderly.

Public input sought on Jackson County conservation plan

The Jackson County ‘Headwaters District’ Conservation Plan seeks to apply an objective, fact-based approach to assessing the conservation and development priorities of communities within the southern half of Jackson County.

Jackson County opens flag football registration

Registration for youth flag Football clinics and youth flag football league is now open. Registration will remain so until April 28 for the clinic and May 15 for the league.

Greening Up the Mountains

Presented by the Town of Sylva, the 27th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 26, along Main Street and Bridge Park in Sylva. 

Jackson commissioners’ plaque removal a mistake

To The Editor:

I appreciate your straightforward and informative coverage of the removal of the plaque over Sylva Sam’s Confederate flag. I am a 21-year resident of Jackson County, and have enjoyed positive relations with fellow citizens here during all those years, no matter what our political views were.  

Jackson commissioners likely violated law by removing plaque

In response to a public records request made by The Smoky Mountain News, Jackson County Manager Kevin King revealed that commissioners not only failed to discuss in any official meeting removing plaques placed on the controversial “Sylva Sam” Confederate statue at the old courthouse in 2020, they also failed to document any deliberations — likely violating state sunshine laws.  

The Joyful Botanist: Robin’s Plantain

Among the earliest flowering members of the Aster Family (Asteraceae) is the robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellus). Around Cullowhee, the robin’s plantain begins blooming in early April at lower elevations and can be seen blooming at higher elevations into June.

Mountain Projects raises alarm on housing crisis

In the face of challenges with Section 8 rental assistance, Mountain Projects Executive Director Patsy Davis visited county commissions in both Haywood and Jackson counties this month to inform elected officials of just how dire the situation is becoming.  

A little taste of home: Junction Pub opens in Sylva

It’s mid-afternoon and the seats are starting to fill up at the Junction Pub in Sylva. Located along Skyland Drive near downtown, the old-style railroad depot structure is now entering its next chapter. 

Gas station would be a big mistake

To the Editor:

I used to go to the old Jack the Dipper building between Cullowhee and Sylva. It was a produce stand at the time; the fellow running it sold great watermelons. Traffic was usually a problem (the spot is at the bottom of a hill, there are two intersections, a bend, a left turn lane, and a bridge). If things were too hectic, I just kept going rather than skid to a screeching halt. 

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