Ron Rash has never been to an opera. But later this month, he’ll sit down to enjoy an opus based on stories and poems he wrote about the Southern Appalachian mountains he calls home. 

“Shelton Laurel: An Appalachian Opera” takes place over a few years around the Civil War. The opera, which will see its world premiere later this month, tells the tale of farmers in Madison County’s Shelton Laurel, not far from Western Carolina University’s Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee where the work will be performed. 

The “Rotunda Show Reception” will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at the Rotunda Gallery at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

This group exhibition features work from regional artists working across a variety of mediums, highlighting the depth of artistic expression within our Western North Carolina community. 

Grace Church in the Mountains in Waynesville will host a daylong series of worship services, presentations and artistic offerings focused on peace, education and action in response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

What do rangers eat for lunch? How did the Great Smoky Mountains get their name? Do rangers have to feed the bears? Are there alligators in the park? What about moose? Dolphins? 

“The kids really want to know,” said Scott Young, a volunteer at Great Smoky Mountains National Park who, together with his wife Jayne, has answered every letter kids from across the country send to the national park since they first took on the task in 2021.

A special showcase, “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” is now on display at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee.  On view through May 2026, the exhibition features works by students of Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) handcrafted during an intensive three-month workshop. 

Embrace the spirit of the season with two festive events at Great Smoky Mountains National Park this December.

Visitors are invited to celebrate Appalachian holiday traditions and create new memories during the “Festival of Christmas Past, Present and Future” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 13, and the Holiday Homecoming on Saturday, Dec. 20, at the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Oconaluftee Visitor Center, respectively. 

Students in the Professional Crafts Program at Haywood Community College will host a holiday craft sale from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4 on campus in Clyde. The sale will feature student work in four mediums: fiber, metals, ceramics and wood. Held in the Mary L. Cornwell Gallery in the Sycamore Building, the sale is open to the public. 

In October 2019, Rhiannon Skye Tafoya was a year out of her master’s program and excited to begin an art residency at the Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, New York. Tafoya, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Santa Clara Pueblo, planned to use her time there to create an artist book. 

In the midst of eating my third hard-boiled egg of the morning, I overheard the young couple at the next breakfast table mention to their server that they’d gotten married this past Saturday. 

Taking a sip of my second cup of coffee, my gaze went from the newlyweds to the nearby roaring fireplace, then out the big glass windows onto the picturesque pond on the side lawn of the majestic property. 

The 2026 Assault on BlackRock trail race has been set for Saturday, March 21.

All proceeds from this race will go to the Sylva Art & Design Committee with a focus on bringing more art (outdoor murals) to downtown Sylva.