A special stage production of “Peter & The Starcatcher” will be held on select dates and times from June 5-28.

This wildly inventive production explores the origins of some of literature’s most beloved characters in a fast-paced journey filled with magic, humor and heart. 

The monthly “Waynesville First Friday: Shop, Sip, Stroll” will take place from 5-8 p.m. Friday, June 5, in downtown.

The downtown merchant corridor transforms into a lively celebration of local art, music and community. Stroll the streets, explore galleries, meet artists, enjoy live music and discover local shops and delicious restaurants. 

My brain was working overtime this morning, and I woke a little before 5 a.m. That was it, couldn’t get back to sleep. That quote above about change from the English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley was on rewind in my brain as I pondered my day. Why, I don’t know. 

The moon was bright and lit up a cloud hanging over our mountain, and a light mist greeted me as I slid into my truck.

Crime in Haywood County appears to largely mirror national trends, according to a brief report Sheriff Bill Wilke gave to county commissioners. 

As Wilke explained the stats, he offered insights as to what may be driving certain changes in trends; however, as he did so, he occasionally lamented the lack of immediate data to further explain correlations to national trends. 

Waynesville Town Council will hear public comments next week regarding its upcoming vote that would purportedly allow for conservation of rural farmland. 

Last month, Waynesville’s planning board discussed the potential zoning amendment in detail before ultimately voting 6-3 to recommend town council passes it.

Haywood County’s Black Generational Wealth committee is the product of a long-dissolved 2020 book club. 

That year, a white police officer murdered an unarmed Black man named George Floyd with the assistance of three other officers.  Like many COVID-era racial justice collectives, the book club was a response to the horrific act perpetrated in Minneapolis, said committee chair Nancy Thomason.  

Mayor Gary Caldwell announced the appointment of Interim Manager Page McCurry and Interim Manager Rick Howell. McCurry will take office on June 11 and serve until July 5. Howell will take office on July 6 and serve until Town Council appoints a town manager. 

 McCurry currently serves as the town’s human resources director and has an extensive background in public administration. 

Construction along Waynesville’s commercial corridor is ready to begin its next major phase.

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation will close the U.S. 74 West offramp to Russ Avenue (Exit 102) from Monday, June 8 through Sunday, Aug. 30. The closure is necessary for the safety of drivers and crews who will improve the offramp. 

An acclaimed Americana/bluegrass act, the Darren Nicholson Band will hit the stage for an intimate performance at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 3, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.

A Grammy-nominee and winner of 13 International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards, Nicholson has taken his own brand of mountain music around the world. 

The project to repair the eastbound lanes of I-40 washed away in Haywood County during Hurricane Helene is progressing on-time, but the heavy lift has really just begun. When Helene tore through Western North Carolina in 2024, it inundated the embankment supporting the highway so vital to interstate commerce, washing away about a million cubic yards of rock and dropping the eastbound lanes into the water below.