The annual QuickDraw art fundraiser will once again be held from 4:30-9 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville.

The cocktail social will include an hour-long QuickDraw Challenge, live/silent auction, refreshments and dinner. Live artists will be working in the public eye, creating timed pieces, which will then be auctioned off. 

Celebrating the beauty, creativity and versatility of fiber art, “Threads,” the latest exhibition at the Haywood County Arts Council, will be on display through Aug. 3 at HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery on Main Street in downtown Waynesville. 

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

A prominent regional storyteller, Davy Arch will join the “Conversations with Storytellers’ series at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville.

Arch tells Cherokee stories and presents lectures on Cherokee history and culture. He also demonstrates carving, flint knapping and mask making. Using artwork from different mediums, he describes both Cherokee history and contemporary Cherokee life. 

A new flock is preparing to glide across the waters of Lake Junaluska this summer. Seven pedal-powered swan boats could arrive as early as Independence Day Weekend, bringing a new whimsical recreation experience to the 200-acre mountain lake.

Designed to look like oversized swans, the swan boats celebrate the lake’s actual swans, which were first introduced in the community in 1989. Crafted by Adventureglass, the 10-foot boats are large enough to accommodate up to five guests and have optional Bimini-style sunshade canopies.

The 2026 Smoky Mountain Yoga & Wellness Festival will be held June 19-21 on the Folkmoot Friendship Center Campus in Waynesville.

Celebrating whole-body wellness with 38 classes and workshops, this second-annual event has grown into a full weekend of yoga, but also sound and somatic therapy, kirtan, qigong, hooping, empowering workshops, hiking, forest bathing and more. 

“Meet me at the big gun.”

Plenty of Haywood County residents have uttered these words, referring to a large anti-aircraft weapon featured prominently in downtown Clyde that serves as a memorial to those from the town who gave their lives in service of this country. Over time, it’s become a rendezvous point for any number of occasions, a location for ceremonies honoring veterans and those fell in combat and a prop for folks wanting a quirky photo opportunity.

Starting a business is difficult and inherently risky. Doing so in an urban area replete with resources is easier than doing so in a rural area with fewer guardrails. 

During a visit last week to Haywood County, North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall touted a state program that hones in on rural areas in hopes to provide more resources to budding entrepreneurs.  

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.