Beloved Southern Appalachian Americana/bluegrass act Unspoken Tradition will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 9, at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center in Franklin. 

Folkmoot USA will present a special evening of live music with Blue Pipa Trio at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Dubbed “From Harlem to Shanghai and Back,” the performance is a dynamic fusion of jazz history and Chinese tradition.

Collectors of paintings and drawings by Macon County resident/artist Ernest “Rocky” Harvey Allen, Jr. will be exhibiting their “Rocky” pieces at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin during the month of March. 

Jackson County Americana/folk duo Bird in Hand will perform at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.

The road less traveled has always been the way for husband-and-wife duo Bird in Hand.

The North Carolina Arts Council has awarded $915,000 to nonprofit arts organizations in Western North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene.

The grants utilize funds from the North Carolina Arts Foundation’s North Carolina Arts Relief Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts and South Art’s Southern Arts Relief & Recovery Fund. 

Featuring works from faculty artisans at Western Carolina University, the 2025 School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition will be displayed Jan. 21 through May 2 in the Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. 

Kristen Gentry and Halle Hill will read from and discuss their story collections, “Mama Said” and “Good Women,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library (Room 186) in Cullowhee.  

Pisgah High School’s art department is in need of a working kiln, leaving students without the opportunity to explore ceramics — a transformative art form that fosters creativity, confidence and hands-on skill development. 

A special stage production of “The Story of My Life” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 28, March 1 and 2 p.m. March 2 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. 

A special stage production of “Solstice: A Winter Circus Experience” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 

The Haywood County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council announced $182,420 in funds available for 2025-27 from the Department of Public Safety for services for juvenile court-involved youth in Haywood County.

The Town of Waynesville has named Assistant Fire Chief Chris Mehaffey as the town’s interim chief.

“Assistant Chief Mehaffey has demonstrated exceptional dedication and professionalism throughout his tenure, making him a natural choice for this important role,” said Town Manager Rob Hites in a press release.

The Haywood County Republican Party will hold its annual convention on March 1 at the Historic Haywood Courthouse, 216 N. Main St., in Waynesville. Registration begins at 10 a.m. and closes at 10:45 a.m.

The Waynesville Rotary Club will offer a Poor Man’s Supper from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. March 6 at the First United Methodist Church to benefit Waynesville Rotary community projects.

Six Heritage Christian Academy (HCA) middle school students competed and placed in the top of their respective categories at the Region 8 Western Regional Science and Engineering Fair on Feb. 14, at Western Carolina University.

Haywood County high school seniors who have a serious commitment to community service and some degree of financial need can apply for scholarships through April 15. 

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation supplied funding to help a collaborative partnership conserve 406 acres of habitat for elk, whitetail deer, wild turkey, grouse and other wildlife in Western North Carolina.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Waste Management’s Underground Storage Tank Section (NCDEQ-DWM-UST), has launched the Bridge Loan Program to assist owners and operators with testing and repairing surface infrastructure for their petroleum underground storage tanks (USTs) affected by Hurricane Helene.

Smokies Life received national recognition at the 2025 Public Lands Alliance Partnership Awards for “Letters from the Smokies,” which was named Publication of the Year.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) invites the public to attend upcoming forums to discuss implementation of a Conservation Access Pass currently under consideration.

Haywood Waterways Association is creating a strategic plan for which it is seeking input, advice and opinions from the public.

The survey can be completed in one session and should take 10-15 minutes.

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Holly Williams will perform at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Ruffed Grouse Tavern at the Highlander Mountain House in Highlands. 

Featuring works from faculty artisans at Western Carolina University, the 2025 School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition will be displayed Jan. 21 through May 2 in the Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee. 

Pisgah High School’s art department is in need of a working kiln, leaving students without the opportunity to explore ceramics — a transformative art form that fosters creativity, confidence and hands-on skill development. 

Join the Nantahala Hiking club this weekend for a training session to educate people how to become “trail ambassadors.”

The session will be held with the upcoming surge of northbound Appalachian Trail hikers that will hit Western North Carolina in the next couple of months.

The Cherokee Preservation Foundation awarded 10 grants to partners within Western North Carolina. Grants totaled more than $2.1 million and were awarded to projects advancing the Foundation’s mission of improving the quality of life for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and neighboring communities. 

Pancake Day at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville is once again on the horizon. Lining up to get a plateful of pancakes, bacon and sausage on the last Tuesday in February is a tradition in the mountain community that dates back to 1956.  

The planting season is getting closer, and Master Gardeners are available to answer questions about lawns, vegetables, flowers, trees and ornamental plants; disease, insect, weed or wildlife problems; soils (including soil test results) and fertilizers; freeze and frost damage; and cultural and chemical solutions to pest problems. 

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation has started pre-construction activities along U.S. 276, known as Jonathan Creek Road, in Haywood County in advance of a significant modernization project.

Musical duo Brian Ashley Jones and Melanie Jean will perform from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. 

After serving as the executive director of Haywood Pathways Center since 2017, Mandy Haithcox is stepping down. Haithcox and her family will be moving back to Minnesota where aging family members live and need the comfort of family in their midst. 

The spring semester is underway at Western Carolina University and that means looking at how the university’s enrollment is shaping up for the first few weeks of the new year. 

The Haywood County Republican Party will proceed with its regular organizational meetings this year, but with important changes for attendees.

Precinct meetings will be held on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Haywood County GOP Headquarters, 297 N. Haywood St., in Waynesville.

As part of the Great Backyard Bird Count initiative, a global community science project that helps researchers understand how birds are doing before they undertake their great spring migration, Mainspring Conservation Trust is hosting its own event. 

The U.S. Forest Service has reopened more trails and roads throughout areas of the Pisgah National Forest’s Appalachian Ranger District in Haywood, Madison, Buncombe, Yancey, Mitchell and Avery counties following the damage caused by Hurricane Helene. 

WNC Communities is now accepting nominations for the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame.

This prestigious honor recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the agricultural sector, driving sustainability and growth in the region. 

FIND Outdoors, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting outdoor education, recreation and conservation, announced a variety of seasonal and full-time job opportunities for the 2025 season. 

A special performance of Ballet Hispánico will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, in the Bardo Arts Center Performance Hall at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. 

Missing hiker Ann Houghton, 73, was found deceased in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Feb. 2 at approximately 1:53 p.m. She was found roughly a quarter mile off of Enloe Creek Trail. 

Inside Keith Gibbs’ office hangs an imprint of a sicklefin redhorse, a sucker fish that the Western Carolina University assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources takes great interest in. 

Now is the time for North Carolinians to act on wildfire mitigation practices and Firewise principles. By taking appropriate action, residents can help protect their homes and communities from wildfires by creating a defensible space while reducing risk. 

Proper Golfing Academy, a senior golfers retreat based in the United Kingdom, is coming to Lake Junaluska Golf Course in April for its first appearance in the United States.

Visitors to The North Carolina Arboretum can witness some of the most surprising animal behavior in the new National Geographic exhibition, “The Greatest Wildlife Photographs.” 

Youth who exhibited livestock at the N.C. State Fair are eligible to apply for N.C. State Fair Junior Livestock Scholarships.

The application period is open through March 1. Up to 25 $2,000 scholarships are available, in addition to one $2,500 Farm Credit of N.C. Premier Scholarship.

On Jan. 31, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, alongside Dogwood Health Trust, unveiled a $30 million grant program to aid small businesses in Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Haywood Christian Ministry’s food infrastructure is moving to a new facility in Bethel.  

HCM’s new food plan aims to ensure equitable food distribution across the county, not just in the population centers.

REACH of Haywood County is sponsoring a free training for all community leaders, law enforcement personnel, social workers, healthcare professionals and concerned citizens from Haywood and surrounding counties. 

Western Carolina University officially kicked off the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in the university’s 136-year history, an effort to secure $100 million in philanthropic support with a focus on increasing the financial resources necessary for long-delayed upgrades in facilities used by Catamount student-athletes. 

The Conservation Fund announced that a critical property in the Great Balsam Mountains is protected as forest and natural land.