In 2011, The Bascom in Highlands will be open year round. In January and February visit us on Fridays and Saturdays and take part in a variety of activities.

Spend “Saturdays at The Bascom” and discover Art Cinema. Beginning at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, enjoy a schedule of great afternoon movies.

• Jan. 7 – Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye

• Jan. 15 – The Art of the Steal

• Jan. 22 – The Agony and the Ecstasy

• Jan. 29 – F for Fake

• Feb. 5 – Georgia O’Keeffe

• Feb. 12 – Surviving Picasso

• Feb. 19 – Camille Claudel

• Feb. 26 – Sunday in the Park with George

Relive the fun and spirit of Highlands’ past at the nostalgic Winter Barn Dances. Honoring educators on Jan. 22, police, firefighters and EMS on Feb. 26 and veterans on March 26, the dances are from 7-10 p.m. and feature live entertainment. To purchase tickets ($5) or for more information call 828.526.2112 or visit www.winterinhighlands.com.

Greg Newington returns to The Bascom on Jan. 28-29 for “Photography for Lovers.” Part of Highlands Romance Weekend, learn how to add a sense of romance to your photos using light, filters and Photoshop.

The Bascom winter hours from Jan. 7 to April 2, Fridays and Saturdays only, are 10 a.m.-5 pm. For more details on all Bascom winter activities, visit www.thebascom.org or call 828.526.4949.

In the tradition of his German heritage, brewmeister Dieter Kuhn of Heinzelmannchen Brewery has crafted a specialty beer for the Christmas season.

Heinzelmannchen’s Merry Gnome ale debuted Dec. 17 and will be available at the brewery in downtown Sylva through the end of the year.

The Merry Gnome is a cocoa-flavored dark porter, spiced with brandy-soaked dark cherries.

“Our other seasonal beers are traditional beers that are lighter in flavor and have more affinity to be paired with food because they are not overpowering,” said Kuhn. “However, our Merry Gnome is a chocolate-flavored porter infused with dark cherries marinated in brandy during fermentation, giving a chocolate-cherry flavor profile with a warming finish.”

Kuhn had considered crafting a Christmas brew for several years, and figured the timing was right this holiday season.

“People always want something new and different. We’ve had success with our specialty beers and I wanted to step out and add a Christmastime beer to our lineup,” Kuhn said. “It’s a time of year when we want to give thanks to our customers and invite them into our brewery and share our success with them.”

In December, Heinzelmannchen Brewery is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and closed Sundays. For brewery info, visit: www.yourgnometownbrewery.com, or call 828.631.4466.

The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad’s version of The Polar Express™ will continue running through Dec. 24.

The round-trip excursion comes to life as the train departs the Bryson City depot for a journey through the quiet wilderness for a special visit at the North Pole. Guests on board will enjoy warm cocoa and a treat while listening and reading along with the magical story. Children’s faces show the magic of the season when the train arrives at the “North Pole” to find Santa Claus waiting. Santa will board The Polar Express™, greeting each child and presenting them with a special gift as in the story, their own silver sleigh bell.

Christmas carols will be sung as they return back to the Bryson City Depot.

In 1985, Chris Van Allsburg wrote The Polar Express™, a story of a magical train ride on Christmas Eve. The train takes a young boy to the North Pole to receive a special gift from Santa Claus.

Ticket prices begin at $39 for adults and $26 for children ages 2-12. Children under 2 years old ride complimentary. For more information and reservations call 800.872-4681 or visit us online at www.GSMR.com.

Crown Class ticket prices are $49 for adults, $36 for children 2-12 and $10 for under two years. First-class seating upgrades are available. Each guest will receive a deluxe serving of warm cocoa in a souvenir Polar Express™ mug and other treats in addition to the standard offerings. Ticket prices for first class are $59 for adults and $41 for children. Children under 2 years old are $10. The Polar Express™ Christmas Eve Limited ticket prices are $50 and children 2-12 are $37. First class seating upgrades are also available. Adult ticket prices are $72, children 2-12 are $50 and $16 for under two years.

Smoky Mountain Trains Museum admission is included with all train excursion tickets. Without train excursion admission is $9 for adults and $5 for children.

A two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and a Grammy winning singer will host a New Year’s Eve show at the Balsam Mountain Inn that will showcase jazz, folk, blues, Americana and other styles of music.

Casey Kelly’s hits include “Soon” (recorded by Tanya Tucker), “Cowboy Rides Away” recorded by George Strait (who still closes all his live concert shows with it), “Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight” (recorded by Kenny Rogers/Dottie West), and “That Road Not Taken” (Joe Diffie). Other hits include: “Only Game In Town” (America) and “Somewhere Down the Line” (T.G. Sheppard).

Kelly is also a successful session player and singer. He has performed concerts and club gigs throughout the U.S. and Europe with artists like Arlo Guthrie, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Fleetwood Mac, Gordon Lightfoot, The Grateful Dead, Hall And Oats, Jackson Browne, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Travis and many more.

Leslie Ellis won a Grammy as a vocalist (with Celine Dion) on “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic. She has performed on “Six Times Around the Sun” (CBS TV mini-series Perfect Murder, Perfect Town) and is starring in a new film “My Name is Wallace.”

All inclusive tickets are $78 per person and include the show, a 2011 champagne flute, a split of champagne, party favors, buffet dinner and beverage. Wine, beer, and mixed drinks may be purchased at table. The buffet starts at 8 p.m. with seating every 15 minutes and the show is from 9 p.m. until midnight.

For information and tickets call 800.224.9498

Rush of Fools, a Birmingham-based Christian band, will perform at Lake Junaluska New Year’s Ministries with Young People (MYP) INFUSE Ski celebration for youth on Dec. 31.

Local youth and churches are invited to attend the New Year’s concert. Tickets are available for $15.

Part of Ministries with Young People at Lake Junaluska’s INFUSE New Year’s Weekend, Dec. 31 through Jan. 2, Rush of Fools will share the stage with This is Luke and Rev. Jasmine Smothers.

Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the New Year’s celebration will begin at 8 p.m., lasting until midnight. Visit www.myp.lakejunaluska.com/infuse-special or call 800.222.4930 to purchase concert tickets or for more information about INFUSE Ski weekends at Lake Junaluska.

A local group has raised more than $10,000 to support local, state and national efforts to bring back that mighty giant, the American chestnut tree.

The Cataloochee Branch of The American Chestnut Foundation sponsored its first annual Chestnut Saturday and fundraising dinner in September. More than 500 people joined in the festivities which were held at Cataloochee Ranch, which boasts an outstanding chestnut breeding orchard.

Chestnut Saturday was scheduled just prior to the Branch’s fundraising dinner. The day-long event featured crafts and vendors, live bluegrass and dancing, chestnut orchard tours, hiking, horseback riding, fishing, horseshoes, kids’ games and wildlife biologist Rob Gudger’s captive wolves. The Branch’s dinner featured entertainment and a live auction and the event was almost sold-out.

“Cataloochee Ranch is ideal for growing chestnuts,” said TACF board member Dr. Paul Sisco. “The high-elevation site is good because chestnuts are susceptible to another introduced pathogen, Phytopthora, which causes root rot; however, Phytopthora can’t survive freezing.”

Now in its fourth growing season, Cataloochee’s orchard will be tested in a couple of years for resistance to the blight, and the survivors will be backcrossed again. The trees growing there will be ready for introduction to the wild in 2015, Sisco reports.

“Despite two inches of rain that day [of the event], we were extremely pleased with the turnout,” says Judy Coker, owner of Cataloochee Ranch. “We’ve already started planning next year’s event which will be held the first Saturday after Labor Day. We were very fortunate to have partnered with the Haywood County Council of Garden Clubs and we worked with three outstanding groups, Mountain View Garden Club, Richland Garden Club and the Waynesville Council of Garden Clubs.”

Linda Boyd, President of the Waynesville Council of Garden Clubs said that while Council members were meeting at Cataloochee Ranch to plan a program, they learned about the ranch’s involvement with TACF. The Council decided quickly to help promote the rebirth of the American chestnut tree by participating in the Chestnut Day and gala fundraisers.

For information about the return of the American chestnut, visit www.acf.org.  To join the Cataloochee Restoration Branch of The American Chestnut Foundation call 828.926.1401.

Dr. Carolyn Ward of Asheville was recently named as head of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

Ward replaces Dr. Houck Medford, a Waynesville native, who has served as the founder and CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation since its inception.

Ward has been serving chief operating officer. Medford will continue to serve as a consultant to the Foundation.

Bob Shepherd, chairman of the board of trustees, praised Medford’s vision and dedication to preserving the beauty and culture of the nation's most visited national parks. The parkway extends 469 miles through 29 counties in North Carolina and Virginia.

“Our board is unanimous in expressing deep appreciation for Houck’s and K.B’s (his wife) perseverance over the years in creating and growing our foundation so that citizens and organizations can have a tax deductible conduit through which they can contribute in a meaningful way to enhancing the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Shepherd said.

A Swain County native now living in South Carolina has won several writing awards from the South Carolina Outdoor Press Association.

Jim Casada writes frequently about the Smokies and is a regular columnist in The Smoky Mountain Times in Bryson City and also contributes regularly to Smoky Mountain Living (a sister publication of The Smoky Mountain News).

Members of South Carolina Outdoor Press Association (SCOPe), their supporters and guests gathered at The Territories Saluda River Preserve near Lake Greenwood for their annual fall conference in November. The members of SCOPe represent South Carolina’s top outdoor communicators from magazines, newspapers, online media and television.

Casada’s awards include:

• Newspaper Feature, first place, “Living Off the Land: A Vanishing Way of Life.”

• Magazine Feature, third place, “Reflections On A Marvelous Madness”

• Column, first place, “In The Good Ol’ Summertime…”; second place, “Musings On Coons, Possums And Other Destructive Critters.”

• Non-game Outdoor Enjoyment, first place, “A World of Wonder: Wildflowers Along the Parkway;” third place, “The Pleasures of Pickin’ — Strawberries, That Is.”

• Editorial/Opinion, first place, “Only Hunters Are Able To Save Hunting;” second place, “Economic Woes And The Sportsman’s World.”

For more information, contact P.J. Perea, South Carolina Outdoor Press Association President, at 803.637.3106 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Supervisory Fisheries Biologist Steve Moore was recently recognized with two national awards for his leadership in native trout stream restoration in the Smokies and at national parks across the nation.

Moore recently received the Aldo Starker Leopold Medal by the Wild Trout Symposium and the Trout Unlimited Trout Conservation Professional Award.

Both awards recognize the more than 25 years of achievement by Moore’s in restoring populations of native brook trout to streams in the Smokies, and assisting with other projects including the restoration of bull trout to Crater Lake National Park (Ore.) and to North Cascade National Park (Wash.) and restoring Bonneville cutthroat trout to Great Basin National Park (Nev.).

Throughout the country, a combination of habitat degradation and extensive stocking of non-native fish species have taken a heavy toll on numerous species of native trout, which typically require cold, clear, pristine water for survival.  In many cases streams that may have been degraded by siltation or pollution have been cleaned up, but the native trout still need a helping hand to return.

According to Deputy Park Superintendent, Kevin FitzGerald, “One of the core missions of national parks is to preserve natural biodiversity which sometimes means restoring native plant and animal species which have been displaced from their historic homes by earlier human impacts,” said Deputy Park Superintendent Kevin FitzGerald.

In the Smokies, the brook trout was the only native species of trout, but they were crowded out of all but the most isolated high-elevation streams when — with the best of intentions —logging companies and early park managers released rainbow and later brown trout into Park streams in the early 20th Century.”

In the Smokies the brookies that remain in the headwaters face a double threat. They are squeezed between heavy competition from rainbows and browns downstream, and airborne acid deposition upstream that has made the water too acidic to support trout.  The key to preserving the Appalachian brook trout is to remove the non-native trout from selected segments of lower-elevation streams and then to assist the brookies in moving downstream into less acidic waters.

To be suitable for restoration, a stream segment must have a record of a pure brook trout population in the past and a waterfall or other barrier at the lower end that prevents non-native fish from returning back upstream. Restoration of each segment involves removal of the non-natives through either electro-shocking and/or chemicals.  Over the last 24 years of the Park’s Brook Trout Restoration Program, Park biologists — assisted by a small army of state fishery managers and volunteers from Trout Unlimited — have restored a total of 24.1 miles of stream to brook trout habitat.  

Restoring each segment involves close coordination of 20 or more biologists and volunteers who string nets, electro-shock and relocate the non-natives, add and monitor the chemicals used and add neutralizing agents at the lower end of the segment being restored.  

“Stream restoration is such a complex and labor-intensive process that the Park could never even attempt it without the financial support and/or hands-on assistance of all the neighboring entities such as Trout Unlimited, Tennessee Brookies, Friends of the Smokies, and the Tennessee and North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commissions.” FitzGerald said. “Steve has become nationally-recognized master of planning these restoration projects and brokering together a huge number of partners to get them done. We welcome this opportunity to acknowledge this well deserved recognition of Steve and show our appreciation to all the partners that he has brought into the mix over the years.”

Cataloochee Ski Area continued a long tradition of holiday giving to the local community recently with its 9th Annual Can-U-Ski Food and Coat Drive.  

Cataloochee skiers and riders turned out in record numbers to participate in the area’s annual event benefiting Haywood Christian Ministries.

Thousands of cans of food and hundreds of coats were donated to the area during the event. All donations will be given to the local non-profit organization in order to stock its pantry for the Christmas holiday season.

Skiers and boarders from across the Southeast came to Maggie Valley to take part where ten cans of food or a winter coat could be redeemed for a free lift ticket for the day.

“What better way to start the season of giving than by giving back to your local community to folks in need.” said Chris Bates, Cataloochee Ski Area general manager. “We appreciate all of our guests who participated in this worthwhile event and thank them for their support.”

Many customers showed up at the ticket window on Sunday with more than the minimum required to be able to ski for free.

The so-called “Missing Link” of the Foothills Parkway in east Tennessee is now scheduled for completion by 2015.

Officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park say a $33.8 million contract has been awarded to the Lane Construction Company of Charlotte. The half-mile section of the road between Walland and Wears Valley, Tenn., includes three bridges.

The Foothills Parkway is a scenic parkway congressionally authorized in 1944. The parkway corridor is 72 miles long, but to date, only two discontinuous segments totaling 22.5 miles are completed and open. Administered by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Parkway parallels the Park’s northern boundary from Chilhowee Lake, Tenn., to Interstate 40 near Cosby, Tenn.

The teen friends of the library meeting will be held at the Marianna Black Library at 3:30 on Thursday, Dec. 16. Teens are invited to come share their ideas about materials of interest to them, including what sort of programming they’d like to see at the library. There will be food, crafts, games, and much more at the meeting.

Don’t forget, there are volunteer opportunities for teens here at the library and also at Friends of the Library bookstore.

For more information, call 828.488.3030 or go to www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Three professors from Western Carolina University who co-edited a work of collected historical writings about the Cherokee will sign copies of the book from 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, in the Education and Research Center of the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee.

William L. Anderson, history professor emeritus; Jane L. Brown, instructor of anthropology; and Anne F. Rogers, professor of anthropology, edited “The Payne-Butrick Papers.”

The annotated, two-volume set is available at the museum gift shop for $150.

Published recently by the University of Nebraska Press, the work is a collection of writings about the Cherokee from the 1830s, when John Howard Payne, an author, actor and playwright, and missionary Daniel S. Butrick, gathered information on Cherokee life and history, fearing that the cultural knowledge would be lost during the impending forced removal west. Butrick, who was a Baptist minister, lived with the Cherokees for a number of years and accompanied them when they were taken on the Trail of Tears.

Prior to the published version, the papers were available to researchers in a typescript that contained a number of errors, or by traveling to Chicago to read the original manuscript archived in the Newberry Library there, Rogers said. “The material is valuable because it provides information not only about the political and economic aspects of Cherokee life at that time, but gives insight into ceremonial practices, traditional beliefs and other components of their traditional culture,” she said.

The work is part of the Indians of the Southeast Series, which also includes “Demanding the Cherokee Nation,” a work by WCU associate professor of history Andrew Denson that examines 19th-century Cherokee political rhetoric to addresses the contradiction between the sovereignty of Indian nations and the political weakness of Indian communities.

For more information about the signing, contact Joyce Cooper, membership manager at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, at 828.497.3481, extension 305.

The Marianna Black Library will hold its next community jam from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16.

Anyone with a banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle (anything unplugged) is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed or you can come by to just listen.

The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Normally Larry calls out a tune and its key signature, and the group plays it together, but there’s also a chance for anyone to share with the group a song they would like to perform. The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn the old-time mountain songs.

The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month. Marianna Black Library is located in Downtown Bryson City at the corner of Academy and Rector. For more information call the library at 828.488.3030.

The renowned Oak Ridge Boys will play at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center in  Franklin.

The Oak Ridge Boys have carved out a huge following with their unmistakable four-part harmony. They have produced dozens of hit songs including “You’re the One in a Million,” “I’m Settin’ Fancy Free,” “Sail Away,” and “Elvira.“

The group has earned just about every industry accolade available, including Grammy, Dove, ACM, and CMA awards. Their newest albums, “The Boys are Back,” and “The Oak Ridge Boys: A Gospel Journey,” are now available.

For ticket information visit www.greatmountainmusic.com or call 828.524.1598.

The Western Carolina Community Chorus will be joined by The Smoky Mountain Brass and Friends for a gala concert at 8 p.m. on Friday evening, Dec. 17. 

The performance will be presented in the Music Recital Hall, located in the Coulter Building on the Western Carolina University Cullowhee campus.

The two music groups will collaborate in presenting “Christmas Voices and Brass,” a medley of Christmas carols, old and new.  Many of the titles are familiar favorites, and all are being presented in settings composed and arranged by Richard Trevarthen and James Dooley, both retired professors of music at Western Carolina University.  Dooley, also long-time director of the chorus, will conduct the performance.

The Western Carolina Community Chorus is the oldest community choral group in western North Carolina. The organization is sponsored by Western Carolina University, the Jackson County Arts Council, and the Grassroots Program of the North Carolina Arts Council. Since its inception in 1970, it has performed some 80 concerts in fifteen different locations throughout the region.

There is no admission charge, but response to the chorus’ annual holiday concerts is generally excellent, and everyone should plan to arrive a few minutes early to ensure good seating.

The sixth annual Mountain Dulcimer Winter Weekend, sponsored by Western Carolina University, will be held Thursday through Sunday, Jan. 6-9, at the Terrace Hotel at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

Longtime music educators Elaine and Larry Conger will host this year’s event, which includes classes in mountain dulcimer taught by Anne Lough, Dave Haas and Joe Collins; bowed dulcimer with Ken Bloom; and — new this year — hammered dulcimer with Lough and Ruth Smith. Instruction also will be offered in waltzes for dulcimer, Native American flute music, fast Celtic tunes, hymns and more. The Congers, Miller, Marsha Harris and Will Peebles, director of the School of Music at WCU, will teach elective classes.

Registration for the event is now open at dulcimer.wcu.edu. Tuition for playing participants is $149 and includes all activities. A nonparticipant rate of $40 also is available, which includes attendance at jams, nightly events and Sunday morning singing. Reservations for accommodations should be made separately through the Terrace Hotel at 800.222.4930 or 828.452.2881. Some meals are included with accommodations.

For more information, contact Bobby Hensley of WCU’s Division of Educational Outreach at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.7397.

The Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department will plan to offer a day camp for children in grades 1 through 5 at the Waynesville Recreation Center on days that school has been cancelled due to snow. The decision will be made by 8 a.m. that day depending on the availability of staff. Please call ahead to verify if the camp will take place.

The cost is $15 for members or $20 for non-members. Please bring a lunch, two snacks, a swimsuit, towel, warm clothes, sneakers, a quiet activity such as a book and an extra blanket. For more information or to register please call 828.456.2030 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Highlands-Cashiers Players are holding audtions from 3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 19 and from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 20 for the performance of “You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running” by Robert Anderson.

The collection of four unrelated, one-act comedy plays cover a range of topics: a director’s and producer’s difference of opinion on stage nudity, a couple shopping for twin beds after 25 years of marriage, parents discussing the sex education of their almost adult children, and an elderly couple with memory problems trying in vain to recall their earlier relationships. 

This play, with its amusing, lengthy title, was one of the most successful comedies in Broadway history. There are parts for men and women ages 25 to 70.

For more information call Donna Cochran at 828.526.2080

During the month of December the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will continue to show family Christmas favorites. 

The movies are shown every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., are free to the public and projected onto an 8-by-10 foot screen, with a theater sound system. The library will also be giving away one free movie check out voucher to each patron who attends the movie.

Due to production studio guidelines, the library may not include movie titles in its print advertising. Please call the library 828.488.3030 for information on the movie, including its title.

On Saturday, Dec.18, the Marianna Black Library invites children of all ages to participate in making Christmas ornaments at 11 a.m. For more information call 828.488.3030 or go to www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.

Balsam Range will perform a concert with Tony Rice and Bobby Hicks at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 17 at the Colonial Theater in Canton.

Balsam Range is renowned bluegrass band based in Haywood County whose members include Buddy Melton, Tim Surrett, Marc Pruett, Caleb Smith and Darren Nicholson. Each one has extensive music credentials, and each brings a well-rounded, unique contribution to the fresh sound of this new bluegrass band.

The Canton concert includes nationally known artists Tony Rice and Bobby Hicks for what Balsam Range’s web site is calling a “Christmas party.”

Admission is $15. For tickets and information call 828.235.2760 or visit www.balsamrange.com.

The Haywood County Public Library will hold its first ever Lego® construction contest at 9 a.m. on Jan. 29

Youth Services Librarian Carole Dennis had the idea for a Lego® contest partly based on her own children’s interest in the popular building block toys, and partly from reading about other libraries holding Lego® competitions. Another consideration was to have something for kids to do after the Christmas holidays during the winter days when other activities might be limited.

“There’s sometimes a letdown after the holidays and kids have been looking forward to Christmas so intensely all year, and then it’s over. I’m hoping this will help extend the fun of the holidays a bit longer,” said Dennis.

The library’s Lego® Extravaganza Contest will require pre-registration due to the limited amount of space available for construction and display in the library’s auditorium.  

“According to my best estimate, we’ll only have display space available for 30 projects,” explained Dennis. Registration forms are available in the Children’s Department of the Waynesville branch of the Haywood County Library. Rules for the contest will be posted on the library’s website (www.haywoodlibrary.org). The contest is open to children between the ages of 5-18 and children can enter as individuals or as a team.

“We’re trying to have some relation to books and reading, so for our first contest we’re asking kids to design a character, vehicle or scene from their favorite book or movie,” said Dennis. “That leaves a lot of room for creativity as a character can include a real or imagined person or animal, and a vehicle could be anything from a bicycle to a space ship.”

Dennis encouraged participants to plan ahead what they would make for the contest, as none of the building bricks can be assembled before the contest.

“The only way that I could make sure that the kids were doing all the work themselves was to have them do all the work here during the contest. We’ll give everyone two hours to build their entry here in the auditorium and then we’ll break for lunch. The judges will make their decisions and we’ll have the winners announced by mid-afternoon,” Dennis explained.

There is still a need for volunteers to serve as judges and Carole Dennis is actively seeking donations for prizes from area businesses.

“We’ve had a good response so far from several businesses offering incentives for all participants, but I would like to have some special gifts for the first-, second- and third-place winners in each of our five age categories,” Dennis stated.  

Parents, teachers and community leaders are encouraged to call Ms. Dennis at 828.356.2511 to volunteer as judges or timekeepers.

Winners of the Lego® Extravaganza Contest will also have the option of leaving their creations on display in the library’s downstairs display case beginning Monday, Jan. 31 through mid-February:

“If they can stand being without their Legos® that long,” said Dennis.  Children who have made Lego® constructions at home and are unable to participate in the contest, can contact Dennis at 828.356.2511 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if they would like to loan their creations for display in January.

Editor’s note: This letter was written by Waynesville’s planning director in response to Mary Lamb’s letter above.

Dear Ms. Lamb

Thank you for copying me on your message to Mayor Gavin Brown. I can’t speak for the mayor, but I was frustrated that most of your questions seemed to be aimed at attacking our process rather than genuine questions to gather information about the draft ordinance. Many people have worked very hard to produce the product that you have attacked even before understanding what it contains. My concern at both community meetings was that your insistent, repetitive and argumentative statements were dominating the meeting to the exclusion of comments from other citizens that pertained to the actual content of the ordinance.

Our steering committee was never intended to be demographically balanced. The criteria for selection was experience with the Town’s development regulations. All were appointed directly or indirectly by your elected representatives. All meetings of this committee were open and members of the media did occasionally attend.

As you have the opportunity to review the draft ordinance, I am hopeful that you will appreciate some of the changes even if you don’t agree with others. Please let us know what you don’t agree with, and how in your opinion it can be improved. That is the type of feedback that will be effective in making the ordinance better.

I’m sure you realize that all development ordinances represent compromise, so it’s unlikely that everyone will be completely pleased with the result of the revision. However, the objective of this process as I see it is to produce a set of development regulations that are more user-friendly and more importantly will make Waynesville a better place.

Paul Benson

Waynesville Planning Director

To the Editor:

Like so many other young couples, my husband and I felt so blessed when he landed a job in this area five years ago and we were able to move and start a family in Waynesville. We had looked at living in Sylva, but immediately were attracted to the historic character and charm of this dear town and seriously impressed with the well-thought out planning of the downtown, where we currently live. 

This interest in being a part of a vibrant, beautiful community led me to attend a meeting hosted by Paul Benson, planner for the town of Waynesville, on Tuesday in which the town’s newly drafted land development standards were presented to the public. Benson explained that over a more than two-year period, a committee appointed by our respected town board reviewed the old land development standards, coming up with a completely new document to be enacted into law — a document that would entirely replace our current standards. 

Mr. Benson said that only 10 percent of the current law would effectively be changed; however, the changes he discussed I found to be on very critical issues (parking, setbacks, landscaping, to name just a few). Many of these changes could alter the originally planned landscape, making it appear more and more like suburban strip malls and big box centers of larger cities, not the quaint mountain town we love and that tourists love to visit.

Residents wishing to make changes to improve and protect the character of their neighborhoods have been told that this review process would be their opportunity to organize and make changes.  But even after news outlets have advertised the public meeting times, the public still needs ample time to review, digest and discuss the more than 300-page document that is currently the law, along with the new 200-plus page document being proposed to supersede it. These documents are written in entirely different forms, making it very time-consuming to compare and contrast them. 

Currently, neither Mr. Benson nor his committee have offered the public an easy to read list of all changes from the old law to the new—only summaries they wish to highlight and that are admittedly incomplete.  They are putting the burden of review on the public, a process that again is complicated and lengthy.

Currently, the town planning board is set to begin discussion and possibly even vote on the new standards Monday, Dec. 20. This would only allow concerned citizens two and a half weeks (during the Christmas season) to review it. I would urge interested citizens to contact the Town Board and urge them to delay all voting on this plan until at least March to allow interested citizens time to read, meet and develop their own concerns for consideration.   

What is the vision of Waynesville’s residents for their future? A handful of men only have spent two years revising the original standards which were developed and adopted (in 2003) with both men and women actively involved. Allowing folks a couple of months to give feedback is not too much to ask. The standards adopted by the town greatly affect the beauty, character, economic development and general sustainability of our community. 

What you can do to help:

1. Email or call the Waynesville Aldermen, the chair of the Planning Board and the Town Planner and ask them in your own words to postpone any vote on adopting the Land Development Standards until at least March.

Mayor Gavin Brown, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 828.452.2491

Alderman Gary Caldwell, 828.456.3138

Alderman Elizabeth Feichter, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 828.456-6918

Alderman J. Wells Greeley, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 828.456.7288

Alderman LeRoy Roberson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 828.456.7142

Town Planner Paul Benson, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 828.456.2004

Planning Board Chair Patrick McDowell, 828.508.4932

2. Attend the Waynesville Planning Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20, in the upstairs room of the new downtown police station to ask the entire planning board to postpone their critical vote on this issue until at least March.

3. Forward this letter and info to anyone Waynesville residents you know who are concerned with Smart Growth, historic preservation and maintaining the character and charm of our community. Post information on any Facebook or other social networking site you regularly use to contact your Waynesville friends, family, co-workers and neighbors.

4. Contact me with your other ideas on how we can work fast to take advantage of this window of opportunity for making positive change in our community. A small group of concerned citizens is currently forming to carefully review the new plan and we would love your help.

Mary Alice Lamb

Waynesville

Robert “Rob” Hawk, a Whittier resident and the former community resource development agent in this region for the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, last month became the new county extension director for Jackson and Swain counties.

Hawk replaced Jeff Seiler, who retired in October 2009, after serving as county extension director in both counties for 10 years.

Hawk has held the position of community resource development agent, based in Waynesville, since 2004. He also has worked as an area extension agent for community development, based in Sylva (2000-2003) and as a community development, agriculture and 4-H Extension agent in Cherokee (1997-2000).

Hawk earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation and leisure administration from the University of Tennessee and a master’s degree in parks, recreation and tourism management, with a minor in public policy and resource economics, from N.C. State University.

The Smoky Mountain News asked Hawk a few questions about his plans for Jackson and Swain counties. Here’s what he said in reply:

Q: What administrative changes do you plan on making, if any?

A: Administratively there are no changes to be made at this time, due to a shortage in the budgets for additional staff. Hopefully in 2011 we can regain our family and consumer science extension agent back to the Swain County Extension Center.

Q: What special problems come for a director answering to commissioners and residents of two counties?

A: There is really not a problem serving two counties … I have been an area extension agent for the last 10 years covering 10 counties from Buncombe County west. There may be a slight challenge in doing everything administratively twice instead of once.

Q: There is no one on staff for the extension service in Jackson and Swain counties with particular experience dealing with livestock. Any plans to address this gap?

A: There are plans to hopefully hire a livestock agent in Macon County, who would also serve the counties of Macon, Swain and Jackson, the same area that is covered by the Jackson, Macon and Swain Cattleman’s Association. Until that happens I will cover livestock requests for Jackson and Swain counties. I realize the livestock folks have been without an agent to help them, so we will do our best to serve them in the future because livestock is very important to our two counties agriculturally.

Q: What special areas of interest do you bring to the job of director?

A: My interests are in community and leadership development, in which I provide facilitation and educational programs to help individuals and both public and private businesses to advance their business and mission through improving their leadership skills. Customer service and hospitality education is another interest of mine in working with the businesses in both counties. Another major interest is conservation education with the youth of both counties, and my goal is to help the youth learn to enjoy, appreciate and respect our great natural resources in the two counties.

Q: What is the overall goal of your office staff?

A: Extension educational programming and (answering) individual requests are our means for effectiveness and strength in Jackson and Swain counties. Our extension staff believes in being out in the community helping others learn how to help themselves, which helps makes better communities in both counties.

The Haywood County Board of Commissioners will hold two public hearings at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 20, in the Historic Courtroom of the Haywood County Courthouse.

The first public hearing will be for the purpose of receiving public input on a proposed Public Health and Solid Waste Awareness and Compliance Ordinance. The proposed ordinance was drafted by an advisory committee established by the board of commissioners in September. A draft of the proposed ordinance is available in the Recent Updates section of the county website, www.haywoodnc.net.

The second public hearing will be to receive input on a proposed modification to the Junaluska Fire Service District concerning the removal of Lakemont Condominiums from the district.

For more information contact the Haywood County Manager’s Office at 828.452.6625.

Conrad Burrell, a member of the state’s Board of Transportation and chairman of Southwestern Community College’s board of trustees, underwent surgery Monday for fractured vertebrae in his neck.

“The surgery went well,” Joel Seltzer, who oversees this region for the N.C. Department of Transportation, said. “He is resting after surgery and will be in the hospital for several days. It is unsure when he may be released. He is expected to make a full recovery.”

Burrell, who is a Sylva resident, tripped and fell down a set of stairs last week after a board of transportation function in Raleigh. He was taken to Wake Medical Center.

Burrell is long-time public servant in Jackson County who has served as register of deeds and a county commissioner in the past.

Jackson Paper Manufacturing hosted more than 45 local elementary students and their families at the company’s Christmas for Kids party on Dec. 11.

The guests were joined at the gathering by the children of employees of Jackson Paper. Staff at Jackson County’s elementary schools selected the students who attended.

“This annual event is a highlight of the Christmas season for us,” said Tim Campbell, President and CEO of Jackson Paper. “Our employees work all year long to make this party as special and memorable as possible, and we are so pleased to be able to include children from across our community.”

Party-goers enjoyed three hours of games and crafts, lunch and a visit with Santa Claus. Each child received a toy or game, a goodie bag and other prizes.

This is the ninth year that Jackson Paper has hosted Christmas for Kids. Party organizers were Human Resources Department staff Angie Rogers, Heather Stillwell and Renee Phillips, with help from 25 employees and family member volunteers.

Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co. is an independently-owned mill in Sylva that produces 100-percent recycled paper used by independent box manufacturers to make the fluted layer of corrugated boxes.

For more information on Jackson Paper, visit www.jacksonpaper-nc.com/.

The Maggie Valley Moonlight Race will return in 2011, once again enticing runners from near and far to lace up their sneakers in the dark.

“After a two-year absence, Glory Hound Events is proud to bring back this fixture of the Western North Carolina running scene,” said Greg Duff, race organizer. “Runners should be pleased to know that we are planning to restore some of the traditions of the past, as well as incorporate some modern aspects for the 30th running.”

Hosted by the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Moonlight Race will be held Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011. Those participating in the 8K race will gather at the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds for the race start and run the same course as was used in 2008, Duff said. The course takes runners 1.2 miles up the valley to Ghost Town, then 2.4 miles in the opposite direction, before returning them 1.2 miles to the finish line back at the fairgrounds.

“The Maggie Valley Area Chamber and Visitors Bureau is extremely pleased to bring back the Moonlight Race in August 2011 for its 30th year,” said Teresa Smith, Chamber president. “Runners from all over the world have flocked to the valley throughout the years to participate in the Moonlight Race, and the businesses are happy to have the boost to the local economy that participants provide.”

The first Maggie Valley Moonlight Race was held on Aug. 4, 1979, with more than 830 participants. From its start the nighttime race was popular with elite and amateur runners alike, some of whom traveled great distances and from other continents to participate. In its early years, the Moonlight Race’s sizable winner’s purse attracted internationally-recognized runners from as far away as Australia, New Zealand and Kenya. While prize money is no longer available, Moonlight runners continue to be challenged by the difficulty of this course, Duff said.

“The valley appears to offer a relatively flat course, but the climb toward the Ghost Town parking lot is a tough one,” said Duff.

“The town of Maggie Valley is excited to be working with Greg Duff of Glory Hound Events to promote the 30th running of the Moonlight Race,” said Audrey Hager, Maggie Valley’s director of special events and festivals.

Just as was the case in 1979, town officials hope the return of the Moonlight Race will bring visitors in close contact with Maggie Valley’s many businesses and hotels rooms. “We believe this important event will bring economic stimulus to the businesses and put Maggie Valley back on the map,” said Hager.

“We are grateful to the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce and the town of Maggie Valley for their complete support of this endeavor,” said Duff. “We look forward to once again seeing hundreds of people running in the valley this August.”

Major sponsors for the returning Moonlight Race to date include Mission Health Systems and The Smoky Mountain News. Registration for the event will open on Feb. 1, 2011. All event information, including a link to online registration, is being updated as it becomes available at www.maggievalleymoonlightrun.com.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park will hold the 35th annual Festival of Christmas Past celebration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Sugarlands Visitor Center.  

The event, sponsored in cooperation with Great Smoky Mountains Association, is free to the public.

This annual celebration of the culture of the Smoky Mountain people, with an emphasis on the Christmas season, was the brainchild of Glenn Cardwell, former Park Ranger and Supervisor at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, 35 years ago.  

“The Festival of Christmas Past has become an institution here at Sugarlands over the decades, much like Glenn himself,” said Kent Cave, North District Resource Education Supervisor. “We always look forward to sharing the traditions of Christmas’ past with Smokies visitors, and in that way continue a tradition of our own,” he added.

The festival will include old-time mountain music featuring the Lost Mill String Band, Boogertown Gap band, and South of the River Boys (who have been a part of the festival since its first years). Demonstrations of traditional domestic skills such as the making of baskets, traditional textiles, quilts, and apple butter will be ongoing throughout the day.  Other special programs include:

• 9:30 a.m. – “Old-fashioned Harp Singing” led by Bruce Wheeler, Paul Clabo and Martha Graham.

• Noon – Charles Maynard telling stories of the holiday season  

• 2 p.m. –  “Stories of the Past” session, presented by the Smoky Mountain Historical Society  

• 11a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – “Memories Along the Trail” Costumed interpreters will lead a short walk from the visitor center and talk about life in the mountains during the holidays in the early days of the 1880s to the 1930s

The Sugarlands Visitor Center is located on Newfound Gap Road (U.S. Highway 441), two miles south of Gatlinburg. For more information call the visitor center at 865.436.1291.

Harvests of sweet corn, tomatoes, and other produce wrapped up weeks ago, but Haywood County farmers still have plenty to offer this holiday season — everything from Christmas trees and wreaths to smoked trout and other meats.

“Many shoppers connected with local farms and farmers last holiday season,” said Anne Lancaster, project assistant for the Buy Haywood program, which promotes high-quality farm products to community-minded consumers. “This year, we are featuring even more ways for local residents and visitors to get ready for the holidays right here in Haywood County.”

Other Haywood County farm products available this holiday season include poinsettias, honey, smoked tomato jam, and tomato sauces. For more details about these products, as well as retail purchase information, shoppers can go online to www.buyhaywood.com/listings.

The Buy Haywood project is managed by the Haywood County Economic Development Commission, and it receives support from the Golden LEAF Foundation, Haywood Advancement Foundation, Johnson’s Packing House, Haywood County TDA, Bethel Rural Community Organization, and the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project.

Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley is off to another strong start to its season.

“We’ve been open since Nov. 6,” said Cataloochee General Manager Chris Bates. “We have a base of anywhere between 18 to 80 inches. And the weather for snowmaking looks great for the next couple of weeks.”

Currently there are 11 trails and three lifts operating over a groomed surface.

Despite a lot of equipment upgrades during this offseason, Cataloochee ticket prices will remain the same for this season and all of the ski area’s great programs like Family Day, which starts Jan. 12, will be in place.

According to Bates, last Sunday’s partnership with Haywood Christian Ministries drew its largest crowd ever.

“And we are happy to be able to partner with them to make a difference in the community,” he said.

Additions to enhance skiing at Cataloochee this year include 30 new snowmakers and two new grooming tractors. Bates said the advance in equipment and computerization since Cataloochee revamped in 2004 has been amazing. “It’s like going from a car that gets 18 miles to the gallon to one that gets 35 miles to the gallon.”

The new equipment and dip in temperatures are really aiding Cataloochee’s snowmaking abilities. “We can make snow at 28 degrees,” Bates said, “but with the new equipment and technology, when the temperature falls to 7 degrees, like now, our capacity increases 25 fold.”

Cataloochee also boasts over 4,000 sets of snow sports equipment. According to Bates that includes 700 new pairs of rental skis.

To the Editor:

I was surprised to find my views somewhat misstated in Quintin Ellison’s column, “Kephart, Transplants and the Debate over Legitimacy” (http://www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/2789-kephart-transplants-and-the-debate-over-legitimacy) in the Nov. 24 edition. After thinking about it over the weekend, I decided to comment on some of the worst distortions.

In my view, the heart of the current controversy is not the fact that Horace Kephart drank (and therefore represented a flawed and undependable source of information), but that Kephart’s fervent admirers steadfastly denied that he drank at all.

Now, Ms. Ellison acknowledges that Kephart “was a drunk” and concludes “So What?” In my opinion, we would not be having this controversy if someone had made that frank admission from the beginning. When I first began to run into the distinction between the way Horace was characterized by his neighbors in Swain County, and the reputation he acquired as a skilled and eloquent spokesman for the culture and tradition of Appalachian people, it quickly became evident that Kephart’s character was being augmented and enriched.

I heartily agree that the fact that the man had a fondness for moonshine has absolutely nothing to do with his contributions — not only in preserving our language and traditions, but in being the driving force for creating the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

However, in their enthusiasm to present the man in a favorable light, “someone” decided that he didn’t drink at all.

A decade ago, a talented young musician named Daniel Gore, who is based in Oregon, came to see me.  In essence, he wanted me to write a play about Kephart. Quite frankly, I was delighted.  At the time, Gore had an album, “Ways That are Dark” that was based on Our Southern Highlanders (one song for each chapter in the book). He gave me an advance and I started writing, but before I could finish the first act, we were at odds. 

I had mentioned the fact that Kephart met Granville Calhoun at the Medlin depot “drunk as a skunk.” Gore told me that Kephart’s family would not tolerate any mention of his drinking since they believed such accusations were totally false. Wow! There was a conclusion that was contrary to local history. 

I made a half-hearted attempt to write a version that Gore would accept, but I failed. I explained to Gore that, in my opinion, a man’s flaws gave him a richness of character, and that by overcoming his alcoholism (which was just one of his flaws, mind you), Kephart was more deserving of praise than had he been a teetotaler. Ah, but no, a stuffed and proper Kephart was already being ushered on stage.

Now, here is the sad thing about this issue. Buried somewhere in all of those distortions was a marvelous man. A drunken and bawdy Kephart sitting before a roaring fire with Quill Rose and a half-dozen bear-hunters and ballad-singers and moonshiners is a vibrant and exciting person. A man smelling of moonshine and sweat among his friends is far more appealing than this solemn and pompous fellow that is being celebrated now. Methinks I detect a faint smell of sanctity and b.s.

I can’t respond to much that I find in Ms. Ellison’s “setting the record straight.” I certainly never denied that Kephart could write, nor was I so foolish as to conclude that he could not write about mountain folks since “he was not from here.” I do feel that apt as his conclusions frequently were, he sometimes missed the point, and yes, it is because he was not a product of the culture that he attempts to define. His desire to “entertain” his readers often lead him into exaggerations and unfounded conclusions.  On occasion, he was just plain wrong. He was a “discerning outsider” .... a quality that he shares with many of his most ardent fans.

I heartily concur with Ms. Ellison’s recommendation that the best source to determine Kephart’s gifts and flaws is Our Southern Highlanders.

Gary Carden

Sylva

To the Editor:

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is proposing high-impact road modifications for N.C. 107 and is planning to build a new $132 million highway through our county.

Thursday, Dec. 9, is the last day to submit comments, concerns, ideas and suggestions related to the NCDOT proposed options for major work on N.C. 107. To find out more about the NC 107 Connector, visit the DOT website at www.ncdot.gov/projects/nc107connector/.

Your comments are extremely important. If you have not already done so, please take a moment to send in your comments about these road projects before the end of the day, Dec. 9, to the following addresses:

• Mr. Derrick Lewis, P.E., NCDOT-Feasability Studies Unit, 1534 Mail Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1534. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Mr. Mark Reep, P.E., Florence & Hutcheson Inc., 5121 Kingdom Way, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC 27609. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please make multiple copies of your comments and send a copy to each of our elected representatives and to the local media. Smart Roads would also appreciate a copy of your comments and concerns.

If you would like to get more involved or would like detailed information about these and other transportation issues affecting our community, please visit the Smart Roads website at: www.smartroads.org

Jason Kimenker

Sylva

Mary Selzer received the “Library Friend of the Year” award at the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association meeting in Chapel Hill on Dec. 2.

Karen Wallace, director of the Fontana Regional Library, nominated Selzer for this award.

“Mary Otto Selzer is an extraordinary volunteer in the Friends of Jackson County Main Library (FOJCML) in Sylva,” wrote Wallace in her nomination. “Through her creative and dedicated leadership, she has lifted the Friends organization to a new level of excellence …. Moreover, her guidance has enabled the FOJCML to successfully drive a fundraising campaign for the new Jackson County Public Library Complex that has raised over $1.8 million for furnishings, fixtures, and equipment.”

The Macon County League of Women Voters will sponsor a program on the Natural Areas Inventory of Macon County at 12:15 p.m. on Dec. 9.

The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) works to identify and protect the best examples of the state’s natural areas. For the last two years Ed Schwartzman, inventory biologist with NCNHP, has been working in Macon County, exploring the peaks and valleys looking for unique places and documenting them in order to promote their conservation.

From the high summit of Standing Indian to the granite domes of Highlands and across the Cowee Mountains to the Little Tennessee River valley, Schwartzman has turned up populations of rare plants, animals, and unique habitats such as bogs and old-growth forest. He will show pictures and discuss these special areas and how landowners, researchers, and the public benefit from knowing about them.

The program will be held at Tartan Hall in Franklin. Lunch is available at noon, by reservation. Call 828.371.0527 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The program will begin at 12:15.

The public is invited.

Haywood Community College’s Small Business Center and the Greater Haywood Chamber of Commerce have partnered to offer a free seminar on “Doing Business with the Government” from 10 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Dec. 16.

It will be held on campus in the Student Center.

Business owners will discover how to get the basics of contracting, including identifying sales opportunities; evaluate federal and state solicitations for jobs; register their business; find assistance resources; understand the bid process; and match their firm with the various SBA and other federal contracting preference programs to maximize their firm’s marketability.

Presenters include Clark Fields, procurement technical assistance counselor with the N.C. SBTDC/Procurement Technical Assistance Center, and Mike Arriola, senior area manager with the U.S. Small Business Administration.  

Call the HCC Small Business Center at 828.627.4512 for more information or to preregister.

Haywood Community College faculty and staff members collected a total of $2,924.00 for United Way to be used for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The funds were raised through the college’s annual campaign. This year’s campaign was led by instructors Susan Roberts and Jodi Wijewickrama. Through the Imagination Library, children ages newborn up to five years who are enrolled in the program receive one free book a month. As educators, this program is especially important to provide an early foundation for a love of reading in our young children. In 2009, 820 children were enrolled in this program in Haywood County.

Haywood Animal Welfare Association delivers 1,600 pounds of pet food per week to the local pantries and assists some cat colony caretakers with cat food.  

The pet food distributed through the pantries advertizes HAWA’s low-cost spay/neuter program.  This year the number of spay/neuter surgeries provided at no cost has increased dramatically.  All Haywood County pet owners can use HAWA’s service but most of the clients HAWA serves are low-middle to low-income people who cannot afford regular vet fees. Forty percent of the surgeries provided in November were fully subsidized by HAWA with the owners paying for the rabies vaccination.

“Life is good for so many of us but the fact is that the economic climate has forced many people in our community to turn their pets over to the Animal Services Shelter because they can no longer afford to keep them,” says Penny Wallace, HAWA’s executive director. “To prevent as many such tragedies as possible, HAWA volunteers labor in a shed without any form of climate control to provide as much pet food as possible to three county food pantries to help pet owners through tough times and keep their pets.”

To help HAWA keep this service to the community going, mail your gift marked “pet food” to HAWA, PO Box 992, Waynesville, N.C., 28786, or you can drop gifts and pet food off at HAWA’s office at 145 Wall Street in Waynesville. Call 828.452.1329 for more information and/or directions.

Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center is waiving the usual initiation fee on six-month memberships as a holiday gift to the community.

The special is valid through Jan. 7. Since Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center opened in 1998, it has remained the leading hospital-based fitness center in the 17-county Western North Carolina region. The center offers an indoor six-lane heated pool, a gymnasium and climbing wall, two racquetball courts, two massage therapy rooms, health promotion programs, group fitness, state-of-the-art exercise equipment, sauna and steam rooms, locker rooms and a full-service nursery.

Payment for this special offer must be made from a checking account or credit card draft. Gift certificates are available. For more information call 828.452.8080.

A recent decision by a North Caroline administrative law judge has denied Evergreen Packaging’s attempt to dismiss the case filed by Cocke County, Tenn., and seven Tennessee and North Carolina based groups against the wastewater permit for its Canton pulp and paper mill.

In addition to challenging the water discharge permit, the Southern Environmental Law Center also filed a challenge to a separate document, the mill’s color “variance.” The variance, say the environmental groups, has allowed the facility to continue to exceed the state’s narrative standard for dark color in the Pigeon River since the 1980s.

The ruling means that the case will now move forward. Clean Water Expected in Tennessee, Clean Water for North Carolina, Cocke County, Tenn., Tennessee Conservation Voters, Tennessee Scenic Rivers, Tennessee Chapter of Sierra Club and the Western North Carolina Alliance are represented by attorneys from the Southern Environmental Law Center in the case filed in July.

Western Carolina University will honor its fall graduating class, and recognize a group of graduates who received their degrees after this year’s summer school sessions, as the university holds fall commencement at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18.

The ceremony at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center is open to everyone and no tickets are required for admission. WCU Chancellor John W. Bardo will preside over commencement and deliver the charge to the fall semester degree candidates and summer graduates.

WCU’s fall class includes about 690 students who are currently completing academic requirements to receive their degrees. Graduates who completed degree requirements during summer school and who already have been conferred degrees also are eligible to participate in the ceremony.

Commencement activities will include the awarding of a posthumous honorary doctor of arts degree to Josefina Maria Niggli, a writer and teacher who led the development of WCU’s theater arts program and inspired legions of students during her two decades of teaching at the university. WCU’s Office of Undergraduate Studies coordinated a campuswide celebration of Niggli’s life during the 2009-10 academic year to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth.

WCU senior Lucas Owen Ladnier, a Hickory native and member of the Honors College, will deliver the primary commencement address.

The commencement audience should enter the Ramsey Center through one of four upper concourse doors. Those with physical disabilities should use the northeastern upper entrance, adjacent to the stands of E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

For more information about commencement, contact the WCU Registrar’s Office at 828.227.7216 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

I would like to speak still in support of reinstating Al Slagle to the planning board and against appointing anyone, ever to the planning board or any other board, who is actively opposed to the missions and procedures of that board. People who oppose land-use regulation and actively work against it, no matter how reasonable, moderate and needed it is, will be a detriment to this board. Al Slagle, on the other hand, has worked hard to develop reasonable, moderate and much-needed standards for slope development. I would also ask that you include the planning board in decisions about who its members will be.

You would not put someone on the library board who wants to end public support for libraries or someone on the EDC who opposes all government participation in economic development. It’s been said that we need diversity of opinion on the board. As far as representing the interests of development, quite a few planning board members are involved financially in some aspect of development, building and real estate, so the interests of that industry are well represented. If you want more diversity, we could use the knowledge of an engineer, architect, community organizer, someone in health services or social services or land conservation, a biologist, forester, hydrologist, outdoor recreation worker, cultural or natural historian, wildlife manager.

It’s time for us to support the needs and rights of the landowner and homeowner, of the community, of the environment, and of future generations rather than the short-term profits of some developers who want no controls and no accountability.

Too many times we’ve unconditionally supported the rights of developers only to be left with substandard development and empty lots that now threaten our local economy, environment and safety. On Thursday night, the courtroom was filled with people who wanted to express their support for planning, for Al Slagle and slope-development standards, and against inappropriate appointments to the board.

We ask now and in the future you build a stronger planning board, rather than weakening it. You will earn the respect and gratitude of many good people in the process. Thank you for your consideration.

First off, I would like to thank Chairman Beale and the commissioners for meeting with us jointly tonight. And thank the planning board members, the comprehensive plan subcommittee members, and the safe slope development workgroup members for attending. And thank you to the public in attendance. We can see from the attendance that many people care about planning in Macon County.

Our work is important for so many reasons. We hear over and over during campaigns and we read in numerous surveys and studies, that planning is the most important issue in Macon County. And it’s not an issue divided between Democrats and Republicans, liberal or conservative in the true sense — because we believe in looking smartly at the way this county develops in an effort to conserve resources for the future, to build a strong stable economy and to protect property rights and the quality of life and heritage that has drawn and kept so much investment in this county.

Another indication that this work is so important is the fact that our board and subcommittees are made up of volunteers. Every member of our board has a family and obligations, yet they volunteer countless hours with the hope that their time will make a difference for future generations. I keep hearing how we need a different voice on the planning board or how we need diverse opinions. Well, if you’ve ever been to a board meeting, you would know that we have that covered. We disagree on almost everything, but in the end we come to consensus. And we agree on the basic principles of planning for the future of the county. And none of our volunteers, no matter how much he or she might disagree, works actively against the board, as was the case with Mr. Goodman. We agree to disagree and then we get down to the hard work.

Among the most active of our volunteers is Al Slagle. Al comes from an old Macon County family that has a long history of public service. Al has been working hard over the past year with our safe slopes workgroup. He has put together one of the most diverse groups of people and built a consensus among them. On the workgroup with Al, who is a retired geologist, is Paul Shuler, a grading contractor, Susan Ervin, a planning board member, Reggie Holland, a building and developer, Stacy Guffey, former county planner who now works on preservation and economic development, Barry Clinton, a scientist from Coweeta Lab who studies the forestry and hydrology of our mountains, and John Becker, a local real estate agent. This group of volunteers, appointed by the planning board, have developed a set of reasonable recommendations to guide us as we develop safe slope-development practices. And along the way, they have helped build a consensus among their family, friends and peers in their professions; so that we can now say we have tremendous support in the community for addressing slope development issues. This is the reason we cannot afford to lose Al Slagle as a planning board member.

Like the rest of the nation, our local economy is in bad shape. We need investment and we need jobs. The way we get those is through smart planning that creates a safe environment for investment that will lead to job creation. But that’s not what Macon County offers right now. What we offer is a “caveat emptor,” “buyer beware” atmosphere. For example, if I buy a used car down at the local lot and the brakes don’t work on that car, then, we come to find out, the salesman knew that all along, but he wanted to make the sale, so he didn’t disclose. Well, a couple of things are going to happen. First of all I will never buy a car from that individual again. Secondly, I’m going to tell all my friends “don’t buy anything from that car lot because you don’t know what you’re getting.” The same thing is happening right now with our county.

People who’ve invested in property here only to see that property affected by slides or erosion and runoff on their on property or their neighbors’ property. They in turn are telling their friends.

Over the long term, that’s going to hurt us. People will invest in areas where they know that their investment, not only in the monetary value of the property, but also their expectation of quality of life, will be protected. And some people will say that this can all be settled in court. Is that what we want for our county? A litigious county? Does that look good to potential investors and property owners?

Let’s be straight here. The reason people move to this county and stay in this county and invest in this county is because of clean water, the small-town atmosphere, the slower pace of life, fresh air, farmland, open space, and the most beautiful mountains in the world.

As a developer, I can say that we were well on our way to destroying those very things before the economic downturn. Now is our one and only chance to get things right, to protect our assets like any smart businessperson would do, and to build a strong stable economy for future generations.

We have sat by as people from faraway places have promised us the moon if only we would stay out of their way and let them develop. Well that promise has come and gone and we’re left with unstable roads and house sites, unlivable homes, and hundreds of foreclosed lots burdening our banks.

Folks, we’re looking at two choices — the vision that you can already see on our mountainsides, a vision that will bring short-term profit to a few. Or a vision built on our local sensibilities that works hand in hand with developers, property owners, environmentalists, long-term families and newcomers to create a strong stable economy that honors rather than destroys our way of life.

This is a critical time and that’s why we need dedicated members on this board who put personal interests aside for what’s best for the future of this county — members like Al Slagle.

I respectfully request that you remove Mr. Goodman from the planning board and appoint Al Slagle in his place. I also request that in the future, as has been the tradition, the planning board be consulted on any appointments to the board and that appointments be based on qualifications, not on political affiliations, and further that these decisions be deliberative and not on the spur of the moment because these appointments have long-term effect. I fully understand that the planning board serves at your pleasure, but it is important to our functioning as a board that we be consulted on any changes. We have to have a cohesive board in order to be effective. And finally, I would like to request that the board of commissioners and planning board communicate on a regular basis so that we can build a better understanding between the two boards.

On a personal note. At this point, I’d like to take the opportunity to address in public something I’ve been hearing that’s going around. There are some folks, and I’m pretty sure I can guess who they are, that have been spreading the rumor that Al has been working on these recommendations with the aim of (I quote) “creating himself or his family members a job.” I have known Al for many years and I can tell you that is not just a lie, it’s a damn lie. And I think such a lie speaks to the level that some people will stoop to and to the fact that when some people run out of constructive arguments they will resort to attacking good people. If you have an issue or constructive input to the work we’re doing, then please offer it, but personal attacks are just morally wrong and will only serve to undermine your argument.

The annual Christmas in the Mountains Art and Craft Show will be held Dec. 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stechoah Valley Center.

There will be as many as 20 individual craft vendors in addition to the work of more than 120 local artisans who are represented in the Stecoah Gallery. There will be free activities for children ages 4 and up including a storyteller and visits with Santa.

Stecoah will also be hosting Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, Dec. 18. Breakfast is at 9 a.m. for $3 per person and photos with Santa are available separately. Call 828.479.3364 to make your reservation.

Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center is located in a restored 1926 schoolhouse at 121 Schoolhouse Road off N.C. 28 between Bryson City and Fontana Dam. Visit www.stecoahvalleycenter.com for more information.

There will be a special holiday celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 11 at the Rickman Store in Macon County.

Potters from the Heritage Arts Program of Southwestern Community College will be at the Store for a full day of demonstrations and exhibits. Many other artisans will be displaying and selling baskets, soaps, herbal products, honey, and more.

Writer and poet Patti McClure will tell stories and read poetry at 2 p.m., followed by Sylva’s Gary Carden at 3 p.m.

Christmas tree and wreaths grown on the slopes of Cowee Mountain will be available.

For more information or to place orders for trees and wreaths call Elena at 828.369.5595.

Singers from the internationally acclaimed children’s choir Voices in the Laurel will perform a special Christmas concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Lake Junaluska. 

This year’s concert will be entitled “The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree,” with a reading by author Gloria Houston. Houston hails from Western North Carolina and this particular story is a local favorite set in the Appalachian Mountains. There will also be a special guest musician, Anne Lough, playing the mountain and hammered dulcimers befitting the theme and creating a special ambience for the concert.

The choir will perform a dramatization of parts of the story by Ms. Houston. Concert and story music will include Appalachian and southern Christmas carols, including, “I Wonder as I Wander,” “Hush My Babe,” “Children, Go Where I Send Thee,” and a special arrangement of “Rise Up Shepherd” by Malcolm Dalglish and much more.

Voices in the Laurel has toured throughout the United States, Europe and Australia since 1996, singing in venues such as the Ryman Autidorium, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Sydney Opera House. In 2012, Voices will be traveling to Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, and Prague in the Czeck Republic.

The choirs range from the Treble Makers, comprised of first- and second-graders, to the Concert choir in third through fifth grade, and the Chamber choir from sixth through twelfth grade. 

For information visit www.voicesinthelaurel.org or call 828.335.2849. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for children under 12.

By Joe Hooten • Contributing writer

If your family is like mine, we have unspoken rules regarding the amount and duration of holiday music played in our house. The rule is simple: the music comes out the day after Thanksgiving and then promptly put away the day after Santa delivers the goods. We hardly vary the theme during this intense month of celebration as it sets the mood, and if you have kids, you know they love it. Holiday tunes, not to mention the first smell of Western North Carolina fir, get me ready for the eggnog and the insane amount of wrapping that lie ahead.

I’ve always admired artists that take on the Christmas album challenge. It’s a big one because you’re going up against classic holiday heavyweights like Nat King Cole, The Rat Pack, Burl Ives and Elvis. Every year there are worthy additions to yule-time mix tapes, CDS, and playlists, and this year, Knoxville’s Scott Miller has released “Christmas Gift” a seven-song EP of folk-laden cheer that could easily qualify as your new favorite Christmas album. Comprised of original material, unique covers (Neil Young, Roger Miller, John Prine) and enjoyable renditions of some holiday classics, Miller’s endeavor shares the spirit of Christmas and extends his prominence as East Tennessee’s finest songwriter.

Miller, who plays regularly in WNC and East Tennessee and was an original member of the V-Roys, recently spoke with The Smoky Mountain News about “Christmas Gift” and the upcoming holidays.

SMN: Is the Christmas album-concept a daunting challenge?  

SM: It’s only daunting in that there are but a few “classic” Christmas songs that still get played. Some songs are re-reorded by other artists, but really, is there another version of “White Christmas” besides Bing Crosby’s?  What about Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song”? (Ok, I’m dating myself AND my parents here.) How about “Run, Run Rudolph” by Chuck Berry? “Snoopy and the Red Baron” by the Royal Guardsmen? “I’m Mr. Heat Miser?” from the Rakin/Bass movie? So when I think about my CD and the songs and performances in rotation with or in somebody’s iPod playlist with those songs, that‘s the part that is daunting. Otherwise I love Christmas. That’s easy.

SMN: How did you select the songs that appeared on the EP?

SM: Self-appointed A&R man for F.A.Y. Records, Johnny Wright-wing, chose the songs. He did ask me for a suggestion or two, but I don’t think he really listened as he was on his cell phone the whole time we were meeting trying to organize a Barbara Streisand bluegrass album to be released in Canada.

SMN: “The Kingdom Has Come” is an original of yours that’s been around for a few years. What inspired you to incorporate RB Morris’ spoken word?

SM: I approached RB Morris when I had (the cliché`) idea of having him read the verses from The Bible (Luke) that everybody reads. When I played him the song, he jumped up from his kitchen chair, disappeared into his office and came back with an old faded copy of “Hard Knox Review,” a literary newspaper he helped publish years ago. In one edition was the T.S. Eliot poem “Journey of the Magi.” I left him the song as I had it and he chose verses and lines; he really mapped the whole thing out, all the way to a manger in Bethlehem ...

SMN: “Christmas in Prison” is a great Prine song. Is that you on piano? What songs did you play piano on?

SM: I have been known to tickle the old ivories, and did on some of the album, but Peggy Hambright played on this track. That is such a great song, and Prine’s performance is well, iconic. Using piano on this song specifically was my idea so it didn’t compete with his, or even get near it. As if it could!

SMN: How did you get into the Christmas spirit during the recording of “Christmas Gift”?  

SM: We roasted chestnuts, drank a lot and argued with our families.

SMN: Neil Young and John Prine are two songwriters you cover often. Why do they both resonate with you personally?

SM: Well, John Prine, in my opinion, is the poet laureate of the United Damn States of America. His songs, or even specific lines, resonate with me like no other singer, songwriter, poet, author or artist. I’m not the only one. And when I have the opportunity to introduce someone to his music, be it a concert or recording, I have yet to find one person, regardless of race, creed, color, background or planet, that can’t find at least one thing in them that makes them stop and take a breath and feel like that guy just read their mail ....

Neil Young I have always loved because his songs, and he does this, can be performed solo or full out rocked with a band and still come across to the listener. I like to think I can do that too. (Hell, I know I can do that too.) And his writing, while from a different place than Prine and his songs are structured so differently, use imagery that resonates with me as well. More than a few folks have said they didn’t think “Star of Bethlehem” was a Christmas song. But it’s about “hope” (to me, anyway) and isn’t that at least what part of Christmas is about?

SMN: Can Christmas be saved from commercialism?

SM: Pay me some money and I’ll answer this question.

SMN: What was a typical Miller Christmas like growing up in Virginia?

SM: As I’ve tried to impart to people many times, I grew up so different than most people of my generation. My parents have been married over 50 years. I grew up in the middle of nowhere on a cattle farm in a farming community called Swoope in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Christmas was the one holiday when both sets of grandparents would come in and all my siblings. I lived for it. The setting was idyllic. That being said, it was probably a lot like everyone else’s Christmas: family getting on each other’s nerves, over-eating and my mother bemoaning the fact that we had too many presents while the world suffered. And by the way, cows don’t take holidays. They don’t care if it’s your birthday or our Lord and Savior’s birthday: they have to get fed. So we worked. That’s how we do. That’s how we did.

SMN: “Old Toy Trains,” the old Roger Miller tune, makes me think of my childhood. Were trains apart of your childhood?

SM: My grandfather had a train set up in his basement, but oddly enough we never set it up around the tree like you see in the movies or TV. In the early 70’s, farmers weren’t doing so good and my folks didn’t have a lot of money. But my favorite Christmas present I ever got was a cheap dime store bag of cowboys and Indians that my dad set up on the living room floor in full battle while I slept.

Scholars will tell you Christmas was a pagan holiday incorporated by Christianity. That’s fine with me. God is where you find him, and sometimes you find him where you put him. Belief in Jesus is up to you, but families stopping to even hope for peace on earth and good will? That’s universal. And people may try to put a price tag on that but its always going to be free.

SMN: What can we expect from Scott Miller in 2011?

SM: Some light dusting of winter touring followed by a spring growth of new material. I hope. Merry Christmas, one and all.

Scott Miller will be performing his annual Christmas shows at the Down Home in Johnson City, Tenn., on Dec.10-11. For more information on “Christmas Gift” visit: www.thescottmiller.com

Joe Hooten may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Professional Crafts students at Haywood Community College will be selling their exceptional wares at the Holiday Sale Thursday, Dec. 9, and Friday, Dec. 10. Located in the Student Center Auditorium, the sale will feature handmade jewelry, woodwork, pottery and fiber art.

Arrive between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 9 or between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the 10th to take advantage of a rare opportunity to buy meaningful gifts for your loved ones. The proceeds from the sale go directly to the hardworking students and their campus studio.

The HCC professional crafts program has been offering a well-rounded education in the creative fields of jewelry, woodworking, pottery and fiber arts for more than 30 years. The teachers are experienced craft artists and work closely with their students to encourage innovative design, fine workmanship and sound business practices.

Students of the program participate in various sales throughout the two-year program, including the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. The experience of showing and selling their work is invaluable preparation for their future endeavors.

The Holiday Sale provides a special opportunity for the students to interact and share their work with the local community.

For more information contact Amy Putansu at 828.627.4672 or visit the school’s website at www.haywood.edu.