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Haywood County Chamber of Commerce is launching its 2012 Business Academy from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 4 at The Gateway Club in Waynesville.
The Business Academy is a free seven-session program from October through May that will address and assist business owners with overcoming and identifying the challenges of sustaining and growing a business. Advanced registration required.
www.Haywood-NC.com or 828.456.3021.
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Haywood County Fitness Challenge, which aims to help people get and stay in shape, will take place Oct. 1-Nov. 11.
Cost is $10 to visit a variety of local gyms and private classes 24 times. Registration locations include Urban Athletic on Oct. 1, Waynesville Rec Center Oct. 2, MedWest Fitness Center Oct. 3, the Cooperative Extension office Oct. 4 and The Fitness Connection Oct. 5.
Healthy Haywood is a program of the Haywood County Health Department and certified Healthy Carolinians Partnership.
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The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Partnership (BRNHA) is accepting grant applications for 2013.
BRNHA grants are investments in collaborative efforts that preserve the character of our landscapes, small towns, farms and historic sites; that nurture and share our distinctive craft, music and Cherokee traditions; and that let the world know about the natural wonders and rich cultural heritage of Western North Carolina.
Maggie Valley has hired an outside consultant to help the once-bustling and now-struggling tourist town overcome an ongoing identity crisis.
The consultant is now ready to move from business to business talking to people about what they want for the valley.
During the past two years, several keystone issues regarding abortion and women’s reproductive health have been debated at the state level.
The Republican-led General Assembly has attempted to cut funding for Planned Parenthood and passed the Women’s Right to Know Act, which dictates new regulations for receiving an abortion.
Daydreamz Project is partnering with several local entities to display artistic expressions that promote healing of domestic violence, sexual assault and dating.
Those who want to take part are encouraged to submit poetry, prose, drawings, paintings or decorations of any type (which can be anonymous). These will then be placed on posters and displayed at various galleries and venues throughout Haywood County during the month of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The deadline for the “Ripples of Hope” collaboration is Oct. 1.
The teardrop blanks can be picked up from Daydreamz Project, by calling 828.476.4231 or at Earthworks Frame Gallery on 21 North Main Street in Waynesville or at the REACH of Haywood office on 1085 North Main Street in Waynesville. Earthworks Frame Gallery is donating the teardrop blanks.
828.456.7898.
Craft demonstrations at Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro this week include Susie Ray, Susan Lingg, Claudia Lampley and Mary Ethel Prater. Crafters will demonstrate their work and discuss their craft in the Gallery Room.
• Sept. 27 from 2-3 p.m. — Susie Ray will demonstrate how to make felted purses.
• Sept. 29 from 1-3 p.m. — Susan Lingg will do a watercolor demonstration.
• Sept. 30 from 2-5 p.m. — Claudia Lampley will demonstrate rook hooking.
• Oct. 2 from 2-4 p.m. — Mary Ethel Prather return to demonstrate how she creates delicate hummingbirds using hawthorn spikes, maple wings and other materials from nature.
Dogwood Crafters is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with evening hours until 9 p.m. in October.
828.586.2248.
“American Craft Today” opened on Sept. 22 and will run through Dec. 29 in the Bunzl Gallery at The Bascom in Highlands.
Fifty-seven craftspeople from across the nation have been chosen to exhibit baskets, ceramics, decorative and wearable fiber, furniture, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, paper and woodcraft objects at “American Craft Today”, a prestigious, juried exhibition of fine craft.
Ticket are still available for Celebration!, a weekend event at The Bascom in Highlands on Sept. 28-29. The itinerary will include a patrons-only cocktail reception; artists’ demonstrations, such as woodturning and ceramics making; a panel on “Collecting Craft: A Love Affair”; a silent auction and cocktail buffet. The festivities will culminate in a live auction of select craft by major American artists.
To purchase tickets, call 828.787.2896 or www.TheBascom.org/celebration. The Bascom is open year-round, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Professional potters Susan Phillips and Velda Davis will hold a special kiln opening and pottery sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 29 and 30 and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday at their studio located in the Utah Mountain Estates.
Both artists’ work is available in local galleries, but this event allows their new work to be seen as soon as it is unloaded from the kiln, and is also a celebration of the “Buy Local” and “Handmade in America” movements.
Everyone who attends the kiln opening will receive a free piece of pottery, while supplies last. Take Interstate 40 to Exit 20 on US 276 (Jonathan Creek) for three miles, turn left onto Utah Mountain Road, then left at Windy Hill. The studio is on the right.
828.507.1305 or 828.400.5494.
The inaugural “SK8 Jam” will take place at noon Oct. 6 on the SK8 Park in Cherokee, with registration available before the start of the competition.
Besides the street comp/open bowl comp, there will also be food and live music by Vic Crown at the park. Entry fee is $20 per skater. There is a $500 cash purse for the advanced/sponsored division. Prizes will also be awarded in other divisions. The event is sponsored by Push, Skis and Tees and the Cataloochee Ski Area.
For more information, go to Facebook and search “WNC SK8 Shop.”
828.400.1252 or 828.452.4040.
A historian and author from the University of Georgia who specializes in Native American history will speak at 7 p.m., Sept. 27, at Western Carolina University in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.
Claudio Saunt will address the topic “Beyond the Revolution: North America in 1776” during his presentation. Saunt is associate director of the Institute of Native American Studies at the Georgia campus in Athens. A focus of his work is the indigenous peoples of the Southeast and is the author of two award-winning books. Saunt’s talk at WCU will be based on his forthcoming book, America in 1776, which examines the history of eight communities outside the 13 Anglo-American colonies in the year of American independence. WCU’s Department of History and Cherokee Studies Program are sponsoring the program.
828.227.3867 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The scarecrows are coming to Bryson City from Oct. 6 through Oct. 20.
Western Carolina University brings magician Jason Bishop to the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center in Cullowhee at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 7.
The Rooted in the Mountains symposium — designed to raise awareness of the intersection of health, language, environmental and indigenous issues with the stewardship of Appalachia and its resources — will be held Oct. 4 and 5 in the A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University.
The Cherokee Indian Fair will mark its 100th year Oct. 2-6 with a five-day celebration of great music and traditional games, dancing, music, crafts, displays and food.
Music acts include Sawyer Brown on Oct. 4 at 9:30 p.m. and Lonestar on Oct. 6 at 8:30 p.m.
Each day is themed to an important part of the Cherokee culture. Parade day, Tuesday, kicks off with the Chief’s Challenge run through downtown Cherokee at 2 p.m. Wednesday is Children’s Day, with special activities and attractions. Thursday, the Cherokee Indian Fair honors the elders with a special meal. Friday, Cherokee salutes the armed forces. This year, the Cherokee Indian Fair is honored to host the traveling Vietnam War Memorial Wall, which will be on exhibit at the Cherokee Expo Center. Saturday’s Community Day completes the celebration.
The fair also includes a carnival featuring games and high-tech rides. Admission to the fair is $10 and tickets are available in advance at www.visitcherokeenc.com.
The Cashiers Valley Leaf Festival will include everything from concerts to crafts during its three-day run Oct. 5-7.
The Lovin’ Spoonful will appear “On the Slope” in Sapphire on Oct. 5. Gates open at 5 p.m. General admission is $25 and VIP tickets are $50.
Glenville Village, about five miles north of the Cashiers Crossroads on Lake Glenville, will have crafters and artists ranging from potters to woodworkers. Also, beginning at 10 a.m. each day Signal Ridge Marina launches pontoon boat cruises to view Lake Glenville’s wooded shoreline and hear a bit of lake lore.
Moving east from the Cashiers Crossroads on N.C. 64, attendees will find a variety of shops and eateries at Sapphire Village.
828.743.8428 or www.visitcashiersvalley.com.
The “Cruisin’ in the Mountains” car, truck and bike show will be held Oct. 5 and 6 at Southwestern Community College’s Driving Course on Industrial Park Loop. Registration is now being accepted at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Registration forms can be downloaded from the Chamber’s website or can be picked up at the Chamber Visitor Center.
Friday will kick off with a Cruise In and show pre-registration. The Cruise In is free. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and close at 8 p.m. Saturday’s gate admission will be $5 for adults, while children 12 and under are free.
Saturday will also feature a Cornhole Tournament at 10 a.m. Registration is open with forms available at the Franklin Chamber.
www.VisitFranklinNC.com or 828.524.3161.
Western Carolina University will celebrate Homecoming 2012 — whose theme is “Tradition Long, Catamount Strong — with a host of activities Oct. 4-7.
Mountain Heritage Day gets under way Sept. 29 at Western Carolina University with a variety of arts and crafts, music, clogging, folk arts, contests and other activities.
Celebrate Oktoberfest with the Haywood County Arts Council from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 on the patio at the Classic Wineseller in downtown Waynesville.
The event includes a traditional Bavarian meal of bratwurst, potato salad, sauerkraut and tea or soda. From the start, beer was an important part of Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest beers, a wide variety of craft beers and a large selection of wine are available for purchase. Proceeds from food and drink sales are to benefit the Haywood County Arts Council.
Tickets are $12 per person and can be purchased by calling the Arts Council office at 828.452.0593 or by visiting 86 North Main Street or the Classic Wineseller at 20 Church Street. In case of inclement weather, the celebration will continue inside the Classic Wineseller.
Western Carolina University School of Music will present “British Invasion,” an evening of 20th century music for clarinet and piano, at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2, in the Coulter Building recital hall on the Western Carolina University campus.
Shannon Thompson, on clarinet, and Bradley Martin, on piano, will perform a sonata by Arnold Bax; Paul Reade’s “Suite from the Victorian Kitchen Garden,” a 1980s television series from the BBC2; Alec Templeton’s jazz-influenced “Pocket Size Sonata No. 1”; and Geoffrey Bush’s “Tributes” to musicians Artie Shaw, Darius Milhaud, Erik Satie, Harold Arlen and Joseph Horovitz. The program also will feature soprano Susan Belcher joining Thompson and Martin in “A Garden of Weeds” by Terence Greaves.
Thompson heads the clarinet studio at WCU and Martin teaches a variety of music courses. The duo has performed together in North Carolina, Tennessee and Oregon. They’re planning future concerts at the South Carolina Governor’s School and the University of North Carolina School for the Arts.
828.227.7242.
“Hymns We Know By Heart,” a sacred music songfest, will be held at 4 p.m. Sept. 30 on Franklin’s Town Square gazebo.
The event is a front porch-style sing-along of familiar hymns and spirituals, from “Amazing Grace” and “In The Garden”, to “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “This Little Light.” Cindy Miles and Bobbie Contino will lead the singing, with Lionel Caynon playing keyboard. Bring a
The gazebo is on the corner of Main and Iotla Streets, across from the Macon County Courthouse. Attendees should bring a lawn chair. In case of rain, the audience will sit under the gazebo cover. The program is sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County, with support from the Grassroots Arts Program of the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. The final event of the fall “Sundays On The Square” series is a concert by Remnants Classic Rock Band at 4 p.m. Oct. 7.
828.524.7683 or www.artscouncilofmacon.org.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra will perform all 10 Beethoven violin sonatas during a series of five concerts this fall and spring at Western Carolina University.
“The Beethoven Project” will feature concerts of two Beethoven sonatas, plus a significant work for violin and piano from the 20th century. Bradley Martin, WCU associate professor of piano, will perform along with Justin Bruns on violin.
The recitals all are free and open to the public and will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the recital hall of WCU’s Coulter Building. The first performance is Oct. 8 and will feature Beethoven Sonata Nos. 1 and 6 and Stravinsky’s Duo Concertante for Violin and Piano. Dates for the other “Beethoven Project” concerts are Nov. 5, Jan. 28, Feb. 25 and March 18. Asheville radio station WCQS-FM will broadcast a recording of the concerts at later dates. The WCU College of Music, WCQS and the Asheville Symphony Orchestra are event sponsors.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.3726.
Stayin’ Alive Canada, the world’s number one tribute to The Bee Gees, will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
It was The Bee Gees contribution to the soundtrack album for 1977’s “Saturday Night Fever” that took the trio to the ultimate limits of fame and fortune. This double album set, featuring three #1 American singles by The Bee Gees (“How Deep Is Your Love”, “Stayin’Alive” and “Night Fever”) went on to sell 30 million copies worldwide. Now you can relive the uncanny live performance of The Bee Gees as meticulously recreated and performed by Stayin’ Alive Canada.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online or stop by the theatre’s box office at 1028 Georgia Road, Franklin.
www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.
Haywood Arts Regional Theater’s regional talent show finals played to a standing room only on Sept. 22 at the HART Theatre in Waynesville, with 16 acts competing for a top prize of $1,000.
The Overlook Theatre Company will present “Smoke on the Mountain: A Rip-Roaring Musical Comedy Revival” at 7:30 p.m. throughout the month of October at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Show dates are Oct. 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 19 and 23.
“Smoke on the Mountain” is full of laughs and bluegrass and traditional gospel music. It’s set in the 1930s in Mount Pleasant and revolves around the Sanders family of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, who sing in celebration of their new electric light bulb.
Tickets may be purchased online or at the theatre’s box office located at 1028 Georgia Road, Franklin. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.
The Haywood Arts Regional Theater will stage the musical “The Light in the Piazza” Oct. 5 through Oct. 21 at the Performing Arts Center in Waynesville.
The musical tells the story of a woman from Winston-Salem whose husband, a tobacco executive, sends her off on holiday with their daughter. Margaret Johnson takes her daughter Clara to Florence, a city Margaret once visited with her husband in happier times. Clara is learning impaired, having suffered a head injury as a child. Now 26, her mother has sheltered her from harm and reconciled her to a life without romance. But Florence has other ideas. The city is alive with love and Clara is not immune.
The show is based on a 1960 novel by Elizabeth Spencer, a native of Mississippi who met her husband in Italy. She would go on to teach in Canada and finally at UNC-Chapel Hill where she still lives. A 1962 film version of the story stared Olivia de Havilland as Margaret, Yvette Mimieux as Clara and George Hamilton as Fabrizio, the young man she meets. The musical was created by Adam Guettel and Craig Lucas who is best known for his play “Prelude to a Kiss.”
www.harttheatre.com or 828.456.6322.
Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s 4th Annual Furry Friends Benefit Bash will be held on Oct. 4 at the Cork and Cleaver in the Waynesville Inn on Country Club Drive in Waynesville.
The event will be a sit-down dinner, with four entrees from which to choose. The Cork & Cleaver is offering roasted New York strip steak, mushroom stuffed chicken breast, grilled mahi mahi or wild mushroom ravioli.
There will be a cash bar and live and silent auctions. Travis Royston returns as the auctioneer for the live auction that will include signature jewelry by Jeannie Tracy of the Jeweler’s Workbench, art and vacation packages, plus special dinners for eight, an art workshop and cooking class/tasting party. In addition, the silent auction will have golf, dining, and spa packages as well as unique items for you and your pets.
Tickets may be purchased for $50 per person at Sarge’s Adoption Center at 256 Industrial Park Drive in Waynesville and at the Earthworks Frame Gallery located at 21 North Main Street in Waynesville. There is also a link at Sarge’s website www.sargeandfriends.org for the registration form. Table sponsorships are available for $450, which will reserve a table for eight guests.
828.450.9797.
The WestCare Hospital Board voted 13-1 Tuesday night to dissolve its affiliation with Haywood Regional Medical Center.
WestCare, which includes both Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva and Swain County Hospital, partnered with Haywood Regional in early 2010 under the
MedWest banner. However, the partnership has not been beneficial to WestCare, the board decided.
Tuesday night's decision has been several months in the making, and comes with the support of physicians and hospital employees, who had been pushing for the partnership to dissolve.
While WestCare will now formally ask MedWest to dissolve the partnership, the MedWest board of directors — which includes an equal number of board members from both Haywood and WestCare — must agree to let WestCare out. The timetable for a vote is not yet known.
The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation will hold a breast cancer benefit 5K run/walk at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, in Highlands.
The event will begin and end on the hospital campus. Pour Le Pink 5k will provide support for maintaining the hospital’s breast imaging equipment as well as financial aid for patients. The race is being organized with assistance by Highlands Roadrunners Club.
Registration is $20 by Sept. 21, and $30 thereafter. To register, become a sponsor, or for additional race details visit www.highlandscashiershospital.org or call 828.526.1313.
The annual Smoky Streak run will be held Saturday, Oct. 6, along the Tuckasegee River in Sylva to raise money for mammograms for women who otherwise couldn’t afford them.
Both the 5K and 10K run will start and finish at Webster Baptist Church. Both races are out-and-back courses, starting and finishing at the church. A short, sharp ascent and then descent will begin and end the race course. The middle section is a gentle, rolling course along the river. The bridge over the Tuckasegee River near the start line provides a great view of the race for spectators.
This race will raise funds to pay for mammograms for underserved, qualifying women. It is put on by MedWest-Harris, MedWest-Swain, the MedWest-Harris & Swain Foundation, and the Jackson County Department of Public Health. The funds the 2011 Smoky Streak run generated helped pay for 86 mammograms for local women in need, but those funds ran out in February. The Jackson County Department of Public Health has since then been able to help more than 80 additional women get mammograms.
The 5K will begin at 9 a.m. and the 10K will begin at 9:30 a.m. 828.586.8994 or www.haymed.org/smoky_streak.aspx.
Discover the world of herbs, from cooking to healing to the best ways to grow them, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Jackson County Library in downtown Sylva.
At this “make and take” workshop, local herbalist Becky Lipkin will share fresh herbs, seeds, cuttings and handouts on growing tips and herb recipes. Participants will learn which herbs grow best in their own backyards and what to do with them.
Lipkin is a certified aroma therapist and is known as the “Herb Lady of Cedar Creek Farms.” She is a graduate of Western Carolina University with a degree in Environmental Health Science and travels throughout the Southeast conducting seminars about how herbs can be used for medicinal purposes, in cooking and in aromatic products. 828.586.2016.
The Macon County Public Library will present “Hiking Through History” with Leanna Joyner at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the library’s meeting room.
The presentation will cover the history of Civil War events in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and along the Appalachian Trail. Hear stories of tenuous mountain battles, the division of families and learn where to hike through history along the Appalachian Trail.
The program is part of the Thursdays at the Library series, an eclectic mix of programs by authors, musicians, and educators on topics designed for enjoyment and learning. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
A film about three Appalachian Trail thru-hikers will be shown 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, at the REI in Asheville.
The movie “Beauty Beneath the Dirt” follows the story of three young urbanites as they attempt to balance family, friendship, and personal happiness while hiking from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail. Thru-hiker Katherine Imp, the director, executive producer and cast member, will be present for a post-screening question and answer. $5. Registration is required. www.rei.com/event/43769/session/56473 or 828.687.0918.
The North Carolina Bartram Trail Society will celebrate its 35th anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 29, in Franklin with a program on “The Natural History of the Southern Appalachians” and a guided hike to the Cowee Mound.
State wildlife officials have gone too far in their goal of putting a dent in the coyote population, particularly when it comes to allowing the practice of nighttime spotlight hunting, according to a federal lawsuit filed by several environmental groups.
The Nantahala Hiking Club, along with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, is holding a free “Family Hiking Day” on Saturday, Sept. 29, in the Nantahala National Forest outside Franklin.
The event will introduce families to the outdoors and the fun of hiking together. There will be a hiking lecture, organized hikes from one to four miles and a cookout lunch.
Registration will be from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Standing Indian Campground family pavilion. Standing Indian is located off N.C. 64 west of Franklin. From N.C. 64 past Winding Stair Gap, take a left on West Old Murphy Road on the left, go 1.9 miles and turn right at the Standing Indian Campground sign.
Bring appropriate shoes and clothing, including rain gear. www.nantahalahikingclub.org.
In an unprecedented move, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation has declined to honor a Legislator of the Year for the first time in the history of the organization’s 49-year-old Conservation Achievement Awards program.
These awards are the highest conservation honors in North Carolina, yet in the wake of one of the most wildlife and environmentally hostile General Assembly sessions of the last half-century, no legislator was singled out for heroic effort.
Politicians rolled back or severely weakened protections, and undertook policies that ran counter to science and economics, according to Tim Gestwicki, executive director of the Wildlife Commission.
“Under the cloak of a recession, many lawmakers gutted conservation protections that hunters, anglers and other citizens value and treasure,” Gestwicki said. “This is a very poor, short-sighted subterfuge that is a dark blight on our state’s history.”
The indictment is not a reflection of all state legislators, however.
“While there are certainly some elected officials trying to make intelligent decisions as to how our natural resources are best managed for the citizenry, it is undeniable that, as a whole, the N.C. Legislature took many steps backwards in conservation matters,” said awards committee chairman Edward Nickens.
At its awards banquet last week, the N.C. Wildlife Federation honored conservation accomplishments in other categories, including individuals, businesses, nonprofits, scientists, journalists, volunteers, teachers and government agencies.
As for a conservation hero in the lawmaker category, there was a missing spot on the award program with the words “keeping fingers crossed for 2013.”
Visitors to Western North Carolina’s mountains can look forward to a good display of color this autumn, although some areas will enjoy brighter hues than others, predicts Kathy Mathews, Western Carolina University’s fall foliage forecaster and biology professor.
A program called “Bring Back the Monarchs” will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Cradle of Forestry Discovery Center in the Pisgah National Forest.
The program, given by conservation specialists with the Monarch Watch program, will cover biology basics of the monarch’s life cycle and annual migration. The event offers information on threats these butterflies face in central Mexico in the winter as well as in their summer breeding habitat in the United States. Additionally, the program will cover the importance of their sole larval food source, milkweeds. Discussions will include the technique of tagging monarchs, sharing ideas for raising monarchs in the classroom and at home, and ways to grow native milkweeds and other native nectar-rich plant species for establishing Monarch way stations vital to monarch survival. Free samples of native milkweed seeds will be provided.
Admission to the Cradle of Forestry is $5 for adults; free under the age of 16 and for America the Beautiful and Golden Age passes. Located on U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. 828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org
A free program titled “Hummingbirds: Delicate Gems or Sky Kings?” will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, at the Cashiers Library as part of the Village Nature Series.
The presenter, Romney Bathurst, has traveled extensively throughout Central and South America and has personally seen more than 5,800 species of birds, 220 of them hummingbirds. The talk will cover the Ruby-throated Hummingbird and other species found in countries across the world. The Village Nature Series, now in its fifth year, is a collaboration of the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and Village Green. 828.526.1111. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Katherine Soniat will discuss her new collection, A Raft, A Boat, A Bridge, at City Lights Bookstore’s Coffee with the Poet Series continues at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 20.
This collection marks Soniat’s sixth book of poetry. Originally from New Orleans, Soniat has taught at the University of New Orleans, Hollins University and for 20 years was on the faculty at Virginia Tech.
Soniat now lives on in Asheville and teaches in the Great Smokies Writers’ Program at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The series is co-sponsored by the NetWest chapter of the North Carolina Writers’ Network and meets every third Thursday of each month.
828.586.9499.
City Lights bookstore will host Macon County resident Jim Staggers reading from his book, Messages To My Descendents: Please Fix Our Government, at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, in Sylva.
A retired business CEO motivated by the Washington, D.C., gridlock, Staggers has been writing his “food for thought” solutions for seven years. He’s a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and attended Syracuse University.
To reserve a copy, call 828.586.9499.
Author Bob Plott will be the speaker for the Lake Junaluska Live and Learn Committee at 2 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Bethea Welcome Center.
The Story of the Plott Hound: Strike & Stay was published in 2007 and awarded the 2008 Willie Parker Peace N.C. Historical Literary Award. Plott will present a program that chronicles how five of these dogs survived the passage to America from Germany in 1750 with Bob’s ancestor, Johannes Plott, and in the ensuing years have become a breed that is now sought worldwide. This is a remarkable segment of canine history that has unfolded in our own backyard and that has resulted in the Plott hound’s being named as the state dog of North Carolina.
800.222.4930
City Lights Bookstore will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit and character Bilbo’s birthday on Saturday, Sept. 22, in Sylva.
In anticipation of the December film release of the literary classic, City Lights Bookstore will have birthday cake and hobbit trivia. The audio edition of The Hobbit will also play in the store.
828.586.9499.
Western North Carolina writer Gary Carden will present his play “Outlander” at 7 p.m., Sept. 25, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. Earlier in the day, this historical play about the work of Horace Kephart and the mountains of Western North Carolina will be performed in a school assembly for students of Swain County High School.
The musical “Pump Boys and Dinettes” will start off the 2012-13 mainstage season, presented by the students and faculty of Western Carolina University’s School of Stage and Screen. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26 through Sept. 29, plus a 3 p.m. matinee on Sept. 29, at Hoey Auditorium.
The fun takes place at a roadside filling station and diner along N.C. 57, where the Pump Boys sell gasoline and across the road Prudie and Rhetta Cupp run the Double Cupp Diner. “Pump Boys and Dinettes” will feature direction by Brenda Lilly, School of Stage and Screen faculty member; choreography by Karyn Tomczak, director of the dance program; and musical direction by guest artist Jan Powell.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and WCU faculty and staff, and $7 (in advance) and $10 (day of show) for students.
For more information, 828.227.7491. For tickets, 828.227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
Bryson City will host a community music jam from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Marianna Black Library. Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle or dulcimer (anything unplugged) is invited to join. Singers are also welcomed. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Normally, he starts by calling out a tune and its key signature and the group plays it together. Then everyone in the circle gets a chance to choose a song for the group to play together. 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 old-time mountain songs.
The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month.
“Rock the Square,” a vintage rock concert and street dance, will be held at 7 p.m. Sept. 21 on the Town Square gazebo in downtown Franklin.
Multi-talented musician Dave Stewart will open the show with pop and folk tunes. At 7:30 p.m., C-Square & Company, with keyboardist Lionel Caynon, vocalists Bobbie and Mike Contino and saxophonist Chris Corbin join Stewart on the gazebo stage to perform pop and Motown hits from Elvis to The Everly Brothers, The Beatles to Billy Joel.
At 4 p.m Sept. 23, a double-bill concert will feature humorist/vocalist Cindy Miles and The McChoir Sisters. Versatile musician and laughter therapist Cindy Miles blends rib-tickling commentary and lighthearted music to engage, involve and delight audience members. The award-winning McChoir Sisters Trio, comprised of Margie Kellam, Kathy Kuhlman and Cathy Sill, perform Big Band era and classic pop standards.
Bring a lawn chair, family and friends.
828.524.7683 or visit www.artscouncilofmacon.org.
Acclaimed country artist Darryl Worley will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
Western Carolina University’s School of Music will present a free faculty brass recital at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 in the recital hall of Coulter Building.
The event, part of the Catamount Concert Series, will feature solo performances by Daniel Cherry (euphonium), Travis Bennett (horn), Michael Schallock (tuba) and Bradley Ulrich and Larry Black (trumpet). Cherry will be featured in Friedebald Grafe’s “Grand Concerto,” a Romantic-style piece originally written for trombone but suited for the tone quality, technical abilities and character of the euphonium.
Bennett will solo in Emmanuel Chabrier’s “Larghetto,” which was first performed in 1878 and originally written for horn and orchestra. Cast as the French horn equivalent of an operatic aria, “Larghetto” was discovered among the self-taught composer’s effects after his death. Schallock will be featured in Robert Jager’s “Concerto for Bass Tuba,” Ulrich in Paul Hindemith’s “Sonate” and Black in Johann Fasch’s “Concerto in D.” Bradley Martin, associate professor, will accompany the musicians on piano.
828.227.7242.
The fifth annual Youth Arts Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.
A cooperative effort between the Green Energy Park and Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design, this year’s Youth Arts festival will feature painting, weaving and chalk art projects. Participants can also throw pots, do printmaking, clay hand-building, craft-making from recycled materials and parade with the famous GEP Trash Dragon. On the performance stage, there will be at least two bands and three dance troupes starting at 10 a.m.
www.jcgep.org/youth-arts.html, www.facebook.com/JCGEP, or call 828.631.0271.
