Celebrating the beauty of winter in the mountains of Western North Carolina, “Ice Fest Weekend” will take place Jan. 29-Feb. 1 at various places around Haywood County.

• “Ice Fest” will kick off with a “Cool Jazz Concert” featuring the Ben Rosenblum Trio at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

The annual “Burns Night Supper” will be held from 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, at The Scotsman Public House in Waynesville.

Scots all over the world celebrate the birth of Robert Burns, national poet of Scotland, largely noted for saving the old melodies by adding new words to well-known tunes.

Wall Street Books will be hosting a fundraiser benefiting the Haywood County Schools Foundation from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27, in Waynesville.

The fundraising event will benefit the HCSF, in support of Jon Arrington, who is running for Haywood County Schools Foundation “Mardi Gras King.” 

The Voices in the Laurel choirs have announced that spring registration is now open and the organization invites new/returning singers from Haywood, Buncombe, Jackson and Swain counties to be part of its 30th season. 

­The Haywood County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants to fill one bicycling community member position on the Greenway Advisory Council. The Greenway Advisory Council plans, guides, coordinates and promotes effective greenway projects and oppor-tunities in Haywood County. The member will be appointed to three-year term. 

Over the past three years, myriad crises both behind and ahead have forced Haywood County commissioners to govern in a constant state of triage. 

That wretched stretch has been defined by overlapping, compounding tests of governance and stamina, from the long tail of a historic storm and waylaid federal reimbursements to the postponement of property reappraisal, budgets tightened by inflation, escalating debates over housing and addiction, mounting requests from schools and human services, uneven tourism revenues and periodic public clashes within the board, all while leaders worked to chart a path forward and keep spotless the county’s stellar financial track record. 

The Sylva Herald and The Smoky Mountain News last Friday received anonymous emails threatening both publications if the papers, specifically The Herald, do not report on the Fontana Regional Library kerfuffle the way the author of the email wants.

Enjoy a full night of skiing or snowboarding at Cataloochee Ski Area with Jackson County Parks and Recreation on Thursdays and Fridays.

Open to ages 5 and up, skiing will be from 5-10 p.m., with everyone meeting upstairs in the main lodge at 5 p.m. to check in and receive tickets, which are purchased at a discount. 

Haywood County School Board at a Jan. 12 meeting officially gave the new Haywood Innovative middle school the green light to open its application to prospective students. 

“We are looking for students who choose to be here, who are motivated to be here, who would benefit from a rigorous and accelerated middle school experience,” said Lori Fox, principal of Haywood Early College and Haywood Innovative. 

Despite an ever-changing cast of characters cycling through like a revolving door, the Haywood County Tax Collector’s office has come a long way since Maggie Valley Republican Mike Matthews defeated Democratic incumbent David Francis in 2014 by 1.26%. Now, after nearly four years of service, Republican incumbent Sebastian Cothran has decided to seek other opportunities, guaranteeing a fourth change in leadership over the past four elections.