Make room for Thanksgiving dinner with one of two 5Ks offered at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 23.

Learn about efforts to clean up waterways impacted by Tropical Storm Fred with a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, at Crestview Baptist Church in Bethel.

Mainspring Conservation Trust has received $175,000 to clean up and restore a brownfield site near Nikwasi Mound in Franklin. The money will help Mainspring remediate petroleum-contaminated soils on a vacant gravel lot in downtown Franklin.

The 13th annual Lake Chatuge Shoreline Cleanup will be held, 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Towns County Swim Beach Pavilion in Georgia.

Residents in the furthest west counties may see smoke over the coming months as the Cherokee National Forest carries out prescribed burns on an estimated 18,500 acres in Monroe and Polk counties, Tennessee, which abut Graham and Cherokee counties in North Carolina.

Experience the legacy of Lucy Morgan, one of the few Craft Revival leaders born and raised in Western North Carolina, with a presentation from Foxfire Museum 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Hike Sams Knob in the Pisgah National Forest Saturday, Nov. 4.

Hone your fly fishing skills with an expert angler at 8-10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, in Waynesville.

A former Haywood Country resident who now lives in Virginia was arrested after she allegedly kidnapped three of her children on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 6.

The 18th annual WNC Pottery Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, in Bridge Park in Sylva. 

Haywood County’s three Rotary Clubs collected non-perishable food on Sept. 30 at the Canton and Waynesville Ingles locations.

The Governor’s Highway Safety Program identified the seven western counties as a pilot region to test new strategies to curb drunk driving.

The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has awarded 14 grants totaling over $1.4 million in the 2023 grant cycle.

Vaya Health unveiled the latest addition to its “Pathways to Permanency” program.

Through Nov. 18, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is accepting comments on a proposal to add 9 new miles to the Foothills Parkway, extending it from Wears Valley to the spur near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Crews are now working to reconstruct the viewing platform atop Mount Pisgah in the Pisgah National Forest, a project that is expected to take about two weeks to finish.

A 4-mile hike exploring the Waynesville Watershed will embark at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7.

The Panther Top Tower in the Nantahala National Forest near Murphy will be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28-29 and Nov. 4-5, offering spectacular views of fall colors in the surrounding mountains.

Spend November exploring some of the region’s most beautiful hikes with a slate of excursions offered through Haywood County Recreation and Parks.

Experience the hemlock trees growing at the historic Cradle of Forestry in America during a hike starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 4.

The North Carolina Spider Search, which runs Oct. 21-29, is now underway.

A pair of opportunities to explore the geologic wonder that is Panthertown Valley near Cashiers will be offered over the coming weeks.

Give your two cents on the future of DuPont State Recreational Forest with a public information drop-in session slated for 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Transylvania County Parks and Recreation Gym in Brevard.

Help shape a strategic action plan for the Blue Ridge Parkway corridor during the Blue Ridge Rising Two-State Summit Dec. 5-6 at Meadowbrook Inn in Blowing Rock.

Learn about the historic threats facing the French Broad River and an ongoing effort to secure the designation of Wild and Scenic River for the North Fork during the next meeting of the WNC Sierra Club at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1, at the University of North Carolina Asheville’s Reuter Center.

Support Franklin’s Friends of the Greenway at the nonprofit’s fall fundraising arts and crafts event FROG Fair, slated for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at FROG Quarters located at 573 E. Main St. in Franklin.

Members of the Macon County Art Association’s Uptown Gallery are exhibiting artwork through Oct. 31 at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.

Members of the Western Carolina University family will come together to recognize three prominent alumni for their career accomplishments and to honor a longtime proponent of economic development across Western North Carolina as part of the university’s celebration of Homecoming 2023.

Join Haywood Regional Medical Center for a Lunch and Learn this Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation began a project to repair the left lane of I-40 West between the I-26/I-240 interchange and Smoky Park Highway (Exit 44) with a full-time lane closure now in effect.

The Board of Directors of the Great Smokies Health Foundation has awarded $539,235 to 24 organizations for a variety of health, wellness and prevention initiatives across Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.

Bat Week is coming up Oct. 24-30 — and there’s an opportunity to celebrate with “Bats and Brews,” an event slated for 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Mills River.

“Writing the Appalachians,” a public forum featuring renowned authors who will speak about their experiences writing about the region’s beauty, culture and challenges, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Clayton Center of Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee.

The first snow of the season has fallen in the Southern Appalachians.

Spend a night at the movies with the Safe Passage Fund Coalition 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville as Safe Passage screens short films that highlight road ecology in Southern Appalachia and beyond.

The annual Enchanted Forest Halloween bash will take over the Highlands Nature Center and Highlands Botanical Garden 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24.

About 185 people attended a Sept. 26 public input session to chart the future of Pisgah View State Park, and an online survey remains open through Oct. 20.

Drought is strengthening in southwestern North Carolina, with 14 counties now in moderate drought and an additional 58 labeled abnormally dry.

The seventh annual North Carolina Native Plants Week is underway, running Oct. 16-22, and Audubon North Carolina is encouraging people to celebrate by planting native species in their own yards or gardens. Plants require less water this time of year, but they also still have enough time to establish before colder winter weather.  

Friends of Panthertown will celebrate the grand opening of its first ever official headquarters and office space during a drop-in event noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 116 Central St. in Sylva.

Funding is available to help homeowners fix failing septic systems, preventing both financial and environmental hardship.

Run the trails of Chestnut Mountain Nature Park in Canton during the Chestnut Chase, a 10K race slated for 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 12.

An empowering festival for female mountain bikers will come to the Nantahala Outdoor Center Nov. 10-12.

Macon County residents will not have to travel far to attend Pisgah Legal Services’ 13th Annual Justice Forum. A special Watch Party for the Oct. 17 event will be held at Macon County Public Library.

The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina has named Waynesville resident Kathleen “Merritt” Tongen of L.N. Davis Insurance Agency in Waynesville as its 2023 Young Agent of the Year for the state of North Carolina.

More than half a million low-income, uninured North Carolinians will gain access to comprehensive health coverage when Medicaid expansion launches on Dec. 1, 2023.

A new invasive species has been found in North Carolina.

Drought has re-entered the western region, with the most recent drought conditions map labeling Transylvania and Henderson counties as experiencing moderate drought.

Check in on the hemlock trees of the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville with an easy, 2.5-mile hike Saturday, Oct. 21.