The Power of Pink race will be held in Haywood County on Saturday, Oct. 30, to raise money for mammograms for women who otherwise can’t afford them. There is a five-woman relay race, a four-mile individual run, and a fun run/walk as part of the event.

The Haywood Regional Medical Center Foundation and the Haywood County Health Department sponsor the annual event. Since 2007, the event has funded 269 mammograms and related procedures for 219 women.

The goal this year is to raise $25,000 and attract 40 teams for the relay and 300 individuals for the Pink 4-Mile race. One relay team provides the funding to allow two women to receive mammograms.

Cost for a relay team is $200, the 4-mile run for men and women is $25, and the Bubble Gum Fun Run/Walk is $10 for adults and $5 for ages 12 and younger.

www.haymed.org or www.Active.com.

The Cradle of Forestry annual fall festival will celebrate the rich forest heritage of Western North Carolina with the traditions of mountain living and woodcraft from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2.

More than 30 traditional craftsmen, exhibitors and musicians will be on the grounds demonstrating old-timey ways.

Living history interpreters will share weaving, open hearth cooking, candle making, creating corn husk dolls, basket making, instrument making and wood carving.

People can try their own hand at using a cross-cut saw, rolling a log, casting a fly rod or operating a potter’s wheel.

Live music will play from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Cradle of Forestry is located four miles south of Blue Ridge Parkway on U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest. $6 for adults; $3 for youth 15 and under. 828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.

Lumberjacks — and lumberjills — will chop, saw and axe their way to the finish line during the Intercollegiate Woodsmen’s Meet held at the Cradle of Forestry on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Competitions include axe throw, cross cut saw, pole climb, axe chop, and log rolling. Woodsmen will also battle to see who can start a fire and bring a pot of water to a boil first. There are also chainsaw and archery contests.

Haywood Community College Woodsmen’s Team is the host of the competition. There will be four other colleges in the meet, including N.C. State University, Penn State and Virginia Tech. STIHL is the sponsor of the competition.

The Cradle of Forestry is located four miles south of Blue Ridge Parkway on U.S. 276 in the Pisgah National Forest. $6 for adults; $3 for youth 15 and under. 828.877.3130 or www.cradleofforestry.org.

Participants in the recent Farm to School workshop at Shelton Family Farms in Jackson County whipped up salsa using farm-fresh produce from the fields.

Participants learned about creating school gardens, farm field trips, classroom cooking and getting locally grown food into the cafeterias. The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project hosted the workshop.

A seed swap and plant exchange will be held at the Jackson County Farmers Market in downtown Sylva from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Gardeners should bring seed that they have saved from their non-hybrid vegetables or flowers, bulbs for fall planting, as well as perennial plants that need to be divided. Label everything, and in the case of flowers, it is helpful to give the color and height of the parent plant.

If you don’t have any seeds or plants to exchange, you can participate in exchange for a donation to the Farmers Market.

Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, will read from her new novel, The Improper Life of Bezillia Grove, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

In the novel, Gilmore draws readers into the precarious childhood and complicated life of poor little rich girl Bezillia Grove, whose path winds through some of the South’s darkest woods — race, class, insanity.

828.586.9499.

Blue Ridge Book Fest: A Regional Author Festival will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.

Twenty authors from the region will be in the store to meet readers and discuss their books, including Fred Wooldridge, Mary Messer, Bill Swarts, Micheal Rivers, Matt Baker, John Malone, Kathryn Magendie, Louise Nelson, Curtis Blanton, JC Walkup, Michael Beadle, Peter Yurko, Julia Hughes Jones, Gwen Suesse, Mindi Friedwald, Dawn Cusick, Lawrence Thackston, Bob Plott, George Ivey and Bill King. Their books include fiction, history, humor, poetry, memoir and children’s books.

The book fest is planned as a biannual event.

828.456.6000.

Dianna K. Klingel will be signing her book, Just for the Moment: The Remarkable Gift of the Therapy Dog, from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 7, at Chapter 2 Books in Cashiers. Ten percent of the sales will be donated to animal shelters operated by the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society and Friends for Life.

Just for the Moment is amazing moments of connections when the therapy dog touches the human soul and healing happens, even if it is only for that moment. The stories are humorous, insightful, inspiring and memorable.

Learn how ordinary pets become therapy dogs, and how they weave their small miracles every day.

828.743.5015.

Showcase your culinary skills, treat your taste buds, and support a good cause 6:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Maggie Valley Club. The culinary event is sponsored by Haywood Habitat for Humanity (HHGH).

Bring a favorite food sufficient to provide a small taste for 50 people and participate in the culinary competition to include “Best Appetizer,” “Best Dessert,” and “Best Presentation of ‘A Taste of Fall.’” Don’t want to bring food? Come as a taster. Every attendee will sample the entries and vote to select the prized winners.

Cost is  $25 a person when bringing a favorite food for the competition, or $50 a person to attend as a taster.  The event will also include a silent auction. Recipes of all entries will be posted on www.haywoodhabitat.org.

All proceeds will be donated to HHFH to support the ongoing mission to eliminate substandard housing. HHFH partners with low income families to build affordable housing through no-profit loans.  

Checks should be made out to Haywood Habitat for Humanity and mailed with or without recipes to Haywood Habitat, PO Box 283, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. For information call the Habitat office at 828.452.7960.

The Marianna Black Library in Bryson City is hosting its Second Annual “Life in Swain” amateur photography contest.

All photographs must be taken in Swain County. They may be of buildings, landscapes, nature shots, locally known locations, but the winning photos will highlight what makes Swain County unique.

The contest is open to all ages and will be divided into two groups: Adults 16 years and older and the Junior division with ages 15 and under.

Rules for the contest and entry forms will be available for pickup at the library beginning Oct. 1. Entries may be turned in beginning Oct. 4 through 13.  Entrants may submit up to three photographs. Entry fee will be $10 for the first photograph and $5 for each additional one. All entry monies will be used for prizes.

Photos will be on display at the Marianna Black Library until Oct. 30. The winning photographs will be showcased during the month of November. A panel of three local artists will judge the contest.

828.488.3030.

Celebrate Hispanic heritage in Western North Carolina from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Aging Community Center in Sylva.

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in recognition of the historical and cultural contributions of Hispanic Americans. The annual observance is now a 31-day period beginning on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15.

Prepare yourself for authentic food cooked up by chefs from a range of Central and South American countries; a salsa dance workshop; activities planned for the children, educational experiences, and dancing to diverse Latin American music.

Cooks from Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia and Venezuela are all lined up to make lots of food. Local Mexican folkloric dance groups will also perform. Last year, 400 people attended.

Sponsored by Bridging Jackson Communities, a nonprofit organization, along with student volunteers from Smoky Mountain High School, Southwestern Community College and Western Carolina University.

Suggested donation of $5 for adults; kids under 10 are free.

Haywood Arts Regional Theatre’s next production is a crowd-pleaser that is sure to get feet tapping and may lead to dancing in the aisles.

“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” debuted in the West End in London in 1989 and ran to packed houses for nearly 15 years. “Buddy” traces the musician’s career from his first appearance on KDAV radio in Lubbock, Texas in 1957 to his tragic death in a plane crash in February 1959 and along the way treats audiences to a series of hits.

The show concludes with Holly’s final concert at the Winter Dance Party in the Surf Ballroom in Clearlake, Iowa, and includes the songs of J.P Richardson, also known as The Big Bopper and Richie Vallens.

In 1957, recording artists were usually limited to four singles per year. Holly racked up 15 gold records in 15 months and recorded a lot more with his backup group, The Crickets.

Holly became a major influence in the music of The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen and many others. Shortly before going on the Winter Dance Party tour Holly broke up with The Crickets and went out on his own.

On Feb. 2, 1959, he boarded a chartered plane along with Richardson and Vallens. The plane crashed, killing all aboard shortly after take off. For fans of rock ‘n roll, it was the day the music died. That same year Elvis Presley went into the U.S. Army.

HART’s production of “Buddy” is being directed by Steve Lloyd and has a cast that includes Mark Jones as Holly, Strother Stingley as The Big Bopper, Chris Rodriguez as Richie Vallens and Trevor Perry as Fats Domino.

“Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” will have performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays from now through October 17.

$22 adults, $20 seniors, Student/child $10 with special $5 discount tickets for students for Thursday and Sunday performances.

Box Office Hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday. 828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

Country music star Jeff Bates will perform 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, at Eaglenest Entertainment.

Jeff Bates doesn’t cherry pick his life for the high spots. Whether he’s writing or singing a song, he’s always emotionally honest. A native of Mississippi, Bates signed with RCA Records in 2002. That association yielded two albums: “Rainbow Man” in 2003 and “Leave The Light On” in 2006 plus seven charted singles: “The Love Song,” “Rainbow Man,” “I Wanna Make You Cry,” “Long, Slow Kisses,” “Good People,” “No Shame” and “One Second Chance.”

The stories of his adoption, meth addiction and jail time have been bared honestly for the media and country music fans, but there’s so much more to the man that Jeff Bates has become.

The album captures snapshots of what’s most important to him: strong family ties, the love of a good woman, appreciation for the workin’ man, and his unfailing religious beliefs – all buffered with a quick smile and sense of humor. Overall, it’s a body of work filled with surprising insights and intimate confessions told in Bates’ own rich voice.

Tickets available at box office from noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or at 828.926.9658. www.eaglenestnc.com.

An exuberant celebration of Russian heritage takes the stage at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, at the Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

The Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival, part of WCU’s 2010-11 Galaxy of Stars Series, features traditional music, song and dance. A balalaika ensemble performs folk, gypsy and classical music on authentic instruments and in traditional costume.

Nikolai Massenkoff, born in a White Russian community in Shanghai and placed in an orphanage at age 3, leads the troupe. Massenkoff arrived in San Francisco at age 12 and eventually studied speech, music and drama. Inspired by love of his Russian heritage, he founded the group in 1975. A bass-baritone, he has performed throughout the United States and around the world at venues including Carnegie Hall; the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea; and Epcot.

On Friday, Oct. 22, Western Carolina University will mark five years of art and entertainment at the Fine and Performing Arts Center. The gala will begin at 6 p.m. with an outdoor cocktail reception. Festivities move indoors at 7 p.m. for a performance by WCU’s resident Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, followed by a 7:30 p.m. curtain time for “’S Wonderful,” a theatrical revue of songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Tickets are available in several price tiers and are on sale now.

Tickets for the Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival are $25 for adults; $20 for senior citizens and WCU faculty and staff; and $5 for children and students.

828.227.2479 or fapac.wcu.edu.

The world premiere of Gary Carden’s “Signs and Wonders” and a special performance of “The Bright Forever” will take place at The Performing Arts Center in Highlands. Both plays will be presented starting 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, and Saturday, Oct. 2; and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3.

Along with the performances of Carla Gates as Shelby Jean in “Signs and Wonders” and Shirley Williams as Fanny Crosby in “The Bright Forever,” Carden will exhibit some of his “stories” that have been put to canvas.

John Williams researched and arranged the music for this production.

“The music that comes to us from Appalachia often times is difficult to determine its origin,” Williams said. “‘Signs and Wonders,’ also referred to as ‘I Believe in Being Ready,’ is such a piece. Gary Carden’s most recent play has taken bits and pieces of the lyrics from this very old gospel hymn and intertwined it throughout the monologue.”

In “The Bright Forever,” Fanny Crosby continues to inspire the Christian community to this day although she died in 1915. Although blind, she is known to have written over eight thousand hymns and volumes of poetry.

The production is a joint project between the Highlands Cashiers Players and the Performing Arts Center in Highlands.

$20. 828.526.9047.

A Fall Craft Festival will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, at the Old Mill 1886 in Cherokee.

Artists from all over the Southeast will gather to demonstrate and sell their handcrafted works. Artists will include wood carvers, blacksmith, stone carver, Pow Wow traders, quilters, gourd and stained glass artists, jewelry designers, Appalachian crafters and authors. The festival will also feature live music and mouthwatering BBQ.

Step into The Old Mill and you step back into an era from the past. You will find a country store chock full with fresh ground cornmeal, preserves, country ham, stone ground grits, chow chow, local honey and cider.

The 1930s room is stocked with handcrafted items from more than 70 Cherokee artists, soy candles, local made soap and china. In the 1886 room, treasure hunters will find antiques and one of a kind items.

Bring your chair and plan to stay awhile.

The Old Mill 1886 is located one mile south of Cherokee at 3082 U.S. 441.

Admission is free.

828.497.6536

Talented artists and crafters from all over the Southeast will sell their handmade products and offer demonstrations at The Maggie Valley October Leaves Craft Show. The show takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, and Sunday, Oct. 10, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

Available artwork will include pottery, photography, hand-painted murals, stained glass, jewelry from gemstones to polymer clay bead art, dichroic glass designers, floral arrangements, wood turners, wood crafter products including fretwork and scrolling, crocheted and knitted items, homemade jams and jellies, artful clothing, leather and deerskin pouches, kitchen accessories, quilts of all sizes, soy candles and soaps and much more.

In addition to crafts, this annual event will feature piped music throughout the day.

Admission is free.

www.maggievalleycraftshows.com or 828.497.9425.

Enjoy a fine array of arts and crafts originating in the mountains at the Church Street Art & Craft Show, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, in downtown Waynesville.

Held during the height of the color season in the heart of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, the Church Street Art & Craft Show attracts more than 20,000 visitors. More than 120 juried artists and crafters and food vendors from throughout the southeast will line Waynesville’s Main Street to help celebrate the festival.

What began as a small gathering of artists and crafters on Church Street, the event has grown into one of the finest one-day shows in Western North Carolina. A juried show, the 27th annual Church Street Art and Craft Show will showcase two- and three- dimensional art. Art includes colored-pencil, oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels; porcelain; sculpture, pottery, woodworking, weaving, basketry, quilting, handmade jewelry and wearable art.

There will be art and craft demonstrations, professional mountain music and dance, and international and local foods. Entertainment includes Whitewater Bluegrass, Balsam Range, Honey Holler, Montreat Pipes and Drums, Southern Appalachian Cloggers, Dixie Darlings, Green Valley Cloggers, Fines Creek Flatfooters, Ashegrove Garland Dancers, Randy Orwig, the Living Statue and Mr. Tom, the Balloon Man.

Downtownwaynesville.com, 828.456.3517 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Theater students from Western Carolina University will present a light look at relationships with “Romantic Fools” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, Oct. 6 to 9, in Niggli Theatre.

With influences including Monty Python, the Marx Brothers, “Saturday Night Live” and classic vaudeville, “Romantic Fools,” by Rich Orloff, comprises 12 two-character shorts with topics from blind dates to the frustrations of having a perfect mate.

The play stars WCU students, and Peter Savage, a faculty member in the School of Stage and Screen, will direct. While a comedy, the play is for mature audiences.

“Romantic Fools” is the first in the new Niggli Series, featuring intimate, contemporary plays all staged in the Niggli Theatre, located in the Stillwell Building.

$15 adult, $10 senior and WCU employees, and $5 student. Tickets available at the door or in advance at the box office of the Fine and Performing Arts Center. 828.227.2479 or theatretickets.wcu.edu.

Enjoy family friendly fun with this year’s Cherokee Indian Fair which runs from Oct. 5-9 at the Cherokee Indian Fair Grounds in Cherokee.

Expect top-notch nightly entertainment, fireworks, a carnival midway full of rides and games, craft vendors, food vendors — including some featuring traditional Cherokee food — and an exhibit hall displaying the Eastern Band enrolled members’ traditional and contemporary arts and crafts.

Visitors will also have a chance to see a comedy show, gospel music, and a host of family-friendly competitions such as blowgun, longbow and compound bow archery contests and wood chopping.

This year’s concert lineup is star-packed as Starship headlines Saturday night’s concert with special guest Jimi Jamison of Survivor. Tone Loc appears Wednesday night. Big House Radio performs Tuesday; The Return, a Beatles tribute band, performs Thursday; Appetite for Destruction, a Guns-n-Roses tribute band, will perform Friday.

The fair began as a way for members of the Eastern Band to showcase their arts and crafts and invite neighboring communities to the Qualla Boundary, the tribe’s traditional homeland. The fair has grown since its early days, but its original focus remains — to showcase the Cherokees’ remarkable culture and heritage.

The schedule

A parade at 4 p.m. Oct. 5 kicks off the annual five-day fete.

Oct. 6 is Children’s Day and features fun games like potato-sack racing, trout fishing and crafting for the little ones.

On Oct. 7, the Elders are honored with free admission for attendees 59 ½ and older until 5 p.m., and activities include bingo and clogging. Cherokee Idol kicks off at 8 p.m.

Oct. 8 is dedicated to veterans, and all veterans and active-duty military personnel will receive free admission until 5 p.m.

Community Day on Oct. 9 features a horseshoe tournament and contests for the longest hair, baby crawling, clogging and corn shucking.

The fair wraps up on Oct. 9 with musical performances Starship with special guest Jimi Jamison of Survivor at 8:30 p.m. and a booming grand finale of fireworks at 10 p.m.

The fair opens at 10 a.m. each day. $10 including nightly concerts. Children six and younger admitted free.

www.cherokee-nc.com/indianfair.

A one-day natural dye workshop with instructor Cassie Dickson will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.

Students will learn the processes for using native plant and natural materials to dye wool yarns in the colors of red, yellow, and blue. Once those colors have been achieved, over-dyeing may be done to create secondary colors like teals, greens, oranges and purples.

The Green Energy Park will use renewable energy — methane from the old Dillsboro landfill — to heat the water for the dye pots. At the end of the day you will leave with six beautifully dyed skeins of yarn and the skills needed to dye at home.

Instructor Dickson is a traditional pattern weaver who specializes in the weaving of coverlets and has been spinning, natural dyeing and weaving for over 30 years. She also raises silk worms for silk and processes flax into linen cloth.  

$50. 828.631.0271.

Celebrate national American Craft Week with the “Hand + Craft: A Jackson County Celebration” exhibit, which runs until Oct. 24.

Opening night will be from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, at Gallery One in Sylva.

More than a dozen Jackson County craft artists will show a variety of work including metal, wood, clay, fiber, and mixed media. American Craft Week is a national event that celebrates the best of today’s handcrafted artwork. October is also North Carolina’s official Craft Month.

Featured artists include:

• Photographer and Gallery One manager Tim Lewis has created a new line of photo-printed textiles made into scarves.

• Cullowhee textile artist Neal Howard will showcase hand-dyed, handwoven silk scarves and wraps.

• Whittier mother-daughter team Emily Hyatt and Victoria Hyatt Sowers create a variety of rugs and tapestries on historic 200-year-old “barn looms.”

Other artists showing work are metalsmith William Rogers; weavers Kathie Roig and Susan Morgan Leveille; potters Travis Berning, Frank McKee, Joan Byrd and George Rector; woodworkers Bill Hyatt, David Nestler and Chris Behre; and mixed media artist and exhibit organizer Anna Fariello.

American Craft Week is a celebration sponsored by americancraftweek.com.

Contact Fariello at 828.227.2499 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To reach Gallery One and the Jackson County Arts Council call 828.293.5458.

For a pleasant evening of art, music, food, shopping and more, check out downtown Sylva from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, for the next Sylva After Dark. This event takes place the first Friday of each month from May to December.

• It’s by Nature: October’s featured artist Tara Melton-Miller will be demonstrating Kumihimo, an ancient Japanese form of elaborate braiding done through a wooden stand or stool. The extraordinary colors, patterns, and textures of kumihimo braids are incorporated onto handcrafted mixed media backgrounds. Musical guest is Robin Whitley. Wine and cheese will be served.

• In conjunction with the national American Craft Week, Jackson County artists are hosting the exhibition, “Hand + Craft: A Jackson County Celebration” at Gallery One.  Sponsored by the Jackson County Arts Council.

• A retrospective of landscape, portrait and figurative works will show at the new James Smythe Studio, found upstairs on 563 West Main Street. Some paintings are for mature audiences only. 

• The Wilderness Society will host an evening of poetry and art featuring the “Dreams and Distillations” series of Rabun County artist Honor Woodard and local poets Thomas Rain Crowe and Laurence Holden.

• Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen, reads from her new novel, The Improper Life of Bezillia Grove, starting 7 p.m. at City Lights Bookstore.  

• Best music from the ‘70s and ‘80s by Not Even Brothers, at The Village at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company.

• Live music at Spring Street Café and every Friday and Saturday evenings.

• Food and beer pairing from 5 to 8 p.m. at Heinzelmannchen Brewery.

• Bread tasting from 5 to 8 p.m. at Annie’s Bakery. Toasted whole wheat walnut bread topped with Annie’s scrumptious pumpkin butter and Smoky Mountain Roaster’s Pumpkin Spice coffee.

www.downtownsylva.org.

Enjoy a stroll through working studios and galleries on Waynesville’s Main Street, Depot Street and in Historic Frog Level during Art After Dark  from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1.

Art After Dark takes place the first Friday of each month from May through December. Festive flags will identify participating galleries.

• Visit Historic Frog Level to see ceramic artist Cathey Bolton-Moore create handmade dinnerware, including large show pieces for the home and ceramic jewelry, at Art on Depot.

• Metal sculptor Grace Cathey will weld a Ruffled Grouse from Oct. 1 to 9 at Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden.

• Gallery 86 presents the Haywood Open Studios Tour artist exhibit just in time for the weekend tour Oct. 2 to 3. The gallery show runs from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1. It features representative works by more than thirty artists on the Studio Tour. www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• Textures Gallery will feature the paintings of Noah Desmond with music by Karen “Sugar” Barnes and Dave Magill,who’ll be singing the blues. Enjoy specialty desserts.

www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com or 828.452.9284.

This weekend, doors to one private studio after another in Haywood County will be flung wide open to everyone curious enough to venture in.

During the two-day Haywood Open Studios Tours, visitors get an intimate glimpse into the studios and galleries where local artists create their stunning pieces. Tour-goers will also witness live art demonstrations at participating studios and galleries.

To coincide with the Haywood Open Studios Tour, Gallery 86 will host a show featuring work by each tour artist until Saturday, Oct. 16.

Participants can see and purchase examples of the artists’ work, pick up a map, and make plans for visiting the studios and galleries during the tour weekend.

Tour maps containing artist studio and gallery information are available now at Gallery 86 as well as other locations throughout the area including Visitor’s Centers on I-26 and I-40.

Visit www.haywoodarts.org for information.

Mark your calendar

The 5th Annual Haywood Open Studios Tour will give the public a peek at local artists’ studios from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, and from noon until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3. The tour weekend kicks off with a preview show and artist’s reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, at Gallery 86 in Waynesville. HOST is presented by The Haywood County Arts Council.

Featured artists

Jo Ridge Kelley • Waynesville
“Nature’s beauty and power have been my muses since I was a child. I paint not only to capture those fleeting moments of light and shadow across the landscape, but to create in the viewer the emotional response I experience in nature.”

Susan Livengood • Waynesville
Susan has been a potter, jewelry designer, llama trekker, landscape designer, and innkeeper. Since she and her husband sold their inn in 2005, she has been able to focus on painting and writing again.

Grace Cathey • Waynesville
Grace’s daily experiences with the beauty of nature around her are translated into her metal sculpture, leaving a bit of her spirit in each piece.

Cathey Bolton • Waynesville
Cathey’s pottery balances both the natural and structural world to complete functional vibrant pottery that evokes her love of nature and architecture in every unique handmade piece.

Veronica Von Zwehl • Waynesville
Veronica is an award winning fiber artist creating art quilts and original wall hangings featuring a uniquely creative combination of color, texture and value. Her inspiration comes from the structures, patterns, shapes and shadings found in nature.

John Gernandt • Waynesville
Following the pathway established by both his great-grandfather and grandfather, he’s been building furniture for 30 years. Making furniture has widened his perspective on art history and his appreciation for the furniture masters of the past.

Suzanne Gernandt • Waynesville
As a textile artist, Suzanne painstakingly weaves her fabrics, then delights in dying, cutting, painting, embroidering and reassembling them into elaborate textile masterpieces.

Allen Davis • Waynesville
Allen’s work has value for buyers because he focuses on function. “Creating artful, one-of-a-kind items from nature’s bounty with a utilitarian purpose seems to be the best of both worlds: practical yet beautiful works of art.”

Main Street Artists Co-Op • Waynesville
Twenty-one artists are featured at the Co-Op: Char Avrunin, Nancy Howell Blevins, Gretchen Clasby, Jeanne Colburn, George Dixon, Pam Haddock, Rebecca Hellman, Sandy Lampl, Steve Lampl, Steve McMahan, Anita Painter, Terance Painter, Margaret Roberts, Lynne Rose, Sharon Smith, Bill Smith, David Stone, Carolyn Taylor, Terry Thompson, Dan Wright and Wendy Wright.

Desmond Suarez • Canton
Desmond creates a variety of crafts, from Shaker inspired wood furniture and clocks to handmade candles, each made with the motto of creating “simply the best.”

Kim Ross: Sleeping Stones Gallery • Waynesville
“Pottery is an integral part of my life. As a youth I enjoyed warm summer days playing in the mud, making shapes. Now I am living my dream. I specialize in hand-built and
wheel-thrown pottery using different clay bodies and an array of glaze colors.”

Liz Spear • Waynesville
“I weave cloth using cotton and rayon mill end yarns, then cut and sew functional, classic garments, appropriate for office or casual wear. My designs are a combination of original and commercial patterns.”

Nancy Dunn Lawrence • Waynesville
Nancy works in her home studio with all the things she enjoys most: colors, pattern, paper, threads, words, and the beauty of mountains and lake outside her door. She believes that every beautiful thing makes the world a little better.

Laurel Tewes • Canton
Laurel enjoys the challenge of painting murals. “They are triple the difficulty of painting on canvas. They must look good close up as well as far away.”

Mari Conneen • Waynesville
“In my work I visualize an imaginary line and combine the line with fragments of imagination, thoughts and objects, often strengthening or quieting that line by transforming one medium into another.”

Deborah Bartz: Haywood Fiber Arts Program • Waynesville
The Fiber Arts program is part of the Professional Crafts Program at Haywood Community College. The fiber program encourages original design in all areas of product development and production. “We strive to create products that show the beauty of everyday objects.”

Theodore Dake: MotoFab Metalworks • Waynesville
Ted’s 25-year metal working career has encompassed everything from submarine parts to widgets. His recent move to the mountains has inspired his creative side. His plasma cut metal art reflects the country lifestyle and is colored with various patinas and stains to create unique textures on the metal surfaces.

Gretchen Clasby • Waynesville
Gretchen has been a full-time artist and gallery owner for more than 40 years. Working in watercolors and acrylics, her favorite subjects are children, birds, flowers and small wildlife.

To the Editor:

Sediment in our streams is our biggest water quality threat. Everyone takes notice when more than $150,000 of our tax dollars are spent (the other $150,000 comes from the Assembly) to dig out Lake Junaluska, but every year our drinking water sources are polluted, fish growth and reproduction are damaged, and our stream habitats are destroyed when sediment from construction sites, agriculture, and quarries wash into our streams.

This practice is against the law and the French Broad Riverkeeper and the Western North Carolina Alliance are training volunteers through the Muddy Water Watch program to help clean up our waterways from this serious pollutant.

The MWW program is currently working to clean up the consistent discharge of sediment from the Harrison Quarry into Allen’s Creek, a tributary that leads into Lake Junaluska. The quarry is applying for a permit to expand its operation, but the community around this mine, the West Waynesville Environmental Protection Group, and the Western North Carolina Alliance believe the quarry needs to protect the neighboring community and environment. Learn more about this at www.wnca.org.

Hartwell Carson

French Broad Riverkeeper

Ryan Griffith

Community Outreach Manager,

Western North Carolina Alliance

To the Editor:

Last week, Mr. Ron Robinson of Jackson County quoted a statistic in support of re-electing our county commissioners; our property tax rate is one of the lowest at 28 cents per $100 of valuation (“Incumbents are best for commissioner seats,” Sept. 22, Smoky Mountain News, www.smokymountain-news.com/index.php/component/k2/item/1492-incumbents-are-best-for-commissioner-seats). But, there is much more to this story.

What he didn’t talk about was the fact that our property tax rate used to be at 26 cents before it went up to 28 cents. He didn’t mention that our county’s solvency or our ability to pay our long-term debt obligations has taken a nosedive of 30 points from a high in 2007 (www.nctreasurer.com-/dsthome/State-AndLocalGov/lgcreport). 

The more important statistic we should look at from the report created by the N.C. Treasurer is the county’s overall financial performance and how much it has improved or gotten worse. Ours has plummeted in the last three years from about 18 percent down to 2 percent for 2009. In fact, if you look at our performance compared to our peers — Macon, Haywood and Swain — we have fallen 35 percent, which is the highest possible percent of change that is even measured by the N.C. Treasury Department. These numbers do not support Mr. Robinson’s argument to re-elect our county commissioners.

Our property tax rate might be low, but more importantly it went up. The statement that we have one of the lowest rates is just another way of saying we are one of the poorest counties (with the highest paid upper-level county employees, specifically, our county manager). Remember that our tax rate went up, and remember that our highest paid county employees got a million dollar raise during a time when our financial performance was sinking.  

Also, those pay raises went against the $25,000 research results from the Mercer Group. But the most disturbing fact is that the Mercer group reported that it was our lower-level employees who were not paid enough. The same people that gave themselves the big pay raises, trashed the research and took away the measly 2 percent cost-of-living raises from the underpaid employees. That is not fair, is not right, and is not just. It’s right next door to “low-down.”

Lastly, as for the new ordinances, when have you ever seen a county ordinance enforced? That’s a non-issue. I don’t know all the people running in the election yet, but at this moment I’m thinking that I’m just going to vote against ALL the incumbents. It couldn’t get much worse than it is now. Surely.

Lindsey Dean

Huntsville, Ala. (Jackson County native)

The Wheels Through Time Museum had a grand reopening in Maggie Valley after resuming five-day per week operations earlier this summer.

Heralded as the “Smithsonian of Motorcycles,” the museum is regarded as one of the world’s premier destinations for motorcycle and transportation history, touted by its visitors as an “American cultural experience.”

“The museum has the ability to bring unprecedented amounts of visitors to the valley, and with the community and state behind it, we think that 2010 can be one of Maggie Valley’s best years yet,” said Maggie Valley Alderman Scott Pauley.

The new exhibits have already generated huge interest from motorcycle industry leaders and press. They are slated to run through Memorial Day Weekend 2011.

828.926.6266 or visit www.WheelsThroughTime.com.

MedWest’s three hospitals are undergoing major innovations in food service, housekeeping, plant operations and maintenance, and clinical engineering areas that will be complete by the end of the year.

MedWest is working with Compass Group, a leader in healthcare support services management, to bring new services to Haywood Regional Medical Center, Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital. By combining support services for the three hospitals and contracting with Compass, the system will realize cost savings of $1.1 million per year and gain access to technology that increases efficiencies in the areas providing critical support to the hospitals.

Room service known as “Dining on Call” will be introduced at all three hospitals. Patients will be able to order the meal of their choice, according to their physician’s dietary orders. The hospital cafeterias will undergo user-friendly upgrades and provide healthier food choices.

Requests for food service, plant operations and maintenance, clinical engineering and housekeeping will be streamlined through a centralized call center, increasing response time for support services needs.

Managers of the support services departments will be employed by Compass and function within the hospitals’ department management structure.

StreetFest 2010 will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, in Franklin, when Mayor Joe Collins cuts a ribbon spanning Main Street to celebrate the opening of four new businesses.

The ribbon cutting will be followed by an evening and full day of festivities on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Shops will have food and beverages for their guests, along with bargains to thank customers for shopping locally. Entertainment will add to the festivities. Downtown Franklin’s first drum circle will take place on Main Street. Drummers are invited to join in.

The week prior to the event, ribbons will be handed out by local merchants and at the Chamber of Commerce. Someone wearing one of these ribbons on Friday night will be randomly selected by the StreetFest Patrol to win a basket of gifts donated by merchants.

The grand opening of Mission Outpatient Spine Center at Angel Medical Center in Franklin brings close to home spine care for residents of Macon and adjoining counties.

The center will be staffed by three board certified surgeons from Carolina Spine and Neurosurgery Center in Asheville who specialize in the treatment of conditions of the spine.

Services will initially be provided on Tuesdays and Fridays. These include physician evaluations, MRI and CT diagnostic testing, treatments, and physical therapy provided by Angel physical therapists under the clinical direction of the surgeons.

If patients need spine surgery, the procedure will be provided at Mission Hospital at its designated 20-bed spine surgery unit, which is part of the hospital’s Neurosciences Center of Excellence.

An estate-planning seminar will be held Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. in the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

It is sponsored by the Lake Junaluska Office of Development and the Foundation, and is free and open to the public.

Attorney Byrd Bonner, the director of the United Methodist Church Foundation in Nashville, Tenn., will lead the seminar.

This seminar will focus on important estate documents, how to obtain them, and where to keep them. In addition, it will address key information children or executors should know. Participants will learn basic information regarding family trusts.

Participants are encouraged to RSVP at 828-454-6680. Registration is not required. Coffee and hot tea will be served.

Western Carolina University will celebrate “The Power of Purple” during Homecoming festivities Oct. 8-10.

The annual Alumni Scholarship Homecoming Golf Tournament will begin at 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 8, at Sequoyah National Golf Club in Whittier. Then on campus, the annual Last Lecture Series address will be at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center. The featured speaker will be Ted Chiappelli, associate professor of health sciences, and the title of his address is “Missed Opportunities.”

Then, the annual homecoming parade will begin at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, in downtown Sylva. Meanwhile, the Catamount soccer team will play Georgia Southern at the Catamount Athletic Complex. After the soccer game, which begins at 6 p.m., WCU will host the Spirit Night pep rally in the CAC.

On Saturday, Oct. 9, an alumni breakfast will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. in the multipurpose room in the University Center. Tailgating begins at noon before the 3 p.m. Catamount home football game against the Samford Bulldogs.

The weekend concludes with a 3 p.m. Inspirational Choir concert in the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom followed by a 4 p.m. Catamount soccer game against Davidson in the CAC.

For more specific event information and how to purchase tickets or make reservations, alumni visit alumni.wcu.edu and students visit homecoming.wcu.edu.

Flu vaccine is plentiful this year, and the N.C. Division of Public Health and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are urging everyone older than six months of age to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Haywood County

The Haywood Health Department will offer flu clinics for adults ages 18 and above from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 5-7 at Health Department offices. Children under age 18 may get the flu vaccine by calling the Health Department at 828.452.6675 and scheduling an appointment.

The cost is $28 for flu vaccine and $35 for flu mist. Pneumonia vaccines will also be available for $45.

Haywood Regional Medical Center’s Home Care Services started providing flu shots for area residents Sept. 27. Flu shots will be given at the Home Care building from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday until the supply is gone. No appointment is necessary. The Home Care building is located directly behind Haywood Regional Medical Center. The cost is $28. 828.452.8292.

A walk-in flu vaccine clinic will be held on Thursday, Oct. 7, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Fines Creek Community Center in the old Fines Creek cafeteria. Medicare Part B and most Medicare Replacements are accepted for payment. Please remember to bring your Medicare card. Cost is $28 for private pay patients.

Jackson County

The Jackson County Department of Public Health will began giving flu shots on Monday, Sept. 27, in the Big Room of the Community Services Building in Sylva. Shots will be given from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 27-30; from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 2; and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 3.

Cost is $20. 828.587.8201.

Anyone interested in the Health Department coming to administer the flu vaccine at their business, office, organization, or church, should contact Carla or Debbie at 828.586.8994 to schedule a time.

Macon County

• Community Facilities Building — 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:15 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 7; 1 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 12.

• Macon County Public Health Center — 2 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 12 for children only; 1 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 14 for children only.

• Highlands Civic Center — 1 to 4 p.m. on Oct. 13.

• Nantahala School — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 21.

• Franklin Town Square — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 23 at Pumpkin Fest.

• Otto Community Building — 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Cost is $25. www.maconnc.org or 828.349.2081.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a citizens’ informational workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 5, on closure of a railroad crossing where the highway and railroad meet in Sylva.

The informational meeting will begin at 5 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. at the town hall in Sylva, board of commissioners’ room. Citizens are invited to drop in and speak individually with DOT officials about project plan to close the crossing, and to view maps of the proposed projects. No formal presentation will be given.

DOT proposes closing the existing Norfolk Southern railroad crossing at Raymond Street. The Harold Street railroad crossing is within approximately .18 miles of the proposed closure and it provides adequate alternate access and uses signals and gate arms as a crossing warning device.

For more information contact Brian Gackstetter, rail division, engineering and safety branch, 1556 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, 27699-1556, at (919) 715-2332, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A candidates’ forum on environmental issues will be held Thursday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. at the Jackson County Recreation Complex in Cullowhee.

All of the candidates for the Jackson County Commission, North Carolina Senate 50th District, North Carolina House of Representatives District 119 and the United States House of Representatives District 11 have been invited.

The event is being sponsored by The Tuckasegee Community Alliance.

This is intended as a platform for the candidates to participate in a discussion prior to the upcoming November elections on environmental, growth management and energy issues facing Jackson County. The public will have the opportunity to ask questions during the open floor portion of the forum.

A golf tournament will be held Saturday, Oct. 2 at Mill Creek Golf Course in Franklin. Tee-off is 10 a.m.

The Mountain Trace Nursing & Rehabilitation Center’s tournament will benefit the resident council fund at Mountain Trace. The $60 entry fee includes a cart, meal and door prizes.

Mulligans and foot of string available; it will be 4 Man Captain’s Choice. Register at Mill Creek Golf Course or sign up before the tournament date. Call Angie at 828.399.9406.

Lessie Williams, a well-known and nationally recognized gospel singer, will give a concert of inspirational music at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Community Services Building in Sylva. The performance is a fundraiser for the new Jackson County library.

Williams’ ministerial music has carried her to prisons, nursing homes, funerals and banquets, in addition to many churches and revivals. She began singing the songs of artists including Aretha Franklin and Sam Cook around age 11, but turned to gospel, joining the ministry at the age of 19 and preaching her first sermon in March 1970.

“God has taken me many different ways to bring me full circle into an evangelistic music ministry,” Williams said.

She has produced four albums – “God Changed Me In Time,” 2008; “Jesus Is My Everything,” 2003; “I Made It Over,” 1992; “Jesus is Mine,” 1984.

“Lessie’s brand of gospel is honest, exciting and bears a strong witness to all who hear it,” said Loretta Ragan, who produces lead sheets for Williams’ self-written lyrics and music.

During the concert, fundraisers will pass the plate asking for contributions to support the new library complex.

“Your contribution is a way to thank Lessie for donating her time and to help the Friends raise funds to match the SECU Foundation Challenge Grant. It will be an inspiring evening, and we are confident folks will be generous.” says Mary Selzer, Co-chair of the Campaign Steering Committee.

For those unable to attend the concert, contributions to the New Library Fund can be made in person at the Friends of the Library Used Book Store or at the Jackson County Public Library, both located on Main Street in Sylva. They can also be mailed to: Friends of the Jackson County Main Library; P.O. Box 825; Sylva, NC 28779-0825.

For more information, visit the Friends’ website at: www.fojcml.org or call Connie Terry, campaign coordinator at 828.507.0476.

An outdoor expedition to Bolivia that puts paddlers to work delivering medical supplies to remote villages organized by Nantahala Outdoor Center got a major plug by National Geographic ADVENTURE.

The November issue of the magazine listed the trip in its top 25 list of global adventure trips.

The expedition — a joint effort between NOC and nonprofit Medicforce — aims to bring first aid training and medical attention to remote riverside communities only accessible by running seven days of Class IV-V whitewater on Bolivia’s Tuichi River.

“This is a proper expedition that will have positive outcomes for people who live out of reach of traditional medical care,” said Jono Bryant, director of Adventure Travel and Wilderness Medicine at NOC. “The trip is a totally new concept that has huge potential worldwide. I’m thankful that NOC continues to push the boundaries of whitewater by providing these new and exciting opportunities.”

The magazine labeled the expedition a “difference maker” trip, noting its objectives: delivering medical supplies, conducting basic physical exams and relaying information about common health threats. The 21-day expedition will be held in August 2010.

NOC’s expedition is ranked among some of the most extraordinary adventures across the globe, such as biking through Pacific jungles, trekking into the Arctic Circle and snorkeling with humpback whales in Tonga.

Tool to help outfitters hone marketing

Outdoor Industry Association® has launched a new database to track purchases of outdoor gear and clothing from outfitters across the country.

The tracking system will help manufacturers and retailers in the outdoor lifestyle industry see how they are stacking up against national sales and pick up trends among outdoors consumers. The system will show weekly retail sales of outdoor products from major retailers, local outfitters and the Internet.

Retailers can enroll at no cost and will be able to access the data for free. 704.987.3450.

By Karen Dill • Special to Smoky Mountain News

October is a glorious month. Brilliant colors dot the mountains against clear blue Carolina skies. Fall leaves turn our world into an amazing canvas and spirits soar like the geese that fly high in the sky toward their winter place. It is one of the last times that we can enjoy basking in the warm afternoon sunlight and storing up warmth for the long winter days ahead.

The warm days will grow shorter and meld into cool evenings. Thoughts turn inward, and the mind creates ghostly images as we walk in the evenings toward our warm homes. As I walk along Buchanan Loop in the late evenings, dogs in tow, I recall the wonderful ghost stories from my childhood. In comparison to the current horror and gory movies, these stories now seem tame, but as a child and even as an adult, they have an eerie and realistic quality.

My father told stories of walking home from school or from an old sawmill in Bethel on late October evenings up the long and winding road to his weather-beaten shack. After enduring many terrifying minutes of the sound of deep breathing and spotting yellow eyes in the bushes, he would encounter a mountain panther (he called it a “painter”). I had never seen this creature in person or in a book but at nights, I was sure he was breathing and crouched beneath my bed at night in Bethel. Hollywood has yet to recreate the terror that this story delivered.

My mother would recall similar stories of night creatures, but my favorite story was her encounter with a white horse on a dark October night in downtown Asheville. She was working during WWII as a telephone operator in the old Southern Bell building at the corner of Lexington Avenue and Walnut Street. As she left her late night shift following a series of strange calls over the telephone switchboard, she walked onto the street under a full moon. As she continued down the street for a few feet, a white horse with neither saddle nor rider appeared and galloped straight for her. My mother was frightened of horses, but this one simply passed her by, turned the corner and disappeared up Lexington Avenue. Cold chills creep up my spine as I picture the scene, but I love the image of that beautiful white ghost horse. This encounter turned out to be an omen to an event (the disappearance of her first love) in my mother’s life that would forever change her.

When my husband and I bought a house in Webster in 1990, we began to create our own ghost stories. The old house that we bought came with ghosts, we soon discovered. Our two-story farmhouse was built in the late 1800s. It is rambling and rustic and we dubbed our décor as “shabby chic” long before Martha Stewart made it popular. We arrange throw pillows over stuffing leaking from worn holes in the wingback chairs facing the fireplace. We favor comfort over style, and the spirits seem to approve.

The dining room is haunted, we decided, after moving into the house. Neither animal nor construction worker would linger after dark. This room is the perfect setting for an October dinner. The candles are lit to hide the cobwebs lacing the ancient chandelier that dangles over the dining table. Fresh flowers, linen napkins and the good china complete the scene and await our guests. The lace curtains flutter softly in a breeze that may indeed be created by spirits circling the room.

I choose a menu that utilizes the wonderful foods in season. October calls for comfort foods that warm the chilly evenings and placate the shivering spirits. I love to coordinate foods with the seasons and I look forward to each step of the preparation. This is an inherited trait from a long line of mountain women. Food is comfort; a form of self-expression and a creative gift of love. When words fail (as they often do in this culture of hard scrapple survivors), food speaks volumes.

I create with food. I daydream about recipes and dinner menus. I read cookbooks in our spooky old house at night as intensely as I read a good novel. Despite the simple cuisine of my childhood, I long for the exotic. I love to combine the simple tastes of ordinary foods with touches of exotic flavor from faroff places. A dinner gathering provides the perfect audience for this expression, and the season provides the perfect fall foods.

For this meal, I decide that a rustic theme will suit the ghosts of the dining room and will accommodate the freshest local foods available at the Sylva Farmer’s market. We will begin with a salad that I’ve adapted from a recipe taken from the October 2009 Bon Appétit magazine. The actual recipe calls for spiced pumpkin, lentils and goat cheese. I substitute the suggested French green lentils for our regular lentils that are easily found in any grocery store. I roast the pumpkin pieces according to the recipe but serve them over a bed of baby greens instead of arugula. Instead of crumbled goat cheese, I sauté a medallion of local goat cheese (Dark Cove is my favorite) in butter that I have dipped in egg and coated with breadcrumbs. The warm goat cheese medallion melts with the sweet and spicy pumpkin wedges over the tart greens creating a delightful mixture of taste and texture.

As I serve the salad, I take hot cheese biscuits from the oven. There is no real recipe for these — I simply combine self-rising flour (White Lily is my southern favorite) with heavy cream and shredded cheddar cheese and plop spoonfuls of the mixture on a baking sheet. They cook quickly and are delicious. A note of caution: mountain cooking is not for the faint of heart. Bacon grease, heavy cream, and butter are staples and while used sparingly, they will all be found in this meal.

I’ve chosen pork, sweet potatoes and kale as the main dishes. These were plentiful in my childhood and to this day, signify the return of cold weather for me. They were comfort foods long before we knew what to call them. My husband, Tom has grilled the pork tenderloin over charcoal and hickory chips earlier in the day. I’ve basted the pork with a raspberry chipotle sauce that delivers a distinct kick.

Right before serving, I will heat the pork loin and slice into thick medallions. The medallions will be served over a bed of apple and Asian pear slices that I have sautéed in butter with sprinkles of brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. The raspberry chipotle sauce will be drizzled over the pork with a few fresh raspberries thrown into the mix. This sauce is too hot for some tastes, but I’ll provide a bowl of the sauce to pass around the table for those who enjoy an extra bite.

The sweet potatoes are mashed with butter and heavy cream (I warned you) and drizzled with bit of local honey that my friend and colleague Devlin Wilde has given me from his bee hives. The tart Asian pear and sweet apple slices blend nicely with the sweet potatoes. The fresh kale is first blanched, then chopped into smaller pieces and finally thrown into a frying pan that I have used to cook several bacon and onion slices. I add sugar, vinegar and some red pepper flakes to the greens and top with bits of bacon and cooked onion.

I serve corn muffins as well as the biscuits with this part of the meal. Pork and greens simply require cornbread. I’ve added chopped onion, some leftover frozen corn kernels from our garden and some red and green chopped bell peppers to the cornmeal. Butter is optional but strongly recommended for the hot corn muffins.

Our guests have been greeted on our wide front porch along with the traditional dog and cat and the not-so-traditional peacock who has taken residence in our yard. He welcomes all newcomers with a bullying squawk for he is an arrogant bird. We warn him that he could easily become our evening’s entrée. I’m thinking peacock with pomegranate glaze as he struts away with an indignant bellow.

As the meal is served, we eat slowly, savoring the flavors and the company. Conversation flows as I enjoy a mug of pumpkin ale (I recommend the latest Highland October ale). We talk easily as friends do who enjoy good food and agree on a number of topics. We lament about the crazy politics in Washington and the need for better heath care, share our fears of losing our beautiful mountains to wealthy developers, and share stories of childhood, travel and of course, food.

Dessert is simple. I’ve made a fresh apple cake earlier in the week after work. I could probably make this cake in my sleep. It is an old family recipe that utilizes local apples and black walnuts. My aunts who have passed on would just roll over in their graves if any other nut was substituted for the black walnuts. I’ve saved some from our old faithful walnut tree that I’ve shelled tediously in the warm autumn sun. For tonight’s dinner, I warm the slices quickly in the microwave and serve with freshly whipped cream, finely chopped black walnuts that are sprinkled over the whipped cream, and a couple of thinly sliced apple slices for garnish.

We sip fresh coffee and enjoy the winding down of a beautiful fall evening. We are quiet, reflective as the candles flicker and lace curtains flutter in a soft breeze that appears from nowhere. Another gift of the ghostly spirits, I suppose. The spirits in the old house are apparently content with the meal and the company. Percy is mercifully silent, roosting in the oak tree outside the window. Perhaps he is dreaming of his elusive peahen or perhaps simply smug in the knowledge that he has been spared as the entrée of our dinner. As I glance out the window, I’m relieved that the October night hosts neither panther nor white horse — just a lonesome peacock and the gentle spirits of our old house.

Despite their requests, Haywood County commissioners will not be guaranteed a spot on the new joint operating board of Haywood Regional Medical Center and WestCare.

Commissioner Mark Swanger initially called for the seat to ensure transparency and accountability to the public, which has a vested stake in the hospital.

Commissioner Bill Upton said as an elected leader, they are the first ones to be blamed “if things go south.”

“I think it would keep us closer to the situation,” Upton said. “It makes a difference. I think it would be positive for all of us.”

When HRMC failed federal inspections two years ago and had to all but shut down for five months, commissioners were criticized for not providing enough oversight of HRMC. Two commissioners up for election that year lost, with backlash over the hospital crisis blamed as one of the reasons for their ousting by voters.

Commissioner Skeeter Curtis said the public still thinks of HRMC as “their” hospital, since county taxpayers backed a loan used for its construction, even though the hospital in fact paid back the loans and the public did not have to pony up any money.

HRMC CEO Mike Poore said he disagreed that a commissioner’s presence would somehow provide more transparency. Poore said the county commissioner serving on the board would not be able to share what was discussed by the joint hospital board outside its private meetings anyway.

“The county commissioner has no more authority to speak outside that meeting than anyone else,” Poore said. “They are not a county commissioner at that meeting. They are a member of the joint operating committee.”

Mark Clasby, chairman of the HRMC board, said giving a county commissioner a permanent seat at the table would have been a deal killer in the joint venture. Clasby added that commissioners can serve, and indeed one is on the inaugural board, but they aren’t guaranteed a spot going forward.

By Gibbs Knotts • Guest Columnist

Some local sportswriters have expressed bewilderment at a recent ranking by a nationally circulated magazine, The Sporting News, that placed Cullowhee at No. 199 among the United States’ top 399 sports cities.

These pundits seem perplexed that Cullowhee would be ranked 26 spots ahead of Boone, home of archrival Appalachian State University. When comparing Boone and Cullowhee, the sports reporters have focused on the higher attendance at Appalachian State football and men’s basketball games.

In their haste to criticize The Sporting News ranking, some journalists are missing a point that The Sporting News apparently did not miss — Cullowhee is home to a LOT of sporting events, many of them successful by regional and national standards.

Focusing solely on football and men’s basketball overlooks the achievements of at least seven of the other 13 Division I collegiate sports at Western Carolina. Last year, three WCU teams – women’s basketball, women’s soccer, and men’s track and field – won conference championships. Women’s track and field, baseball, men’s golf and women’s golf also have posted notably successful records.

WCU’s women’s basketball and soccer teams have been ranked in the nation’s top 20 academically. The women’s golf team regularly places individuals on the National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholars list. In the spring 2009 semester, 87 student-athletes made the dean’s list and 18 earned perfect 4.0 grade-point averages. At Western Carolina, athletic victories usually go hand-in-hand with academic successes.

Part of what makes a sports town a sports town is tradition and history, and Western Carolina has its fair share. The first three-point shot in men’s college basketball was made in Cullowhee. Every year at NCAA basketball tournament time, the networks roll out the footage from 1996 when the Catamounts came within a whisker of being the first No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed. And Asheville’s own Henry Logan opened the door for student-athletes of his race when, in 1964, he joined the WCU basketball team and became the first African-American to play at a predominantly white institution in the South.

Adding to the game-day experience in Cullowhee is WCU’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, whose crowd-pleasing halftime shows over the years are being recognized nationally by the John Phillip Sousa Foundation, which has awarded the band the 2009 Sudler Trophy — the Heisman Trophy of collegiate marching bands.

Aside from Catamount athletics, Cullowhee also features outstanding outdoor sporting opportunities. The area is a haven for cyclists, hosting numerous group rides and the annual Tour de Tuck bicycle ride. Anglers flock to Cullowhee for many miles of rivers and streams, and Cullowhee is a world-class boating and kayaking destination. Some Olympic athletes train in the area.

The university engages students in outdoor experiences through its Base Camp Cullowhee, a campus organization that hosts nearly 2,000 people per year on outdoor adventures and supplies students with low-cost outdoor gear and supplies. Base Camp employees serve as a resource to the Cullowhee community, providing trip advice, trail maps, and other outdoor tips to local individuals and families, and to hundreds of the millions of Americans who visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway annually.

Is Cullowhee really the 199th best sports town in the United States? Scientifically, I can’t say, but when you look at the entire picture, why not? What I can do is invite sports fans of all persuasions to come to Cullowhee and find out. Attend a soccer match or a women’s basketball game. Bring your bike and ride the Ring of Fire. Float down the beautiful Tuckasegee River. Or bring your binoculars and watch track or cross country or some other Olympic sport. You may discover that The Sporting News has it right — sporting opportunities are abundant in Cullowhee.

(Gibbs Knotts is faculty athletics representative at Western Carolina University where he teaches political science and public affairs. In his free time, he attends Catamount sporting events and enjoys Cullowhee’s many outdoor opportunities.)

Two of the five seats on the Sylva town board are up for election. Both incumbents are running for re-election and will face three additional challengers.

The mayor’s seat is up for election as well, but Mayor Brenda Oliver chose not to run after 17 years at the helm and a total of 28 years on the town board. Oliver said she was simply ready to step down and that the town was likewise ready for new leadership.

Town Commissioner Maurice Moody is running unopposed for mayor. Moody’s seat is not up for election this year, so when he transitions to the post of mayor in December, he will leave a vacant spot on the town board. The other board members will appoint his replacement. Board members were uncommitted on whether they would appoint the next highest voter getter in the election to the vacancy.

Stacy Knotts, 38

Stay-at-home mom

Knotts has served on the board four years. This election, Knotts once again went door to door, visiting an estimated 500 residents.

“It was great. I got to hear from the residents in all different neighborhoods. I got to hear about things they liked as well as what they are concerned about. It was a big variety of things. The great thing is I can start working on them right now.”

Harold Hensley, 72

Retired maintenance supervisor for Jackson County Schools

Hensley has served on the board four years.

“There’s lots of money spent that I don’t think should be spent. I have pushed hard for cuts, real hard. There is no sense in every time you turn around you have to look at the taxpayers to bail you out.”

Danny Allen, 53

Not currently employed due to health reasons

Formerly a Sylva police officer and manager of Quinn Theater

“I just don’t think the board is a good representation of the whole town. The present board is catering to select groups. They are not seeing the overall needs of the people.”

David Kelley, 32

Works at Livingston’s Photo and is a Realtor with WNC Brokers

Kelley has no overwhelming desire to alter the town’s course. He thinks the current board is doing “an adequate job” and isn’t advocating for change per say. So why is he running?

“The town has been a big part of my life all my life, so I felt the need for a voice.”

Ellerna Bryson Forney

Could not be reached for comment.

Is it true that Haywood and WestCare have merged?

No. The boards of Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) and WestCare Health System (WestCare) have formally agreed to form a unified healthcare system that will integrate the strategic, operational, and financial aspects of both organizations. This integration is not a “merger;” rather, it is a legal arrangement that will provide patients within the newly defined service area with enhanced access to a broader array of services.

WestCare Health System includes Harris Regional Hospital, Swain County Hospital and other healthcare facilities serving a four-county area in Western North Carolina. The goal of the new arrangement with Haywood Regional is to help reduce operating expenses, while improving quality and patient safety.

The recently approved Joint Operating Agreement (JOA) permits the continued existence of separate boards of directors, but vests much oversight responsibility with a newly formed Joint Operating Company (JOC) board of directors.

HRMC and WestCare will be the sole members of the Joint Operating Company (JOC) and will share equally in the financial operations of the new company. In the healthcare industry, hospitals may form a JOC to provide a stronger financial structure and to enhance service delivery.

By what process did the two organizations come together?

The boards of the respective hospital systems have been engaged in the process of selecting a partner and joining the two systems together for over 18 months. Members of both boards have spent hundreds of volunteer hours in meetings with consultants and legal advisors in order to garner and evaluate the technical advice needed to make the very best decision.

Starting in the early months of 2008, HRMC and WestCare began informal discussions regarding how best to enhance the delivery of healthcare services to the people of their respective communities. In late 2008 both boards agreed that the best course of action was to secure a partner to assist in bringing the two organizations together.

Shortly thereafter, formal RFPs (requests for proposals) were sent to select organizations that had the resources needed to effect both a unification effort and also provide continuing management services to a combined operation.

Following a very intensive review process, the boards selected Carolinas HealthCare System as the manager. At that point, in April 2009, a Joint Study Committee was formed to negotiate the details of the future affiliation.

The JOA announcement on Oct. 21 represents the culmination of that effort.

What is the name of the new organization?

“MedWest Health System” is the name of the new Joint Operating Company; however each of the individual hospitals will continue to use their current names: Haywood Regional Medical Center, Harris Regional Hospital and Swain County Hospital.

When will the new company begin operations?

It is anticipated that MedWest Health System will begin integrating the operations of the two systems in January 2010. Some approvals are still pending, but those are expected to be received in a timely manner.

Who will be CEO of the new JOC?

That decision will be made by the newly constituted board of MedWest Health System and CHS in the next few months. A proficient management team at each hospital has helped to guide this integration effort, and they are to be commended for their conscientious and unselfish leadership throughout each step of the process.

Who will be on the governing board of the new JOC?

The board will be made up of 14 members, with seven from Haywood County and seven from the counties that comprise WestCare’s primary service area. The boards of HRMC and WestCare have appointed five members each and those 10 will select four at-large members to complete the board.

Will there be physicians on the new JOC board?

Each of the member systems, HRMC and WestCare, will have two active medical staff members on the board of MedWest Health System.

What will be Carolinas HealthCare System’s role with respect to MedWest?

The board of MedWest Health System will enter into a management services agreement with Carolinas HealthCare System. Under the terms of the agreement, Carolinas HealthCare will employ the executive team and provide MedWest Health System with a wide range of corporate-level management services.

Carolinas HealthCare will not have an ownership interest or a direct role in the governance of MedWest Health System.

Carolinas HealthCare will provide MedWest with the experience and resources of a comprehensive, multifaceted organization. Those resources will be brought to bear in a way that will help all of the MedWest hospitals improve patient access, lower patient costs and improve patient outcomes.

With the addition of the MedWest hospital group, CHS will operate 32 hospitals across the Carolinas. CHS provides a strong support structure for those hospitals and the hundreds of other care locations it manages. The management services agreement ensures that these support mechanisms are available to MedWest.

What will be the continuing responsibilities of the existing HRMC and WestCare governing boards?

Under the terms of the JOA the individual hospital boards will continue to credential medical staff at their respective facilities and will have certain other reserved powers. For example, the JOC could not accept new members without the approval of the individual boards.

What impact will the new arrangement have on employees?

Salaries, benefits and retirement plans have always been subject to annual review by HRMC and WestCare, and from time to time over the last few years changes have been made as necessary to those plans. That process will continue. The formation of the combined organization will not be a sole factor in deciding if there will be changes. In fact, one of the reasons for selecting the JOC organizational structure was so that the current retirement plans could remain in place.

Will any employees lose their jobs as a result of the JOC?

This question has not been addressed and likely will not be for at least several months. In some organizations that have formed a JOA, over the long term, the employment base has actually increased as the new organization developed new services and expanded existing services.

Will patients in this part of the state now have to travel to Charlotte for more complex medical services?

No. There is no plan to disrupt existing physician referral patterns. Patients, their families and their doctors will continue to make decisions about where patients will go for care.

As noted, it is anticipated that over time additional and more sophisticated services will be offered, thus allowing patients to stay closer to home for their care.

What impact will the JOC have on local doctors?

Physician representation has been important from the beginning of this process, and members of the medical staff at both HRMC and WestCare have participated in the work of the Joint Study Committee. The committee was diligent in seeking physician input and making sure that issues of particular interest to doctors were addressed during negotiations.

The JOC is expected to provide numerous benefits for the medical community, including the enhancement or expansion of existing services, and the development of new programs.

Will the three hospitals that form MedWest be jointly marketing their services?

Yes. MedWest will oversee the marketing of services for each of the individual hospitals. This is just one of many ways that savings can be realized, while highlighting the benefits that will be available through joint operations.

The Waynesville Recreation Center was vandalized late sometime late Monday night or early Tuesday morning.

The vandals entered the building through a broken window into the pool area. Once inside, they broke internal windows, threw furniture around, pulled clocks off the wall and otherwise wreaked havoc.

“There was glass everywhere,” said Det. Ryan Singleton, who is the lead investigator officer in the case.

They even discharged fire extinguishers.

“The whole entire building was covered in the residue from the fire distinguishers,” Singleton said.

In the kitchen area, vandals emptied the contents of cupboards onto the floor, including food coloring, flour and vinegar. Profanity was spray-painted on the kitchen walls as well. Despite the vandalism, nothing was stolen.

The police were able to lift fingerprints from the scene. Singleton believes there was more than one vandal.

The recreation center was closed for half a day Tuesday. The pool will remained closed through Friday as glass had gotten into the pool from the broken windows.

“We are draining the pool and refilling the water. We have to get the temperature levels correct and the chlorine levels correct as well,” said Waynesville Recreation Director Rhett Langston.

There are 10 candidates running for four seats on the Canton town board. Only two sitting aldermen are running for re-election, with eight challengers. All four seats are up for election every two years. Mayor Pat Smathers is running for re-election unopposed.

Canton aldermen – Pick 4

Charlie Crawford, 74

Retired DMV inspector, currently operates a small car lot and construction company

Crawford was ousted in the last election two years ago after 16 years on the board.

“The people I’ve talked to are pretty well fed up. I think there are a lot of people running because there is an apparent lack of progress by the present board. We need to get back on a progressive agenda. We need to bury whatever differences we have to serve the town.”

Jimmy Flynn, 59

Safety director for Buckeye Construction Company, former town employee for 30 years

“You have to have a board that can agree to disagree and move forward. We just would like to see Canton go forward at some growth rate. It is not a bad thing when the board doesn’t always agree and vote on everything unanimously, but I think it is a bad thing when they almost never vote on anything important unanimously. That tells me there needs to be a little more cohesiveness.”

Gene Monson, 51

Owner of group purchasing organization for 130 restaurants that pool food orders to help realize economies of scale through bulk buying power

“The members of the current board individually are all fine gentlemen. However, as a board I don’t think they accomplished what they wanted to accomplish over the past two years or what most of the citizens were hoping for. I hope I have the intelligence and humility to consider every idea on its merits and not based on whose idea it is. I am willing to compromise. I am more concerned about getting it right than being right.”

Carole Edwards, 54

Regional consultant for Department of Social Services on welfare programs

“My slogan is a fresh and new perspective. I feel like I have the enthusiasm and heart to want to work for this town. We may try a lot of things that don’t work. If you don’t try, how do you know what works and doesn’t work? I may not agree with what someone else thinks, but if it is an idea, let’s try it and see if it doesn’t work.”

Patrick Willis, 29

Historic interpreter at Thomas Wolfe National Historic Site

“Honestly in the past two years I have not seen a whole lot of improvement in the town. I feel like the town could use some new fresh ideas and opinions. One of the things I would like to see is more open communication with the residents of the town from the town board.”

Kenneth Holland, 62

Retired pharmacist

“The current board has been divided down the middle on issues. The net result is not a whole lot is being accomplished. What they were planning on doing when they went in two years ago didn’t get accomplished as planned. We need to change things.”

Angela Jenkins, 42

Former stay-at-home mom now enrolled in a craft program at Haywood Community College

“I guess there are just too many different opinions about what needs to be happening and how to go about do it. There’s just no cohesiveness. You have to prioritize what needs to be done and find a way to get it done. I think it is going to be important that we have a board that gets along and gets the town moving forward.”

Ed Underwood, 60

Retired lieutenant colonel in US Army and retired state prison guard

“One of the problems with the current board is that it seems like the board members can’t work together. When you go onto a board like that you have your own personal agenda and have to try to set that aside to work as a team member. I’d say the consensus is the voters want a change.”

Troy Mann, 72

Retired cattle farmer

Mann has served for two years after running for election in 2007 as part of a wave that unseated three long-time board members.

“Our thinking was the citizens of Canton wanted some change over what had been. There is more discussion, more oversight, we are more engaged. Every issue is given more consideration. It is not a given that if it is brought to the table it is going to be approved.”

Eric Dills, 44

Residential contractor

Dills has served two years on the town board. He ran in 2005 and lost by five votes, but emerged in 2007 as the top vote-getter.

“When I ran before, I felt like the town was really going down. It was deteriorating. We were going in the wrong direction. The mayor controls the biggest part of the agenda. If the town has not progressed in the past two years, the mayor has to bear his share and can’t keep pointing his finger at the board and saying it is all our fault.”

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

(loosely based on the recipe from the October 2009 Bon Appétit magazine)

• 3/4 cup lentils

• 6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin (from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin or butternut squash)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika (found in most grocery stores—I found mine in the Fresh Market Grocery in Asheville or you can add some cayenne pepper to smoked paprika for the same effect)

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 4 cups of baby greens

• 1 log of soft goat cheese log, sliced into ? inch medallions, dipped in an egg mixed with a little cream and coated with finely chopped breadcrumbs (I use the packaged Progresso kind)

• 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves

• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Soak lentils in cold water for about 10 minutes. Drain and cook in salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pumpkin in large bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt. Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes. Turn pumpkin over. Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with mixed baby greens, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper. Right before serving, sauté goat cheese medallions in olive oil and a little butter to help brown the cheese.

Divide the salad mixture among plates and place the warm goat cheese medallion on top of each salad.

Fresh Apple Cake

• 1 1/2 cups Wesson oil

• 4 or so medium sized apples, chopped finely (I use a couple of red delicious and a couple of yellow delicious apples); It is ok to leave the peelings on but I usually don’t.

• 1 cup of black walnuts, chopped

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups of white sugar

• 3 eggs

• 3 cups sifted plain flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream together oil, sugar and eggs in a mixer. Add dry ingredients and fold in apples and nuts. Add vanilla. Place the mixture in a greased, floured bundt pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour or so. Test with a toothpick or broom straw for doneness in the center of the cake. Because this cake is so moist, I rarely frost it. It gets better after a few days but is delicious right out of the oven.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 cup small diced onion

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 teaspoons chipotle chilies in adobo, chopped

• 2 pints raspberries, rinsed

• 1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Add chopped onion and cook, stirring until slightly caramelized—about 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for 1 min. Add the chilies and cook, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Add the raspberries and cook until soft, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add sugar and salt, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, about 8 to 10 min. Remove from heat and cool before using.

For a clear glaze, strain through a fine, mesh strainer by pressing on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.

*A note: I love this sauce but if I’m pressed for time, there is a nice bottled raspberry chipotle sauce (brand is Dan T’s Inferno) that is sold at Sam’s Club and other good brands of raspberry chipotle at Fresh Market. It works just fine in a pinch.

By Kirkwood Callahan • Guest Columnist

In the election of 2008 many Americans aspired for hope and change when Barack Obama won the White House and Democrats increased their majorities in Congress. Today signs of buyers’ remorse are everywhere.

Disgruntled voters opposed to policy proposals of the majority party confront senators and representatives. Thousands march on Washington to protest legislation that accrues more power for the national government, diminishes individual choices, and grows the national debt.

The disconnect between citizens and the Democratic Party is best illustrated by the debate over health care. Democrats differ as to whether to have government-run health insurance (public option) or nonprofit insurance cooperatives and who to tax to defray costs, but all Democratic bills result in government controlling the nation’s health care .

However, on Sept. 30 a Gallup Poll showed that the overwhelming majority of Americans embraced individual responsibility and rejected the idea of government responsibility for healthcare by 61 percent to 37 percent.

Polls have also shown that the majority of Americans are satisfied with their health insurance, and contrary to White House efforts, more of the nation’s physicians are opposing control by Washington and offering alternatives. Recently three former presidents of the American Medical Association — including a spokesman for an association of 10,000 physicians — advocated in a Wall Street Journal article for low cost health savings accounts, tax credits for individual and family health insurance policies, and comprehensive malpractice reform. GOP lawmakers have proposed the same ideas along with portable health insurance that can be sold across state lines.

There are many other areas where the Democratic party is disconnected from the concerns of the many — a disappointing lack of transparency as health care reform legislation is packaged in documents with over 1,000 pages of arcane language, a largely unspent $787 billion “stimulus” bill passed in February, and indecisiveness over the war in Afghanistan.

The situation at home where North Carolina is ruled by a Democratic legislature and a Democratic governor is no less encouraging.

Higher taxes are levied upon citizens as unemployment lurches toward 11 percent. This fiscal year’s budget was reduced because of the recession’s shortfalls in revenues, but in the preceding six-year period state spending increased more than 50 percent while the population increased only by about 10 percent. Where did the money go?

Much evidence shows it did not get to the right places.

Last December the Raleigh News and Observer reported on the dysfunctional state parole and probation system. The Observer revealed that “Since the start of 2000, 580 offenders have killed while on probation. Probation officers, hamstrung by vacancies and a sloppy bureaucracy, can’t locate nearly 14,000 criminals.”

Seven months after this report Patrick Burris, a parolee, murdered five people in South Carolina. To date, the parole-probation system still lacks resources necessary to perform its essential responsibility of protecting the public.

In 2007, funds for outpatient care for mental health patients were slashed, but from 2004-7 over $81 million went to “health and wellness” centers at UNC Asheville and Western Carolina University. During the 2007-9 budget cycles the General Assembly allocated $7 million a year for retreat centers for teachers while many of their colleagues faced job losses when the recession’s crunch came. Other examples of misallocated resources are too numerous to list here.

To whom should disillusioned voters turn? Many, disappointed in the Republican party in years past, have suggested a new party combining the energies of independents and other disaffected groups to find a way out of the nation’s morass.

However, those who would turn to a third or independent party should think about it further. There is no objective evidence to think an independent movement could marshall the political experience essential to run the government. Behind efforts to drive more and more power to Washington is an entrenched politicized bureaucracy in the legislative and executive branches. A new party, if it could elect candidates, would flounder on the rocks of partisan barriers that no beginner could navigate. Also, voters of conservative inclinations who reject Republicans for other candidates may see their votes produce unintended consequences.

In the 2008 election, Obama received all of the state’s electoral votes by receiving only 14,177 more votes than John McCain. Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate received 25,722 votes. Write-in candidates received 13,942 votes.

The Republican Party and its new leadership has the party structure for a return to fiscal responsibility and a concern for constituents’ opinions. But first it must achieve majority status in Congress and the General Assembly.

In our legislative branches, it is the majority party that determines the chairmanships of committee, and it is in committees where the nitty gritty work of legislation is done. The most important decision that each member of Congress makes is the decision to organize with his party at the beginning of each session. Conservative voters may think Blue Dog Democrats advance their values, but the reality is that all Democrats must work within a committee structure dominated by liberal chairmen and co-chairmen. The liberals set the agenda. Ask Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid.

The Democratic leadership in Raleigh’s General Assembly similarly mutes conservative Republicans efforts.

Voters rejecting the change of the Obama Democrats would best serve their interests by supporting the Republican effort to claim majority status. The Republican Party, following significant defeats in two general elections, has returned to its roots and with new dedication affirmed its commitments to core conservative principles: limited government, local control, individual responsibility, strong defense and sound stewardship of state and national finances.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska Haywood Republicans will have their annual Fall Harvest Dinner to raise funds and introduce party leaders and candidates. I will be the master of ceremonies and the dinner starts at 6 p.m. This is a great opportunity to observe a conservative party at work. For information about the dinner or this article contact me This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Kirkwood Callahan is retired and lives in Waynesville. He has taught government at four southern universities.

The joint board that will run the eventual Haywood Regional Medical Center-WestCare affiliation needs to have a sitting Haywood County commissioner as a permanent member, as one Haywood County commissioner is now suggesting.

Commissioner Mark Swanger worries that the interest of Haywood County’s citizens — who own the buildings and property at HRMC — could be compromised if a commissioner is not on the new joint board. HRMC now operates as a public hospital, and most of its dealings are subjected to the state’s open meetings laws. The new venture with Carolina’s HealthCare System will form a private nonprofit, entitling citizens to very little knowledge about the decisionmaking process.

Swanger’s reasoning makes good sense: “While I don’t doubt the motives of anyone involved in this now, 10 years from now we will have an entirely different cast of characters, so counting on the trust issue is not good business in my view. I think a commissioner needs to be part of the operating agreement so the citizens who have the financial investment in the physical plant of Haywood Regional are property represented.”

There’s little doubt among those who have been following the affiliation of WestCare and HRMC that the board members from both hospitals are working with the best interests of their communities at heart. The driving force here is to provide three communities — Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties — with stronger, better delivery of health care services for many years into the future.

What if, however, some kind of cataclysm occurs at Carolina’s HealthCare and its smaller entities become expendable or begin to be treated as mere profit centers for certain types of specialized care rather than as stand-alone hospitals? Or if a future CEO from Charlotte begins to make decisions without regard to citizens in this region?

The kind of scenario described above is not likely to occur, and we would hope that the board members from this region — whomever they are — would stand up for our citizens. But county commissioners — and most elected officials — typically operate from a different mindset because at any monthly meeting they face reminders that they serve the public’s interest, whether it is someone complaining about taxes or a neighborhood group seeking help about barking dogs disrupting the peace.

This one is easy. Citizens in Haywood County — and those of Jackson and Swain, for that matter — would have another measure of confidence in this affiliation if a county commissioner gets a seat at the table.