Outdoors
Exceptional drought introduced in N.C.
Recent rainfall was not enough to offer relief from worsening drought conditions. According to the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council, extreme drought conditions have expanded across most of the Piedmont and in Western North Carolina, and one county is now considered to be in exceptional drought.
According to the DMAC’s classification’s issued Thursday, Union County is in an exceptional drought, 61 counties are in extreme drought and most of the rest of the state is in severe drought.
Up Moses Creek: No Lie
One of the questions the doctor always asks when I go for my annual Medicare Wellness checkup is, “Have you been falling recently?” — to which I always answer, “No.” And technically that’s not a lie.
The “no” would have been true through and through in my younger years. I could walk a skinny branch in a gale. But now, a decade into Medicare, my balance has become “a diminished thing,” to borrow from Robert Frost, and I do fall from time to time.
Join Farm Bureau in Raleigh for farmland preservation
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, under the leadership of longtime Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, will host a Farmland Preservation Advocacy Day on Wednesday, May 13, at the General Assembly in Raleigh.
The event aims to rally support for increased funding to protect North Carolina’s working farms and forests.
‘Peonies in Bloom’
Come out to Wildcat Ridge Farm during May to enjoy a blooming peony paradise. The farm will be open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free for all visitors.
As a Certified Appalachian Grown farm, Wildcat Ridge specializes in the finest herbaceous and intersectional peony plants and cut blooms. Herbaceous peonies are durable perennials that can live for over 100 years, while Intersectional (Itoh) peonies are known for their sturdy stems and vibrant, pastel color combinations.
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation announces new board
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation recently appointed new board officers and members to the organization’s Board of Trustees and Council of Advisors.
The group will provide leadership for the nonprofit organization, which partners with the National Park Service to preserve and enhance the country’s most-visited national park unit.
Lake Junaluska ‘Spring Plant Sale’
Lake Junaluska’s Spring Plant Sale will be 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at the Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym.
For sale will be a few thousand plants, including an assortment of annuals, perennials, herbs and vegetables, hanging baskets and several varieties of native plants from the Corneille Bryan Native Garden, said Melissa Marshall, Lake Junaluska grounds director.
Waynesville hosts open house for master plan
Waynesville is inviting residents to attend a second open house for its parks and recreation Master Plan on from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Waynesville Recreation Center.
Following an initial round of public input earlier this year, this second open house will give community members an opportunity to review draft recommendations shaped by that feedback and help refine priorities that will guide improvements and investment in Waynesville’s parks and recreation system over the next 10 years.
Waynesville’s Main Street welcomes Tuckaseegee Fly Shop
A new, highly anticipated storefront has recently popped up on Main Street in Waynesville. Tuckaseegee Fly Shop, a popular fly fishing outfitter and guiding service in Western North Carolina, relocated the Waynesville store from Depot to Main in an effort to expand the company and grow its clientele.
“As a Haywood County local with a deep appreciation for the area’s fly fishing history, I felt that Waynesville truly needed a dedicated fly shop — one that could serve both the local community and visiting anglers,” said Waynesville TFS manager Justin Pilat.
Vehicle-free days begin in Cades Cove
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer Cades Cove cehicle-free days every Wednesday from May 6 to Sept. 30. These designated days give pedestrians and cyclists an opportunity to experience the 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road without motor vehicles.
