Don Williams, a highly acclaimed country music singer and songwriter, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 15 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.

Williams is back on the road after almost five years of retirement, playing to sold-out houses all across the country. Charting 17 number one songs and more than 40 Top Ten singles, Williams is a true American classic. His hits include “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Amanda,” and “Tulsa Time.” Williams has earned many awards throughout his career. In 2010, he received country music’s highest honor when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. 

Williams has been referred to as country music’s “gentle giant.” His soft tone and connection to his music is friendly and inviting. Fans often find themselves able to relate to the message in his songs.  

Tickets are $29 and can be purchased online or at the theatre’s box office located at 1028 Georgia Road in Franklin.

www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

The sounds of Frank Sinatra will arrive at Western Carolina University on Sept. 16 for the first installment of the 2012-13 Galaxy of Stars Series.

Disc jockey Alan Price will be hosting a “Golden Oldies Sock Hop Extravaganza” at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center from 2-11 p.m.on Tuesday, Sept. 18.

The event will feature Price, The Dovells (“Bristol Stomp) and Jimmy Clanton (“Venus in Blue Jeans”). There will be a meet and greet from 2-5 p.m., with the show starting in the auditorium at 7 p.m. Besides music and dancing, there will also be prizes given out to the best ‘50s and ‘60s attire. 

Tickets available at www.LakeJunaluska.com or 800.222.4930.

The next Second Sunday Contra Dance will be held from 2:30-5 p.m. on Sept. 9 in the community room on the second floor of the old courthouse in the Jackson County Library Complex in Sylva.

Ron Arps will call the dance to the music of “Out of the Woodwork.” There will also be a potluck dinner following the contra dance, starting at 5:30 p.m. Please bring a covered dish, plate, cup and cutlery and a water bottle.

All dances are done to live music. Local musicians are invited to sit in with the band, to jam and learn how to play music for dancing. No previous experience with contra dancing is necessary. All dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required.

Contra dancing is a form of English country dancing and uses many of the same figures as square dancing such as circles, stars and swings.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Trumpet player Brandon Craswell will perform a free recital at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 in the Coulter Building recital hall on the campus of Western Carolina University. 

Craswell is an assistant professor of trumpet at the University of Georgia. Accompanying him will be P. Bradley Ulrich, a professor of trumpet at WCU, and Douglas Jurs, an assistant professor of piano and music theory at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga.

The program will include works by Igor Stravinsky, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, John Hennecken, Isaac Albéniz, Francis Poulenc, George Gershwin, Jules Levy and Johannes Brahms.

Adept at classical and jazz, Craswell holds a doctoral degree in musical arts from the University of Kentucky. He played Carnegie Hall with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and has played abroad in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Germany, Italy and Russia.

The next community music jam at the library in Bryson City will be from 6-7:30 p.m. on Sept. 6 in the library auditorium or, weather permitting, on the library’s front lawn.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle or dulcimer (anything unplugged) is invited to join. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City. Barnett starts by calling out a tune, and its key signature, and the group plays it together. Then, everyone in the circle gets a chance to choose a song for the group to play together.

The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month at Marianna Black Library, located at the corner of Academy and Rector

828.488.3030.

Accordion stars to appear in Maggie Valley

The second annual Smoky Mountain Accordion Festival will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Maggie Valley Club. The event will showcase regional accordionists from Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, with an evening concert featuring Tony Lovello and Walter Kasprzyk. 

Tickets for the event are $20. 828.734.2975.

Community Band to play free show in Maggie

Haywood Community Band will present its fourth installment of the Maggie Valley Concert Series at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16. The band will play “Sounds from the Silver Screen,” which includes themes from “Mission Impossible,” “Schindler’s List,” “A Tribute to Mancini,” and other themes from popular movies of the past. 

Sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association, the free performance will be at the pavilion adjacent to the Maggie Valley Town Hall on Soco Road. Bring a picnic dinner. The next scheduled concert thereafter is Sunday, Oct. 21. 

828.456.4880 or www.HaywoodCommunityBand.org. 

Karen Peck and New River, an award-winning Southern gospel group from Gainesville, Ga., and The Kingsmen Quartet, a Southern gospel quartet out of Asheville, will be in concert at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 7 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.

In 1991, Peck and her sister, Susan, along with her husband, Rickey, formed the group Karen Peck and New River. They have received many awards, including two Dove Awards, and have been nominated for three Grammys.

The Kingsmen have won multiple Singing News Fan Awards and have received many Grammy and Dove Award nominations. In 2000, they were inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Tickets start at $15. Reserve tickets online or at the theater’s box office located at 1028 Georgia Road in Franklin.

www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

The Highlands Performing Arts Center will present the Bluegrass Duel 8 p.m. on Sept. 15. The event will feature Asheville’s Nitrograss (pictured) and Athen’s Packway Handle.

Kids can enjoy a wide range of youth art classes at The Bascom this September and October.

• Creation Station, a make-and-take, make-your-own-masterpiece class, will run from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturdays, Sept. 1 through Oct. 27. The class is open to ages 5-9. Cost is $5. No pre-registration is required.

• After-School Art Adventure will take place from 3:15-4:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Sept. 18 through Oct. 23. The course, for ages 5-9, will include individual and collaborative projects and experiment with everything from painting, ceramics and sculpture to printmaking and collage. Snacks are provided.  Class size is limited; pre-registration is required. The cost is $30 for a six-week session.

• Friends Around the Globe will allow students, ages 8-12, to explore different cultures through various art projects. The program, which will occur from 3:15-4:30 p.m. Sept. 15 and 29 and Oct. 13 and 27, is presented in partnership with the International Friendship Center. No pre-registration required. Cost is $5 per class.

Scholarship opportunities are available.

www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.

ColorFest’s “Art & Taste of Appalachia Artist’s Reception” will be held at the historical Jarrott House in Dillsboro at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6.

Locally selected fine artists representing Jackson, Swain, Macon, Graham and Haywood counties are bringing their artwork to the reception and will be handed over to the merchants of Dillsboro to display in their shops for the month of September. The Dillsboro merchants will be bringing their favorite recipes. Catch the Spirit of Appalachia board members will be present to help handle the artwork.

The reception kicks off ColorFest, “Art & Taste of Appalachia” coming up on Oct. 6. Selected artists will be demonstrating their art on the streets of Dillsboro with local musicians and North Carolina food on hand.

Preview the artist’s works at www.yurtstudiocom/myblog/blog6.php.

The Waynesville Gallery Association presents Art After Dark from 6–9 p.m. on Sept. 7 and a Saturday Stroll from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 8. 

Working studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in historic Frog Level will feature demonstrating artists Friday evening and Saturday.

Festive Art After Dark and Saturday Stroll flags mark participating galleries like Burr Studio and Gallery, Earthworks Frame Shop, Earthworks Gallery, Gallery Two Six Two, Grace Cathey Sculpture Garden and Gallery, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86, the Jeweler’s Workbench, Lone Backpacker Gallery of World Photography, TPennington Art Gallery and Twigs and Leaves Gallery.

The Art After Dark and Saturday Stroll take place the first Friday/Saturday weekend of each month through December.

www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com or 828.452.9284.

Textile historian Suzanne Hill McDowell will host a luncheon program from noon to 2 p.m. on Sept. 15 and tell the stories of a selection of quilts ay the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts housed in historic Shelton House in Waynesville.

McDowell has spent the winter studying eight quilts from the historic Shelton House collection and will incorporate detailed analysis and historical knowledge.

The event is limited to 50 people, with catered lunch provided by Kanini’s, Herron House and the Olde Brick House. Tickets are $20 and should be purchased by Sept. 8 at the Olde Brick House and Blue Ridge Books.

Sponsors for the event are Blue Ridge Books, Christmas is Everyday, Clyde Ray’s Flower Shop, Herron House, Olde Brick House, Polly’s Florist and Quilters’ Quarters. 

828.452.1551.

Silvia Williams will instruct a workshop on experimental art from 1-3 p.m. on Sept. 14 at Leapin’ Frog Gallery.

Williams is an abstract experimental artist interested in expressing herself through color, texture and line. Students will be doing a collage applied with exciting colors and shapes. Various techniques will be shown, and students may choose which technique is most suited for them.

Cost is $25. Leapin’ Frog Gallery is located at 58 Commerce Street in Waynesville. 828.456.8441.

To the Editor:

Believing in the power of women’s votes, here are some facts that we are facing in November.

We have heard the GOP war on women dominate the news while delaying action that is imperative to the quickly vanishing middle class. GOP congressional members have been relentless in trying to restrict women’s health care rights and economic equality. 

• It costs $4.8 million to keep the House of Representatives open for one day.

• 52 days of House business was sidelined by their War On Women.

• $4.8 million times 52 days = $249.60 million of taxpayers money wasted.

• In 2011, the GOP House attacked women’s rights 19 of the 25 weeks they were in session.

• In 2012, GOP House attacked women’s rights 19 of the 21 weeks they were in session.

In the past, a women’s place for the most part was to stay home, barefoot and pregnant. Do we really want our daughters, granddaughters and generations to come to lose the rights we have worked so hard to give them? No, we want them to be recognized as valuable assets to themselves, their family, their community and their country?

On the Mother Jones website, Nick Baumann reports, “Under a GOP-backed bill expected to sail through the House, the Internal Revenue Service would be forced to police how American women have paid for their abortion. To ensure that taxpayers comply with the law, IRS agents would have to investigate whether certain terminated pregnancies were the result of rape or incest.” Remember illegal abortions that use to be done, frequently with very bad or fatal results?

The House Republicans have already voted on a bill that said some rapes are “legitimate.” Over 200 House Republicans co-sponsored H.R. 3 at the beginning of 2011. The truth is, Missouri Rep. Todd Akin is totally in line with today’s Republican Party. They also voted for a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Do our young people who may have made a mistake really deserve that?

Some attacks of the GOP’s War on Women are:

• Reducing women’s access to abortion care.

• Redefining rape.

• Cutting nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women and babies. Yes, there are some women who abuse this benefit but think of the ones that don’t, who have no other choice.

• Women should be home with the kids, not out working. In this Republican-caused recession, what would happen if women didn’t work?

• Cutting Head Start by $1 billion, which means over 200,000 kids could lose their preschool spot. That can’t be what any middle- or low-income class mother would want.

Republicans are taking particular aim at low-income elderly in the form of cutting or eliminating funding for meals, heating assistance, transportation and housing subsidies.   Do we really want to see poor elderly and disabled people walking the streets?

We need to speak out with loud, outraged voices and show the GOP: 

• No to taking away the rights and freedom of American women.

• No to threatening the health of millions of women and their families.

• No to attacks on women’s right to choose.

We have heard a lot about GOP candidates and their views. This information is just a preview of the tragic plans they have for women. The future of our younger generations of girls is in our hands and votes. We must protect them and their futures.

I believe in the strength and moral compass of American women.

Valerie Harrison

Dillsboro

To the Editor:

I find nothing wrong with your article, “Confederates in the attic” (Aug. 29 edition, www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion) unlike certain others. It seems, however, that those who make the most noise about their rights not being respected are the very ones who come to Haywood County to tell our good elected officials and our fine people how to act and what to think. Why can’t these outsiders stay away and leave our fair county alone?

That man praying for you was wrong. He ignores the log in his eye to suppose there is a mote in yours, and in Proverbs it says, “There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it is the way of death.” Shame on him!

As to these unenlightened and their “history lessons,” don’t they know history repeats itself? In 1865 Gen. Sherman and others thought they had sorted out the foolishness of the day but they were wrong. It evolved into the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, which is now tagged a hate group because of their words and deeds, not to mention their close associations with the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nation. It is only a matter of time until they are sorted out again.

These who don’t understand claim their beloved battle flag was stolen from them by the Klan and the Nazis, but someone should tell them the truth. Who do they think founded the Klan in the first place? It was our very own Confederate ancestors along with male descendants using the battle flag as a symbol of hatred and terror to murder and subdue any who opposed them in their bigoted views. This is why Gen. Forrest and others of good will turned their back on it then. That was not what they planned.  

I revere my ancestors and stand by them in what they did at the time of that unjust war that wrecked the world they sought to defend. My ancestors rebuilt that world with roads, bridges, schools, churches, farms, businesses, and sound government. They didn’t have the need to stand idly by flying a flag of a lost cause while the world moved forward without them. I need no one to tell me how to honor my ancestors! Those who do are of a lower class of people who need to grow up and seek wisdom.

It is unseemly to contend with fools, but those of sound mind must stand up to these petty tyrants and drive them back into the dark corner they crawled from.

Bill McEntire

Canton

To the Editor:

In regards to your column last week, let me make some points. 

You wrote: “If someone gets pissed off because a flag used by a country — the Confederacy — that wanted to keep people in slavery on public property offends them, then take it down and celebrate your heritage elsewhere. In this country no one can take away your heritage, and losing this battle is not the start down a slippery slope that will lead to that happening.”

 You do know the cemetery in Mexico City that contains the graves of American soldiers who fought in the wars against Mexico pisses off the Mexicans. More so because of the U.S. flag that flies over the graves of American Veterans. We should just tear down our flag and dig up the graves so Mexicans can sleep easier at night, right?

 You do know the huge Muslim population in France is pissed off at the U.S. flag that flies over the American soldiers in Normandy. They are really pissed off cause they are just Americans — the infidels, and that U.S. flag really pisses them off.

 Reckon we just allow the Muslims to tear down the flag and pave over the graves so they can chant to Allah a little less loudly, right?

 I understand progressive means to spit on American veterans, and yes, Confederate soldiers are American veterans. How cool was it to harass Vietnam Veterans, to spit on them and call them baby killers? Well, the Confederate veterans have taken their place in our society’s mentality.

This whole sad affair was the doing of lawyer Bob Clark. He was just so offended. He had to repeatedly return to the little granite marker for Confederate veterans to get his daily dose of “pissed off.” He even managed to get 19 others in all of North Carolina to sign his petition of hate and discrimination. He too is a progressive! Keeping that fix of “pissed off” replaced his regular life routine for almost two years. Addicted to being a hater of American veterans. I bet Mr. McLeod was signer No. 2 on his petition!

 If you and lawyer Bob would just stop with the hate and social engineering, life would return to normal real quick. 

I will pray for your soul.

Billy Bearden

Carrollton, Ga

Southwestern Community College will hold a dedication ceremony for the newly constructed Conrad G. Burrell building at 2 p.m. Sept. 14 on the Jackson campus in Sylva.

The three-story, 38,000-square-foot building cost $8.8 million and was funded two-thirds by the state of North Carolina and one-third by Jackson County. It is named in honor of SCC Trustee Conrad Burrell.  

Visitors to the building are greeted by a modern, open area floor plan. Located on the first level are the campus bookstore, administrative offices and a 400-person conference center. The second and third levels will serve as the hub for SCC’s English and business programs as well as a variety of arts and sciences courses. 

The building includes a geothermal heating and cooling system and energy-efficient windows and lighting.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory stopped in Sylva Thursday, Aug. 30, to meet with area supporters and planned to attend a fundraising event on Friday, Aug. 31, with U.S. congressional candidate Mark Meadows of Cashiers.

McCrory, the former mayor of Charlotte, spoke to a small crowd of Republican supporters at the Jackson County GOP headquarters, saying he was ready to get rid of the “good ole boy, good ole girl system” that has dominated North Carolina.

McCrory is running against current Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton to replace current Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, who decided not to run for re-election.

His speech focused mostly on education and jobs. McCrory said too many jobs are moving across the border to Tennessee and Georgia.

“You have to make things. You have to grow things,” McCrory said.

He also emphasized that colleges and universities need to teach skills that meet the demands of the market, like mechanics.

“You are incentivized to teach what students want, not what the market needs,” McCrory said, giving examples such as political science, sociology and journalism. McCrory added that he measures a college or university’s success by the number of their graduates who are employed.

Rogers receives key endorsements

Hayden Rogers, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, was endorsed by the bipartisan Sportsmen’s and Animal Owners’ Voting Alliance (SAOVA) for his support of sportsmen’s and animal owners’ rights.  

SAOVA has endorsed both Democrats and Republicans in North Carolina and states across the country since 2002. Rogers, a lifelong sportsman and former chief of staff to Congressman Heath Shuler, has earned a reputation in North Carolina and in Washington for being a champion on issues facing hunters and farmers, according to the SAOVA’s endorsement.

Rogers received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association (NRA) during the primary.

Macon Democrats to hold convention wrap-up

Mark Gilbert, the deputy national finance chair for the Democratic Party, will be the featured speaker at a post convention wrap-up at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Macon County Democratic headquarters in the Peggy Crosby Center on Fifth Street in Highlands. 

Gilbert currently chairs the Swing State Victory Fund for President Obama’s re-election campaign.    

828.349.9966.

GOP candidates to honor first responders

GOP candidates Mike Clampitt and Marty Jones are holding a “Remembrance and Dedication to First Responders” at 5:30 p.m. until dark on Sept. 11 at Cullowhee Park.

Clampitt, a candidate for 119th N.C. House race, and Jones, a GOP candidate for Jackson County commissioner, will host the ceremony, dinner (for a donation) and hot air balloon lifts.

Meadows, Rogers to speak at Sept. 13 forum 

Mark Meadows and Hayden Rogers, candidates for U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina’s District 11, will participate in a forum at noon on Sept. 13 at the Tartan Hall in Franklin.

Meadows, the Republican candidate, is from Cashiers; Rogers, the Democratic candidate, is from Brasstown. The candidates will be asked to discuss significant issues, positions, and plans including education, health care and the economy. 

The League of Women Voters, which is hosting the event, is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. 

In keeping with tradition, it is preferred that there be no display of campaign paraphernalia. Signs and banners are prohibited on the premises. 

The public is invited to attend and to bring bag lunches and drinks.

GOP women host breakfast for Clampitt

The Smoky Mountain Republican Women will sponsor a pancake breakfast fundraiser for Mike Clampitt, candidate for N.C. House District 119, from 8-11 a.m. Sept. 8 at the Swain County GOP headquarters on Main Street in Bryson City near the fire department.

Clampitt will meet diners and answer questions from 8-9 a.m. Breakfast is $5 and includes pancakes, bacon or sausage, fruit and beverages. 

House District 119 includes Swain, Jackson, and part of Haywood counties. 

828.488.9488 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Western Carolina University will open its doors to prospective college students, their families and friends for its first open house of the fall semester on Sept. 15 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The open house gives visitors a chance to tour the campus, learn about the university’s academic programs and extracurricular opportunities and find out the important details of topics such as financial aid.

Tours of campus will be given in late morning and followed by an information fair, where visitors will be able to find out about the activities, student organizations and services available to students.

Lunch will be available at university dining facilities, and prospective students can redeem their free lunch voucher at Courtyard Dining Hall or the A.K. Hinds University Center food court.

Register at openhouse.wcu.edu or 828.227.7317 or 877.928.4968.

MedWest Health System is hosting two receptions, one at MedWest-Harris and another on the campus of MedWest-Haywood, to allow members of the community to meet several new area doctors who have recently joined MedWest. 

MedWest-Harris reception is from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 18 in the front lobby of MedWest-Harris in Sylva. MedWest-Haywood reception is from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in the classroom at the MedWest Health & Fitness Center in Clyde.

Smoky Mountain Knitting Guild is sponsoring an “Afternoon Extravaganza” at 2 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theater on Pigeon Street in Waynesville to support the Good Samaritan Clinic of Haywood County.

The event will feature the “Sound of Music” ballet performed by MusicWorks and a “Four Seasons” fashion show. A dessert buffet and wine bar will also be available. A raffle will feature an array of items, including a hot air balloon ride and dinner certificates. 

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $25.

828.246.4651 or 828.691.8409 or www.gschaywood.org or www.smkguild.com. 

Area high school students and residents will have a chance to talk with college representatives from more than 55 Southeastern universities, colleges and trade schools at the 2012 College Night from 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at the Haywood Community College auditorium.

All juniors and seniors in Haywood County, including private and home school students are invited. High school teachers and counselors are also encouraged to attend.

828-565-4095.

The board of directors for MedWest-Harris and Med-West Swain hospitals met Tuesday, Sept. 4, to discuss whether to dissolve its ties with MedWest-Haywood.

The board met a month ago on the same subject but decided to continue studying the issue and reconvene in another month to make a more conclusive decision.

Harris and Swain partnered with Haywood Regional Medical Center two and half years ago under the MedWest banner. However, doctors and hospital staff in Jackson County, and to some extent Swain County as well, have been unhappy with the affiliation.

Hospital leadership has been listening to their concerns with an open mind and this summer also began questioning whether WestCare would be better off pulling out of MedWest.

The 14-member WestCare board, which oversees Harris and Swain hospitals, met Tuesday evening but had not come to a decision as of press time. Check www.smokymountainnews.com for any news coming out of the meeting.

Young professionals can network and learn more about the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce at a special event from 5-7 p.m. Sept. 6. at Headwaters Brewing Co. in Waynesville.

The Chamber’s Young Professionals of Haywood program was established in an effort to connect area business professionals between the ages of 22 and 40 through the core values of professional development, networking and community service. Hors d’ oeuvres and a cash bar will be available.

RSVP. 828.456.3021 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.haywood-nc.com. 

Western North Carolina’s “Out of the Darkness” community walk will be held from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the Jackson County Recreation Complex in Cullowhee. 

The goal of the event is to raise awareness about suicide, honor lost loved ones and raise funds for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Anyone is welcome to walk, and donations of any amount are accepted. The walk will be a three-mile circuit.

Pre-registration is requested. 314.703.8611.

To the Editor:

This letter is in defense of the work and research done at the Bent Creek Southeastern Forest Experiment Station in Asheville, work that is largely sustained by funding from the federal government.

As a small woodlot owner in Jackson County, I recently attended one of a series of woodland steward workshops offered at the Bent Creek station. Woodland stewardship is about preserving the diversity of forestland and managing it for fully stocked stands of oaks, American chestnut, hickories, yellow poplar, black walnut, white ash, basswood, pitch and shortleaf pine, etc.

The one-day public workshop was well organized and informative, including a tour of an experimental forest, talks on soil types and invasive species, and numerous handouts. The publications alone were well worth the price of admission — $50 dollars for the day. One of publications, Profitable Farms and Woodlands: A Practical Guide in Agroforestry for Landowners, Farmers and Ranchers, was a collaborative effort by several state universities, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, N.C. Cooperative Extension, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

It is now clear the Romney-Ryan “vision” and budget proposals for America will virtually eliminate funding for the hundreds of collaborative research and development projects that are exemplified by the work at Bent Creek. The battle lines are now clearly drawn as voters struggle with the debate over the proper role and size of the federal government.

Paul Ryan defines himself as a pragmatist. I see him (and now Mr. Romney) more as ideologues on behalf of the radical wing of the Republican Party. Ryan has been clear about his proposals to privatize Social Security and Medicare, which becomes a defined contribution, rather than a defined-benefit plan.

He has been much less clear about the overall and future impacts of his budget cuts, which would radically shrink the federal government, effectively making it impossible for the government to function in the 21st century, other than wage war and offer some support for health care (through vouchers) and retirement. The only way for Ryan’s numbers to work in balancing the budget would be to eliminate nearly all non-defense discretionary spending, much of the social safety net including Medicaid and deep cuts to spending on infrastructure, public education and public safety, and decreased investment in research and development, for example, the Bent Creek Experimental Station.

I do not share in Ryan’s vision for America and am deeply offended by his bait and switch language, defining cuts to Medicaid as “strengthening the social safety net.” The Republican Party is no longer recognizable. It has become a bridge to the 19th century, the days of private toll roads, a second “guilded age” where only the wealthy have access to the White House, and a person is essentially on his or her own.

We cannot let this radical vision prevail in November.

Roger Turner

Sylva

To the Editor:

I acknowledge Martin Dyckman’s well-written letter in the Aug. 15 issue. He challenged my letter (8/8/12) by bringing up several points against the Republican Party worth investigating further.  

The letter motivated me to research the points made and helped me to see more fully how important it is for us to check out things for ourselves, especially since there is little room for full explanations in a letter to the editor.  For example, the idea that the Bush-era tax cuts were for “the wealthiest Americans” sounds like they were the only ones to get a tax cut. The truth is that they were across the board cuts so that every class had some tax relief.

As for teacher job elimination, it was aimed at “low-performing” personnel and it was part of an effort to cut budget expenses and therefore not raise taxes, yet it sounds like an assault on teachers in general if that additional fact is not known.

As far as Obama’s jobs bill, according to Wikipedia, there were reservations on both sides of the aisle and questions about its actual cost as well as its effectiveness, so it wasn’t just that the Republicans killed the bill to stand in the way of Democrats.

There was also a comment about Mitt Romney and foreign investments. Many Americans diversify their investments in this way, and I found out that some prominent Democrats also have benefited by such investments, such as Nancy Pelosi. What I was really trying to say in my letter, besides the idea that the Republican Party can seriously impact jobs and benefit working America, is that the basic philosophy of governing is what should help guide us as we choose in the next election

 My understanding is as follows:

• Conservatives (i.e., Republicans), in general, favor less government spending and regulation in our lives, more personal responsibility, free enterprise, lower taxes,  a pro-life, traditional family values platform and believe our rights come from God, which makes them unalienable.

• Liberals, (i.e., Democrats) in general, favor more government involvement and regulation in our lives, more entitlement programs, more spending, a pro-choice stand and believe our rights come from the government (which means the government can control them as well).

Our country is desperate for some positive change. We face a massive deficit, record high unemployment levels, record numbers of foreclosures, and rising costs in every area of our lives and a destructive breakdown of the family. We are on the precipice of complete economic ruin. This is what we have to show for 3.5 years and all the Obama stimulus money spent and the $1.1 trillion deficit we now have. I’m no political expert, but we all can agree on this one thing, I think: if what is being done is not working, we need to do something different.

  Besides doing our own research and not believing everything we read or hear, we also have to be ready to make some sacrifices. We each have to decide which party can best accomplish our goals. I personally believe it’s time for new, conservative leadership close to the original plan of our founding fathers.

Loretta Hastings   

Franklin

To the Editor:

For many years, it has been the tradition in Haywood County and other Western North Carolina counties to allow organizations such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans to place Confederate flags at monuments and memorials to recognize the sacrifices of the soldiers that served during the War Between the States. And over the past several years, there have been minor issues relating to this time-honored tradition. The point of contention in this issue has been the flying of the Confederate Battle flag.

The Confederate Battle flag has been the most hated, debated, misrepresented and the most beloved of all symbols of the Confederacy. This flag came to exist as a result of confusion created by the First National flag at First Manassas. A decision was made to design a distinguished flag that could be carried into battle. In late 1861, the Southern Cross was created and flew over battles until the end at Appomattox. Southern patriots later carried this flag to such places as Beirut, Korea, Vietnam, Grenada and even Afghanistan. It was and is a soldier’s flag. As a matter of fact, the Federal government recognizes soldiers who fought for the South as “veterans” who are entitled to the same benefits that other veterans share: US Code, Title 38-Veteran’s Benefits, Part 2, Chapter 15, subchapter 1: Definition of “Civil War veteran” includes a person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America and the term “active military or naval service” includes active service in those forces. This definition strongly reinforces that the men designated as Confederate soldiers are American veterans and not the traitors that some might suggest.

The honor of the Southern Cross has been tarnished by individuals who forget what it represents: a call to duty. Its intent was never to be a politician’s flag nor used as a symbol of racial division. It has been decided in court cases throughout the nation that this flag and its history does not deprive any citizen of some privilege that is secured by the Constitution or by law as a result flying it. Justice John Paul Stevens in Washington v Davis wrote: “The best evidence of intentional discrimination is objective evidence of what happened, rather than the subjective state of mind of the state as an actor.” In other words, flying the Confederate Battle Flag does not interfere with the rights of any person. History of the War Between the States has been based on half-truths and revisionism by self-serving individuals and groups that have hidden the complexity of the causes that led to the War. The Confederate Battle flag has been the symbol of revisionist history since 1865. It is time for Americans to be educated about the correct history surrounding this symbol and the epic struggle it was a part of.

Honoring these soldiers by flying Confederate flags should not be the duty of just North Carolinians, but the duty of a nation.

Kip Rollins

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I can’t hardly stand to read the letters to the editor anymore. Civil discourse, the backbone of any democracy, has sunk to a new low here and across the country. Name-calling, overgeneralization, and denigration have become the new norm. Whatever happened to researched facts, sound reasoning and fair play?

Yes, the stakes in this election are high. But do the ends truly justify the means? We are on the verge of national disintegration and balkanization. Is this the best we can do?

In a nation as large and diverse as ours, there will always be many viewpoints, so to believe that the “solution” to our problems is to convert everyone to a certain point of view is ludicrous. Rather than attacking each other, we need to focus on our common needs and work together on those.

We need to have an honest discussion of the issues, not attack personalities.  We need to be open to the views and experiences of others without labeling and dismissing them. Obstructionism and gotcha techniques are sabotaging our future.

The labeling, character assassination and venomous attacks have got to stop. How many good and capable women and men avoid entering politics because it is too caustic? Some of the most aggressive, power-hungry, money-hungry and/or ideological choose to put themselves on the national ballot and make our policies. How scary is that?

When in doubt, what would Jesus do (WWJD)? 

Dan Kowal

Franklin

Poet John York, whose latest work, Cold Spring Rising, was reviewed in The Smoky Mountain New two months ago, will be reading from his poetry at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 1.

Robert Morgan, author of Gap Creek and Boone, has called York the “Yadkin Bard,” and his work has appeared in many journals. In 2011 York received the first James Applewhite Poetry Prize.

828.586.9499.

Ginger Shinn, owner of Smokey Shadows Lodge in Maggie Valley, released a new cookbook A Taste of Smokey Shadows Lodge. The book features more than 150 recipes for tasty dishes from appetizers to desserts.

Shinn’s family has passed down many of the recipes in the collection for generations. They reflect regional specialties. The book’s pages are sprinkled with comments by the author offering insight into her passion for cooking and hospitality as well as the history of Smokey Shadows.

“(Guests) especially want to know how to make the tomato pie that’s served at nearly every dinner,” Shinn said. “With the help of my daughters, Amie and Tracy, members of the lodge staff, and friends, we finally got it all together.  It’s been a labor of love.”

Copies of the 147-page A Taste of Smokey Shadows Lodge are available from the author for $18. 828.926.0001 or mail: Ginger Shinn, 323 Smokey Shadows Lane, Maggie Valley, N.C., 28751.

It’s ginseng time in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and the U.S. Forest Service is reminding visitors to national forest land that permits are required for harvesting these rare and valuable plants.

Forest Service officials estimate that up to 10,000 dried pounds are harvested annually in the WNC region. Harvesting is not allowed in Wilderness or Natural areas of Forest Service land.

A permitting system was implemented several years ago as a means of protecting these rare plants.

“Over the years, we’ve seen a decline in populations of ginseng and other forest products such as ramps,” said Gary Kauffman, a botanist with the national forests in North Carolina. “If their numbers get too low, the Forest Service may have to change the way we manage certain forest products in the future. This could include shortening the harvest season, reducing the amount of plants that can be harvested or banning the harvest altogether.”

Ginseng is a long-lived perennial whose multi-forked taproot is sold as a medicinal root primarily in East Asia.

Harvesting permits are issued from Sept. 1-30. The cost for the permit is $40 per wet pound of ginseng harvested. The minimum permit is for one wet pound and the maximum allowable collection is 3 pounds annually.

For more information on harvesting ginseng in the national forests in North Carolina, visit: www.fs.usda.gov/internet/fse_documents/stelprdb5188148.pdf.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is increasing enforcement efforts against the illegal use of radio tracking equipment by hunters.

The only legal use of radio telemetry on the Blue Ridge Parkway is to assist hunters in retrieving dogs that are no longer actively engaged in a hunt. Using telemetry or other tracking devices to track dogs that are actively hunting or to monitor the progress of a hunt is considered a hunting activity and prohibited on Blue Ridge Parkway lands.

Blue Ridge Parkway regulations state: The open display and/or use of radio telemetry equipment or similar electronic tracking devices that are commonly used to track wildlife and hunting dogs is prohibited in the park without the prior permission of the Blue Ridge Parkway … and may only be used to expedite the retrieval of a dog that is believed to be running loose in the park.

The North Carolina Arboretum will host two events to end the summer and kick off fall — the 26th annual Carolinas Dahlia Society Show will take place Sept. 8 and 9, and Carolina Craft Day will be held on Sept. 22.

The Dahlia Show is from 1 until 5 p.m. on Sept. 8 and 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 9. Hundreds of dahlias in every shape, size and color will be on display. Exhibitors from four states, including commercial and amateur growers from North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama will participate. This year’s theme, Power of Pink, was chosen to bring increased awareness to the fight against cancer. 

The shows are free for Arboretum Society members or with the standard parking fee ($8 per personal motor vehicle). 828.665.2492 or visit www.ncarboretum.org.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to assist rangers during the increased fall visitation period in Cataloochee Valley from mid-September until Oct. 31.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a stargazing event Sept. 7 at one of Haywood County’s clearest views of the sky - Purchase Knob, located off U.S. 276 near Maggie Valley.

The Astronomy Club of Asheville will lead the exploration of the night sky at this high elevation site with a 260-degree unobstructed view of the sky. Visitors can expect to see the planets Neptune and Uranus; the wonderful starry glow of our Milky Way Galaxy stretching across Purchase Knob’s dark skies; the beautiful spiral disk of the Andromeda Galaxy; the numerous star clusters of late summer and early fall; as well as several binary star systems.

The event starts at 7:30 p.m. with an indoor orientation, which will be held rain or shine. The program is limited to 60 people. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the park directly at 828.926.6251.

The fourth annual Old Cullowhee Canoe Slalom is scheduled to begin Sept. 8 at 9 a.m., just upstream from the bridge in Old Cullowhee. This is a family-friendly competition for amateur paddlers on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River. The course includes negotiating nine gates on flat, moving water.

Public access to the popular Tuckasegee River will improve when Duke Energy opens the new Whittier Access Area Sept. 1.  

The site is located at River Mile 20.6 or 120 Church St. in Whittier. This new public boat access area is the second of six planned new or improved Tuckasegee River main stem access sites by Duke Energy in Jackson County. The C.J. Harris Access Area in Dillsboro opened last year above the former Dillsboro Dam site.

“The need for this access area and others is a fruit of the thousands of person-hours devoted by the Tuckasegee Cooperative Stakeholder Team in relicensing Duke Energy hydroelectric projects in the county. The team’s settlement agreement and subsequent new federal licenses support that need,” said Fred Alexander, Duke Energy district manager.

The Whittier Access Area, designed for launching and retrieving canoes, kayaks and drift boats, includes one boat launch ramp with a paved turn-around area, a gravel parking lot for 11 vehicles with trailers, an information kiosk and security lights.

The site also includes an Americans with Disabilities Act parking space with an accessible sidewalk leading to the boat ramp.

The first-ever scheduled recreational whitewater releases on the upper Nantahala River — scheduled for Sept. 29-30 — will offer advanced and expert paddlers the opportunity to experience Class IV and V rapids in two separate runs.

The uppermost section — known locally as the Cascades — will let advanced and expert paddlers navigate a relatively short Class IV/V descent over numerous waterfalls and slides. The highly technical river run is not suitable for those without the prerequisite skills and equipment.

The section from the base of the Cascades to the powerhouse is generally referred to as the Upper Nantahala and offers intermediate to advanced paddlers a longer Class III/IV descent.

The releases were negotiated to mitigate the recreational impacts of flow reductions associated with Duke Energy’s operation of the powerhouse on the Nantahala and other rivers in the region.

Beginning in 2013 there will be eight annual release days on the Upper Nantahala: one weekend in late April, four summer evenings, and one late September weekend.

Parking, access to be improved

The new whitewater releases on the Upper Nantahala will also lead to new parking and river access areas along the upper reach of the Nantahala.

Duke will put in six parking and access areas to accommodate paddlers on the Upper Nanty. They will be built on U.S. Forest Service land. Public comments on the parking and access areas are being accepted by the forest service.

To comment on the areas or for more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., send by regular mail to: Nantahala Ranger District, 90 Sloan Road, Franklin, N.C., 28734; or fax to 828.479.6592.

For this first weekend of releases, however, the forest service has designated several pull-offs for boat loading and unloading only, and the Nantahala Outdoor Center and Endless River Adventures will provide shuttles.  

Haywood Community College will hold a sawmill operation auction at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22, at the college.

The auction will include the sale of a complete band sawmill, circular sawmill, and planer operation. Thad Woods Auction is handling the sale. Pictures are available at http://thadwoodsauction.com/. Preview day to view available equipment will be held from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sept. 21.

For information, call Thad Woods Auction at 828.421.4174.

Carnivorous plants will be highlighted at the annual Native Plant Symposium at the Highlands Botanical Garden Sept. 13-15.

The nocturnal adaptations of plants and animals will be the subject of the final Zahner series lecture at 7 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the Highlands Nature Center.

The discussions will be led by Dr. Jennifer Frick-Ruppert from Brevard College.

Ever notice that the fragrance of flowers blooming at dusk is particularly perfumed, that the crack of a twig from an unknown quarter is especially loud when it occurs outside your tent at night, or that the sounds of a mosquito is noisy enough to wake you from an evening’s sleep?

All Zahner Conservation Lectures are free and open to the public. For information about the Highlands Biological Foundation visit www.highlandsbiological.org or call 828.526.2221.

Pre-school storytime resumes in Bryson City

Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will begin its pre-school storytime program at 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Wednesdays starting Sept. 5 in the auditorium.

Visit the library every Wednesday for a variety of fun activities, arts and crafts, songs and stories for ages 2-5. The pre-literacy skill focus for the fall storytime session will include becoming familiar with the names of the parts of the book.

Kids on Main offers fun for families

The popular Downtown Waynesville Block Party is adding a new attraction to this year’s gathering on Saturday, Sept. 1. From 6-7 p.m., Kids on Main will provide art and craft projects and more focusing on families with young children.

Families are encouraged to visit Gallery 86 on Main Street, where they’ll be given a map of participating businesses and activities as well as a bag for the goodies they’ll be collecting.

The official Block Party kicks off at 7 p.m. with three live bands, dancing, restaurants and many shops open late.

www.downtownwaynesville.com or 828.456.3517.

An exhibition featuring The Women of NoHa called “piercing the mundane” will go on display Aug. 29 at Gallery 86 in downtown Waynesville, with an artist’s reception from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 7.

Six women artists, all of who reside in Haywood County, have joined together to explore the reinterpretation of ordinary objects within their mediums of textiles, clay, wood, jewelry, and mixed media. 

Caryl Brt, Suzanne Gernandt, Susan Livengood, Sheree White Sorrells, Kaaren Stoner and Kim Thompson — all career professional artists — are taking a stab at the word ‘mundane.’ Their individual works are each a statement in mindfulness of the ordinary. A stone can be more than a random rock on the ground; a chair can be a character statement; and a blank wall doesn’t need to be.

Gallery 86 is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday thru Saturday, and “piercing the mundane” will be on display until Sept. 22.

828.452.0593 or 828.400.1040.

An iconic figure of Western North Carolina history and culture who penned the classic “Our Southern Highlanders” and helped spearhead the movement to establish Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the focus of a new exhibit at Western Carolina University.

Art Rosenbaum: Voices, featuring a small collection of monumental paintings of American folk musicians, opens in the Loft Gallery at The Bascom in Highlands on Sept. 1, with a reception from 5-7 p.m.

Rosenbaum’s works depicting rural Southern life are combinations of both real and imagined people, places and events. Ethnographer as well as artist, he brings storytelling to view in the form of folktale paintings full of vibrant, sweeping color. The exhibition runs through Nov.10.

On Sept. 2, Art and Margo Rosenbaum will present an artist talk at The Bascom from 2-3 p.m. Margo Rosenbaum’s black and white photographs of the folk musicians in Rosenbaum’s paintings will be on display in the permanent collection space.

The Bascom is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m., Sundays.

www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.

Dierks Bentley will play his country music hits at 9 p.m. Sept. 21 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.