This must be the place: ‘Look in the mirror, who do you see?’
I look forward to it these days. Calling my dad at the end of the day. With my parents still…
Read More
BPR names new arts journalist
Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR) continues to invest in the development of local programming and content with the hiring of…
Read More
Front Street a success
Wonderful blue skies, great entertainment and over 60 multi-talented artisans brought out more than 3,000 people to Front Street Arts…
Read More
Innovation Brewing to open Dillsboro location
The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) has announced that Innovation Brewing will be the new tenant of the GSMR Dillsboro…
Read More
Cataloochee Ranch welcomes Chatham County Line
If you want to understand the history of bluegrass music, you need to look at its entire spectrum — of…
Read More
‘Purrfect’ harmony: The American Museum of The House Cat
It took over 30 years, but Harold Sims can now show the world. “It’s been very rewarding,” he said. “I…
Read More
HCC crafts Asheville exhibit
The Folk Art Center in Asheville is currently celebrating Haywood Community College’s Professional Crafts Program graduate class of 2017. With…
Read More
This must be the place: You say ‘covfefe,’ I say ‘who cares?’
I’m exhausted. I think y’all out there reading this can attest to the pure exhaustion — of body, mind and…
Read More
Meister named Mountain Heritage Center director
Pam Meister has been named director of Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center, well known as a showcase for Southern…
Read More
African-American heritage at Hayesville museum, slave cemetery
Clay County residents joined with Western Carolina University representatives in celebrating the county’s African-American heritage with the opening of a…
Read More
Light on my feet, ready to fly: Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver roll into Cherokee
To say Doyle Lawson has had a full career would be an understatement. Nowadays, Lawson is regarded as a pillar…
Read More
This must be the place: Get me to the church on time
Editor’s Note: After heading to his native Upstate New York last week to give the eulogy at his aunt’s funeral,…
Read More
Printmaking, photography and pottery
With a handful of new exhibitions now open and on view throughout the summer, the Western Carolina University Fine Art…
Read More
Play me that mountain music
With Memorial Day right around the corner, the fun in the sun of summer in the mountains is here, ready…
Read More
This must be the place: Going home and saying goodbye
The roaring of the plane engine shook me awake. Coasting into the skies over Newark, New Jersey, the flight was…
Read More
Rivers that I’ve crossed: Unspoken Tradition rolls into Sylva
The key element of bluegrass music is the “unspoken” — in practice, in performance and in personality. Whether you’re 8…
Read More
This must be the place: Ode to Steve Sutton — banjo legend, dear friend
It came as a shock that has had a ripple effect within music circles around Western North Carolina and beyond.
Read More
Mountain Heritage Day named one of Southeast’s best
Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Day has been named as one of the top 20 festivals in the Southeast by…
Read More
This must be the place: That face in the mirror? Own it.
I didn’t know what to say. Standing in the doorway of the music venue, he said it so casually.
Read More
Turning to face yourself: Comedian Dave Stone comes to Franklin
It’s brutal honesty. Within the wide-spectrum of creative mediums, standup comedy may just be the most vulnerable and jarring of…
Read More
The art of making it: HCC ‘Crafting Your Success’ summit
So, you have the talent, imagination and output of an artist. But, do you also have the drive, business savvy…
Read More
This must be the place: ‘In my heart, I am just a boy …’
It was during the first sip of my second beer when it struck me. “Let’s go see Dave Davies.”
Read More
Hazelwood Public Art finalists
The Waynesville Public Art Commission has selected three finalists from a field of eight applicants for its upcoming project in…
Read More
Blue Ridge Big Band to play Folkmoot Friendship Center
It’s as timeless as the soundtrack of our lives, regardless of age. When you listen to big band music, you…
Read More
This must be the place
It was immediately familiar. Stepping into the Canton Middle School last Friday morning, the sights, sounds and smells of the…
Read More
SCC vital in brewery launch
In preparation for launching their new brewery, Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City, Kim and Mark Pettit had to understand…
Read More
This must be the place: No time for eggplant parm, let’s talk the cosmos
I had just reached for the eggplant parmesan sandwich when it was asked. “What do you think about God?”
Read More
Take it all in: The art of Positive Mental Attitude (PMA)
It’s about finding your center. Though they’re hundreds of miles from the closest ocean, the members of Sylva-based Positive Mental…
Read More
This must be the place: You may be gone, but your impact remains
I remembered immediately. Scrolling through the Facebook stream on Monday afternoon, I came across a post from a dear high…
Read More
Hop, skip and a pour away: Waynesville’s Leap Frog Tours
Stepping out of a large passenger van into the sunshine last Saturday afternoon, a group of around 10 people entered…
Read More
Bryson City welcomes second brewery
Although the official “Grand Opening” is May 20 for Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City, the newest brewery in Western…
Read More
HCC crafts students in Atlanta
Haywood Community College Professional Crafts students recently participated in the School-to-Market Program at the American Craft Council’s American Craft Show…
Read More
One small step toward ending discrimination
North Carolina and its citizens are better off with HB2’s repeal. It’s a giant step forward, and despite criticism from…
Read More
Admit it Tar Heel fans, you were squirming
I was all set to write another column on Donald Trump, who somehow seems more unhinged with each passing week,…
Read More
We can’t trust anything Trump says
By Norman Hoffman • Guest Columnist A guest column by Joseph Trisha in the March 22 edition (www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/19589) makes a plea…
Read More
Take the money out of politics
To the Editor: We the people of these United States deserve a better way to put into power those who…
Read More
Employers should provide benefits
To the Editor: I have one thing to say to the business owners who feel that equal pay for equal…
Read More
Why so much disrespect for Trump?
To the Editor: From where comes all this hate and disrespect directed at the President? I expect and respect differing…
Read More
The president must be impeached
To the Editor: It’s terrible that such a thing has come to pass, that the “so-called President” must be removed,…
Read More
One day we may have healthcare for all
To the Editor: Our Congressman Mark Meadows may have forgotten the needs of the voters who elected him. While Meadows…
Read More
Get the money out of politics
To the Editor: We are loudly and frequently reminded of the many things that we are supposed to be afraid…
Read More
Freshmen legislators are led astray
To the Editor: Like Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and others before them, Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Bryson City, and Kevin Corbin,…
Read More
A conservative wants to conserve
To the Editor: I am a conservative. I conserve. A conservative wisely preserves, conserves and saves. A conservative secures and…
Read More
Insubordinate public servants
To the Editor: If you were the boss of three employees (let’s call them Mark Meadows, Thom Tillis, and Richard…
Read More
Trump still holds the upper hand
To the Editor: The media is crowing over this so-called big loss for Trump by having to postpone the elimination…
Read More
This must be the place: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
It was familiar, yet weird. Over the last two weeks I’ve crossed paths twice with my immediate family. Once down…
Read More
The art of being in ‘the now’: Tony Award nominee, WCU professor Terrence Mann on acting, life
When you’re in the presence of Terrence Mann, you find yourself within reach of an energy — a vibe, perhaps…
Read More
Hand-me-down reasons: The DuPont Brothers return to Waynesville
It’s needed now more than ever before. The place of the singer-songwriter in a modern world is a tricky spot.…
Read More
This must be the place: Just when you found me, I’m gone
You don’t know me. In recent weeks, I’ve found myself saying that exact statement above to folks I love and…
Read More
