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The Greening up the Mountains 5k Run & Walk will be held in downtown Sylva at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 28, in conjunction with the annual street festival of the same name.
The race is organized by the Jackson County Recreation/Parks Department. The cost is $15 through April 26; race day registration is $20. A limited number of shirts will be available at the race for $10. Registration can be completed online at www.imathlete.com. Registration forms are available at the recreation department in Cullowhee.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.293.3053.
Haywood Community College’s fifth-annual Earth Day Celebration will focus on renewable energies, clean transportation and getting in touch with your surroundings and will run from 10:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. April 24.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. to celebrate Haywood County’s first and only public electric vehicle charging station. In addition, the current electric vehicles on the market will be on display, including the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and the just released Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which will be available for a test drive.
A nature walk and stream cleanup will be held at 1:30 p.m. There will also be several speakers throughout the day covering topics
www.haywood.edu/sustainability or 828.565.4033.
Christine Kelly of Asheville, a wildlife diversity biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, has been awarded the 2011 Recovery Champion Award from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The award, which was given to nine individuals across the country, honors U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees and partners for outstanding efforts to conserve and protect threatened species of fish, wildlife and plants. Kelly was honored for her work with the Carolina northern flying squirrel, an endangered species found isolated in small populations in only the highest mountains in North Carolina.
In addition to monitoring and surveying populations of the species, Kelly’s work includes designing launch poles in Western North Carolina. They were installed along the Cherohala Skyway to allow the flying squirrel to glide across the road, making up for gaps where there are no trees to launch from. The crossing structures, installed by Duke Energy in 2008, give the small mammals access to more foraging habitat, den sites and mates.
As part of Kelly’s work, she identifies, examines and weighs the squirrels, and places ear tags on them.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service award also honored Kelly for a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and Appalachian Mountain Joint Ventures to plant red spruce, an important habitat for the squirrel. The balsam woolly adelgid has ravaged Fraser fir forests, and the hemlock woolly adelgid is reducing high elevation Eastern hemlocks, both important conifers for the squirrel.
Kelly is also working with Virginia Tech on a vocalization study of the squirrels using acoustic detectors to help locate the species. This could be used for rapid surveys and long-term monitoring of the squirrel.
Kelly has worked for the state since 2005. Before that, she worked for the U.S. Forest Service.
There’s now a local outlet to authenticate and check the purity of botanical ingredients via the U.S. Botanical Safety Laboratory through the N.C. Arboretum and Bent Creek Institute.
A nonprofit quality testing services network, the laboratory will begin offering routine botanical identity, purity, and phytochemical composition testing of botanical ingredients.
This will be part of a network of nonprofit testing laboratories in North Carolina.
The network will serve a variety of clients in academia, public non-governmental organizations and private industry supply chains seeking to verify the integrity of their botanical ingredients.
Bent Creek Institute will receive, qualify and blind all botanical samples using a secure and private Internet-based sample submission and tracking system and issue all final certificates of analysis to clients.
Attend a stargazing event at 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, at one of Haywood County’s clearest views of the sky — Purchase Knob, home to the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The Astronomy Club of Asheville will lead an exploration of the night sky at this high elevation site with its 260-degree unobstructed view of the sky. Visitors can expect to see the first quarter moon and the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. The Learning Center is located at 5,000 feet in elevation so please bring warm layers of clothing.
Purchase Knob is located off U.S. 276 near Maggie Valley. Free, but reservations are required.
828.926.6251.
Discover the very best trails out of the 800 miles of them in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Friends of the Smokes and a panel of experienced hikers at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, at REI in Asheville.
The panel will include Peter Barr, author of “Hiking North Carolina’s Lookout Towers,” Gracia Slater of Sylva, who has hiked every trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and Danny Bernstein, author of “Hiking North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Heritage,” who will facilitate the evening.
Pre-register for “Favorite Hikes of the Smokies” at www.rei.com/asheville.
An outdoor photography workshop that includes field shoots and classroom critique sessions will be during the month of May in the Haywood County area.
The outdoor photography program includes four field shoots held on Wednesdays, departing from the Old Armory Recreation Center in Waynesville, and classroom sessions held Tuesday evenings.
“Shooting sessions will be hands-on in a natural setting,” said group leader Bob Grytten. “This comprehensive program will include landscape opportunities, macro, wildlife and waterfalls in the field, with special emphasis on light and how it can turn ordinary images into award winners.”
The skills and techniques learned are applicable to other photography endeavors as well, such as travel photography, photojournalism or general family photography.
Evening sessions will include discussions on composition, exposure and accessories, and participants will have an opportunity to see what others have photographed as well.
The four field shoots are $45 each. Evening programs are $10 each. A 20 percent discount is offered if taking the entire program.
828.627.0245, lensluggerworld.com or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A special program on Birds of Prey including live birds will be held on at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Michael Skinner, Executive Director of the Balsam Mountain Trust, will share an up-close glimpse of some of the planet’s most recognized and revered wild animals such as the tiny eastern screech owl and northern bald eagle.
“This is an opportunity for park visitors to see and learn about these beautiful birds first hand,” said Park Ranger Lynda Doucette.
Balsam Mountain Trust is a non-profit based at Balsam Mountain Preserve in Jackson County where orphaned or injured birds of prey are taken in, cared for, and then utilized as educational ambassadors.
828.497.1904 or www.nps.gov/grsm.
A $22,200 grant will fund a Farm to School program at five Haywood County Schools designed to address concerns about nutrition and health and the disappearance of small farms.
The money comes from funding from The Community Foundation and its affiliate Fund for Haywood County.
The Farm-to-School program will support farmers by increasing sales and expanding markets, while providing better nutrition and food awareness for students, teachers and staff at Bethel Elementary, Jonathan Valley Elementary, North Canton Elementary, Riverbend Elementary and Waynesville Middle School. In addition to local healthy food served in cafeterias, the program includes farm field trips, cooking demonstrations, nutrition education and school gardens.
Collaborators are the N.C. Center for Health & Wellness at UNC Asheville, Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, Haywood County Schools, Buy Haywood, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the UNC Asheville Foundation. Other funders include the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of North Carolina and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The Farm-to-School project will serve approximately 3,000 students and staff at the five school sites, comprising nearly 40 percent of Haywood County Schools’ enrollment. There are more than 700 farms in the county that could potentially participate. www.cfwnc.org.
A new forest supervisor, Kristin Bail, has been selected to head the national forests in North Carolina.
Bail brings a wealth of experience gleaned from more than 27 years of federal service with the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in Oregon, Arizona and Washington, D.C. She has previously served in the Bureau of Land Management’s national business and fiscal resources section and as the agency’s national policy and program lead for the 37 national monuments and national conservation areas.
Bail starts her new job May 21.
To the Editor:
There has been too much name-calling in the media lately criticizing the way in which some of our local elected officials do their job, the most recent being the angry response by Brad Seagle in the Friday, April 6, edition of The Franklin Press.
The writer assailed votes by two county commissioners, calling them “Republicrats” because they chose to represent all the people in the county and voted in the manner which to them seemed to benefit the majority of the citizens. Mr. Seagle believes the two commissioners should be thrown out of office because they did not side with Republican Commissioner Ron Haven.
Isn’t it curious how people see the same event differently? Having voted Republican all of my adult life, I thought that when all of the members of one party and two-thirds of the other party voted together it is the best decision for all. Could it be that Mr. Haven voting against all four Republicans and Democrats is the one politician that is out of step with the citizens of Macon County and his own party?
After the election is over, the winner becomes everyone’s commissioner, and he or she is obligated to represent the citizens in their district and the county. I was brought up with the belief and understanding that an elected official who worked with members of both parties and voted for the benefit of all the populace was to be considered a statesman, a term far more fitting to describe the characters and high standards of the two commissioners who were maligned in last week’s letter. They were not elected just to be a mouthpiece for their political party.
Frankly, I have to applaud Kevin Corbin and Jim Tate for having the integrity and political courage to vote for the best alternatives for Macon County instead of simply voting with Mr. Haven because they are all Republicans. Isn’t that exactly the kind of thinking that the whole country is disgusted with?
I am glad to find at least one thing upon which I agree with the writer. The coming May 8 primaries are critically important to Macon County and our state representation. It is our opportunities as voters to silence those that call themselves “the real conservatives.” It is our opportunity to decide if Macon County moves forward in a positive direction or backwards.
Our votes on May 8 will decide the candidates we get to vote for in the general election in November. Now is the time to let persons of integrity like Kevin Corbin, Jim Tate, Bobby Kuppers, and Ronnie Beale know that we appreciate their personal dedication and that we agree with the way they are doing their jobs. Don’t let the naysayers make your decision for you.
Bob Wright
Highlands
To the Editor:
Old Cullowhee Road in Cullowhee is a beautiful route for viewing land, homes, water and sky. Lately though, there have been dilapidated mobile homes popping up for rent along both sides of the road.
When traveling from Sylva southward on Old Cullowhee there is a recently placed, and extremely sub-standard, mobile home on the left with a green, smiley face sign on the front that says “Now Leasing.”
I cannot believe in any way that this “home” is within HUD standards. Are Jackson County HUD requirements so low that a lower-income person (such as myself) would be forced into this type of housing?
Not only these, other mobile homes in Cullowhee are in disrepair and offer poorer quality housing than one would like. To the contrary, there are plenty of examples of well-maintained and comfortable mobile homes in Jackson County that accommodate residents well.
I also am aware that in such low economic times we do not, as a capitalist society, need to have some business owners acting with disregard to the economic vitality of the whole area. That is to say all of our property values suffer, and tourist-based businesses lose customers, if the area looks decrepit.
Can and will someone who works for the county, or an elected official, please address this?
Curt Collins
Cullowhee
To the Editor:
One of the more interesting races in the May 8 Democratic primary is the race for U.S. Congress (the N.C. 11th Congressional District) between Cecil Bothwell, a progressive Asheville City councilman, and Hayden Rogers, a “blue dog” Democrat who resembles his former boss Rep. Heath Shuler both fiscally and physically.
Blue Dogs have not fared well recently: their members in Congress dropped from 54 to 26 after the 2010 election. Today there are only 19 remaining in Congress due to “early retirement,” etc. Some even say the Blue Dog is a dying breed.
Yet conventional wisdom continues to tell us a liberal Democrat is unelectable in the now more conservative and Republican 11th District — after it was redistricted by the Republican majority in Raleigh.
Conventional wisdom doesn’t quite know what to do with the growing significance of the Independent/ Unaffiliated voter: more than 30 percent of voters are now in this category. These voters are mainly dissatisfied with “politics as usual” and have a low opinion of Congress, whose national approval rating is around 9 percent. A Democrat can win the 11th, but only by appealing to the Independent voter.
I believe Bothwell is the more appealing candidate: from his website (www.bothwell2012.com) one learns he accepts no PAC or corporate funding. His campaign is grassroots, sustained by small donations and over 1,000 volunteers. Rogers’ campaign is corporate driven and managed from Washington by the national Blue Dog Coalition.
Clearly one of the great differences between Bothwell and Rogers is defining the role government will play in job creation. Despite corporate tax rates at historic lows (15 percent) and absolutely no evidence that tax breaks = job creation, Rogers argued in a recent (and rare) debate appearance at Haywood Community College that government should “simplify and lower the corporate tax rate to make the nation more competitive…” In the same debate Bothwell argued for “shovel ready projects” to repair our aging infrastructure, investing in green energy, and putting cash into the economy NOW.
What I do not want from a Democratic congressman is somebody fixated on deficit reduction by “reforming” Medicare through vouchers or other privatization schemes, somebody who buys into Congressman [R] Paul Ryan’s budget resolution for “Repairing the Social Safety Net” through huge cuts in spending on Medicaid, food stamps, Pell Grants, and so on — all of which will unquestionably damage the social safety net and make life harder for millions of Americans.
What I ultimately want is a congressman with a Democratic “heart,” not the soul of a future lobbyist; a congressman who is more comfortable in a street festival than in a board room. Cecil Bothwell is that candidate.
Roger Turner
Sylva
To the Editor:
I’m going to be as “tacky” in my public response to Mr. Swanson as he was in his response to Ms. Abel.
This gentleman, in his attempt to kill a message, kills the messenger. This is not the first time, and seems his usual method. Confusing the issue is his forté. But, to give credit where credit is due, he does respond quickly. Perhaps that’s why his diatribe shows little thought and clearly misunderstands the point of Ms. Abel’s message.
She does not advocate, nor hint that she advocates for “Higher Taxes, More Government, OR Less Freedom”.
He fails to address the correct message, and instead invents his own scenario in his typical knee-jerk response. He chooses to defend his local Freedom Works group and goes on to detail his views. One can only conclude that Mr. Swanson is either willfully ignorant, or woefully lacking in simple comprehension. It’s most likely a combination of both, and seems to be a malady that infects the Far(out) Right.
Regarding the Freedom Works group visit to N.C. Sen. Johns Snow’s office and the alluded to statement, I can’t comment since I wasn’t there. However, having heard the senator’s opinions on the importance of education and funding required, the reportage seems, at best, incomplete.
Ms. Abel’s letter was not “about” Sen. Snow or his loss in the 2010 election. That issue was used as an example.
And why would Mr. Swanson even address “2012 rules,” if he thinks her letter was about a past (2010) event?
She apparently forgot to add the designation “PAC” or “Super PAC” to one paragraph lamenting the power of corporate funding in campaigns, but he should have realized she was referencing the Supreme Court “Citizens United v. FEC” decision. That decision allows unlimited and hidden contributions from billionaires and corporations whose sole purpose is to create a beneficial outcome for themselves.
Their behind-the-scenes efforts manipulate elections. The influx of their dollars is used to persuade the easily led, low information persons who vote just by name recognition — names only recognized simply because those less informed have received a daily dose of bad information, deceitful innuendo, and outright false statements in their mailbox and television, as well as rabid, unauthored internet emails, and malarkey-drivel on drive-time radio.
Heavy mailings in particular have happened here in Macon County. Ms. Abel’s letter asks that we all be aware of what we know occurred in the past because it will very likely happen again.
Funds from national organizations and their PACs, funneled through a local group, create an unfair advantage when their message is heavily weighted with misinformation.
That said, the Freedom Works group does deserve kudos for giving Macon Sheriff Holland contributions, and participating in patriotic events. Let me note, they are not alone. Many support the sheriff’s efforts, and many other groups hold and support patriotic events. Freedom Works does not hold a corner on this market.
It is also very noble to educate your membership, but many find your resource speakers and “trainers” views to contain twisted, missed or mixed factual data and therefore are considered biased and irrelevant.
As to the remark that a person who resorts to subterfuge should be “outed” — we are in agreement.
I do not represent a group, only me. My opinion is that Mr. Swanson should tone down his diatribes, and should only address what he sees as the stated issues, not the person making the statements. Gee, even John Hood recently said as much.
Sure, disagree, and make your points. Leave the personally disagreeable behind....
Tackily (as said in my first statement), but fervently sincere,
Esbie Tarr
Franklin
To the Editor:
I have been reading the news regarding the Jackson County Occupancy Tax and the discussion around the Travel and Tourism Association (TTA) versus a Tourism Development Authority (TDA). I cannot help but look at the abbreviation TTA as Taxing Tourists Aggressively and TDA as Taxing to Death our Assets.
For too long county commissioners of all stripes have looked to sources of tax revenue within their counties that they could sell as effecting only people conveniently outside their voting base.
Here’s a novel idea: instead of taxing and spending more, I’d like to see our county live within its means. We may initiate expansion under the premise of a tourist tax but delays, cost overruns and other factors invariably feed the tax-and-spend death spiral for which we the residents will ultimately pay for in one fashion or another.
Our environment has produced a thriving tourist industry. Our county’s hotels, restaurants, gift shops and construction industry rely heavily on these persons. Why bite the hand that feeds us? We should instead hold to a competitive edge that encourages these tourists to spend their money here in Jackson County.
Ginny Jahrmarkt
Sapphire
To the Editor:
Recently there were two letters to the editor locally by Shirley Ches and Marge Abel which expressed the exact issues that many women in Macon County are very concerned about. I couldn’t have proclaimed the issues any better. Thanks to these intelligent, caring individuals.
There is a very important primary election coming up on May 8 in Macon County, with early voting April 19 through May 5. I urge all women and their caring menfolk of Macon County to become aware of the issues and turn out to vote.
Bobby Kuppers needs to be returned to his seat, period! His opponent, Rick Snyder, is an unknown with no legislative experience.
Heath Shuler’s seat is up for grabs. One of those vying for that position is Hayden Rodgers, a true clone of Shuler. Do we need more votes geared toward the Republican agenda? Cecil Bothwell, also running for that seat, is a true progressive and would certainly serve Western North Carolina wisely, taking into account what is truly best for his constituents.
Also on this ballot is an amendment on the issue of marriage, making it only legal for a man and woman in North Carolina to be married. No town, county, state or the country should stand in the way of the civil rights of any consensual union between any couple! Vote NO to this ban! Hurray for the states who are forward thinking enough that this is not an issue.
There is a great statement that has gone viral on the internet which sums this election year up: “Women bring all politicians into this world. In 2012 women can also take them out.”
Step up and be counted this election year. You must not sit home and think that other people will take care of the issues.
Joan Palmroos
Otto
The Haywood County Board of Commissioners will hold a work session at 4 p.m., Thursday, April 19, at the Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska.
The purpose of the work session is to conduct a roundtable discussion with community leaders about economic development, the second home market and construction industry in Haywood County. Participating agencies include municipal mayors and aldermen, the Economic Development Commission, the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, and representatives from the banking industry, construction and real estate.
828.452.6625 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The N.C. ABC Commission is holding a series of free Responsible Alcohol Seller/Server Program classes to educate businesses with alcohol permits and their employees about the responsible sales and service of alcoholic beverages. This is part of a region wide campaign to highlight April as Alcohol Awareness Month.
Businesses or organizations with alcohol permits, applicants seeking alcohol permits, bartenders, servers, employees or festival volunteers who serve alcoholic beverages and members of the general public are welcome to attend. This is a free program.
Here is the class lineup:
• 9-11 a.m., Wednesday, April 25, courtroom in Canton Town Hall.
• 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, United Community Bank, Bryson City.
• 9-11 a.m., Thursday, April 26, Highlands Recreation Park, Highlands.
• 2-4 p.m., Thursday, April 26, community room Clay County Health Department, Hayesville.
The Judy Moore Memorial Scholarship Endowment Committee is accepting scholarship applications for 2012.
The scholarship program for nurses was established in 1997 as a memorial to Judy Moore, a registered nurse who was killed in a car accident. At least $1,000 in scholarship funds will be made available for the 2012 year. The application deadline is June 13.
828.524.6564.
Go online and vote for Waynesville as your favorite Main Street in the contest “Great Places in North Carolina.”
A panel of experts chose six “People’s Choice” award finalists from the more than 40 nominations submitted by North Carolina residents. Including Waynesville, the other finalists are Mount Airy from the mountains; Davidson and Salisbury from the Piedmont; and Roseboro and Southport from the coast.
“Through this program, we hope to celebrate the great places that make North Carolina special,” said Fleming El-Amin, president of APA-NC. “We invite
As Lake Junaluska weighs whether to become part of the town of Waynesville or form its own town, a public forum for residents to ask questions or share comments will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, at Bethea Welcome Center.
At stake is Lake Junaluska’s identity and the fate of a community made up of 800 homes. A task force has been formed to study the issue. The mission of the task force includes gathering public opinion, reporting findings to the Junaluska Assembly Community Council and possibly making recommendations.
The taskforce will be made up of three representatives from the community council, three from the Lake Junaluska Assembly Property Owners Organization, three members from the community and one member representing the United Methodist Church.
While Lake Junaluska is not an official town, the community already looks and acts like one. It has its own trash pick-up, water and sewer system, street maintenance and even security force. The homes that make up Lake Junaluska’s residential community pay a yearly fee for those services.
But, an aging water and sewer system and other infrastructure issues have led the community to consider joining Waynesville instead of bearing the expense alone. If the community joins Waynesville, it would see an increase to its property-tax base but would also incur the Lake’s aging infrastructure.
Seniors around the county are gearing up for the 2012 Haywood County Senior Games from May 7-22.
For just $10, seniors can participate in as many events as they choose in both athletic events such as shuffleboard, tennis and pickleball, and SilverArts, such as photography, painting, pottery and poetry.
Only a couple of events have an additional fee such as golf ($36) and bowling ($8.25 per competition). Each participant also receives a t-shirt and access to food at the Opening Ceremony on May 7, Ice Cream Social on May 16 and a dinner at the closing ceremony on May 22.
Registration will be April 16-20 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Senior Resource Center in Waynesville.
828.452.6789 or visit www.haywoodnc.net.
For the month of April K.A.R.E in Haywood County, Kids Advocacy Resource Effort, will join thousands of communities throughout North Carolina and the nation in recognizing Child Abuse Prevention Month with a pinwheel garden. The pinwheel is the new symbol of child abuse prevention, representing community efforts to provide children with the safe, stable relationships they need. You can help KARE’s garden grow with a $5 donation.
828.456-8995.
The fourth-annual “Take A Walk In Her Shoes” sexual assault awareness event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, in front of the historic Haywood County Court House. The walk will be around the perimeter of the courthouse lawn on the sidewalk. Detective Jeff Haynes of the Waynesville Police Department will be the keynote speaker and music will be supplied by Jimmy Arrington and Carol Baker of Twilight Karaoke. This event is sponsored by the Haywood County Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/Elder Abuse Task Force.
828.456.7898.
The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host Mindy Guillama-Ridriquez and Raul Rodriquez for a discussion of Cuban culture and food at 7 p.m. on April 26.
Mindy will demonstrate making picadillo, a traditional dish in Cuba and many other Latin American countries. It features ground meat (usually beef or pork) and vegetables.
Raul will discuss the rich history and culture of his native Cuba.
Mindy was born in Havana but moved with her family to South Florida at the age of 4 to escape political persecution. She owns Mindy’s Bakery in Sylva and is also a full-time student at WCU.
Raul was also born in Cuba but did not come to the United States until he was 18, planning to return to Cuba after completing his education. However, political turmoil in Cuba prevented his return, and he met Mindy while in Miami. He is also a full-time student at WCU.
828.586.2016.
The next installment of Cooperative Extension’s “Good Cooks Series” will be held at 5:30 p.m. on April 26 in the conference room of the Community Services Center in Sylva.
Local “Good Cook” Josh Wilkey will demonstrate the steps in baking salmon and making your own fresh asparagus with homemade Hollandaise sauce.
Wilkey is a native of Jackson County. Although he has had no formal culinary training, he is passionate about food and cooking.
“If friends are looking for a good steakhouse in Reno or a great burger joint along Route 66, I’m the guy they call for a recommendation,” Wilkey said.
His passion began at an early age, watching his great-grandmother Elizabeth Clayton cook and make candy.
Space is limited so please call early to reserve a seat by April 23. Cost for the program is $3.
828.586.4009.
Map designer Bruce Daniel will speak at 4 p.m., April 19, in the atrium of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center on the campus of Western Carolina University.
The talk, “Sensing Place: New Ways to Look at Maps,” is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception from 5-7 p.m.
Daniel is the executive vice president and director of Cartifact Labs, a cartographic design firm based in Los Angeles. An advocate of high-quality design, Daniel has practiced his craft through informational graphics and maps.
Daniel offers an excellent perspective on the topic because he has been involved in the design of maps from their existence almost exclusively on paper to their more contemporary digital presence, said Matt Liddle, professor of print and book arts in the WCU School of Art and Design.
828-227-3594 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Students from Mountain Heritage High School in Burnsville will perform the play “Applaching” at 7:30 p.m., April 20, at the Haywood Regional Arts Theater in Waynesville.
“Applaching” was created by Alesa Bryant Laws, the drama teacher at Mountain Heritage, and is based on family stories.
The play was a winner at the Western North Carolina Regional high school play festival at Western Carolina University.
Tickets for the event are $12 for adults and $6 for students and teachers. Funds from the event will be split between HART and the drama program at Mountain Heritage.
The HART Theater is located at 250 Pigeon St. in Waynesville.
www.harttheatre.com or 828.456.6322.
Maggie Valley Festival Grounds will host a combination of the Great Smoky Mountain Trout & Heritage Festival and PlottFest this year from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 21.
The PlottFest is a fundraiser for Head Start Mountain Projects.
The event will feature archery by Bowed Up Archery, a blacksmith demonstration, a Kids Zone sponsored by Fun Things, Etc., food vendors, a few local crafters, strawberries and ramps. Attendees can also watch chain saw carver Mitchell Phillips will create a piece of art to raffle. Music will include The Darren Nicholson Band, Mark and Aimee Bumgarner, Milan Miller and Balsam Range. The WCU Heritage Center is bringing the Plott display and Bob Plott will be on hand to sign books.
Other activities include:
• Youth fishing clinics from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required.
• A free Kindermusik mini classes will be offered at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
• A gunfight by the Ghost Town Gunfighters at 12:45 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.
• Balsam Range will kick off their show at 4 p.m.
• A trout race, where wooden replicas are tossed into a creek, and the first five fish to cross the finish line get a prize, will start at 5 p.m.
Multi-Grammy and Dove award winning recording artist Bill Gaither will perform with his Gaither Vocal Band at 3:30 p.m., April 29, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
Gaither has been writing songs for many years — some of which were sung by artists such as Sandi Patty, The Statler Brothers, and Elvis Presley. They’ve collected over a dozen Dove awards, including the 2011 Southern Gospel Song of the Year award for “Better Day,” and two Grammy awards.
Ticket prices start at $45 each.
866.273.4615 or www.GreatMountainMusic.com.
Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters and The Crystals will take the stage at The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m., April 20.
Both groups climbed the charts with hits in the 1950s. Bill Pinkney’s Original Drifters has welcomed several new members throughout the years, but they’ve always maintained their original sound. Their list of hits include, “Under the Boardwalk,” “Up on the Roof,” and “Save the Last Dance for Me.” In 1988, the Rock and Roll Hall of fame inducted the seven members of The Drifter’s: Bill Pinkney, Clyde McPhatter, Gerhart Thrasher, Ben E. King, Charlie Thomas, Rudy Lewis, and Johnny Moore.
The Crystals, who were discovered before they were out of high school, are best known for musical hits such as, “Da Doo Run Run” and “Then He Kissed Me.” The group was once a five-member sensation but has scaled down to three: Dee Dee Kennibrew, who has been with the group since its first recording, Patricia Pritchett-Lewis, and Melissa Antoinette Grant.
Tickets start at $14 each.
866.273.4615 or www.GreatMountainMusic.com.
The acclaimed trombone ensemble Quaternity will visit Western Carolina University for a day of master classes followed by a public performance on April 23.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the recital hall of the Coulter Building on the WCU campus. It is open to the public free of charge.
The quartet also will lead master classes beginning at 11:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at various locations in the Coulter Building. The morning session is designed especially for members of the WCU Trombone Ensemble, while the afternoon session is open to all music students, faculty and staff, as well as brass enthusiasts from the surrounding community.
The ensemble features Lee K. Blakeman, principal trombonist for the Evansville (Ind.) Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Kentucky of Bowling Green; Steven Brown, who joined the Nashville Symphony in 1998; J. Bryan Heath, bass trombonist with the Owensboro Symphony, the Illinois Symphony and Orchestra Kentucky of Bowling Green; and Australian trombonist Donna Parkes, who plays second trombone with the Virginia Symphony.
828.227.7242.
The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host live bluegrass and gospel music provided by local band Joshua’s Tree at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 in the community room.
Joshua’s Tree is a Christian singing group that formed around a campfire in June 2010. The five members are Twila Campbell, Darin and Anesa Brooks, Will Howell and David Crisp. The group is currently recording their first CD, entitled “In The Beginning” and performs Southern gospel and bluegrass music.
828.586.2016.
“That Mancini Magic,” the final installment of Western Carolina University’s 2011-12 Galaxy of Stars Series, will stage at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.
“That Mancini Magic” performs songs of renowned composer Henry Mancini. Led by pianist Mac Hampton and Cecil Welch, who was Mancini’s trumpet player for more than 20 years, the show also is supported by “The Moon River Orchestra,” an ensemble of violins, saxophone and rhythm.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for WCU faculty and staff, $10 for groups of 20 or more and $5 for students.
828.227.2479 or www.wcu.edu/fapac.
The Grace Church Episcopal in Waynesville will host a noon concert by Signature Winds on April 19.
Signature Winds was formed in 2005 and retains all of its original members: Kathy Alley, Flute; Pat Stone, Oboe; Charles Alley, Clarinet; Stephanie Lyon, French Horn and Mary Thomas, Bassoon. The quintet is based in Haywood County, and all members have played professionally and continue to perform with various organizations throughout the Western North Carolina area.
The program will include music written or arranged for woodwind quintet: Movements from “La Chimney of King Rene” by Darius Milhaud; two selections from “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein; “Pavanne” by Morton Gould; “Obangiji” by Fela Sowande and “Three Trios for Piano, Horn, and Basoon/Oboe/Clarinet.”
Those in attendance are invited to bring and enjoy their lunch during the program.
828.926.8721.
Three Jackson County teachers — Jennifer Dall at Smokey Mountain Elementary, Kansas Heiskell at the HUB, and Gayle Woody at Smoky Mountain High School — were awarded a Learning Links grant this year to support art workshops in the schools.
Metalworker William Rogers taught the workshops, which showed students how to handwork metal. During the series of three workshops, students as young as ten years old hammered metal into whimsical shapes and then suspended those shapes along a wire framework to create a kinetic sculpture.
Learning Links projects involve students in “hands-on” projects to support innovative, imaginative and creative approaches to teaching.
The Haywood County Arts Council will host its annual “Birding for the Arts” event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 28 as part of the 2012 FUNd Party Series.
The series offers an eclectic array of social events featuring delicious food, unique experiences and entertainment to benefit the arts in our community.
“Birding for the Arts” party sponsors and guides for the day are naturalist Don Hendershot, former state Sen. Joe Sam Queen and Dr. Kate Queen.
Tickets are $25 per person, and participation is limited to 35 partygoers. The registration deadline is April 26. A gourmet boxed lunch will be provided, and attendees should meet at the Performing Arts Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville no later than 8 a.m.
Bring binoculars and rain poncho. Light hiking is involved.
828.452.0593 or www.haywoodarts.org.
The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar, entitled “Marketing for the Craftsperson & Artist…Part II,” from 6-9 p.m., April 24, at HCC’s Student Center Building, first floor.
The workshop will detail how to best market a business’s image on a low or no-budget plan, including designing a logo and discussing customer service and identify 10 “no cost” ways to effectively advertise.
The workshop will focus on:
• Selling through craft fairs; includes how to find out about available shows and all those little things about shows you may not know
• Selling through trade shows
• Designing your booth at shows and why presentation is so important
• Successful marketing tips, including press releases, business cards and gift tags
• Designing your own logo, business card, flyer or brochure.
• Exploring the very essence of exactly what your marketing story needs to say.
The presenter is Linda Rozelle, who has a diverse background in commercial art. She has designed hundreds of corporate identity programs nationwide and has been nationally recognized for excellence in advertising.
828.627.4512.
The voices of two Western Carolina University choirs – the University Chorus and the Concert Choir – will be featured at the WCU School of Music’s Spring Choral Concert at 7:30 p.m., April 19.
Admission is free and the performance will be held in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.
The University Chorus will sing a variety of compositions, including a folk song arrangement featuring WCU music faculty members Linda Lancaster on flute and Michael Schallock on tuba, and a folk hymn arrangement featuring music faculty members Terri Armfield on oboe and Lancaster on flute.
The Concert Choir will sing “Liebeslieder Waltzer (Lovesong Waltzes)” by Johannes Brahms and “Three Scottish Folk Songs” arranged by Mack Wilberg.
Music faculty members Andrew Adams and Brad Martin will serve as guest pianists.
828.227.7242.
Western Carolina University dance students matched with faculty and staff members will compete in a “Dancing with the Stars”-style event called “Dancing with the Catamounts” at 7 p.m. on April 20 in Hoey Auditorium.
The event costs $5 and will be accepted in cash only at the door.
The groups had 10 weeks to rehearse routines representing a range of dance styles, including hip-hop, jazz and cha-cha, for the competition. Audience members will be able to vote for their favorite performers for Audience Choice awards.
Competition judges include Amy Dowling, a dance instructor in the School of Stage and Screen; Heidi Turlington, a lecturer in the School of Teaching and Learning who also teaches ballroom dance; and Mary Six Rupert, a former Rockette.
828.227.3672 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host weaver Susan Leveille of The Oaks Gallery in Dillsboro for a children’s weaving class at 6 p.m. on April 26.
Participants will weave a colorful bookmark. The class is appropriate for children ages 7 to 12 and is limited to 10 participants. Pre-register.
828.586.2016.
The 15th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will take place April 28 on Main and Mill streets in historic downtown Sylva.
The event begins with a 5K run at 9 a.m., while festival hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The free festival celebrates the arrival of spring in the mountains, when the greening leaves work their way up the Great Smoky Mountains. It also celebrates the greening of the environment, with info about sustainable living and presentations by environmental groups.
Traditional heritage crafts will be featured throughout the festival, while three music stages feature local bands, heritage dancers and a youth talent show. Musical acts set to perform include: The Freight Hoppers, John-Luke Carter, Tennessee Jed, The Suite C, Marshall Ballew, Sugar Barnes and Dave Magill, Positive Mental Attitude, Ian Moore & the Moolah Temple Men’s Auxiliary, Total War, Dan River Drifters and Noonday Sun.
Greening Up the Mountains is one of Jackson County’s largest annual events, drawing more than 10,000 visitors each year.
828.586.2719 or www.downtownsylva.org.
The Liars Bench will tell the story of the hanging of Jack Lambert and other murder/execution stories in “Hangman, hangman slack your rope” at 7 p.m., April 19, at WCU’s Mountain Heritage Center.
The event will feature the compelling story of Jack Lambert being ‘framed’ for the murder of Dick Wilson, convicted and unjustly executed in the last legal hanging in Swain County in 1886.
The performance will also include stories about John Hardy, Tom Dula and Cherokee myths and legends of figures who sacrificed themselves for the Cherokee people. Descendants of both Dick Wilson and Jack Lambert will talk at the event, in addition to Liars Bench regulars Gary Carden, host and storyteller; Lloyd Arneach, the Cherokee storyteller; Paul Iarussi, claw-hammer guitar specialist; William Ritter, vocalist and musician; and Karen Barnes.
The Liars Bench is a two-year old program featuring authentic traditional Southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, and drama. Admission is free for all.
828.227.7129.
Franklin High School will hold auditions at noon, April 21, in its fine arts center, for home school and private school students wishing to perform in Showcase of Talent 2012.
Participation is open to actors, dancers, gymnasts, instrumentalists and vocalists in the third thru 12th grades. Solo, duo, and ensemble acts are welcome, and a piano and CD player will be provided.
Students should arrive between noon and 1 p.m. and will perform on a first-come basis; there is no pre-registration.
The Showcase of Talent is an annual non-competitive, countywide student talent show, held at 7p.m., April 28, in the fine arts center. Each student selected for the Showcase receives a complimentary adult ticket for a parent or guardian.
Proceeds support the Artists-in-the-Schools Program.
828.524.7683 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The memories and lore surrounding a white flower with six petals — once so common in the Cullowhee valley that it was called the Cullowhee lily — have inspired Western Carolina University alumni and community members to bring the flower back.
“Cullowhee” is a Cherokee word that some believe translates to mean “valley of the lilies” and hearkens back to a time when the flower populated the area. To celebrate the Cullowhee community and sense of place, Susan Belcher, wife of Chancellor David Belcher, had hoped WCU could incorporate the lilies into her husband’s installation décor, only to learn the plant was no longer common in the area.
Today, the lily, which usually flowers in late April or early May, grows in only a few spots on campus, said Roger Turk, grounds superintendent.
“We started wondering what happened to the Cullowhee lily,” said Belcher. “David and I fell in love with Cullowhee and the area, and we both are dedicated to preserving and deepening the sense of place here.”
The WCU Alumni Association, the Office of the Chancellor and WCU Facilities Management grounds crews are partnering to re-establish the Cullowhee lily in the community, starting with the WCU campus. Organizers of the initiative, which is still in early planning stages, are seeking additional partners and supporters, and plan to link the effort to the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.
828.227.7335 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A gardening basics 101 class for beginner gardeners or gardeners who are new to this region will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at the Swain Extension Center and from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jackson Extension Center in Sylva.
Topics covered included keeping vegetables free of disease and insects, tamping down weeds, spacing, when and what to plant and more.
The class is free and is sponsored by the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service.
828.586.4009 or 828.488.3848.
Farmers markets in both Jackson and Haywood counties have opened for the regular growing season.
The Jackson County Farmers Market opened earlier this month and operates from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturdays in the large parking lot on Mill Street in Sylva.
Haywood’s Historic Farmers Market opens from 8 a.m. until noon for the first time this season Saturday, April 14, and will be open every Wednesday and Saturday through October.
“This is our fourth year of coming together in the small town spirit to offer the citizens and visitors of our mountains the fruit and produce of our area farms and gardens; arts and crafts that have proven to be sustainable and useful in the home, and music that highlights mountain life,” said Elizabeth Ur, a grower involved in the Haywood market.
The market has a full-range of locally raised meat, eggs, baked goods, and chees, as well as early spring produce.
The Haywood Farmers Market is located in the HART Theatre parking lot two blocks off Main Street on 276 south Pigeon Street in Waynesville.
The Wild and Scenic Film Festival is coming from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, at Western Carolina University.
The festival is part of a national tour of award-winning films that take audiences to some of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet to highlight community activism and the power of people to make a difference in their communities.
“The tour is part of a network of grassroots organizations using the power of film to inspire environmental activism,” said Ken Brown with the Tuckasegee Community Alliance.
The short films explore a wide range of issues, including communities involved with saving their “home places” in the Appalachian mountains from mountaintop removal and hydro-fracking, a controversial extraction technique that fractures rock to release natural gas; the impact of “plastic” on our lives and landscapes; and “new environmentalists” who offer solutions for preserving natural resources, such as a citizens group that created Germany’s first successful cooperatively owned renewable power company.
The Western North Carolina Alliance and Western Carolina University’s Sustainability Council and Eco CATS student group are co-sponsoring the festival. The event will be held in A.K. Hinds University Center theater.
The April 18 program at WCU will include a keynote address from Tom Belt, coordinator of the Cherokee language program at WCU; a welcome from Julie Mayfield, executive director of WNCA; live music; and the Smoky Mountain Roller Derby Girls.
General admission to the festival at WCU will be $6 for students and $10 for the general public. Attendees who join the WNCA – $10 for students and $25 for the general public – will be admitted free.
Advance tickets are available online at www.wnca.org.
828.258.8737.
The fun and free-spirited Nantahala Open will take place from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, April 21, at Nantahala Falls. Nantahala Open is billed at a laid-back competition open to all boaters no matter the experience or ability.
Categories include Best Freestyle through the Falls, Best Top Hole Move, Most Creative Eddy Catching, Best Self-Rescue, Best Carnage, Cutest Run—and anything that comes to mind as the day unfolds
The event is being put together by Endless River Adventures and Team Wave Sport.
This is not a “sponsored” event; the participants are typically Nantahala boaters and those who just enjoy a great day of fun on the river.
The Endless River team will be joined by Nantahala Open veteran and team wave sport leader Bryan Kirk and others. The group will coordinate the event from the launching pad at Nantahala Falls, with video cameras arranged to film open participants.
There will be music, food and beer at Endless River Adventures afterwards, including video highlights from the day.
828.488.6199 or www.facebook.com/NantahalaOpen.
