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Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Stand up paddling takes off

Okay, so we didn’t cross the Kauai Channel, but last Friday Mark Singleton, executive director of Sylva-based American Whitewater, took me stand-up paddling for the first time. The sport –– which is basically standing up on a surfboard with a…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Artists join forces through co-op to gain visibility

Steve Lampl paints with acrylics and loves to golf. But last year when he had shoulder surgery, he had to put golfing on hold. That’s when he decided to organize The Mainstreet Artists Co-op Gallery. A year later, the co-op…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Patchwork Folk & Fabric Festival celebrates Appalachian crafts

The traditions of spinning, weaving, quilting, caning, blacksmithing, sewing, hand stitchery, and other folk arts have survived in the Appalachian culture through the generations. At the Patchwork Folk and Fabric Festival, these skills will be showcased and honored, demonstrated and…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

The tribe’s audit is bound to cause bitterness

How do you kick out a member of a Native American tribe? The Eastern Band of Cherokee is about to find out, and there’s no way it’s going down without some bitterness and fighting. The EBCI is almost finished with…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Engineers still honing plan to stabilize remnants of Maggie landslide

Once repair work is complete, a precarious Maggie Valley mountainside destabilized by a major mudslide will be returned to its natural state. The hard part will be getting to that point. Last Wednesday, anxious residents downslope of the slide along…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Angel Medical, Mission consider partnership

Angel Medical Center in Franklin may soon come under the wing of Mission Hospital in Asheville. Smaller, rural hospitals are increasingly forging partnerships with larger hospitals as it becomes tougher financially to go it alone. Angel’s 15-member hospital board unanimously…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Weekend fish kill on Jonathan Creek a mystery

The cause of a fish kill on an isolated stretch of Jonathan Creek in Maggie Valley last Saturday is eluding environmental agencies and will likely remain a mystery. A number of trout, from fingerlings to foot-long fish, turned up dead…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

The Naturalist's Corner

Bird Lag Last weekend (5/21-5/23) was a blur of birds, bears and blooms — a combination of work, friends, fellowship and family that left me beat and begging for more. I started out in the thick damp predawn hours Friday…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Reading Nina Simone’s tragic life

Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone, by Nadine Cohodas. Pantheon Books, 2010. 449 pages. The first time I ever heard Nina Simone sing, I was in one of those pretentious “high fi” stores in Atlanta back in the…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

Sylva parking shortage in the eye of the beholder

A parking study of downtown Sylva conducted by a Western Carolina University graduate student has gotten local merchants talking and left the town board facing a puzzle. For years downtown merchants have complained that the lack of available parking for…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

A place called home

One doesn’t tire of certain places. Even though they inevitably change through the years, they become more than friends. The cove we live in has become that sort of place even though, in most ways, it’s just another mountain cove.…

Wednesday, 26 May 2010 12:34

County cuts to recreation saddle towns with added costs

In the eyes of Canton’s town leaders, the status quo in recreation funding just isn’t cutting it. For years, the town of Canton has had to maintain an aging public pool and has struggled to obtain stadium lighting to allow…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:31

A coyote in the yard

Monday morning … 9:15 or so … suddenly the coyote was there … as if from out of nowhere … a shadow moving in the pasture across the creek. I had glanced out of my workroom window moments before…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:29

Screening to feature extreme outdoor footage

Catch the steepest and deepest in high-adrenaline outdoor sport films when Radical Reels Tour comes to Asheville on Monday, Sept. 13. Hurtle down steep untouched powder, feel the cold spray of stomach-dropping kayak first descents, fly high with the world’s…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:27

Plant conference brings out all things botanical

Landscape design, botany, horticulture and gardening will be the highlight of “Landscaping and Gardening With Native Plants” conference held in Highlands on Sept. 10 and 11. Hundreds attend the annual conference featuring two days of fieldtrips, workshops and speakers. Get…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:25

5K set among the fairways of Highlands course

A 5K race will traverse the front nine holes of the Old Edwards Club in Highlands on Saturday, Sept. 11, serving up a tranquil setting and a twist on the typical 5K route through town streets. “Doing the PAR 5K…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:24

Rules for guns and game on the Blue Ridge Parkway

With guns now allowed in national parks, red tape faced by hunters crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway en route to a hunting spot has been lifted. Hunting is still illegal in national parks, but this year it became legal to…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:24

HCC Low-Impact Development fast track

A Low Impact Development FastTrack Certification will be held at Haywood Community College on Wednesday, Sept. 15 through Friday, Sept. 17. The course will give an overview of low-impact development from a holistic perspective and covers design, planning, implementation and…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:22

Program aims to get local produce into Jackson cafeterias

A workshop on bringing local farm produce into the schools will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at Shelton Family Farms in Jackson County. Participants will learn how to integrate school gardens, farm field trips,…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:21

Fox sightings up

Fox sightings in town are on the rise, including residential suburban neighborhoods and they have even been reported on busy town streets. Simply seeing a fox is not a cause for alarm, according to the N.C. Wildlife Commission. Nonetheless, don’t…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:18

WNC birders jolted from summer doldrums

Birders are a restless, impatient lot. From the end of June till the end of August they walk around in a kind of stupor. You will see them occasionally stop shuffling, cock their head with hand cupped behind their ear,…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:16

Cataloochee Elk deemed a success

Fans of the elk herd in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park would be surprised to learn that until now, the elk’s existence here was merely an experiment — they theoretically could be rounded up and hauled away at any…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:14

WCU Authors Hal Herzog and Anna Fariello at City Lights

Western Carolina University psychology professor Hal Herzog will celebrate his new book, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About Animals, with an appearance at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, at…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:14

Decoration Day authors offer presentation

Alan Jabbour and Karen Singer Jabbour, authors of Decoration Day in the Mountains: Traditions of Cemetery Decoration in the Southern Appalachians, will appear at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City. Decoration Day…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:11

Choice of victims makes this a disturbing read

Stephen Hunter’s I, Sniper (ISBN 978-1-4165-6515-4, $26) brings to readers once again that intrepid sniper, now old and aching from his lifetime of combat, Bob Lee Swagger. As in previous novels in this series, the government entangles itself into the…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:09

Kick Off Labor Day weekend with the Porch Music Club

Start your Labor Day weekend with free live music at the Concerts on the Creek series in downtown Sylva. The Porch Music Club, an old-time string band, will play a two-hour show beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3,…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:08

FPAC anniversary gala features music, drama

Western Carolina University will mark five years of art and entertainment at the Fine and Performing Arts Center with a gala featuring art, music and a theatrical revue of songs by George and Ira Gershwin on Friday, Oct. 22. Tickets…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:07

Grammy-winning artist Brett James to perform benefit concert in Haywood

Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and producer Brett James, along with Ginny McAfee, will perform on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Haywood Community College auditorium. Doors open at 6 p.m. Money raised from this evening’s concert will support art, music and literacy…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:06

WCU presents 2010-11 arts and events series

A string band, an all-male chorus, irreverent sketch comedy and an environmental writer with a question fill the bill for the 2010-11 Arts and Cultural Events Performance Series at Western Carolina University. The series entertainment is as follows: • Doxita,…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:04

Country singer Corey Smith plays WCU Sept. 9

Modern country artist Corey Smith will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9, at Western Carolina University’s Ramsey Regional Activity Center. Smith is a Georgia-based singer/songwriter who has sold an impressive 150,000 albums and 700,000 singles to date — all…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:03

One-man-band Wild Bill Turner plays free concert Sept. 19

Wild Bill Turner will play the Sunday Series at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. Wild Bill will show off his mastery of jazz skills on the saxophone, clarinet and trumpet, offering an…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:02

P.A.W.S holds wine tasting, silent auction

The Seventh Annual P.A.W.S. Wine Tasting and Silent Auction — benefitting the only animal welfare organization in Swain County — will be held on Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Lands Creek Log Cabins “Harmony Hall” in Bryson City. Doors open at…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:02

Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood character visits Haywood

David Newell, also known as speedy deliveryman Mr. McFeely from public television’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” will appear at the Canton Public Library on Sunday, Sept. 12, and at the Waynesville Library on Monday, Sept. 13. Newell played the role of…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 20:00

Learn how to knit for free at library

The Smoky Mountain Knitting Guild is offering free “Learn to Knit” classes — for both adults and children — on Tuesdays at the Waynesville Library. The adult class meets from 1 to 2:30 p.m. starting Sept. 7, while boys and…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:59

Fun evening planned for Sylva After Dark

The next Sylva After Dark — held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3, in downtown Sylva — offers an evening of art, music, food and shopping. • Signature Brew Coffee Company will offer a free sampling of its…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:58

Beach music lined up for Canton’s Labor Day festivities

Canton’s 104th Labor Day Celebration will run from Thursday, Sept. 2, to Monday, Sept. 6, at the Recreation Park. The Band of Oz, a famous beach music band, will hit the stage from 7 until 10 p.m. Saturday. This year the…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:58

Submit art and literary works to Milestone

Submissions are now being taken for the 2010-11 edition of Milestone, the biennial art and literary review published by Southwestern Community College. All residents of Jackson, Macon, Swain counties and the Cherokee Indian Reservation, as well as SCC students and…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:57

Motoring festival features car auction

Browse through a line of classic cars, muscle cars, hot rods and special interest cars at the third-annual Highlands Motoring Festival, held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, in downtown Highlands. Al Scudder of Scudder’s Galleries…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:57

WCU offers ballroom dance lessons

Care to dance? Take the floor for ballroom dance lessons from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Sept. 2 through Oct. 7 at Western Carolina University. Instructor Heidi Turlington, who has degrees in dance and physical education, is a former…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:56

Waynesville gets ready for Art After Dark

Enjoy a stroll through working studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in historic Frog Level during Waynesville’s Art After Dark from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3. Festive flags identify participating galleries such as: Art…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:55

Stiles to lead workshop in intercultural communication

A two hour workshop in Intercultural Communication will be taught by John Stiles, a Jackson County native who is the U.S. Director of International Relations and Development for Hannam University in Daejong, South Korea. The workshops will be held from…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:54

‘Mark Twain’ to appear at City Lights

Gary Carden’s third Liar’s Bench at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will feature Mark Twain impersonator Marvin Cole, renowned folk artist Eric Legge and musicians Billy Norton, Steve Brady and Dave Brewin. The evening of storytelling, music and poetry begins…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:52

‘Seven Deadly Sins’ opens WCU theater season

A unique evening featuring an array of songs from musical theater’s most infamous cads and adored scoundrels — combined with a performance of composer Kurt Weill’s rarely staged masterwork “The Seven Deadly Sins” — will open Western Carolina University’s 2010-11…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:49

40th Smoky Mountain Folk Festival showcases authentic mountain music and dancing

Mountain music, dancing and tradition will be on display on the shores of beautiful Lake Junaluska as the Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, now in its 40th year, celebrates the culture and heritage of Western North Carolina. As in years past,…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:38

Incumbents were not very open-minded

To the Editor: The League of Women Voters is to be commended for conducting a forum in Franklin on Aug. 12 for N.C. State Senate and House candidates for the 2010 election. This allowed constituents to listen to the candidates…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:38

Green building is the right choice

To the Editor: The move towards sustainability is of paramount importance for the future of our local communities, our nation and this planet. To this end, the development of the proposed Creative Arts Building at Haywood Community College plays an…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:37

Dress code sends the right message to adolescents

A debate about how adolescents — and even pre-adolescents — dress these days is a topic that covers a lot of ground, ranging from self-expression to familial relationships. One thing, though, still holds true — public schools should use whatever…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:37

The most important thing to have

By Natalie Smith • Guest Columnist One of the most commonly asked questions in life is “Where are you from?” Nowadays when we ask this question to a stranger we get exotic and interesting answers. Home is a relationship. It gives…

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:18

Bucks, does, pullets and cockerels ... huh?

Auctioneer Mike Cagle’s patter mingles with the crows of roosters, quacking of ducks and chatter of the crowd. “These homer pigeons are as fat as little butterballs. $2 a bird? They will never be no cheaper. How ‘bout $1.60 ……

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 19:15

Unaffiliated candidates denied access to party voters

With more unaffiliated candidates running for office this year, political party leaders are torn over whether to open their doors to those who won’t declare party affiliation as either Democrat or Republican. In Jackson County, three unaffiliated candidates will be…

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