Dillsboro Festival of Lights & Luminaries will be held on Dec. 7 and 8 and Dec. 14 and 15. The celebration begins each evening at dusk and runs until 9 p.m.

WCU partners with Asheville Symphony 

Western Carolina University’s School of Music has initiated a new artist-in-residence program this semester, formalizing a partnership with the Asheville Symphony Orchestra to bring professional string musicians to campus for performances with WCU’s woodwind, brass and percussion students and choral ensembles.

The artist-in-residence program is an outgrowth of a smaller effort launched in the 1990s to try to provide students with experience performing in an orchestral setting.

Through the program, Asheville Symphony string players will be performing with WCU faculty and students for recitals of a variety of musical types, including chamber, choral and opera performances. In addition to providing talent for public performances, the partnership also provides learning opportunities for WCU students.

828.227.7242 or www.music.wcu.edu.

Jazz musicians to perform free concerts

Music students from Western Carolina University will perform jazz concerts at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 26, and Thursday, Nov. 29, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building. 

The Nov. 26 concert will feature two student jazz combos, each with 30 minutes of repertoire. They plan to perform jazz standards in various styles including blues, swing, ballad, waltz, funk and bossa nova.

The Nov. 29 concert will feature the Jazz Ensemble with guest artist saxophonist Jacob Duncan. The Jazz Ensemble comprises five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets and full rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass and drums). The performers develop knowledge of various jazz big band styles, including the music of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Herbie Hancock and Bob Mintzer, as well as music of modern jazz arrangers of the 1990s.

Admission is free and the concerts are open to the public. 

828.227.7242 or www.music.wcu.edu.

Want to learn to play the dulcimer?

Western Carolina University’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education will offer an introductory class in playing the mountain dulcimer from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, at Biltmore Park Town Square.

The class will be led by Anne Lough, a traditional musician who earned her master’s degree in music education at WCU and has performed and taught for 35 years. Participants will learn how to strum the dulcimer and play basic melodies, including a few holiday tunes. No musical experience is necessary for participation. Loaner instruments will be available. WCU’s new facility is located at 28 Schenck Parkway in Biltmore Park Town Square, just off Interstate 26 at Exit 37. The cost is $39.

828.227.7397 or visit www.learn.wcu.edu.

WCU, Warren Wilson ensembles to perform

Western Carolina University’s Low Tech Ensemble will perform a gamelan degung from Western Java with Warren Wilson College’s Gamelan Ensemble, playing Central Javanese gamelan, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building on the WCU campus. 

A “Show & Sale” craft fair will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at the MedWest Health and Fitness Center in Clyde.

Local crafters are invited to purchase a table for a small fee to display and sell crafts to the public. All community members are invited to participate and to bring family and friends to the fair. MedWest Health and Fitness Center members may reserve a table for $15. The cost for non-members is $25.

828.452.8080.

The “Hard Candy Christmas” Craft Art and Show will celebrate 25 years as a “Mountain Christmas Tradition” in Western North Carolina from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 23-24, in the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

With original work from more than 100 regional artisans, Christmas themed artists will be in attendance with original paintings, clay and glass. New exhibitors are coming in to celebrate with us as well and sell their best art. There will be a variety of heritage crafts like broom making, goat milk soap and hand loomed cotton rugs.

Admission is $4 for a weekend pass for adults, children under 12 free. There is no charge for parking.

www.mountainartisans.net or 828.524.3405 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Blue Ridge Orchestra will present this year’s annual family holiday concert twice, at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 at the Colonial Theatre in Canton and at 4 p.m. onn Dec. 9 at the Folk Arts Center in East Asheville.

Music Director Milton Crotts has designed a special program that features selections from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” and Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”, among others. “Good Tidings of Great Joy, A Christmas Narrative for Orchestra”, will be narrated by Miguel Cooper of the Asheville School, contrasting with Pizzicato Polka by Johann Strauss - a Viennese New Year’s Tradition. Comprised of nearly 75 volunteers, the Blue Ridge Orchestra has been presenting symphony concerts in Western North Carolina since 1999.

www.blueridgeorchestra.org.

The annual Madrigal Dinner will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, in the Grandroom of the A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University.

Swain County Schools celebrated Native American heritage on Nov. 8-9 by having Aztec dancers perform for students at the Swain County Center for the Arts. 

To the Editor:

In a recent column, writer Jeff Minick implored holiday shoppers to consider shopping locally and using the Internet only as a last resort so that the money will stay in our local economy. If only life were so simple ….

The author’s primary premise was that local business owners return their income to the community in the form of re-investment in their businesses and by spending it on their living expenses. Unstated was the idea that dollars generated by Internet sales have little or no impact here at home.

In fact, this argument has at least one major flaw: when it comes to the Internet, sometimes those nameless, faceless sellers are actually your neighbors. In the last 15 years, E-tailers like Amazon, eBay and etsy have made it possible for hundreds of thousands of small business people to earn a living. Many of these web sellers don’t have the capital to open a retail outlet; some have physical disabilities that prevent them from running such an enterprise; others cannot afford the childcare costs related to traditional employment. Some just can’t find a job. There are as many reasons to sell on the Internet as there are sellers.

Hundreds of businesses in our local mountains sell products on the Internet. Many — if not most — through a major “E-tailer.” Next time you’re standing in line at the post office, check out the folks who come in with (probably multiple) packages that already have professional postage applied. That’s a dead giveaway for a web seller. This quietly growing group contributes to our local economy too: they pay taxes on the income (a relatively recent development with Amazon and eBay), and the money they make pays their bills, just as it does for a traditional store owner. They buy supplies and materials from local stores, and their reliance on the postal system can’t hurt in these tough times when small post offices may be destined for the chopping block.

So while I agree with most of the “buy local” ideology, I think we must also consider current economic realities and the rapidly changing face of business: there’s not always an easy answer when it comes to making shopping decisions that will benefit our community.

Libby Dunevant

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I’ve been a fan of The Smoky Mountain News for 12 years since you very ably reported on the Needmore Tract conservation story: a locally-led campaign to conserve 27 miles of Little Tennessee River. The then-Macon County Commission, chaired by Harold Corbin, helped to lead that campaign to keep the Needmore in the public trust.

As such, I was disappointed by your story last week about the Cowee School which left the reader believing that Macon County was funneling money through a “special-interest group” called The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee (LTLT). LTLT is not receiving funds from Macon County. Quite the opposite, LTLT and the Cowee Community Development Organization are raising funds to support the county-led investment in the school to serve as a heritage arts center, local food facility, and proposed incubator for cottage industry in Macon County.

The county’s investment in Cowee School was made in September by a County Commission chaired by another Corbin who also cares deeply for the county, Kevin Corbin. Your article failed to mention that these funds are being administered by the Macon Economic Development Commission. Given that the exceptionally intact cultural and natural heritage of northern Macon County are amongst the county’s greatest economic development assets, Cowee School as an EDC project makes great sense.

In the article it was also suggested that the Cowee School is nothing more than one more decommissioned community school, as if it had no special merits that would justify county investment. The historic Cowee School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and it anchors the largest historic district in Western North Carolina with 27 structures spanning 1,400 years of history. The principal Cherokee town of Cowee was at the geo-political center of the South in the middle 1700s and the first military campaign of the American Revolution in the South was the attack on Cowee two months after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. One reason to invest in Cowee School is to build on the extraordinary history that surrounds the school.

The Cowee School is the largest building, and the only publicly owned building, in the historic district. It was built of local stone by the WPA 70 years ago on the site of a CCC camp. Re-use of Cowee School has much greater economic development potential than any other local decommissioned community school that I know of. The question of county investment in the county’s cultural heritage, one of its greatest assets, is one that the next Macon Commission will undoubtedly grapple with over the next two years. I have faith that under the leadership of Kevin Corbin, the right decisions will be made.

Paul Carlson

LTLT Executive Director

Franklin

To the Editor:

After reading your piece this week, “Speaking too loudly sometimes belittles the message,” my reaction was “let’s err on the side of appreciation.”

One of my most poignant memories came from a Memorial Day visit to Arlington National Cemetery a few years back. A youngish couple, dressed in biker gear got off the front of the tram and walked to the back row to shake the hand of, and thank, a uniformed older man for his service.

Maybe I’m sappy, but they had me in tears.

Off of Russ Avenue, seeing the flags flying on the graves this week reminded me of that incident. Reading about the little boys from New York, Michael and Mario Mazzariello, had me thinking their parents certainly took the correct course of action to raise those little boys with that kind of respect for the military. 

It may be true that the wearing of your patriotism on your sleeve is a backlash from the abuse Vietnam veterans experienced. It may be fashionable now to seem to be appreciative of servicemen and women, but really, so what? 

I seriously don’t think any gesture cheapens the appreciation we should  all show by our actions everyday, not just on Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day.

My husband and I moved from California this year. One attractive feature of North Carolina is that it is the most military-friendly state in the nation. Believe me, it shows in the citizens’ deeds.

On behalf of my husband Alan, I’d like to thank Brandon Wilson, Haywood County Veterans Officer, and Mark Schuler, NC Department of Commerce DWS Veterans Employment Consultant II. Thank you for your service to our country gentlemen; and thank you for your help. Their actions make a difference to our veterans every day.

In closing, yes you are correct Mr. McLeod. Some things (like commercialization) may not be dignified. But in my opinion, any reminder is a good thing. So go ahead, a small gesture like: saying thank you, buying lunch for, or shaking the hand of someone in uniform really isn’t undignified or over-the-top. It is literally the least we can do.

Jo Ann Merriam

Waynesville

By Ken Jacobine • Guest Columnist

The idea of the United States of America was born during the Age of Enlight-enment (17th and 18th centuries). The great philosophers of that time challenged the divine right of kings by enunciating a new theory for the social order. The English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704), who claimed that man originally was born in a state of nature where he had the absolute rights of life, liberty, and property, articulated this new theory.

The domestic, farm-raised turkey most Americans eat on Thanksgiving Day is nothing like the wild turkey feasted on by the Pilgrims and Native Americans. And with that big turkey meal approaching, here are a few facts about the tasty game bird chosen as the main course for the original feast:

Rains cause wastewater spills in Haywood

Beginning Jan. 14, and due to the heavy rains, Waynesville had several wastewater overflows. One took place at a manhole adjacent to Richland Creek at Howell Mill Road. An estimated 600,000 gallons spilled out until Jan. 20 when the flow was stopped. Other such flows happened near the county fairgrounds, where 400,000 gallons spilled out and flowed into Richland Creek, and near the Hazelwood Town Hall where an estimated 100,000 gallons left the sewer system.

828.456.4410.

Smokies to start charging backpackers

 Changes to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park backcountry reservation and permit system will officially take effect on Feb. 13. Backcountry camping was previously free, but will now cost $4 per person, per night.

A new advance reservation system will also be put in place, allowing backcountry campers to make reservations and obtain permits online, up to 30 days in advance. The new site is www.smokiespermits.nps.gov.

Backcountry camping in the Smokies is allowed at designated sites only. While the number of people at a given site on a given night is limited, the former permit system didn’t ensure that. Do-it-yourself permit stations were mounted on posts at remote trailheads, allowing backpackers to self-register by slipping a form in a drop box, which were collected later by rangers.

For sites in high demand, backpackers had to call in and make reservations in advance, but the backcountry desk had limited days and hours of operation.

The park plans to staff an expanded backcountry trip planning desk and increase its backcountry ranger presence.

865.436.1297.

Jump on the 4-H bandwagon in Haywood

Haywood County 4-H will host a kick-off on Monday, Feb. 4, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Haywood Cooperative Extension Center in Waynesville. The event is geared toward existing and new members, and will serve as a brainstorming session to plan the coming year’s activities and projects.

The evening’s festivities will include teambuilding activities, a teen leadership council meeting, an electrical workshop and a talk about environmental issues pertaining to water, wildlife, forestry, soils and land use. There will also be pizza, drinks and other activities.

828.456.3575.

Learn to be a lifeguard

The aquatics area of the Midwest Health & Fitness Center in Haywood County will hold an American Red Cross Lifeguard Training certification course Feb. 21-24.

Classes will last between five and nine hours each day. Completion earns a two-year lifeguard and CPR certification, suitable for employment at pools across the country. The course costs $235 for MedWest Health and Fitness Center members, and $255 for non-members.

828.452.8056.

HCC offers boating safety course

A boating safety course will be held from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m on Jan. 28 and 29 at Haywood Community College.

The course, put on by the HCC’s Natural Resources Division and the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, will result in a boater safety certification. Free, but pre-registration required.

www.ncwildlife.org.

Tuscola High School students placed first among the 13 competing teams at the 2012 Area Land Judging contest hosted earlier this month by the Future Farmers of America.

Friends of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has received a $12,000 grant from Verizon to empower teachers with science and technology. Next spring and summer, the grant will fund two teacher workshops in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park focusing on adapting lesson plans to curriculum changes and new science content, and current technology.

Novice outdoor adventurers can learn the basics of wilderness excursion at a 45-minute workshop beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee.

Participants will learn about how to pack a backpack; proper attire to wear in the wilderness; what food to eat; and water purification systems. The class will also focus on trail and waterfall safety.

The class is free and intended for ages 8 and up. Attendance is limited to the first 10 to register and participants should bring their own gear.

828.293.3053 or www.jacksonnc.org/parks-and-recreation.

The annual Cherokee Choices 5k Run, Walk or Roll will be held at noon on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Expo Center on Acquoni Road, also known as the old high school.

All ages and moving style are invited to participate in the event, including those rolling strollers and wheelchairs. The event’s purpose is to promote a healthy lifestyle for residents and raise funds for the Cherokee Cancer Support Group.

Registration on race day begins at 11 a.m. and cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. To pre-register call 828.497.1976. Medals and a T-shirt will be given to first 100 registered.

Two environmentalists were honored by the Franklin-based Land Trust for the Little Tennessee at its annual celebration Nov. 3 in Macon County.

The Land-of-Sky Regional Council will host a round of community input meetings Nov. 5 through Dec. 6 to gather input for a regional bicycling plan.

A discussion about the local effects of climate change and development will be held at the historic Rickman Store near Franklin from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 17.

Sandi Patty and Jason Crabb will bring “A Celebration of the Christmas Season” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25, at the Smoky Mountain Center of the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Western Carolina University has announced its 2013 line-up of “golden age of radio” re-creations.

The Liars Bench will present “Birdell” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Western Carolina University Mountain Heritage Center.

“Birdell,” a dramatic monologue by famed Appalachian storyteller Gary Carden, starring Bobbie Curtis in a story of a defiant mountain woman forced off her land by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and because of the rising waters of Fontana Lake. Regular cast members include Carden, Lloyd Arneach, Paul Iarussi, William Ritter, the Boys From Tuckaseegee, Barabra Duncan, Karen Barnes and the show’s mascot Bodine. The Liars Bench recognizes established regional artists and performers and also encourages new talent. Carden has said the show will be a benefit for the organization.

Admission is $10. Tickets will be available at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva and at the door the night of the show.

theliarsbenchgazette.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/theliarsbench.

“Hard Candy Christmas” Fine Art and Craft Show will celebrate 25 years from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 23-24, at the Ramsey Center Arena at Western Carolina University.

A former FBI agent and terrorist hunter will discuss his new book at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14, in the Hinds University Center theater at Western Carolina University.

In the book, Special Agent Man: My Life in the FBI as a Terrorist Hunter, Helicopter Pilot, and Certified Sniper (Chicago Review Press, August 2012), author and former FBI agent Steve Moore strips away the glamour, fantasy and politics of the G-Man lifestyle and reveals the day-to-day thrills, struggles and triumphs of the grind as one of America’s unsung heroes. 

Beginning as a naïve 26-year-old conducting surveillance of the most ruthless white supremacists the FBI had encountered, he wound up supervising the counter-terrorist squad investigating al-Qaeda following 9/11. In the two decades between, Moore went on missions as a SWAT member and a certified sniper, tailed serial killers and high-value targets via helicopter and plane, and worked undercover in some of the most perilous and nerve-wracking situations imaginable.

Known as the go-to-guy for the biggest and most hazardous cases in the Los Angeles office, Moore enjoyed a career far more eclectic than the average FBI agent, from tracking the most dangerous criminals in the United States to spanning the globe gathering critical intelligence on terrorists.

Brand marketing, quilting classes at SCC

There will be a brand marketing and quilting class offered at Southwestern Community College in Sylva.

From 6 to 8 p.m. June 4, “Marketing Your Personal Image and Brand: Your Personal Palette” will explore practical techniques you can implement to enhance your brand. The components of image include effectively communicating, presenting our thoughts and ideas successfully to others, exploring appearance and attitude, using nine steps to result-oriented networking, and gaining visibility. The class will be led by Nyda Bittmann-Neville, vice president and director of marketing and communication of Asheville Savings Bank and CEO of TNB Consulting Group. Seminar fee is $30 per person.

From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from June 5 to July 24, “Learning to Quilt” teaches the basics of making a quilt, fabric choice, templates, rotary cutting, piecing by hand and machine, borders, “sandwiching” three layers, methods of quilting, finishing, and binding. Each student will create a finished quilted piece during the eight-week course. 

Expert quilt maker Linda Nichols will impart her knowledge and skill from more than 30 years of quilting and teaching experience. Students must bring to class a sewing machine and the knowledge of how the machine works, the machine’s owner’s manual, needles for machine and hand stitching, scissors and thread. The course fee is $80 per person. 

www.southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4497.

SCC offers summer art portfolio classes for high schoolers

Printmaking with instructor Frank Brannon will start the Summer Art Portfolio Program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., June 3-6, at Southwestern Community College in Bryson City.

SCC’s Nantahala School for the Arts is offering these programs for high school students grades nine to 12 and recent graduates. It is designed to enhance student’s art skills and help prepare a portfolio for college admissions into a fine arts program. Students will have exposure to what it is like to take an art class in a college setting while making new connections with professional artists from the region. Each instructor is a practicing professional artist and a professor of art at SCC. Students will learn advanced skills and processes beyond the high school level. All projects will make up a refined art portfolio for future use.

Cost for the program is $20 for one week, or $60 for all three weeks. This program is in part funded in part by the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

www.southwesterncc.edu/finearts.

Wheel throwing, hand building at Riverwood

There will be a wheel throwing and hand building class offered at Riverwood Pottery in Dillsboro.

Wheel throwing will run from 6 to 8 p.m. June 4. The class is every Tuesday through Aug. 6. Cost is $160, which includes tools, materials and firing.

Hand building will run from 6 to 8 p.m. June 5. The class is every Wednesday through July 31. Cost is $160, which includes tools, materials and firing.

828.586.3601 or www.riverwoodpottery.com. 

Watercolor film to be shown in Swain

A “Big Brush Watercolor” film will be shown during the next Art League of the Smokies meeting at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 4, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.  

The film by Ron Ransom is packed with practical watercolor instruction condensed from seven hours of filming this well-known artist from the UK. Ransom demonstrates his big Hake brush techniques both on location and in the studio with close-up shots of every stroke. His subjects include nature, buildings and people in rural landscapes and in a street scene.

The event is sponsored by Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools. It is free and open to the public

828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

Recycled fashions hit The Bascom

A high-fashion exhibit of recycled materials, ReDress: Upcycled Style by Nancy Judd, is currently on display until Aug. 18 at The Bascom in Highlands.

These dramatic fashions are not what they appear. Instead of real fur, jewels and luxe fabrics, they are made of such components as aluminum cans, tires and plastic grocery bags, and even crime scene tape.

Judd created Recycle Runway and its same-named website while working as the recycling coordinator for the city of Santa Fe, then as executive director of the New Mexico Recycling Coalition. In 1998, she founded the Recycle Santa Fe Art Market and Fashion Contest, recognizing that art and fashion could be combined to motivate the public to be more environmentally conscious. 

828.526.4949 or www.thebascom.org.

Want to learn to draw?

There will be a beginner/intermediate drawing classes from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 4-20 at Gallery 1 in Sylva.

A master artist, Julie Jacobson will instruct drawing fundamentals through extensive studio-based exercises and studies. Supplies are provided, except paper, which will only be provided for the first class. 

The class is $100 for JCVAA members, $120 for nonmembers.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 843.614.7428.

Writer’s residency sets up shop at WCU

The 2013 Squire Summer Writing Residency will be July 11-14 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

Workshops include:

• “Poetry with Kathryn Stripling Byer” – North Carolina’s first woman Poet Laureate. Byer has published six full-length collections of poetry. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Hudson Review, Boston Globe and Georgia Review. 

• “Fiction with Elizabeth Lutyens” – Lutyens’ novel-in-progress, Medicine Island, was a semi-finalist in the 2011 William Faulkner – Wisdom Competition. A faculty member of the Great Smokies Writing Program at UNC Asheville since 2006, she currently teaches its by-invitation Prose Master Class and is editor-in-chief of its online literary magazine, The Great Smokies Review. 

• “Creative Nonfiction with Catherine Reid” – Reid has edited two anthologies and served as editor of nonfiction for a literary journal. Her essays have appeared in such journals as Georgia Review, Massachusetts Review, Fourth Genre and Bellevue Literary Review. She is currently the director of creative writing at Warren Wilson College, where she specializes in literary nonfiction and environmental writing. 

Registrants also will enjoy meals together and have the option of staying overnight in on-campus accommodations. Admission is limited to the first 50 registrants who sign up for one of three three-day workshops Registration is now open.

www.ncwriters.org.

Open call for art grants in Jackson County

The Jackson County Arts Council is offering mini-grants for creative arts and cultural projects, community programs, education and events. Applications for Grassroots Grants are due by June 30.

The public schools may apply to support cultural enrichment programs in the schools. Colleges and universities may apply for funding if the proposed program will serve the broader countywide population. The council encourages applications that emphasize cultural diversity.

A grant application assistance day will run from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m. May 28 at the Jackson County Library Annex. The applications are available at www.jacksoncountyarts.org.

Funding for these grants is contingent upon the Jackson County Arts Council receiving funding from the North Carolina Arts Council and matching funds from Jackson County commissioners.

828.507.9820 or 828.354.0253. 

Student art on display in Highlands

Ceramic works from students at Highlands High School will be on display through July 14 at The Bascom in Highlands.

The pieces come from The Bascom’s outreach program, where it partners with the school to provide classes in ceramics. Available to students in grades nine through 12 the school, this hands-on course teaches far more than simply ceramics. Last August, each student made 10 bowls to donate to the Empty Bowls project to help raise funds for local food pantries.

www.TheBascom.org or 828.526.4949.

Exhibit puts spotlight on Appalachia crafts

Showcasing local crafts and techniques, Appalachia, the newest exhibit from the Haywood County Arts Council, will run from May 30 through June 29, at Gallery 86 in Waynesville. An artist reception will be held at the gallery from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 7.

The display focuses on the numerous genres of intricate local crafts and techniques. With the sheer importance of the arts and crafts movement amid the rich history of Southern Appalachia, the exhibit will highlight several local artists and how their work ultimately impacts the heritage of the region. 

828.452.0593 or www.haywoodarts.org.

Ballroom dance class offered at WCU

A ballroom dance class will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays from May 13 to June 17 in the Breese Gym on the campus of Western Carolina University.

Learn the basics of leading and following in a social ballroom dance setting, along with dance styles such as the waltz, tango, cha-cha, swing and fox trot. Partners will rotate throughout the class and participants need not have a partner to attend. 

The cost of the class is $59 or $49 for WCU students, faculty and staff.

learn.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

SCC offers summer clay classes in Swain

Southwestern Community College will be offering numerous classes this summer at the Swain Center campus in Bryson City. 

• “Heritage Arts Independent Study: Ceramics” from 6 to 8 p.m. every Monday from May 6-29.

• “Beginning & Intermediate Wheel” from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday from May 16 to Aug. 8.

• “Clay: Experimental Topics” from 6 to 9 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday from May 16 to Aug. 8.

• “Clay: Throwing Problems” from 1 to 4 p.m. every Monday from May 20 to Aug. 12.

As well, there will be other classes starting throughout different periods of the summer.

828.366.2000 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Classes offered in Stecoah

There will be a handful of crafting classes offered at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.

“Knitted Fingerless Gloves with Beads” will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 14-15. Tuition is $40 per person. Kit fee is $30 without beads, $36.50 with beads. Attendees will make a pair of fingerless gloves while learning to knit using the magic loop technique.

“Create a Handmade Journal” will be from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Tuition is $35 per person (includes materials). Instructor is Phyllis Jarvinen. Minimum of four students, with a maximum of eight.

www.stecoahvalleycenter.com/classes.

Library hosts  Aikido class

A free Aikido class taught by Timm Muth will be offered at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Aikido is a traditional Japanese martial art. It’s considered a “soft” art that utilizes a variety of throws, pins and off-balancing techniques to defend against an attack without necessarily harming the attacker.

Class size is limited to the first 10 people, ages 16 and over to sign up. Participants should wear comfortable clothing.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

Join the Clyde ballroom dance class

Haywood Ballroom Dancers monthly dance will be held from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16, at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde.

Recorded music will be played. Refreshments are free. Admission is $10 per person.

828.734.8726 or 828.734.8063 or www.haywoodballroomdancers.com.

Bryson City community jam

A community music jam will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, or anything unplugged, are invited to join. Singers are also welcomed to join in or you can just stop by and listen. The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of Grampa’s Music in Bryson City.  Normally, Larry 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 community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years or learn old-time mountain songs. The music jams are offered to the public each first and third Thursday of the month.

828.488.3030.

Pickin’ in Hazelwood

World-class bluegrass pickers will gather at Smoky Mountain Roasters in Hazelwood at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15 for a fundraising concert series to benefit Head Start of Haywood County. 

The show will include Eddie Rose with special guests Darren Nicholson, Steve Sutton and Kevin Sluder. 

Smoky Mountain Roasters is located at 444 Hazelwood Avenue. Donations will be accepted for admission.

Film club showing 'The Way'

Groovy Movie Club will show the film “The Way” on Friday, Nov. 16, in Waynesville.

A mostly organic potluck dinner will precede the screening at 6:15 p.m. The mission of the Groovy Movie Club is to show excellent films, both feature and documentary, with a message. A discussion will follow for all who wish to participate. The screening will take place at Buffy Queen’s green, solar-powered home in Dellwood. This event is free and open to the public and it meets the second or third Friday of every month.

828.926.3508 or 828.454.5949 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Movie night marks Thanksgiving

The next installment of family movie night will be shown at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

A drama based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott, struggling widow Mary Bassett (Helene Joy) is trying to support three children, but money is so tight that they can’t even afford a Thanksgiving turkey. An unexpected visit from her estranged — and moneyed — mother (Jacqueline Bisset) means Mary can prepare a proper holiday meal. However, it will take more than a feast to heal this family’s emotional wounds.

Movies are free to the public and projected onto an 8-by-10 foot screen, with a theater sound system. Popcorn, provided by the Friends of the Marianna Black Library, will be served in the library auditorium starting at 3:20 p.m.

828.488.3030.

Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet will perform its fall recital at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 announces its annual small works show, “It’s a Small, Small Work 2012,” from Wednesday, Nov. 14 through Saturday, Dec. 29.

To the Editor:

The 2012 Election results are in and it gives me hope. Tip O’Neill, the former distinguished Democratic Speaker of the House, said “All politics is local.” The sweeping Republican victory in Macon County tells us that we are on the right track. No matter what the presidential results, Macon County and the State of North Carolina are moving forward, and that is reason for hope and change.

The Democrat’s dominance of the past is fading. The leadership of the Democratic Party is out of sync with the citizens. We look forward on the local, regional and state level to reduced debt, reduced regulation, educational reform, economic reform and reduced unemployment. Thank you Jim Davis, Paul Higdon, Mark Meadows, Pat McCrory, Melissa Evans and God Bless Macon County and the State of North Carolina!!

Sarah Binder, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said Republicans could now be situated to hold their majority in the House for quite some time. She spoke of a “structural advantage” the party holds “because of the way Republican voters are spread out over the country … with strength in suburban and rural areas.”

A footnote to this is in Chicago, where the headline on Yahoo News reads “Absentee Illinois Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. re-elected.” Thank God we do not live in Chicago.

Les Slater

Franklin

To the Editor:

Harry Reid, the leader of the Democrat Senate in Washington says, “Tax the rich.”

Is Harry a fool or does he think we are?

All tax hikes are passed on to the customer. We all know that when we get to the cash register the taxes are added on to the bill. The same thing happens when the “rich” make an iPad or a cell phone and then sells it to us — the tax is added on to the price we pay.

Look at the price of gas. If the rich pay higher taxes on the gasoline, then we pay a higher price at the pump. They add the tax into the cost of everything we buy. Same thing happens to the price of food. When the farmers and rich grocery store owners are charged more tax, then the price of food goes up.

Who does Harry think he is fooling? We are all in this together. When Harry says tax the rich, we will all pay more for everything. That is a foolish idea.

Call Sen. Kay Hagan, she works for Harry: 202.224.6342. Tell her we are no fools. We cannot afford Harry’s tax hike and higher prices on everything we buy.

Lynda Bennett

Maggie Valley

To the Editor:

During the campaign, Barack Obama let it be known that he believes in redistribution of your income … this means giving government entitlements to the takers from the makers.

We do know a little about how redistribution of income will be accomplished. Though it is entirely possible, given the “ruler” mentality of the Obama administration, I don’t expect brown or black shirts at my door to physically require me to hand over my earnings in cash. No, the taking will be more subtle through all manner of taxation.

This is what is in store for us in the next four years of Barack Obama’s presidency.

If a Democrat Senate allows the Bush tax cuts allowed to all taxpayers to expire in January 2013, 100 million Americans will be affected (including those in the lowest tax brackets). The average U.S household will see an average increase of $3,700 in taxes. The child tax credit will be reduced from $1,000 per child to $500 per child. The amount of college tuition that can be deducted will be drastically decreased. Dependent care credit for families with children in day care will be reduced. The return of the “marriage penalty” will increase taxes for the lowest two tax brackets of married couples.

Obamacare taxes are supposedly levied on small businesses, insurers and manufacturers, but the ultimate payer is the consumer. Here are some of the Obamacare taxes: individual mandate excise tax; employer mandate tax; surtax on investment income; excise tax on comprehensive health insurance plans; medicine cabinet tax; health savings account withdrawal tax hike; flexible spending account cap – aka, “special needs kids tax; tax on medical device manufacturers; reduced medical itemized deduction from 7.5% to 10% of adjusted dross income; tax on indoor tanning services; Blue Cross/Blue Shield tax hike; excise tax on charitable hospitals; tax on innovator drug companies; tax on health insurers; and a tax hike on a type of bio-fuel.

You can expect more control from the IRS that will allow the IRS to disallow completely legal tax deductions and other legal tax-minimizing plans just because the IRS deems that the action lacks “substance” and is merely intended to reduce taxes owed.

Add these disallowed deductions, increased tax rates and all other taxes imposed by government and we will find these increased taxes will impact all hard-working families.

Shirley Slaughter

Cashiers

Animal rescue to host two holiday events

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation will sponsor its Home for the Holidays event Nov. 21 through Dec. 31 to enable people to adopt dogs and cats from the Haywood County Animal Services at a reduced rate.

The organization will pay a portion of the adoption fee so dogs during this time will be available for $60; while male cats can be adopted for $28 and females for $38. The fee includes the cost of spay or neuter and a rabies vaccination. The Haywood County Animal Shelter is located at 245 Hemlock Street in Waynesville.

Also, Dec. 2 through Dec. 24, Sarge’s volunteers will be wrapping holiday gifts at Mast General Store in downtown. There is no charge for the complimentary wrapping but a donation to Sarge’s is requested.

www.sargeandfriends.org or 828.246.9050.

Harrah’s HEROs help Habitat for Humanity

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Resort’s HERO (Harrah’s Employee’s Reaching Out) program enlisted volunteers to help Haywood County’s Habitat for Humanity put the finishing touches on a home for a local family.

Resort workers helped with finishing details such as painting, caulking and cleaning to have the home ready for move-in day.

“It was very rewarding knowing that the Habitat staff of volunteers really appreciated our contribution as the house would not have been ready for the opening ceremony without our assistance. Our team of HERO volunteers were amazing and pitched in to conquer the tasks assigned without hesitation and did an excellent job,” said Lumpy Lambert, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort’s Assistant General Manager.

Haywood Habitat for Humanity builds affordable housing for its community and committed to helping needy families realize their dream of home ownership.

www.haywoodhabitat.org or 828.497.8853.

Free military funeral honors in Haywood

The Haywood County Honor Guard offers free military funeral honors for deceased veterans, if requested by the family. As a minimum, military honors include the folding and presenting of the U.S. Flag to the next of kin and the playing of Taps.

The local Honor Guard is comprised of volunteers from Waynesville VFW Post 5202 and American Legion Post 47.

Any family wanting military honors in Haywood County should make the request through the funeral home. If a funeral home is not involved, then the family can make a request through the post.

828.456.9346.

Get a job at the job fair

Haywood Community College’s CareerWorks program is hosting two days of activities at the West Waynesville campus Nov. 14 and 15, in celebration of National Career Development Day.

Nov. 14 there will be forums with local employers, and job-seekers can ask questions and receive help applying for jobs. There will be two sessions from 10 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 15, there will be a networking event from 10 a.m. to noon, and a chance to practice interviewing skills during mock interviews from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

828.564.5093.

Economic summit in Asheville

The AdvantageWest Economic Summit will be taking place Monday, Nov. 19 in Asheville. The event will include several panelists speaking about various business topics, from business innovation to regulation to infrastructure.

The event will start with at networking reception at 5:30 p.m., at the Pack Place & Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. The program and panel discussion will start at 7 p.m. Registration is $50 and includes hors d’oeuvres, beverages and admission to the panel discussion.

AdvantageWest is the regional economic development, public-private partnership serving the 23 westernmost counties of North Carolina.

828.687.7234 or www.advantagewest.com

Highlands town square design wins top award

The Town of Highlands and Lupoli Construction have won a top award from the state for Highlands town square renovation and revitalization project. The N.C. Main Street Program has recognized Lupoli’s town square project for its design and will officially honor the work on Jan. 31 at its annual conference in Salisbury.

The new town square in Highlands features more than 21,500 square feet of retail, office, and restaurant space, in addition to a courtyard area and public restrooms. It has already become the popular site of the Friday Night Concerts.

“We are very proud of this addition to Highlands’ Main Street,” said Town Planner David Clabo. “And we are pleased that the judges recognize the investment and design improvements to our town’s business district and have bestowed this Award of Merit on Lupoli.”

Final round of GroWNC community meetings

The GroWNC Consortium will host a final series of community meetings in the region to gather community input and provide an update on the progress of local development initiatives. The meeting in Haywood County will be Nov. 29 from 1-3 p.m. and 4-6 p.m at the USDA Center.

Community members are invited to evaluate scenarios that can shape the future of the region. The GroWNC initiative focuses on growth and economic development in the five regional counties.

Workgroups have been collaborating since January to develop goals, recommendations, and initial findings focused on these core study areas: housing, transportation, land use, economic development, natural resources, cultural resources, energy, and public health.

www.gro-wnc.org.

SCC to train students for work at casino

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort is partnering with Southwestern Community College to offer hands-on technical training and education for dealing live games.

In August 2012, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians began to offer live gaming, including Black Jack, Craps, Roulette and other games, at their 200,000 square-foot casino in Cherokee. 

To accommodate, the casino hired approximately 500 people, though many recruits from the surrounding area were new to the gaming industry, spurring a need for training.

“This is a truly win-win situation. The college is very pleased to serve as a link between the members of the community, who are seeking employment, and the employers seeking qualified applicants,” 
said Sonja Haynes, Southwestern Community College’s Dean of Workforce and
Economic Development.

www.southwesterncc.edu or call 828.339.4426. 

Future of Cowee School discussed at luncheon

Stacy Guffey will talk about the Macon County Heritage Center planned for Cowee School during the monthly Lunch with the League at noon on Nov. 8 in the Tartan Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin.

A plan has been proposed to repurpose the historic Cowee School as a community and heritage center. Guffey will discuss potential uses and activities for the old school, upcoming events and fundraising. 

Attendees are encouraged to bring a bag lunch and drink. The program begins shortly after noon and lasts one hour.

Guardian Ad Litem seeks volunteers

The Guardian Ad Litem program in Jackson, Swain, and Macon counties is seeking volunteers to help abused and neglected children as they work their way through the court system.

The Guardian Ad Litem Program trains community volunteers to be a voice for these children. Most volunteers spend four to six hours per month on a particular child’s case, which includes learning about the child’s situation, talking to the child, caregivers, professionals and others involved in the child’s life. The program requires 30 hours of training.

To volunteer call 828.587.2087 or visit www.ncgal.org.

Western North Carolina voters favored Gov. Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama despite the president’s narrow victory nationally.

Swain County voters shot down a quarter-cent sales tax increase that would have funded school construction by a 3-to-1 margin. 

The optional sales tax increase would have brought in roughly $250,000 a year and would have paid for a $2 million expansion of East Elementary to solve overcrowding. 

The Republican stronghold of Macon County chose to elect conservative Paul Higdon over Democrat incumbent Bobby Kuppers to the board of county commissioners. 

The Jackson County Commissioner race was decided by a large margin, granting incumbent Mark Jones another term in office. He defeated Republican candidate Marty Jones handily, despite the county overall narrowly going for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. 

Hike amidst flowing creeks and historic remnants along the Smokemont Loop Trail on a guided hike through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Thursday, Nov.15. The hike is sponsored by the Friends of the Smokies.

Hikers can participate in a leisurely, guided hike Saturday, Nov. 17, on the North Carolina side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The hike will follow the Kephart Prong Trail, located just nine miles from Newfound Gap or five miles from Smokemont Campground. In total, the hike will be four miles, round trip, with an elevation gain of 830 feet.

The route will follow a varied walking surface — from an old gravel roadbed to old blacktop to dirt trail — as it weaves through an area that was a logging site in the 1920s and 1930s and contains the remnants of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, a fish hatchery, and a narrow gauge railway.

The turnaround point will be a backcountry shelter that was the site of a logging camp and recently renovated by the Friends of the Smokies. Hikers should bring warm clothes as well as water and lunch.

The trip is sponsored by the Great Smoky Mountains Association, and an alternate hike, should the U.S. 441 be closed due to inclement weather, will be the Old Sugarlands Trail, located across U.S. 441 from the Park headquarters building. This trail is also rated easy and will be about the same mileage.

Call 1.888.898.9102 for meeting time and place.

Four short videos that are part of a Watershed Film Series titled “It’s Our Water” will be shown the evening of Nov. 15 in the fellowship hall of the Bryson City United Methodist Church.

The videos will cover issues from litter to bottled water, and the focus will be on drinking water in Bryson City and Sylva. The event will begin with a 6:30 p.m. social, followed by the 7-8:15 p.m. meeting.

“This is a good-news story nestled in challenging issues of river water that is marred by pockets of unsightly litter, polluted in some locations with bacteria, and too often — too muddy,” said Roger Clapp, director of the Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River. 

The program will include brief presentations about tap water and offer everyone a taste test of variously sourced water. There will also be brief discussion of bacteria levels in Scott and Savannah creeks, streams which do not contribute to public water supplies.

www.WATRnc.org

A public workshop focusing on ideas for Haywood County trails that could become part of a Regional Trails Plan will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in the multi-purpose room at the Waynesville Recreation Center on Vance Street.

The Southwestern Commission, through a grant from the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation and its State Trails Program, is leading a regional trails inventory and concept plan for Cherokee, Clay, Haywood, Graham, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. Other workshops have been held in other counties throughout the summer and fall to generate ideas.

“We have had a lot of ideas from participants in the other workshops about connecting and expanding existing trails and creating new ones,” said Sarah Graham, planner with the Southwestern Commission. “As a starting point, we are organizing the results of plans such as the Waynesville Pedestrian Plan, Haywood County Bicycle Plan and Haywood County Parks and Recreation Master Plan into a cohesive set of documents and maps.”

The primary product of this plan will be a region-wide map indicating where existing hiking trails, greenways, mountain bike trails, equestrian trails, OHV trails and some on-road bicycle routes are located.

Completion of the plan is expected in early 2013.

More than 70 fourth-graders and parents trekked across the Appalachians in Macon County as part of an annual student trip to Siler Bald. Eight hike leaders from the Nantahala Hiking Club — which is the Franklin-based Appalachian Trail Club — guided the children on the hike from Wayah Crest to Siler Bald, returning on the AT.

The field trip introduced hiking to students as a health living activity. On the hike, students learned about various plants and trees and the work required to maintain the AT as a primitive hiking trail.

Prior to the hike, the NHC gave a presentation to the students on the history of the AT, the preparations needed for a day hike and the principles of Leave No Trace outdoors ethics.

The outreach to the local school, provided by the NHC, is part of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s Trail to Every Classroom program. The program’s key tenants are place-based education, service learning and volunteerism. To learn more about local hiking and volunteer opportunities to care for America’s first National Scenic Trail, visit www.nantahalahikingclub.org.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has fired up its new trout fishing webpage, which provides useful information for trout anglers looking to know more about their favorite outdoor pastime.

“We wanted to consolidate all the trout-related information on our website into one page so that trout anglers could find the information they needed as quickly and easily as possible,” said Jacob Rash, the coldwater research coordinator for the Wildlife Commission’s Division of Inland Fisheries.

The website includes features such as maps of public mountain trout waters for fisherman looking to try out a new stream. It also publishes up-to-date information such as when delayed-harvest regulations go into effect or what the size and creel limits are for hatchery-supported waters.

Information on seasons and limits for all the seven trout stream classifications in North Carolina is accessible alongside current trout stocking information and materials discussing characteristics of the three trout species found in the state.

www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Species/Fish/Trout/TroutFishing.aspx.