A recent donation of Horace Kephart’s personal correspondence, photographs and other belongings will become part of the new “Horace Kephart and Laura Mack Kephart Family Collection” at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library.

An iconic figure of Western North Carolina history and culture, Kephart penned Our Southern Highlanders and helped spearhead the movement to establish Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The bulk of the 700 new materials are personal letters, including those Kephart exchanged with his wife and his children who he lived apart from after coming to Western North Carolina.

The Horace Kephart and Laura Mack Kephart Family Collection is in the process of being catalogued and placed in protective enclosures. The materials are expected to be accessible to the public in early 2013. WCU will explore digitizing the collection, which could include around 2,500 images, to build on Kephart materials already available online at www.wcu.edu/library/digitalcollections/kephart.

828.227.7474 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Church Street Art and Craft Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13 in downtown Waynesville. 

Haywood Community College’s Jammin’ at the Millpond will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 13 on the college campus in Clyde. The day showcases the college, its programs and alumni, and the Appalachian heritage of Western North Carolina.

Regional Artist Project grant of Western North Carolina (RAP go WNC) is available for the 2012-2013 year. RAP go WNC is a partnership between the arts councils of Cherokee, Haywood and Jackson counties, Stecoah Valley Arts Center and the North Carolina Arts Council.

RAP go WNC provides financial support to developing professionals by funding a project that is pivotal to the advancement of their careers as artists. Regional artist applicants are talented individuals pursuing careers in the arts who have completed the basic education in their respective art forms.

Eligible artists must be at least 18 years of age, cannot be currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program, must be a current resident of one of the participating counties and must have maintained residency there for one year immediately preceding the application. Previous award winners are ineligible to apply in consecutive years. Grant awards generally range from $250-$500 and may be used by artists for a variety of purposes including cost of presenting work for exhibits and/or auditions, training costs or tuition, travel, promotional materials, work facilities/equipment and the production of new work.

Applications and appropriate documentation material must be mailed to RAP go WNC, PO Box 2212, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 by Nov. 1. For an application or more information, call your county’s arts organization.

The October Leaves Craft Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13 and 14 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

Quality artists and crafters will sell their handmade products and some will even demonstrate. Works of art will include deerskin clothing, pottery, photographers, stained glass, multiple kinds of jewelry from gemstones to polymer clay bead art, dichroic glass designers, floral arrangements, wood turners, wood crafter products, crocheted and knitted items, homemade jams/jellies, artful clothing, leather, kitchen accessories, quilts, soy candles and soaps.

In addition to crafts, the event will feature music and food vendors each day. The event is free and open to the public.

828.497.9425 or www.maggievalleycraftshows.com.

Jackson County Visual Arts Association and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will host the “Sylva Art Stroll” starting at 5 p.m. Oct. 12 with merchants staying open later to welcome visitors, shoppers and diners.

To the Editor:

So, here we had it. Live TV for all the world to see. In one corner was a man vilified by MSNBC, the editorial staff at The New York Times, the main stream media and, of course, the president of the United States. A man who was called a felon by Harry Reid. A man accused by the Obama campaign of causing cancer to the wife of a laid off steelworker while he was governor of Massachusetts. A man who gave away his inheritance, held a double major at Harvard (business statistics and law), was one of three hires of the Boston Consulting Group at age 28, hired away by Bain at age 30 and went on to earn his own fortune in the financial world. His firm, which he owned, raised $37 million in private funds and went on to build companies like Staples, Toys R Us, Dominoes Pizza and many others. A man who then left that world to salvage the Salt Lake City Summer Olympics, followed by a governship as a Republican in the most liberal state in the U.S. — Massachusetts. A man who passed a 200-page healthcare law against his wishes but did so as he governed a state that overwhelmingly wanted it. Yes, he governed!

In the other corner was a man whose biggest claim to fame at age 37 was to have written two, yes two, autobiographies. A man who since age 18 was immersed in the lecture halls and faculty lounges of Columbia, Harvard and University of Chicago. A man who studied and taught the teachings of Saul Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals.” A man who took advantage of white liberal guilt and never faced a serious debate in his academic life. A man who surrounded himself with yes men and a few really competent Chicago pols. A man who created a story about himself, and believed it. A man who as president didn’t need to attend many security briefings — he knew more about that stuff than anyone.

Obama signed a 2,400-page health law that is costing way more than he said, was partly unconstitutional, will reduce choice and, by the way, will still leave 12 million people uninsured. He signed a 2,700-page finance reform bill that left out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from supervision. He’s tripled the money supply, ruined retiree savings accounts, blown $90 billion on green energy, refused to include the chamber of commerce in his Jobs Council and is in bed with the big banks. The labor participation rate is at an all-time low, the debt an all-time high, trillion dollar deficits the new normal and our embassies in flames all across the Arab world.

He’s run guns across the Mexican border which have killed thousands of Mexicans, authorized drone bombings in Pakistan which mistakenly have killed dozens of school kids. His last budget proposal failed 414-0 in the House and 99-0 in the Senate. He’s removed from his staff and prefers to read briefings late at night, alone, make notes and passing them back to staff. Ever the lecturer.

And lecture us he does indeed do. We don’t pay enough in taxes, don’t work together as a community, can't eat right and pay way too much attention to that damn Constitution, which those old rich white guys rigged to give too much power to the states and not to his central planners.

With all that going for him, why bother to prepare for a debate? As the greatest orator ever seen, he will just clean that rich white guy’s clock. His problem was he was facing a man who, whether you like him or not, had to have something on the debate ball to graduate Harvard with a 3.97 GPA and a rare double major, at age 28 be hired by the most prestigious consulting group in the country, at 37 to form Bain Capital with his own money and retire from there 15 years later to go into public service and win as a Republican in Massachusetts. Of course he has to be quick on his feet, have personality and persuasive skills. Only a fool would think otherwise.

They went into the debating ring. In one corner stood the challenger, pretty much written off as a low-level snob. In the other corner was the president, unquestioned by his fans as the world heavyweight champion of the debating world. The result, best put by a commentator was “Down Goes Frazier!” Couldn’t have said it better.

The next day the best his handlers could say was that his opponent lied. Joe Frazier had way too much class to say Foreman just landed a few lucky punches. We have one month left. Exit 2012 can’t come soon enough.

Pat Denzer

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I am concerned about North Carolina’s unemployment rate of 9.7 percent and the country as a whole. We, the citizens of North Carolina, have a wonderful team of conservative candidates who are real leaders.

Firstly, we need positive financial leadership to help get our state back on track, and after watching Pat McCrory’s entire campaign and the gubernatorial debate last week, I believe he is our man as the next governor. Mark Meadows can take a fresh, strong message to Washington as our congressman with his succinct three step focus on life, liberty and less government intrusion in our lives. Mike Clampitt, a plain-spoken individual and clearly not a career politician, has been a dedicated public servant for over 30 years in fire services. Having dealt with emergencies of all kinds, I believe he would bring common sense to the N.C. General Assembly.  

Having worked with McCrory for 14 years in Charlotte, Mike could work effectively between the General Assembly and the governor’s office. Jim Davis, our proven incumbent state senator, has worked with other conservatives across the state creating a sound fiscal budget. Marty Jones would be a true representative from Cashiers as the commissioner from the 4th District.

With real leadership from Romney/Ryan at the top and Pat McCrory as governor, our local team of conservative candidates has the opportunity to really focus on the needs of North Carolinians as well as the course of our country. Liberty and freedom are the keystones of our America, and it is the maintaining of these core principles that will bring America and our state back from the brink.

Our current president and administration have done much to weaken our country while at the same time giving the office of the presidency extreme power through unbelievably dictatorial executive orders and czars. I pray Romney will defeat this president for the sake of our future freedoms. Mitt Romney will have quite a job to do due to the damage the current unqualified president has done to our country; however, he is a fierce businessman with proven experience and ethics as his qualifications to put America back on the track of what our real America is — home of the free, land of the brave, and respected leader of the free world.

Trish Chambers

Sapphire

To the Editor:

We in the mountains are known to be suspicious of outsiders who want to tell us how we should live. Mark Meadows, a native Floridian, moved into our area and has made millions buying and selling Highlands area mountaintops to summertime residents. He has no real “small business” experience, as he implies in his ads, doesn’t have any experience in politics, and knows no movers and shakers in Washington. But he knows how to tell us what to believe.

In looking at his campaign ads, it’s difficult to tell if he is running for Congress or running against President Obama. He wants to repeal Obamacare? Really? Replacing it with what? The candidates running against Obama never seem to get to the meat of what they would do to replace this legislation, which is a great benefit to us common folk. Mr. Meadows has made enough money building country clubs and millionaire homes to not have to worry about that. He wants to lower taxes and reward his golf buddies with millions in tax cuts. He is cut straight out of the playbook of political games and obstructionism in Washington.

He certainly has no interest in supporting local issues like the Corridor K project, nor has a clue as to how to help Swain County get its settlement money. He’s not one of us, and is more interested in political tricks as practiced by our current Congress than in representing you and mr.

On the other hand, we have Hayden Rogers, a local boy, born and raised in Western North Carolina. He is a fiscal conservative and an avid fisher and hunter. He loves these mountains just the way they are. He has been Heath Shuler’s right-hand man with years of experience of constituent service. Folks around here know him as a conservative with common sense. He knows how to get things done and who to talk with in D.C. He is well respected by leaders of both parties. He will work with Congress to get money for Swain County, promote Corridor K, and fully represent all the people in his district, not just the country-club fat-cats. He will be a highly moral, intelligent, and conservative voice for you and me.

We don’t often get to make such a clear-cut choice on who will represent us in Congress. Do we need another politician more concerned with his party than with his country, or do we elect one of our own to represent us? Make the right choice and vote for Hayden Rogers on Nov. 6.

Russell Breedlove

Bryson City

To the Editor:

The inflexibility of the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission (NCWRC) is alarming. The killing of a three-legged yearling bear in Western North Carolina without following up on the accredited sanctuary the community had found to accept this bear is inexcusable. This was not a case of asking NCWRC to save every habituated bear as the ranger, Mike Carraway, had indicated on a television interview. Members of this community had done the work to save this bear by finding an accredited facility to take the bear. NCWRC should have honored the research and work the community had accomplished. All they had to do was trap this yearling to transport it to the sanctuary. NCWRC even denied the request from Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, who personally called and asked the local wildlife biologist in charge to work on behalf of the three-legged bear in allowing him to be moved to a permanent sanctuary.

Having lived in Tennessee for 25 years working for the Tennessee Valley Authority, I was appalled to find out the shoot first and think later policies of NCWRC. There are other alternatives. The Appalachian Bear Rescue (ARB) located in Townsend, Tenn., has saved over 185 bears since 1996 when it opened. Now that’s being stewards of our wildlife resources. Officially under the auspices of the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA), it has established working relationships with many states including Virginia, Arkansas, Georgia and Louisiana. Most of the ABR bears have been returned to the wild but under special circumstances bears have also been placed in sanctuaries or zoos.

I personally asked Mike Carraway to talk with ABR and TWRA years ago and he refused to do so. He told me North Carolina knows how to handle their bears. I believe they can learn from others and it would benefit all for them to develop working relationships with other state’s wildlife resource agencies. A spirit of cooperation with others is needed. The culture of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission needs to change, and we the citizens of North Carolina can make a difference. Now is the time to vote for those who will change NCWRC into real stewards of our wildlife!

Cheryl V. Ward

Swannanoa

Editor’s note: According to The Asheville Citizen-Times Oct. 9 edition, the three-legged bear was shot and killed by a staff member of the community where it had become a nuisance, not by Wildlife Resources officers. However, state wildlife officers said it was their policy not to trap and relocate wild, nuisance bears.

SEE ALSO: N.C. Wildlife Commission sets the record straight on euthanization as last resort

To the Editor:

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park plans to begin charging fees for backcountry camping and implement a new reservation and permitting process soon. For the past 80 years, backpacking and backcountry camping has been free in the Park. The proposed fee of $4 per person per night is set to be implemented by Park Service officials in early 2013. This fee goes against the spirit of the Park, which is one of the only national parks that does not charge an entrance fee, living up to its nickname “the people’s park.”

According to the National Park Service GSMNP website: “The reasons for free entry to the national park date back at least to the 1930s. The land that is today Great Smoky Mountains National Park was once privately owned. The states of Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as local communities, paid to construct Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441). When the state of Tennessee transferred ownership of Newfound Gap Road to the federal government, it stipulated that ‘no toll or license fee shall ever be imposed …’ to travel the road.”

Currently the only fee charged in the Park is for overnight camping at campgrounds. These have improvements such as roads, parking places, running water, flush toilets, garbage removal, firepits and some even have amenities for horses and riders. By contrast, backcountry camping is free. Backcountry sites offer bear cables to keep food out of the reach of bears. And out of approximately 113 backcountry campsites, 15 have shelters. Backcountry campers pack out all their own trash and often trash left by others they find along the trail.

The reason for the proposed fee is to cover the expense of managing the new reservation system, which will be necessary for implementing the new fee. The Park Service maintains that the new system would be more convenient and offer improved customer service, since it could be accessed online instead of calling the Park during normal business hours. However, the new system would require a three-day advance reservations for all campsites, while currently only the most popular backcountry sites require reservations. This would limit spontaneity and prohibit a change in plans once on the trail. Currently, backpackers avoiding the most popular campsites can drive to the trailhead, fill out a form, leave it in a dropbox and hit the trail. The fee will also cover the salaries of two additional backcountry rangers who will enforce the new system.

During the public comment period last year, the ratio of opposition to support of the proposed fee was 20 to 1. The Park Service initially tried to hide the public comments until a coalition of concerned hikers — Southern Forest Watch — filed a Freedom of Information Act Request. This group is currently trying to block the fee implementation through a lawsuit filed last month. Through this lawsuit, SFW hopes to maintain the original spirit of “the People’s Park” by keeping its access free to everyone who wants to enjoy the splendor of our public land.

For more information, and to join the network of concerned citizens, check out the group’s website: www.southernforestwatch.org.

Julie Van Leuven

Webster

Like the Roach Motel of commercial fame, synthetic scents have crept into our homes and lives and are not going away anytime soon. They are found in perfumes, laundry detergents, air fresheners, fabric softeners, soaps, and magazines to name a few. We are being deodorized from our clothes, to garbage bags to paper towels — where will it end?

According to the dictionary the definition of synthetic is: noting or pertaining to compounds formed through a chemical process by human agency, as opposed to those of natural origin: synthetic vitamins; synthetic fiber.

An age-old question has emerged in the raging debate over the Chattooga River wilderness: how many people is too many in the woods.

Paddlers have demanded the U.S. Forest Service lift a long-time ban on the upper Chattooga River outside Cashiers. Meanwhile, hikers, fishermen, backpackers and the like are fighting to defend the river’s sense of solitude from a perceived invasion of paddlers.

Bruce Springsteen: Nebraska

Oh, he’s the boss alright. But sometime around ’82 he holed up in a friend’s studio, with nothing but a Tascam 4-track recorder, and decided to let everybody in on a little secret- Springsteen ain’t all “Born To Run” and “Glory Days,” even if those tunes themselves are quite thoroughly misunderstood by the majority of “fans.” He can be as dark and nihilistic as anyone out there, as evidenced by this sleeper of an album.

Nebraska is lonely, it doesn’t offer much in the way of hope, and it’s one of the most gut-wrenchingly candid depictions of, well, to paraphrase the last line in the title track, the “... meanness in this world” you’ll ever find. It could be the meanness we show to one another, or just the way things never seem to work out for some people, but all through Nebraska you get the picture that the world isn’t fair, and expecting it to be is your first mistake.

Whether it’s the poor folks living vicariously through the goings on at the “Mansion On The Hill,” the late-night internal monologue of “State Trooper” or the circumstances that drove otherwise normal people to crime in “Johnny 99” and “Atlantic City,” by the album’s end it’s clear that Springsteen tapped into something while writing Nebraska that he was never really able to achieve again later in his career, prickly and painful as it may have been at the time.

Music In The Streets

Just a little while back it seemed that there were only a few times a year that you might wander down Main Street in Sylva and find people picking on the sidewalk. With the advent of the Play For Peace concerts, the newly added Gallery Strolls downtown and the regularity of live music at Spring Street, Guadalupe Café and 553, it seems I can now count on looking out the store window to find someone partaking in the time-honored tradition of busking. It might be local solo jazz guitar cat Chad Hallyburton working his chord melody thing out in front of Black Rock, sometimes trading solos with WCU guitar professor Stephen Wohlrab, or today when a violinist and banjo player plopped down on a bench on the corner and commenced to picking for the passers by. What’s it all mean? Not sure, but it can’t possibly be anything but good for all of us.

Living Simply

Moved into a new apartment at the beginning of June, and I’ve yet to hook up the television. In fact, it wasn’t until last weekend that I even got my stereo up and running. With a minimum of furniture, a sleeping bag and a bunch of guitars, I’ve felt a whole new set of priorities arise, like the fact that as I go to sleep I find myself looking forward to getting up in the morning and making coffee, simple a thing as it may be. Or the joy of freshly dried laundry, and the way it makes the whole place smell. The killer thus far has been when I found a Star Wars calendar that I got as a child back in 1979, opened it up to June and found that it was accurate again — yeah, it makes me feel a bit old, but that feeling is far outweighed by the fact that I know I’ve got the coolest calendar in the world ... again.

— By Chris Cooper

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Two newly licensed teachers with ties to Western North Carolina offered a very different perspective on the recruitment process, including why they chose to either stay in the region or relocate elsewhere.

When Blue Ridge Paper employees voted to accept the recent buyout offer from the Rank group of New Zealand, union leaders were divided on whether to accept the offer. Union representatives from New York urged workers to vote yes, while the union leader in Canton thought employees could hold out for a better deal.

By Chris Cooper

Up for review this week is a live set of inspiring music from an incredibly influential musician in his genre: a burning birthday celebration from one of jazz guitar’s brightest and most enduring lights, the inimitable Kenny Burrell, flanked here by a host of remarkable musicians from the cream of the jazz crop.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

The surprisingly large crowd at a presentation on Maggie Valley’s proposed land-use plan seemed impressed with the details but questioned how applicable it was.

The land-use plan, created by Kannapolis-based firm Benchmark, would divide the town into districts where certain types of development will be encouraged. Residents got their first look at the proposal during a public hearing at town hall last Tuesday (June26).

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Paula Ledford is getting worried.

With a little over a month to go before school starts in Macon County, the school human resources director still has to find 15 people to fill vacant positions. The list includes assistant principals, elementary school faculty, teachers of exceptional children, and more. She’s digging deep — calling universities to ask about recent graduates that still might be looking for jobs, posting notices on as many Web sites as she can think of, even calling retired teachers to see if they’ll come back as a sub on a short-term basis. After all, Ledford says, “sometimes people will graduate in December,” which means she might be able to lure someone to Macon County by the winter.

By Michael Beadle

Painter Susan Lanier remembers how she used to get in trouble as a young artist.

In first grade, she was drawing a princess for her cousin, who could only do stick figures. The teacher grabbed the paper out of Lanier’s hand and instructed her in no uncertain terms that students are to do their own work.

A new exhibit at The North Carolina Arboretum, After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals and Ice, unlocks the mysteries of the Ice Age with creatures that roamed the earth more than 20,000 years ago. 

Real fossils and teeth from ancient animals like the sabertooth cat and short-faced bear provide hands-on experiences, and robotic replicas of the woolly mammoth, giant sloth, and giant beaver make the Ice Age come alive like never before. Focused on the flora and fauna of North America, the exhibit tells compelling, educational stories, and piques the curiosity of visitors to learn more about this fascinating time in history. 

Interactive displays make the drama of the gigantic titans that dominated the age accessible to all. Visitors can take a look at a baby mammoth tusk and see woolly mammoth hair with bits of plant material still imbedded from when the animal lived. The smooth, hard ivory of a big woolly mammoth tusk will prompt children and adults alike to explore the similarities between the prehistoric creature and the modern-day elephant. 

Visitors will learn how glaciers formed and how they moved. Graphic displays illustrate the glacial size and ice depth in North America, allowing children to discover if where they live now was at one time covered in ice. A 3-D mastodon puzzle introduces students to ancient animal anatomy, and those who are truly brave can attempt to put together the sabertooth cat. 

To broaden the visitor experience, an exhibit called On the Edge of the Great Ice will be featured in the Baker Exhibit Center Greenhouse. Designed and produced by Arboretum staff, the exhibit offers an intriguing glimpse into ancient plant life that once lived throughout North America and the Appalachian region.

After the Dinosaurs will be on display at The North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville through Jan. 6. 828.665.2492 or  www.ncarboretum.org

A pesticide collection day for unwanted pesticides will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10, at the recycling center in Bryson City. Pesticides that will be accepted include the following: insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, fumigants, rodenticides and growth regulators. Please save any portion of the label to help identify the material so you can be assisted with disposal. Unknown materials cannot be accepted. Other hazardous materials, such as paint, antifreeze, solvents, etc., will not be accepted at this collection day. 

828.586.4009 or 828.488.3848. 

A guided hike to the summit of Rock Mountain in the Highlands area will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, led by Dr. Gary Wein, the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust Executive Director and a botanist.

Farmers in Western North Carolina can tap $3,000 to $6,000 grants from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission to help farmers branch out to new crops.

WNC AgOptions seed money offsets the risk of trying something new and gives farmers the chance to demonstrate new farming techniques and marketing tactics to the agricultural community.

The deadline is Nov. 16. Contact your local Cooperative Extension agents by Oct. 12 to express their intent to apply. There is one remaining informational session on the grant cycle being held from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, at the Swain Extension Center.

www.wncagoptions.org or 828.586.4009 or 828.488.3848

A new national poll released last month shows sportsmen prioritize protecting public lands above energy production. The poll conducted for the National Wildlife Federation shows threats to America’s conservation heritage are priority issues for sportsmen, on par with gun rights.

An organic winter gardening workshop be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the Cullowhee home of renouned botanist Dan Pittillo.

Hikers are needed to hike proposed Mountain-to-Sea Trail routes in Jackson and Swain counties in and give feedback about the routes.

Two meetings to give information about the routes, answer questions, and receive input will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 3, and 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, by the Friends of the Mountains-to-sea Trail.

Trail volunteers are trying to solve a dilemma with a short missing link of the trail through the far western portion of the state, primarily between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Waterrock Knob area on the Haywood-Jackson line of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Originally, the trail was proposed to parallel the Blue Ridge Parkway after leaving the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. However, the Parkway owns almost no land in that area where it crosses the Cherokee Reservation, and a workable route could not be located. Several potential alternative trail routes have been drawn and many interesting routes were proposed.

919.698.9024.

The Highlands Nature Center will host a program on fall colors from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Naturalist Patrick Brannon will lead activities about how leaves change color, deciduous versus coniferous trees, and the winter survival strategies of each. Afterwards, visitors will be led on a walk through the Botanical Garden and will learn to identify many species of trees by leaf type, shape, and color.

The cost for this event is $2 per person, and the program is appropriate for all ages. Advanced registration is requested due to limited space.

828.526.2623.

Blue Ridge Parkway rangers will lead an easy to moderate 2.5 mile roundtrip hike to the summit of Sam Knob in the Shining Rock Wilderness in Haywood County at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 5.

Enjoy the changing fall foliage and learn about the different ways animals of the mountains are preparing for the coming winter season at this spectacular location in the.

The hike will begin at the Black Balsam parking area at the end of Black Balsam Road, located off the Parkway between Milepost 420 and 421. Remember to bring water, wear good hiking shoes, and be prepared for brisk autumn weather.

828.298.5330 ext. 304.

The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee will host a guided hike to Yellow Creek Falls in Graham County on Friday, Oct. 5.

The LTLT purchased the 905-acre Yellow Creek property in 2008 to conserve it. The forested tract includes healthy streams and upland communities, wetlands, and critical habitat for aquatic species. The upper section of Yellow Creek is very slow moving and winding and has unusual features for a mountain stream. The hike will leave from the Yellow Creek Falls trailhead at 10 a.m., which is off N.C. 129 past Robbinsville. The event is free, but registration is required. www.ltlt.org or 828.524.2711. 

The Jackson County Public Library and City Lights Bookstore in Sylva will both host Star Wars Family Nights this week.

“May the Force Read with You,” which aims to promote reading among children, will be host at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 at the library and 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at the bookstore.

Children and parents are encouraged to dress up as their favorite Star Wars character and come to the library to do Star Wars origami and crafts, enjoy Star Wars-themed snacks and enter a free drawing for Star Wars prizes. 

828.586.2016 (library) or 828.586.9499 (bookstore).

Orchestra to play fairy tales and Mozart

Blue Ridge Orchestra begins its 2012-2013 season with a musical visit to Cinderella, Mother Goose and the witch from Hansel and Gretel at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at the Colonial Theater in Canton.

The lively overture to Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola (Cinderella) opens the concert, followed by four of Maurice Ravel’s tone poems from Mother Goose: Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty, Little Thumb, Conversations of Beauty and the Beast, and The Fairy Garden. The first part of the concert ends with a wild Witch’s Ride from the opera Hansel and Gretel by the German late-Romantic Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921).

Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 for Friends of the Blue Ridge Orchestra and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the door or ordered through the website at www.blueridgeorchestra.org.

Ensemble to present ‘British Travelogue’

 Western Carolina University Wind Ensemble will present its first concert of the 2012-13 season with “A British Travelogue” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 9 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

The 55-member wind ensemble comprises the best musicians in the WCU School of Music and is conducted by director of bands John T. West. The event is free and open to the public.

The concert will feature music by composers inspired by the British Isles. Its’ centerpiece is Percy Grainger’s masterwork “Lincolnshire Posy,” a suite of six movements, each based on folk songs collected by the composer during visits to the Lincolnshire region of England in the early 1900s. Also on the program are “A Manx Overture” by Haydn Wood; Gustav Holst’s “Moorside March,” conducted by graduate student Emily Talley; “Four Scottish Dances” by Malcom Arnold; and “Thames Journey” by Nigel Hess. 828.227.7242.

Frog Level Brewing hosts Toys For Tots fund-raiser

Frog Level Brewing Company will host the USMC Reserve 2012 Toys For Tots kickoff at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 at the brewery on 56 Commerce Street in Waynesville.

A $20 donation or two new, unwrapped toys will get you one free Frog Level Brewing craft beer and a barbeque plate from Blue Ridge BBQ. The Gone Over the Mountain Boys and The Arrington Baker Band will provide the live music. The event is open to the public. All proceeds benefit Haywood County families.

www.FrogLevelBrewing.com or 828.454.5664

STYX to hit the stage at Harrah’s

Legendary group STYX will be performing at 9 p.m. Jan. 18 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

With two Super Bowl appearances, chart-topping tours with Def Leppard, Journey, Boston, REO Speedwagon and Bad Company (to name only a few) and two more recent studio albums, STYX continues to conquer the planet with hit singles including “Lady,” “Come Sail Away,” and “Mr. Roboto.” Must be 21 years of age or older to attend. Tickets are currently on sale.

www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000.

Big & Rich roll into Cherokee

Big & Rich will be hitting the stage at 10 p.m. Oct. 20 at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

The duo just released their new album, entitled “Hillbilly Jedi,” co-written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, on Sept. 18. It’s the duo’s fourth LP and their first since the 2007. Their career hits include “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy),” “Lost in This Moment” and “That’s Why I Pray,” among others.

www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000. 

Judo club to host ‘brawl’

Waynesville Judo Club will host the 24th annual Fall Brawl at 11 a.m. Oct. 6 at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

There will be a judo tournament inside the center and entertainment outside for everyone. This will include a car show by the Sunset Cruisers, bluegrass and country music, barbecue and a dunking machine. There will also be a 21-foot super ninja slide for children. There is a fee of $3 per person for unlimited slides or dunks on the dunking booth. Also, there will be a $5 per plate for a barbecue sandwich, chips and a drink.

828.506.0327.

The First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series at Western Carolina University’s Mountain Heritage Center will get underway with a concert by the Sons of Ralph at 7 p.m. Oct. 4 on the ground floor of WCU’s H.F. Robinson Administration Building.

Upright Citizens Brigade will bring its comedy theater to Western Carolina University with a show at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. 

Celebrating 126 years of history, the fifth annual Fall Craft Festival at The Old Mill 1886 will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 13 on U.S. 441, a mile south of Cherokee.

The daylong free festival will feature gem mining, fresh barbeque, live music (bluegrass, country and gospel), an array of Appalachian crafts, jewelry designers and fresh apple fritters.

Oktoberfest, put on by the Foundation for Angel Medical Center, will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at the National Guard Armory. The event will benefit the renovations for the Outpatient Medicine Department at the hospital. 

There will be a silent auction, a band, contests, food including marinated roast pork, potato pancakes and other authentic German food and drink. The event is open to the public.

Tickets are $50 each and can be purchased from the hospital or any Foundation Board member. The raffle is a $2,000 travel voucher that can include airfare, hotel, bus, however you choose if you win. Tickets are $25 each or five tickets for $100.

828.349.6887.

Hoptoberfest will kick off at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 13 at Fontana Village Resort.

The daylong festival will start with a disc golf tournament and end with The Sharkadelics. Enjoy live music by the Caribbean Cowboys from 1-4 p.m. while sampling more than 30 craft beers from 11 different breweries. Beer, bratwurst and gyros will also be available for purchase at Fontana Bier Garden.

Entry is $25 per person age 21 and over; under 21 are free.  

Tee-time for the disc golf tournament is 10 a.m., with onsite registration beginning at 9:30 a.m. It is a singles tournament in a one round format with prize payout in plastic. Registration fee is $10 per person.

There will also be friendly games of putt-putt, corn hole, ladder ball and other games all afternoon.  

Fontana Village Resort is located at 300 Woods Road in Fontana Dam, just off N.C. 28.

www.fontanavillage.com or 828.498.2211.

Artist and teacher Dominick DePaolo will demonstrate acrylic painting techniques in a street scene for Art League of the Smokies at 6:15 p.m. Oct. 4, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City.

DePaolo will demonstrate how to use acrylic paint in the watercolor style on watercolor board with the addition of pen and ink. He has been a freelance artist for over 40 years, was an illustrator in the U.S. Navy and taught art at the college level for almost 15 years.  He owned and operated Long Grove Art School in Chicago for 12 years before moving to Waynesville.  

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

The Swain County Center for the Arts will celebrate the paintings of area elementary and middle school art teacher Sheena Kohlmeyer with a meet-and-greet reception featuring the Rye Holler Boys at 3 p.m. Oct. 14.

The exhibit, which is part of her master’s in art education thesis, includes watercolor paintings she did during her graduate painting courses at Western Carolina University and will be on display through Nov. 14. Most of the artwork is for sale. 

This event is sponsored by the NC Arts Council, Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools and received support from the NC Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

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

Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 is hosting an artist’s reception for the Haywood Community College’s professional craft faculty and 2012 graduates from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 5 in conjunction with the Waynesville Gallery Association’s Art After Dark event.

Each faculty member in wood, fiber, clay, metals and design have chosen one signature piece to exhibit. Many members of the 2012 graduating class have also chosen one piece of their recent work to include alongside the work of their instructors. Instructors are Robert Blanton, Caryl Brt, David Burnette, Terry Gess, Steve Lloyd, Sam Nichols, Amy Putansu, Journel Thomas and Brian Wurst.

The work will remain on exhibit through Oct. 20. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

www.haywoodarts.org.

Two local artists who use unconventional materials will be featured from 6-9 p.m. Oct. 5 at Gallery 262 in downtown Waynesville.

“Surreal Appalachia: The Works of Michelle Walker & Bobbie Polizzi” explores the work of Walker, who blends oils with real life butterfly and moth wings to create mystical flying creatures and cold stark landscapes, and Polizzi, who takes the discarded and combines them to create powerful sculptural works. 

Both artists will be on hand at the open event to discuss their work. Wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres will be served.

Blue Ridge Watermedia Society will hold their monthly meeting at 6:45 p.m. Oct. 9 at the First Baptist Church on Main Street in Waynesville. The guest speaker will be Jesse Clay, who was a senior illustrator at Disney World for 22 years (as pictured). The event is free and open to the public.

Regional Artist Project grant of Western North Carolina (RAP go WNC) funding is available to developing art professionals for the 2012-13 year.

RAP go WNC is intended to fund projects that will conclude by June 15, 2013. 

Eligible artists must be at least 18 years of age, cannot be currently enrolled in a degree or certificate program, must be a current resident of one of the participating counties —Cherokee, Graham, Haywood or Jackson — and must have maintained residency there for one year immediately preceding the application. Previous award winners are ineligible. 

Grant awards range from $250-$500 and may be used for purposes including: cost of presenting work, training costs or tuition, travel, promotional materials, work facilities, equipment and the production of new work. Judges and a selection review panel from all four counties review applications. 

Grants are partially funded by the North Carolina Arts Council in partnership with the local agencies.

Information and applications are available from: Cherokee, 828.361.9584, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Graham, 828.479.3364, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Haywood, 828.452.0593, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; and Jackson, 828.587.2787, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Applications are available online at www.haywoodarts.org.

Applications and appropriate documentation material must be mailed to RAP go WNC, PO Box 2212, Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 by Nov. 1.

The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva will host a panel discussion about history of integration at 7 p.m. Oct. 9 in the community room. 

The talk will revolve around “Journeys of Courage: Integrating Education in Jackson County,” a Western Carolina University student-created exhibit that is on view at the library. Artist and scholar Marie T. Cochran, director of the Appalachian Art Project, will facilitate the program, which will feature speakers Victoria Casey McDonald, Reggie Rogers and Ernest Johnson. WCU public history students will be on hand to give informal tours before the discussion.

“Journeys of Courage” is part of the larger “Journey Stories” project, which includes a Smithsonian exhibit on view at the Mountain Heritage Center at WCU from Sept. 29 through Nov. 9 as well as local journey stories displayed at the library.

“Journeys of Courage” is sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library and the Mountain Heritage Center.

828.586.2016 or 828.227.7129 or www.fontanalib.org.  

The 23rd annual Leaf Lookers Gemboree is Oct. 26-28 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. The Gemboree will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. 

The Gemboree will feature a wide variety of items including fine finished jewelry, rough and cut gems, lapidary equipment, minerals, fossils and collectibles. Dealers will also be available to make custom pieces.

Included with a gem show ticket is free entry into the 20th annual Smoky Mountain Fall Art and Craft Fest next door at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center. This show features 80 artisans as well as 80 handmade door prizes, alpaca and an Animal Rescue Petting Zoo.

Admission for the Gemboree is $2. Those under 12 will be admitted free.  

828.524.3161 or 800.336.7829.

To the Editor:

One of the most important decisions we will have to make on Nov. 6 is who to vote for in the N.C. Senate race. When the sweeping results of voter dissatisfaction took place in the 2010 elections, some very good legislators were sent packing along with the “bathwater,” and, as a result, we ended up with a legislature full of politicians eager to advance their agenda with little regard for the future or the people they were supposed to be representing. In short, they want to force their moral views on all of us, and other issues don’t matter.

Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, our current state senator, seems to be interested in only his narrow partisan interests. He voted to do away with a 1 percent sales tax, all the proceeds of which went to education. His motivation for this remains murky; we have to assume it was for the political purpose of saying that he “lowered taxes.” Truly, was that 1 percent sales tax a hardship on anyone? Yet the lack of that money statewide has caused thousands of teachers to be sent home and increased classroom sizes. He also opposes Pre-K programs, considering them “baby-sitting.” His stated opinion is that the “greatest gift a father can give his kids is their mother at home.” That’s fine, if you make the kind of money Davis does, but not if both parents have to work to make ends meet. Any parent or teacher in later grades will tell you that Pre-K programs are invaluable in teaching social skills and basic education, and make a difference in later grades.

His opponent in this election, former Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy, has different ideas. He believes that putting the time and money into education prevents problems later in life. As a judge, John Snow saw firsthand the result of neglect and abuse on innocent children, and was a champion of taking care of children in the classroom and in life. He is also a good man of high moral character, and will represent us all, not just the interests of his party above all else. 

You know what was the major reason was for his defeat at the last election? Remember the “fishing pier” commercial? Turns out that the vote for the pier was practically unanimous, and bipartisan; the ‘fishing pier’ and aquarium have turned into a huge tourist attraction, generating tax dollars; and the commercial was paid for by  “sugar daddy” super-rich political activist.

The last election proved the old adage, “you can fool all of the people some of the time.” It’s time to correct that mistake. Elect John Snow for state Senate. Prove that we “won’t be fooled again.”

Russell Breedlove

Bryson City

To the Editor:

It is really quite amazing that anybody would believe anything that emanates from the mouth of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Quite frankly, the fact that Barack Obama nominated him for a second term as Fed chairman and the Senate confirmed him is proof that our leaders are either as incompetent as all get out or proof for at least one conspiracy theory — namely that the Anglo-American power elite really does run the world and wanted him to continue being their front man.

Let’s be honest. Bernanke’s statements and predictions since assuming the helm at the Fed in 2006 have been, to be harsh, full of mistruths, to be polite, less than stellar. His absurd statements range from “At this juncture, however, the impact on the broader economy and financial markets of the problems in the subprime market seems likely to be contained,” on March 28, 2007, to “The Federal Reserve will not monetize the debt,” on June 3, 2009.  

His predictions have been even more remarkable. Just two months before their collapse, he predicted that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac “… will make it through the storm.” And as the economy was spiraling into recession on Jan. 10, 2008, he indicated incredibly that, “The Federal Reserve is not currently forecasting a recession.”

Well, old habits do die hard. Last week Bernanke gave a press conference to answer questions about the Federal Open Market Committee decision to purchase $40 billion of mortgage backed securities per month into the indefinite future. What was astonishing was not his defense of the purchases, but his addressing of three concerns that have been expressed about Fed policy since the Great Recession started in 2008. 

The first concern he sought to ease was that Fed purchases of long-term securities are comparable to government spending. He claims they are not because the Fed is buying financial assets, not goods and services, and ultimately the Fed will sell them off when unemployment eases. He may be technically correct, but does it matter? The buying and selling of assets is one means the Fed uses to manipulate the money supply. When it wants to inflate the supply of money it exchanges new money for assets and when it seeks to slow the growth of money it sells assets to mop up excess reserves in the economy. In the end, Fed asset purchases are comparable to the Fed monetizing the debts of the federal government, which of course are required because of deficit government spending and both will ultimately cause higher prices generally.

Next, Bernanke addressed the concern of those receiving very low returns on interest bearing accounts. While he acknowledged that the Fed’s “accommodative” monetary policies were responsible, he stated that, “Americans will ultimately benefit most from the healthy and growing economy that low interest rates help promote.”  

Two points need to be made about Bernanke’s comment. First, when are those low interest rates going to produce a healthy and growing economy? The Fed Funds Rate has been at 0.25 percent since December 2008, and unemployment is higher now than it was then. Secondly, is Bernanke suggesting that older Americans on fixed budgets who are getting extremely low returns on their savings just need to be patient until the values of their homes come back so they can sell them to eat? Or is it that he thinks borrowing against equity on one’s house is a sign of prosperity? 

The fact is Bernanke’s policies discourage savings and those that have saved are seeing their wealth eroded and their standard of living diminished.

Which brings us to the last concern addressed by Chairman Bernanke, namely that the Fed’s “accommodative policies” will produce higher price inflation down the road. To quell fears of price inflation he indicated that overall price inflation has been about “2 percent per year for quite a few years now, and a variety of measures show that longer-term inflation expectations are quite stable.”

All one has to do is venture to the supermarket or fill their tank with gas to know that the chairman’s claim about price inflation is hogwash. Gas prices alone are up 7 percent year over year. Higher energy prices mean the cost of other goods has increased as well. Bernanke’s inflation number is absurd.  

John Williams at Shadow Government Statistics produces inflation numbers based on the way they used to be calculated. According to his calculations, if the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) were figuring inflation like it did in 1980, the rate would be 9 percent. If the BLS were using the 1990 method the rate would be 5 percent. The point is that both calculations are much higher than Bernanke’s figure and with the Fed about to embark on infusing $40 billion per month more into the economy for an indefinite period of time, price inflation will go even higher.

Bernanke has a long history of making absurd statements. His attempts to ease concerns about Fed policies were no exception. At the end of the day, his policies have hurt and will continue to hurt the middle and lower classes. What’s startling is that these groups are the very constituencies that Obama and members of the Senate claim to care about, yet both gave Bernanke a second term as Fed chairman. Perhaps the president and those 70 senators that gave Bernanke a second term are incompetent, or perhaps the Anglo-American power elite wanted him to continue as their front man?

Kenn Jacobine

Haywood County

To the Editor:

During this election the main question seems to be economical. We are a debtor nation. We are heading towards bankruptcy.

There is a more important question: is the American society on the rise or decline? Fifty years of social engineering has gone horribly wrong. 

There have been two great lies, “it is all good” and “it takes a village.” We have totally abandoned the Judeo-Christian value system our society was founded on. With the only sin being intolerance, all forms of ways to ruin lives are being exploited. 

It never ever took a village in our society. It takes two dedicated, committed, responsible parents with extended family and community helping. The “it takes a village” way is only filling up our prisons. How can a man and woman be committed to raising children when they are not responsible enough to be committed to each other? We need to get back to the beliefs and social values we succeeded with in the past. 

There are bad things that ruin people and good ways that will keep them from ruination. Each person must be responsible for their own life. The personally responsible are now socially responsible for those that are not. Working, decent-living Americans must shoulder the burden and have less so the government can bail out, even reward bad personal decisions and subsidize bad behavior. They must even support people that are not supposed to be here. They must also support a huge law enforcement system with police, lawyers and overflowing prisons. All because our government has thrown the Bible under the bus.

If anyone does not want to follow a few simple rules of honesty, decency and responsibility, the government will bail them out. They are entitled. This election, I also want a clean sweep, a clean cleansing sweep.

Mike Rodeffer 

Franklin

To the Editor:

Why are the American people so easily deceived? It seems as if they want to be deceived. 

This is true regarding President Barack Obama. He has stealthily deceived himself into the White House when he had zero experience and qualifications to be president. He has proven his incompetence in handling our economy, jobs, military and the current Mideast crisis when he does nothing but apologize to those who killed the ambassador to Libya and three others. We as a civilized, educated society should know that a man with a Muslim name (Barack Hussein Obama) would be a Muslim. 

The American people have been deceived once by this great deceiver, but we need not be deceived again by him. His primary goal is to transform (change) America into a socialist dictatorship, destroying our God given U.S. Constitution along with our economy, our military, our freedom loving American way of life and our Godly values. We are warned by God that “evil men and imposters shall wax (grow) worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2nd Tim.3;13, KJV) 

Please pray for God’s guidance before voting early, absentee or on Nov. 6.

Clark Sheffield

Webster

To the Editor:

The letter about women’s rights by Margery Abel in last week’s Smoky Mountain News says it very well. I’d like to add the following to what she has said.

• Current Republican budget proposals call for cuts in child care, Head Start, job training, Pell Grants, housing, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid — all  of which would fall disproportionally on women.

• Recent cutbacks in state funding have led to reductions in the public sector workforce, so that teachers and civil servants — the majority of whom are women — have increasingly been forced into the ranks of the unemployed.

• Fewer services means more unpaid care work. Employed or not, women are the majority of our nation’s 67 million informal caregivers, who pick up the slack when services disappear. The growing practice of moving the elderly and disabled from publicly-funded residential centers to home-based care, and discharging hospital patients still in need of medical monitoring and nursing services, puts an increasing burden on women. They are either grossly underpaid for these essential services or else perform them at home for free while also holding down another job.

• With the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs and the decline of the construction industry, the majority of union members are now women in the service sector. Hence, attacks on unions become thinly-disguised attacks on the rights of women to engage in collective bargaining and seek better pay and working conditions.

• From June 2009 to May 2012, women suffered 61 percent of public-sector job losses, while gaining only 22.5 of the 2.5 million net jobs added to the overall economy. In 2010, the poverty rate among women rose to its highest level (14.5 percent) in 17 years. It is not much better today.

• Denial of government funding to Planned Parenthood and other agencies providing family planning services leads to more unwanted births, more children being raised in poverty, more need for childcare services so women can work to support their families, larger school enrollments — and thus heavier burdens on women for all these reasons.

• Men in legislatures, courtrooms, and the media voicing opinions and making decisions about women’s bodies, without consultation with women, is an insult to human dignity and equal rights.

Would that we had more Margery Abels to stand in the heroic line of the Elizabeth Cady Stantons, Susan B. Anthonys, and Lily Ledbetters she mentions in leading the cause of women’s equality.

P.S. We men can help, too.

Doug Wingeier

Waynesville