The United Way of Haywood County and The Haywood Volunteer Center are hosting an evening with Jeanne Robertson at 7 p.m. on June 7 at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.

Who is Jeanne Robertson? She is North Carolina’s own 6-foot, 2-inch tall former Miss North Carolina, who specializes in hilarious humor based on her own life experiences. This Miss Congeniality winner in the Miss America Pageant, “Yearrrrrrrrrrrs ago,” quoting Jeanne, uses her down-home Southern drawl to leave her audiences laughing … and thinking about her message.

Tickets are on sale at ticketfly.com and are $30 for reserved seating. For more information, visit www.jeannerobertson.com.

Proceeds from the event will benefit United Way of Haywood County’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program and The Haywood Volunteer Center.

For more information call 828.356.2833.

During budget discussions earlier this year, Haywood County commissioners were adamant about their commitment to give county employees a boost after three years of no raises and frozen retirement contributions.

Commissioners stayed true to their word, based on a proposed budget released this week. The county will partially restore a 401K match, contributing 1 percent of employees’ salaries. The county won’t be giving across the board cost-of-living raises, but will give merit raises to some staff of up to 2 percent. The 401K match for some 500 county employees will cost $195,000.

This will be accomplished without raising taxes. The county’s budget has modest natural growth in revenue of $1.3 million — thanks to construction that’s added to the property tax base and an uptick in consumer buying, which means more sales tax.

The total overall budget is nearly $66.6 million. It is still down by more than $1 million compared to 2007-08, meaning the economy is slowly bouncing back but still is shy of pre-recession numbers.

The 1 percent 401K contribution is a far cry from the 5.5 percent match the county did during the 2008 fiscal year. When the economy went sour, it temporarily stopped contributions to save money.

“We are trying to phase it back,” Stamey said.

Something new this year is a one-time extra bonus for law enforcement officials. Officers will receive a bonus check, equivalent to one percent of their salary, on the anniversary of their hire date. The total cost will be about $38,000.

To celebrate the 125th anniversary of Francis Grist Mill and National Preservation Month, the Francis Mill Preservation Society is hosting “Cars and Cornmeal,” a pre-1972 car show, on May 19.

Stroll along the lane to the millpond, tour the restored mill, see grinding demos and local crafts. Then, enjoy barbecue by Blue Ridge BBQ and Mama Moody’s Fried Pies. Bring your street rod, antique car or the old truck your grandpa drove.

Registration is $10, and the event begins at 8 a.m. Spectator tickets are just $5. All proceeds from this event go to the continuing preservation of the mill and to promote and preserve our local heritage.

The Francis Mill Preservation Society was founded in 2003 to restore and preserve the 1887 Francis Grist Mill. Restoration began with a series of workshops staffed with volunteers from nine states and Switzerland along with donated materials from Haywood County.

The Francis Mill Preservation Society is a non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible. The mill is located at 14 Hugh Massie Road in Waynesville.

828.456.6307 or www.francismill.org.

The Labor Day Weekend Craft Show and the October Leaves Craft Show are looking for vendors to display their crafts at the event.

Starting this year, the promoters of the show are providing a new area for businesses of all kinds — from those who want to inform the public about what they do to those who provide a service to politicians, civic organizations or realtors. These types of businesses will be permitted to provide information via brochures, business cards, etc. However, products will not be for sale.

Food vendors are also welcome. For the October show only, vendors are encouraged to provide apple cider, sorghum, molasses, honey, apples, gourds and pumpkins.

Both festivals this year, the Labor Day Weekend Craft Show and the October Leaves Craft Show, during the second weekend in October, will run from 9 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  

Apply now for a discount. The craft shows are juried, and crafters must meet certain criteria. Photos of your work must be submitted with your application, which are obtainable from www.maggievalleycraftshows.com or by calling 828.497.9425

In observance of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources has organized the “Freedom, Sacrifice, Memory: Civil War Sesquicentennial Photography Exhibit” to travel the state as part of its commemoration. The exhibition will be on display in the meeting room at the Macon County Public Library from now until May 29.

Visitors will see women who served as Confederate spies, well-known Confederate generals and re-enactment images of soldiers and battles.  The battlefield, homefront, African Americans, and women are all reflected in the exhibit.

A notebook accompanying the exhibit will offer sketches of the generals, of African Americans fleeing bondage, a woman whose home became a hospital, and other glimpses of lives from that turbulent time.

www.fontanalib.org/franklin or 828.524.3600.

The Haywood County Arts Council is hosting a barbecue supper from 4:30-6 p.m. and old-time community JAMboree from 6-8 p.m., May 19.

The event is a fund-raiser for the arts council’s Junior Appalachian Musicians after-school program. The supper tickets are $8 per adult and $5 per child. Community JAMboree tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per child. Advanced ticket purchase is strongly recommended.

The JAMboree will feature News Radio 570 AM’s John Roten as emcee, former state Sen. Joe Sam Queen as square dance caller, a Junior Appalachian Musicians showcase with students and JAM instructors, dancing by the J. Creek Cloggers, the Fines Creek Flatfooters, old-fashioned cake walks, and more.

The event is sponsored by Michael Gillespie, the Department of Social Services, OLDTOWN Bank, Smoky Mountain Folk Festival, the Fines Creek Community Association, Wells Fargo, and Blue Rooster Southern Grill.

The JAM program is in its 12th year in Haywood County and is offered as an after-school program for children in 4th grade and older. Children meet once a week at Canton Middle School to learn how to play old-time music on fiddle, guitar and banjo.

828.452.0593 or www.haywoodarts.org.

Elementary school-aged children and their families are invited to a free ARTSaturday workshop from 10 a.m. to noon on May 12 in the Mamie Keith Children’s Area of the Macon County Public Library. Make-and-take projects include 3-D floral Mother’s Day Cards, silk flower petal people, and paper sunflowers.

Every ARTSaturday features live music by Keyboardist Lionel Caynon. There’s no pre-registration; children should wear play clothes and can come for any part of the session. Adults are required to stay with younger children; there will be a special workstation where they can work together.

The library is off Siler Road in Franklin, adjacent to Southwestern Community College.

828.524.7683 or www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

The Macon County Arts Council will sponsor a one-day basket-weaving class from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., May 19, in the Macon County Cooperative Extension Building. Participants will construct a “Flower Vase” Basket, an original design by instructor and master weaver Joanne Nolen.  The basket has a graceful hourglass-shape with an open top and decorative color, floral accents. Class is for adult basket makers; no experience is needed.

The fee is $30 for materials and instruction. Pre-register by May 15.

828.524.7683 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

Three Jackson County teachers — Jennifer Dall at Smoky Mountain Elementary, Kansas Heiskell at the HUB, and Gayle Woody at Smoky Mountain High School — were awarded a Learning Links grants to support an art workshop at their respective schools.

With the grants, area metalworker William Rogers was able to teach Jackson County students to handwork metal.

Learning Links projects must involve students in “hands-on” projects to support innovative, imaginative and creative approaches to teaching. During the series of three workshops, students as young as ten years old, hammered metal into shapes and then suspended those shapes along a wire framework to create a kinetic sculpture. Each student had a chance to work with steel wire, copper sheet and aluminum.

To better integrate art into the curriculum, Rogers incorporated a physics lesson on leverage along with art lessons on balance and proportion. Rogers has completed several artist-in-education projects in WNC.

Restless Heart and Little Texas, two classic American country music bands, will perform their all-time fan favorites at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, May 19. Showtime is set at 7:30 p.m., and tickets start at $24.  

Restless Heart had their first taste of success in 1984 with their first record release. They are known for hits such as “I’ll Still Be Loving You” and “When She Cries.” Throughout their career, they have entered the Billboard country charts with 26 singles, six of which reached the number one spot. Restless Heart disbanded in 1994, had a brief reunion in 1998, and began performing together again in 2003.

Little Texas released their first album in 1991. They produced many hit singles including “My Love,” “What Might Have Been” and “God Blessed Texas.”  The band went on hiatus in 1998 but reunited in 2004.

www.GreatMountainMusic.com or 866.273.4615.

Waynesville’s 10th Annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 12, in historic Frog Level.

The event is Haywood County’s premier spring festival and kicks off the growing season with beautiful flowering baskets, vegetable and herb starts, berry bushes, and potted ornamental plants to jumpstart anyone’s garden.

Local artisans will feature a wide range of nature-inspired gifts and crafts – from baskets & birdhouses to soaps & stemware, pottery & jewelry to metal sculptures & flower planters, and dozens of other handmade creations. Enjoy fresh cheeses, homemade preserves and jellies, BBQ and burgers, veggie wraps, ice cream and desserts.

Live music and entertainment will be provided throughout the day by local musicians and dancers, including Chris Minick, Frog Level Philharmonic (Dixie Land Jazz), Marshall Ballew, The Ross Brothers with the J Creek Cloggers, Raq Shuraka Dance Co. (belly dancing), and Caleb Burress.

The Frog Level Philharmonic will play from 10 a.m. to noon. The band features Charles Alley on clarinet, Otis Sizemore on cornet, Pat Stone and Mary Thomas on keyboard, Mark Raines on trombone, Jerry Donahoe on banjo, Jim Boyer on drums and Jim Juhnke on tuba.

This year, people can also take home a little piece of Frog Level history. The tin tiles from the Water Street Cottage will be salvaged, embellished by local artists and sold at the Merchant’s Association booth.

The Frog Level businesses will be open during the festival, and the Haywood County Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer all gardening questions. Children’s activities include face painting, seed planting and more.

Parking is available at Haywood Builders, St. John’s Catholic Church, the VFW upper parking lot, the public parking deck on Branner Avenue and all public parking in the area.

Georgian poet Rupert Fike will read from his collection Lotus Buffet at 6:30 p.m., May 12, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Two of the collection’s poems have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, and he was nominated as Georgia Author of the Year 2011 in poetry.

His work has appeared in Rosebud, The Georgetown Review, Natural Bridge, The Atlanta Review, storySouth and others. He has a poem inscribed in a downtown Atlanta plaza, and his non-fiction book, Voices from The Farm, recounts living in a spiritual community in the 1970s.

828.586.9499.

Natalie Bucki was named artist of the month for May at the Macon campus of Southwestern Community College.

Bucki is a Franklin artist that has been creating portraits of people, pets and places for more than 50 years. She has worked in all mediums, but for the last few years, she has concentrated on acrylics and pastels.

Her work will be on display in the front lobby and downstairs gallery at the Macon campus.

Young people can explore the world of theater this summer during a weeklong camp hosted by Western Carolina University’s College of Fine and Performing Arts.

The theatre camp is for children from ages 8 (and who have completed the second grade) to 17 and is limited to 30 students. The camp will run from 12:30-5:30 p.m., July 16-20, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. A Friday performance is scheduled for 6 p.m., July 20.

The camp will include games, improvisation, stage direction, basic directing, character work, discussion and tours. Students will work in small groups to create characters and situations that will evolve into short scenes for Friday. Two professional actors with Bright Star Children’s Theatre in Asheville will run the camp.

No previous theater experience is required, but children with a theater background are welcome, said Paul Lormand, director of the Bardo Arts Center.

The cost of the camp is $110 per child, with additional children from the same family able to register for $100 each. Campers must provide their own snacks and beverages. Registration is under way through July 13, with payment due the first day of camp.

828.227.2505 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

By Holly Demuth

What does your car believe in? Here in Western North Carolina, many people choose to express their love of the Smokies, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail, state parks, and the elk and ducks with their full color license plates.  But soon that opportunity to show your support will not exist in its current form.

Full color license plates are slated to be taken off the road in 2015, according to North Carolina law. The plates that financially support attractions that are at the core of much of Western North Carolina’s travel and tourism economy, that provide more than 1 million voluntary dollars pumped into Western North Carolina in 2011 — gone. The program that made the state more than $800,000 in non-tax dollars in 2011 — eliminated.

The attractive Friends of the Smokies plate has helped generate since its inception more than $2.6 million to enhance Great Smoky Mountains National Park — one license plate at a time.  Among many projects, these plates funded history exhibits at the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, where visitation has increased 80 percent since its grand opening last year. It also supports the ongoing conservation of elk herds in Cataloochee Valley, which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Improving Great Smoky Mountains National Park makes financial sense for North Carolina. In 2010 alone, more than 9 million park visitors spent $818 million in surrounding communities and helped create more than 14,000 jobs.

Laws can be changed. It takes a great effort, but it can happen. Fortunately, there is hope that our state legislators will repeal the provision when they go back to Raleigh this year.

A recent report from the N.C. Department of Transportation recommends continuing the full color plate program. The state Highway Patrol agrees. And a legislative study committee recently recommended that the General Assembly repeal the 2015 sunset.

Let’s hope that our elected representatives are listening.

Eliminating North Carolina’s popular full-color license plate program will hurt the state’s travel and tourism economy, and beloved tourist destinations like Great Smoky Mountains National Park without improving public safety.

People who love these special places and business who benefit from them can help change the law. Ask your state elected officials to protect this important revenue source and support repealing the sunset on the North Carolina full-color specialty license plate program. More information can be found at www.friendsofthesmokies.org.

While we’re at it, let’s do all we can to support these special resources and show Raleigh what an effective program it is – if you don’t have a full-color plate yet, please go out and purchase one.  

(Holly Demuth is the executive director of the N.C. Friends of the Smokies. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

Haywood Community College won the N.C. RecycleMania competition again this year.

HCC beat out UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University. In addition, HCC is ranked as number 14 in the waste minimization category out of 605 participating colleges.

RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. During the competition, schools report recycling and trash data, which are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables, the least amount of trash per capita, or have the highest recycling rate.

828.627.4135.

For the second year in a row, Western Carolina University is included among The Princeton Review’s list of the most environmentally responsible colleges in North America.

The education services company selected WCU for inclusion in the third annual edition of its “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2012 Edition.”

“Inclusion of Western Carolina University in this guide confirms that we are making great strides in becoming a more environmentally friendly campus,” said Lauren Bishop, campus energy manager.

WCU’s profile in the new guide discusses the success of the campuswide energy conservation program called “Reducing Our Carbon Paw Print” that resulted in a 10-to 15-percent reduction in energy usage on campus through behavior modification alone, including a 34-percent reduction in BTU per square foot compared to 2002-03 levels.

The guide also notes a 15-percent reduction in petroleum usage in five years at WCU through the introduction of six neighborhood electric vehicles and by switching to E10, a blend of ethanol and unleaded gas, to power the campus fleet.

The book cites the fact that all new construction larger than 20,000 square feet is required to meet the United States Green Building Council standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification.

The Princeton Review chose the institutions based on a survey of administrators at hundreds of colleges that the company polled in 2011 about their school’s sustainability initiatives.

Anglers in North Carolina soon will be randomly selected to receive a state fishing survey designed to determine anglers’ view on and preferences for fish management.

Of the more than 800,000 anglers in North Carolina who holds a current freshwater fishing license, 9,000 will receive surveys through July.

The survey consists of 37 questions that assess the management expectations, fishing preferences and levels of participation of freshwater anglers in North Carolina.

While the survey is voluntary, the N.C. Wildlife Commission emphasized that angler participation is critical. The more anglers who respond to the survey, the better information the agency will have about anglers’ views of freshwater fisheries management in North Carolina.

It needs to be returned by July 31.

The commission will use the data taken from the survey, in addition to biological data, data collected by surveying anglers on specific bodies of water, and other forms of public comment, to help it make fisheries management decisions and program modifications that, ultimately, will improve fishing opportunities for all anglers.

The final report will be available in January 2013.

Get set for three days and 16 films at Nantahala Outdoor Center during the Adventure Travel Film Festival May 4 to 6.

The film festival hails from the United Kingdom and is an international celebration of the greatest adventure travel films from the 1920s to the present day, where people from all walks of life are invited to see the world through the artistic eyes of film.

The event will be hosted by international film-maker Austin Vince and travel writer Lois Pryce.

The event features a set of independent travel films dubbed “gritty, audacious and personal.”

Feature and short films range thematically from the first paddling descent of the Yenisey River through Mongolia, Siberia and into the Arctic Ocean, to “The Himalayan Adventure,” the 1958 story of three English housewives who drove a Land Rover from London to Zanskar (then a part of Tibet).  There will be tales of mountain biking from Mexico to Canada, alpha-females attacking the South Pole, paragliding across North America, canoeing the Congo, motorcycling through Afghanistan and much more.

Additionally, there will be photography clinics, video documentary classes, music and more.

The Adventure Travel Film Festival has three-day, single-day, and per film passes available. The three-day pass is $75 and includes access to all films, clinics and weekend entertainment and a free Nantahala rafting trip.

A one-day pass, which includes access to that day’s films and events, is $40. Individual films can be viewed for $10.

888.905.7238 or www.noc.com.

If you are looking for a tough but short trail race, the Bearwallow Beast 5K might be just the ticket. The race is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, May 6, in Henderson County at Bearwallow Mountain. This race will ascend from the community of Gerton in the Upper Hickory Nut Gorge and finish atop to the scenic grassy summit.  All proceeds benefit Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy, a group that protects local land and water resources in Henderson and Transylvania counties.

The trail race ranks among the most difficult of any footrace in the southeast, gaining more than 1,300 feet of elevation over its course of 3.1 miles. Those who persevere to the finish line can enjoy a celebratory cup of beer at a mountaintop festival.

The Honey & Hops Festival will feature food, beer, honey vendors and bluegrass music by the Brushfire Stankgrass band at the mountain’s summit.  Runners may pre-register for the race online for $25; admittance to the festival is free for everyone.

www.bearwallowbeast.com or 828.697.5777.

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can take advantage of enrolled member day at Sequoyah National Golf Club in Cherokee and enjoy free golf from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, May 5.

Those who don’t golf can still tour the course. One hot dog and a fountain drink will be provided to each tribe member who attends.

828.497.3000.

One of the southeast’s premier endurance mountain bike races, 12 Hours of Tsali, returns to the Tsali Recreation Area from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. Saturday, May 19.

The goal for riders is to complete the 10- to 12-mile trail loop as many times as possible before the clock stops. The team or individual with the most laps wins; tie breakers are determined by fastest overall time. Racers can sign up for six-hour solo ride, 12-hour solo ride, or 12-hour team classes. Part of the competition is raced in the dark, giving it a special appeal. Registration will be capped at 350 participants.

This year’s race is sponsored by Bryson City Bicycles.

www.goneriding.com and 828.488.1988 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A new 4,000-square-foot exhibit at the North Carolina Arboretum opening Saturday, May 5, will introduce visitors to the evildoers lurking in their own backyards and beyond. Inspired by author Amy Stewart’s book Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother and other Botanical Atrocities, the exhibit gives visitors a hands-on experience with some of the world’s most diabolical botanicals — without the risk of intoxication, addiction, dismemberment, or other danger. Menacing interactive displays set in an eerie environment are designed to educate and entertain children and adults with information about some of Mother Nature’s most appalling creations.

Wicked Plants exposes plants associated with a myriad of negative health effects, including addiction, obesity, allergies, pain, poisoning, cognitive impairment, organ failure, and even death. Showcasing more than 100 plants, the exhibit takes an open-ended approach to health education, providing visitors with an opportunity to weigh the risks of utilizing specific wicked plants.

Wicked Plants will be on display at the Baker Exhibit Center through September 3. Admission is free with standard parking fee ($8 per personal vehicle).

Wicked Plants is supported in part by Smoky Mountain Living magazine and R.E.A.C.H. (Regional Emergency Animal Care Hospital) of Asheville. After completing its run at the Arboretum, the exhibit will begin a national tour of botanical gardens, museums, and science centers.

828.665.2492 or www.ncarboretum.org.

New gardeners are being sought to participate in Waynesville’s community garden, located behind the Old Armory in Waynesville.

This community garden project is available for community members who would like to share in the labors, decision-making, harvests and social enjoyment of working with others.

A number of recent improvements have taken place. An automatic watering system has been installed in the Old Armory greenhouse and some new shelves built for local residents to plant seedlings for their own gardening. A fence has been installed around the community garden and a container composting system has been added. A canopy soon will be installed for shelter over the garden area’s picnic table and more flower beds are being added.

The project is sponsored by Nourishing NC — Blue Cross Blue Shield, Waynesville Parks and Recreation, the Healthy Haywood Fitness Challenge and the Daydreamz Project.

828.456.6629.

Haywood Waterways is looking for individuals and groups to adopt a section of stream and help remove litter.

Groups are asked to clean their adopted stream section at least once a year and commit to the adopted stream section for at least two years. Each adopted stream receives an Adopt-A-Stream sign free of charge.

Trash can obstruct drains and cause flooding, clog water intake pipes used for industry, and affect recreational uses, such as fishing, swimming and paddling. Much of the trash found in the streams can take hundreds of years to decompose, and some will never disappear. Unless removed, the trash can eventually find its way to the ocean.

“I initially got involved with the stream clean-up program after I hooked a car floor mat while fishing in Richland Creek,” said Mike Gillespie, an Adopt-A-Stream volunteer. “As I fished, I saw so many discarded items that I got some trash bags from my vehicle and did an impromptu stream clean-up then and there.”

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

The Macon County Beekeepers Association will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 3, at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service office on Thomas Heights Road in Franklin. The speaker will be Linda Tillman, a master beekeeper from Atlanta. Anyone with an interest in bees is welcome to attend.

828.524.5234.

If you want to learn how to coexist with black bears, attend the Bear Education and Resources (B.E.A.R.) program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 15, at the Macon County Community Center in Franklin. This is the first in this year’s B.E.A.R. talk program series. B.E.A.R. is a taskforce of the Western North Carolina Alliance, a regional conservation group. The program is FREE.

828.526.9227 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Blue Ridge Books will host a full day of activities to celebrate National Children’s Book Week starting at 10 a.m., May 12, with an event entitled Animal Surprises.

Dawn Cusick, owner of Early Light Books and author of a half dozen books about animals, will share her books with children during the event and age appropriate activities for preschool and elementary age children will be provided by staff from KARE.

Children, teens and adults are invited to drop by Blue Ridge Books between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. for an Author Fair co-sponsored by Early Light Books and Grateful Steps. This event will give readers an opportunity to meet authors of children’s and young adult books and to purchase signed copies.

From 2-3:30 p.m., there will be a panel discussion on writing and publishing for children and teens. Publishers and authors will discuss current trends and challenges in writing for young people today.

An event for teens will be held from 4-5 p.m. “What Teens Read” will be a discussion of what current literature is popular among middle and high school students. This is a time for teens to talk about what they like and make suggestions to other teens.

The culminating event is “The KaBoom Poetry Show” with Michael Beadle at 6:30 p.m.  Michael Beadle is a historian, journalist, writer-in-residence, poet and performer. Since 1998, Beadle has been performing and teaching poetry in schools, festivals and conferences throughout North Carolina.

The Best Cupcake Ever by Carrie Blackburn Brown will be a special feature of the day. All of the profits from the sale of this book go to support the Kory Wawanaca Children’s Home in Bolivia. Donations will be taken to help support the children’s home.

828.456.6000 or www.bookweekonline.com.

Jenny Bennett will read from Murder at the Jumpoff on at 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 4, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Set in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Murder at the Jumpoff, follows the investigation of of the death of an avid off-trail hiker who disappears in the Greenbrier section of the GSMNP.

Chris Wilcox, owner at City Lights Bookstore, says of the book, “Jenny Bennett’s Murder at the Jumpoff has all the elements of a good whodunit, but also bonuses the reader a love story and travelogue. Sevier County sheriff’s detective Sally Connolly and backcountry park ranger, Hector Jones team up to find a killer who shoved an experienced off-trail hiker from the exposed Jumpoff on the Greenbrier side of the Great Smokies National Park. Bennett not only runs her characters all over the Park — from the Chimneys to Cataloochee — but also has them make side trips to locations such as Mt. Washington and the Shiloh Battlefield.”

Usui and Karuna Reiki Master Deborah Lloyd will visit City Lights Bookstore at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, to present and discuss her book, Believe and it is True.

Lloyd’s book is a transformative, healing journey and focuses on her struggle to recover from post-polio syndrome. She was able to heal her emotional wounds and her body with the aid of thirty-three life lessons she learned while on her healing journey. She will give a presentation featuring these lessons, offering insight to those seeking mind, body and spiritual healing.

To the Editor:

In his April 25 letter to the editor, “Let me tell you why I'm a Democrat,” Ed Morris provides many reasons for his pride at being Macon County’s new Democratic Party Chair. While I take exception to his premise that his party holds exclusive rights to all that is politically righteous, pure and noble, I agree his party has reason to feel pride for its positive contributions to our democratic republic.

Morris’ letter provides many topics for reasonable discourse, but his false claims are not among those. For him to state he has heard me say, “Poor women have no business having children” is patently false. What I have said is that people should not procreate unless they are prepared  to support and nurture their offspring. Neither rich nor poor corner the market on parental irresponsibility. My position on this issue is based on the belief that freedom without responsibility does not work.

Morris also states that “Republican Sen. Jim Davis falsely wrote that teaching jobs had been fully funded.” What he has personally heard me say is the present state budget funded 2,100 more K-12 teaching jobs than the previous budget. Although we have about 800 fewer K-12 teaching jobs in the state this year, that is the result of the loss of $1.3 billion in federal stimulus money.

Morris’ letter is the latest in a series of attacks on my political philosophy and more importantly, my integrity. Since engaging in a stream of “he-said, he-said” is counterproductive, I offer Morris an alternative: organize a forum at a mutually acceptable time; choose the place; invite whomever you desire; no topic (other than my family) is out of bounds. My preconditions are that the press must be present, and I can have my assistant record questions for timely follow up should I be asked something for which I do not have factual data.

A forum such as the one described above will allow for the transparency vital to honest debate. I welcome the opportunity and invite Ed Morris to accept my offer.

Sen. Jim Davis

Franklin

To the Editor:

Please go to the poles on May 8 and vote “No” to amend the N.C. Constitution, an amendment that if passed, would further codify the denial of rights for certain groups of North Carolina citizens.

Amendments to the Constitution, whether it be state or federal, should only be used to expand or defend the rights of citizens rather than to deny or restrict the rights of certain groups of citizens. The proponents of this amendment are attempting to create a second class of citizens, and they are trying to circumvent the founding principle of inalienable rights of all citizens that was established during the the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

The Declaration of Independence, drafted by that Congress, says it best, and I quote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness.” In the declaration, our wise forefathers didn’t refer to “their Creator” as “their Conservative Christian Creator,” but only as “their Creator.”

Regardless of how anyone feels on the issue of marriage or religion, we should all stand firm against any attempt to deny or restrict any of our rights by the state or federal government, especially when targeted against certain groups of people, even if against groups that we may not agree with, for whatever reason. The preserving of this founding principle is tantamount to protecting the minority from the tyranny of the majority.

I am puzzled by the fact that Christian conservatives, or Christian fundamentalists, seem so threatened by the gay and lesbian communities. What is so fragile in their own relationships with their Creator or God, or in their own relationships with their opposite sexed spouses, that they feel compelled to deny to others the same rights and benefits that a marriage compact between two people affords, and that they themselves enjoy? Isn’t that starkly hypocritical, or do they simply consider themselves holier than the rest?

I am all for the uninhibited enjoyment and practice of everyone’s personal and/or religious beliefs, right up until the point that they feel the urge to impose those beliefs on others. Fortunately, freedom of religion is only equal to freedom from religion.

Please understand the issues regarding this amendment and vote “No.” If this amendment is passed, the sex police could come for you next.

Charlie Dasher

Highlands

To the Editor:

I am writing to clarify my position on the recent events that have occurred within the Med-West Health System. First, I want to begin by giving everyone some background information. The career and wonderful life that I have been blessed with began at Harris Regional Hospital. I grew up in this community observing and mentoring with the pillars of our medical community (you know who you are). They taught me about medicine but also about loving patients and families, building strong relationships in the community, and about leadership.

I spent countless afternoons in elementary and high school at Dr. Haddock’s office (where my mom worked) learning from him and watching his every move all the while becoming more convinced I wanted to be just like him one day. In order to gain further knowledge about the breadth of medicine, I did rotations at our hospital in high school. After high school, I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant on 2 North and 2 West. I worked with some of the best nurses and aides I have encountered in my career (many are still with us).

I remember spending hours studying for the MCAT (the test you must take to enter medical school). At that time, Dr. Wolf and Dr. Mahar were new in town. They would come by and offer helpful advice and guidance. The nurses and other staff members I worked with served as counselors, study partners, and, best of all, friends that provided much needed support at a time when the journey I had ahead of me seemed so daunting.

After I graduated from WCU, I spent seven years in training, hoping and praying for the day when I could come back home and join the medical staff at Harris Regional Hospital. During medical school, I did several rotations with Dr. Ramsey. I was fascinated by his knowledge and the love he had for his patients. I came to appreciate the breadth and complexity of family medicine therefore decided I wanted to become a family practice physician.

Finally, in August 2011, I got my chance to return home. Thanks to Dr. Adams’s determination, I joined the WNC Hospitalist Service. I was welcomed with open arms by the hospital staff and my colleagues in the hospital and outpatient practices. I was more excited than I had ever been in my life to work with these wonderful people, take care of the community I love and to be at home with my family and friends.

The past nine months have been filled with ups and downs, as you have recently heard. A couple of months ago, I found myself asking “Where do I go from here” and “What do I do with the information I have been given.”

Ultimately, I decided I am not going anywhere. I love my job and the people I work with. I love taking care of the members of this community and don’t want to be anywhere else on earth. I have chosen to stay and support our hospital. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I hope we are able to build this hospital back to what it once was. I hope that the community understands and believes that we can take better care of their needs than any other hospital because we have a vested interest in them as a person and community member.

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but what I do know is that I am going to work my very hardest to be as knowledgeable as possible, to take care of every patient to the best of my abilities and treat everyone here, both patients and fellow staff, as family because that is what they are. We have an excellent medical staff, hospital staff and administration, and if we all work together for the common goal of making this hospital better, I honestly believe that we will be successful.

Laci Jamison, MD

WNC Hospitalist Service

To the Editor:

Considering the tremendous harm that alcohol continues to cause our society, the churches of the Tuckaseigee Baptist Association would like to make known their complete and total opposition to the May referendum allowing alcohol sales throughout Jackson County.

In the Bible, we are warned that alcohol is deceitful (Proverbs 20:1), clouds judgment (Proverbs 31:4, 5), and causes shameful behavior (Habakkuk 2:15, 16). In 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, Paul tells us, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

Therefore it is our hope and prayer that this referendum be defeated and the sale of alcoholic beverages not spread any further in Jackson County.

The churches of the Tuckasiegee Baptist Association:

Buff Creek Baptist, Calvary Baptist, Cashiers Baptist, Cullowhee Valley Baptist, Dicks Creek Baptist, East Fork Baptist, Faith Baptist, Greens Creek Baptist, Hamburg Baptist, Hyatts Chapel Baptist, Jarrett Memorial Baptist, La Primera Iglesia Bautista de Amor, Little Savannah Baptist, Locust Field Baptist, Long Branch Baptist, Lovedale Baptist, Moses Creek Baptist, Mt. Pleasant Baptist, New Hope Baptist, New Savannah Baptist, Ochre Hill Baptist, Old Savannah Baptist, Pine Creek Baptist, Promised Land Baptist, Rockdale Baptist, Scotts Creek Baptist, Sols Creek Baptist, Speedwell Baptist, Unity Baptist, and Wilkesdale Baptist.

To the Editor:

Amendment One sounds innocent enough. The wording is very precise and is carefully phrased to make approval seem to be a good thing. A lot of good people will vote for it for that reason. It accomplishes nothing, as far as gay marriage is concerned; that is already illegal in North Carolina. However, there are many bad repercussions in passing the amendment, and I’ve got to believe the NC General Assembly was unaware of these problems when they passed it. Because otherwise I would have to believe it was political pandering of the worst kind that brought this to a vote, and that couldn’t happen in Raleigh, right?

In Ohio where a similar measure was passed, there are cases where women seeking shelter from a physically abusive relationship have been turned away, sent straight back home to take more punishment because the amendment says “Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State,” which was interpreted by law enforcement and courts as meaning “no domestic union, therefore no restraining order, no emergency funds, no shelter.” In other words, if your daughter were living with her boyfriend, and he beat her, the police would have no recourse to protect her. Is this what you want?

This measure will drive potential businesses away. In a statement made against the amendment, Sen. Kay Hagan said, “North Carolina is one of the most business-friendly states in the nation, and this amendment would harm our state’s ability to recruit the innovators and businesses that are driving our economic recovery.” Is this what you want?

Many old folk live together out-of-wedlock due to the economic reality that marriage would hurt them financially. If the amendment passes, they could be barred from visiting one another in the hospital, making decisions when their partner is incapacitated, picking up prescriptions, and all the other benefits of a stable relationship. Is this what you want?

Amendment One is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution, and this will guarantee a long and expensive court battle in the future. Restricting one group’s rights in favor of another would seem to be the kind of thing conservatives and liberals both would oppose. Millions of your tax dollars will be spent defending this bad law in court. Is that what you want?

The unvarnished truth is that this measure is a blatant ploy by politicians seeking to out-family-values the other party and energize their base for the upcoming elections. The measure will accomplish good for no one and ill for many. Haven’t we had enough of bad politics and bad politicians? Is this what you want?

Russell Breedlove

Bryson City

Registration is under way for the inaugural Bob Buckner Endowment Golf Tournament, an event to help raise financial support for a newly created fund in honor of the recently retired longtime director of Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band.

The tournament will be held Friday, June 8, at Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville. The entry fee for the four-person, captain’s-choice format event is $100 per player. Cost includes golf, breakfast, buffet lunch, two mulligans and a gift bag.

Prizes will be awarded for first- through third-place teams, and the winning team will receive a traveling trophy to keep for the year.

The endowment will be used to provide the Pride of the Mountains with funds to help with program support and scholarships for student musicians.

Buckner, a 1967 graduate of Western Carolina, became director of WCU’s marching band in 1991, helping grow membership in the marching musical ensemble now known as the Pride of the Mountains from fewer than 90 to nearly 400.

To register for the tournament, visit the website prideofthemountains.com and click on the Buckner Endowment Golf Tournament link.

Kids can learn more about LEGO building projects from 9:15-11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 12, at Western Carolina University.

The LEGO Clubs at Cullowhee Valley and Fairview Schools are holding this free community event for children from kindergarten through eighth grade to learn more about LEGO education.

Parents are asked to stay for the entire session.

legosummitwcu.eventbrite.com

A program titled “Two Sides of the Leadership Coin, a Male and Female Perspective” will be held from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. on May 15 at the Gateway Club in Waynesville, sponsored by the Greater Haywood County Chamber of Commerce as part of its Women in Business luncheon series.

Panelists will include: Scott McLeod, publisher of The Smoky Mountain News; David Belcher, chancellor of Western Carolina University; Jack Ewing, CEO of Lake Junaluska; and Rose Johnson, president of Haywood Community College.

Cost is $25 for chamber members and $30 for non-members.

Ben Steere will discuss Cherokee pre-history and archaeology at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library.

Steere is the principal investigator for the Western North Carolina Mounds and Towns Project, which is a collaborative effort by the Coweeta Long Term Ecological Research Program at the University of Georgia, the Tribal Historic Preservation Office of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and the Duke Energy Foundation.

Western North Carolina has been continuously occupied for at least 10,000 years and once contained many prehistoric Indian mounds and historic Cherokee town sites. Many of these sites have been damaged by development, and their locations have been lost or forgotten. The goal of the project is to locate these archaeological sites for the purposes of preservation, research, and public outreach.

Steere’s presentation will focus on the archaeology of WNC and specifically how Jackson County fits in to a story of change and continuity in human settlement.

828.586.2016.

Haywood County leads the state in electronics recycling, based on a new survey released in March by the N.C. Department of Environmental and Natural Resources.

The survey, which was presented during the recent Carolina Recycling Association annual conference, indicated that Haywood County recycled 279 tons of electronics in fiscal year 2010-11, for a per capita recovery average of 8.37 pounds per person. The next closest local government was Kill Devil Hills, at 7.67 pounds per person. Macon County ranked fourth with 5.95 pounds per person.

Haywood County Solid Waste began collecting household electronics, such as computers, televisions and other devices for recycling at the Materials Recovery Facility in Clyde in May 2007, well ahead of a state law that banned these items from landfills that Solid Waste Director Stephen King credited to the leadership of the commissioners, and the efforts of the solid waste staff for making Haywood County’s electronics recycling program a success.

In another survey recently released by NCDENR, Haywood County increased its overall recycling tonnage from 180.3 tons per person in fiscal year 2009-10 to 182.15 in fiscal year 2010-11, which ranks as the 14th highest per capita rate in the state.

828.627.8042.

A public workshop on a proposed truck turn-around and information station on U.S. 64 in Franklin will be held from 4-7 p.m. at the Franklin Town Hall boardroom.

The turn-around and station would be located between U.S. 23/441 in Franklin and N.C. 106 in Highlands. The transportation department is proposing the project be specifically be built between Rogers Road and Hiland Park Lane east of Franklin on the south side of U.S. 64/N.C. 28.

This will be an informal, open house-style meeting. The goal is to provide a place where truckers can obtain alternate route information and safely turn around along the U.S. 64/N.C. 28 corridor between Franklin and Highlands. Although large trucks are currently prohibited on this segment of U.S. 64/N.C. 28 in Macon County, some continue to use the road anyway despite warning signs.

The project schedule calls for right-of-way acquisition to begin in November 2013 and for the project contract to be let in July 2014. These dates are tentative and subject to change.  

919.707.6012 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

A sports physical clinic for school athletic programs will be held from 4:30-7 p.m. Friday, May 11, at the Macon County Public Health Center.

The clinics are open to rising seventh grade to 12th grade students who plan to participate in school athletics this school year. There is a $15 charge. A parent or guardian must attend with the student. Sports physical packets can be picked up from the front office of Franklin High School or Macon Middle School.

Appointments are required.

828.371.8933.

A retracing of the northern route of the Trail of Tears will be held May 18-26 in a collaboration of the Eastern Band and the United Keetoowah Band and Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma.

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will travel to Oklahoma to join with the United Keetowah Band and the Cherokee Nation in a coming together to celebrate a communal healing time. Eastern Band members will stop at significant locations along the way where the Cherokees camped, and thousands died, to offer up prayers and healing ceremonies.

A homecoming will be held Friday, May 25, at the Kituwah Mound near Cherokee. On Saturday, May 26, there will be a Universal Gathering on the sacred grounds of Kituwah to honor and celebrate the Cherokees who undertook the Journey to Forgiveness and Healing.

www.cherokeehealing.com or 828.631.3903.

The state has not recommended any changes be made to how Mission hospital does business under its Certificate of Public Advantage, or anti-trust regulations that govern this regional healthcare leader.

The regulations date to Mission’s merger with St. Joseph’s 15 years ago.

“This was music to our ears,” said Ronald A. Paulus, Mission Health’s president and CEO. “The committee acknowledged the complicated and important nature of the COPA and noted that it warranted further study.”

Mission noted that more than 10,100 letters had been sent electronically as part of a letter-writing campaign on the issue to political leaders.

The library in Bryson City will show Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel at 3:30 p.m., May 8.

The movies are a free weekly program. Popcorn will be served in the library auditorium starting at 3:20 p.m. The library will also be giving away one free movie check out voucher to each patron who attends the movie.

The next community music jam at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City will be from 6-7 p.m., May 3, in the library auditorium or, weather permitting, on the library’s front lawn.

The community jams offer a chance for musicians of all ages and levels of ability to share music they have learned over the years and to learn old-time mountain songs. Anyone with an acoustic instrument is invited to join. Singers are also welcome. 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 music jams are offered to the public the first and third Thursday of each month.

828.488.3030.

Nine-time Grammy award-winning singer and songwriter Natalie Cole will take the stage at 9 p.m., May 25, at Harrah’s Cherokee Hotel and Casino.

Cole rocketed to stardom in 1975 with her debut album “Inseparable,” earning her a #1 single, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” and two Grammy awards for Best New Artist. More hit singles followed, including 1976’s “Sophisticated Lady (She’s A Different Lady),” 1977’s “I’ve Got Love on My Mind,” 1978’s “Our Love” and 1980’s “Someone That I Used to Love.” In 1987, she released “Dangerous,” which sold over two million copies in the U.S. and garnered her three hit singles: “Jump Start,” “I Live For Your Love” and a remake of Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac.”

Tickets are already on sale.

800.745.3000 or www.ticketmaster.com.

Women of Waynesville will host a Mom’s Music Festival this Sunday afternoon.

The festival will take place from noon to 6 p.m. in the backyard of the Herren House, located at 94 East St. in Waynesville. Moms and children under age 10 get in for free. Admission for dads and kids age 10 years and up is $5.

The event will feature local bands such as The Lorraine Conard Band, David Turner, Josh Pierce and Todd Dionne from 105.9 The Mountain. There will be a special section just for kids with clowns, face painting, fire trucks and lots of fun things to do for them. Women of Waynesville will be hosting a bake off sale as well as a 50/50 raffle.

The festival will also have a variety of local vendors selling jewelry, pottery, homemade soaps, sweet, books and more.

The money raised at this event will go to support Haywood Counties KARE House, which is dedicated to preventing child abuse and advocating for children who have been physically or sexually abused.

Women of Waynesville is a fund raising organization that was established earlier this year with the mission of providing an outlet for women in the community to join forces with one purpose and with the collective passion of supporting the needs of Waynesville.

The Stecoah Artisans Guild will host an exposition and fund-raising dinner at 5 p.m. on May 8 at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center.

The event will showcase local handcrafts and how people can show financial support that can translate to growth in the local creative economy. People can also receive information on joining the guild. Annual membership dues are $20 and will support the guild’s efforts to market and promote the far western counties as a shopping destination for quality locally made fine art and handcrafted goods.

RSVP by May 4.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.498.2452.