Haywood beautification events announced

Three volunteer groups will be spreading across Haywood County to remove trash from several streams and roads on Saturday, July 19.

Clean-up crews like these have been helping to keep Haywood County roads and streams clean for years. As an example, the Big Sweep program has been around for 12 years, and in that time more than 700 volunteers have removed 51,800 pounds of debris from 47 miles of Haywood County streams.

The following groups are sponsoring the clean-ups:

The Waynesville Fly Shop and Haywood Waterways Association will be removing trash alongside N.C. 215 upstream of Lake Logan, as well as the section of the West Fork of the Pigeon River that parallels the road. The group will meet at 9 a.m. at the Lake Logan Field at the Lake Logan Episcopal Center on N.C. 215, 12 miles south of Canton and 6.4 miles south of Bethel. The fly shop has adopted that section of road and assumed responsibility for keeping it clean. For more information contact Matt Rosenthal from the shop at 828.246.0306, WFSbrookies@aol.com or Eric Romaniszyn with Haywood Waterways at 828.631.2823, romaniszyne@yahoo.com. The Vine of the Mountains Church and Haywood Waterways Association will be removing trash from Richland Creek at Frog Level and other waterways within Waynesville. The group will meet at 9 a.m. at the Vine church, which is located in Frog Level in the brick building with Cornerstone Printing. For more information contact Ryan Buchanan with Vine of the Mountains Church at 828.734.3491, ryan@thevine.cc or Eric Romaniszyn.

The Commission for a Clean County, Haywood’s well know environmental group which does regular clean-ups all year, will be removing trash from roadways in Canton. The group will meet at 9 a.m. in the parking lot of the Canton Town Hall. Interested citizens need to contact Joanna Swanson at 828.452.1550 by July 17.

If you are interested in volunteering for any of the stream and road clean-ups, contact the project coordinators. Plan to bring a hat, sunscreen, and lunch. No lunch is needed to work with the Commission for a Clean County, as the entire clean-up will be no more than two hours. Plan on getting dirty and wet so make sure to wear old clothes and a good pair of sturdy leather gloves to help protect your hands. Snacks, water, safety vests, trash bags, and some rubber gloves will be provided. The groups will meet in a drizzle, but cancel for severe rain or any lightning in the area.

Jackson Farm Tour set for July 12 and 13

The second annual Jackson County Farm Tour and Garden Walk will take place on July 12 and 13 between the hours of 1 and 5 p.m. Fourteen farms and gardens will be open for the public to visit on a self-guided tour put on by the Jackson County Farmers Market.

Brochures that show the location of each host farm, with directions and a description of the farm, are available at the Farmers Market on Saturday morning and at the shops that are sponsoring the event — Annie’s Naturally, Bryson Farm Supply, the Chamber of Commerce, City Lights, Green Energy Park, Guadalupe Cafe, Mad Batter Bakery, Spring Street Cafe, Soul Infusion, and the Underground.

The tour is a fund raising event for the Farmers Market. Admission for one car at one farm is $5. Or one car full of people can visit all eight farms that are open on Saturday, or the 10 farms on Sunday for $20. A pass for both Saturday and Sunday is available for $30. Passes can be purchased at the Farmers Market or at any site on the days of the tour.

“We definitely encourage carpooling,” said Ron Arps, the tour organizer. “We want lots of people to see our farms and gardens and do it it in a way that conserves energy too.” Farms that are close together will be open on the same day so visitors will not need to drive a long distance to visit several sites.

For information call 828.586.5478

HRMC honors veterans

The Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospital Auxiliary will host a “Proud To Be An American” celebration at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 13, at the main entrance of the Medical Center.

This celebration culminates a month-long exhibit in the lobby of the hospital in honor or memory of men and women who are serving or have served in the military forces. The program will feature special music, a reading of the list of honorees and guest speaker retired Brigadier Gen. William Thomas Meredith of the U.S. Air Force.

After retiring Gen. Meredith was involved in major construction projects and is recognized as one of the most experienced and imminent authorities in the Project Management and Control on Engineering Construction activities. He has received numerous accolades and awards.

The public is invited to this memorial program. Light refreshments will be served.

Grants available from Blue Ridge National Heritage Area

The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area is taking applications for its 2008 Heritage Grants Program, which will provide and leverage funding for innovative projects that preserve and promote the heritage of Western North Carolina.

Grants will be targeted toward preservation, interpretation, and marketing projects which focus on the region’s agricultural, Cherokee, craft, music, and natural heritage — the core interpretive themes of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.

This year’s grant cycle will also continue to focus on projects identified by volunteer Heritage Councils on the Qualla Boundary and in each of the 25 counties that comprise the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area region.

“Local community planning is at the heart of our grants program,” says BRNHA Executive Director Penn Dameron. “We’d like to see some of these plans become a reality, especially those that will have a regional or multi-county impact.”

“Our region’s heritage is nationally significant,” says John Cooper, BRNHA Board Chair. “Preserving and promoting this heritage will help revitalize our towns and communities.”

The total pool of funding for the 2008 grant cycle is $350,000. Grant awards will range between $1,000 and $35,000. Applicants must provide at least an equal match. Nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and units of state, local, and federally-recognized tribal governments are eligible to apply. Projects must be located in the 25-county region of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area or the Qualla Boundary. Funds for the BRNHA grants program are provided by the federal government through the National Park Service.

The deadline for grant applications is Oct. 1. Complete information on the 2008 Heritage Grants Program can be found at www.blueridgeheritage.com.

Friends’ annual meeting is set for July 12

The annual meeting of the Friends of the Jackson County Main Library will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 12, at the Jarrett House in Dillsboro.

During the meeting the group will elect officers for the next two years, review and vote on changes in the organization’s by-laws and receive an update on the new Jackson County Public Library Complex. Those who are not members of the Friends may come to the meeting and join on that day.

The Friends of the Jackson County Main Library is an all volunteer organization whose purpose is to promote literacy and reading through support for the Jackson County Public Library. The Friends operate a used bookstore on Main Street in Sylva. The profits from the bookstore, along with membership dues and other contributions, are used to benefit the library through purchases of needed items.

The Friends help fund the Reading Rover program yearly, have remodeled the children’s area, and have purchased internet computers with computer stations, an array of CD’s and DVD’s, media shelving and many other items.

In addition to giving funds to the current Jackson County Public Library, the Friends have been contributing to the New Library Fund. The Friends is also the fiscal agent for the fundraising campaign for the new Jackson County Public Library Complex.

Sarge’s lowers adoption fees on cats for July

Several very virile tom cats visited Haywood County this winter and now are refusing to pay child support.

The result: A lot of kittens with no place to call home.

For the month of July only, all Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation foster cats and kittens can be adopted for $25. The fee includes spay/neuter, rabies shot, feline leukemia test, de-worming and, where appropriate, kitten shots.

Normal adoption fees are from $50 to $87.50 depending on whether the cat is male or female. Sarge’s has to pay about $100 for the surgery and immunizations but tries to make the adoption fee affordable for everyone.

The feline of your choice can be found on line at www.petfinder.com or at www.sargeandfriends.org, in the Pet of the Week photo found in all the local newspapers, the “Pets Available” posters located in the windows of local businesses and the July 19 adoption das at the WNC Visitors Center at 262 Depot Street in Waynesville.

For more information call 828.508.3300 or email info@sargeandfriends.org.

Contributions vital to free dental clinic

The Free Dental Clinic, sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mountains Health Project, has set July 20 as Dental Sunday for churches in the Western Carolinas. About 20 churches have been participating in the Dental Sunday effort, collecting about $25,000 in 2007. The funds are used to help pay the clinic’s operating expenses, which exceed $140,000 per year. Each of the supporting churches is honored on the Chain of Hope hanging in the clinic reception area.

The Free Dental Clinic is located on the second floor of the Laurel Plaza in Cashiers on U.S. 64 just east of the intersection. This clinic opened in April 2005, and in 2007 our dentists and staff handled 1,109 patient visits involving 4,100 procedures. The value of these services was approximately $554,000. In 2007, 87 percent of its patients were traditional residents of the Western Carolina region, and 13 percent were Hispanics.

All churches are encouraged to be a part of this service. Envelopes are available to hand out to the congregations on Sunday, July 20. Call 828.743.3393 for information.

Haywood rolls out bicentennial t-shirt

Celebrate summer and Haywood County’s 200th birthday in a personal way by purchasing and wearing a limited edition Bicentennial T-shirt. Designed to commemorate Haywood County’s 200-year history, the official Bicentennial T-shirt is wearable art.

The Bicentennial T-shirt project was organized by Haywood Community Connections in cooperation with Commissioner Mary Ann Enloe, Chair of the Bicentennial celebration.

All proceeds from T-shirt sales go directly to Haywood Community Connections to address the needs of senior adults in Haywood County.

Bicentennial T-shirts can be purchased at festivals throughout the summer and fall or at the following: Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, 591 N. Main Street, Waynesville, 828.456.3021; the WNC Visitors’ Center in Frog Level, 262 Depot Street, Waynesville, 828.452.3545; Osondu Booksellers, 184 N. Main Street, Waynesville, 828.456.8062; Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce, 2961 Soco Road, 828.926.1686; Joey’s Pancake House, 4309 Soco Road, Maggie Valley, 828.926.0212; Ferguson’s Supply, 111571 Betsy’s Gap Road, Fines Creek 828.627.0640; or at Haywood Community Connections, Haywood County Office Building, 81 Elmwood Way, 1 mile north of K-mart, 828.452.2370.

T-shirts sell for $16.