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Artist, writer and speaker Doreyl Ammons Cain will do a demonstration and presentation on the four-step process of creating a historical mural, at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. 

Cain is currently creating a historical mural for Jackson County. She will describe her materials, resources, working process and final placement of the mural.  She’ll have images of her murals available for viewing and will demonstrate some of her painting techniques. Her four-step process includes rough concept sketches based on research, transfer of art sketches using the grid method, the painting of the mural using high-quality mural paint that resists fading, and the protection and placement of the mural.  

Cain cofounded Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to honoring the heritage and creativity of all people (www.spiritofappalachia.org). In 2010, she received a commission from the Jackson County Library Complex to paint a mural based on the heritage of the area during the time the Courthouse was built. Her concept was “Cakewalks.” The mural took a year to complete and is now on permanent display on the first floor of the Jackson County Library. 

The presentation is sponsored by Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools. Free.

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

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art copperpotThe editors of Food & Wine magazine honored Waynesville’s Copper Pot & Wooden Spoon in the September issue. The artisan food company received an Editors’ Top Ten list nod for its Roasted Red Pepper & Peach Jam.

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art labordayLabor Day LakeAlooza at Fontana Village

The 4th annual Labor Day Weekend LakeAlooza celebration will be Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, at Fontana Village Resort, with an array of family activities, live entertainment, food and fireworks.

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art hankjrLegendary outlaw country singer Hank Williams Jr. will play at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

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The 43rd annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival will be Aug. 30-31 at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.

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art belchersWestern Carolina University’s first couple will team up with other WCU performers, including recent Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Terrence Mann, for “Belchers and Friends,” an evening of music and dance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU.

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Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park raised more than $200,000 through its “Friends Across the Mountains” telethon this year, thanks to hundreds of callers and help from sponsors.

The money will fund more than $1 million of park improvements this year, to protect black bears, heal hemlock trees, and preserve historic log cabins and churches from Cades Cove to Cataloochee Valley.

Since 1995, Friends of the Smokies telethons have raised more than $2.9 million.

During the broadcast, Sugarland Cellars owner Don Collier presented a $20,000 check to the organization. Other sponsors include Dollywood, Mast General Store, Pilot Corporation and SmartBank. 

“The generous response to this year’s ‘Friends Across the Mountains’ telethon is a continuing testimony to the love that people have for the Smokies and how very important it is to our region,” says Friends of the Smokies President Jim Hart.

Telethon donations can still be made online at www.friendsofthesmokies.org.

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has found its next deputy superintendent in Patricia M. Wissinger. She replaces Kevin Fitzgerald, who retired earlier this year. Wissinger currently is the superintendent of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Atlanta, one of the busiest recreation areas in the United States. She is scheduled to start her new assignment in mid-September.

She is a North Carolina native and holds a master’s degree from Western Carolina University. She began her career with the National Park Service in 1980 as a seasonal campground ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway and moved up the ranks from there.  She has served in management positions on the parkway, at Shenandoah National Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

Wissinger has experience in major museum design and construction, land acquisition planning, view shed management, road and bridge projects, exhibit design, educational outreach, and managing visitor services.

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“Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” is an exhibition that displays Cherokee language, culture and history through images, text and sound recordings.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 19 in the Balsam Building Lobby on the campus of Southwestern Community College in Sylva. Also, the exhibit team will solicit community input from noon until 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22.

Slated to travel to ten sites in the region, the exhibit places cultural interpretation in locations frequented by the public. Using recordings made by Native speakers, the exhibit focuses on Cherokee language and culture and is sponsored by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is also done in partnership with Cherokee Central Schools, SCC, and the Cherokee Center and Cherokee Language Program at Western Carolina University.  

Fall showings include Western Carolina University, Health and Human Services Building on the Millennial Campus, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville and the Cherokee Central Schools Cultural Arts Center in Cherokee.

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out itsagoatThe Haywood County Fair will feature a newly expanded zoo this year.

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out studentsTuscola senior Allie Dinwiddie won a $500 scholarship and $100 cash for making the top score on an exam during the Resource Conservation Workshop in Wake County. Dinwiddie and Maggie Rogers, also a Tuscola senior, recently joined 91 high school students from across the state at the workshop.

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out firetowersNorth Carolina’s lookout towers once stood watch over our mountain forests. Now, they run the risk of becoming forgotten monuments to the value of our wild lands.

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out fallcolorOne of the wettest summers in Western North Carolina may mean less colorful fall foliage this year, unless autumn brings vastly drier conditions, predicts Kathy Mathews, Western Carolina University’s fall foliage forecaster.

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Photographer Dr. Rick Cary will have a reception for his exhibit “Credo: Documentary Photographs of Signs Following Believers” from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, in the Star Atrium at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum. An artist talk will be at 5 p.m. in room BAC 130.

Cary practices what he terms “photo-ethnography.” His work as a documentary photographer is rooted in his academic training in both photography and in the psychology of art. He presents the exhibition Credo after 12 years of research with the Rev. Jimmy Morrow at the Church of God in Jesus’ Name Only in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. 

Cary is a professor of art and chairman of the Division of Professional Programs at Mars Hill College. 

Free. www.wcu.edu.

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In order to introduce area residents to the potential of a voice acting career path, Voice Coaches presents “Getting Paid to Talk,” an introduction to the world of voiceovers, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at Southwestern Community College’s Macon Campus in Franklin.

Attendees will learn the basics of getting started, working in the studio, effective demo production methods, and industry pros and cons. They’ll also get insight on where to look for employment opportunities in and around the community as well as tips on how to land a job. Attendees will also have the opportunity to record a mock commercial under the direction of a Voice Coaches producer.

Class is $35 per person. Registration at least a week in advance is required. Enrollment is limited to 25. 

828.339.4426.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21

5:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Open to the Public

6:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies Followed ByApple Orchard Community Concert Apple Orchard

6:00 p.m. Animal Viewing Zoo

 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22

9:00 a.m.-10:00p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Senior Citizens DayApple Orchard

10:00 a.m.-noon Children’s Day Care Day-Head Start

5:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

5:00 p.m. Variety ShowApple Orchard

6:00 p.m. Firemen’s CompetitionGreat Smokies Arena

7:00 p.m. BingoApple Orchard

 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23

9:00 a.m.-10:00p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. School Day for 4th Graders

4:00 p.m. Fish Fry-$10.00 per person, kids under 8 freeApple Orchard

5:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

5:00 p.m. New Generation JamboreeApple Orchard

5:30 p.m. Special Persons Livestock ShowBurley Livestock Barn

6:00 p.m. HCC Timber Sports TeamGreat Smokies Arena

6:30 p.m. Sheep ShowBurley Livestock Barn

 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

APPLE ORCHARD EVENT CENTER

10:00 a.m. Spelling Bee

1:00 p.m. Pumpkin Decorating Contest

1:00 p.m. Natural Beauty Pageant

1:00 p.m. Cornhole Game

2:00 p.m. Ice Cream Eating Contest

3:00 p.m. Haywood County FFA BBQ

3:00 p.m. Youth Talent Show

5:00 p.m. Heritage Hoedown

DOGWOOD EVENT CENTER

10:15 a.m. Cake Entries

11:00 a.m. Cake Judging and Cake Walk

GREAT SMOKIES ARENA

8:30 a.m. Horse Show Registration

9:00 a.m. Horse Show

12:00 p.m. Horse Pull Registration

12:30 p.m. Horse Pull & Horse Drawn Equipment Show

3:00 p.m. “Fun Day With Fido” Kids Dog Show (Registration Begins at 2:00 p.m.)

BURLEY LIVESTOCK BARN

9:00 a.m. Goat Show

11:00 a.m. Feeder Calves Pen-of-Three

12:00 p.m. Beef Show Conclusion of Beef Show-Costume Class

4:00 p.m. Dairy Show

RICHLAND CREEK MEADOW

9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25

11:00 a.m. Cowboy Church                         

1:00 p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

1:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

1:00 p.m. Truck PullGreat Smokies Arena

1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Horseshoes (1st and 2nd Prizes)Great Smokies Arena

1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Smoky Mountain Jubilee Apple Orchard emceed by Joe Sam Queen

2:00 p.m. Swine ShowBurley Livestock Barn

 

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Tuesday-Sunday-Farm Animal Exhibit (Burley Livestock Barn)

Mechanical Bull

SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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art displayThe Cherokee exhibit “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” is on display through Sept. 19 in the Balsam Building Lobby at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. A community input session will be held from noon until 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug 22, at SCC.

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art beerfestThe inaugural Waynesville Craft Beer Festival will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the American Legion baseball field in Waynesville.

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art halyburtonLocal jazz guitarist Chad Hallyburton will present a musical program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 27, at the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva.

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To the Editor: 

Since the radical cabal of Republican reactionaries has taken control of our state government, much has been reported about the Republican “War on Cities,” with the theft of Asheville’s airport and water systems and Charlotte’s airport. But now they have expanded this to the “War on Rural Areas,” with the defunding of the Rural Center and, specifically, a “War on WNC” with the defunding of AdvantageWest. They also started a “War on Local Governments,” redrawing district lines for Buncombe County commissioners and the school boards of several counties.

And just to make sure that we all respect their power and arrogance, they have declared “War on the Middle Class” with new taxation and budget policies. According to NC Policy Watch, taxes will increase for the 80 percent of us with lower incomes to finance tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.  

There is also a “War on Voters.” Look forward to long lines come future election days. Voting will take much longer as early voting time is reduced, judges must check IDs, voters must mark their preferred candidate in each race because of the elimination of straight party voting, and vigilantes challenging voters will be allowed to cause trouble at the polls.  

If you don’t get there early, you may not even get to vote since county elections boards may no longer keep the polls open an extra hour to accommodate voters standing in line when the polls close. As reported in your Aug. 14 issue, the “War on Taxpayers” of Haywood and Jackson counties will require these counties (plus 29 others) to pony up $1 million in Haywood and half that in Jackson to replace touch-screen voting machines with paper ballots, even though the touch-screen machines have a paper trail. Wonder who will get campaign contributions from the companies supplying scanners and paper ballots?

There’s also a “War on the Unemployed” with a law to reduce the benefits and eligibility for unemployment assistance and a “War on the Poor” with the refusal to provide federally funded Medicaid for 500,000 poor North Carolina families. Associated with the “War on the Poor” is the “War on Hospitals,” which requires hospitals to keep eating the cost of indigent care for these 500,000 families. The “War on the Poor” also phases out the Earned Income Tax Credit, impacting 970,000 low-wage workers, including 67,000 military families.

They have also declared a “War on Teachers and Public Education,” cutting more than $100,000 from what the state budget office said was needed to keep the schools running at last year’s levels. Teachers yet again will see no pay raise, and tenure and incentive pay for teachers earning a master’s degree will be eliminated. The “War on Young Children” reduces the number of children from low-income families who are eligible for subsidized pre-K programs. There is also a “War on College Students” with funding cuts to the state university system. In addition, the Republican-run Board of Elections of Watauga County eliminated the early voting site at App State University and combined three Boone precincts into one with 9,340 registered voters and 35 parking spaces. The Board in Pasquotank County is also challenging the residency of students at Elizabeth City State University.

They have also declared “War on Clean Water” with legislation gutting landfill regulations, threatening our groundwater with contamination. And with Rep. Michelle Presnell’s bill for a state religion, they have declared “War on the Constitution.”

Who are the Republican allies in all these wars? The wealthiest 1 percent and large corporations which finance their re-elections.

If you are a casualty of any of these wars, all is not lost. We can vote them out in 2014. Sure it will be difficult because of the gerrymandering and their unlimited supply of dark money, but not impossible. They may have the money, but we can get the votes.

Carole Larivee

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

All I want is an honest election. Is that too much to ask?

Why are some Democrats, like Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., so opposed to an attempt to have honest elections? OK, the answer is obvious, but who do they think buys that drivel? OK, the answer is also obvious.

Being guaranteed the right to vote does not mean you are guaranteed to be coddled, carried and pampered without exerting an iota of effort or personal responsibility on your part to vote. It also does not mean you get to vote if you’re dead, or vote twice or more in different precincts, or vote for your sister, aunt, cousin, or comatose nursing patient. 

It also does not mean you can walk across the state line or be bussed in and register to vote on Election Day, giving the address of a local motel. All of these things have been done in recent elections. I’m betting Democrats would have a hard time actually coming up with any individuals who are “minorities, seniors, students, the disabled, and low and middle incomes citizens” who do not have an ID or who can’t easily get one.

Larry Wright

Maggie Valley

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To the Editor:

It’s time to speak the truth about the gains for North Carolina citizens made by the state legislature in its 2013 session just completed. Here is a summary of some of the bills passed. You will find that fiscal responsibility, parental and citizen choice, economic and job recovery and freedom from excessive regulation are the threads that weave through this 2013 legislation. Slanted news reports and editorials have neglected to report the advantages these new laws bring to N.C. citizens. Here are a few example of how the Republican legislature chose to govern in favor of citizens.

Education: 2013-14 education appropriations increase $361 million over the previous year, with 38 percent being money for K-12 public schools; tenure reform allows local school districts to have the option of renewing contracts based on performance; teacher assistants are funded with $450.8 million, giving school districts the flexibility to fund additional assistants; scholarships, grants and vouchers totaling $13 million are provided for federal  free and reduced lunch programs, special needs students and can be used for public school students tuition and expenses for private school; $5.1 million dollars to attract, hire and train more teachers for high need districts.

Election process: VIVA, the Voter Information Verification Act, ensures all voters are treated the same when the votes are counted by requiring photo ID that is already necessary for everyone at banks, doctor’s offices, hospitals, for licenses, loans, check cashing etc.; that all voter registration must be completed at least 25 days prior to election day; that voters vote in their precinct of residence; that all voting systems must provide paper ballots, a back-up for vote checks; and increases donation limits to help candidates that do not fund their own campaigns.

Tax Reform: Personal income tax reduction to a flat rate of 5.75 percent by 2015; a greater standard reduction of $7,500 for singles and $15,000 for married filers; Social Security remains fully exempt;  repeal of the state estate tax; reduces the corporate income tax rate to 5 percent by 2015. The tax reform bill is expected greatly to increase investment and job opportunities.

Individual Rights: Protects the safety and health of women by requiring common sense and reasonable safety standards for abortion facilities; expanded places where citizens who have undergone required special training may carry a concealed weapon; enables Gov. McCrory’s office to make the Medicaid system more patient-oriented and fiscally responsible; places a cap on state “special indebtedness,” requiring voter approval to increase debt; regulatory reform requires that agencies review regulations every 10 years and that any not reviewed automatically expire. 

No doubt the spend, tax and regulate crowd … also known as liberals and Democrats … finds much to criticize when government seeks to control spending, restore individual rights and decrease the money grab from hard-working citizens. Fair-thinking voters will see that they made the correct choice in electing a majority Republican legislature.

Carol Adams

Glenville

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To the Editor:

I was pleased to see in my most recent issue of The Smoky Mountain News that Dr. Doug Gates has joined Sylva Orthopedics. I worked with Doug over many years of his training in surgery and in orthopedics. He is a good doctor and a fine gentleman.

William G. Sullivan, MD

Raleigh

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Southwestern Community College exceeded the North Carolina Community College System’s mean in seven of the eight measures used to gauge annual performance — one of only three community colleges statewide to rank that well in the state’s “Performance Measures for Student Success.”

“We’re extremely pleased, but not surprised, by the findings in this report,” said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC president. “The performance measures are evidence of just how dedicated and diligent our faculty and staff are.”

SCC is currently accepting applications for fall. www.southwesterncc.edu.

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Drake Software, a national leader in professional tax preparation software headquartered in Franklin, is expanding their call center in Hayesville and will hire about 50 new customer service representatives to man it.

A new 10,000-square-foot facility will be constructed in the Clay County Industrial/Technology Park and is expected to open in January 2014. The new building will be linked to the already established call centers in Franklin and Sylva and provide access to the same benefits and resources.

Customer service representatives for Drake Software provide technical assistance to users of the software programs Drake develops, including their award-wining tax and accounting software suites. Last year, customer service representatives were able to assist more than 37,000 tax preparers in a matter of seconds during tax season.

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Haywood Community College is strengthening ties to the community through industry training with the arrival of a new Industry Training Coordinator Doug Burchfield. After 19 years at Borg Warner, Burchfield understands the industrial workplace and will draw on this knowledge as a liaison to local businesses and industries to determine their employee training needs.

HCC’s customized training services for industries range from job profiling and pre-employment training and assessment to post-hire technical and critical soft skills training.

Customized training is offered to new, expanding and existing businesses and industries providing they meet the following criteria: job growth, technology investment and productivity enhancements. The training is funded by the state and free to qualified industries.

828.564.5128 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Ellen Walker has a passion for giving dolls new life and sending them on to their next home. For the past two and a half years, she’s put her that passion to work raising money for the Harris Regional Hospital Auxiliary through its thrift store.

Walker started buying dolls from the thrift shop when it first opened and was given a doll to refurbish. Since then, she’s fixed up more than 1,000 dolls to be sold in the hospital thrift store. The dolls usually cost between $2 and $5.

“It enriches your life to be doing something for somebody else and knowing what you’re doing makes someone happy and helps people on their way to wellness,” said Walker, a retired MedWest-Harris nurse.

The Harris Regional Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop is located on Skyland Drive and is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 828.631.8893.

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All lanes of Interstate 40 West in Haywood County have reopened following a rockslide that occurred Monday evening, Aug. 19.

Initial reports from county emergency workers claimed that all four lanes of Interstate 40 at Exit 7 (Harmon’s Den) in Haywood County were blocked by a rockslide around 7:45 p.m.

However, the picture quickly got brighter. Only one lane — the right lane of I-40 westbound — was covered by rock debris, according to a North Carolina Department of Transportation news release issued Monday night.

N.C. DOT crews worked overnight to clear the debris, and the road was completely reopened by Tuesday morning. In a DOT news release, department officials reminded motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.

For real-time travel information, call 511 or visit www.ncdot.gov/travel.

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A “Stand Up for Education” rally will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26, on the front lawn of the Haywood County historic courthouse.

The event will express appreciation for teachers, support for public education and dissatisfaction with recent legislation enacted by N.C. General Assembly that affects teacher pay and public education funding.

Featured speakers include N.C. Senate Minority leader Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe, who chairs the Senate Education Committee; N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville; and Haywood County Commissioner Bill Upton, a former school superintendent.

The Haywood County Democratic Party, Public Schools First N.C. and the N.C. Association of Educators are organizing the event, but all are welcome. Attendees are encouraged to make signs and wear red.

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Plants are most commonly harvested for their food or appreciated for their beauty, however many plants in the Southern Appalachians have important medicinal qualities.

 

Herbal expert Patricia Kyritsi Howell will give a lecture titled “The Southern Appalachians: Apothecary of North America” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, in the Highlands Nature Center.

Howell has been a student of herbal studies since she was a teenager and attended the California School of Herbal Studies. She has opened two schools of her own for herbal studies and published a book, Medical Plants of the Southern Appalachians, which stands as the foremost resource on regional native plant medicines.

The talk is part of the Zahner Conservation Lectures, a summer tradition in Highlands that brings experts in the field of science and conservation to give free talks. Howell’s presentation is dedicated to Joseph Gatins, the Highlands Biological Foundation Trustee who died last September of a heart attack while on vacation.  

www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

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Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is expanding the park’s high school science internship program with the help of a $25,000 grant.

The grant will fund science programs including internships for high school students from Swain, Graham and Haywood counties. It also will support a local teacher’s work with the interns, allowing the teacher to pick up instructional ideas to take back to the classroom.

The grant was awarded through the Ribbon of Hope program, which provides one-time awards of $25,000 to a variety of causes across the state. The program is administered by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. Since 2008, the foundation has awarded 84 such grants, in the areas of health, science and education.

“This grant allows students to get hands-on experience with real science projects in the Smokies, including a chance to work directly with scientists from inside and outside the park,” North Carolina Director Holly Demuth said. “This gives them a valuable lesson that can’t be learned in the classroom.”

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Moonshine tasting, auctions, hikes, talks, hunts, barbecue, dancing and star gazing are just a few of the activities planned for Great Smoky Mountains Association’s Membership Appreciation Weekend Sept. 13-15 in Townsend, Tenn.

The organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a party to honor its 19,000-strong members. GSMA supports the national park through funds raised primarily from sales of publications for the park and from its membership program.

Beginning Friday, Sept. 13, there will be a barbecue dinner, birthday cake, a cakewalk, moonshine samples and music by strings musicians Michael Searcy and Darrell Acuff. Sam Venable, storyteller, humorist and columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel, will close the evening.

Saturday, Sept. 14, features hikes, Civil War and black bear educational talks, mountain crafts activities, geocaching in the Townsend area, and a star gazing party in the evening. Children’s activities will be available throughout the day. Sunday’s activities include  a volunteers meeting, a bike ride around Townsend, a hike and a driving tour of Cades Cove.

The deadline to register is Aug. 31. Registration can be done online, by phone or email. New members are also welcome to join.

www.smokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102 x222 or x254.

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out lakepicFriends of Panthertown is hosting their annual picnic and concert this year Tuesday, Aug. 20, on Lake Fairfield at Camp Merrie-Woode in Sapphire Valley.

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out telethonFriends of the Smokies will host a telethon to benefit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

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out highlandsbotannicalResidents of Highlands established the Highlands Botanical Garden in 1962, to display the diverse array of Southern Appalachian plants. But the survival of the garden depends largely on a once-a-year fundraising event.

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out riverrescueIn September, Dillsboro will host the Western North Carolina River Rescue Rodeo, a whitewater rescue competition.

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“Drawings for Art” fundraiser is currently going on to benefit the Cullowhee Mountain ARTS. The drawings will take place during a reception and art talk at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, at the Fine & Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

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art playThe Highlands-Cashiers Players present the off-beat romantic comedy “Almost, Maine” Aug. 22-25 and Aug. 29-Sept. 1, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

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art maggiefestThe Maggie Valley Summer Rally will be Aug. 16-18 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

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Acclaimed bluegrass/gospel group Balsam Range will play a free concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Cowee School Celebration in Franklin.

Built in 1943 on the site of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, the school served thousands of students until it was closed as a school in 2012. Efforts are now underway to preserve and reuse the historic school as a community and heritage center. The dinner, prepared by chef Lindsey Kent of the Cottage, is sold out, but there is still plenty of space and parking left for the free performance. Food vendors will also be on-site.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.facebook.com/coweeschool.

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The Haywood County Fair will run Aug. 20-26, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds.

With an array of food and craft vendors, live entertainment, contest, farm animal exhibit and carnival rides, the beloved Western North Carolina pastime returns with gusto.

Feature events include the opening ceremony community concert (Aug. 21, 6 p.m.), variety show (Aug. 22, 5 p.m.), firefighters competition (Aug. 22, 6 p.m.), New Generation Jamboree (Aug. 23, 5 p.m.), HCC Timber Sports Team show (Aug. 23, 6 p.m.), Haywood County FFA BBQ (Aug. 24, 3 p.m.), Heritage Hoedown (Aug. 24, 5 p.m.), horse pull (Aug. 24, 12:30 p.m.), tractor pull (Aug. 24, 6 p.m.), horseshoe tournament (Aug. 25, 1:30 p.m.) and the Smoky Mountain Jubilee closing ceremonies with bluegrass group Balsam Range (Aug. 25, 2 p.m.)

The fair opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20 for acceptance of fair exhibits. The festivities officially open to the public at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Parking is $2.

www.haywoodcountyfairgrounds.org.

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art stecoahThe Jeff Little Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville. 

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art alainaAmerican Idol singer Lauren Alaina will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug 22, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

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To the Editor:

We won! The vibrant green bear Friends of the Smokies specialty license plate has been rescued from extinction. The North Carolina legislature in the 11th hour voted to preserve the full color specialty license plate program. 

A big Smokies bear hug thank you goes out to all the vocal citizens and legislators who spoke up on behalf of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. On this issue, our western legislators banded together and stepped up to the tough fight.  

Bear plates since their birth have raised $3.3 million for significant projects in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, like the new Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee. Those funds come in one license plate at a time with $20 going to the Smokies and $10 to state projects such as handicap accessibility at visitor centers.  

To the 20,000-plus owners of Friends of the Smokies license plates — thank you for your continued participation over the years. Congratulations. You get to keep your plate, exactly as it is.

The more the merrier — join celebration and purchase your own bear license plate at a plate office or www.friendsofthesmokies.org. 

Yes, we won. All of us: Full color plate owners. North Carolina causes. State coffers. Tourism development. Visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Our Smokies. And our bears.

Holly Demuth

North Carolina Director

Friends of the Smokies

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To the Editor:

Once again Jim Mueller, vice chair of the Jackson County Republican Party enlightens us with his Tea Party perspective on austerity and the path to economic recovery in North Carolina, citing the example of Detroit as a warning to those who borrow too much. Detroit’s crisis has more to do with deindustrialization: from 2000 to 2010, metro Detroit lost 52 percent of its manufacturing jobs. The federal government bailed out the Big Three automakers, but that did not stop the shuttering of factories or the offshoring of production.

Mr. Mueller would rather blame the victims of hard times. He offers us the same old “double down on trickle down:” more corporate tax breaks and a state budget that unfairly taxes the middle class more than the wealthier 5 percent. This is how you create jobs. We are asked to be patient and give Gov. McCrory’s economic plan time to show results.

I’m out of patience with the phony war on austerity. We see that the state needs to spend millions on problems that don’t exist: from drug testing applicants for public assistance to restoring confidence in our elections by passing a new omnibus bill that state legislators passed overhauling how elections are held in North Carolina. That bill, “An Act To Restore Confidence In Government By Establishing The Voter Information Verification Act To Promote The Electoral Process Through Education ...,” mandates the use of new voting machines that will produce a paper ballot.

In the case of Jackson County, the current voting machines already produce a traceable paper audit log. The cost of these new machines to Jackson County will be between a quarter and a half million dollars.
 Multiply this by 100 counties.

Detroit does provide some insight into our state’s problems. It’s had a share of flawed leadership. North Carolina is now seeing its share of failed leadership. I’ve seen enough.

Roger Turner

Sylva

Comment

To the Editor:

When sponsors can’t give a good reason for proposed legislation, it usually means there are bad ones. It’s not hard to perceive the bad ones behind House Bill 652, which would wreck the way North Carolina polices judicial integrity.

Presently, the Commission on Judicial Standards — comprised of judges, lawyers, and lay citizens — investigates complaints from the public, dismisses as unfounded all but a few of them, and goes thoroughly into the substantial ones. It can reprimand a judge on its own authority, or recommend that the Supreme Court impose suspension or even removal. If formal hearings are ordered, the commission’s proceedings are public.

These are rare events. Among 1,420 cases received over the past five years, there were 54 letters of caution, 13 public reprimands, 10 public hearings, and four recommendations for discipline filed.

But someone evidently wants these to be even rarer. HB 652 calls for all proceedings to remain secret unless and until a majority of what is now a politically polarized Supreme Court agrees to impose discipline on a judge. Worse, it would allow the justices to sit in judgment on their own colleagues — a duty now properly assigned to an independent panel of senior Court of Appeals judges.    

This lends itself to cover-ups and cronyism — exactly what one would want, perhaps, if one is a Supreme Court justice who fears being accused of favoring campaign contributors. It amounts to an engraved invitation to corrupt the courts.

The only explanation sponsors offered for HB 652 is that some of the justices wanted it. Chief Justice Sarah Parker made clear that she did not.

The possibility of campaign-related misconduct is much greater now that the General Assembly, in the massive voter suppression bill, has repealed public financing for judicial campaigns and increased to $5,000 from $1,000 the maximum contribution to a candidate for judge.

The secrecy in which the General Assembly — or should we say the General Assassins? — wants to envelop judicial misconduct reminds me of Florida’s situation in the mid-1970s. Two justices tried to fix cases for campaign supporters in lower courts. One of them was acting on behalf of a man appealing a bribery conviction, who had also bribed him. But Florida’s judicial discipline agency couldn’t agree on what to do about it, and for a long time no one else knew.

Two justices also let a lawyer lobby them out of court on a major case and accepted a secret draft opinion from him. When the chief justice heard of it, he ordered a cover-up. Thanks to courageous whistle-blowers and the press, the mess was eventually exposed and cleaned up. Two justices resigned, and the constitution was amended to open all disciplinary cases once probable cause is found to proceed with them.

Given the awesome powers judges have, their ethics must be impeccable, far more so than what is expected of legislators and other politicians. With House Bill 652, the General Assembly makes plain that it doesn’t much care whether judges are ethical. But the people care, and we will remember

 Martin A. Dyckman

Waynesville

Comment

St. John the Evanglist Church in Waynesville will host a special seminar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council.

Featured speakers include Rev. John Rausch, the director of the Catholic Committee of Appalachia; Rev. James Cahill, former priest of Our Lady of Lourdes in Bemus Point, N.Y.; and Mary Keenan. Lunch is provided. Register by Aug. 17.

828.456.6629 or 828.586.5881

Comment

Haywood County is kicking off its first-ever adult kickball league.

The co-ed league games will be played at 2 and 3 p.m. Saturdays, from Sep. 21 until Oct. 19, at the International Paper Sports Complex in Canton. The county’s recreation and parks department is accepting registrants for the league through Aug. 29.

Each team can consist of 15 people maximum with nine people on the field at one time. Two female players must be on the field at all times. Registration is $200 per team.

828.452.6789 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.haywoodnc.net

Comment

An updated recreation map of the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests is now available online.

The U.S. Forest Service map identifies recreation sites in the two national forests suitable for activities such as target practice, camping, hiking, horseback riding and more. The map also details amenities available at each site.

The recreation map can be printed or downloaded on a mobile device for easy reference. The recently updated recreation map and any other maps and publications for the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests are available online.

 www.fs.usda.gov/main/nfsnc/maps-pubs

Comment

The U.S. Forest Service is urging visitors to the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests to avoid swimming in the creeks, rivers and streams until water levels recede. Visitors should also avoid climbing near waterfalls.

Water levels are more than a foot above normal in some waterways, and the combination of high water levels and strong currents pose a safety risk to visitors. Three swimming-related fatalities occurred in the Pisgah National Forest in July, and others have occurred in the region because of high water.  

With a wetter-than normal year, and already high streams and rivers, visitors should also be aware of the potential for flash flooding. Forest officials are asking visitors to check the National Weather Service forecast before they leave home, and to be alert for changing weather conditions while in the forest.

Devices like a weather radio, a terrestrial radio, a smart-phone app or a cell phone mobile alert can help visitors stay tuned-in before and during their outdoor activities. 

Comment

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