The Liars Bench presents music group Carolina Dusk at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 18, in the Mountain Heritage Center auditorium at Western Carolina University.

Performances will also include musician Paul Larussi, storyteller Lloyd Arneach and writer Gary Carden who will performing “The Robert Hall Suit.”

The Liars Bench was created in the early summer of 2010 by Carden, recipient of the 2008 Brown-Hudson Folklore Award and the 2012 North Carolina Award for Literature, to promote southern Appalachian storytelling, music, poetry, drama and folk arts. The group performs southern Appalachian stories, music and songs onstage. 

The event is free and open to the public.

www.theliarsbenchgazette.blogspot.com or www.facebook.com/TheLiarsBench or 828.227.7129.

Renowned Appalachian writer Gary Carden will perform “Madison,” a monologue about the life of Dr. Robert Lee Madison, at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Franklin.

In the 1880s, Madison promoted the idea of a training school that would cultivate teachers for a network of mountain schools. There were no free public schools, only family schools or subscription schools at the time.

Adding impetus to his dream was the “Normal School Movement” that was gaining momentum in the South. Normal schools are believed to have been modeled on the French ecole normale superieure, that were intended to provide a body of teachers, trained in the critical spirit and secular values of the Enlightment.

Madison’s progressive idea evolved through the years from the small Cullowhee Academy to become Western Carolina University.

Tickets are available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce (828.524.3161), UU Fellowship of Franklin (828.524.6777) and at the door the night of the performance.

The work of Linda Anderson, a prolific artist whose pieces depict her life in rural North Georgia, will be on display from April 20 through July 28, at The Bascom in Highlands.

A concert production of “Dead Man Walking” will come to the stage at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 27, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

The 2013 Jazz Festival will take place from April 27 and 29 at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, featuring jazz classes, concerts and open dress rehearsals.

In the buildup to a large environmental demonstration in Raleigh, a climate change rally will be held at 11 a.m. April 15 in Sylva at the old courthouse fountain downtown.

A Climate Convergence event in Raleigh will be on Earth Day weekend. Thousands of groups and individuals from throughout the state are expected to arrive in Raleigh to raise awareness about climate change and to push the state government to take action to address it. 

The rally is also in support of a proposed house and senate bill that seeks to implement a progressive utility rate structure that promotes energy conservation and investment in energy efficiency by utility customers.

www.climateconvergencenc.org

When science meets the mountains you get: The Mountain Science Expo. The expo will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville and feature guided nature walks, live animal programs, a range of other demonstrations and displays from local environmental organizations. Also making an appearance will be the Sol Food Mobile Farm, a retro-fitted school bus that runs on waste vegetable oil.

The event is held in conjunction with the N.C. Science Festival.

828.665.2492 or www.ncarboretum.org.

Gotta love that A.T.

A program on the importance of the Appalachian Trail and ways to promote and conserve it will be held at noon on Thursday, April 11, at Tartan Hall in Franklin.

Local trail activists from the Nantahala Hiking Club and Appalachian Trail Conservancy will discuss a variety of topics such as the trail’s history and management, the mutually beneficial relationship between the trail and the town of Franklin, and ways to enhance use of the trail.

Also, Mary Bennett, local A.T. Community Ambassador, will highlight the opportunities the A.T. provides for environmental education and to Macon County schools, and other local activities around the trail.

The program is hosted by the League of Women Voters of Macon County and will focus on Franklin as an Appalachian Trail Community, an official designation the town has carried since 2010. The program corresponds with the Macon County Public Library’s Walking with Spring series and follows Franklin’s April Fools’ Days Trail Festival.

AT education program for teachers

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is currently accepting applications from educators to participate in the Trail To Every Classroom program, connecting students and trailside communities along the Appalachian Trail’s 14-state route.   

The program, in partnership with the National Park Service, trains K-12 teachers to use the Appalachian Trail as an educational resource. Divided into a series of three workshops, the program teaches the fundamentals of hiking, environmental stewardship and ethics, GPS technology, grant writing, and provides an opportunity for backpacking, networking and curriculum writing specific.

An optional three graduate credits are offered for $637 through Mary Baldwin College.  To date this program has trained over 275 teachers from Georgia to Maine.

www.appalachiantrail.org/ttec or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In an effort to clean up Scotts Creek in Jackson County, a coordinated workday will be launched by volunteers from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20.

The Carolina Mountain Club has been awarded $2,200 through the North Carolina Appalachian Trail License Plate Grant Program to help buy safety equipment, rebar and tools for the club’s trail maintenance work along the Appalachian Trail. 

Professional and collegiate lumberjacks from around the East will soon converge on Haywood County to compete in a top-notch woodsman competition.

We have been hearing a lot lately about President Barack Obama’s charm offensive. He has been traveling a short distance from the White House to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress, including Republicans. He now seems more interested in developing relationships and a rapport with members on both sides of the aisle whose votes he can use in the days ahead.

All five Western North Carolina microbreweries west of Asheville collaborated on a craft beer that will be simultaneously released at 6 p.m. Friday, April 12, at each establishment.

Bear Waters Brewing (Waynesville), Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville), Heinzelmannchen Brewery (Sylva), Nantahala Brewing (Bryson City) and Tipping Point Brewing (Waynesville) have created “Ryeway 74.” The beer is a smooth red ale with spicy flavors balanced with hoppy and unique malty notes. It was developed with heirloom barley and rye malt from Riverbend Malting in Asheville.

Participating breweries will have the ale available by the sample, pint or growler.

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate will be delight partakers in the 14th annual Taste of Chocolate from 6 to 9 p.m. April 20 at the Maggie Valley Club.

Bakers from professional, bed and breakfast and amateur categories will be serving up samples of 20 chocolate culinary delights. Along with chocolate and more chocolate, there will be a silent auction, milk fountain, coffee and wine bar. Entertainment is by Ray Lyon on the piano.

Proceeds from the Taste of Chocolate go to the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center. The event sponsor is First Citizens Bank.

Tickets are available at Quilters Quarters, Blue Ridge Books, Chocolate Bear, Maggie Valley Club and Dillsboro Chocolate.  Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville will showcase live music from singer-songwriter Ben Wilson at 7 p.m. Friday, April 19, and a jazz dinner featuring Eve Haslam & Satin Steel Jazz at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 20. 

The popular Songwriters in the Round series will return to the Balsam Mountain Inn at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 13, with nationally acclaimed songwriters Casey Kelly, Leslie Ellis and Angela Kaset.

Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation’s Annual Pet Photo Contest award ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13, at Bocelli’s Italian Eatery in Waynesville.

A candlewicking workshop will be offered from 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday, April 18, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Sylva.

Candlewicking is an old form of embroidery technique that used the soft-spun thread that was also used for making wicks for candles. Traditional embroidery stitches including French knots are usually done on cotton unbleached muslin. Extension and Community Association member Diane Herring will be teaching this pillow-sized craft technique.

Cost is $5. 828.586.4009.

The Gathering Table is providing fresh, nutritious dinners from 5 to 7 p.m. every Thursday evening at the Cashiers Community Center to all members of the community regardless of one’s ability to pay. 

The Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K will race through the Western Carolina University campus and greater Cullowhee on Saturday, April 6.

Paddlers are salivating over the first-ever whitewater releases offered on the west fork of the Tuckasegee from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 13 and 14.

DigiX, a digital media and arts event, will bring technology demonstrations, exhibits, workshops and a competition showcasing digital masterpieces to Western Carolina University Thursday, April 11.

DigiX grew out of an interest in sharing with the WCU campus and community what is possible with digital media. The event was inspired by the kind of excitement that surrounds large conferences where vendors demonstrate the latest technology.

For the DigiX competition, WCU students are invited to submit either a digital arts project such as a film, animation or graphic design, or an interactive project such as a website, mobile application or game. 

The daylong event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the A.K. Hinds University Center. It is hosted by WCU’s Coulter Faculty Commons and supported by the Division of Information Technology.

digix.wcu.edu/2013 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Western Carolina University students will perform “A Salute to Rockette History” on 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Niggli Theatre at WCU.

The show is choreographed and produced in part by Karyn Tomczak, director of WCU’s dance program and a former Rockette herself. Ten WCU dance students will perform numbers ranging from “Dream Girls,” which honors the idea that the Rockettes were Russell Markert’s dream girls, to a tribute to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.

The performance will be held in conjunction with the Undergraduate Expo that showcases student research. The event is free and open to the public. 828.227.3672 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or stageandscreen.wcu.edu.

Once again gracing Western North Carolina with an array of culinary delights from chefs around Haywood County, Melange of the Mountains will be taking place from April 11-13.

The weekend of events around Waynesville will kickoff with a culinary gala from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, at Laurel Ridge Country Club. Tickets are $40 per person, with a VIP option at $60 per person. Tickets are available at the event, but can now be purchased at the Haywood Chamber of Commerce in Waynesville.

• “Farm to Fork Dinner” will take place on Friday, April 12, at Frogs Leap Public House. The prefixed menu is $50 per person. 828.456.1930.

• “Hands-on Biscuit Making Demonstration” will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 13, at City Bakery. Pastry Chef Brooke will be in the kitchen for the demonstration. Cost is $10 per person. 828.452.3881.

• “Champagne & Caviar Tasting” will run from 3 to 5 p.m. April 13, at Sunburst Market on Montgomery. There will be caviar appetizers prepared in three ways, paired with champagne. 828.452.3848.

• “Beer & Cheese Tasting Event” will run from 3 to 5 p.m. April 13, at The Classic Wine Seller. Gourmet cheeses paired with craft beer from Bearwaters Brewing Company. 828.246.0602.

• “Farm to Fork Dinner” will take place on April 13, at Frogs Leap Public House. The prefixed menu is $50 per person. 828.456.1930.

• “Course Wine Dinner” will take place on April 13, Herren House Bed & Breakfast. Evening five-course wine dinner with selections from The Classic Wine Seller. 828.452.7837.

As well, there will be a full feature on Melange of the Mountains in next week’s issue of The Smoky Mountain News.

www.haywood-nc.com or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.456.3021.

A free program on Cherokee Indian heritage by folklorist Dr. Barbara Duncan will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville.

The Smoky Mountain Brass Quintet, the quintet-in-residence at Western Carolina University, will present its final concert of the spring semester at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building on campus.

“The Drowsy Chaperone,” a playful take on classic musicals of Broadway, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. April 11-13, and 3 p.m. April 14, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University. 

Haywood County Arts Council will exhibit works by the Blue Ridge Watermedia Society from April 10 through April 27, at Gallery 86 in Waynesville. The artist reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 12 at the gallery. 

To the Editor: 

Every time I drive to and from Bryson City, I become distressed by the volume of litter along our roads. I have lived here close to 40 years, and the litter problem seems to be worse than ever. I am distressed, not so much for the sake of tourism, but for the lack of pride in the place we live out our lives on a daily basis — our home. We can do so much better for ourselves, for our children, and for our grandchildren. 

A coordinated approach to our litter problem could make our county a more beautiful place to live and a place where tourists would want to return year after year. None of the ideas I want to share with you are new, but they are all workable. Here are my suggestions:

1. Coordination among agencies  —  City, county, state, federal, the chambers of commerce, private groups, as well as individuals need to be pulled together to improve our situation. Each of these entities has the capacity in some way to contribute to a cleaner Swain County. What can each of them contribute to a joint effort? Let’s find out.

2. County prisoners — For a number of years, state prisoners provided valuable help in keeping our county cleaner. We lost that program several years ago. In many communities, local county prisoners serve the same purpose. There are established guidelines for this type of program. The prisoners benefit by not being idle, receiving possible reductions of their sentences for community service, and being outdoors, and the community benefits with a cleaner environment.

3. Work with the business, school, government, and church communities — Most of these organizations already do a good job of keeping their places clean, but we can all do a better job of cleaning up around our places. Picking up one extra day a week can make a big difference.

4. Education program — The long-term solution, as well as the short-term solution to our litter problem, is the education of our children and through them the education of our community. There are a number of established litter awareness programs designed to be offered in schools, churches, 4-H, scouting, etc.

5. Sign regulations — Public rights of way are being overrun with signs. Limited designated sites should be established for these signs, and there should be a time limit for their removal. Signs for businesses that no longer exist should be removed. A voluntary code for sign development needs to be developed or adopted.

6. Work with homeowners — There are numerous abandoned mobile homes and automobiles in the county that could be scrapped for metal, etc. Many of the owners do not have the means to remove them. A coordinated effort to match the owner with scrap metal vendors might reduce these abandoned eyesores.

7. Advertisement — The use of the mass media for public service announcements as well as other means of getting the message out should be a part of a comprehensive approach to keeping our county clean. Special attention should be paid to fast food outlets and convenience stores, since they appear to be a major source of our roadside litter. Simple printed and verbal reminders requesting proper disposal might make a difference.

8. Enforcement of existing anti-litter laws and regulations — We want to take pride in the appearance of our county, with that pride being internal and not forced upon us. When the appeal to internal pride and discipline doesn’t work, then the existing laws pertaining to littering need to be enforced.

A plan should begin in Bryson City and work out from there on the major roads that we all travel each day. As the major corridors are cleaned up, we can move on to the less-travelled roads.

When I moved here, the Tuckaseigee River was nearly an open sewer. The Mead Paper Company dumped their waste directly into the river, and it flowed from Sylva to Lake Fontana. Scum was a common sight on the river. Organisms that depended on fresh water for life disappeared. Efforts to return the river to a livable, natural state have made tremendous progress. The river is scenic again; life has returned; we can fish and paddle in it; people want to camp near it, and the river is a major asset and source of pride to our county. Lake Fontana has also been revived through a community/government/business effort. With a coordinated, concerted effort, we can also reclaim our roadways and land.

Dan Trehern 

Bryson City

To the Editor:

I am a white woman and a God-fearing Democrat. I could not sleep well this Easter Sunday. For the past weeks, I have been trying to figure out how Congressman Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, could vote against the Violence Against Women Act.

The numbers for voting against this don’t add up and the morality of it doesn’t add up either.

I have been to shelters for the abused. I don’t recall seeing anyone with a sign around there neck that said they were gay, straight, red, yellow, black, white or polka dot.

So the best I can tell is that Rep. Meadows and some of his fellow constituents only think it’s wrong to abuse straight white women.

It’s OK to punch a straight or lesbian Indian women.

It’s OK for a gang of white kids to make fun of a Mexican kid.

It’s OK to curse and spit at a black person. Um, I seem to remember that happening to Jewish guy a couple of thousand years ago.

By the way, his sign was a cross.

We are not supposed to abuse another human being, regardless of their sex, race, or belief.

Perhaps Rep. Meadows and the rest of the moral right need to read Matthew chapter 5: 3-10. They might also want to consider Luke chapter 10: 30-37

Barbara Robinson

Bryson City

To the Editor:

How many nuclear weapons does it take to make us “safe?” According to a recent report by the Federation of American Scientists, the world’s combined stockpile of nuclear warheads is more than 17,000, of which 4,300 warheads are operational, and 2,800 belonging to the U.S. and Russia are on high alert.

President Obama has articulated a “vision of a world without nuclear weapons,” but doesn’t expect this to happen during his lifetime. He says “we have more than we need” — a gross understatement, since the next leading nuclear threat, China, has only 50 that could reach the U.S.

 Despite this dangerous — and costly — overkill, the U.S. intends to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in the years to come enhancing its already-bloated nuclear arsenal. The Navy plans to build 12 new nuclear submarines ($5.6 billion apiece), each to carry 16 ballistic missiles, with four or five nuclear warheads apiece — each one 20 times as powerful as the bomb that obliterated Hiroshima. In addition, the cost of replacing our nuclear delivery systems will top $100 billion and require another $300 billion over the next 10 years to keep them operational. Wouldn’t this be a good place to cut the defense budget and reduce the deficit?

A portion of this astronomical bill is the proposed new Uranium Processing Facility to be built just over the mountain from us at the Y-12 Nuclear Plant in Oak Ridge — at an estimated cost of $4.5 to $7.5 billion (the price tag keep going up). Now doesn’t this make us feel real safe knowing that 80 warheads a year are to be produced in our backyard? If this worries us, though, we can drive over to Oak Ridge this Saturday, April 6, to join friends of the Oak Ridge Environment and Peace Alliance (OREPA) in saying “NO!” to such idiocy — 12:30 p.m. at Bissell Park for the one-mile march, 2 p.m. at Y-12 for the rally.

We complain about “rogue states” like Iran and North Korea posing a threat to world peace because they insist on developing a nuclear capability. But when we agree in the 2010 START Treaty with Russia to reduce our thousands of warheads by just a few hundred, while intimidating Iran with severe sanctions and North Korea with “war games” and a weapons buildup on their border, isn’t this likely to be seen by the rest of the world as the height of hypocrisy? How would we feel, for example, if another country — say China — were to impose sanctions on our economy and conduct “war games” in the Caribbean in an effort to force us to destroy our warheads in keeping with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty we have already signed but never implemented?   

Hope you can make it to Oak Ridge on the 6th!

 Doug Wingeier

Waynesville

Barbara Sue Parker, a native of Haywood County, has been appointed president of Haywood Community College this morning.

She most recently served as assistant superintendent for Rutherford County Public School System. Before that, she worked in Haywood County schools for 20 years and was principal of Jonathan Valley and Waynesville middle.

Sarge’s dog walk and run at Lake Junaluska

The friends of Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation are putting on a one-mile run and dog walk Saturday, April 13, at Lake Junaluska. The proceeds will benefit Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation. 

First place takes home a Sarge’s T-shirt and participants are encouraged to bring their leashed pets to enjoy the event. There will also be a bake sale and photo booth. The walk/run starts at 10 a.m. The event will start at the Bethea Welcome Center parking area at 91 North Lakeshore Drive.

Registration is $5 and begins at 9 a.m. on race day. Participants can also register in advance at thefundraiser.wufoo.com or help with additional fundraising at www.crowdrise.com/sargesonemilefunrundogwalk

828.734.1307 or 828.508.2997.

Franklin Relay for Life coming up

The Banking on a Cure Fundraiser run and walk will take place Saturday, April 13, on the Franklin Greenway. 

The Relay for Life events will leave from the Tassee Shelter, at the corner of Wells Grove Road and Ulco Drive, on the Greenway. The one-mile walk will start at 8 a.m., while the 5k runners and walkers will set out at 8:30 a.m.

The event is sponsored by the Macon Bank. First place prizes will be awarded for male and female finisher in various age groups: 

www.Active.com or 828.524.7000, ext. 2449.

Run and walk for a healthy heart

Angel Medical Center’s Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program is sponsoring a heart-healthy run and walk event beginning at the Little Tennessee Tassee Park Saturday, April 6. The annual Macon Your Heart Beat has a varied lineup of one-mile, 5K and 8K walk and run events that day. The longest of the events is new this year.

The one-mile starts at 8:30 a.m.; the 5K at 9 a.m.; and the 8K at 9:15 a.m. Race day registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at the park shelter. The cost is $25 for the shortest distance and $30 for the other two before April 1, then the prices increase by $5 each. Registration is available online or by picking up a form at the hospital.

Last year more than 175 participants raised about $8,500 that went to benefit patients who could not pay for specialized rehabilitation. 

828.349.8290.

Several organizations have won a $214,195 state grant that will allow Macon County landowners improve water quality in the Little Tennessee River watershed. 

The Nantahala Outdoor Center has launched its own elite paddling team and signed whitewater slalom paddler Michal Smolen as its first member. The team was formed as a way to help in the training and sponsorship of paddling athletes. The team is expected to grow to include other disciplines of paddling sports and outdoor sports competition.

To the Editor:

I once again would like to bring up the safety issues regarding fire, rescue and sheriff’s department personnel responding to home sites that are built on steep grades. In my humble opinion, the present 30 percent maximum should have stayed at the 25 percent proposed level and not increased, much less be increased higher for any reason, much less to 34 percent.

Any commissioner or planner so inclined to vote to do so, I would highly recommend a mandatory field trip. They should be forced to ride to home sites built on grades 30 percent and higher in order for them to appreciate the dangers involved with just getting to the home site as a passenger in the front seat of a fully loaded fire engine containing 1,200 gallons of water or more when there is snow and black ice. Following that fire truck is a large rescue vehicle and then a sheriff’s vehicle.

Getting to the scene is only half the fun they will enjoy. Getting back down that same mountain, fully loaded with water on a false fire alarm, would be the real decision maker.

Then and only then will they fully appreciate the dangers involved for our folks who respond to calls for help. There is no reason imaginable to increase our responders’ risk just because someone wants to live on a mountaintop.

Just as there is a waiver for the big island in Glenville Lake for our fire departments, should there also be a waiver for all of our responders for homes built on grades higher than 30 percent? That could be a revision. 

Sound pretty harsh? Then why make the problem any greater than it already is?

 I request the commissioners to please shelve the idea of grades higher than the present. Oh, I am sure there are plenty of folks on the other side of this issue. I just would like the planners to be aware of the safety issues.

Thomas F. Fischel

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

There seems to be some confusion as to the withdrawal of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad from the town of Dillsboro, so let me try and set the record straight.

Back a few years ago the railway lost a tank mounted below one of its passenger cars on a return trip from Bryson City. The tank fell off the car as it passed a street crossing in Dills-boro that had been recently repaired. The immediate conclusion of the railroad was that it was the fault of the repaired roadway surface. Demands were made for repayment from the town for damages. The town promptly turned the matter over to its insurance company, whose adjuster came immediately and made a complete survey and report of the crossing and the damaged equipment. 

The insurance company determined that there was considerable doubt as to what caused the tank’s damage. The railroad then filed a lawsuit for the claimed damages. After following all legal procedures, including a session with a mediator, the case went to court in Asheville. 

On the day the judge was to enter his decision, the railroad withdrew the case. Last-minute evidence indicated the tank’s valve had been torn off in Whittier and the tank likely drug along, partly torn loose, and finally fell off at the Dillsboro Street crossing.

Shortly thereafter, the railroad announced it was closing its Dillsboro operation, stating it was due to a lack of business. If action by Dillsboro to protect taxpayer funds was driving the railway out of town, the town can hardly be blamed. 

The town would welcome the train back, and have done so during the recent times when the railroad has brought some excursions for short layovers, allowing folks to shop or refresh themselves. Dillsboro never held any ill will, having been falsely accused of having caused damage to the railroad’s equipment.

Herb Nolan

retired town clerk, Dillsboro

To the Editor:

Let’s remember when talking about the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR), we are talking about two different entities. Formerly, the GSMR created and operated with private investment funds by Malcolm and Joan McNeill (who moved to and became an integral part of Jackson County). Currently, the GSMR is adept at operating with OPM (Other Peoples’ Money), is owned by those not living here, and has similar operations in other states to which monies can be easily transferred. 

Merely having a train coming to Dillsboro will not provide the needed economic stimulus: that only generates foot traffic to nearby restaurants/shops during a short layover. It will not “put heads in beds” or fill restaurants in Sylva or help Shopkeepers throughout Jackson County. For that, the train needs to originate in Dillsboro (or Sylva?) so people stay in Jackson County accommodations. Commissioners apparently understand this: they stated a goal for first year diesel trips and stipulated half of steam excursions originate in each county. Given that in previous years when there was a steam train, steam excursions weren’t that numerous. Any agreement should require, starting with the first year, half of all excursions originate in Dillsboro continuing so throughout 15 years. To further encourage overnight stays the agreement should require reinstatement of the Dinner Train.

It isn’t clear (the agreement hasn’t been released to the public, yet we’re invited to comment) whether the maintenance shed and turntable must be unencumbered and Jackson County have a first position, and whether the steam engine be unencumbered and that Jackson and Swain counties share first position.

I fully concur with Commissioner Vicki Green’s desire/request to see GSMR’s tax returns (and P&L) and Mr. Harper’s financials. It is incomprehensible that commissioners (businessmen also) would grant or loan $700,000 of taxpayer money without having this information.

Matching a bank/Small Business Administration (SBA) loan might be considered (a 2009 SBA change allows unencumbered business assets to be collateral). Why grant $700,000 to a private business that cannot obtain a bank/SBA loan for half of what it needs to operate?

Forgiving $40,000 a year means GSMR will, in essence, be earning more than 5.7 percent interest on taxpayer money. I don’t think any of us are able to earn such favorable rates. Does the proposed agreement stipulate that Jackson County will receive half of GSMR’s 2 percent county sales tax receipts?

Yes, let’s bring a railroad back to Jackson County, but insure that:

• Starting the first year, 50 percent of all rides originate in Dillsboro and Dillsboro’s Dinner Train is reinstated.

• Collateral is unencumbered and Jackson County has a first position.

• Jackson County receives sales tax for all rides originating in Dillsboro. 

• Money earned by GSMR stays in North Carolina.

• Any assistance is an interest-bearing loan matching an equal loan the GSMR gets.

Let’s not forget the lesson of Metrostat: merely having collateral doesn’t insure recouping losses. As good as Jackson County’s government is, they’re no more capable of running a tourist train than running an Internet communications company.

George Ware

Whittier

To the Editor:

The radical Republican regime in Raleigh has a new pretext for the voter ID scheme North Carolina doesn’t need. It’s no longer about voter fraud — which is virtually nonexistent — but about voter “confidence” instead.

The real fraud is in how the votes we cast are rigged so they don’t matter. The Raleigh gang does not intend to fix that.

Here’s N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis rationalizing the matter on MSNBC last week, as quoted on WRAL.com:

“There is some evidence of voter fraud, but that’s not the primary reason for doing this. We call it restoring confidence in government. There are a lot of people who are just concerned with the potential risk of fraud.”

There has been only one known instance so far of impersonation at a North Carolina polling place. It’s already a felony to vote in the name of someone else. Whoever gets caught at it goes to prison. That’s all the confidence we need on that score.

Where confidence needs urgently to be restored is on the issue of whether the votes we cast even matter. By design, they often don’t. The Raleigh gang’s cunning redistricting gave the Republicans a 9-to-4 edge in the congressional delegation even though votes for Democrats outnumbered those for Republicans 51 percent to 49.

They stole the 11th Congressional District by annexing the Democratic parts of Asheville to Gastonia, 100 miles distant, a community with which it has nothing in common. They grew their majorities in the General Assembly in the same dishonorable way.

This occurred nationwide. Democrats nationally received 1.4 million more votes for Congress than the Republicans did, but the Republicans still control the House 234 to 201.

Gerrymandering is, of course, an equal-opportunity sin. Democrats have been as shameless as Republicans. Even so, there was a bipartisan agreement last session to create a nonpartisan districting system like Iowa’s for North Carolina. The House passed it 88-27 but the Senate leadership refused to take it up.

It has not been reintroduced this year. Meanwhile, the Republican leadership is obstructing this essential reform, which would truly restore confidence in the election process, in favor of an unnecessary, meanly inspired, and potentially very expensive scheme to make it harder to vote in the first place.

Martin A. Dyckman

Waynesville

The story is all too familiar.

A property developer buys a large swath of land with grand plans to build high-end homes and sell them for a substantial profit. But the housing bubble bursts. The lots don’t move. The property sits empty, and eventually, the developer can’t repay the bank loan used to purchase the land. It falls into foreclosure and becomes an artifact of the U.S. real estate market crash.

April is the first-ever “North Carolina Beer Month” and Heinzelmännchen Brewery in Sylva taps into the fun with four initiatives for beer lovers.

Specializing in alternative beer made in the warmer regions of Germany, the brewery will offer the following events: 

• A beer dinner will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 11, at City Lights Café in Sylva. Enjoy a six-course meal paired with Heinzelmännchen beers. The meal cost is $50 per person. www.citylightscafe.com. 

• Book an April getaway with SunDog Vacation Rentals or Sunset Farms Cabins and ask for the beer month package. For $95 extra, participants receive two engraved mugs, a brewery tour, Heinzelmännchen cookbook and a dinner for two at City Lights Café.

• Heinzelmännchen teamed up with four area breweries to create a special ale crafted in the red rye style. The ale is available in April at all five breweries: Heinzelmännchen, Bearwaters (Waynesville), Nantahala (Bryson City), Tipping Point (Waynesville) and Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville).

• There will be a “Tuesday Bike Ride & Beer Night” every Tuesday evening in April. Join a bike ride sponsored by Motion Makers Bicycle Shop in Sylva, then head to the brewery for pint night. One dollar from every pint sold goes to support a local off-road cycling association.

www.ncbeermonth.com or www.yourgnometownbrewery.com. 

Mountain trout and wild ramps take center stage at the annual Rainbow and Ramps Festival from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. 

Hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the public is invited to celebrate a time-honored Cherokee tradition that rejoices in spring’s arrival and with it, the season’s first green – the ramp. A unique cultural experience, the one-day festival of food, music and dancing serves up a delicious feast of succulent trout, fried potatoes, corn bread and ramps, which are also known as wild leeks. As one of the first plants to emerge in the spring, ramps were traditionally consumed as the year’s first “greens.” 

The celebration also commemorated the opening of trout season on the Qualla Boundary. Fishing permits are required and are available at local outfitters in Cherokee.

Tickets are $10 per person.

www.visitcherokeenc.com or 800.438.1601.

Western Carolina University’s School of Music, in collaboration with the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, will present Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera “The Medium” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at HART in Waynesville.

Country music star Vince Gill will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, at The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The 2012-13 First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series will conclude with Phil and Gaye Johnson at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

Artisan in the Mountains will host a woodcarving demonstration featuring the Pigeon River Woodcarvers Club from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at 99 Depot Street in Clyde. 

Pigeon River Woodcarvers Club was founded in 1997 by Frank Burchfield of Waynesville. The club has nine active members, three of which are charter members and meet every Saturday afternoon. The purpose and mission of the club is to promote woodcarving as an art of the mountain region. This is achieved by attending several festivals for demonstration and carving shows for competition. The club also wants to increase their membership numbers and welcomes anyone with an interest in the art.

The demonstration is free and open to the public.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.702.5448 or 828.565.0501 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The family-friendly Cubs on the Run 5K will be held on Saturday, March 23, at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Canton, with a fun run starting at 8:30 a.m. and a 5K at 9 a.m.

The Meadowbrook Cubs on the Run 5K and fun run was created to help solve the growing problem of childhood obesity. The event helps raise money for physical activity programs at the school. One year the proceeds went toward a nine-hole disc golf course on campus.

More than 75 students have been preparing for the run through the Cubs in Training program, a 30-minute afterschool program that gets kids physically active and gives them the sense of accomplishment of running a 5K.

There will be a health fair in the gym from 7:30 to 11 a.m. to share ways families can be physically active. There will also be several local health care providers with booths.  

The Fun Run is $5 for kids under 12 or $10 for 12 and over. The 5K is $20. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. or from 3 to 5 p.m. Friday afternoon.

teacher.haywood.k12.nc.us/bswanger/meadowbrooks-cubs-on-the-run-5k/ or 828.646.3445.

Lake Junaluska will host the Friends of the Lake 5K, Family Walk, and Children’s Fun Run at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 30, as part of its annual Easter weekend activities.

Proceeds for this event go towards the annual maintenance and improvement of the recreation areas at Lake Junaluska. Participants will also become a member of the Friends of the Lake program.

The race headquarters will be at the Weldon Gym with registration from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The 5K race will start at 9 a.m., the 5K Family Walk at 9:10 a.m. and the Fun Run for Kids 10 and under at 10 a.m. Cost is $25 for adults, $15 for ages 11 to 18 and free for 10 and under. 

Registration can be found at the Bethea Welcome Center or 828.454.6680 or www.lakejunaluska.com.