This must be the place: No regrets, coyote, we just come from such different sets of circumstance

I looked at my smart phone. Monday evening. It nearing 9 o’clock and it was high time I made it…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Turn your head to the cries of loneliness in the night

Stepping out of my truck, it was a cold wind rolling off the nearby mountains late Monday afternoon. A stiff…
Read More

Comment

 

Coast to Coast and Carolina, too: The Rivers & Rails Tavern opens in Dillsboro

Sitting at a table in the dining room of The Rivers & Rails Tavern in Dillsboro, Craig Szymanski looked out…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Olden times and ancient rhymes, of love and dreams to share

Though the baseboard heat was on in the living room, my downtown Waynesville apartment was quite chilly come Tuesday morning.…
Read More

Comment

 

Staying true to your roots: Lazy Hiker Brewing celebrates milestone, pushes ahead

It’s an unusually warm and sunny day for late November in Macon County. The patio tables at Lazy Hiker Brewing…
Read More

Comment

 

New Waynesville art studio

Do you want to make a crafty project with friends, but don’t have the materials, space or know-how? CRE828, a…
Read More

Comment

 

From bean to table: Steamline Coffee Co. opens in Waynesville

Friday morning in downtown Waynesville and Orchard Coffee is bustling. There are those entering and waiting patiently for strong coffee…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: They’re cutting through the steady wind and landing on the ground

Like every Thanksgiving, I’ll figure something out.  With my family over 1,000 miles away back up in the North Country,…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: There’s all kinds of magic, it’s hard to believe

So, where am I right now?  Well, physically, I’m sitting in the back of our office, by myself in the…
Read More

Comment

 

See that love, rise like a river: A conversation with G. Love

For the better part of the last 30 years, G. Love (aka: Garrett Dutton) has been radiating his message of…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Too much of anything is bad, but too much champagne is just right

It was during the third sip of my second glass of wine that I decided to splurge. As a minimalist,…
Read More

Comment

 

Priceless expression when space is possession: A conversation with Keller Williams

When it comes to Keller Williams, there are three key elements of his storied live performances — experimentation, fun, unity. …
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: The velvet it rips in the city, we tripped on the urge to feel alive

I could hear the planes overheard from the nearby Nashville airport. The room was cool. The bedsheets warm. It took…
Read More

Comment

 

Cooking on The Mountain

The drive to The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center in Highlands sets the stage for its seclusion from the outside…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Ode to the front porch, ode to the pink couch

I awoke to the hammering of nails and the sound of a cement mixer. Opening the front door, it was…
Read More

Comment

 

Courage for the road: Anders Beck of Greensky Bluegrass

Coming into 2020, Greensky Bluegrass was looking forward to celebrating its 20th anniversary. A relentless national touring act, it would…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Things change but you don’t realize you have all you need

About halfway through the first set of the sold-out Goose drive-in show last Saturday, a friend turned to me and…
Read More

Comment

 

Turn up the radio: Canton station remains a cherished community gem

Not far from Main Street in Canton and the bright lights of the nearby football stadium is an unassuming one-story…
Read More

Comment

 

The dark side of Mill Street

Crossing the threshold of the White Moon café in downtown Sylva, one is immediately drawn in by the scent of…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Winter’s cold, spring erases, and the calm away by the storm is chasing

Awakening in the hotel room in downtown Pineville, Kentucky, it took me a moment to realize where I was this…
Read More

Comment

 

The art of sitting and listening

In a seismic move that will further propel the Asheville and greater Western North Carolina music scene into the national…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: You’ve got to get up to get down

Approaching the backside parking lot of Upslope Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado one recent evening, I was immediately greeted by…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place

It’s 9:29 a.m. on Tuesday at the Holiday Inn off Interstate 135 near the city of Salina, Kansas. Looking out…
Read More

Comment

 

Seasons of my heart: A conversation with Del McCoury

In the 21st century, the living bridge of the “high, lonesome sound” that is bluegrass music is Del McCoury. At…
Read More

Comment

 

Play by your own rules: A conversation with Sam Bush

Fresh out of high school in 1970, Sam Bush was a teenager in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with aspirations of being…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Ain’t it funny how the time just flies, don’t 
you think it’s time to get on board?

Nearing midnight here in Eastern Idaho. A landscape I used to call home some 12 years ago. The faces I…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Oh, the day we met I went astray, I started rolling down that lost highway

It’s 4:41 a.m. at the Motel 6 in Laramie, Wyoming, which means it’s nearing 7 o’clock back at my apartment…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: I get the urge for going, but I never seem to go

Labor Day 2020. After finishing up my arts feature for this week’s newspaper, I jumped into the old Tacoma and…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Do you believe in what you see, motionless wheel, nothing is real

Stepping out of the muddy truck, I laced up my trail running shoes and disappeared down the Cataloochee Divide Trail…
Read More

Comment

 

Rising country star Justin Wells releases ‘The United State’

Sitting in a booth upstairs at The Water’n Hole on North Main Street in Waynesville one recent evening, Justin Wells…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: High above the chimney top, that’s where you’ll find me

On Aug. 11, my late grandfather, Frank Kavanaugh, would have turned 100 years old. But, alas, it’s been some 13…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: But long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it

Pulling onto Lake Street last Saturday afternoon, an odd sense of self flowed through my veins while cruising through Rouses…
Read More

Comment

 

Maggie Valley Band release new EP, return to stage

With its latest EP, “Something New: Vol 1,” the Maggie Valley Band is breaking new ground, whether it be sonically…
Read More

Comment

 

Between midnight and the dawn: Graham Sharp of Steep Canyon Rangers

Celebrating two decades together this year, the Steep Canyon Rangers have evolved from a group of budding musicians in a…
Read More

Comment

 

David Joy releases latest novel 'When These Mountains Burn'

Situated at the corner of N.C. 107 and 281, in the Tuckasegee community of rural Jackson County, is a newly-built…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Wake now, discover that you are the song that the morning brings

On Aug. 9, 1995, I was 10 years old and living in an old farmhouse on the Canadian Border of…
Read More

Comment

 

The roots of Joy: Ron Rash and Western Carolina University

Acclaimed Appalachian writer and poet Ron Rash has made a substantial impact on American literature during his three-decade career, but…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Your neighbor isn’t out to get you, nor is your local newspaper

Stepping out of my pickup truck this past Saturday afternoon, I stood in the parking lot of the Maggie Valley…
Read More

Comment

 

‘Save Our Stages Act’ now in the hands of Congress

Standing in front of a microphone on Sunday evening, singer-songwriter Jane Kramer looked out onto the small, socially-distant crowd inside…
Read More

Comment

 

Brothers of a feather: New acoustic duo to make WNC debut

With the current pandemic and economic shutdown, the music industry was the first business sector to close its doors and…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Cast your dancing spell my way, I promise to go under it

It was odd and surreal feeling to be watching live music this past weekend. As you probably read on the…
Read More

Comment

 

Bringing down the ghosts: A conversation with Eleanor Underhill

One of the most versatile and intriguing musicians in Asheville and greater Western North Carolina, singer-songwriter Eleanor Underhill chases the…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Not where but what you think that really matters

Stepping out of the pickup truck in my little sister’s driveway last Saturday, I was immediately greeted with the sounds…
Read More

Comment

 

The abstract beauty of humanity: A conversation with painter Avery Rowan

If you’ve ever spent time in New Orleans, Louisiana, you know all too well the grandiose nature and immense splendor…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Staring out at nothing, listening to an old dog bark

I’m currently sitting at the old kitchen table in my parents’ 1840 farmhouse in Upstate New York. Our family dog,…
Read More

Comment

 

This must be the place: Ain’t it funny how you feel, when you’re findin’ out it’s real?

Much like New Year’s Eve, the Fourth of July is one of those holidays that everyone you know will definitely…
Read More

Comment

 

Don’t know where I’m going, all I know is where I’ve gone: Isaac Gibson of 49 Winchester

Hailing from the Southern Appalachian backwoods of Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2,045), 49 Winchester is a rapidly rising alt-country/rock act.  For…
Read More

Comment

Artist grants now available
 

Artist grants now available

Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership…
Read More

Comment

 

Concerts on the Creek

Presented by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the 11th season of Concerts on the Creek will return with Summer…
Read More

Comment

 

Nurturing the creative flame: Haywood County Arts Council holds steady during pandemic

Back in January, the Haywood County Arts Council was setting itself up for another year of growth, creatively and financially.…
Read More

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.