The Fireman’s Day 5K will be held in Bryson City Saturday, Sept. 4, in conjunction with the 29th annual Fireman’s Day Street Festival.

The 3.1-mile course starts and finishes at the Bryson City Fire Department. It makes a loop out Deep Creek valley and back for a mostly flat course.

The festival includes face painting, craft exhibits, BBQ, fire truck parade and a Miss Flame contest. Kids can even get rides on the fire trucks.

Cost of the race is $15, or $23 with a T-shirt. Proceeds from the race support the Bryson City fire department.

Growers looking for greenhouse space may find what they need at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro, where large greenhouses are heated using energy from methane given off by decomposing trash.

There is more than 4,000 square feet of greenhouse space available for rent, either by one grower or an organization. One-year lease begins in January and is renewable for up to a total of three years.

Biodiesel serves as a backup fuel source. Tenants share other utility costs and the cost of a rainwater collection system that provides most the water needs.

828.631.0271 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.jcgep.org.

A reading and book signing for the new anthology Echoes Across the Blue Ridge will take place from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville.  

The anthology includes a variety of stories, essays, and poems by writers living in and inspired by the Southern Appalachian Mountains. The list of authors includes Kathryn Stripling Byer, Gary Carden, Thomas Rain Crowe and many others.

Local authors scheduled to appear on Aug. 28 include Dick Michener, JC Walkup, George Ivey, Glenda Beall, and Jane Young.

The book is now available for sale at local bookstores, including Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville, City Lights in Sylva, and Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café in Asheville. For more information, netwestwriters.blogspot.com/2010/01/echoes-across-blue-ridge.html.

Spine care for residents of Macon and adjoining counties will be available in Franklin beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7 with the opening of Mission Outpatient Spine Center at Angel Medical Center. A grand opening celebration will be held at noon on Sept. 7 in the Outpatient Medicine Department where the service will be provided.

The center will be staffed by three board-certified Surgeons from Carolina Spine and Neurosurgery Center in Asheville who specialize in the treatment of spinal conditions.

Services will initially be provided on Tuesdays and Fridays. These include physician evaluations, MRI and CT diagnostic testing, treatments, and physical therapy provided by Angel physical therapists under the clinical direction of the surgeons.

angelmed.org, csandnc.com or Missionhospitals.org.

Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursdays from Sept. 14 through Oct. 7. This four-week course will be held at Haywood Community College in the Freedlander Building in Room 204.

Learn how to take a business idea, improve or expand an existing business, and walk through the following steps: Self-employment assessments, the business plan essentials, legal structures, community analysis, marketing research and feasibility, targeting the customer and meeting customer needs, analyzing the competition, taxes and licenses, utilizing professionals, computerized cash flow analysis and financial feasibility.

Allan Steinberg, REAL certified instructor, will facilitate this class. Steinberg is also the executive director of Smoky Mountain Development Corp. and works with the SBA 504 loan program.

$65. Register by visiting Enrollment Management in the HCC Student Center building. 828.627.4505.

Of the 1,450 Western Carolina University freshmen set to move in Aug. 20, about 375 will score a room in the brand new Blue Ridge Hall.

The hall is the second of a pair of residence halls built as part of a $50 million construction project. Balsam Hall opened last fall to about 425 students.

Blue Ridge Hall features a state-of-the-art conference center space and connects to adjacent Balsam Hall by an arch that offers a student study area overlooking the Alumni Tower and lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center. The project was developed as part of a plan to create a more pedestrian-friendly academic quad around the Alumni Tower. Construction is now under way on the quad’s outdoor elements, which include additional landscaping, walkways and a fountain.

housing.wcu.edu.

Dr. Paul Cutting, an orthopedic doctor at Western Carolina Orthopedic Specialists who specializes in hand and upper extremity surgery, will offer a free hand screening from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday. Sept. 9, at the outpatient therapy department in the west wing of Harris Regional Hospital.

Dr. Cutting diagnoses and treats fractures, dislocations, nerve and tendon repairs, reconstructions and grafts, sports- and work-related injuries, and other hand and upper extremities issues. Three Harris Regional occupational therapists — Jamie Kelly, Anna Walls and Susie Witty –– will also participate in the screening.

828.586.7235.

Lake Junaluska Assembly invites youth and children to become peacemakers at the 2010 Lake Junaluska Peace Celebration: Mosaic of Hope, Sept. 18 through 19. The unique two-day event features leadership from children’s activist Jeni Stepanek, as well as youth and children facilitators.

Stepanek is a noted advocate for children’s and families’ needs in health and education, and a well-respected motivational speaker.

Youth Celebration participants will engage in hands-on learning experiences with various organizations, including Paper Clips: The Holocaust Project, Invisible Children and Creative Expressions for Peace. Younger children will participate in artistic responses and learn techniques to verbalize their feelings instead of acting on them, especially with regard to coping with stress, anger, and bullying.

Adults, youth and children are also encouraged to participate in the Peace Walk and Festival of Peace, which bridges the Peace Celebration with the annual Lake Junaluska Peace Conference that runs Sept. 19 through 21.

www.lakejunaluska.com/peace-celebration or call 828.454.6656.

For the second time in three years, the Jackson County Child Support Enforcement Program has achieved the ranking of No. 1 in the state, according to a report released by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2009-10.

Nine categories of performance are evaluated by state CSE officials throughout the year. These include items such as paternity establishment rate, percentage of cases under court order, manpower utilization, and total amount of money collected. Each category carries a different weight in determining the final score. Jackson County ended the year with a total quality score of 726, which was 29 points ahead of the second-place county. There were 88 county and state-operated CSE programs in North Carolina in fiscal year 2009-10.  

In Jackson County, Child Support Enforcement is a service provided by the Department of Social Services. The local team includes Supervisor Christi Hooper, Agent Joan Shepherd, Processing Assistant Onyx Lozano, and agency attorney Mary Holliday.

“Christi, Joan, Onyx and Mary are incredibly focused and committed to the simple but highly important mission of collecting as much child support money as possible for the benefit of Jackson County’s children,” said Bob Cochran, DSS director.

More than 40 people in Haywood County might have been exposed to rabies after a baby raccoon a family was caring for died and tested positive for the disease.

The raccoon died of rabies infection Aug. 13. Prior to its death and before the animal showed symptoms, dozens of adults and children handled the raccoon. The Haywood County Health Department sent letters to the Haywood residents last week, advising them that anyone exposed to the raccoon between June 21 and Aug. 16 should be seen by their doctor or health-care provider for assessment.

This marked the second time since early July where Haywood County residents were possibly exposed to rabies through situation that could have been prevented, said Julia Plemmons, nursing director for the Haywood County Health Department. Campers were exposed to bats while sleeping in buildings where bats were present.

Rabies is a fatal disease in humans, but getting prompt treatment can prevent it from development.

Get ready for two evenings of bluegrass music and wholesome family fun on Friday, Aug. 27, and Saturday, Aug. 28, on the grounds behind the old Fines Creek School. Sponsored by the Fines Creek Community Association to raise funds for college scholarships, the Bluegrass Jam will be held rain or shine.

Top musicians such as Balsam Range, a local group known nationally in the bluegrass field, and Raymond Fairchild, a world-renowned banjo player, will headline the performances on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Steve Brown and his band, Hurricane Ridge, will host the event, with Brown also serving as master of ceremonies. Other groups performing include Out of the Blue, Hominy Valley Boys, Runners of the Green Laurel, Hazel Creek and Buncombe Turnpike.

The audience will also be treated to special appearances by The Southern Appalachian Cloggers, Dixie Darlin’ Cloggers, and The Fines Creek Flat Footers.

Pit-cooked barbecue, fish dinners, old-fashioned funnel cakes and cotton candy, in addition to hot dogs, hamburgers, sausage and Philly cheese steak sandwiches will be available. A portion of the profits will be donated by McLeod’s Concessions to the Fines Creek Community Association.

The Fines Creek Community Center is located at 190 Fines Creek Rd, off exit 15 on Interstate 40.

Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or chairs. Tents will be set up and some chairs will be available for a small rental fee.

Ticket prices are $15 per adult admission for one night and $10 for ages 16 to 18. Tickets for both nights are $25 for adults and $15 for students 16 to 18. Children under 16 will be admitted free with paying adults.

A complete schedule can be found at www.finescreek.org or by calling 828.627.2052.

The 2010 “An Appalachian Evening” season comes to an end on Saturday, Aug. 28, with one of Nashville’s most exciting new acts. The Farewell Drifters perform at 7:30 p.m. at Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center.

“An Appalachian Evening” was named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society in 2008 and is a featured event in the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th Anniversary community spotlight. The concert is preceded by two dinner seatings, served family style at the Stecoah Kitchen. Dinner seatings are at 5 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.

Reservations are required. Call 828.479.3364. Tickets can be purchased at the Stecoah Gallery, by phone, or at www.stecoahvalleycenter.com. Come early and shop for fresh local produce and art at the Stecoah Tailgate Market from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. before the show.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theater’s next play never played Broadway, or even New York, but it is one of the most popular comedies being done today.

“Catfish Moon” by Laddy Sartin tells the story of a group of close friends who have had a break up and are working towards a reconciliation — or trying to. The entire thing is set on a fishing pier complete with cooler, beer, rods, lawn chairs and a full moon and plenty of laughs — an appropriate way to spend a summer evening.

HART’s production is being directed by Allison Stinson and will feature Jessica Bachar, Tom Dewees, Jackie Webb and Jack Ross. This is a feel-good comedy that will leave you with some things to ponder, and a greater appreciation for a full moon on a summer night.

Laddy Sartin is currently a resident of Rock Hill, S.C., and a Mississippi native. She holds a BFA in Theatre from the University of Southern Mississippi. An actor and stage technician as well as a writer, Sartin has worked in theatre for the past two decades.

In the 1970’s and 80’s he appeared as an actor on a number of TV series including “Matlock,” but then he became a father and things changed. His wife had been the family’s principal moneymaker as a theatre technician working on “A Chorus Line,” but the family decided to leave the city and take a different direction. Sartin had been writing for years and he dug back into his trunk and found parts of what would become two celebrated plays, “Blessed Assurance” and “Catfish Moon.”

Sartin was the 1991-92 recipient of the North Carolina Arts Council’s Playwriting Fellowship, the state’s most prestigious individual artist award and then “Blessed Assurance” was selected for the Eudora Welty New Play Series at New Stage Theatre in Jackson, Mississippi, and was performed there in March 1995.

In the fall of 1992 “Blessed Assurance” was produced by Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., and was their entry in the American College Theatre Festival and received national attention. The play was also produced by the University of Southern Mississippi in September 1993 and by West Georgia College in February 1994.

Grammy Award winner Leslie Ellis and Grammy Award nominee Casey Kelly will share their creative talents starting 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Balsam Mountain Inn.

The performance is part of the Songwriters In-The-Round series, which brings audiences face to face with songwriters who have “made it.” Each has had more than one musical artist make their songs famous.

Ellis was responsible for the Grammy-winning “My Heart Will Go On” sung by Celine Dion and used in the blockbuster movie “Titanic.”

Ellis has performed “Six Times Around the Sun” in CBS TV mini-series “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” and is starring in a new film “My Name is Wallace.“

Kelly is a two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter for “Soon” (recorded by Tanya Tucker), “Cowboy Rides Away” recorded by George Strait (who still closes all his live concert shows with it), “Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight” (recorded by Kenny Rogers/Dottie West), “That Road Not Taken” (Joe Diffie). Other hits include: “Only Game In Town” (America) and “Somewhere Down the Line” (T.G. Sheppard).

Kelly is also a successful session player and singer. He has performed concerts and club gigs throughout the United States and Europe with prominent artists like Arlo Guthrie, The Beach Boys, The Carpenters, Fleetwood Mac, Gordon Lightfoot, The Grateful Dead, Hall And Oats, Jackson Browne, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Travis and many more.

Cost is $39 per person. Show, dinner, beverage, tax and tip included. Buffet starts at 6 p.m., with seating every 15 minutes.

800.224.9498 or  www.balsammountaininn.com.

A back to school celebration with local band 32 Reasons will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 27, at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. Teens and pre-teens are invited to come and celebrate (or mourn) the start of school. The event is free.

32 Reasons is a punk rock band from Waynesville. The band consists of Sam Kaufman on bass/lead vocals, Jesse Hickman on guitar/backing vocals, and Jack MacDonald on drums. The band’s sound is a mixture of punk, grunge and psychedelic rock.

32 Reasons is currently working on singles with No Question Music Group, a record label in Charlotte.

828.456.6000.

A CD containing 34 1930s-era recordings of music performed by Smoky Mountain musicians will be released in October by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Great Smoky Mountains Association, the park’s nonprofit educational organization. In the meantime, Great Smoky Mountains Association is attempting to locate those musicians still alive, most of whom were young men or women in 1939.

These historical recordings were made by linguist and folklorist Joseph S. Hall, who in the 1930s was encouraged by the administrators of the new national park to collect speech, folklore, and music from people who had been or were soon to be relocated to land outside park boundaries. Made in 1939, Hall’s recordings of community musicians are a treasury of the music played and enjoyed in nearby areas.

The wide variety of selections on the CD will include music performed by more than 20 different musicians, including:

• John Hannah, Little Cataloochee community, Haywood County.

• Bessie Rabb, Allens Creek, Haywood County, North Carolina.  

• Cataloochee Trio (Wayne Wright, Slick Wilson, David Proffitt), Cataloochee, Haywood County.

• Bill Moore and Vic Peterson, Waynesville.

• John Davis and Shorty Smith, Cataloochee CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp, Cataloochee community, North Carolina.

• Bill Moore’s Quartet, Waynesville, Haywood County.

• Carl Messer, Cove Creek, Haywood County.

• The Leatherman Brothers, Bryson City.

• Bill Moore, Paul Buchanan, Hardy Crisp, Haywood County.

• Herman Smith and David Proffitt, Cataloochee CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp, Cataloochee.

• Jim Sutton, Cataloochee, Haywood County.

• Helen Gunter, Mt. Sterling, Haywood County.

• Willis and Dexter Bumgarner, Allens Creek, Haywood County.

• Chub Karns, Francis Lum, Cataloochee CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp, Cataloochee.

• Betty Messer, White Oak, Cove Creek, North Carolina.

If you have any of the above-requested information, contact Steve Kemp, Interpretive Products and Services director of Great Smoky Mountains Association, at 865.436.7318 extension 227, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Registration is going on now for the 2010 calendar of workshops and Art Academy at The Bascom in Highlands. Pat Fiorello, whose work is pictured above, will teach three watercolor workshops: “Watercolor for Non-Artists,” “Watercolor Landscape,” and “Watercolor/Color Workshop,” from September 8 to 11. 828.526.4949, ext 100 or www.thebascom.org.

The WNC group of the Southeast Chapter of the National Cartoonists Society will be presenting a day of “Shop Talk” on Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Skyland/ South Buncombe Library in Asheville. The program will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with a break for lunch at noon.

Headlining the event will be two members of the National Cartoonists Society: Michael Jantze, artist of the comic strip “The NORM” and an instructor at Savannah College of Art and Design; and Julie Negron, artist of the comic strip “Jenny the Military Spouse” for Stars and Stripes magazine. Several other artists from the WNC area will also be presenting a number of programs on various facets of the work involved in cartooning and illustration.

An informal portfolio review will be held during the lunch hour and students of all ages are encouraged to bring along samples of their work for review by one of the attending professionals. Weather permitting, there will be light refreshments served at the library gazebo.

The event is open to the public and free of charge. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Healthy Haywood’s annual Family Fun Day will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, at the Canton Recreation Park outdoor pool. Enjoy free swimming for the whole family, a DJ, and health information booths from Healthy Haywood Action Teams, Health Department staff, and Smart Start/Region A Partnership for Kids.

Family Fun Day is sponsored by Healthy Haywood’s Healthy Living Action Team and Canton’s Recreation Department.

828.452.6675.

The Pisgah Promenaders will host the annual “Back to School Dance” from 7:15 to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Old Armory Recreation Center in Waynesville.

The dancers will be asked to bring back to school items for the benefit of the Broyhill Children’s Home. The dance will feature guest caller Stan Russell. Round dancing will begin at 6:45 p.m.

Fall square dance lessons will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13. Lessons will also be held at the Old Armory. The teacher/caller will be Ken Perkins. The first two lessons are free.

The Aug. 28 dance and lessons are co-sponsored by Waynesville Parks and Recreation.

828.631.0683 or 828.452.5917.

More than 100 artists and crafters from all over the Southeast, including Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Alabama will gather for the Labor Day Craft Show in Maggie Valley.

Artists will demonstrate and sell their original handicrafts works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4, and Sunday, Sept. 5, at the Maggie Valley Fairgrounds. Admission to the event is free.

This annual event will feature piped music throughout the day. Tasty festival foods will be prepared by local groups, while The Java Hut will make its appearance selling specialty coffee-drinks hot & iced, smoothies and other crowd-pleasers.

Fireworks will be displayed at the fairgrounds on Sunday, Sept. 6, starting at dark thirty. This part of the weekend event is sponsored by the Town of Maggie Valley.

The committee is still accepting applications from crafters and vendors from all states in the Southeast.

www.maggievalleycraftshows.com.

Haywood Community College Professional Crafts-Fiber students recently delivered a Navajo rug they crafted to the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock.

The students were commissioned to craft a replica of a worn and faded Navajo rug that once was in the Carl Sandburg home.

The project required extensive research to learn how to do traditional Navajo art. Not only did the students have to learn a new style of weaving, but they also had to experiment with dye. Sometimes it took several tries to get the colors to match closely to the original rug.

Students used the original rug as a reference when they were creating the weaving and color pattern. They each took turns working on the rug.

The HCC Foundation received $2,300 for the commission of this project to be used in the Fiber Department.

Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is dedicated to preserving the legacy of Carl Sandburg and communicating the stories of his works, life and significance as an American poet, writer, historian, biographer of Abraham Lincoln, and social activist.

Artists from Haywood and Jackson counties are eligible to submit work for the next “Art in the Airport” exhibit at the Asheville Regional Airport.

With approximately 600,000 passengers traveling through the Asheville Regional Airport each year, artwork on display receives tremendous attention, and pieces have sold from 90 percent of the previous exhibits.

Western North Carolina artists are featured in this rotating exhibit program in a dedicated gallery space as well as throughout the airport terminal.

Artists can apply with a new interactive online form, which can be found at www.flyavl.com. The show will be on display from Oct. 22 until Feb. 8. There is no fee to submit artwork, and all pieces are judged by area art professionals.

Artists are invited to submit between four and 10 pieces of artwork in any medium, bearing in mind that artwork must be suitable for all audiences.

Applications must be received by Friday, Sept. 10. To be considered for “Art in the Airport,” artists must reside in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania or Yancey counties.

Visit www.flyavl.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“Cool!” was the typical response from kids as Fun Factory visitors walked in to find a colorful, life-sized killer whale on display just inside the Fun Factory’s entrance. It’s the centerpiece of a free August and September arts and crafts program hosted by the Macon County Arts Association and the Fun Factory.

The MCAA is a nonprofit that regularly conducts children’s art classes at its gallery, so the Fun Factory approached them to help create a fun program for kids based around its giant, fiberglass killer whale that just happened to need a new paint job.

The arts and crafts sessions will be from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 4 p.m. on both Saturday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 11, inside the Fun Factory in Franklin. These are open sessions, so kids can drop in at any time to create a sea creature craft adn visit the “Art the Whale” display.

“We want them to develop an appreciation for the arts, but this promotion also teaches them about the environment, marine life and even has a recycling component,” said Stephen Clark, MCAA marketing director.  

In addition to helping to put the finishing touches on the whale itself, children who participate also get to recycle empty milk jugs, plastic bottles and more, into craft sea creatures. Clark developed about five different craft creatures including various fish made from recycled bottles, a milk jug whale, and even a crab made out of pasta and pipe cleaners.

Registration is encouraged. All kids who register in advance or on site will be eligible to win prizes. All participants will receive a coupon for a free $5 Fun Card plus a pass to see the Shark Tales movie Friday, Sept. 24, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.

“We want the kids and parents to bring their own empty plastic milk jugs and bottles to decorate,” said Clark. “But we’ll have plenty of extras on hand if someone forgets.” The MCAA will provide instructors to assist the children at each session, and the Fun Factory is providing all paint and craft supplies.

Many of the craft sea creatures take only about 15 minutes to create. When complete, children can place their sea creatures on display with Art the Whale for future pickup, or they are welcome to leave with their finished crafts.

Registration forms are available inside the Fun Factory, at www.funfactoryfranklin.com or at the Macon County Arts Association/Uptown Gallery on Main Street.

mcaauptowngallery.org or 828.349.4607.

A new book titled The Forests of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park serves as a guide to understanding and identifying southern Appalachian forest types for the non-scientist.

The book explores the evolution of the diverse forests of the Smokies, including environmental and manmade influences. Along the way, the reader learns how to sample the forest using skills like pacing, measuring tree diameter, estimating tree age, determining successional stage and identifying major southern Appalachian tree species.

The author is Dan Williams, forest manager & environmental educator with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. For more about the book, go to forestsofgreatsmokymountains.com.

An eight-week course on the Fundamentals of Green Building will be held at Haywood Community College starting Aug. 30.

The course is designed to help construction workers and contractors land work in the emerging green construction industry. The course is offered through the JobsNOW Program and a grant from the NC Rural Economic Development Center.

The course has a classroom component that covers theories, practices, and materials used in green building, plus a Boots-on-the-Ground component at a model green home being built on the HCC campus.

Cost for the class is $350 for registration and $205 for books. The class will be offered again on Oct. 11 and Nov. 15. 828.627.4667 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or 828.456.6061 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

For fulltime students, HCC offers a degree in Low Impact Development and a Green Building certificate.

The tenth annual Southern Energy and Environment Expo this weekend in Asheville will features dozens of programs and exhibits on how to create a more sustainable society.

Thousands of people attend each year to hear the talks, attend workshops and peruse the displays. The expo highlights cutting edge technology people can incorporate into their own homes and lives, from simple steps like eco-friendly cleaning products and rain water collection to bigger investments like hybrid cars and solar or geothermal energy.

When the first SEE Expo was held 10 years ago, global warming was still considered “debatable” and green living was outside the mainstream.

“Times have changed, the debate is over, and it’s time for action,” according to the event organizers. “Rebuilding our economy into a rational, sustainable economy begins on the local & regional levels.”

The expo will be held Aug. 20-22 at the WNC Agricultural Center located off I-26 near the airport. For a schedule, go to www.seeexpo.com.

Photographers should get to work now to come up with their best mountain images for the eighth annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition.

The photo contest celebrates the unique people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians. The contest has six categories: Adventure; Culture; Ecological Footprint; Flora and Fauna; Landscape, and Blue Ridge Parkway Vistas.

This year’s special “Share the Journey” category is Trees of the Parkway, which will be archived by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

Photographers are encouraged to capture images of trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway that stand out as the most beautiful, the oldest or largest, trees that tell a story or have a place in history, and those that are unique for their shape, species, or character. Make sure to include the tree species, its location (such as GPS coordinates or Parkway Milepost), and a paragraph about why the photographed tree is of particular significance.

The contest is put on by Appalachian State University and the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and offers $4,000 in cash and prizes .

To submit photos, go to www.appmtnphotocomp.org.

A cross-country style 5K race in Cullowhee sponsored by Foot Rx of Asheville, a running shoe store, will be held this Saturday, Aug. 21.

The Foot Rx 5k Cross Country Challenge starts at 9 a.m. at the Jackson County Recreation Center. The course is three big loops on the paths around the Cullowhee Recreation Center and Cullowhee Valley Elementary.

Registration is race-day only from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Cost is $50.

Top finishers overall get gift certificates to Foot Rx and age group winners get a paid of Thor-Lo Experia socks.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.508.2158.

Poet Bill Everett, author of Red Clay Blood River, will appear at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, as this month’s guest at City Lights Bookstore’s Coffee with the Poet. After a break for lunch, attendees can come back to enjoy a workshop at 1:30 p.m..Each workshop participant should bring one poem or one short piece (or excerpt) of prose.

Michael Beadle and Peter Yurko have published a new photographic history of Waynesville in honor of the town’s bicentennial this year. Their first book signing will be held 3 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Blue Ridge Books in downtown Waynesville.

The 128-page book, Waynesville, is from Arcadia’s “Images of America” series and includes nearly 200 black-and-white photographs of prominent Waynesville landmarks, including homes, churches, schools, hotels and boardinghouses.

Over a six-month period, Beadle and Yurko spent countless hours sorting through thousands of photographs from local museums, businesses, private collections, and newspapers, then writing and editing captions to go with each selected photo. The images represent various time periods from the late 1800s to the late 1900s and have been organized thematically into seven chapters highlighting local businesses, schools and churches, prominent citizens, and Waynesville’s industrial neighbor, Hazelwood, which merged with Waynesville in 1995.

828.456.6000.

Jean Boone Benfield, of Asheville, will read from her new book, Mountain Born: A Recollection of Life and Language in Western North Carolina, at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 20, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

The book recalls her growing-up years in Asheville in the 1940s. It is not so much a memoir or collection of family stories as it is a compendium of the features that made up everyday life for just about everybody in that time and place. Chapters cover foodways and housework, traditions and superstitions, and gardening and recipes. The final section of the book is a fascinating collection of old words and phrases, each defined and with an example of use.

Benfield will read selections from the book and take questions and comments from the audience.

Mary Judith Messer will read from her new memoir, entitled Moonshiner's Daughter: Growing Up Poor in the Smokies … How Did We Survive, at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 21, at City Lights. The book tells Messer's story of growing up in Haywood County in extreme circumstances of poverty, family discord, and outright abuse. It's a compelling story, and Messer has changed some of the names to protect the identities of the innocent people involved.

828.586.9499.

To the Editor:

I recently had occasion to take a 10-day camping and motorcycling trip. Maggie Valley was selected as my turn-around destination. The draw to Maggie Valley was great. The potential to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, which would include scenic views with great mountain vistas.

My magnet was more parochial in nature — The Wheels Through Time Motorcycle Museum. It has been several years since I had visited the museum. My first trip was during the original construction and opening of the facility by Mr. Dale Walksler.

The first museum visit was fabulous, and I vowed to return. During my absence, I heard a disturbing report regarding the Maggie Valley business community not supporting the museum and Mr. Walksler’s museum development plan.

This was disturbing and kept me away until my recent trip. Wow! What an incredible museum to be included in the Maggie Valley business community.

The improvements and enhancements to the museum’s historical presentation of America’s motorcycle history were impressive. Mr. Walksler serves as a modern-day “Indiana Jones” as he acts as curator for what was once a global business entity for many communities that were producing motorcycles in America in the early days of our country’s industrial greatness.

Mr. Walksler’s philosophy of keeping his equipment original and running is legendary in the motorcycle world.

Why is Wheels Through Time an important ambassador for the Maggie Valley business community? Simple, it’s the math. I was one motorcyclist, on one motorcycle, visiting Maggie Valley for the expressed reason of seeing the Wheels Through Time Museum.

I spent my discretionary dollars locally on food, fuel, and local camping accommodations. My spending included snacks, treats, souvenirs and fees. All my purchases included applicable North Carolina and local taxes. I left tips where appropriate. I would not have visited Maggie Valley without the museum as a magnet.

Wheels Through Time has to be considered a significant economic draw. I hope Maggie Valley supports this viable community partner and recognizes its significance.

As a final testament, I have become a marketer for Maggie Valley. I have told all my network of contacts of my great experience. One of my contact groups already has firm visitation plans for this fall. I have made plans for a return trip in late August.  

While at the Museum I shot an unsolicited video with Dale, which is being viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/watch?-v=hfEmLXPgWdI with my observations on Facebook and Twitter.

Joseph A. Abal, Ph.D.

Forensic Reconstructionist

To the Editor:

The dollar signs twinkling in the aldermen’s eyes were glaringly visible at the town of Franklin meeting last night. Clearly the advent of this unnecessary Wal-Mart is a forgone conclusion, evidenced by the limited debate to only the issues of size of store footprint and size of signage.

Of course, what else can you expect from a town and county so eager for short-term tax dollar earnings that they forget the long-term value of caring for the natural attractions of our area.  These are real values that draw people to the mountains.  Witness the lack of understanding placed on the intrinsic value of the river that runs through town in favor of the “ambiance” of the unsightly basic McDonalds and other businesses that could capitalize on that site, not contaminate it.

I seriously doubt that people find a super-huge, ill-located, Wal-Mart a reason or a draw to visit our location. Wal-Mart can be found in way too many areas, not to mention the fact that the one we have is more than sufficient for our locality.

Proponents of yet another Wal-Mart insist that competition is good. But the fact remains that others cannot compete with Wal-Mart mega-buying power. Yes, perhaps true competition does motivate other merchants to bettering their arenas, but this takeover of American towns, cities, roads and byways — not to mention some folks’ skewed value systems — is not competition, it is monopoly.  

Shirley Ches

Franklin

To the Editor:

In a column dated Aug. 13, Gail Collins of The New York Times reminds us that August marks the 90th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote. She also reminds us that before that August 90 years ago, there was a 70-year “slog” of “Adventure! Suspense! Treachery! and Drunken Legislators!” not to mention a U.S. Senate that resisted year after year. 

Thus, each state had to ratify the right to vote, triggering a massive effort in each state by women of all persuasions. It came down to Tennessee and one vote. It looked as if women would lose once again when Rep. Harry Burn received a telegram from his mother in which she told him to be a “good boy” and “do the right thing.” He did the right thing and the governor signed the bill on Aug. 24, 1920. Two days later, the 19th Amendment became national law, 144 years after the Declaration of Independence.

Through 70 years of seeking the right to vote, women were arrested, beaten, deprived of food and water, and suffered indignities that only women in other countries can identify with now. We simply must vote in November to honor all of those women and the men who supported them.

The yellow rose came to symbolize the suffragette movement. If you have not registered to vote, why not pin on a yellow rose and march yourself to the elections office and get yourself registered. And when November comes, be sure you have educated yourself about the candidates.  Who honors the tenets of our constitution and the principles of equality? Who will best represent us and not big business? Who will honor all of those women who struggled for 70 years to make sure we could vote?

“The young women of today — free to study, to speak, to write, to choose their occupation — should remember that every inch of this freedom was bought for them at a great price ... the debt that each generation owes to the past, it must pay to the future.”
~ Abigail Scott Dunaway

Linda Watson

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

I commend Rep. Heath Shuler, D-N.C., for his support of H.R. 1586, the “Education, Jobs, and Medicaid Assistance Act.”

According to Reuters, this bill provides $26 billion to the states to save the jobs of teachers, firefighters, police officers and nurses. It will be paid for by closing tax loopholes which make it profitable for multinational corporations to send American jobs overseas. It will not increase the deficit but will actually reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion over the next 10 years.  

This is a wonderful bill. It protects education, public safety, saves jobs, ensures health care for those who cannot afford it, and lowers the deficit. How could any congressperson vote against it?  Unfortunately, just about all Republicans did, including Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. I have searched to find their reasons. All I could find was a statement by the leader of the House Republicans, John Boehner, who called this bill a “bailout” to “special interests.” People who educate our children and keep our communities safe are “special interests?”

I hope someone asks Rep. Shuler’s opponent in the upcoming election if he would have voted in lockstep with his Republican colleagues against this bill.

Carole Larivee

Waynesville

To the Editor:

Tuesday night (Aug. 10) the Haywood County health board voted to table the amendment (for 90 days) to the health rule that would have allowed for a Class 1 misdemeanor in cases of health rule violations. Many of the citizens of Haywood County applaud your decision.

The process has gone on for several months. Many citizens have been involved in every stage of the amendment process and at public hearings. The health rule was being called to a vote on Tuesday … just as more facts were coming to light. This decision will allow for further discussion on the issues that still concern citizens … without slowing up the health board on all other actions that they are charged with addressing.

Thank you to the Health Board for taking this course of action. Thank you for your service to Haywood County.

Lynda Bennett

Maggie Valley

To the Editor:

Some locations just aren’t suitable for development, let alone to be utilized by a major utility project. Kituwah Valley is obviously one.    

A portion of Swain County’s citizens are aware, and others should be made aware, that Swain Couty has only 13 percent of its enormous land base at its disposal for generating revenue. This is due to the fact that most of the land is national forest and national park. Kituwah Valley, though a large section of the floor is once again owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee, is within Swain County’s taxable land base and is currently a scenic stop on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad, home to Darnell Farms (which has year-round events for tourists), and is host to the Hemlock Inn where couples have been married overlooking the beautiful valley. These businesses have been generating revenue for Swain County for generations, and they would not stand up to their own reputations as destinations quite the same if such a thing as an electrical utility complex were newly occupying their backdrop.

Now that the looming threat of a major electrical tie station being located up on the mountainside has been publicly extinguished, Swain County can move toward ordinances and other protective measures for its most valuable asset … its view scape.

Aside from the de-forested section of the mountainside property newly owned by Duke Energy Carolinas, and a few other reversible eyesores, the entire valley is a beautiful glimpse into the past.  It is bordered by U.S. 74 and serves passersby throughout the seasons as a corridor into Swain County with postcard perfect views of frosted vegetable rows, foggy mornings, sepia cornfield sunsets, brilliant sunrises, a full pallet of autumnal colors and smells, the glistening Nantahala River running cold through the thick summer canopy that follow its shores. Kituwah Valley is a living representation of the fading life-ways of our ancestors and is, for most of America and its tourists, a priceless perspective on their own national heritage.

So, I extend a big “Thank You” to Duke Energy Carolinas in making the decision to relocate their much-needed project outside of Kituwah Valley. I undoubtedly believe that this decision will benefit everyone for the long term.

My grandfather Jack C. Smith, a former Swain County commissioner, said to me of his philosophy: “You have to look 15 years out and plan for then.” I believe he would have said to Duke’s decision to relocate their project that “Well … it plain just makes sense.”   

I encourage readers to visit the website www.savekituwahvalley.com where you can view filings, documents, and the entirety of the request to Duke Energy Carolinas to make reparations to the citizens of the Eastern Band of Cherokee and the citizens of Swain County on behalf of our homes and our history that have been affected by their recent project development.

Natalie Smith

EBCI member and Swain County resident

Edisto, SC – Heat like this has a relentlessness that is unnerving. You try giving it the slip, it follows you like a villain in a dream into the air-conditioned nooks and the sea-breezed crannies of your vacation days. There is no escape. As I sit in the local ice cream parlor/video store and ponder just how much of a giant scoop of black walnut ice cream I can fit into my mouth, a trio of teenage girls push open the door, the one in front pausing to impress some critical point upon the one in the back, and the heat surges in like a river of invisible lava, searing whatever is in its path. We are in its path. The fingers on Jack’s right hand are completely coated in light green ooze, as his mint chocolate chip cone melts aggressively right in front of him.

“Better eat that, bud,” I say, nodding at the cone. “Here, I’ll show you…”

We love Edisto. It is beautiful here, and the whole island has a weird, slow, almost surreal kind of vibe that just suits us to the core. Consider that the ice cream parlor/video store has more VHS movies than DVDs, and you may get the picture, so to speak. Consider that the best food on the island can be found in a restaurant that is attached to a gas station, and you will probably get the idea.

We stayed in a resort because it has a lot of things for the kids, who are not as keen on my wife’s plan to spend 18 hours each day on the beach as she is, and not so keen either on my plan to read paperbacks in a nice air conditioned room during the day and take strolls on the St. Helena Sound around dusk to see the sunset and watch the dolphins play games for the tourists.

Foolishly, I thought the kids would really, really marvel at seeing the dolphins, especially since they surface with such frequency and so close to the shore. On our first day there, we were strolling the St. Helena Sound no more than 10 minutes before half a dozen dolphins appeared just a couple of hundred yards out, rising and falling in that mesmerizing way of theirs. The six of them together looked like some kind of machine in the water, one big engine with fins as working parts.

“Look, guys!” I said. “Dolphins! There must be … one, two, three, four, five ... of them. No, six of them!”

Kayden was up ahead with her mother, out of earshot, inspecting a dead jellyfish or something, so I grabbed Jack and put him on my shoulders for a better look. I thought, this is kind of a Reader’s Digest father/son moment, the two of us awestruck into a pure and perfect silence by the unfathomable beauty of the moment.

“Cool, dad,” said Jack, after about two seconds on my shoulders. “Now can we go play putt putt?”

Jack’s addiction to putt putt goes back to late spring, when we took him to play in Maggie Valley. The whole family went, and Jack was immediately charmed by the brightly colored balls, the kid-sized putters, and the various and sundry challenges presented with each new hole. Let’s face it. A sand trap is one thing, but if you want a real hazard, try putting through a windmill or a giant castle or into a chute that comes out who knows where? And Tiger Woods thinks HE has problems?

On hole number four, Jack somehow banked in an impossible shot that ricocheted off everything in Maggie Valley except Joey’s Pancake House before landing in the cup. The crowd exploded. Well, Tammy and I exploded, while poor Kayden, who had already decided that putt putt was about as fun as getting a tetanus shot after hitting her bright green ball into the water, the sand, the rocks, even the parking lot of an adjacent business, did not even notice what had happened until she heard the excitement and looked up from picking at her fingernail.

“What?” she asked, absently.

At Edisto, if you stay on the resort, you can get a week-long pass to play all the putt putt you like. We played at least twice per day all seven days we were there, except for the day that we played on the actual 18-hole Plantation course. I rented Jack some clubs, and we were off for our 9:30 tee time. I used to be a pretty decent golfer, but since the much richer pleasures of family life — you are reading this, right, honey? — came along, I have played only twice in the past seven years, and that is if you include this outing. Even so, I was pretty sure I could take Jack out, since he has never played at all and weighs only a little more than a good-sized horseshoe crab.

Have I mentioned the heat? Even in the morning, it was as alarming as Joan Rivers’ facelift, so bad that the marshals hounded us for all 18 holes, practically begging us to drink the bottles of water they were riding around to give the poor saps who had actually chosen to play in this weather. Of course, it was the hottest day of the week, temperatures around 100 degrees, the heat index about what you’d need to roast a good-sized pig.

We drank water almost constantly, survived the round, bought the T shirt. No, we didn’t buy the T shirt, since T shirts in pro shops cost about as much as the average car payment. Instead, we opted for more ice cream.

“And after that, putt putt. Right, daddy?”

Who knows? Maybe one of those castles has an air-conditioned dungeon where I can finally read my paperback.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Hawyood County. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)

When General Motors began looking for a good place to test the power of a new Hybrid car being released this fall, two of WNC’s most notorious curvy roads rose to the top.

Both Tail of the Dragon and Hellbender in the Fontana area of Graham County played host last week to a fleet of the new GM hybrid cars known as the Volt.

The engineering team from GM’s Chevrolet division stayed at Fontana Village Resort while testing their new model. Diagnostic equipment mounted on the vehicles gave them real time data as they put the cars through their paces on the scenic byways. One member of the team commented that it was a challenge to concentrate on the data while enjoying the drive on N.C. 28 and U.S. 129.

The Balsam Mountain Inn will have a special dinner at 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 24 to provide donations to the Catman2 Spay and Neuter program.

All proceeds from the dinner will defray costs for the shelter and pay for the spay and neuter program for low-income cat owners.

Dinner is $10 if purchased in advance and $15 at the door. Entertainment and cash bar open at 5 p.m. A new video telling the story of the Catman@ shelter will be shown.

For information contact Balsam Mountain Inn at 800.224.9498 or the shelter at 828.293.0892 or visit www.catman2.org.

The Jackson County GOP’s Orville Coward Forum on Public Issues program featuring Retired U.S. Marine Corp Gen. Geoff Higginbotham will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 23, at the Sapphire Resort Community Center in Sapphire.

Gen. Higginbotham’s service in the military spans 33 years and includes tours in Vietnam and Desert Storm and as a commander at every level. He is a Distinguished Service Medal honoree who is now among several U.S. generals who have been asked by the Republican National Committee to appear and be interviewed on national radio talk shows.

“I am among those generals who felt it necessary to educate the public under our nation’s present circumstances,” he said in a recent interview.

In a recent address to the Mountain High Republican Women’s Club, Gen. Higginbotham began his remarks to the group expressing that he could speak to many areas but chose Afghanistan above the others. His speech covered a review of the reasons for the war, a brief summary of the conditions and the culture of Afghanistan, and an explanation of U.S military strategy. In his sidebars to the main subject, Higginbotham described the state of our military forces in general, the Iraq War and the political influences that impact our present military needs.

“Fantasies in Fiber and Fabric,” an exhibition of three-dimensional garments, hats, bags, and one-of-a-kind original dolls by Toni Carroll, will run from Wednesday, Aug. 25, to Saturday, Sept. 18, at Gallery 86 in Waynesville.

Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There will be a special artist’s reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3, in conjunction with the Waynesville Gallery Association’s Art After Dark event.

Inspired by nature and driven by passion, Toni Carroll’s work in “Fantasies in Fiber and Fabric” are enchanting and astonishingly beautiful. A Jackson, Miss., native currently living in North Carolina and Florida, Carroll shares her zeal of fabrics and design.

www.haywoodarts.org.

Pop-opera performer and 2008 winner of television show “America’s Got Talent,” Neal E. Boyd will open the 2010-11 Galaxy of Stars Series with a performance 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at the Fine and Performing Arts Center on the Western Carolina University campus.

Opening the show will be WCU musical theater students, under the direction of program head Bradley Martin, performing selections from “I Love a Piano,” an Irving Berlin revue, and “Seven Deadly Sins,” an exploration of good and evil.

Boyd grew up overweight, biracial and bullied in a single-parent, financially stressed home in rural Missouri. Opera dropped into his life unexpectedly when a school project required his brother to listen to the Three Tenors.

“The moment I heard Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and Jose Carreras, they just blew me away,” said Boyd, also a tenor, who as a youngster already was a fan of popular music.

Boyd performed throughout his childhood, college years at the University of Missouri, where he studied music and graduated in 2001, and beyond. As an adult, he always kept a day job; he was an insurance salesman when he began appearing on “America’s Got Talent,” a reality show on NBC television where contestants compete for a million-dollar prize and a show as the headliner on the Las Vegas Strip.

He released his debut album, “My American Dream” from Decca Records, in 2009, with selections that ranged from popular to show tunes to opera to hymns. In March, Boyd performed for Barack Obama when the president visited Missouri.

This is the sixth season of Galaxy of Stars performances, featuring world-class theater, music and dance staged in the FAPAC and presented by the College of Fine and Performing Arts. The second performance of the season is Friday, Sept. 24, by the Hunt Family, a mother, father and seven children who perform Irish dance and play original, Celtic, bluegrass, inspirational and popular tunes.

Ticket prices for the Boyd performance, sponsored by Holiday Inn Express in Dillsboro, are $25 for adults; $20 for people 60 years and older and WCU faculty and staff; $15 per person for groups of 15 or more; and $5 for students and children. Subscriptions for the entire Galaxy of Stars Series still are available and cost $130 ($40 for students and children).

828.227.2479 or www.wcu.edu/fapac.

Asheville-based mountain and bluegrass group Sons of Ralph will perform a fundraising concert for the Canton Lions Club from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 28, at the historic Colonial Theatre in downtown Canton.

The Sons of Ralph play a wide variety of music, including many original songs. Their unique sound, which has been described as “Americana,” incorporates traditional mountain music, bluegrass, country and Western, folk, and classic rock. As a testament to the band’s popularity, readers of The Mountain Xpress have voted The Sons of Ralph “Best Local Band” for eight of the last 10 years, including 2007 and 2008.

All proceeds from the concert go to the Canton Lions Club, an active service organization dedicated to serving the people and community of Canton. As part of its continuing mission to serve, the Canton Lions Club provides college scholarships for deserving high school students, supports community organizations and donates thousands of dollars to local schools and charities. The club also sponsors Canton’s annual Labor Day rides.

$10. Tickets can be picked up (with cash or check made out to the Canton Lions Club) in Canton at Clay Dangerfield’s State Farm Insurance Office at 80 Crossroad Hill next to Ingles or at American Cleaners at 10 Penland St. in downtown. Advanced tickets can be mailed if ordered before Aug. 21.

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact Canton Lions Club President Patrick Willis at 828.279.6195.

The winner of the Jackson County Green Energy Park 2010 Sculpture Competition is Box of Souls, a contemporary sculpture by artist Bob Doster of Lancaster, S.C.

Selected by an independent jury panel, Doster’s piece is a constructed stainless steel box, cut away to reveal empty space in the shape of numerous geometric and representational figures including the sun and stars, humans and animals.

A winner of the 2007 Southern Arts Federation Award, Doster has had his sculptures displayed throughout the Southeastern United States and around the world. He is an internationally acclaimed sculptor whose unique style of metal art ranges from accent pieces with a whimsical feel to large-scale installed sculptures.

Doster’s commitment to engaging and educating youth was formally recognized in 2006, when he received the Elizabeth O’Neill Verner award for outstanding achievement and contributions to the arts. This award is the highest honor South Carolina bestows on artists.

Box of Souls will be on display at the Green Energy Park through July 2011. Visitors may view the piece year-round during regular park hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. www.jcgep.org.

Thanks to a group of enthusiastic volunteers from the area, a new Patrick Dougherty sapling sculpture has been constructed at The Bascom Art Center in Highlands.

Dougherty constructs outdoor sculptures all over the world and has finished more than 200 major site-specific pieces, but has fashioned only a few in his own home state.

“Do Tell” is a 15-foot-high by 27-foot-wide by 21-feet-deep, sinuous woven stick monumental work of art.

The community is invited to drop by and admire the sculpture’s whirling shape, maze-like interior, and natural features that echo the landscape around it. Walk inside the sculpture, as the cavernous magical interior is part of the experience.

Made up of native hardwood species including maple, beech, birch, elm and hazel tree saplings, the wood sculpture took three weeks, 75 volunteers and over 800 volunteer labor hours to build and install. Four tractor-trailer-truck loads of hardwood tree saplings were collected at neighboring Highlands and Scaly farms.

All in all, more than six tractor-trailer loads of construction material were used in the final creation.

According to Dougherty: “The sculpture’s 15 sides or facets or facades have two eye-like or window openings at the top and mouth-like or door openings at the bottom. On each panel, there is a suggestion of a face. The sculpture’s facets or walls spiral inward. There is mystery in this piece. You cannot see it fully from one vantage point. This is a work of art that you must circle around and enter into in order to discover all of its features. The title ‘Do Tell’ suggests that mystery. ‘Do Tell’ invites the viewer to come closer and have a deeper experience.”

An idea is planted

In the 1980s, current Bascom Director Linda Steigleder saw a twig-works outdoor sculpture by Dougherty at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and was mesmerized. When Steigleder joined the staff of The Bascom, she introduced the idea of commissioning a work by this artist whose critical acclaim and talent have grown.

Volunteer and local artist Bo Sweeny has worked nearly every available work shift during the entire project.

“I was familiar with Patrick and his work from having seen it previously and was very impressed and I never thought I would have a chance to work with him,” said Sweeny. “This has been a chance of a lifetime.”

Bascom member and an accomplished artist Peggy Wilcox added, “I had seen Patrick’s work and became enchanted with it. I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer.”

Located in a green space next to the art center’s kiln barn, the impressive tree sapling structure is visually prominent from the moment you enter the campus through Oak Street or the art center’s main entrance off Franklin Road, the covered bridge. Dougherty’s sculpture will be on continuous view at The Bascom for at least two years or as long as the structure endures.

About the artist

Dougherty has created hundreds of monumental, site-specific sculptures around the world. His work is constructed from thousands of deciduous tree saplings and sticks gathered from local sources and shaped into massive, swirling forms as high as 40 feet. The artist loves the production phase of his work. “We are all hunters and gatherers,” Dougherty said. “It’s primal.”

In his work, Dougherty combines his carpentry skills with his love for nature. In the 1980s, he made small sculptural works, fashioned in his own North Carolina backyard and quickly moved from pedestal-sized pieces to monumental site-specific installations that require sticks by the truckload.

The Dougherty installation and sculpture, which took three weeks to construct, is made possible through tireless volunteer hours and the support of exhibition sponsors Mary Ann and Knox Massey.

For more information call 828.526.4949 or  www.thebascom.org.

Two hikes along the Bartram Trail in Northern Georgia will celebrate roadless areas in the national forests on Sunday, Aug. 15.

Both hikes, led by Georgia ForestWatch, will climb to the summit of Rabun Bald, the second highest peak in Georgia with spectacular panorama of the Nantahala and Smokies ranges. Georgia poet Laurence Holden will then read some of his new mountain-infused poetry.

The two hiking groups will take alternate routes to the top, one that is 8.5 miles and one that is 3.5 miles.

The first annual Roadless Recreation Week is being celebrated with various wilderness outings in 15 states to highlight the importance of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a hard-fought victory by environmentalists to keep “roadless” areas in national forests “roadless.” It protects 60 million acres from future road building.

Reserve a spot on the hike by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 706.635.8733.

Internships in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park gave not only students but teachers hands-on experience in science this summer. Teachers and students spent their summer in the field with park rangers, conducting environmental research and outreach with park visitors and helping them understand and appreciate the Smokies.

The teachers this summer included Phyllis Kapsalis with Waynesville Middle School, Greg Tucker with Pisgah High School in Canton, and Jane Jenkins, the librarian at Jonathan Valley Elementary. High school interns included students from Robbinsville High, Cherokee High, Swain County High and Tuscola High. Funding for the internships came from Alcoa, Friends of the Smokies, Toyota and two federal grants.