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Book Club Banter
By Allison Lee - Jun 19My recommendation for a light summer read is "Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale" by Lynda Rutledge. It’s the story of an eccentric, reclusive ...
Brown's 'Bigfoot War' hits big screen
By Jessi Stone Guide editor - Jun 19Author Eric S. Brown, of Canton, has found more success than he ever imagined in a genre that is often difficult to break into. He has written ...
JAM Camp registration closes June 22
Jun 19The Haywood County Arts Council has announced just 10 days left to register for the first ever JAM Camp. This extension of the Junior Appalachian ...
Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival begins June 23
Jun 19The Haywood County Arts Council announces its 19th season hosting the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival beginning June 23. The series of five ...
SummerVoice Music Camp registration now open
Jun 19Voices in the Laurel announces its summer offering of SummerVoice Music Camp. Registration is now open for the day camp which will take place from ...
A man with a plan
Jun 19Steve Lampl, a retired businessman turned artist, had an idea when he moved to Haywood. Before retirement, he had lived in metropolitan areas with ...
Mountain music revival at PlottFest
By Mary Ann Enloe - Jun 19Maggie Valley will ring with mountain music Saturday and Sunday when PlottFest comes alive at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. Gates open at 9 ...
Wheels Through Time hosts hog rally
Jun 19Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley recently hosted more than 700 motorcycle enthusiasts for the Tennessee State Hog Rally. Kanini's ...
PlottFest goes to the hounds
By Jessi Stone Guide editor - Jun 19The second annual PlottFest to benefit the Head Start program in Haywood and Jackson counties will be more rightly focused on its namesake this ...
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Grace holds last Noon Concert
Jun 16The final concert for this season at the Grace Episcopal Noon Concert Series in Waynesville will feature Dixieland Jazz by The Frog Level Philharmo...
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HART holds 'Dearly Departed' auditions
Jun 13The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will hold auditions for its August production of the Southern comedy “Dearly Departed” at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday ...
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Brewology
By Greg Copen - Jun 12The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) recently released the results of its 2013 national competition. (Drum roll, please!) Even though my ...
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Library Friends start summer series
Jun 12The Friends of the Haywood Library offers "The Known World" as the first in the Let’s Talk About It summer series entitled Journeys Across Time ...
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Oconaluftee Indian Village wins TripAdvisor award
Jun 12CHEROKEE — The Cherokee Historical Association, operators of the Oconaluftee Indian Village, today announced that it has received a TripAdvisor® ...
June Sunday Series to feature Dusk Weaver
Jun 12The Haywood County Arts Council announces Dusk Weaver in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 16 at the Haywood County Library auditorium in Waynesville....
PlottFest expands to two days
By Mary Ann Enloe - Jun 12Haywood County's upcoming PlottFest June 22 and 23 is getting attention from all over the state. This second year of the annual celebration that ...
Park showcases traditional women’s work
Jun 12The Mountain Farm Museum in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will come to life from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15 as national park staff and ...
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Band camp starts June 17
Jun 10The Salvation Army of Waynesville will be hosting a Summer Band Camp for second graders and older from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, June ...
Celebrating Appalachian roots
Jun 09The weather Saturday was perfect on Main Street in Waynesville as residents and visitors enjoyed a stroll through yesteryear. The third annual ...
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Dance benefit for REACH set for June 22
By Meaghann Lynne - Jun 07The RaqShuraka Dance Company of Waynesville is hosting “A Night of Dance,” at 7 p.m. June 22 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART), 250 ...
Catch up with the guys through an adventure in the Smokies
Jun 07Taking a trip the Smoky Mountains is a great way to gain some quality time with your friends and reconnect with your inner explorer. Haywood ...
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Haywood County Arts Council to launch ArtShare
Jun 05The Haywood County Arts Council is launching its first ever planned giving exhibition at its gallery, Gallery 86, the last week of July. Planned ...
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Rolling with Stone
Feb 20On Feb. 14, I had the pleasure of interviewing author Ron Rash, who will be reading from his new book Feb. 25 at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville. ...
Always a dancer
By Stina Sieg - Feb 10Even if the name "Poochey" doesn't ring a bell, chances are you know her. Or at least you know her smile. When Aileen "Poochey" Greene is clogging,...
A heartfelt goodbye
By Stina Sieg - Jan 21Staring into the depths of an all-white, empty page is always hard for me. I kind of hope it always will be. It's not usually this bad, but then ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Jan 21It doesn’t matter if you’re leaving town for a day or a decade; the problem is always the same. There is only so much time. I am an eternal ...
Pickin' through the winter
By Stina Sieg - Jan 21CANTON — When the weather turns warm in Haywood County, people know where to turn for their mountain music and dance fix. Every Friday, all summer ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Jan 14This is my third January editing The Guide, and so this is my third January worrying about the same issue — of not having much going on in the ...
A weekly dose of dance
By Stina Sieg - Jan 14FINES CREEK — The stars seem brighter out here. Maybe that’s a romantic notion, or maybe it’s simply true, as little Fines Creek is miles away ...
Balsam Range and John Driskell Hopkins play powerhouse show
By Stina Sieg - Jan 06Balsam Range played to a packed house Saturday night at Canton's Colonial Theatre. The Haywood County-based band is always a huge draw and, with ...
BR welcomes John Driskell Hopkins
By Mary Ann Enloe - Dec 31Folks tuning in to today's country music channels know the Grammy-award-winning Zac Brown Band. Atlanta's John Driskell Hopkins has been doing ...
A look back at 2012
By Stina Sieg - Dec 27Who says things don't change much around here? This year alone, Haywood County saw the addition of a triathlon, jazz festival, two microbreweries ...
A guitar for Zac Brown
By Stina Sieg - Dec 20Balsam Range's Caleb Smith isn't just a player of guitars extradinaire, he's a maker of them. Caleb Smith Guitars, which specializes in "war time" ...
The end of the world?
By Stina Sieg - Dec 16The Mayans famously believed the world would come to a screeching halt Dec. 21, 2012 — aka this Friday. Or maybe they didn’t. No one, of course, ...
The music of Gentlemen
By Stina Sieg - Dec 03ASHEVILLE — The music industry is awash in niche genres these days. Between newgrass (Sam Bush, anyone?) and K-Pop (think Psy of “Gangnam Style”) ...
Balsam Range ignites Colonial
By Stina Sieg - Dec 02The Balsam Range Winter Concert Series started up Saturday night with a sold-out show at the Colonial Theater in Canton. BR welcomed Nashville ...
Balsam Range concert series starts back up
By Stina Sieg - Nov 26CANTON — There’s no question who packs crowds into seats at Balsam Range’s Winter Concert Series. And that would be Balsam Range. These mountain-ra...
Downtown Waynesville gets festive
By Stina Sieg - Nov 18Before Christmas, or even Thanksgiving, Waynesville's Main Street got festive Sunday afternoon with the annual Holiday Open House. Though many ...
Welcome to 'Osage County'
By Mary Ann Enloe - Nov 11HART closes its regular 2012 main stage season with a humdinger of an homage to dysfunctional families everywhere. "August: Osage County" is black ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Nov 04A few nights ago, I saw the film “Flight,” and it made me sad. And not because of the death, destruction and discussion of personal demons. The ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Oct 22One funny thing about being a journalist is being part of so much — and yet so little. You get to meet just about everyone and see just about ...
Crowds flock to Apple Harvest Festival
Oct 21On Saturday, downtown Waynesville was chock full of all kinds of folks — from crafters to cloggers — during the 23rd annual Apple Harvest Festival....
Art lovers flock to Church Street fest
By Stina Sieg - Oct 13Artists, crafters, musicians and dancers filled Waynesville's Main Street during the 29th annual Church Street Art and Craft Show. Known for the ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Oct 08I think magic is sometimes best seen when you feel a little blind. That about sums up where I was at Friday night as I wrapped up work, grabbed my ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Sep 24There’s nothing like being trapped under a mountain of work to make you believe the world is alive, exciting and full of possibilities — and just ...
Meet the 'LoneBackpacker'
By Stina Sieg - Sep 24Adam Malis talks about travel the way some people talk about love. He never planned on it, but still it found him. And his life was never the ...
Two milestones for Music at the Mill
By Stina Sieg - Sep 16If a hurricane were to ever hit this far west, everybody knows where Jerry Donahoe would be. The local banjo player and history buff likes to joke ...
'Thunder' in pictures
By Stina Sieg - Sep 15The twice-annual Thunder in the Smokies bike rally rolled into Maggie Valley this weekend and brought with it thousands motorcyclists from across ...
Thunder in the Smokies rumbles into Maggie
By Stina Sieg - Sep 09MAGGIE VALLEY — For those who’ve never been to Thunder in the Smokies, rising country star Eric Lee Beddingfield has a few words for you. “You ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Aug 31When I think of art, two seemingly contradictory things run through my mind. I believe that art, both visual and performing, is completely ...
Stina's picks
Aug 26A few days ago, I watched a wave of yellowish-green leaves flutter off a bank of trees on Waynesville’s Wall Street. It hit me that fall really is ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jul 23If you were at Folkmoot’s Parade of Nations Friday afternoon, chances are you saw me running up and down the street, camera in hand. You probably ...
Five years of Blue Ridge Books
By Stina Sieg - Jul 09These days, when a couple makes it to five years, it’s a real accomplishment. When a business makes it that long, it’s a real surprise. And when ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jul 09Before you read my column, I say flip to page 7. That’s where Mary Ann Enloe’s review of “La Cage aux Folles” lives, and it’s lovely. I use that ...
A luscious 'La Cage'
By Mary Ann Enloe - Jul 09HART's "La Cage aux Folles" garnered the longest standing ovation in recent HART history at Friday's opening night performance before a full ...
Dancing down Main Street
By Stina Sieg - Jul 08Despite the muggy weather and ominous droplets of rain, Friday night's Mountain Street Dance drew quite a large, enthusiastic crowd to Waynesville'...
HART tackles "La Cage aux Folles"
By Stina Sieg - Jul 01What is it about men in dresses that’s so delectably delightful? Whenever there are dudes in drag, they always steal the show, regardless of ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jul 01Oh, how I want to write something witty or heartfelt, but I’m just too hot to think. Considering how little air conditioning there is in this ...
Eric S. Brown: bringing up Bigfoot
By Stina Sieg - Jun 25There are so many ways to divide up us humans, from cat people and dog people, to country music lovers and loathers. But as local author Eric S. ...
Canton artist commended in New York
Jun 25The National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic (NSPC&A) has announced Joseph Russ as the 2012 recipient of the "Mark Freeman Memorial ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jun 25As I hurtle into the heart of my second summer here, I can’t help but get a little philosophical. Maybe it’s just my unaccustomed response to ...
Meet 'Ivy Rowe'
By Stina Sieg - Jun 18When we deeply connect with someone, it can be hard to know where we end that other person begins. Was that my opinion or his? Was that her memory ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jun 14This probably says a lot about me, but the more people are looking forward to something, the more nervous I get for everyone involved in it. This ...
Celebrate the 'Appalachian Lifestyle'
Jun 04Last year around this time, Julie Wilson was playing second fiddle to a baby goat. She loved it. The Fines Creek farmer had brought the tiny ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jun 04It is such a treat to get blown away by the talent in your own back yard. It happened to me this weekend when I paid my first-ever visit to the ...
Steve Sutton: A master of mountain music
By Mary Ann Enloe - Jun 04When it comes to music, humor and pleasing a crowd, it’s hard to beat Whitewater Bluegrass Company. Now in its 30th year, WBC is one of the most ...
Headwaters Brewing holds grand opening
May 30Headwaters Brewing Company, 130 Frazier St., in Waynesville, held its grand opening celebration Saturday, May 26. The full-day fiesta attracted ...
Gallery 86 celebrates Appalachia
By Stina Sieg - May 25Like so many people these days, metal smith Daniel Miller can’t claim to be native to Western North Carolina. But, like so many artists these ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - May 25Sometimes I forget we live in such a gentle place. I take for granted that there’s not much traffic to speak of (except when pulling into Ingles, ...
HART stages hilarious 'Wonderettes'
By Mary Ann Enloe - May 25HART’s comedies and musicals always leave ‘em laughing, but never like “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” During the first act of Thursday’s preview ...
The 'Wonderettes' sing the hits
May 21It only takes a minute or two for director and choreographer Mark Jones to describe the sparse plot behind “The Marvelous Wonderettes.” When it ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - May 21A few weeks ago, I ran a half marathon — a slow, hilly 13.1 miles. For more than two hours and 45 minutes, I huffed and puffed along the banks of ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - May 16I know Disney claims to be the “happiest place on earth,” and maybe that’s true for some, but I’ve never had as full an experience at its “World” ...
'Chrysalis' deals with grief, hope
By Stina Sieg - May 14ASHEVILLE — Nearly everyone has lost someone they love. And nearly no one wants to talk about it onstage in front of an audience full of strangers....
Stina's picks
May 06There are plenty of great local things happening this weekend, but I’ve got to be honest that I probably won’t attend a one of ‘em. For the next ...
MOMS Music Festival to be Sunday
By Stina Sieg - Apr 30We are officially in the season of festivals, a time when just about everything gets its own special celebration. From spring to ramps, old ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Apr 30I know that talking about the weather can be limited, predictable and boring, but with temps as schizophrenic as ours have been, I can’t help it. ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Apr 26Sometimes it’s just nice to get out. I was thinking that last weekend, as I ambled through PlottFest and later Taste of Chocolate both in Maggie. ...
QuickDraw is art in action
By Stina Sieg - Apr 26QuickDraw veteran Grace Cathey has a few recommendations for anyone taking the annual art-in-an-hour challenge. Copious supplies, a clear plan of ...
PlottFest celebrates Haywood hounds
By Stina Sieg - Apr 19MAGGIE VALLEY — Not many dog breeds get their own festival around here. Then again, not many are called the “ninja warrior of dogdom” by famous ...
Waylon Christner: a colorful character
By Stina Sieg - Apr 19If you’ve ever seen one of Waylon Christner’s paintings — and you probably have — chances are you were struck by two things: its vibrant colors ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Apr 19On Sunday, as I dropped my brother off at Max Patch for a little Appalachian Trail wandering, I felt the warmth of the air on my skin and saw the ...
Buddy's back
By Stina Sieg - Apr 08Beloved bluegrass player Buddy Melton performed for a packed house Saturday night during the final show in Balsam Range’s Winter Concert Series. ...
Rash debuts newest novel
Apr 08As with all talented artists, there’s a tendency to put good writers on a pedestal. It makes sense, as they seem to make magic, creating new ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Apr 08Just when I was thinking things were feeling a little slow around here, last Saturday shook me awake. In the morning, I was treated to one of the ...
Easter with the Elks
Apr 02Last Saturday, Waynesville's Elks Lodge #1769 celebrated Easter early with an afternoon of egg hunts, ballon-animal making and a visit by the ...
Balsam Range wraps up concert series
By Stina Sieg - Apr 02CANTON — With Easter right around the corner and Buddy Melton still on the mend, it seems only right that this Saturday’s Balsam Range concert ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Apr 02Four years or so ago, I remember seeing a bumper sticker that read, “My Grass is Blue.” I admit it took me several minutes to get it, which would ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Mar 29What kind of person cuts out of work an hour early just to see a flick aimed at teenagers? I guess that would be me. Last Friday, I played hooky ...
Music that fits
By Mary Ann Enloe - Mar 25I’m a bluegrass groupie. That would come as a big surprise to my long-ago music professors at Brevard College who saw to it that I was on good ...
It's country time at Pisgah
By Stina Sieg - Mar 25CANTON — Hold onto your hats, folks. A stampede of singing cowboys (and girls) is coming your way. It’s the tail end of March, which means the ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Mar 19I think it’s a cosmic joke that one of the best changes of the year is also one of the roughest. It’s been just over a week since the time change, ...
Mélange a night of foodie fun
Mar 19Every spring, people around here hunger for a certain competition of skill, endurance and grace. These fans are often fiercely devoted to one team ...
Jonathan Martin makes music that matters
By Stina Sieg - Mar 05Like many musicians who exist outside the confines of pop radio, Jonathan Martin doesn’t like to pigeon hole his sound. The singer-songwriter’s ...
Tuscola Country/Western Show celebrates 30 years
By Stina Sieg - Mar 05So many things that started in the 1980s are long gone, from leg warmers to flattops to “The Golden Girls.” But not the Tuscola High School ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Mar 05How on earth did we slip into March? Before we know it, we will be inundated with festivals and shows and sports that actually take place outside ...
Balsam Range backstage
By Stina Sieg - Mar 04Local music fans got to meet the men behind some of country music's greatest hits on Saturday during the second-to-last Balsam Range Winter ...
Fundraiser to fill many 'Empty Bowls'
By Stina Sieg - Feb 27This Saturday, the Open Door will get one of its biggest financial boosts of the year, one bowl of soup at a time. “The Empty Bowl Dinner,” now in ...
'Pillowman' is pitch-dark
By Stina Sieg - Feb 23HART is a great place for feel-good comedies, musical romps and plays for the whole family. Just not this weekend. “The Pillowman,” opening Friday ...
A word from Dr. Gupta
Feb 20Editor’s note: This is part of a series on Canton resident Rick Morris, who was recently chosen to participate in the 2012 CNN Fit Nation Triathlon...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Feb 20I love how, just when we think we’re getting a handle on what this winter is all about, it laughs (well, snows and rains) in our faces. Being from ...
Why I make art
By Kim Ross - Feb 08Being born and raised in the tiny town of Snowflake, situated in southwest Virginia, I enjoyed playing in the orange clay mud in my backyard. At ...
'Collected Stories' tells a tale of two women
By Stina Sieg - Feb 08“Collected Stories,” the newest addition to this winter’s crop of Feichter Studio plays, is about the relationship between two women. In other ...
'Land's End' lands second week at HART
Feb 02“Land’s End and Beyond,” a collection of monologues and a mini-play by Western North Carolina author Gary Carden, is coming back for seconds. The ...
Concert series to feature the Harris Brothers
By Stina Sieg - Feb 01Music is Reggie Harris’ life, but he’s not about to brag on himself or his brother, Ryan. Together, they’re the Harris Brothers, a Lenoir-based ...
Meet John Darnielle
By Stina Sieg - Jan 30There’s something raw and deliciously invigorating about The Mountain Goats and frontman John Darnielle. His songs can be moody, angsty or kind of ...
HART to feature Gary Carden stories
By Stina Sieg - Jan 23There are no fancy sets, expensive costumes or elaborate dance numbers in director Tom Dewees’ newest show — and that’s all by design. Like the ...
Fundraiser to benefit Sharon Rathbone
By Stina Sieg - Jan 23Sharon Queen Rathbone is fighting for her life, and she needs the whole county in her corner. Since the now 47-year-old Haywood native was ...
Painting the 'Faces of Waynesville'
By Stina Sieg - Jan 16Painter Char Avrunin enjoys Waynesville’s quaint collection of shops, historic buildings and eateries as much as anyone, but she also knows that ...
Winter favorites at the Mountaineer
By Stina Sieg - Jan 16Haywood County may be a seasonal place, but that doesn’t mean that everything goes quiet once the birds (and retired snowbirds) head south. We’re ...
Into the mind of a muralist
By Stina Sieg - Jan 09For Laurel Tewes, creating art isn’t just a job or a hobby or a passion. It’s who she is. “It is in my DNA,” said the Canton resident, who ...
A year of entertainment in pictures
By Stina Sieg - Dec 29Here are a few favorite photos from Haywood County's most beloved events.
A creative year in review
By Stina Sieg - Dec 29Haywood County is made up of old-timers and newcomers, retirees and young families, just to name a few groups. While it may seem this rich cross ...
Cataloochee's 51st season in full swing
By Stina Sieg - Dec 15hen Tom Alexander founded Cataloochee Ski Area in 1961, he wasn’t out to create a flashy, exclusive resort. Instead, he was looking to give his ...
Skaggs Family Christmas makes local stop
By Stina Sieg - Dec 14As Sharon White Skaggs talked about “A Skaggs Family Christmas,” her voice fluctuated from joyful to extremely sad. This season, the nine-year-old ...
Beirut makes sound synergy
By Will Byers - Dec 14The steadily evolving yet ever-consistent Beirut arrived in Asheville to grace The Orange Peel on Monday, Dec. 5, with their opener, the Seattle-ba...
It's 'Appalachian Christmas' time
By Stina Sieg - Dec 08This Saturday night, an audience at Lake Junaluska will get an early Christmas gift in the form of mountain music star David Holt. Hopefully, the ...
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Time again for 'A Night Before Christmas'
By Stina Sieg - Dec 07For one holiday evening every year, Waynesville makes the season bright, literally. A Night Before Christmas, coming to town this Saturday, is a ...
Last Art After Dark of 2011
By Stina Sieg - Dec 04Hundreds of people strolled through Waynesville's Main Street and historic Frog Level Friday night during the last Art After Dark of 2011. The ...
Haywood County Christmas parades: a guide
By Stina Sieg - Nov 29Even the most jaded Grinches among us have to agree that there’s something special about a small-town Christmas parade. Maybe it’s the lights, the ...
Balsam Range Winter Concert Series starts up again
By Stina Sieg - Nov 27A little more than a year ago, Tim Surrett and the rest of Balsam Range were hoping for the best. The premier concert of the first-ever monthly ...
Sam Roberts to play Asheville
Nov 18Watching Canadian rocker Sam Roberts live on stage is something. There’s an energy, an urgency that lets you know this guy is giving it his all. ...
Clelia Hand: a life lived artistically
By Stina Sieg - Nov 18Nothing brings a wider selection of art and artists to the Haywood County Arts Council’s small works show. Every year, it includes work from ...
McKayla Reece to honor vets in song
By Stina Sieg - Nov 16When McKayla Reece sings one of her favorite country or gospel tunes, she sounds every bit like an adult, an adult with an incredible voice. When ...
'Ah, Wilderness' a family jewel
By Mary Ann Enloe - Nov 14Author Eugene O'Neill's pretend family in "Ah, Wilderness" is, on the surface, a turn-of-the-century "Ozzie and Harriet." But don't expect to see ...
Travels in Vietnam, Part III
By Stina Sieg - Nov 13Something happens to time the last few days of any trip I’m on. As the end nears, the future and the present start to blend and while I do try to ...
Don’t fall back
By Paul Viau - Nov 10I apologize for getting a bit off track with my last column. At the suggestion of my part-time mail carrier and full-time fitness advisor, Bud ...
'Ah, Wilderness!' showcases big, happy family
By Stina Sieg - Nov 10There are few dramatic themes more prevalent right now than the dysfunctional family. Bickering, unhappy parents and their sarcastic, forlorn ...
Travels in Vietnam, Part II
By Stina Sieg - Nov 10Every trip I’ve ever taken has had the kind of complications that are so improbable that, when later recalling to friends, they sound like unfunny ...
The real rub with air travel
By Paul Viau - Nov 03I am an infrequent traveler, and the airlines and the TSA are making me less of a fan. Now, I don’t mind most pre-travel procedures. Men are ...
Brooks Yeomans talks art
Nov 03Brooks Yeomans, 54, is the kind of successful painter artists aspire to be. His colorful, multi-layered pieces come from his photographic memory ...
Holy Smoke! It’s that time of year again
By Paul Viau - Oct 27I came home today to smoke rising from several leaf piles in my neighborhood. Though I’m not much of a burner, I sure love the smell of torched ...
A look back at Canton’s history sparks memories, wishes
By Keri Hill - Oct 20Recently, through all the glory that Facebook offers, I joined a group called “Remember Canton When…” As a lifelong resident of Canton, and a ...
Charles Frazier discusses his new book
By Stina Sieg - Oct 12A few afternoons ago in Asheville, author Charles Frazier was surrounded by the low-key bustle of a small coffee shop and smiling as he described ...
Moogfest offers three-day music smorgasbord
Oct 04Moogfest, the annual festival celebrating the vision of sonic pioneer Bob Moog an happening Oct. 28-30 in Asheville, is right around the corner. ...
‘Haywood’s Got Talent’ winners announced
Sep 29The Haywood Arts Regional Theater’s first region-wide talent show finals played to a standing room-only audience Friday night with 14 show-stopping...
A 'Spelling Bee' for everyone
By Stina Sieg - Sep 29"Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes...” — Steve JobsAnyone who has been a ...
A sweet sorghum soiree
By Stina Sieg - Sep 25For more than 20 years, Canton local and Haywood Community College instructor David Burnette has been hosting sweet sorghum-making parties at his ...
'Haywood's Got Talent' heads into finals
By Stina Sieg - Sep 21Haywood County is no New York City, Los Angeles or Nashville. And many, maybe most, who live here are thankful for it. But there’s no question ...
Learn all about the 'C-Word'
By Stina Sieg - Sep 19It has been a decade since local actress Barbara Bates Smith first stepped in front of an audience and opened up about her experience with cancer. ...
Dedication keeps Haywood Community Band playing
By Stina Sieg - Sep 15Walking into one of the Haywood Community Band’s rehearsals, it’s impossible not to notice the welcoming feel in the air. The room in the local ...
Music at the Mill a smashing success
By Stina Sieg - Sep 10On Saturday, lovers of bluegrass and barbecue filled the lawn in front of the historic Francis Mill during Music at the Mill. A larger-than-normal ...
Thunder in the Smokies goes country
By Stina Sieg - Sep 09As bikers come together this weekend in Maggie Valley, they can expect what they’ve come to enjoy about Thunder in the Smokies Motorcycle Rally ...
Smoky Mountain Folk Festival celebrates 41st year
By Stina Sieg - Sep 04Lake Junaluska's Stuart Auditorium was alive with the sounds of mountain music makers, cloggers and ecstatic applause Friday and Saturday nights. ...
Guide editor stina@themountaineer.com
'Gypsy: A Musical Fable'
By Stina Sieg - Jul 19When director Steve Lloyd says that “Gypsy: A Musical Fable” pulls out all the stops, believe it. The classic Broadway musical, which happens to ...
Pickin' on Canton
By Stina Sieg - Jul 18Last Friday night, the Canton Rec Park didn’t look like itself. Despite the rain that had ended only a few minutes before, the place resembled the ...
Waynesville hosts Appalachian Lifestyle Celebration
By Stina Sieg - Jul 18Musician and storyteller David Holt is a Texan by birth, but he talks like any other North Carolinian who is steadfastly proud of his slice of ...
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Lifestyles Editor
Rising Stardom: Haywood County pageant finalists vie for state title
By Megan Northcote - Jun 19This week, two Haywood County teens will vie for the Miss North Carolina Outstanding Teen 2013 crown. The pageant is going on now through Saturday,...
Young rising star makes debut at HART
By Megan Northcote - Jun 12Blonde hair, blue eyed Matthew Curry, the 20-year-old from Canton who stars in the Broadway musical “Ring of Fire” playing at HART, may not look ...
A moment with Margaret Cho
Jan 20It's hard to put Margaret Cho in a box — or a paragraph, for that matter. She sings, writes, designs clothes, models and — at least in a few ...
On the bus with '21A'
By Stina Sieg - Jan 14As we go about our daily lives — with all our mistakes, revelations and lessons learned — it’s easy to feel like many people live in our heads. ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Jan 07Every once in a great while, someone asks me if I do everything I “pick” each week. The truth is, it doesn’t always happen, though I probably ...
Cataloochee by night
By Stina Sieg - Jan 07It was Friday night, and I was feeling pretty lucky. Normally at 7 p.m. I would be watching a movie or eating dinner with a friend or cleaning my ...
Hopes for the arts in 2013
Dec 30What would you like to see in Haywood County this year? Ask your average joe, and you might get answers that run the gamut from jobs to Target. ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Dec 30What do you do in a place where everything is possible? Everything, I guess. That’s how it’s felt. For the last week, I’ve been back in San ...
DIY Christmas
By Stina Sieg - Dec 17Christmas is so straight forward when you're little. You want that awesome video game/doll/touch-screen thingamajig, and nothing else will do. ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Dec 17So, how’s everybody doing? Yeah, me too. If you haven’t been sobbing in your car or curled up in a fetal position lately, good going. I can’t say ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Dec 10Do you know those movies that pick you up, shake you around and don’t let you go until you get a mildly life-altering understanding of the world? ...
A close-knit community
By Stina Sieg - Dec 10With knitting needles in her hands and purple yarn wrapped around her finger, Pam Ring looked at home. An unfinished linen skirt was growing ...
Stina's Picks
By Stina Sieg - Dec 01Sometimes helping others and telling them what to do can seem awfully similar. “You must see this movie,” we say, or “You’ve got to check out this ...
'A Christmas Carol' with HART
By Stina Sieg - Nov 30What says “A Christmas Carol” to you? Is it Charles Dickens’ original novella dating all the way back to 1843? Is it the Muppets singing their way ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Nov 26How did this happen? How did it become Christmas already — a month early? Maybe if I had a bunch of little ones with big expectations for pricey ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Nov 19As I sat in HART’s rendition of “August: Osage County” a few days back, I could see (and hear) why someone might object. Between the shrill ...
Kingsolver takes 'Flight'
By Stina Sieg - Nov 19When Barbara Kingsolver sits down to write, she doesn’t worry so much about her characters. They’re important, of course, but to this famed ...
It's a 'Small Work' after all
By Stina Sieg - Nov 12Gallery 86 is always morphing into something new. Depending on the month, the Haywood County Arts Council space might be showing off local ...
Lessons from Miss Leymah
By Stina Sieg - Nov 12LAKE JUNALUSKA — Leymah Gbowee didn’t win a Nobel Prize by letting people off the hook. The Liberian peace activist is known the world over ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Nov 12A few weeks ago, I received the most surprising letter. It contained my drivers license and a friendly note penned by a couple who had found it ...
Poundstone comes to the mountains
By Stina Sieg - Nov 05In kindergarten, famed comedian Paula Poundstone got her first good review. It came from her teacher, Mrs. Bump, who wrote in an evaluation that ...
HART tackles 'Osage County'
Nov 05Haywood Arts Regional Theatre has a way of matching the time of year with the timing of its shows. In the heat of this summer, it presented the ...
Stina's picks
By A point in the right ... - Oct 29By the time you read this, Halloween might very well be over, but so? I love it too much not to talk about it. Some adults take it for granted, ...
The comedy of quilts
Oct 29Right now in Gallery 86, a cow is hula dancing. A few feet away, unruly dogs are riffling through their poor owner’s sewing supplies, and a woman ...
Eric S. Brown talks Halloween, horror
By Stina Sieg - Oct 21Few people know Halloween inside and out like local author Eric S. Brown. He doesn’t really dress up any more — and he doesn’t need to. He’s ...
Too old to trick or treat? Not Maddie
By Maddie Claytor - Oct 21A lot of people (mostly teenagers), seem to wonder when you stop dressing up or going trick or treating on Halloween. Is there a certain age ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Oct 15When I was little, everything about this time of year, from the turning of the leaves to the starting of school to the time change, was really ...
Art events abound this weekend
Oct 07Despite what every teenager probably says, there is a lot going on in Haywood County — and perhaps never more so than this weekend. From craft ...
Waynesville welcomes jazz
By Stina Sieg - Oct 07"Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life." — Art Blakey, jazz drummer People in Haywood County love their music. From bluegrass to southern ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Oct 01I think everyone has their own version of joining the circus hiding somewhere in their mind. For me, it's being a visual artist, and it's nudged ...
Why I make art
By Dominick DePaolo - Sep 19I think I was predestined to love and create art. As a young boy I would draw on anything, and the back of my bedroom door was not such a good ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Sep 16On Saturday, I took a short but educational trip out of the country. At least that's how it felt spending a few hours at Thunder in the Smokies, ...
Picks by Stina
By Stina Sieg - Sep 13As a small-town reporter for about seven years, I’ve been to my fair share of cookouts, potlucks and benefits of all stripes. I have never, ...
Women of NoHa 'Piercing the Mundane'
Aug 31Most everyone’s heard of SoHo. Charlotte folks know NoDa. But NoHa? For most of us, that’s a new one — but maybe not for long. The Women of NoHa, ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Aug 12My room is a mess, and my car is no better. I’ve got a headache and a thousand questions doing laps in my brain. I’ve even got laundry to fold, ...
Mountain 'Mater Fest celebrates ninth year
By Stina Sieg - Jul 30As John Denver famously sang, “There are only two things money can’t buy and that’s true love and homegrown tomatoes.” While it’s true the ...
Stina's picks
By Stina Sieg - Jul 30In places big and small, the phrase “something for everyone” gets tossed about enough to make your head spin. But every once in a while, it does ...
Briefs
Top
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PlottFest trout race tickets on sale
Jun 11Haywood Waterways Association (HWA) and Trout Unlimited are selling trout race tickets for PlottFest in Maggie Valley. The trout race will be at ...
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JAM camp starts July 8
Jun 10The Haywood County Arts Council is sponsoring its first five day JAM camp from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 8 to Friday, July 12 at the Haywood ...
Columnists
Did you know?
The Seinfeld counter culture
By Paul Viau - Jun 19Earlier this year my wife and I saw Jerry Seinfeld perform in Asheville. He looked a little older, and in fairness so did we. But his sense of ...
Rolling with Stone
By Jessi Stone Guide editor - Jun 19In the round I spent my weekend with my favorite guys — my husband who is celebrating his 29th birthday today (Happy birthday Matt!) and my dad ...
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Rolling with Stone
By Jessi Stone Guide editor - Jun 12I’ve now been living in Haywood County for five months, 10 days and a few hours. It’s amazing how time flies. Seems like last week I was leaving ...
Did you know?
My brother was a 'mad scientist'
By Paul Viau - Jun 12As a public service, I’d like to warn citizens of Haywood County to BOLO — be on the lookout — There’s a new crazy Viau in town, turning up at ...
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The Flash meets Frankenstein's monster
By Eric S. Brown - Jun 12If you're not familiar with Justice League Dark, you should be. It's an excellent title from DC'S "New 52." Justice League Dark is a secondary ...
Did you know?
Team up — and tee it up — to help our community
By Paul Viau - Jun 05Attention all golfers, you have my deepest sympathies. Not only is the game of golf the most difficult ever invented, this time of year you need ...
Rolling with Stone
By Jessi Stone Assistant ... - Jun 05It’s heating up out there Haywood! I got my first sunburn of the season already as I was up visiting Ghost Town last week, but it’s not too bad ...
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New social media rules explained
By Jessi Stone Assistant ... - Jun 05Love it or hate it — there’s no escaping social media for businesses that want to be successful. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and ...
Rolling with Stone
May 22Memorial Day Perhaps Memorial Day should be a somber day as we honor all the men and women who have lost their lives in military service to this ...
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Rolling with Stone
By Jessi Stone Guide Editor - May 01This rain has got to go. People are chomping at the bit to get out of the house and enjoy some fun and sun. Rain, rain go away But sadly the ...
Flood of festivals
By Jessi Stone Guide Editor - Apr 17You may be reading The Guide for the first time this week because our carriers dropped one off at every house on their routes whether you are a ...
Suds on Saturday
By Jessi Stone Guide Editor - Apr 10What a beautiful weekend we had! You can’t help but to be happy and thankful for where we live in that kind of weather. As I mentioned last week, ...
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Beer and poetry
By Jessi Stone Guide editor - Apr 03It is now April in North Carolina and two of my favorite things are being celebrated this month. The state is recognizing April as North Carolina ...
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Up, down and around the county
By Jessi Stone Guide editor - Mar 27Easter excitement The sun peaked through the clouds for a little while Saturday afternoon as I made my way through a crowd of kids at Bethel’s ...
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Rolling with Stone
Mar 19Well St. Patrick’s Day weekend didn’t turn out exactly like I had planned — but that didn’t stop me from enjoying myself. This time last week I ...
When you shop high and low, You-Can-Save
By Paul Viau - Jan 08I’ve got to admit it: as the popular country song goes, “I was raised on an asphalt farm, never heard a rooster crow.” In other words, I’m not ...
Did you know?
Goats will go to great heights to eat — even Christmas trees.
By Paul Viau - Jan 02I must admit, everything I know about goats I learned in kindergarten, plus the research on an occasional goat-related story in 2012. But just ...
'The Twelve Days of Christmas' is a study guide for all Christians
By Paul Viau - Dec 23We all know the Christmas song/carol that begins, “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me — a partridge in a pear tree.” Did you ...
Deck the halls
By Paul Viau - Nov 29I’m such a “right jolly old elf” that you might think Christmas is my favorite time of year — but it isn’t. Like most men, I don’t look forward to ...
Un "stuff" your Christmas
By Paul Viau - Nov 20A few years ago my wife and I realized (maybe later than most folks) that we had way too much “stuff.” So when the holidays came around, and the ...
What happened to the bounty?
By Paul Viau - Nov 15Thanksgiving is upon us, but it has been Donald Trumped by a retail onslaught like we have never seen before. What used to be a quiet celebration ...
A Claus for a cause
By Paul Viau - Nov 09As you know, I often write (and talk) out of both sides of my mouth. Last week I groused about Thanksgiving, and how it has been nearly eclipsed ...
Holy Smoke!
Oct 31Turkey Day, as many of us call it, is right around the corner. But the retail world has kept it a big secret. For the past couple months, we’ve ...
Something to crow about
By Paul Viau - Oct 24This column was inspired by our neighbors, Alden and Lanie Robinson, who both have a lot to crow about. Lanie is a gifted Master Gardener, and ...
Bears on the prowl
By Paul Viau - Oct 18It’s bear season in North Carolina — both the legal hunting season for bear in many western counties, plus the dangerous time of year when bears ...
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
By Paul Viau - Oct 11I have an old Magic Eight Ball. It’s a toy I have been fond of since the 1950s, and I find it a great way to prepare for almost any outing, ...
Hats off to Haywood County Brewers
By Paul Viau - Oct 04Even if you are only an occasional reader of this column, you know that I am a big fan of beer — good beer, aka craft and/or micro-brewed beer. ...
Take the Fitness Challenge
By Paul Viau - Sep 27These days, you can’t pick up a newspaper or magazine or turn on the television, without hearing the words "obesity" and "epidemic" in the same ...
Did you know? Grandview Lodge serves a ...
One Grand View after another
By Paul Viau - Sep 07My wife and I will never forget our first glimpses of Haywood County. We were on a day trip from Cashiers with Carol’s mom. The Cashiers/Lake ...
Did you know? Ten ways to eat and beat back ...
What to do with all those 'maters.
Sep 05Ah, ’tis ’mater season again, and Yellow Stripeys, Cherokee Purples, Orange Noodles and good-ole Boxcar Willies are taking over our porch, kitchen ...
Did you know? Nike has turned the chartreuse loose
The world wears 'Olympic Yellow'
By Paul Viau - Aug 10Like most of the world, I have been captivated the past few days by the great NBC television coverage of the 2012 Olympics. The parade of colors ...
Did you know? If you keep goats, watch out for ...
Goats seen a ghost?
By Paul Viau - Jul 25My first two columns in July — devoted to goats — caused quite a stir, and I heard a variety of comments from readers — everything from, “Nice ...
Hillbilly Grocery is 'the real McCoy'
By Paul Viau - Jun 29Editor's note: The Guide offers a hearty apology to Paul, whose column was accidentally cut off last week. You can read the column in its entirety ...
Did you know? No fainting goats were harmed in ...
Just say no to goats
By Paul Viau - Jun 28The other morning, I was awakened by our two cats at 3:15 a.m. Believe it or not, this is their normal wakeup time, as of late — when the hunger ...
A healthy extra income
By Paul Viau - Jun 13From time to time, I have focused on the healthful benefits of fruits and vegetables. I have written columns titled "Eat the rainbow" and encourage...
I went to a garden party
By Paul Viau - Jun 07OK, this is another column that will date my wife and me. But I make no apologies whatsoever. We both had the great fortune to grow up "children ...
Here come the 'dog days'
May 31This year everything is coming early, and the hot “dog days” of summer are already upon us. Memorial Day weekend ushered in record high temperature...
Driving in circles
By Paul Viau - May 26I have noticed that many drivers in our “neck of the woods” seem confused with traffic circles, or as the Brits call them, roundabouts. We only ...
Invasion of the Giant Mosquitoes
May 23Often my views are influenced by the wonderful view — from our deck. We look north at Chambers Mountain, and often see the "traumahawk" (medical ...
Stop shooting dogs!
By Paul Viau - May 11I must warn my readers that this column is a departure from my normally light and occasionally entertaining looks at life in Western North ...
It's a "Snake Farm"
By Paul Viau - May 01OK, this column is going to be a real can of worms — big worms, AKA: snakes.Now if I can identify with any line of dialogue from any movie, it ...
The taps at Headwaters are flowing
By Paul Viau - Apr 27Try as hard as I can — one pint at a time — I can’t seem to keep up with the new breweries coming to our area. Though it’s a long way off, I’d ...
Dining out for life
By Paul Viau - Apr 20I apologize in advance for all the acronyms in this column. I don’t like hurling a lot of initials around, but I am on a mission this week. You ...
A heavenly way to treat elders
By Paul Viau - Apr 05With my dog bite behind me, and a new kitten coming onboard, I’m now going to turn to a subject near and dear to my heart — eldercare. I know a ...
The journey of life
By Paul Viau - Mar 29I’m not surprising anyone when I remind you that each our lives is a journey. We don’t know where that journey will take us on any given day. For ...
Acolyte horror show
By Angela Dove - Mar 12My daughter, Nina, sat in the front row fidgeting in her white robe. I tried to be patient. After all, as a new acolyte she had a lot to remember. ...
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Skaggs family brings the Christmas magic
By Stina Sieg - Dec 19I just spent Christmas with Ricky Skaggs and his family. That’s honestly how intimate their annual holiday tour feels. At “A Skaggs Family ...
Thank you, Sam Roberts
By Stina Sieg - Dec 07Sam Roberts rocked my world. There is no other way to put it. When I saw that Canadian indie-rock star perform recently in Asheville, something ...
My fruitcake was stollen
By Paul Viau - Nov 24Nothing brings out the joy (and madness) of the holidays like fruitcake. Case in point was a publishing department Christmas party I had the ...
Thank you notes
By Paul Viau - Nov 17Not many people take the time to write thank you notes anymore. But we of the “older generation” know our manners. We thoughtfully put pen to ...
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Travels in Vietnam, Part I
By Stina Sieg - Nov 03The other night, I slept fitfully. I kept waking up, looking around in the darkness and wondering what big, messy hotel room I was in. It wasn’t ...
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A journey to Thanksgiving
Nov 01When I was young, November was a sullen downtime between the exciting bookends of Halloween and Christmas. Thanks to a friend, it’s become my ...
C U @ dinner
By Angela Dove - Oct 06An unexpected delay in my schedule left me sitting outside my son’s piano lesson late one afternoon instead of emailing my girlfriends a reminder ...
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From Haywood to Vietnam — and back again
By Stina Sieg - Sep 29A few nights ago, I was sitting on damp grass in the Canton countryside and watching a world I’d never seen unfold all around me. To my left, ...
My battle with ‘The Great Pumpkin’
Sep 29For those of you who just want to skip the set-up, have no fun and learn absolutely nothing, I’ll cut to the chase — I lost again. This year, the ...
Director secretly wishes for slight mishap
By Angela Dove - Sep 25I was asked to help direct a funny series of skits on the naming of various town and communities in Haywood County, to be performed at the ...
My tale of the dragon
By Paul Viau - Sep 22I’m sure many of you have heard of Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort in Tennessee. As resorts go, it’s a bit lacking in amenities. But as a Mecca for ...
Hair today, gone tomorrow
By Paul Viau - Sep 15Men, this is not just another, “Woe is me, I’m going bald” sob story … so please, read on. This is all about that hair you don’t want and how to ...
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