Residents of Jackson County this past weekend didn’t even have to walk out of the neighborhood to support local art. The 15th annual WNC Pottery Festival was held in Bridge Park, Sylva, on Saturday, Nov. 2, offering art to everybody. The event showcased works by over 40 master potters from all over the U.S. It included […]
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid in Western North Carolina
February 10, 2019 by
The story was originally published in The Sylva Herald on Feb. 7, 2018. A new front in the war against a destructive black and brown insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid, has been opened by Western Carolina University. Research focused in Jackson and Macon counties started last fall, led by Peter Bates and Angela Mech from […]
Nantahala joins Sylva’s craft beer scene
February 21, 2018 by
Originally published in The Sylva Herald by Gavin Stewart. Jackson County residents were abuzz on Facebook after finding out the brewery that makes some of their favorite beers, such as Dirty Girl Blonde and Bryson City Brown, plans to open a taproom and brewery in downtown Sylva this year. Joe Rowland, owner of Nantahala Brewing […]
The futures of WCU and WNC – the region it was founded to serve – will forever be inextricably linked
December 18, 2017 by
Op-Ed By DAVID O. BELCHER I had the privilege of presiding over Western Carolina University’s Dec. 16 commencement ceremonies and witnessing the great emotion and sense of accomplishment among the graduates. A point of pride at this December’s commencement was that nearly half of the fall graduating class hails from the 18 westernmost counties of […]
The basics of Fly Fishing
May 21, 2017 by
This story was co-written with Ashley Kairis Fly fishing is immensely popular in western North Carolina. According to The WNC Fly Fishing Trail, Jackson County alone has more than 4,000 miles of trout streams and is the home of the state record for the largest rainbow trout ever caught. Living in an area that has such a […]
Thousands flock to the Greening Up the Mountains festival
April 30, 2017 by
The 20th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival was April 22. According to event coordinator, Amy Ammons Garza, she’s estimating there were around 1,200 visitors, this is 2,000 more than last year. Garza said the streets of downtown Sylva were very crowded, not even the rain could discourage visitors. “When it rained, I think people went into […]
