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This year, we're thankful for ...
Sometimes we overlook all the good things, but as Thanksgiving approaches, it seems time to take a closer look at the reasons we're lucky to be in Jackson County.
We really do have a lot to be thankful for this year, including:
– Holiday cheer. The first installment is set for Tuesday night when Sylva's annual Christmas parade welcomes the yuletide season.
This year's edition will honor members of the Sylva Garden Club as grand marshals, and it gets under way at 7 p.m. from the Community Service Center.
Following the parade, those who don't want the fun to end can head up to City Lights Bookstore for a special holiday storytelling session. Joe Rhinehart, president of both the Jackson County and Webster historical societies, will host the event, and all who have stories or recollections of past local Christmases are invited to share their memories.
– Home-grown excellence in higher education. Jackson County boasts two fine institutions of learning that allow area young people to acquire knowledge and get the training they need without traveling too far from home.
Southwestern Community College is celebrating its 40th year and Western Carolina University is marking its 115th, and both remain committed to meeting the needs of an ever-changing workforce.
– Cooperation between our local community and WCU. Two events this weekend highlighted how we all benefit when university faculty and students team up with civic organizations to achieve a common goal.
Saturday's inaugural Great Smoky Mountains Book Fair raised about $1,500 for the new library's building fund. That event, which attracted 50 regional authors, was a combined effort of WCU's Honors College, City Lights and Friends of the Library.
The event was an example of how much can be accomplished when various sectors of the community work together for a common goal.
Sunday's campus performance of Handel's Messiah showed once again the quality of musicianship that we have here in the mountains. The Coulter Recital Hall stage was overflowing with musicians and singers, and the collaboration between WCU's Concert Choir and University Chorus, the Western Carolina Community Chorus and the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra resulted in a brilliant performance.
Conducting the performance was retired WCU music professor James Dooley, who founded the community chorus 34 years ago in 1970 while he was head of the music department.
We definitely have plenty to be thankful for.
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