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SYLVA HERALD SUBSCRIPTION RATES for out-of-county subscribers increased this month in order to cover increased mailing costs. North Carolina subscribers outside of Jackson County will now pay $34.24 for a one-year subscription, and out-of-state subscribers will pay $32. Subscribers in Jackson County will continue to pay $20.20 for a year’s worth of local news.
CITY LIGHTS will host a special Curious George storytime for children on Saturday, Feb. 4. The curious monkey will soon be in a movie, and this event will be a celebration of his 60 years as a book character, along with his friend, the Man with the Yellow Hat. Guests are invited to bring their favorite monkey toys or stuffed animals, and everyone will have a chance to pose with the famous Yellow Hat. For more information, call the bookstore at 586-9499.
DON’T FORGET THE VFW HOT DOG SUPPER to benefit the Jean Cook family that will be this Saturday, Feb. 4, from 5 to 9 p.m. at VFW Post 9493 in Tuckasegee. The event will also include a cakewalk and live music from the Johnny Webb band.
THE MUSIC VILLAGE in Cullowhee will offer a new music and sign language program called “Sign & Sing” beginning Tuesday, Feb. 28. This research-proven program is based on methods shown to speed language development in hearing children, ease frustration, and enhance long-term learning abilities. Lori Richards, a Kindermusik educator, is teaching the program created exclusively for Kindermusik by experts in sign language for hearing children. This new class combines songs and playful interaction to help children learn American Sign Language. “Instinctively your baby reaches up when she wants to be held, and you instinctively pick her up and dance and sing to soothe her,” said Richards. “Sign & Sing helps you see these moments happening every day in your life and gives you the language to improve that communication, and strengthen the bond between you and your child.” The five-session class gives parents the tools to learn more than 50 American Sign Language signs for children ages 6 months to 3 years. The class experience also includes a set of clip-on flashcards of American Sign Language that features photos of both a parent and a child making the signs. Also included is a booklet of activities for parents and their children to learn and play with at home, and a DVD glossary that features adults using sign language. A free demonstration class will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, at The Music Village. Space can be reserved by calling Lori Richards at 293-5600. For more information visit online at www.themusicvillage-nc.com.
THE SYLVA LIBRARY, along with other libraries in the Fontana Regional Library system, will be closed the entire day on Friday, Feb. 10, for an upgrade to its telecommunications network. These libraries include Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, Hudson Library, Jackson County Public Library, Macon County Public Library, Marianna Black Library, and the Nantahala Community Library. This upgrade to our network is designed to improve customer service and provide faster Internet and computer connections. All libraries will return to their regular operating schedules on Saturday, Feb. 11.
CULLOWHEE HIGH SCHOOL former students have begun planning for another “Big Reunion.” Everyone who attended Cullowhee School is invited to a picnic Friday, Aug. 4, at the Western Carolina University picnic area beginning at 3 p.m. The reunion will be on Saturday, Aug. 5, at Cullowhee Valley, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. A short program will begin at 10:30 a.m. There will be time to mingle, and lunch will be followed by individual class meetings. Organizers are seeking addresses of former students, and photos, both old and new. For more information, visit online at cullowheehighschool.com or call Mutt Morris at 293-5655, Irene Hooper at 293-5456 or Jo Roberts at (828) 684-4345.
MELANIE AVA MCCOY, granddaughter of Sandy Gill and Dorothy Miller of Sylva and Howard Frady of Cullowhee and great-granddaughter of Venoy Nations of Whittier, was crowned “most beautiful baby” in the 8 to 14 months girl division Jan. 5 at the New Star Discovery pageant. She will continue in competition at the North Carolina state finals in April. She is the daughter of Matthew and Melissa McCoy of Waynesville.
THOSE WITH INTERNET ACCESS may be eligible to prepare and file 2005 federal tax returns electronically for free. “Free File” is an easy way to file taxes and get refunds in half the time. The IRS and the Free File Alliance, a private-sector consortium of tax-software companies, have joined forces to help taxpayers electronically prepare and file their federal tax returns for free. Taxpayers access Free File through the IRS Web site at IRS.gov. Each company sets its own criteria for free usage. The criteria varies but often is based on income, state residency and age. Filing electronically is fast, accurate and secure. Last year more than half of all taxpayers filed their tax returns electronically including five million who used Free File through the IRS Web site. The benefits of using Free File are identical to those of e-filing, which include: reduced tax return preparation time; faster refunds; accuracy of return; and acknowledgement of return receipt. For more information on Free File, check out the IRS Web site at IRS.gov.
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new science laboratory and education facility Wednesday (Feb. 1). The event for the new Twin Creeks Science and Education Center was held on the building site located off Cherokee Orchard Road at the Twin Creeks Natural Resources Center, just south of Gatlinburg, Tenn. The new 15,000-square-foot facility features a number of environmentally sustainable design attributes. The center is the first major new building constructed in the Park since the 1960s and will give Park staff the capacity to strengthen its natural resource management capabilities while serving as a model facility for innovative “green” technology. Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said that “The long-planned center will allow us to more efficiently manage our research, science and monitoring activities, which have grown significantly over the years. The center will also become the focal point of the world’s first All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory, a project to identify the Park’s estimated 100,000 species of living organisms. The inventory is a huge undertaking which brings hundreds of researchers each year from all over the world to the Smokies. The ability to share the Park’s scientific information and work with students and teachers of neighboring communities through an array of educational opportunities at the center is a hallmark component. The $4.4 million facility incorporates a large, practical working area for visiting scientists, offices for Park staff, dedicated space for educational classes and seminars and volunteer projects, a chemical laboratory, and climate-controlled curatorial space for natural history specimens. |
