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Editorials - 04/05/01

Planning to begin for county sesquicentennial
When Jackson County turned 100, back in 1951, the countywide centennial celebrations lasted a week. There were parades, pageants and more. Men grew beards and ladies donned 19th-century frocks.

Planning is about to get under way for this year's celebration of Jackson County's sesquicentennial. It has now been 150 years since our county was carved out of Macon and Haywood and named for our nation's seventh president, Andrew Jackson, and those involved in planning the festivities want to provide a memorable event or series of events to mark the occasion.

Noble Green has scheduled the first official sesquicentennial event for this Saturday, April 7, when the group will plant a tree in the town-owned Ritz parking lot on Main Street.

The first meeting of the sesquicentennial planning committee will be next Thursday, April 12, at 2 p.m. at the office of the Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department.

Everyone is welcome to come and participate. Committee members will appreciate ideas and suggestions as they work together to organize this historic event tentatively scheduled for the fall.

If you can't attend, but have a suggestion, pass it along to recreation director Jeff Carpenter.

The county belongs to all of us, and so does the sesquicentennial. Let's make it memorable - and fun.

Diabetes awareness
When they unveiled the new Diabetes Awareness stamp at the Webster Post Office Monday morning, they did more than uncover a 34-cent postage rectangle.

They unwrapped awareness of a disease that affects some 16 million people in the United States. Many of them are our neighbors here and on the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

Diabetes causes the sugar in your blood to build up in your body. This can cause those with the disease to go blind, suffer a heart attack, lose feet or legs to amputations and lose kidney function. High blood sugar can act like rust, affecting the eyes, kidneys, blood vessels and nerves.

Many people die or suffer life-threatening health problems because warning signs of diabetes are often missed or mistaken for something else. There is no cure, only control. With early detection and good care, doctors can prolong the quality of life.

Congratulations to Webster postal officials for using this new stamp to take a proactive role in the community to increase awareness of this life-threatening health problem.

Editorial policy

The opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views.

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