Ruralite Cafe: Published 02/15/01

By Lisa Majors-Duff - News Editor

Finding something to do in Jackson County

Take for instance this past Monday. The Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable played host to two area lawyers who debated the legal implications of Southern secession before an audience numbering about 20. Alan Leonard, an assistant district attorney in Haywood County who devotes a portion of his spare time to Civil War re-enacting, outlined the rights of Southern states to leave the Union prior to the war, while Asheville attorney and WNC Civil War Roundtable member William Biggers explained the reasons the Union could not and should not be dissolved.

I'll not kid myself into thinking that anyone else in WNC (other than the 20 or so people there Monday night) would be at all interested in the outcome of this particular debate. But I will venture to guess that those of us there shared at least one of the following traits: 1) An enjoyment/love/passion for American Civil War history; 2) an enjoyment/love/passion for American jurisprudence; 3) we knew the roundtable was meeting and the topic was secession.

The point I'm making is this: No matter what your interests (with a few bizarre exceptions), there are most likely others who share those interests and would be more than willing to talk with you and others about history, politics, horse racing, farming or whatever in a group session. All you have to do is read this newspaper and others in the area and listen to the local radio stations to find out more about meetings, events and activities in your community and take advantage of what's being offered.

At Tuesday's Smart Growth meeting in Qualla,"community spirit" was listed as a positive that needs to be protected in Jackson County. Not only was being neighborly mentioned as needing to be preserved, but the more than 50 citizens gathered on that rainy night talked about needing more to do for their teenage children, their aging parents and themselves.

Just by flipping through last week's newspaper, I was able to identify 30 separate events planned in Jackson County that would cost you little or nothing but gas money to participate. (My unscientific count did not include the many athletic offerings available and found weekly in our sports section.) The activities I counted ranged from church singings to AARP meetings to concerts at Western Carolina University to requests for volunteers in our public schools. The Golden Age Senior Center weekly offers more than a dozen activities for those lucky enough to be retired, and the Family Resource Center has programs for all ages and interests.

And don't think that just because they are labeled"government meetings" that you wouldn't enjoy or at least learn something by attending a meeting of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, Board of Education or the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority. The people conducting these meetings are doing your business and you have every right to participate and to let your feelings be heard.

I'm not saying that every interest is currently being served in Jackson County or even in surrounding counties, though I am constantly surprised at the number and variety of offerings available in our neighboring counties. We try each week to include a listing of special events in Waynesville, Franklin, Bryson City and even a few from Asheville for those adventurers willing to take a short drive to see a play, listen to a storyteller and see an art exhibit.

If the county's Smart Growth program does nothing else, it has so far managed to bring people of various backgrounds together to talk about their shared hometown. Those participating in the process have always respected their neighbor's opinion, even when they disagreed with it. The next step is recognizing who in the group shares your goals and teaming up with that person to do whatever it takes to achieve them. No one said Qualla or Cullowhee or Cashiers or any other Jackson County community has to wait on this or any other county government board to solve its problems or accentuate its positives.

Back to Archive: 02/15/01.