What's Happening?

Events Calendar: Oct. 10 – 24

Published

Free movie offered by American Legion Post 108 on Fridays every other week through December as part of their Americanism series. Upcoming: Oct. 11, “Introduction to the American Constitution.” at 7 p.m., 614 West Main Street, Franklin. For questions, contact Richard Litchford at (828)421-1328.

Franklin Garden Club is holding community workdays for fall maintenance of the downtown gardens Thursdays, Oct. 10, 17 and 24, from 9 to 11 a.m. 

Rev. Bill Bradley and Deborah Roberts Bradley Family Reunion is on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Oak Grove Baptist Church, 28 Lakey Creek Road, Franklin.  Sign-in will start at 11:30 a.m., and Potluck Lunch will begin at noon. All relatives and friends are invited.

Mountain High Music & Craft Festival Saturday Oct. 12, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All day entertainment, craft vendors, kid’s area, classic car cruise-in, clogging demonstrations, food, fun and more. Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, near The Factory on 441S.

Friends of the Greenway offers live Saturday music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 573 E. Main Street, Franklin. On the schedule for Oct. 12, is Mike Yow; Oct. 19, Bloodroot; Oct. 26, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. is the Fall Frog Fair. More than 40 artisans will exhibit in the areas around Frog Quarters and Mainspring Conservation Trust.  For information, email [email protected]; call (828)369-8488; or, visit www.littletennessee.org. 

Pickin’ on the Square last show of the season will be Saturday, Oct. 12, at 6 p.m. at the Gazebo on the Square in downtown Franklin with Carolina 441 (Southern Rock). Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Food vendors onsite. 

The Macon County Republican Women’s Club will meet Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Fat Buddies BBQ restaurant. Arrive at 11:30 a.m.; meeting will begin at noon. Dan Reitmeier, candidate for Macon County Board of Education, District 4, will be the guest speaker. Bring donations of personal items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, women’s personal products, body wipes, dry shampoo, etc., for those affected by Helene. For more information, contact: [email protected].

The Swim for a Cause Meet is Saturday, Oct. 19, from 2-5 p.m. Melissa Unger and Steve Hott, coaches for the Macon Middle and Highlands Middle Schools swim teams, are overseeing the last swim meet of the season at Franklin Health and Fitness. Those attending or participating are asked to donate clothing, blankets, books, flashlights, toiletries, canned and nonperishable food, paper goods, bottled water, etc. for Hurricane Helene Relief. For more information about the Swim for a Cause meet, or for coaches of other teams to learn how to participate, email Melissa Unger at [email protected]

28th Annual Pumpkinfest is Saturday, Oct. 19, all 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in Franklin and includes the “World Famous Pumpkin Roll” as well as a costume parade and contest. More than 90 vendors are exhibiting mountain arts and crafts, food and more. Rain or shine.

“Where We Live: History, Nature, and Culture” series continues with a program by Teresa Bouchonnet on “The Cultural Significance of Millinery as a Women’s Profession in WNC,” Monday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m., at the Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center. Bouchonnet is a fourth-generation textile artist accomplished in many styles including millinery/hat making.

Taco Tuesday Oct. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m., at the American Legion Post 108, 614 W. Main Street.

Operation Christmas Child is underway in Western North Carolina. Organizers are hoping to collect more than 21,000 shoeboxes packed with fun toys, school supplies, and personal care items to contribute toward the global goal of reaching 12 million children. For more information on how to participate, visit samaritanspurse.org/occ. National Collection Week is Nov. 18 to 25. 

Neighborhood Care Drive is underway through Friday, Oct. 18.  Items needed include toilet paper, paper towels, bleach, laundry detergent, dryer sheets, shampoo, conditioner, body wash etc. A complete list can be found on the Otto Community Development Organization Facebook page. Items can be left in the donations box around the back of the building at the Otto Fire Dept. or at the Otto Community Building on the front porch. For more information, call Tom at (828)634-1039 or email [email protected].

Family Fun Nights at Promise Lane Church, 31 Promise Lane, Franklin, is first and third Wednesdays, from 6 to 8 p.m. Snacks, games, and fellowship. To sign up, call the church at (828)369-7977. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Healthy Little Learners, hosted by Macon County Health Department, is every second Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Macon County Public Library. For more information, email the department’s public health educator, Kirstyn Smotherman, at [email protected].

Gentle Yoga Class is held Thursday mornings, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. to all ages and fitness levels by Victoria Rundquist, who has more than 25 years of yoga instruction experience. No set fee is charged but a donation will help offset facility costs. Classes are held at The Spiritual Light Center, 80 Heritage Hollow Drive, behind the Gazebo Restaurant, Franklin. For questions, email [email protected].

Franklin Alcoholics Anonymous “Open Meetings” are for anyone who thinks they may have a drinking problem or for anyone interested in the A.A. recovery program. In Person Meetings are held Tuesdays 5:30 p.m. at No Wrong Door, 102 Thomas Heights Rd.; Sundays at 1 p.m., and Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays at 5:30 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church Outreach Center, 66 Harrison Ave.; and Saturdays, at 10 a.m., Tuesdays at 8 a.m., and Thursdays at 12 noon at St. Agnes Episcopal Church on 66 Church St. Online meeting information is available by visiting www.aawnc80.org.; or, to speak with a member of A.A., call (828)349-4357.

Franklin Al-anon “Live and Let Live” Family Group is a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope. In-person meetings are Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. at St. Agnes Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 66 Church St., Franklin. For more information, contact Debbie Mason at (334)224-4785 

Email calendar items to [email protected]


Sneak preview of ‘Sleepy Hollow’

The public is invited to tour Overlook Theatre Company’s imaginative representation of “Sleepy Hollow” and meet Overlook’s multi-talented director Scotty Corbin on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 3 p.m., on the stage of the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.  

Corbin will offer an insider’s look at how Washington Irving’s chilling Halloween tale of Schoolmaster Ichabod Crane, Sleepy Hollow’s town belle Katrina Van Tassel, her suitor Brom Bones, and the unforgettable Headless Horseman will unfold on the Center’s state-of-the-art stage, with some of the show’s 44 cast members on hand to add to the afternoon’s entertainment and help to demonstrate how Overlook puts together all their magical productions.  Light refreshments will be served.

Corbin, Smoky Mountain Center’s long-time Artistic Director, formerly taught drama at Franklin High and Macon Middle Schools, and has spent much of his life studying and teaching the dramatic arts, and performing/working on the stage.

No admission is charged; donations will be accepted for the Arts Council’s Artists-in-the-Schools Program. Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts is at 1028 Georgia Road, Franklin.  This program is produced by the Center and sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County, 828-524-ARTS or email [email protected].

The Arts Council will sponsor Overlook Theatre Company’s full one hour production of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Friday-Saturday, Oct. 25-26, at 7:00 p.m.  The show, geared to the young and young at heart, will be staged Thursday and Friday during the day to allow school students to experience the thrill of high-quality live theatre.


Literary publication features local writers

The second edition of “Three Rivers Review – River of Love” was published last month and is available for free at a variety of locations in Macon County. The anthology includes fiction and nonfiction works, as well as poetry, selected by a committee representing the Arts Council of Macon County. A short literary story by Macon Sense’s Managing Editor Deena C. Bouknight is included in the publication. 

Locations where the books are available include the Macon County Public Library, A Novel Escape on Main Street in Franklin, Hudson Library in Highlands, the Arts Council of Macon County office at 33 East Main Street, and other places. 

Next year, the Arts Council of Macon County will be celebrating its 50th year as an organization and many events are planned, including the ongoing promotion of “Three Rivers Review – River of Love.”

For additional information about the publication, email Bobbie Contino, director of the Arts Council of Macon County, at [email protected], or call the office and leave a message: (828)524-ARTS (2787).


Books and Bites at the library in October

The Friends of the Macon County Public Library are sponsoring several author talks, called Books and Bites, at the Macon County Public Library in October. The events are free and open to the public. Authors will be available for book signings and sales. Refreshments will be served.

On Friday, Oct. 18, at 5 p.m., local author and revered mountain storyteller Gary Carden will talk about his new book, “Stories I Lived to Tell.” More than a selection of stories, the book is a testimony of a distinguished culture, sense of place, and spirit of community that connects the Appalachian past to its present. This memoir-in-stories invites the reader to move beyond stereotypes to experience the scenes, characters, and community of the author’s childhood and formative years.

On Monday, Oct. 21, at 3:30 p.m., local authors Claire Suminski and Henrietta Haithcock will present “Animal Stories for Families 5: It Takes All Kinds.” Claire Suminski, along with her husband and four children, run a family business and have built a small hobby farm outside Franklin. After 20 years of home schooling, she set out to share family stories and adventures with more children and help fuel their love of learning. She is the author of the “Cowee Sam” books, among others. The library is located at 149 Siler Farm Road. S