In January, a lot of us dream of Florida’s sunny beaches. But for Floridians Kristian and Ingrid Yanez, a snowy Newfound Gap was their dream come true. Even with Saturday morning’s chilling 17 degrees atop the Smokies, sibling rivalry is rarely this much fun.

At 5046 feet elevation, Newfound Gap’s temperatures are usually 10º–15º cooler than Bryson City. And it receives much more precipitation, making it the best place to find snow. But before heading out, please check the road conditions.

For updated road and weather information call the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at (865) 436-1200. Once you hear a voice, dial extension 631 for road information or extension 630 for a weather forecast.

You can get that same information via the Internet by going to twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps to read recent road notification postings. This is a Twitter website maintained by the Park, but anybody can access it at any time without having to establish a Twitter account. The webpage is updated 3-4 times a week.

An angler nets a large trout during the “Rumble in the Rhododendron” fly fishing tournament held in late October. With $10,000 in prize money, the event was one of two major fishing competitions held in Cherokee’s tribal waters last year. The largest event was the U.S. National Fly Fishing Championship held in Cherokee last May — the first time the National event had been held in the Southeast.

This year, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Fish and Wildlife Management division and the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce have scheduled a total of eight major fishing events, beginning with the Shiver in the River Fly Fishing Tournament on Feb 3, 4 and 5. Held on the 2.2 miles of trophy, catch-and-release water on the Cherokee Reservation, the tournament has a $225 entry fee with $10,000 in prize money. Click for more information about all eight Cherokee fishing tournaments.

Each year, the EBCI Fish and Wildlife Management division stocks nearly 400,000 trout in the tribal waters, a stream system connecting 30 miles of freestone streams that include secluded forest settings, suburban road side areas as well as the center of the town of Cherokee.

Fishing in most of the Cherokee tribal streams requires a $10/day tribal permit for each person 12 years of age and over. No other fishing permit or license is accepted. Fishing in the “Trophy Waters” catch-and-release section of Ravens Fork requires an additional special use permit. Details, including information on multi-day and special use permits, can be found here.

For more information on fishing in the Smokies, including area fishing guides and outfitters, visit the fishing page at GreatSmokies.com.

Best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year from the Bryson City / Swain County Chamber of Commerce.

Above: the N.C. Clampitt Hardware Store — the county’s oldest continuously-operated business — and the century-old Swain County Courthouse building.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday from the Bryson City / Swain County Chamber of Commerce.

A day of drizzle did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for Friday’s grand opening of the new wave shaper on the Nantahala River. It was the first major event leading up to the 2013 ICF World Freestyle Kayaking Championships and the World Cup of Freestyle Kayaking less than a year away — two events that will place Bryson City and the Nantahala Gorge on kayaking’s center stage.

The playboaters above were demonstrating the wave for the grand opening crowd and will continue to practice their maneuvers over the coming weeks, providing feedback to the wave’s designers and engineers. The submerged high-tech structure has adjustable concrete components that allow fine-tuning of the wave’s flow pattern. The goal is to create a freestyle kayaking venue that will continue to attract the world’s top athletes for years to come.

For more information, visit FreestyleKayaking2013.com. And for even more reading, check out the Asheville Citizen-Times’s great article on the Nantahala wave shaper.

Yesterday’s 37th annual Christmas parade had everything you would expect — colorful floats, music, fire trucks, celebrities and, of course, Santa. Even the green ‘Grinch’ received applause. But the biggest cheer went up for the Swain High Maroon Devils football team – 2011 State 1AA football champions and Grand Marshals of the parade. Led by homecoming queen Mary Shell, our local heroes proudly held their trophy high throughout the parade. The entire county shares your pride, guys.

Wearing pajamas is part of the fun and tradition of riding the Polar Express train, although the practice is normally reserved for the children. Normally.

Based on the popular book and movie, the 1-1/4 hour Polar Express excursions continue thru Christmas Eve. And after Christmas, December 26–29, four additional excursions will be taking Santa back to the North Pole.

For more information, visit the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad website, or download this PDF flier.

Hoyt Lucas pedals his unicycle in a recent Bryson City Christmas parade. Since the 1970s, the town has celebrated the Christmas season with a parade, and on Saturday December 10*, the 37th annual edition will circle through town with floats, fire trucks, bands, classic cars, beauty queens and lots of candy for the kids. The parade begins at 2 pm, and later at 6 pm, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Train Depot for visits and photos. The evening concludes with a candlelit walk through town singing carols prior to the lighting of the tree on the square.

There’s a lot more about “A Bryson City Christmas” on our website.

NOTE NEW DATE: The Parade date has changed from the 3rd to the 10th to show support for our own Swain County High School Maroon Devils playing in the State Championship game on December 3.

More than likely, you’ve never considered visiting the North Pole. It’s too far away and there’s a lot of snow and ice. But there’s a much faster and easier way… through Bryson City.

Each year, throughout November and December, the Polar Express departs from the Bryson City depot on a round trip journey to the North Pole where riders are greeted by Santa (above) who joins them on the return trip to Bryson City. Children are encouraged to wear pajamas to hear the story, meet Santa, enjoy caroling, hot cocoa and games.

Based on the popular book and movie, the 1-1/4 hour excursions continue thru Christmas Eve. And after Christmas, December 26–29, four additional excursions will be taking Santa back to the North Pole.

For more information, visit the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad website, or download this PDF flier.

The Smokies’ favorite pools are dry. And the area’s skateboarders and BMX freestyle sport cyclists wouldn’t have it any other way.

The ‘pools’ are features in the new $600,000, 13,000 square foot Action Sports Park in Cherokee — a 6’8″ peanut shaped bowl and a 3500 sq. ft. flow bowl (above). And that’s just half of it. The other half is a large street course with multiple levels and obstacles.

Designed by Pillar Design Studios and built by Artisan Skateparks, the state-of-the-art facility was funded by the Eastern Bank of Cherokee Indians to provide activities for area youth. It’s open daily from 8am to dusk and is free for all to enjoy.

Cherokee Action Sports Park
1036 Acquoni Road.
Cherokee, NC 28719

It’s a marketing technique that’s uniquely Cherokee — street chiefs and dancers perform on curbside stages outside retail shops and souvenir stores, attracting crowds of shoppers. The shows, often featuring the traditional, ‘friendship dance’, ‘eagle dance’ and ‘hoop dance’, are free; yet tipping is encouraged, particularly when the “chiefs” pose for photographs. It’s a tradition that began years ago with the late Chief Henry, who was once billed as “The World’s Most Photographed Indian.”

And yes, their Native American regalia often represents indian nations and traditions other than Cherokee.

Robin Montieth hands out candy at last year’s Trick or Treat Day, the annual Halloween event where hoards of costumed children invade downtown Bryson City (now that’s scary!).

This year, on Monday October 31, the town will again close off Everett Street at 3:30 and turn the two-block area over to the kids. There’ll be prizes for the best costumes. Merchants will provide the treats. And if this year is anything like last — the largest turnout in the history of the event — the trick will be not running out of treats.

Three and a half miles north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, a right turn into Smokemont will lead to a campground and horseback riding stables. But hidden in the trees there’s also a white chapel, the lone remaining structure from a once-thriving Smokemont community. The Baptist church, sometimes referring to as Lufty Church (short for Oconaluftee) was formed around 1829, but the current building was erected in 1896. Like all of the Park’s surviving old buildings, the church’s doors are always open.

Originally called Bradleytown, the town of Smokemont became the headquarters for Champion Fibre Company’s massive logging and sawmill operation in the early 1900s. At the time, Champion ran the world’s largest paper mill in Canton, North Carolina, a mill that’s still running today. Smokemont had homes, businesses, a school, the logging mill, commissary, a club house, and even a hotel. In the early 1920s, the sawmill produced 45,000 feet of lumber and pulp wood per day.

Henry Singer, age 4, gets a little boost from his father Rob during Bryson City’s third annual “Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.”

The first Saturday of October every year has been named Take A Kid Mountain Biking Day by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). IMBA, along with the National Park Service and other sponsors organize the event, and this year over 200 events were hosted nationwide.

Bryson City Bicycles hosted the local event at the Deep Creek area of the National Park. Fourteen local kids braved the chilly October morning to take the ride along Deep Creek. Ranger Doug talked to the group about his police bike, wildlife in the park, and how to treat the park with respect. After the ride, kids participated in bike riding games like paperboy, slowest rider, cone slalom and stop on a line. The day wrapped up with prizes and snacks.

Photo by Scott Baste

Swain County’s history chronicles a number of tragic deaths — like poor Andrew Jackson Lambert, who on July 9, 1886 became the only man to be hanged in Swain County. He was an innocent man.

Lambert is one of the seven ghosts that haunt the woods beside the Tuckaseegee River in Whittier. Tim “the storyteller” Hall relates each of their stories (all true) on his “Tuckaseegee Terror Tales Tour”, a spooky covered wagon ride through those Whittier woods.

Tim normally spins yarns at his Storytelling Center of the Southern Appalachian on Everett Street in Bryson City.  But in the spirit of Halloween, he’s offering the ghostly wagon rides in Whittier every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening in October. The rides ($5) begin at 7 pm and last about 30 minutes. For more information, call 828-488-5705 or check out Tim’s Facebook page.

By day they may be a doctor, a beekeeper, a beautician, a rafting guide or a bike shop owner. But give ‘em a pair of skates and they’re suddenly transformed. With names like “Bletilla The Hun”, “White Crash”, Hopi wan Kenobi”, “Butternut Squash” and “Miss Guidance”, the newly formed Smoky Mountain Roller Girls are well on their way to forming a local roller derby league in Bryson City.

Smoky Mountain Roller Girls is open to women 18 and up, with skill building opportunities for all levels. The Roller Girls have extra skates and gear for those interested in trying, and are happy to help build skills. For more information, come to a practice (with or without skates and gear), join the group on Facebook, or send an email to smokymountainrollergirls@gmail.com.

The group practices four evenings a week from 6:30 to 9:00. On Tuesdays and Thursdays they’re at the Stecoah Valley Center gym; and on Wednesdays and Sundays they’re at the Swain County Indoor Recreation Center on West Deep Creek Road.

The word “turkey” is associated with golf in several ways — in golfing lingo, a “turkey gobble” is the sound a ball makes when it drops in the cup. And three consecutive birdies is sometimes called a “turkey”.

But at the Smoky Mountain Country Club in Whittier, a turkey is just as likely to be a family of wild turkeys leisurely crossing the cart path ahead of you. Sightings of the large birds are fairly common according to owner Mike Cornblum who photographed this group last week.

While they’re easy to watch without the aid of field glasses, wild turkeys are easily spooked and will fly away if you get too close.

Motorcycle touring is popular in the North Carolina Smokies. Our curvy and scenic mountain roads are nothing short of ‘biker heaven’. Yet one group of riders drew a lot of attention when the “Blue Ridge Iron Indian Riders” thundered into the Gear Head Inn near Cherokee recently. The Whittier motel caters to motorcycle and classic car enthusiasts.

The riders were not indian, but the bikes were. They all were Indian Chief motorcycles, with their signature deeply valenced fenders.

Considered ‘America’s First Motorcycle’, Indian Motorcycles were popular from 1901 until World War II, when production shifted to supplying military and police vehicles. After the war, the company struggled to recapture its market and eventually closed its doors in 1953. The company was resurrected in 1999 and today Indian Motorcycles are manufactured in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.

Photo by Andy Jay, editor of Dashboards and Saddlebags magazine

An exhibit of more than a hundred works of art by 31 Western North Carolina artists and artisans is currently on display through September 27 at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. The Center is located in the Swain County High School complex and is free and open to the public during regular school hours – by appointment only – and during scheduled public events at the Center.

To visit, call Jenny Johnson, Director, at 828-488-7846 …and bring your checkbook. Most of the works are priced to sell.

The next show, scheduled for October thru November, will showcase the pastel, acrylic and mixed media paintings of Bryson City artist Peggy Duncan.

Swain County Center for the Arts  website
Eugenia (Jenny) Johnson, Director
1415 Fontana Rd
Bryson City, NC 28713
Phone 828-488-7843
Email JJohnson@swainmail.org