Cheers to a Simpler Christmas

There’s beauty in simplicity when infusing a splash of holiday cheer throughout the house.

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Festival of Lights

Everyone – everyone – is invited to the lighting of the first candle of the Menorah at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park in Highlands on the

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Winter Wonderland

The Village Green and surrounding shops and businesses in Cashiers will be a Glittering Wonderland throughout the grey days and dark, dark nights

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The Green Heart of Cashiers

Looking to host a corporate picnic, family reunion, birthday party, wedding, or other special occasion event in 2019?   Look no further than The Village Green, a lovely 12.5-acre park in the heart of Cashiers.  The outdoor rustic feeling and the peaceful natural surroundings make it a picture-perfect spot for celebrations of all sizes. The Village Green has three open-air …

Where All Light Tends to Go

The Highlands-Cashiers Plateau, and the surrounding Southern Appalachian region, is home to many incredible artists.  There are art galleries in almost every town in Jackson and Macon counties featuring the paintings, drawings, and photographs of the phenomenal artists that live here.   Within that venerated crowd of artists are the writers.  While it is not a visual art form, the …

Rolf Method Revealed

Are you a person who likes science and mystery?  As Rolfers, we have the privilege of seeing how the science of balancing a body in the gravity field improves lives.  Alignment of the human body is where science and mystery for us meet daily. Sitting, Standing, Walking, Lying Down – How a person moves through this cycle gives us clues …


Joint Health

Joint health is more important than we realize.  Our joints in the body serve us in many ways. They allow movement, in many directions, provide balance and coordination, and provide the very necessary motion that drives our circulation – our life force.  Without good joint health, we cannot thrive in life. Once a joint is compromised, whether from an injury, …

S.M.A.R.T. Resolutions

Did you realize 80 percent of New Year’s Resolutions are broken before February’s end?      Becky Holmes, the Licensed Dietician Nutritionist of Mission’s Health and Wellness Team says, “We can be S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measureable, Activities, Realistic,  and Time-Oriented – and achieve our 2019 goals with just a little planning and follow-through.” At the heart of SMART is making …

Spinning a Darn Good Yarn

The art of weaving is not new.  Every culture throughout history has given their unique spin to the ancient art.   The same can be said for Appalachian weaving.  Textile art in the Southern Appalachian region is a unique blend of heritage, creativity, and practicality.  It’s a beautiful craft, but not an easy one.  The journey from raw material to …


Happy News Year

While treating my growling stomach to a cheer-me-up lunch at a favorite cafe, I checked my cell phone to satisfy another hunger: a longing for a plateful of good news.  Lately, I’ve been grateful for an ant-sized crumb of it.  As I scrolled down the news reports I read about a school that won a national competition for Kindness.  Reporters …

The Indefatigable John A. Zachary

I n 1889, the Cullowhee Academy was founded in Jackson County with Robert Lee Madison as the school’s head.  By 1891 the school’s name had changed to Cullowhee High School, with a “Normal Department” whose graduates would receive a three-year, first-class teaching certificate qualifying them to teach anywhere in the state.   My grandfather, John Alexander Zachary, named for his …

Flower of love

W hen most people think of a flower of love, a rose is the first to come to mind, but the Dianthus caryophyllus has got to be a close second.  One record states the name comes from the Greek word dios meaning “divine” and Anthos meaning flower. Heavenly flower, or the flower of Jove.  In Greek mythology, Jove (aka Jupiter) …


Celebrating Nature’s Diversity

Highlands is wonderfully diverse area with more species of plants and animals than nearly any other temperate rainforest ecosystem.   The Highlands Plateau supports a variety of northern affinity species that are rarely found in the Southeastern United States, for example; Golden-Winged Warblers, Birch trees, and Spruce trees.  This tremendous diversity extends to our insects as well.  Highlands serves as …

Audubon’s Winter Bird Count

A udubon’s annual Christmas Bird Count or CBC occurred on Friday, December 14.  Check the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society’s website given below for more information.    The 2017 CBC involved 17 hale and hardy bird watchers who braved cold weather (26 to 34 degrees) and patchy snow accumulations to participate in this extensive inventory of local birds.  Part of a …

Winter Fishin’

M ost people assume that fishing season is over with the first frost.   Not so.   The truth is that you can probably catch more fish near the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau during January, February, and March than you can during June, July, and August.  For one thing, trout are more active in cold water and believe you me, the water …