The Sylva Herald

08/22/2026

Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Begin Construction on Abrams Falls Trail starting August 24

Beginning Aug. 24, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will close Abrams Falls Trail from Monday through Thursday each week to replace aging footlog bridges and improve visitor safety. The work is expected to be completed by October 1. The trail will open to hikers Fridays through Sundays and on Labor Day (September 7) during construction.

The project includes replacing four aging footlog bridges and handrails. The trail crew will also build new stairs at a steep, slick rock section to improve footing near Abrams Falls.

Replacement of the footlogs will require the use of rigging equipment throughout the trail, supply delivery by the park’s animal packer team and removal and replacement of the footlogs. To ensure the safety of visitors and employees during these operations, the trail will be closed while work is underway.

The hike to Abrams Falls is a 5-mile roundtrip hike through rhododendron, hemlock, and pine-oak forest to a 25-foot (7.6-m) waterfall that flows over a ledge of sandstone into a deep, picturesque pool.

Looking for an alternate hike during the closure? Consider West Prong, Lynn Creek Waterfall Loop or the Deep Creek Waterfall Loop.

This project is funded by Friends of the Smokies, which is also supporting rehabilitation work on Bullhead and Deep Creek trails this year.

08/22/2026

Jackson is out of D3 for the first time in a good while.

08/21/2026

Smoky Mountain kicks off season at Swain tonight

By Christian A. Ray

Smoky Mountain High School Mustang football starts back this week. The 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 season opener will be away against Swain County in a non-conference matchup. Last year, the Mustangs fell to the Maroon Devils 21-6. In that game Smoky quarterback Josiah Ashe (a junior last year) completed seven of his 13 passes for 117 yards with a single interception.

Smoky went 3-8 overall in 2025 with a record of 1-6 in the Mountain Eight Conference. Their conference win came from a dominant 54-6 victory over East Henderson. Standout SMHS running back Rylee Smith led the charge with 120 yards and four touchdowns on the night.

Smoky played one preseason scrimmage this season against McDowell and Head Coach J.T. Postell saw a lot of good and areas for improvement.

“I was pleased overall,” Postell said. “I thought we did some good things, but certainly, we saw a lot of areas we need to continue to work on.”

Smoky will have two players ready to suit up for the quarterback position this season: senior Jackson Cooper, who started for the Mustangs last year, and sophomore Sawyer Foxworth, who is coming up from the JV squad.

“Both of them do a lot of good things and they both can bring a lot to the table,” Postell said. “We may play both of them at times; that kind of thing happened in the scrimmage the other night and we will figure that out as we go, but we are pleased with both of them.”

Postell and the rest of the coaching staff will be leaning on senior running back Smith to lead their offense this season.

Smith rambled for 1,682 yards last year.

“Rylee’s a tremendous young man and he’s worked really hard to continue to grow and get better, so we need him to have a big year for us,” Postell said. “He gives us a really good chance to be successful, if that happens, we are excited about what he can do.”

Postell is prepared for a tough season opener with rival Swain.

“It’s going to be a tough game,” he said. “We know that Swain is really big up front along the offensive and defensive lines, so that can present some challenges; we just need to continue to have a great week of practice and be focused and ready to go this Friday because it’s going to be a tough game.”

Overall, Postell is ready for the season with a lot of returning players and great potential throughout the team as a whole.

“Last year we were a young football team,” he said. “I think we got even younger as the year went on because we played several sophomores so we took some lumps last year. It’s going to be really good having all of that experience return on both sides of the football.”

Postell thinks the returning experience opens up the team’s expectations to compete with some conference rivals such as Franklin, Tuscola and Pisgah and he is setting his sights on the conference championship.

“That’s what we are going to try and do,” Postell said.

08/20/2026

A note from Swain Genealogy ...

The Civil War in WNC

“The Civil War in Western North Carolina and Beyond,” is the topic of the September 3 meeting of the Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society. Prior to the 1860s, the mountains of North Carolina were an economically prosperous and well-connected region of the state.

The war obviously brought about major societal changes and economic hardship. So, what was going on in the region during the war? Where were the soldiers tasked with defending the region stationed and what did they do? How did civilians survive the increasingly fraught situation as the war went on?

Our speaker, Peter Koch, will present information on the Civil War in Western North Carolina featuring stories and artifacts from civilians and soldiers.

Koch, the Interim Director of Mountain Heritage Center at WCU is originally from Chapel Hill. He holds an M.A. in public history from North Carolina State University and is on the boards of the WNC Civil War Roundtable and Civil War Trails.

He has had a long involvement in the North Carolina Museums Council, a state wide organization that supports museums through training, advocacy, and networking. At the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University since 1998, Peter is involved with many different educational programs and also with supervising and supporting the student workers.

Please join us for this presentation Thursday, September 3 at 6:30 P.M. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, Bryson City, NC 28713. East Ridge Dr. is a right turn off Buckner Branch Road which is west of Ingles. Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. This is free and open to the public.

08/18/2026

08/18/2026

This might well be one of those shows where in 10 years folks say "I saw Murphy Campbell waaaaay back when, before she got famous."

08/17/2026

Take a historic train ride to celebrate the county's 175th! GSMR will be doing a round trip from Dillsboro to Whittier, taking riders to and from the celebration. Tickets are available for purchase at the Visitor Center.

Adults: $18.51

Youth (17 & under): $10

All proceeds go to Hometown Heroes for Hope.

08/13/2026

The John C. Campbell Folk School will host its Appalachian Heritage Week from Aug. 23-29 as a closing celebration to its 100th anniversary year.

While the school is known for attracting craft teachers nationwide, its Heritage Week features Western North Carolina artists.

Potters Brant and Karen Barnes, for many years operating Riverwood Pottery, will be teaching Wheel Throwing. Cullowhee blacksmith William Rogers, whose public sculptures grace several WNC sites, will be teaching Copper Repousse´.

The Folk School’s own Helen Gibson is teaching Carving the Brasstown Nativity and Nanette Davidson is teaching Pie-Making.

Anna Fariello, whose book Craft & Community documents the early history of the Folk School, will give three illustrated talks during the week on the school’s history and the historic Craft Revival. The talks are free and open to the public.

The Folk School offers discounts to residents of Western North Carolina. More information can be found at www.folkschool.org.

08/13/2026

The 2026 Schedule for the Swain County Agricultural Fair:

​Friday, August 21, 2026 | 3:00 PM - 9:00 PM
3:00 pm: Gates open
Poultry & Rabbit Display (open until 6:00 pm)
Livestock Shows (starting at 3:00 pm)
Market Steer
Beef Heifer
Cattle Showmanship
Craft Booths & Food Vendors Open
Bring Home the Bacon Fundraiser
6:00 pm: Battle of the Bands

Saturday, August 22, 2026 | 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
11:00 am: ​ Opening Ceremony & Presenting the Colors
Poultry & Rabbit Display
Livestock Shows (starting at 11:30 am)
Market Lamb
Market Goat (after 1:00 pm Headliner Concert)
Breeding Doe
Goat Showmanship

Appalachian Cloggers
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
2:30 pm - 4:30 pm
12:00 pm: Corn on the Cob Eating Contest
1:00 pm: Braden Rumfelt - Headliner Concert
3:00 pm: Greased Pig Contest
3:45 pm: Hot Dog Eating Contest
4:30 pm: Anything on Wheels Contest

ALL DAY ACTIVITIES:
Craft Vendors
Food Truck Alley
Educational Exhibits
Bring Home the Bacon Fundraiser (until ticket run out)
Youth & Adult Prize Winning Exhibits
Kid's Inflatables (Bounce Houses)
Co****le Boards & other Outdoor Games
Corn Box for Kid's
Kid's Pony Rides
Fair Merch
Antique Farm & Ranch Equipment Exhibit
Log Pull Obstacle Course (times TBD)