A new display at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva showcases the artistic work of ten local woodworkers. The display, organized by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library, opened in late January and will remain on view until March 31, 2012.

The exhibit features the work of Jackson County residents Jack Mincey, Robert Hopper, David Liberman, Bill Lyons, Bill Hyatt, Lebern Dills, Ron Yount, Brian Bartel, Don Marks, and Chris Behere.

Items on display downstairs include woodturned pieces such as plates, bowls, candle holders, kaleidoscopes, and ornaments. Upstairs, the display continues with examples of other types of woodworking, including intarsia (or inlaid) decorative pieces, toys, ornamental carving, and finely crafted boxes. The majority of the items are made from native hardwoods, and each piece brings out the natural character and beauty of the wood, whether it has been turned into a bowl or carved into a child's toy.

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Numerous entertainment publications are reporting that filming will begin soon for the motion picture adaptation of “Serena,” the bestselling novel penned by Ron Rash, Western Carolina University’s Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture.

Actors Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, who recently played leading roles in the to-be-released David O. Russell movie, “The Silver Linings Playbook,” will team together again in “Serena,” which is set for release in 2014. The location of the filming has not been announced.

Lawrence was in North Carolina last year for filming of “The Hunger Games,” to be released next month.

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The Macon County Community Foundation (an affiliate of the N.C. Community Foundation) will be presenting a hilarious mystery dinner theater offering, “The Grimm Tales of Mother Goose” on Friday, February 24th and Saturday, February 25, 2012 beginning at 6:30 p.m. The show will be held at Fat Buddies BBQ in Franklin.

This outrageous production pokes fun at the uptight “Politically Correct” atmosphere of the 1990’s. See your favorite, although sensitive, childhood characters as they take part in the Annual Nursery Land Banquet. Some of the characters you will see are: Louise Henry as Mother Goose, Jim Breedlove as the Big Bad Wolf, and Joe & Pam Collins as Jack and Jill.

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The Poetry Alive! team of two professional actors (Jesse Hastel and Wendi Looms) performed for Macon County students this week.

The group interacted with students through dozens of poems from classics to popular and contemporary and performed them through dynamic, physical theatrical style, transforming verse into script.

Poetry Alive!, an Asheville based company, was founded in 1984 and performs for more than 600,000 students each year. They have appeared in all 50 states.

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