Poet, author speaks of the strength of human spirit

While medicine may have the power to heal the body, the spirit takes a stronger tonic. During the keynote address last weekend at a women’s health expo in Cherokee, Dr. Maya Angelou talked about the power of poetry to heal and redeem the spirit.

The slogan of Saturday’s Flourish, a health expo presented by MedWest Health System, was “Mind, Body, Spirit,” and during Angelou’s talk which wound up the day-long event in the Event Center at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, it was obvious which element she was speaking to.

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The 15th Annual Taste of Scotland festival in the town of Franklin, is occurring on Father’s Day weekend, June 17, 18 and 19. A weekend of Scottish flavored entertainment and flair is planned to benefit the Scottish Tartans Museum. Preparations are currently under way and include signing musical entertainment of various genres, food and craft vendors, museum tours, and a parade.

The Scottish Tartans Museum has sponsored an annual festival to celebrate Scottish culture and heritage every year in Franklin, over Father’s Day weekend for the last 14 years. Both the museum and the festival are nonprofit entities whose purpose is to entertain, educate, and enhance a sense of Scottish heritage for both residents and visitors.

Arts, crafts and food vendors are being sought to participate in Mountain Heritage Day, Western Carolina University’s annual fall festival of traditional Appalachian culture.

This year’s Mountain Heritage Day will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, on the WCU campus in Cullowhee. The festival typically attracts more than 20,000 visitors who come to enjoy two stages of continuous music and dance, exhibitions of Cherokee stickball and shapenote singing, a midway of juried arts and crafts, and home-style food.

The festival arts and crafts are judged for quality of workmanship, booth display and design. Cash awards will be presented to the vendors with the best works.

Rock and roll legend “ZZ Top” will perform its unique blues-based boogie rock at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center Sunday, Sept. 4, at 7:30 p.m.

ZZ Top is known worldwide for group members’ chest-length beards and unique Southern boogie rock sound. They have released 14 studio albums, five of which have won Platinum Awards.

Their music videos for “Gimme All Your Loving,” “Legs,” Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Rough Boy” won MTV awards in the categories of Best Group Video, Best Direction, and Best Art Direction.