Eighty six years ago, in the winter of 1925, the young Tom Rickman opened for the first time the doors of a general store that has become a historic landmark in Macon County, and a special gathering place for the Cowee community.

To celebrate its anniversary, the Friends of the Rickman Store (FORS) are inviting neighbors and visitors to share an evening of Poetry and Music at the Store on Friday, March 4, at 7 p.m.

Cowee poet Brent Martin will share poems from his latest book “A Shout in the Woods.”

The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts will offer “Church Basement Ladies” presented by Art Fegan Entertainment. This touching and hilarious musical comedy is sure to bring down the house when it opens at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, March 11, at 7:30 p.m.

“Church Basement Ladies” takes us behind the scenes (and below ground) to celebrate the church basement kitchen and the women who work there cooking meals for church functions.

Kathrine Cays, Artist in Residence at the Rickman Store, will be offering a fun art class for children and parents on Saturday March 5 from 1 to 3 pm.

Families are invited to share the experience learning about indigenous birds in the region and about the Great Backyard Bird Count.

Western North Carolina musicians who played in high school or college bands are invited to join a new Jackson Countybased community band called Mountain Winds.

Jon Henson, assistant director of Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band, said he decided to organize the band in response to interest from community members who share a love of music, want to develop their musical skills, and enjoy the camaraderie and experience of performing as a group.