Community Tours: Get to Know “Beautiful Bethel”
Haywood residents are invited to explore parts of the county often overlooked this summer, starting with the Bethel community.
Vicki Hyatt, a candidate for Haywood County commissioner, is organizing the tours.
“While I was gathering 2,000 petition signatures to qualify as an unaffiliated candidate, it seemed people didn’t stray from their home community much,” Hyatt said. “I thought the chance to explore nearby areas and learn about businesses or nonprofits off the beaten path would be both educational and fun.”
The tours will also include a bit of the community history and provide dining options where tour-goers may find a new favorite place to eat.
“In Bethel, we will tour Smoky Mountain Harvest Hub, which is the largest MANNA food distribution pantry in a 16-county area, and visit six businesses where the owners will have a chance to tell the story of their business,” Hyatt said.
Businesses on the tour include The Rock Man, Barkclad, Cold Mountain Nursery, River Farm Escape, Legacy Woodcraft and Design and Ten-Acre Garden.
“While I was gathering 2,000 petition signatures to qualify as an unaffiliated candidate, it seemed people didn’t stray from their home community much. I thought the chance to explore nearby areas and learn about businesses or nonprofits off the beaten path would be both educational and fun.”
“I’m especially excited about showing off the community’s newest tourist attraction — River Farm Escape — where tiny cottages can be toured,” Hyatt said. “Every other Friday, live music is featured in the pavilion, so tour-goers who want to make a longer day of it can bring a lawn chair and enjoy the 14-acre riverside property, complete with walking trails.”
The Bethel tour will start at 1 p.m. Friday, July 10, but tour-goers are invited to arrive early Juke Box Junction,6306 Pigeon Road, Canton, where they can grab lunch or ice cream treats in the old-fashioned soda shoppe atmosphere.
Even though Hyatt is running for county commissioner, she guarantee there will be no political speeches.
“I’m passionate about community and about small businesses,” Hyatt said, “and this is one way I can share the wonderful things I know about this county with others.”
“For instance, any student who has attended school in Bethel since 1954 knows the school song, which almost exactly sums up what they will find July 10,” she said.
Bethel the beautiful, Bethel the best,
Lovely she lies below fair mountain crests.
Standing for truth and right, faithful she’ll be,
We pledge our loyalty, Bethel to thee.
Other tours are being organized in Canton, Clyde, Fines Creek and Maggie Valley.
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