The News Record
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF MADISON COUNTY
On Ih* Inside . . .
Madison High
Class Of 1955
Gathers ... Page 7
79th Year No. 28
PUBLISHED WEEKLY IN THE COUNTY SEA^AT MARSHALL, N~C.
THURSDAY, July 10, 1980
15* Per Copy
Whitewater
Rafting
By CLIFTON METCALF JR.
This area has some of the most rugged
ly beautiful rivers found anywhere. There
aren't many folks who'll argue with that.
Some of the vistas along the Nantahala,
Oconee, French Broad, and Chatooga,
where the movie "Deliverance" was film
ed, are as spectacular as the views along
the Colorado and Snake Rivers in the west.
Whitewater enthusiasts are attracted to
this area in droves. For not only are na
tional championships for kayaks and deck
ed boats frequently held on the Nantahala,
but as a general rule this area offers some
of the best whitewater in Eastern North
America.
I have watched kayak races before, but
never really felt an urge to try to ride
anything through rapids, no matter how
small the rapids. A few days ago my editor
came up with the idea I should do just that.
I kept telling Lee that there was no way
he was going to get me to go down a white
water river in a canoe, kayak, raft, or
anything else. No sir, there was just no way.
Then he got my publisher in on the act.
Everyone seemed to think it was a great
idea, except me. I wonder if they're trying
to tell me something.
A couple of days later I found myself
shanghaied in the van of the Eastern River
Trippers, a river outfitting shop based in
Sylva., We were going over to ride the
French Broad River in rafts.
I don't like water. I drink it, take
showers with it, and wash my car with it,
but that is all I want to have to do with the
stuff. I sure didn't like the idea of having to
swim rapids, thanks to a capsized raft. The
one good thing was that rafts don't sink.
They may turn over, but they don't sink.
It had rained all day the day before,
causing the river to be quite high. As we
prepared to put into the river just below
Marshall, we watched the swift, muddy
water. Our guides, Jim and Sam, estimated
that the river was flowing at about 8,000
cubic feet per second. Jim said that
"anything over 5,000 feet is a "samurai"
raft trip. That's what it takes to survive it.
Anything less than 5,000 is just a plain ol'
raft trip."
We couldn't tell whether or not he was
Continued on Page 2
Officers
Find Body
Near Trail
An unidentified partially decomposed body
found Sunday was the object of an intensive in
vestigation Monday by the Madison County
Sheriff's Department and Tennessee authorities.
The body, that of a middle-aged white male,
was found about 7:30 p.m. Sunday near the Rich
Mountain Fire Tower by Forest Service patrol of
ficer Denny Goforth and Madison County Deputy
Sheriff Cecil Blackwell.
The men were patrolling the road to the fire
tower and were drawn to the body ? on the Ten
nessee side of the line ? by the odor of the rotting
flesh.
Madison Sheriff E. Y. Ponder said Monday the
man had apparently been dead from four to six
days. He described the dead man as being slightly
over six feet tall with red or sandy hair.
He left open the possibility of foul play in the
death.
Goforth was the officer who found a body in
the French Broad River about six months ago.
The body found Tuesday was in the general area
of Madison County where the body of murdered
VISTA worker Nancy Morgan was found several
years ago. Her murder has not yet been solved.
MH Community Club Asks
Improvement Participation
The Mars Hill Community
Development Committee
would like to encourage its
residents to participate in the
1980 Mobile Home Improve
ment and Safety Contest spon
sored by the WNC Develop
ment Association and the N.C.
Agricultural Extension Ser
vice. Any family or individual
residing in a mobile home in
the Mars Hill community is in
vited to enter.
Judging will be based on im
provements made to the
mobile home since November
1979. Some suggested im
provements are site develop
ment. including grassing,
planting of flowers and
shrubs, and clean-up of any
unsightly areas; adding steps,
stoops and awnings; building
patios, parches and carports,
storage buildings; and adding
Ue-downs and other safety
features where needed.
A local winner wU| be
ticipating are asked to attend
the Community Development
Committee meeting on
Wednesday, July 16, at 7:30
p.m. in Cornwall Hall on the
Mars Hill College campus.
The Mood
Of The 4th
Of July ...
The Fourth dawned with rising heat and the
river sparkled in the early light. On the island
some of the performers were moving around ear
ly and getting ready for the big event of the day
in Marshall. Anticipation was high and mid
morning it was obvious that the town was going
Continued on Page 10)
Photos By Lewis W. Green
Heard S@@Fir ??? Rains Dampen The Fourth
By POP STORY
Despite torrential rains following
temperatures in the mid-90's the donkey
ball game on the island here Thursday night
was enjoyed by hundreds of spectators.
Some doubted that the game would be
played but the crowd came anyway and
waited the hardest part of the rain out to see
the battle between members of the Mar
Volunteer
ibers of the
^ ? ? ? ?? ... ; "
V. . ... 1
4
Club. The enthusiastic crowd, although
soaked, enjoyed the game and also the
music before, during and after the game.
Even more surprising was the Friday
afternoon crowd which attended the rodeo.
Threatening rain, heavy black clouds, tor
rid temperature, gale winds, failed to
dampen the spirit of hundreds of spectators
came to see bareback bronco rkiinfl