Early June, NCGrowth was in southwestern NC for a Showcase and staff retreat.  Our Showcase events are meant to highlight the interesting things happening in the communities that we work in, bring our partners together around delicious food, and share the work that we do with clients. 

This event was held at the Jackson Green Energy Park, a former county landfill that has been capped and is now powering a glass blowing and blacksmithing studio.   We had a delicious lunch of traditional Cherokee foods grown, foraged, hunted, harvested and prepared by Tyson Sampson.  Speakers included Hillary Sherman from the EDA, Russ Harris from the Southwestern Commission, Russ Seagle from the Sequoia fund and current NCGrowth clients.

After the showcase we headed down the road to Franklin, Stacy Guffey’s hometown, to tour the Scott Griffin historic hotel redevelopment project and take in the view from the rooftop (bar and restaurant coming soon!).

The next day we traveled from Franklin to Robbinsville, stopping through the Cowee community along the way.  Stacy filled us in on history and community context all the way back to the Cherokee mound sites that dot the valley, and we visited with clients and community leaders. 

Our final stop of the day was the Snowbird Community Center, the heart of what is considered the most isolated and traditional Cherokee community in western NC.  In addition to providing core community services like recreation, a library, and health services, the center is also home to Cherokee language programs that are critical to language and cultural preservation and resilience.