When Hazelwood and Waynesville in Haywood County consolidate July 1, 1995, it will be only the fifth city-city merger in the state this century. Mergers of cities and counties are even rarer.
The Waynesville Strand first opened in 1947 as the second theatre on Main Street. In 1993, a fire caused damage that was too expensive for the owner to fix and it lay vacant for twenty years until some locals bought it and began to refurbish the historical icon.
If the voters of the Town of Hazelwood approve, the town will be merged into the town of Waynesville and an unusual joint enterprise aimed at eliminating conflict between the two municipalities will be completed.