OUR 28TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 28 NO. 24 JA N. 12 -18, 2022
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JAN. 12-18, 2022
MOUNTAINX.COM
C ONTENT S
NEWS
NEWS
FEATURES 8 FIRST CLASS Local resources support WNC’s first-generation college students
10 GREEN ROUNDUP King’s Bridge offers new public land in Mills River
PAGE 16 SIDE EFFECTS Many Western North Carolina residents who have experienced adverse events after receiving COVID-19 vaccines say their concerns have been minimized or ignored by health care providers, driving mistrust about vaccinations and the medical establishment. COVER PHOTO iStock
ARCHIVES
COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick 13 ‘THE ELIMINATION OF UNTRUTHFUL ADVERTISING’ The Asheville Advertising Club launches, 1922
4 LETTERS 4 CARTOON: MOLTON 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN
A&C
6 COMMENTARY 22 BACK TO THE FUTURE Heather Newton revisits the ’70s in new short story collection
8 NEWS 11 BUNCOMBE BEAT 14 COMMUNITY CALENDAR
A&C
15 SNAPSHOT 25 WHAT’S NEW IN FOOD Dough House Vegan Donuts opens in Black Mountain
16 WELLNESS 22 ARTS & CULTURE 28 CLUBLAND
A&C
30 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 26 AROUND TOWN Local talk focuses on Black Appalachian musical innovators
30 CLASSIFIEDS 31 NY TIMES CROSSWORD
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OPINION
Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.
The city’s crusade against the homeless What is behind the ongoing, indeed escalating, war against the homeless being waged by the city of Asheville? The obvious answer is money. In Asheville, it always seems to come to that. The monied classes — developers, hoteliers, large employers and their ilk — want an Asheville with curb and wallet appeal, yet with cheap labor. When they sell their homes, they want top dollar, and when they buy, they can afford top dollar. We know they didn’t earn that money at Asheville wages. The dire predictions of a decade ago have long come true — if you work here, you can’t afford to live here. The visible evidence of that truth isn’t normally visible. It’s three-four adults, fully employed, sharing a small house to make ends meet; it’s second and third jobs; mounting debt and student loans weighing heavy. It’s bad teeth and inadequate medical care, crappy cars and constant worry. But all this happens behind the doors of those overcrowded dwellings. What everyone — including the tourists — can see are the homeless on nearly every street corner down-
C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N town. The bulldozed tents and personal belongings, the despair, the sheer dreariness of the experience and the constant fear. No teeth and no medical care. No car. If you’ve been “swept” by the cops lately: no belongings, no tent, no change of clothes, no nothing. The homeless are the consequences of Asheville’s choices lived in the public domain. They are the results of dozens of years of money-driven decisions. The city’s failure to meaningfully fund its own 10-year plan to end homelessness. Budget cuts in city and county; policy decisions by police and Council members. The truth is Asheville wants them gone. Anywhere but here, anywhere they are invisible. The homeless, their dignity, their civil rights and their belongings are regularly being bulldozed by those with power in Asheville. Isn’t it time we halted these draconian measures and once again turned to providing shelter with dignity and long-term solutions? — Laurie Knowles Asheville
Asheville’s homelessness predicament [Regarding “Council OKs Ramada Proposal Despite Transparency Concerns,” Dec. 22, Xpress:] As a retired MSW (Master of Social Work) and substance abuse counselor, client homelessness was a daily issue in my work life. I offer no solutions, and I don’t believe there are any thus far that have ameliorated the burgeoning problem effectively. Big deal, but I have made professional and personal sacrifices to help clients have a bed to sleep on. Relegating the dilemma of homelessness in Asheville to two agencies from California is questionable — no state has a bigger problem with unresolved homelessness than that state. And nonprofits stay alive by adopting a business model; in my experience, they devolve into a survival mentality that is more about the financial bottom line than about serving the needs
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of people. This is understandable to a certain degree relative to the role money plays in social services, but I have seen that agencies that stay alive in the struggle for funding often abandon their mission statements. However, my concern goes in a different direction. I understand reasonable expectations and fully know that accountability and responsibility are core problems for persons who are afflicted with substance abuse and/or mental health problems — a significant cohort of the homeless population. I get the process of change and have been clean/sober for 38 years myself. What I don’t comprehend or support is that over time, permissiveness increasingly substitutes for compassion. I live in senior housing downtown and walk on a daily basis. Every day and many times, I see homeless people existing in squalor occupying doorways, parks and other public spaces as if they were their personal fiefdoms. Discarded Styrofoam containers and partially eaten food are strewn everywhere. Signing off on discordant behavior, whether by ignoring it, being apathetic or taking the “easy” way out and just not dealing with it helps no one. Certainly, the problem of homelessness in Asheville is more complex and larger than my understanding of it. But it is obvious that it is a problem that has festered, and the evidence is right in your face. I will add a related observation that I believe is an integral factor in downtown homelessness. Every day, you will see and hear firetrucks and ambulances downtown. However, you could go days without seeing police in the vicinity other than where their station is, and I have never seen police walking a beat. Like a sore thumb, I saw many police officers downtown on Christmas Day when downtown was pretty much a ghost town, comparatively. Overtime and policing go together like pizza and beer, or whatever. I understand that there is a shortage of police in Asheville and that recruitment is not going well. I also guess that potential law officers might not want to be in an oasis like Asheville, which is an outlier in North Carolina and especially in the western part of the state. — Tom O’Brien Asheville
Editor’s note Due to changing health recommendations related to COVID-19, readers are encouraged to check with individual businesses for the latest updates concerning upcoming events.
CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN
MOUNTAINX.COM
JAN. 12-18, 2022
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OPINION
The future of Coolville Looking backward from the year 2029
BY ROBERT McGEE By the end of the decade, I predict that … There will be hundreds of newly constructed, so-called “affordable” apartments in Coolville. Politicians will take credit for housing that tax incentives gifted to Greedy Folk have helped create. That means even more hapless minions can move to Coolville to work low-wage jobs serving those who can afford not to work. But as climate crises worsen, more Newbies than expected will arrive to vie for these newly built units. Many will fudge the truth of their finances, hide cash from side hustles and game the system in order to be deemed eligible for a subsidized slice of the pie. There will be confusion about who should be given priority. Should we consider how long someone has lived in Coolville and/or what type of work they do? Should there be a lottery? Should mayors flip coins? Newbies who, in 2022, called out longtime residents as NIMBYs for opposing unbridled development will, by 2029, be NIMBYs themselves. “I’ve been in Coolville since 2022! I deserve cheap rent more than someone who just appeared!” “I moved in 2028,” Newer Coolville Newbie will brag. “We must stop building and lock the door!” Sages will intone, “Essential workers — nurses, teachers, police and caregivers — should have priority over those who are only here for the beer.” “What about bartenders?” others will object. “If we didn’t cater to thirsty tourists, Coolville wouldn’t be what it is. Besides, didn’t we defund the police?” Coolville Professor will protest, “I can’t believe I spent years working toward a Ph.D. and then accepted a tenure-track job in a place where I can’t afford to live! I might have to pick up some shifts at Wild Wings!” “We need more affordable housing!” the masses will roar. And so laborers will arrive en masse. They will clear-cut the forests to build still more monstrosities, swallowing up all remaining rentals in the interim to house themselves during construction. And once those projects are completed, these workers will decide that they, too, must live in Coolville. “We toiled for years to 6
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ROBERT MCGEE build these high-sores. We’re weary, and now it’s our time to kick back and drink beer.” Celebrity Chefs will say, “Maybe the NIMBYs were right!” “Perhaps we should have viewed Coolville as an actual business and considered an Occupancy Cap. How can anyone concentrate on cuisine when there’s a line out the door and down the block?” “Whatevs,” the Mayor will shrug. “But that doesn’t solve our current quandary. Let me assemble a Task Force while you go brew your hippie stew.” The Task Force will attempt to right the ship. After those notables fail to assemble Coolville’s Comprehensive & Definitive Guidelines, Rules & Regs, Puffy People will be hired at exorbitant salaries to assess and fix the mess. Flown to Coolville on private jets, they’ll reside in snazzy Airbnbs (for which Taxpayers will foot the considerable bill) and be chauffeured around town while consuming big gulps of Coolville beer. “Despite the loss of tree canopy and fouling of the river,” these overpaid drunken functionaries will decree, “Coolville is more popular than ever — thanks to Consultants like us! As for housing, it’s inconclusive whether there can ever be enough. Fact is, we don’t know how anyone affords Life in Coolville unless they’re making as much as we do, have a trust fund, bought here long ago or leveraged a
property from an even costlier place. And since Coolville still isn’t quite as pricey as Puffyland, we just snapped up an entire neighborhood of charming Arts & Crafts bungalows to rent out as Airbnbs!” In 2029, Great Wizard will make a fateful announcement. Standing on the spot once occupied by an alternately famed/defamed/ loved/hated obelisk honoring Our Troubled Past, s/he/they will proclaim, “We cannot afford Affordable Housing! I’ve been attempting to solve this riddle for years, but we might as well try to round off pi.” Kayakers will arrive in droves. Eager to experience neighboring Bluff Town’s Water Park, they’ll descend upon the area, only to discover that all available housing has been swallowed up by the foreign workers imported to build Bluff Town itself. There will follow an eruption of bumper stickers protesting that Kayakers Deserve Housing Too!, displacing the ubiquitous printed pleas to Keep Coolville Cool. Bike lanes will be jammed with unhoused kayakers sleeping in Subarus so as to be first in line to Catch the Wave. Cyclists who can no longer safely ride along the river will give kayakers the finger. It could come to fisticuffs. In Coolville, more is less. There will be an elegant sufficiency, if not superfluity, of beer, cars, discord, homeless folk and F-35 components assembled by Afghan refugees. But Affordable Housing will still be in short supply. “We should have tried to maintain our Quality of Life,” Great Wizard will proclaim. “You simply can’t manipulate every market without repercussions. I mean, I would have loved to buy Apple stock at a discount.” “Right on!” Stoned Person will reply. “We need apples to feed folks living in cars. If New York’s the Big Apple, let’s make Coolville the City of Free Apples!” “I’m hungry,” Hungry Person will grumble. “We need to grow lots of food, and fast.” “And plant trees for some shade,” Parched Person will put in. “Excessive heat created by mega development is bringing me down. Didn’t there used to be signs calling us Tree City?” “Blasphemy!” the Mayor will hiss. “I want to get out in Nature to escape my affordable apartment,
Responsible Automotive Service & Repair where I can’t grow so much as a sprig of basil,” Parched Person will complain. “But there’s nowhere to go.” “Nature is overrated,” Groovy Hipster will demur. “I’m just here for the beer.” There will follow a season of notso-silent introspection. A befuddled Community will contemplate just who in Coolville should be blamed for the ongoing plight of the hungry and homeless and the shameful disregard for Mother Earth. In the never-ending clamor for more housing, there will be letters to editors suggesting that we plow under golf courses, cemeteries and even some historic mansions near Be Coolville Lake. “Why is it that no one ever calls for Affordable Beer?” Groovy Hipster will point out. “If I’d known moving to Coolville meant I’d have to drink PBR, I would have stayed in Topeka.” Meanwhile, Concerned Person will wonder, “Where have all the deer and wild turkeys gone? Flora and fauna are why so many of us came to Coolville before it became Too Cool to Support Schools.” Others will respond, “When are they going to fix these potholey roads so I can get out to fetch me some Wild Turkey?”
“Puffy People will be hired at exorbitant salaries to assess and fix the mess.” “Yes! We need Coolville tourists to contribute to infrastructure so we Locals can drive someplace to buy booze!” By 2029, our ABC stores will have doubled in size. This will be needed to handle the increased demand by Locals who, sick of battling tourists and traffic to reach their once-favorite watering holes, are simply staying home to drink, in shrinking serenity shattered by the ubiquitous sounds of hammers and falling trees. And in the center of Coolville, a 200foot Golden Beer Stein conceived by a Great Artist (at immense taxpayer expense) will loom above all as a Monument to All We’ve Achieved. You don’t have be psychic to see what’s on the horizon: It’s as plain as the suds on your nose. Robert McGee’s stories and essays have appeared in The Sun magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, Blue Ridge Outdoors, NPR’s “National Story Project” and elsewhere. X
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NEWS
First class
Local resources support WNC’s first-generation college students
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com In April, Tanya Ledford left a 22-year-long education career teaching history and English at public schools in Henderson and Polk counties. But Ledford’s new job hasn’t taken her far from the classroom. She is now assisting Hispanic high school students, many of them the first in their family to seek a college education, through the application process on behalf of True Ridge, a Hendersonville-based nonprofit serving Western North Carolina’s Hispanic population. For many Hispanic students, “the biggest problem is lack of information” about applying to college, Ledford says. “I was floored that so many students don’t even realize they have the opportunity to do so — whether they’re documented or undocumented.” The program, called La Promesa, began in fall 2021 and is one of several WNC resources, both within schools and outside the classroom, for first-generation students. Buncombe County Schools plans to begin collecting data on first-generation seniors, which it defines as those whose parents did not complete a four-year college degree, in its 2022-23 senior exit survey, says Suzanne Gavenus, a student support and transition specialist for the system. It began collecting data for those entering high school last year and found that, among the incoming class of 2025, 44% identified themselves as first-generation students. The population is substantial enough that last year’s virtual college planning night offered two sessions —
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Two representatives among a staff of nine focus on Spanish services. And some students may have basic questions about what they’re getting themselves into. Sarah Mohr, an admissions counselor at UNC Asheville who previously served in the College Advising Corps helping first-generation, low-income families in South Carolina, recalls one student who didn’t know that year-round housing meant the fall and spring semester. “She thought it meant 12 months,” she recalls. Mohr adds, “[First-generation students] don’t want to ask questions a lot of times because they feel like they should know the answers.”
HELPING HAND: Tanya Ledford, program facilitator for True Ridge, a nonprofit serving the Hispanic community, helps first-generation students with all aspects of the college application process. Photo courtesy of Ledford one in English and one in Spanish — titled “First Gen Students: Preparing for College Success,” says Gavenus.
‘A LOT OF UNKNOWNS’
Through La Promesa, Ledford collaborates with English as a second language teachers and principals to identify Hispanic seniors who may benefit from support. (A bilingual assistant supports Ledford, who does not speak Spanish, to communicate in accurate and culturally appropriate ways with families.) College counselors at high schools do great work helping students with applications, Ledford says, but their workload can be overwhelming. And counselors may not be able to provide the one-on-one assistance that some first-generation students need. Ledford is working with eight high schools across Henderson and Polk counties; as of Jan. 5, she had
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met with about 100 students and is working on individual college applications with 10. She anticipates more requests for La Promesa assistance as the second semester of senior year progresses (citing the tendency for teenagers to procrastinate). Applying to colleges and scholarships can be “a lot more complicated” for Hispanic students if they encounter residency and tax filing status issues, Ledford continues. Students whose parents don’t have Social Security numbers, for example, are automatically given out-of-state tuition unless they provide additional documents such as a driver’s license or immunization records. Melanie Yeager, a counselor at Nesbitt Discovery Academy, says she has directed students and families to Spanish services at the College Foundation of North Carolina, a free service provided by the state to assist with education and career planning.
MONEY MOVES
Broaching conversations about college early and often is a key strategy for encouraging more equitable college enrollment. Brandon Whiteside, scholarship coordinator for the Asheville City Schools Foundation and a licensed social worker, tries to connect with sophomores and juniors to encourage them “to start thinking about what happens after you graduate.” Then, during the fall semester of senior year, he visits their classes to share the ACSF scholarship catalog. College affordability is a concern for so many families, so advocates pay much attention to filling out the free application for federal student aid and investigating available scholarships. According to Carolina Demography, a strong positive association exists between completing the FAFSA and enrolling in postsecondary education. Ledford advises all students to file a FAFSA, regardless of their parents’ tax filing or employment history. If their parents didn’t file taxes in the previous year, a student won’t be eligible for federal aid, but the FAFSA will still be used by local and national nonprofits to determine need, she says. (For example, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Hendersonville offers a $2,500 DREAM Scholarship for an undocumented student.) Financial need is usually foremost on the minds of students who may be the first in their family to attend college, says Whiteside. ACSF holds support sessions on the Asheville High School/SILSA campus during the school day, which can be a particular help for students working after school. Financial literacy is covered in support sessions, as first-generation students may not have encountered terms like FAFSA or EFC (expected family contribution), he says. Despite its importance, the FAFSA doesn’t always present an accurate
view of a family’s finances, says Mohr from UNCA. The FAFSA uses the prior year’s tax information, and from 2019-21, for example, many people’s finances are “drastically different,” Mohr says. She encourages students to demonstrate financial need in the “community disruption” section on the Common Application, an undergraduate college admission application that can be used at 900 colleges. The section was added to the 2020-21 application for applicants to explain how the COVID19 pandemic and/or natural disasters affect them personally and academically. Admissions counselors refer to that section for a more holistic view of an applicant, she says. Lezette Parks, scholarship officer for the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, echoes this sentiment, urging students to “give us as much information as they can regarding any part of their situation,” she says. In 2021, CFWNC granted 104 scholarship awards from 36 funds to 91 students. Parks advises students applying for CFWNC scholarships to share financial needs in their personal statements. “Anything that’s important or relevant or is going to make
you stand apart, we encourage students to put that in there,” she says. But for some students, writing personal statements or college application essays can be an additional hurdle. Whiteside says ESL teachers are integral to making sure potential first-generation students get the assistance they need; he notes ACSF funds the Writing Center at Asheville High School/SILSA, where any student can seek help during the school day. ACSF also partners with freshman English students at UNCA and community mentors, like former teachers, to help college applicants on their essays. Whiteside notes that getting kids to share their accomplishments can require some gentle nudging. He helps students create and update resumes to keep track of after-school activities, employment and community work. “One of the biggest barriers, especially for first-generation college students, is articulating all the great things you’ve done,” he says.
‘NOT EVERY STUDENT CAN VOLUNTEER’
After BCS starts collecting information about first-generation stu-
CHEERLEADER: Brandon Whiteside, scholarship coordinator for the Asheville City Schools Foundation, aims to get students thinking about college plans as early as possible. Photo courtesy of Whiteside dents, it may expand its offerings for college readiness. “Once we have students more formally identified, we can begin to not only track their progress but identify barriers and needs,” says Gavenus. “This will allow us to design programming or interventions to address any learning gaps
and needs that we can assist with or make referrals where needed.” ACSF, the scholarship foundation, has already identified needs and has pivoted to address them. For the past five years, all of its scholarships have been based on financial need. Special consideration has been given to first-generation college students. Previously, some merit-based scholarships excluded students who may not have had many extracurriculars due to other responsibilities, Whiteside explains. “Not every student can go volunteer 100 hours,” he says. “First-generation college students, they may have to work a job, they may have to help support their family.” It is crucial that families, especially where the student may be the first in the family to attend college, feel supported through the entire process, says Mohr. “The best resource a student can have is an open door and a safe space that is nonjudgmental to ask questions,” she says. Ledford notes that La Promesa means “the promise” in Spanish. “We can’t promise that we’re going to get every kid into college,” she says. “But we can promise we’re going to try.” X
MOUNTAINX.COM
JAN. 12-18, 2022
9
N EWS
GREEN ROUNDUP
King’s Bridge offers new public land in Mills River A former sod farm on the banks of the French Broad River in Mills River has become new public land thanks to the work of Hendersonvillebased Conserving Carolina. The nonprofit transferred the 87-acre property known as King’s Bridge to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission after purchasing it for $440,000 with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and longtime North Carolina environmental philanthropists Fred and Alice Stanback. Members of the public can currently access the property for fishing, birding and wildlife observation via a small parking area on the east side of N.C. Highway 191; hunting is not permitted. Plans for recreation on the site include a public boat launch. Nick Shaver, mountain region supervisor of the NCWRC’s Land and Water Access Division, says the commission aims to restore “an ecologically healthy and functioning river bottom” to the land. By allowing parts of the property to fill during flood events, the restoration effort will provide habitat to the native muskellunge fish and reduce the severity of flooding downstream. Shaver notes that the timeline for work at King’s Bridge depends on the planned upgrade and widening of NC 191, which will likely not occur for several years.
Community kudos • Asheville resident Mel Skiles received the Blue Ridge Parkway’s 2021 Individual Volunteer award in recognition of his work maintaining the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Meanwhile, the Appalachian State University chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity received the parkway’s 2021 Volunteer Group award for its contributions to the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and Julian Price Memorial Park near Boone. • Sandy Mush landowner Brandee Boggs received the EcoForester of the Year award from Asheville-based nonprofit EcoForesters, honoring her dedication to fighting non-native invasive species. New Belgium Brewing Co. also received the nonprofit’s Root Cause award for its support of local forestry efforts and climate initiatives. • Western North Carolina-based agricultural projects received over $1.1 10
JAN. 12-18, 2022
million in the latest round of grants from the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission. The largest award, nearly $850,000, went to WNC Agricultural Options, a program administered by Asheville-based WNC Communities. An additional $100,000 went to the EnergyCAP Ag Energy Program, an effort to promote efficiency and renewables in WNC agricultural production. • Many WNC nonprofits and municipalities received awards from a $60.4 million funding round announced by the N.C. Land and Water Fund, previously known as the Clean Water Management Trust Fund. Significant grants include more than $824,000 to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for land acquisition at Mount Pisgah and $400,000 to Conserving Carolina for restoration of the Pleasant Grove flood plain. The complete list of projects and awards is available at avl.mx/b2q.
Municipal moves • The city of Asheville named D. Tyrell McGirt as its next Parks & Recreation director, succeeding Roderick Simmons. City Manager Debra Campbell praised McGirt, who most recently served as parks and recreation head for a suburb of Birmingham, Ala., as “someone driven to incorporate diversity and inclusion into his processes.” His first day with the city will be Monday, Jan. 24. • On Dec. 14, Asheville City Council approved the voluntary annexation of nearly 11 wooded acres adjacent to Carolina Day School in South
DOWN BY THE RIVER: Plans for new public land at King’s Bridge include a boat launch on the French Broad River and ecosystem restoration. Photo courtesy of Conserving Carolina Asheville for a new city park. The city purchased the land from the school in September for $1.5 million using part of $17 million in parks and recreation bonds approved by voters in 2016. Public engagement on the future of the property will take place throughout 2022. • The town of Burnsville and city of Hendersonville both received funding in the most recent award cycle of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Program. Burnsville got $31,500 and will contribute a local match of $3,500; Hendersonville received $36,000 and will spend $9,000 in local funds. The resulting plans in each municipality will “represent a comprehensive strategy for expanding bicycle and pedestrian opportunities,” according to the NCDOT. • The WNC Regional Air Quality Agency has changed its name to the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency. The new designation better reflects the body’s scope, as it hasn’t monitored air quality outside of Buncombe County since 2000.
ALL WORK FOR PLAY: D. Tyrell McGirt will become Asheville’s Parks & Recreation director Monday, Jan. 24, succeeding Roderick Simmons. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville
MOUNTAINX.COM
Heads up
• The Old Fort Trails Project celebrates its groundbreaking 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, at 1450 Curtis Creek Road, Old Fort. The initiative aims to establish 42 miles of new trails on U.S. Forest Service lands surrounding the town. Registration and more information are available at avl.mx/b2o. • Hood Huggers International is coordinating a day of community sustainability service projects in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day starting 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 17. Work will begin
at 47 Bryant St. in the Burton Street neighborhood and include garden tasks, trash pickup and creek cleanup. More information is available by emailing Catherine Siravantha at Catherine@HoodHuggers.com. • The WNC Sierra Club hosts Drew Jones, co-founder and co-director of Climate Interactive, for a free webinar at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb 3. Jones will present his En-ROADS interactive simulation, which helps participants explore the effects of climate proposals such as renewable energy, carbon removal and electric vehicles. Registration is available at avl.mx/b2n. • Early-bird tickets for the Outdoor Economy Conference in Cherokee, taking place Monday-Thursday, April 4-7, are available through Monday, Feb. 28. Conference tracks include sustainable outdoor recreation tourism, outdoor-driven economic development, responsible outdoor product innovation and balancing conservation and the outdoor economy. More information is available at avl.mx/9zb. • The National Park Service reminds visitors to the Blue Ridge Parkway that winter weather conditions and seasonal maintenance can lead to sections of the road being closed to vehicle traffic. The most up-to-date information on parkway conditions is available at avl.mx/7tw. • Asheville’s Parks & Recreation Department has released its guide to winter and spring programs. Outdoor offerings include low-impact hiking for seniors, youth archery and a nighttime stargazing hike. The full guide is available online at avl.mx/b2p, as well as in print at city community centers.
— Daniel Walton X
NEW! 2022 BUNCOMBE BEAT
Buncombe continues mask mandate amid record COVID spread By the numbers, Buncombe County has entered uncharted territory in its encounter with the COVID-19 pandemic. Confirmed weekly cases per 100,000 residents exceeded 900 as of Jan. 10, a figure well over twice as high as that during last winter, which Public Health Director Stacie Saunders attributed to the highly transmissible omicron variant of the coronavirus. The county’s response, however, remains mostly unchanged. Board of Commissioners members unanimously voted Jan. 4 to extend Buncombe’s indoor mask mandate through Wednesday, Feb. 16; Saunders continued to advocate for residents to get vaccinated or receive booster shots. But aside from efforts to expand testing access, neither elected officials nor health leaders proposed new approaches for the community to weather the viral surge. It’s unclear whether the mask requirement, reinstated Aug. 18, has significantly reduced COVID19 transmission in Buncombe compared with surrounding counties, none of which have required masks since Gov. Roy Cooper lifted North Carolina’s statewide mandate May 14. Among those counties, only Madison and Yancey exceeded Buncombe’s confirmed per capita case rate over the past week as of Jan. 10. (Buncombe’s per capita COVID-19 death rate, roughly 174 per 100,000 residents, is lower than that of all surrounding counties except Transylvania.) At a Jan. 5 press briefing, Saunders said she did not have data establishing the effectiveness of Buncombe’s current mask mandate. She suggested that the case rates reported by other Western North Carolina counties may be depressed due to comparatively lower levels of testing. The extended mask requirement does not contain any language regarding enforcement, nor does it specify the type of face covering that residents should wear. Given the increased contagiousness of omicron, many health experts say cloth masks are insufficient and people should upgrade to surgical masks or N95 respirators. Saunders agreed that those options offered more protection
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GOING UP: Confirmed weekly cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 Buncombe County residents exceeded 900 as of Jan. 10, a figure well over twice as high as that during last winter. Graphic courtesy of Buncombe County against omicron but said there were no plans to change the language of the county’s requirement. She said residents without access to higher-grade masks should “continue to use multilayer cloth face coverings to give that layer of protection.” In response to reports that people have been queuing for hours at the county’s main COVID-19 testing site, located at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, Saunders directed questions to testing provider StarMed Healthcare. “In general, folks should expect long lines,” she said. The county has requested testing support from both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, Saunders added, but both applications remain pending. Buncombe has also submitted an order for 5,000 at-home rapid testing kits, with plans to distribute them at community centers, fire departments, churches and other locations. Dr. William Hathaway, Mission Health’s chief medical officer, told commissioners Jan. 4 that the “nickel lining” of omicron is that it generally appears to cause less severe disease in those infected. However, he noted,
the sheer volume of cases was still likely to increase strain on the hospital system over the coming month. “It’s not enjoyable. It’s not pleasant. Nobody enjoys doing this,” said board Chair Brownie Newman about the mask-mandate extension. “My hope is that — while the next several weeks are likely … to be really, really, rough, maybe one of the roughest periods of the pandemic — we see this peak happen soon and then quickly decline.”
— Daniel Walton X
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FEA T U RE S
Q&A with Jazmin Whitmore, owner of plus-size consignment shop More to Love Jazmin Whitmore always enjoyed fashion, yet struggled to afford buying clothes. As a plus-size woman, finding items in her size was also frustrating. It’s a struggle familiar to many women. According to a study on clothing size standards published in 2016, the average American woman is size 16 to 18. However, too many brands have been slow to sell products above size 12 or 14. Whitmore is no stranger to overcoming difficulties outside of fashion, too. Since leaving home at 17, she has experienced poverty, as well as mental and physical health challenges. After years of traveling, Whitmore settled in Asheville in 2012 and began receiving disability to help her healing. She transitioned off disability in 2017 and opened her first business, Those Lovely Locks, a wax- and chemical-free dreadlocks studio. As a self-sufficient teenager and young adult, Whitmore had to learn to alter clothing to have fashions that fit her style. Those experiences made something better for herself and other larger-bodied folks. “To actively support people, especially those marginalized, you don’t have to make choices for them — you have to provide them with choices,” Whitmore says. So she did: In 2019, Whitmore opened More to Love, Asheville’s only Black woman-owned
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plus-size clothing consignment shop. More recently, she received the 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Western Women’s Business Center. Xpress spoke with Whitmore about why her store is the type of resource she wishes she had in her youth, her thoughts on the term “plus size” and the continuing need for spaces inclusive for all body sizes. This interview has been condensed for length and edited for clarity. Where did your idea for a plus-size consignment shop originate? The plus-size industry wasn’t something I saw myself being involved in. In 2018, I was shopping in downtown Asheville for a special occasion with a $200 budget. I spent five hours looking for one outfit. I was supposed to be celebrating that day. Instead, it felt like this awful boot camp where almost every shop’s largest option was a “free size” — otherwise known as one size, which is basically a small XL that excludes a lot of people. I did eventually find a beautiful tunic, but the whole process just devastated me. After this experience, I went home and was talking to my sister about it, and had the idea for a plus size consignment shop. I wanted to put many different brands, styles, and types of fashion in one shop to offer something for everyone who is plus size
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ALL THAT JAZ: Jazmin Whitmore, owner of the plus-size consignment shop More to Love, says everyone deserves comfortable, affordable clothing that fits. Photo courtesy of Whitmore — rather than a store full of something flirty for a night out or only professional three-piece suits. What do you wish people knew about consigning clothing with your shop? We say we want our clothing to have miles left, not inches. We typically price items around 30% of their original value, because that is the consignor’s fee, our rent payment, electricity and the hours spent on labor. A lot of consignment stores only offer their consigners store credit, which is fair. But because money has been a huge issue my whole life, I wanted to create a company that not only made me money but also put money back in the pockets of people who needed extra income. The ultimate goal is for the dollars spent with us to circulate back in our community while providing a positive shopping experience for people who may have never had one. What do you think about the use of the term “plus size” in the fashion industry? I definitely have mixed feelings, which in part depends on if you’re talking about how I emotionally or pragmatically feel about it. The only reason the term “plus size” exists is that so many stores have decided they will not carry the larger end of the sizing scale. If department stores carried
all sizes, the term “plus size” wouldn’t be so important for finding clothes that fit. The way things are, you need to use the term because that is what the algorithms look for to get people into the stores where the clothes actually exist. I personally like the terms “curvy” and “thick,” which have more positive connotations. But digital algorithms don’t care about my feelings. From an emotional perspective, when you say “plus size,” you are reinforcing the idea that it’s not regular or normal, and so that does cut a little bit every time. Even if I’d like to never use the term again, I have to for the foreseeable future because of the way our society has organized itself until now. I have a sign in my shop that says “EveryBODY is welcome.” We sell inclusively sized femme clothing; we do not regulate the body that wears them. What do you think about the current state of the body inclusivity movement? While size-related biases are everywhere, Asheville does seem to have a hard time being inclusive to people of different sizes. I think that’s in part because this is such a health-focused town, and many people perceive size as a choice, so they feel like it’s OK to exclude people. It’s almost considered by many to be a justifiable prejudice. People have asked me how I feel about encouraging people to be unhealthy. My response is, I encourage everyone to be healthy. I also know it’s not my job to tell someone what healthy means to them. There are thousands of ways you can be unhealthy — from alcoholism to different illnesses — but not one of those conditions stops you from getting clothes that fit or how much you pay for them. So I am encouraging people to be healthy, but even if they aren’t, they still deserve affordable clothes. Despite the challenges around this issue, I have been touched by how much Asheville and the community truly do want me and More to Love here. People have driven over two hours to come to the shop and have donated their consignment fees back to the store during the height of the pandemic. Our community has genuinely expressed their excitement, joy, and desire for our expansion into new locations, menswear or our own plus-size fashion line — all of which are things we hope to achieve.
— Johanna Patrice Hagarty X
ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com
‘The elimination of untruthful advertising’ 2022
The Asheville Advertising Club launches, 1922 Honesty was on the minds of many local merchants at the start of 1922. That February, The Asheville Citizen reported the formation of the Asheville Advertising Club. Though similar talks had begun several years earlier in the 1910s, the initial movement appears to have been stymied by World War I efforts and the subsequent recession-turned-depression that marked the start of the 1920s. But by 1922, with an improved economic outlook, city merchants rallied around truth-telling as a means of building a stronger and sounder business community. In a Feb. 8, 1922, article announcing the club’s imminent formation, The Asheville Citizen wrote, “The Asheville Advertising club, when fully organized, following the election of officers and selection of committees, will have as its principal aim the elimination of untruthful advertising.” Two days later, L. Edwin Gill was elected president of the new club, with W.H. David as vice president and J.T. Henry as secretary-treasurer. By early spring, the organization put forth its “Proposed Standard of Practice” in advertising, seeking feedback from the community. According to a March 28, 1922, article published by The Asheville Citizen, the plan called for a uniform approach in how merchants advertised and priced goods. “Such methods mean, for example, that the price-mark is carefully fixed at the proper percentage above cost,” the paper reported, “or that a bargain day price will be accompanied by the statement of the lowest as well as highest price at which the article has sold.”
STAMP OF APPROVAL: Business members who joined the Asheville Advertising Club regularly featured the organization’s logo on their individual store advertisements, signaling to readers that they abided by the group’s ethics and guidelines. Screenshot from an Aug. 20, 1922, advertisement in The Asheville Citizen A week later, the club, consisting of “forty prominent Asheville merchants,” adopted the practice, according to the April 2, 1922, edition of The Asheville Citizen. Later that spring, the group set its sights beyond truthful advertising. “Taking its place with other clubs for the civic uplift of Asheville ... the club endorsed a resolution to use every advantage in advertising the city and pledging itself to boost Asheville at every opportunity, individually and collectively,” The Asheville Citizen reported on May 19, 1922. The club’s resolution, printed in its entirety in that day’s issue, began with the stated goal of expanding
Asheville’s population from its then 28,504 to 75,000 by 1930. The resolution declared: “We believe this increased growth can be stimulated and increased by special effort on the part of every individual citizen and by special activity on the part of all our commercial organizations to secure at least one industrial plant each year, and by adding more and better hotel facilities, and a large auditorium to attract the largest conventions, and by building a system of parks and large lakes for the wholesome amusement and entertainment for our visitors to keep them for a longer time and if possible to encourage them to become permanent residents.” The resolution went on to implore nonmembers to do the same. “We call on every loyal citizen of Asheville to join us in every opportunity to boost Asheville first and all the time, to explain its every advantage as a city in which to live, to defend its fair name at all times and pledge our every effort to locate one permanent resident each year.” The club continued to host regular meetings throughout much of the 1920s, though local coverage dwindled significantly over the proceeding years. Once the Great Depression hit, all mention of the group in local print disappeared. A headline in the Sept. 18, 1930, edition of The Asheville Citizen reads, “Asheville’s Population In 1930 At 50,167,” a mere 24,833 shy of the club’s ambitious goal. Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original documents. X
Wellness Issues 2017
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR JANUARY 12-20, 2022 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.
Online Events = Shaded WELLNESS Yoga and the 12 Steps of Recovery (Y12SR) Addresses addiction as a mental, physical and spiritual disease. WE (1/12, 19), 8:30am, Asheville Yoga Center, 211 S Liberty St Sparkle Time - Holistic Senior Exercise Aerobic, strengthening, balance and flexibilty. Proof of vaccination and booster required. WE (1/12, 19), MO (1/17), 10:30am, Avery's Creek Community Center, 899 Glennbridge Rd SE, Arden Montford Tai Chi Hosted by local acupuncturist Tyler White. All ages, every Thursday. TH (1/13, 20), 9am, Free, Montford Recreation Center, 34 Pearson Dr Introduction to Tai Chi Taught by Roger ByRd TH (1/13, 20), 10:30am, Free, Asheville Community Yoga Center, 8 Brookdale Rd Queer & Trans Yoga Class For everyone who identifies outside the lines and hasn't felt comfortable in a traditional yoga space. TH (1/13, 20), 6pm, avl.mx/b1t LGBTQ Sweat Your Prayers A safe space for the LGBTQ community to move their bodies with intention, love, in solidarity. All are welcome,
sliding scale. SA (1/15), 9:30am, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd Bipolar and Depression Support Group Contact Renee Bazile for more information 828.36.-7660. SA (1/15), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd Quest4Life 5Rhythms Waves Class Weekly instructional classes based on Gabrielle Roth's work. No dance experience necessary. TU (1/18), 7pm, $12-22, Terpsicorps Academy, 1501 Patton Ave
ART Mountain Inspirations From artists Jan Smith, Mandy Kjellstrom, and Raymond Byram. Daily from 11am to 6pm. Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave Small Work/Big Impact Intimately-scaled works in a variety of media by gallery artists and special guests. Open daily 10am-6pm, Sundays 12-5pm. Momentum Gallery, 24 N Lexington Ave Nocturne A collection of works that celebrates the drama and mystery of the night. Open daily 10-6, Sundays 12-5. Momentum Gallery, 24 N Lexington Ave ᎢᏛᏍᎦ ᏫᏥᏤᎢ ᎠᎵᏰᎵᏒ Weaving Across Time Showcases the works of nine Eastern Band Cherokee basket makers. M-F 11am-6pm. Center for Craft, 67 Broadway
Gallery Group Show: Revanant A response to the pandemic and a “post-pandemic” world. Weds -Sat, 11am-4pm. Continuum Art, 147 ste C, 1st Ave E, Hendersonville
and DVDs, $5 per box. All proceeds go to the Friends of the Weaverville Library. Boxes will be provided. SA (1/15), 11am, Friends of the Weaverville Library Used Bookstore, 41 N Main St, Weaverville
Gestures: Mid-Century Abstraction from the Collection Abstract experiments in American art making during the middle of the 20th century. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Live Stream: Writers at Home Featuring readings by Great Smokies Writing Program Spring Faculty: Sebastian Matthew, Bruce Spaneg, Vicki Lane, Luke Hankins and Tessa Fontaine. SU (1/16), 3pm, avl.mx/b2l
Modernist Design at Black Mountain College Highlights the museum’s collection of design from Black Mountain College. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
Tracey Schmidt: Poetry as Meditation Accompanied by the guitar music of James Vandenberg, Schmidt will offer the deep philosophies of poets such as well as her own original work. For virtual or physical address, email ccc.avl. nc@gmail.com at least 24 hours in advance. SU (1/16), 7pm, Center for Connection + Collaboration
A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art Highlights the use of the written Cherokee language. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Ruminations on Memory On view in conjunction with A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Walter B. Stephen Pottery: Cameo to Crystalline Features art pottery and functional vessels from each stage of Stephen’s career. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square A Hand in Studio Craft: Harvey K. Littleton as Peer and Pioneer Littleton's collection
FOR THE DOGS (AND CATS): The Street Dog Coalition, in partnership with the Haywood Street Congregation, will hold a free pet care clinic Sunday, Jan. 16, 9 a.m.-noon, at 297 Haywood St. Services include physical exams, vaccinations, parasite control, supplies and food for pets of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Photo courtesy of Haywood Street Congregation from the early days of the Studio Glass Movement and the height of the American mid-century Studio Pottery Movement. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton Showing a wide circle of artists in a variety of media were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine to create prints using the vitreograph process developed by Littleton. Daily 11am-6pm, Thurs til 9pm. Closed Tuesdays Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square
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ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS Seconds Sale Helps to support glassblowers and the nonprofit studio, which provides affordable studio rental space to working artists, and teaches the art of glass to students of all levels. Daily except Tuesdays. 10am, North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B Mini Market Pop Up A variety of local vendors highlighting some of the best in arts, crafts, and artisanal products from Asheville and surrounding areas. SU (1/16), 11:30am, Highland Downtown Taproom, 56 Patton Ave
COMMUNITY MUSIC WNCW: Goin' Across the Mountain Live Featuring Balsam Range, with special guest The Becky Buller Band. SA (1/15), 7:30pm, $25-35, Foundation Performing Arts & Conference Center, 286 ICC Loop Rd, Spindale The Kruger Brothers Award-winning bluegrass brothers who grew up in Switzerland and moved to Wilkesboro after their first performance at Merlefest in 1997. SU (1/16), 4pm, Madison County Arts Council, 90 S Main St, Marshall
Virtual Jazz Hour Composer and Steinway pianist Michael Jefry Stevens will perform a jazz hour filled with original music, sponsored by the Enka Friends of the Library and the One Buncombe grant from MountainBizWorks. WE (1/19), 6:30pm, Free, avl.mx/b34
SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Pack Library Book Club This month's discussion is Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee. WE (1/12), 10:30am, Pack Memorial Library - Lord Auditorium, 67 Haywood St Discussion Bound Book Club: Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle Hosted by the Asheville Art Museum and co-hosted by Malaprop's. WE (1/12), 12pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Jay Hardwig launches Just Maria in conversation w/Allan Wolf The authors will discuss Hardwig's new book in a hybrid event. Registration required for in-person and virtual. WE (1/12), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St Creative Writing Group A supportive group to write and read each other's writing. Presented by Leicester Library. TH (1/13), 4pm, avl.mx/b32
Black Experience Book Club Bi-monthly book club sponsored by the YMI Cultural Center and Buncombe County Public Libraries. This week's discussion will be Quicksand by Nella Larsen. TH (1/13), 6:30pm, avl.mx/b33 Live Stream Reader Meet Writer: The Last House on the Street w/Diane Chamberlain Hosted by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. TH (1/13), 7pm, avl.mx/b2i The Narrative: Read Plays and Talk About Them Reading:The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney and Choir Boy by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Discussion hosted and moderated by Ria Young, presented by Asheville Community Theatre. TH (1/13), 7:30pm, Free, avl.mx/b38 A Winter of Poetry: Modes of Poetic Performance Artist-in-Residence David Barratt will share his poetry as well as his process and concepts of poetry creation and performance. For physical and virtual addresses, please email cc.avl.nc@gmail.com at least 24 hours in advance. SA (1/15), 10:45am, Center for Connection + Collaboration Fill a Box for Five Bucks Fiction, non-fiction, kids and teen books, music
Asheville Storytelling Circle Stories are family-friendly, seasonal, and include personal narratives, local historical events, and Appalachian and Celtic folktales, some with music. Bring food to share for the first meeting celebration. MO (1/17), 7pm, Free, Asheville Visitors Center, 36 Montford Ave Heather Newton Launches McMullen Circle, In Conversation with Tessa Fontaine In store or virtual. TU (1/18), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St Live Stream: Keith Flynn and Charter Weeks Presenting Prosperity Gospel: Portraits of the Great Recession. Flynn will also read from his previous book Skin of Meaning. TH (1/20), 6pm, avl.mx/b2m Notorious HBC Host and Malaprop’s bookseller Patricia Furnish will discuss a range of books across different periods of history TH (1/20), 7pm, avl.mx/9s9
THEATER Take Me Back to Harlem: Dr. Martin Luther King Birthday Celebration Set in Patty’s Bar in the 1940s, offering a conversation between Langston Hughes and his literary creation Jess B. Semple. The play examines the depths of the human experience: in the bar, with a backdrop of jazz, the blues, and
SNAPSHOT singing and dancing. SA (1/15), 6pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave The Bearded Company Improv Four days of workshops and performances of collaborative improvised storytelling, Jan. 20-23. The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St
BENEFITS Kiln for Veterans Healing Farm Fundraiser A collaboration of Veterans Healing Farm, The Redesign ML-43 leadership team, and Cooperate WNC - to raise money to apply soil amendments and biochar to the VHF field. FR (1/14), 6pm, Guidon Brewing, 415 8th Ave E, Hendersonville Veterans Healing Farm Winter Clothing Drive Collecting winter clothes and accessories as well as bedding and towels for Afghani evacuees resettling in Asheville. SA (1/15) & SU (1/16), 11am-4pm, 38 Yale Rd, Hendersonville
CLASSES, MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS NC Extension Hemp Production and Policy Update With state specialist David Suchoff, who will discuss hemp production and policy updates. To register please email Elizabeth Ayers at elizabeth_ayers@ncsu.edu or call 828.649.2411. WE (1/12), 10am, Free, avl.mx/b2z WNCHA History Hour: African American Music Traditions in WNC Speakers Dr. William H. Turner and Dr. Ted Olson will discuss how African Americans have played a largely unrecognized role in creating and expanding the musical landscape of the Appalachian region, introducing or shaping instruments, songs, and genres. TH (1/13), 6pm, $5-10, avl.mx/b17 Paint & Sip Learn how to paint the sunset over the Blue Ridge, step by step. FR (1/14), 6:30pm, $38, Zillicoah Beer Co, 870 Riverside Dr, Woodfin Pen and Ink Drawing Class Taught by artist James Cassara. All materials will be provided - bring an 8.5x11' black and white photo, if possible. Ages 16 and up. SA (1/15), 10am, Free, Leicester Library, 1561 Alexander Rd, Leicester
NC NAACP Meeting Jackson County Branch Discuss plans for MLK Day and share theme and events for 2022. Email jcnaacp54ab@ gmail.com to receive instructions to join online. All are welcome. SA (1/15), 10am Winter Workshop: Crafting Stories from Nature A presentation on how one can craft stories celebrating the human connection to nature by incorporating personal experience, family reminiscences, folklore, natural history, traditional mythology and humor. SA (1/15), 1pm, $35-45, Christmount Christian Assembly, 222 Fern Way, Black Mountain Zoom D&D with Raj Sign-up is required. Email Raj at raj.bowers-racine@buncombecounty.org to request attendance. Presented by Buncombe County Libraries. SA (1/15), 3pm, Free Swing Dance Classes & Social Dance Presented by Swing Asheville - two levels of swing dance classes followed by an open dance. No partner needed. SA (1/15), 6pm, Cork & Keg, 86 Patton Ave Alcohol Art Ink & Drink Nationally published artist Sherri Welser will demonstrate how to create landscapes, all supplies included for participants to paint two projects. SU (1/16), 4pm, $35, Archetype Tap Lounge + Venue, 174 Broadway St Mother-Daughter Challah Bake Girls ages 11-18, with their mothers. RSVP chana@chabadasheville. org. SU (1/16), 4pm, Chabad House, 127 McDowell St Skyland Library Knitting & Crochet Club Bring your needles and your hooks - all levels welcome. TU (1/18), 6pm, Free, Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Rd Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle How Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money. To register, visit the Council on Aging of Buncombe County’s website www.coabc.org or call the Council on Aging at 828.277.8288. WE (1/19), 2pm, Free Visual Art Evening Open to any public or private high school student or art teacher from Buncombe or nearby counties. Three workshops will follow an overview of the arts
at WCU. Email bethmoore@wcu.edu with questions. Sponsored by WCU School of Art and Design. TH (1/20), 6pm, Free, WCU at Biltmore Park, 28 Schenck Pkwy, Ste 300 Master Gardener Virtual Plant Clinic Email HaywoodEMGV@ gmail.com with a detailed description of the problem, plant, or insect. A Master Gardener will research and get back to you within a few days. Free
LOCAL TAILGATE MARKETS River Arts District Winter Market Local produce, cheese, breads, meats and more. WE (1/12, 19), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St Weaverville Winter Tailgate Market Weekly winter market with bread, cheese and fermented food makers, alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors. WE (1/12, 19), 3pm, 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville ASAP Winter Farmers Market SA (1/15), 10am, A-B Tech Conference Center, 340 Victoria Rd
SPECIAL EVENTS Hard 2 Recycle Visit hard2recycle.org for the full list of items that will be accepted. SA (1/15), 10am-2pm, Fernihurst Mansion, A-B Tech Dog Adoption Event In partnership with Mountain Pet Rescue, the third Saturday of each month. SA (1/15), 12pm, Archetype Tap Lounge + Venue, 174 Broadway Street Dog Coalition Free Pet Care Clinic For pets of people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Offering physical exams, vaccinations, parasite conrol, pet supplies and food. Dogs should be on leashes and cats in carriers. SU (1/16), 9am, Haywood St Congregation, 297 Haywood St Community Vaccine Clinic Asheville Humane Society and Appalachian Animal Animal Hospital will be sponsoring a low-cost community vaccine clinic for area pets. First come, first served. SU (1/16), 1pm, 800 Fairview Rd Zillicoah's Annual Xmas Tree Burn Beer, tacos and the glow of burning Christ-
mas trees in celebration of laying 2021 to rest. SU (1/16), 4pm, Zillicoah Beer Co, 870 Riverside Dr, Woodfin BINGO: Holiday Regift Edition A January tradition bring and share yoru holiday regfts. Adults only. TU (1/18), 11am, Free, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St
OUTDOORS 2022 Virtual Hiking Challenge The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy Virtual Hiking Challenge sets a goal for you to complete 60 miles in 60 days at your own pace. Sign up online before Feb. 1, avl.mx/az0
SPIRITUALITY Jewish Women's Circle: Torah and Tea Seeks to connect and unite Jewish women across WNC through social, spiritual, and educational events. TH (1/13), 10:30am, Chabad House, 127 McDowell St Jewish Power Hour Weekly Torah class via Zoom. All are welcome. TH (1/13), 6pm
INSURRECTION REVISITED: Several dozen residents gathered at Pack Square in remembrance of the one-year anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. The event included discussions and talks concerning the need to protect voting rights as well as calling for a more civil approach to political discourse. Photo by Jennifer Castillo
Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional All are welcome at this informal, unstructured Sunday gathering. SU (1/16), 10am, avl.mx/a4t
VOLUNTEERING Seeking Experiential Garden Volunteers Looking for people who are interested in landscaping, gardening, carpentry, and art to work in the Experiential Garden at NC Outword Bound. Verner Center for Early Learning, 2586 Riceville Rd MLK Jr. Day of Service 2022 Six Asheville community organizations are joining to facilitate engagement in community betterment projects: Hood Huggers, International, Riverlink, Asheville Parks & Rec, Asheville Creative Arts, Energy Savers Network and Burton St Community Association. MO (1/17), 1pm, Burton St Community Peace Gardens, Bryant St Stitches of Love Asheville A group of dedicated people who create and donate handmade items to local charities. The group hopefully will resume in person meetings later this year. If interested, contact Janet Stewart, 828. 575.9195.
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WELLNESS
Side effects BY NIKO KYRIAKOU nkjournalist@gmail.com A day after getting his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at A-B Tech, Matthew Cash, an asthmatic but otherwise healthy 31-year old from Asheville, developed tiny blisters on his palms. Two days later, he says, the rash had spread “everywhere,” including inside his ears and on his lips, eyelids and the soles of his feet. “It itched and it burned and it hurt,” Cash says. By the fourth day after the shot, he had a pounding headache and shortness of breath. Cash says his eyes, tongue and throat had swollen to the point where he “had a pretty hard time breathing or talking.” He improved after being administered IV steroids at Mission Hospital, but six months later, he still has “hot spots.” Cash says Mission doctors suggested his rash might have been caused by a change in detergent and diagnosed him with an unspecified allergic reaction. When he brought up that he’d recently gotten a COVID-19 shot, he says, they “did not want to entertain that it was anything to do with that vaccine whatsoever.” But according to Cash, nothing else in his life had changed, including his detergent. “I’m a constant. … The only thing I did was get this shot,” Cash says. His allergy doctor in Biltmore Village advised him not to get the second dose, which he has no plans to do. Stories such as Cash’s are supposed to be collected by the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a database of possible reactions to shots voluntarily submitted by health providers, vaccine makers and members of the public. (Neither Cash nor his doctors submitted a report.) Despite
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Local handling of COVID vaccine troubles breeds medical mistrust
inconsistent reporting, VAERS is capturing many such events. As of Dec. 31, over 1 million reports had been filed with VAERS following more than 504 million COVID-19 vaccine doses administered, including over 113,000 hospitalizations and more than 21,000 deaths. Prior to the pandemic, the VAERS database averaged 40,000 adverse events for 317 million annual vaccinations, primarily administered in children. Reports from North Carolina have detailed over 1,300 serious events after more than 14.8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. According to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Bailey Pennington, serious events involve permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness or death. VAERS reports do not prove a causal link between vaccination and any adverse event, says Buncombe County Health and Human Services spokesperson Stacey Wood, but they do help officials identify possible safety concerns. Stacie Saunders, the county’s public health director, notes that VAERS helped spot blood-clotting issues associated with some COVID-19 vaccinations. Due to that issue, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now discourages use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in favor of the Pfizer and Moderna shots. Federal data, however, is only as good as local reporting. In speaking with Western North Carolina’s county health officials and hospitals, Mountain Xpress found inconsistencies in how adverse events are reported. And a local canvass of online groups, community members and health care providers by Xpress found at least 25 adverse events from the Asheville metro area, many of them serious. Only a handful had been reported to VAERS. Many WNC residents who spoke with Xpress say they shared their negative responses after vaccination with health providers. But they also say their concerns have been minimized or ignored, driving mistrust about COVID-19 vaccines and the medical establishment.
WHO’S COUNTING?
According to the CDC, health care providers who administer COVID-19 vaccines are legally required to report any serious adverse event to VAERS, “regardless of whether the reporter thinks the vaccine caused the AE.”
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TALK IT OUT: Dr. Patrick Hanaway, an Asheville integrative physician and chair of the national nonprofit Institute for Functional Medicine’s COVID-19 task force, says health providers may undermine trust by minimizing their patients’ concerns about COVID-19 vaccines. Photo courtesy of Hanaway No public entity enforces that reporting requirement. After giving tens of thousands of shots over the past year, the Haywood, Madison and Henderson county health departments have not filed any VAERS reports for COVID-19 vaccines. Buncombe County’s health department has filed 20 reports, says Wood, just one of them serious — an allergic reaction that required epinephrine injection and hospitalization. However, some workers with local emergency services say they regularly respond to vaccination-related events. A firefighter with a Buncombe County department, who asked to remain anonymous due to concern for his job security, says his station responds to “a couple” of COVID-19 vaccine reaction calls every eight-day cycle, amounting to between 50 and 100 calls over the past year. “In the last week or two, I’ve run more strokes than I usually would in months,” he says. “It’s just insane.” Most people say they feel tired or want to pass out, he says. If he spots
one of those common symptoms, he says, experience has taught him to ask whether that person has recently received a COVID-19 vaccine. The firefighter says that in his view, it’s “100% useless to send reports up the chain.” He believes his department’s fire chief takes cues from county officials, who he says are pro-vaccine. And a Buncombe County EMT, who also asked to remain anonymous for job security, says crews have responded to dozens of calls for people who have had adverse events after receiving the vaccine, including a 20-year-old who got his first dose two hours before he “face-planted, unconscious” while walking into a gas station in Asheville. The EMT says he woke up with neurological issues that have not gone away since. Neither the Asheville Fire Department nor Buncombe County Emergency Medical Services responded to requests for comment. Madison County Health Director Tammy Cody says two individuals have been transported from mass vaccination events in the county to the hospital for “panic attacks” and were discharged soon afterward; neither incident resulted in a VAERS report. Meanwhile, Henderson County’s health department has asked individuals to “self-report” adverse reactions, says spokesperson Anthony Mundhenk. While he notes that the county has helped some people file VAERS reports, he did not share those numbers. Everyone who receives the vaccine at a Henderson County clinic is given a flyer with instructions on how to report a reaction, Mundhenk says, as is common practice with other county health departments. (Cash and several other local vaccine recipients who spoke with Xpress said they did not remember receiving that paperwork.) Local hospitals were also inconsistent in their description of reporting requirements. In contrast to the CDC’s mandate that adverse event reports be filed regardless of apparent causation, Adrienne Giddens, pharmacy director for Pardee UNC Health Care in Hendersonville, says that providers who treat events that occur after a 15- to 30-minute post-shot observation period are only responsible for reporting to VAERS “if they feel the symptoms are potentially a response to the vaccine.” She recalls “only a couple immediate, minor reactions out of the more than 30,000 doses we administered.” Mission Hospital spokesperson Nancy Lindell emphasizes that staff members are only legally mandated
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WELLNESS to report adverse events to vaccines given at the hospital, not reactions of patients who have gotten the shot elsewhere. “If we didn’t administer it, then we’re not required to report. I’m not saying we’re not [reporting],” she adds. She did not disclose whether the hospital had filed any reports for patients claiming to have had vaccine reactions. Although Mission did not offer the vaccine to the general public, the hospital did vaccinate many of its own staff. Lindell notes that some employees experienced adverse events but she did not provide specific numbers.
‘NOTHING TO SEE HERE’
Almost all of those who shared their experiences with Xpress say health care providers have downplayed any potential link between their adverse event and the vaccine. One 47-year old health care worker in Asheville, who requested anonymity due to fear of professional repercussions, says doctors think she’s “crazy” for believing the vaccine injured her. “But I’m not. My body shows what’s going on,” she continues. She says her life has been “hell” since the day she got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at an Ingles pharmacy in Fletcher. After two weeks of headaches and debilitating joint pain, her body broke out in blisters that scabbed over. “They just keep getting bigger and bigger, on my face, up my nose, in my ears, between my fingers, all over my body. It’s painful to the point where you don’t want to wear clothes,” says the woman, whose employer mandated the shot. “I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.” About five months have passed since the shot, she says, but she still cannot return to work in person. She is often bedridden and has developed anxiety, depression and a rapid heartbeat, despite being previously healthy. Doctors have yet to offer a clear explanation for her illness or provide effective treatment. The woman says her social life has been ruined, as she often cannot get out of bed. She says she feels hopeless, alone and afraid to share her story with friends on social media out of fear it would jeopardize her career. “Is this ever going to end?” she asks. “Will I ever get my life back, will I ever get back to my normal job, will I ever get to hang out or make plans again?” Debra and Danny Jones, a married couple in Candler, both believe they were injured by their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. The 67-year-olds complain that their primary care doctors have disregarded their suspicions and not filed VAERS reports. 18
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BEFORE AND AFTER: Kristi Simmonds, shown with her husband, Nigel, says she had 16 consecutive seizures a week after receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and continues to have symptoms such as periodic Bell’s palsy, inset, and chronic pain. Photos courtesy of Simmonds “I’ve had headaches worse than I’ve ever had in my life; every joint in my body ached,” says Danny Jones, who previously operated heavy machinery 10-12 hours a day and walked 4 miles a day to keep his prediabetes in check but has been forced to stop both activities. “I fatigue out at nothing now.” For months after receiving the vaccine, Debra Jones reports that she had “no energy” and a combination of aches, pains and itching. Just as she began to improve, she had a heart attack. She now believes the vaccine is designed to “get rid of” older people. Local county health departments have emphasized the CDC’s message that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccines, including significantly lower hospitalization and death rates after coronavirus infection, outweigh potential adverse events. Most side effects in Buncombe County have been “common and mild, like sore-
ness at the injection site,” says Wood. “The risks of COVID-19 illness are much greater than the rare risks of serious adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination.” (The package insert for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine lists pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache and muscle pain as the most common reactions. Vaccine reactions reported to VAERS have included seizures, paralysis, blood clots, brain bleeds, heart problems, extreme fatigue, menstrual irregularities, shingles, Bell’s palsy, anaphylaxis, worsening of autoimmune disorders and death.) To Dr. Patrick Hanaway, an integrative physician at Family to Family in Asheville and chair of the national nonprofit Institute for Functional Medicine’s COVID-19 task force, the medical community’s approach to talking about risk may be counterproductive. Questions about COVID-19
Introducing the vaccines, he says, tend to be “minimized” by authorities “so as not to create alarm. … The CDC’s saying, ‘There’s nothing to see here.’” That strategy, Hanaway continues, “can lead the public to see legitimate medical research as an agent of the medical-industrial complex, which is not to be believed, which is trying to serve itself, and that’s unfortunate.” Hanaway believes VAERS signals and emerging studies challenge the idea that the shot is safe for everyone, especially given what he estimates to be a 40-fold underreporting of adverse events. One major study, published in 2011 by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Massachusetts, found that fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events were reported. The COVID-19 vaccination campaign remains important for public health, Hanaway continues; he notes that vaccines reduce severe infection by sixfold, hospitalization by 12-fold and death by 20-fold. But he is taking a “hold off” approach to vaccination for some of the patients in his practice with severe autoimmune problems. “If there is some finite degree of adverse events that happen from vaccination, why would we want to booster, booster, booster?” he asks.
A MATTER OF TIMING
Some of the limited recording of adverse events by health officials may be due to the delayed onset reported by many vaccine recipients. Because those being vaccinated are typically only monitored at county sites for 15-30 minutes after their shot in accordance with CDC guidelines, says Mundhenk with Henderson County, reactions that occur after the observation period “would be difficult to attribute to vaccination” and are “extremely rare.” An October study published in Toxicology Reports found that 60% of all deaths reported to VAERS in association with COVID-19 vaccination between December 2020 and May 2021 occurred within eight days of receiving the vaccine, an acute temporal relationship. The CDC mandates that serious adverse events occurring within seven days be reported for most vaccines. Hanaway suggests that the technology behind the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines may be prone to generating delayed adverse events. Unlike most other vaccinations, which evoke a response by exposing the immune system to a weakened version of a pathogen, the coronavirus vaccines instruct the body to produce a piece of the coronavirus itself: part of the “spike protein” found on the virus’s surface.
According to the CDC, both the messenger RNA genetic instructions delivered by the vaccine and the coronavirus proteins made by the body are quickly broken down. But Hanaway points to a study conducted by Harvard University researchers that found spike proteins can endure in the body for at least a week; he says the true timeline remains a mystery. Those proteins and mRNA strands, Hanaway continues, may cause harm if they linger in the body. A study published by the Salk Institute in April, he says, determined “that the spike protein in and of itself induces vascular inflammation.” “We may not yet clearly understand all the mechanisms at play when it comes to adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines,” Wood acknowledges, although she says “stimulation of the immune system” is one possible cause. Asheville integrated and holistic medical practitioner Dr. Mark Hoch, who has treated three patients for what he believes are severe reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine, calls advising the vaccine for everyone without medical consultation a “cookie-cutter” approach and “completely against good medical practice.” “You don’t treat a two-year-old like an eight-year-old; you don’t treat a person with a million comorbidities as you treat a healthy person,” Hoch continues. “There is no standard answer.” And Sara Fields, a doctor of acupuncture with offices in Asheville and Brevard, says she has treated three patients for what she believes to be long-term side effects to COVID19 vaccines: an older woman who suffered a blood clot and now has debilitating leg pain and trouble walking; a formerly healthy patient who experienced heart palpitations, can no longer do strenuous activity and now suffers from anxiety and depression; and a patient whose decline in cognition and energy levels have interrupted her “daily life tasks.”
‘BEGGING FOR AWARENESS’
Kristi Simmonds, a previously healthy 41-year-old nurse from Mitchell County, says she has felt abandoned by the medical system following her COVID-19 vaccination. A week after receiving the Moderna vaccine, Simmonds had 16 consecutive seizures and was transported to Mission Hospital by helicopter. Nearly a year later, she says she still has intermittent seizures, periodic Bell’s palsy and chronic pain in the left side of her head that radiates
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WELLN ESS down the arm — the side where she got the injection. She can no longer work or drive. “I went from being completely independent to being dependent. I can’t be left home alone because some of the seizures cause me to stop breathing, and if I’m home alone, I could die. My husband has gotten very good at bringing me back,” Simmonds says. After seeing dozens of doctors, Simmonds says, none will confirm her injury is related to the vaccine. Her adverse event report to VAERS does not mention seizures, and Simmonds believes it was altered after submission. She also says that Mission Hospital tried to pin her reaction on a decades-old psychiatric event. Simmonds’ medical records show that a variety of tests at Mission Hospital, including an electrocardiogram, failed to show any irregularities, and she was diagnosed with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and conversion disorder. “They pretty much tried to say she was crazy and report her to psych, so I took her out of the hospital,” says her husband, Nigel Simmonds. While Kristi Simmonds had mental health problems a dozen years ago after an abusive marriage, she says she has not seen a psychiatrist in a decade and has no history of seizure or tremor disorders. Mission medical staff failed to confirm that she was no longer on psychiatric medication, she says. Mission spokesperson Lindell said she could not comment on Simmonds’ specific case due to patient privacy laws. But she said the hospital treats symptoms as they appear in medical tests, not based on a patient’s claims. Anissa Sain, the North Carolina administrator of volunteer-run
RealNotRare.com, says Simmonds’ account echoes many of the themes found in the website’s thousands of self-reported reaction stories. Complaints about doctors, she notes, are common among those claiming to be injured by COVID-19 vaccines. Those reporting to RealNotRare, Sain continues, often say their health providers haven’t read manufacturer fact sheets on the risks posed by COVID-19 vaccines, fail to include a full accounting of post-vaccine symptoms in their medical charts and imply that the suffering from coronavirus infection is greater than that from the vaccine. “We are literally begging for awareness,” she says. “Until we get recognition and awareness, we are not going to get the appropriate support and medical care.” Those who believe they were injured by the vaccine, Sain says, are socially stigmatized and often called “anti-vaxxers,” despite having gotten the shot. “Some nurses go so far as to advise people not to mention the vaccine to their doctors, since once a doctor hears anything about this vaccine, we are looked at totally differently,” she notes. “They do not want us on their case list.” “The suicide rate in our group is astounding because of the social stigma and health issues we go through. People live in dark days,” Sain continues. “It’s one of the saddest parts of this.” If you believe you have had a reaction following a COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC encourages you to report it to VAERS online at avl.mx/b2y or by completing the form available at avl.mx/b30. X
How Xpress gathered adverse events Over the course of more than two months, Xpress reached out to communities and health care providers throughout the Asheville metro area to get a better sense of adverse events local residents have experienced after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Initial contacts included Facebook groups for areas including Candler, local Reddit postings and the citizens group WNC Freedom. Further contacts included national groups that have collected local adverse event reports, including RealNotRare.com and the Health Freedom Network. A reporter contacted and followed up with every person who mentioned experiencing, observing or treating an adverse event. Those who did not separately verify their story and WNC
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residence with Xpress were not included in the tally of at least 25 adverse events reported here. Roughly 20 adverse events were directly shared by individual vaccine recipients or their families. An additional three adverse events were shared as patient stories by doctor of acupuncture Sara Fields, as were three events of patients treated by Dr. Mark Hoch of Asheville. Not included in the total are the adverse events noted secondhand by other sources, including local emergency services providers, hospitals and counties. Asheville personal injury attorney Lakota Denton also told Xpress he is regularly contacted by WNC residents seeking representation in COVID-19 vaccine injury cases. X
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ARTS & CULTURE
Back to the future
Heather Newton revisits the ’70s in new short story collection It all started with the frankfurters. Before she’d even thought about embarking on a new book-length work of fiction, award-winning local author Heather Newton wrote “The Walk,” a short story inspired by her husband Michael Cox’s experiences growing up in Tallulah Falls, Ga., and witnessing daredevil Karl Wallenda tightrope walk across Tallulah Gorge in 1970. Twice during his crossing, Wallenda stood on his head as a show of support for American troops in Vietnam. Yet despite witnessing these dramatic stunts, “the main thing [Cox] remembers is the hot dogs,” Newton says. And how could he not? Anticipating a massive turnout, the town ordered frozen, plastic-wrapped chili dogs in bulk. But when attendance failed to meet expectations, it resulted in plentiful leftovers — much of which went to the school cafeteria, where Cox and his classmates dined on them for the next few weeks. Inspired by the story’s setting, Newton soon began work on other tales in the same town, which she later fictionalized as Tonola Falls. By her third piece, the author realized she had a collection on her hands. McMullen Circle, available Monday, Jan. 17, is a series of 12 linked stories about the lives of faculty families at McMullen Boarding School in Tonola Falls during the 1969-70 school year. A familiar time period for the author, Newton says the collection deals with issues of social change, violence and racial unrest. “I remember being a kid and living in a similar idyllic, isolated neighborhood, and yet learning
TIMING IS EVERYTHING: Heather Newton feels lucky to have been in the revision stage of her two upcoming projects when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “If I had been at a point where I was starting something new, I would have just been curled up in a ball on the floor crying,” she says. “Revision is easier.” Author photo by Ann Tsao gradually about racial intolerance and the Vietnam War and things like that,” Newton says. “It was such a pivotal time in terms of race relations and the turmoil the country was going through. As a writer, it’s interesting to look back at it with my adult eyes and analyze the things that I saw as a child but maybe didn’t understand.”
OF MEMORIES AND TALKING MOUNTAINS
To help flesh out McMullen Circle, Newton joined a Great Smokies
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Writing Program workshop led by fellow local author Tommy Hays and used his feedback and those of her classmates to shape the remainder of the collection. She also found inspiration in a pair of revered short story cycles. Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, proved valuable for its unity of place, while Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge reinforced McMullen Circle’s structure and overall intentions. Additionally, the region’s topography informed and influenced the collection. With her mother living in Raleigh, the author frequently takes road trips east. Upon her return, Newton notes, she is always awestruck by the sudden emergence of the Blue Ridge Mountains just before Marion. To capture her reverence for these natural wonders, Newton created a story told from the perspective of a mountaintop overlooking Tonola Falls. Ultimately, she split the tale in half to bookend the collection. She also features the personified mountain in one additional tale, “Things Summoned,” though not as that story’s narrator. “I love a little bit of a magical element in things that I write,” she explains. “If I can ever find an excuse to put in a ghost or some kind of little magic thing, then I’ll do that.”
MILES TO GO
To celebrate McMullen Circle’s release, Newton will be in conversation with fellow local writer Tessa Fontaine at Malaprop’s Bookstore/ Café for a hybrid livestreamed and limited in-person event on Tuesday, Jan. 18. But it’s not the last time Newton will have a book published in 2022. Her novel The Puppeteer’s Daughters is slated for a July release and has already been optioned for a TV series. The plot centers on a famous puppeteer who has three adult daughters by three different women, and then announces at his 80th birthday party that there’s a fourth daughter. Though his children initially think it’s his dementia talking, they soon discover that there may very well be another daughter out there. “It was very fun to write,” Newton says. “I got to do a lot of research on puppetry and interview local puppeteers.” When she’s not working on fiction, Newton serves as program manager for the Flatiron Writers Room, the Asheville writers center that she co-founded. In February, Catina Bacote will lead the workshop series “Writing as Social Action,” Kim Wright will explore scene sequencing, and April Dávila and Paulette Perhach will lead a free class on meditation for writers. Since colder temperatures negate meeting outside, and the rise in COVID-19 infections from the omicron variant has left people reluctant to convene inside, these courses will be held online. Newton hopes to offer a few in-person classes in late spring, but the advantages of gathering via Zoom mean virtual programming will remain a part of the Flatiron Writers Room’s offerings. “We’re able to recruit faculty from all over the country, and we’ve actually had students take our classes from the U.K., Ireland and Turkey. It’s really broadened our reach,” she says. “Hybrids are hard, but we definitely plan to keep an online component, even when we get back to offering live classes.”
— Edwin Arnaudin X
WHAT Heather Newton, in conversation with Tessa Fontaine (hybrid event) WHERE Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St., avl.mx/b1s WHEN Tuesday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m. Free, but registration is required
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FOOD ROUNDUP
What’s new in food
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Keep on truckin’
Dough House Vegan Donuts opens in Black Mountain Michelle Edwards spent part of New Year’s Eve deep-cleaning the small storefront on State Street that previously housed Black Mountain Doughnut Factory. While the floors and counters are now spotless, Edwards and her partner, Joel Boggs, are only adding to the space’s sugary aroma with their recently opened Dough House Vegan Donuts. Though the couple are new to the bakery business, both Edwards and Boggs are familiar names in the local food scene. The couple launched The Trashy Vegan in August 2020 in the parking lot of Fleetwood’s in West Asheville. According to Edwards, six months into The Trashy Vegan’s debut, Boggs began searching for a brickand-mortar location. But plans changed when he came across a post on Craigslist from the owners of Black Mountain Doughnut Factory. “They were selling all their really nice equipment,” Edwards says. “Joel asked me what I thought about doughnuts.” Admittedly, Edwards continues, she hadn’t thought much about the pastries. But the affordable rent, combined with the available equipment, seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up. “Who doesn’t like doughnuts and coffee?” Dough House will carry three classic flavors — glazed, strawberry and chocolate — as well as a daily special. The company has also contracted with Gallivant Coffee in Woodfin, which is supplying the doughnut shop with its roasted beans for drip coffee and lattes. Chill Wave Coffee iced products are also available for purchase. As for now, Edwards and baker Wesley Lowrance are managing the shop’s day-to-day operations, while Boggs remains behind the grill at The Trashy Vegan, where Dough House doughnuts will soon be available for purchase. Edwards says she hasn’t ruled out additional new menu options at the food truck inspired by Dough House. “We may try a burger on a doughnut,” she says with a laugh. “It’s been done, but not vegan-style.” Dough House Vegan Donuts is at 601 W. State St., Black Mountain. For hours, visit avl.mx/b22.
The meal deal
The Asheville Chamber of Commerce debuted Asheville Restaurant Week in 2013 to support and spotlight local eateries amid the slower winter months. In turn, participating venues created special menus at discounted rates to spur traffic. While COVID-19 did not cancel last year’s gathering, many in the industry pivoted, offering more takeout-friendly options. Such might be the case again for Asheville Restaurant Week 2022, taking place Tuesday, Jan. 18-Monday, Jan. 24. Among the restaurants signed up are Cúrate and La Bodega by Cúrate , Chestnut, Benne on Eagle, The Lobster Trap, Twisted Laurel and Sawhorse, where $40 will buy a three-course dinner for two including the buckwheat pancake and maple eclair. For a full list of restaurants and menus, visit avl.mx/5k3.
On the lamb
Indian food is one of the few ethnic cuisines not on West Asheville’s restaurant map, but for two nights in January, chef Sunil Patel will be cooking a five-course pop-up dinner at West End Bakery. The first of Patel’s Indian suppers is Thursday, Jan. 13, with the second taking place Thursday, Jan. 27; both begin at 6 p.m. and are priced at $45. The menu for the initial pop-up includes fresh baked naan with spicy butter bhjai, lamb slow-simmered in savory yogurt sauce, an aloo corndog and a chocolate tort with cardamom and raspberry coulis. Wine pairings and a la carte beverages will be available for purchase. West End Bakery is at 757 Haywood Road. For tickets, visit avl.mx/b27.
What’s poppin’?
When Meherwan Irani’s Spicewalla collection cozied up to Ginger Frank’s Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn, the result was a quartet of sweet-savory-spicy-salty flavors that will be added to the Poppy line. The fab four include three gluten-free, vegan options — piri piri,
READY, SET, DOUGH: Dough House Vegan Donuts, now open in Black Mountain, offers three classic flavors — glazed, strawberry and chocolate — as well as a daily special. Photo courtesy Dough House chai masala, and garlic and herb — as well as mustard and tarragon white cheddar, which is also gluten-free but not vegan. Irani recalls that when he first introduced Spicwalla blends at trade shows, he used popcorn to showcase the spices. “In hindsight, it seems like a premonition, but we didn’t know what we were doing with popcorn,” he says. “We know who the popcorn professionals are, and that’s Poppy.” Frank says her interest was piqued when she first received Spicewalla samples. But the onset of COVID-19 paused initial plans for the collaboration. And while Irani may not be an expert popper, Frank says he was right about popcorn being a perfect vehicle for flavor combos thanks to its nooks and crannies. “The cool thing about this collaboration is that it’s everything that small businesses are supposed to be about — two homegrown brands creating a partnership where the sum is greater than the parts,” says Irani. “We keep saying that this is our little love letter to Asheville,” Frank adds. “This community has been so good to us.” The four new flavors will be available online and in stores carrying Poppy’s beginning Saturday, Jan. 15. To learn more, visit avl.mx/953.
It’s one thing to dream about opening a food truck. It’s quite another to put those dreams on wheels, fire up the grill and roll on down the road. The Street Food Institute is here to help and will be presenting the one-week crash course, Food Truck Boot Camp, Monday, Feb. 7-Friday, Feb. 11, at Harrah’s Cherokee Convention Center in Cherokee. The registration fee is $200 per business, which covers two individuals and includes over 20 conference sessions as well as an opportunity to meet with different coaches for one-on-one business consultations. Scholarships are available for residents of Haywood, Jackson, Swain, Macon, Cherokee, Graham, and Clay counties and enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Contact Jessica Mrugala for scholarship information at jmrugal@ ncsu.edu. For more information and to register for the boot camp, visit avl.mx/b2c.
— Kay West X
Dunk N’ donate
In observation of National Blood Donor Month, the American Red Cross has teamed with Dunkin’ to thank donors. Throughout January, those who roll up their sleeves at North Carolina Red Cross locations will receive a voucher for a free medium-sized iced coffee and classic doughnut, while supplies last, redeemable at participating Dunkin’ shops. MOUNTAINX.COM
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Around Town
Local talk focuses on Black Appalachian musical innovators
MELODY MAKERS: Ted Olson and William H. Turner will lead a Zoom talk about Western North Carolina’s rich, but overlooked, African-American musical heritage, on Thursday, Jan. 13, 6-7 p.m. Photos courtesy of the Western North Carolina Historical Association If you don’t know the names Lesley “Esley” Riddle, Etta Baker and Brownie McGhee, you should. They were all important figures in the history and development of Appalachian music, and they were all Black. Contrary to the popular perception, Appalachian musical innovators were not limited to the white ancestors of Scots-Irish settlers. “The truth is that the region’s music has derived from numerous cultures and heritages,” says Trevor Freeman, public programs director for the Western North Carolina Historical Association. “The songs and instrumentation of African Americans were also frequently co-opted or popularized by white performers who found commercial success as recording companies scoured the mountains for old-time music in the early 20th century.” WNCHA will kick off its 2022 slate of programming with “African American Musical Traditions in WNC,” a Zoom event featuring William H. Turner and Ted Olson on Thursday, Jan. 13, 6-7 p.m. Turner, the author of The Harlan Renaissance: A Memoir of Black Lives in Appalachian Coal Towns, and Olson, a professor of Appalachian studies and bluegrass at 26
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East Tennessee State University, are co-hosts of the podcast “Sepia Tones: Exploring Black Appalachian Music.” “We will discuss blues, the Black banjo songster tradition, Black gospel in Appalachia, jazz in Appalachia, Black contributions to country, oldtime and bluegrass and hip-hop in Appalachia,” says Olson. In addition to Riddle, Baker and McGhee, the discussion will touch on Western North Carolina natives Nina Simone and Roberta Flack, who became major recording stars, as well as Southern Appalachian born musicians Bill Withers, Bessie Smith and W.C. Handy. Tickets for the event are $5 for WNCHA members and $10 for others. For more information or to register, visit avl.mx/b17.
Leave ’em laughing The Magnetic Theatre will host improv group The Bearded Company for three workshops and two original performances Thursday, Jan. 20-Sunday, Jan. 23. Founded in Minneapolis in 2006, The Bearded Company has created several sold-out shows, including Swords and Sorcery: The Improvised Campaign, Bearded Manor and Epic Adventures. The group also produces
a podcast called “Break the Dice: The Improvised Campaign.” The Magnetic Theatre is at 375 Depot St. in the River Arts District. For more information or to buy tickets, go to avl.mx/b1x.
Helping hands
A Dec. 2 fire caused about $100,000 worth of damage to Sly Grog Lounge, one of Asheville’s top venues for live music. As a result, Sly Grog has had to cancel about 90 concerts, according to media reports. To help out the venue’s employees, three local bands — Call the Next Witness, John Kirby & the New Seniors and CAM GIRL — have organized a benefit concert at The Grey Eagle on Friday, Jan. 14, at 9 p.m. “Sly Grog is near and dear to us and many others and is an important part of the Asheville music scene and our town in general,” John Kirby & the New Seniors wrote in a Facebook post. “We’ve played there more than any other place in town. They are good, good folks.” Owners hope to reopen the Haywood Street venue in about six to eight months. The Grey Eagle is at 185 Clingman Ave. For more information or to buy tickets ($8), go to avl.mx/b1w.
Color me impressed The Asheville Art Museum will present Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton in The Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery starting Wednesday, Jan. 12, and running through May 23. In 1974, the late Littleton developed a process for using glass to create prints on paper, resulting in colorful scenes reminiscent of stained glass. Artists in a variety of mediums — including glass, ceramics and painting — were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine to explore the process. The exhibit will present pieces by makers who worked with Littleton, including Dale Chihuly, Cynthia Bringle and Thermon Statom. Works by Littleton himself also will be on display. Asheville Art Museum, 2 Pack Square, is open Wednesday-Monday,
Introducing the
11 a.m.-6 p.m. (9 p.m. on Thursday). For more information, go to avl.mx/b1z.
Looks at books
If your New Year’s resolution is to do more reading, consider joining Pack Memorial Library’s Book Club. The group meets the second Wednesday of each month at 10:30 a.m. in the Lord Auditorium at the library, 67 Haywood St. The Jan. 12 meeting will focus on Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman. Future featured books include Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro and Even As We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. Newcomers are welcome, but registration is required, and attendance will be limited to the first 10 registrants. Get more information or sign up at avl.mx/b1y.
High-Rated Salon in West Asheville Consistent • Professional High Quality Designs
Walk Ins Welcome! TUES−FRI: 9am-7:30pm SAT−SUN: 9am-6pm MON: Closed
— Justin McGuire X
MOVIE REVIEWS Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include: DRIVE MY CAR: Despite the absence of a certain Beatles song, Japanese co-writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s three-hour drama about loss and regret has rightfully won nearly every Best Foreign Language prize in existence — and could very well crash the Best Picture race. Grade: A. Not rated — James Rosario AMERICAN UNDERDOG: Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner’s unlikely journey to stardom makes for compelling, inspirational big-screen entertainment. Zachary Levi proves a convincing pro athlete while Anna Paquin gives another solid performance as Warner’s wife Brenda. Grade: B. Rated PG — Edwin Arnaudin
Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies
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The featured icon indicates which venues or artists require proof of vaccination for upcoming shows. Due to the evolving nature of the matter, the list may not be comprehensive. Before heading out, please check with all venues for complete information on any vaccine or negative COVID-19 requirements. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Asheville's Best Karaoke, 8pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Locals Night, 4pm
TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm
BREWSKIES Free Pool, 9 pm
TURGUA BREWING CO Trivia Night w/Pub Trivia Nerds, 6pm
CITIZEN VINYL Open Folk, 6pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Free Weekly Trivia Night, 7pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Falcon 3 (improvisational), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays, 7pm RENDEZVOUS Albi Podrizki (acoustic), 6pm SILVERADOS Open Mic, 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jason DeCristafaro's Weekly Wednesday Jazz Night & Jam, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Chaotic Comedy at The Getaway, 7pm
JAN. 12-18, 2022
THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit (Americana) k 8pm
CASCADE LOUNGE Wednesday Bluegrass Jam, 5pm
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THE GREY EAGLE Travis Book Happy Hour w/Tim O'Brien (Americana)k 7pm
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WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm
THURSDAY, JANUARY 13 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Christiana, Bugel & Stickley (Americana), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Open Mic, 8pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm BLUE GHOST BREWING COMPANY Random AF Trivia, 6:30pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Trivia Night, 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke (karaoke), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Drag Music Bingo w/ Divine the Bearded Lady, 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • KC Jones (Americana, roots, Cajun)k 7pm • Asheville Sessions Launch Party (Motown, soul, pop, funk, jazz), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm
OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. High Sierra (acoustic), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Urban Soil Duo (singer-songwriter, roots rock), 7pm PULP Slice of Life Open Mic Comedy Featuring Hilliary Begley, 7:30pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. Joslyn & The Sweet Compression (funk, soul), 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Howie Johnson and Bill Mattocks (blues, classic rock), 6pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Rhinestone Pickup Truck, Mango Blue & Sous Sol (garage rock, queer punk, alt/indie), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Jason's Krazy Karaoke, 6:30pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY BREVARD Bruce Threlkeld (bluegrass to punk), 5pm
FRIDAY, JANUARY 14 185 KING STREET Random Animals (indiesoul), 8pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Thomas Kozak w/Frail Jonny (singer-songwriter, folk, Americana), 7pm BREWSKIES Karaoke, 10pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Denis Coleman (guitarist), 3pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Andrew Wakefield (folk, rock, bluegrass), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Axxa/Abraxas w/CDSM (post punk), 8:30pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Zachary Warren (singer-songwriter), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Peggy Ratusz (blues, jazz, soul), 7pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Chuck Brodsky (Americana, folk, acoustic) k 7pm • The Adam Ezra Group (Americana, folk, folk rock)k 8:30pm
WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?: Static Age Records will host a Capricorn Season Zodiac Party with DJ Mark, pictured, and Nex Millen spinning vinyl on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 9 p.m. Asheville’s DJ Mark was inspired by Grandmaster Flash, DJ Jazzy Jeff and others. “When I perform, my goal is to always take every listener on a musical journey,” he says. Photo courtesy of Static Age Records OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm
BREWSKIES Pool Tournament Saturdays, 7pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Blue Ridge Pistols (rock, blues), 8pm
BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Eric Congdon (acoustic), 2pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Jeb Rogers Band (funk, soul, bluegrass), 7pm
BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Music on the Patio: Roots and Dore (blues, soul, rock), 2pm
SILVERADOS Free Flow Band (funk), 9pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy: Will Foskey, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Sly Grog Benefit Showk 9pm THE ORANGE PEEL Rumours: Fleetwood Mac Tributek 8pm THE SOCIAL Ricky Gunter Band (country), 9pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Ben Phantom (singer-songwriter), 7pm
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15 185 KING STREET • Raw Bar Pop-Up w/ Naren Schoenacher (rock, soul), 12:30pm • South Carolina Blues Alliance w/Don Merckle, 8pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Asheville's Best Karaoke, 8pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy: Katherine Blanford, 7pm BIG PILLOW BREWING Dirty Dawg (acoustic, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia), 6pm
FLEETWOOD'S Nordista Freeze, Fortezza & Monsoon (punk, psychrock, indie), 8pm GUIDON BREWING Third Anniversary Party w/Craig St. John (singer-songwriter), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Bill and the Belles (Americana, country, old time)k 8:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Andrew Thelston presents a Led Zeppelin Tribute, 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Laura Blackley & The Wildflowers (country blues), 8pm SILVERADOS Ricky Gunter Band (eclectic country), 9pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Capricorn Dance Party w/DJ Nex Millen, 8pm SUNNY POINT CAFÉ Albi Podrizki (acoustic), 6pm THE DUGOUT Graywind (rock), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE An Evening w/The Get Right Band (psychedelic indie rock)k 8pm THE POE HOUSE Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm
TRISKELION BREWING CO. Baggage Brothers (acoustic duo), 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT DJ Phantom Phantone & Friends, 7pm
SUNDAY, JANUARY 16 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 5pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Chris Acker w/Erika Lewis & Wes Pearce (Americana, country, folk), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Cold Choir, Buried in Roses & The Floral Hygienists (indie, dark wave), 8pm HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Soul Jazz Sundays w/ Taylor Pierson Trio, 3pm HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Mr Jimmy Blues & Brews, 1pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Charlie Traveler presents Grammy winner Mike Farris, 7:30pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Sunday Jazz Jam w/ The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, 1pm OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Asheville 8 String Collective, 2pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Ruth in the Bardo (alt/ indie), 8pm
THE GREY EAGLE Sports (synth pop)k 8pm
ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Industry Night, 7pm
THE ORANGE PEEL Zoso: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experiencek 8pm
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Drag Bingo w/ Calcuttak 8pm • Karaoke w/Ganymedek 10pm
MONDAY, JANUARY 17 BREWSKIES Open Jam w/the legendary Tall Paul, 7:30pm DOUBLE CROWN Country Karaoke, 10pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Bingo: One Hit Wonders, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Chris Norred Duo (jazz), 6pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Karaoke Night, 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Trivia Night, 6pm
LITTLE JUMBO Jay Sanders' Sinfonietta (jazz)k 7pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Oklawaha Synthesizer Club, 7pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute), 6pm
ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Night w/Tony Willingham, 7:30pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Monday Mashup w/ Grant Green Jr. (jazz), 7pm SILVERADOS 8 Ball Tournament, 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Trivia by the River w/ James Harrod, 8pm THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Nita Strauss (metal, shred)k 8pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm
TUESDAY, JANUARY 18 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm
SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke Tuesdays, 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Palm Ghosts (dream pop, post-punk), 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Read Southall Band w/Rich Nelson Band (country)k 8pm
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Asheville's Best Karaoke, 8pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Locals Night, 4pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Hissy Fit Comedy Takeover: Atlanta Comedy Showcase, 7-9pm
BREWSKIES Free Pool, 7pm CASCADE LOUNGE Wednesday Bluegrass Jam, 5pm CITIZEN VINYL Open Folk, 6pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Free Weekly Trivia Night, 7pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays, 7pm RENDEZVOUS Albi (vintage jazz), 6pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Wednesday w/Marc Keller, 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jason DeCristafaro's Weekly Wednesday Jazz Night & Jam, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm TURGUA BREWING CO Trivia Night w/Pub Trivia Nerds, 6pm
THURSDAY, JANUARY 20 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Ages Past (bluegrass), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB Open Mic w/Lincoln, 8pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm CONTINUUM ART Singer Songwriter Open Mic, 6pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke (karaoke), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Drag Music Bingo w/ Divine the Bearded Lady, 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Italian Night w/Mike Guggino & Barrett Smith (world)k 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Kid Billy (roots, blues, ragtime), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Meat & Potatoes (blues, indie rock, soul), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Tall Heights w/Andrea von Kampen (folk, alt-country)k 8:30pm THE ODDITORIUM Nixil, Paezor & Urocyon (black metal), 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Seth and Sara (Americana, country, pop), 7pm
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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The coming months will be an excellent time for you to explore the art of Soulful Bragging. Do you deserve any of the titles below? If so, feel free to use them liberally throughout 2022. 1. Practical Idealist with Flexible Strategies. 2. Genius of Interesting Intimacy. 3. Jaunty Healer with Boisterous Knowledge of the Soul’s Ways. 4. Free-Wheeling Joker Who Makes People Laugh for Righteous and Healing Reasons. 5. Skillful Struggler. 6. Empathy Master with a Specialty in Creative Compassion. 7. Playful Reservoir of Smart Eros. 8. Purveyor of Feisty Wisdom and Cute Boldness. 9. Crafty Joy-Summoner. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Most people who use tobacco products are at risk of having shorter life spans than they might have otherwise had. Smoking is detrimental to health. Those who smoke in their 20s and 30s may cut 10 years off their longevity. But here’s some good news: If you kick your tobacco habit before age 40, you will regain most of those ten years. I bring this to your attention because I’d like it to serve as a motivational tale for you in 2022. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you will have more power than ever before to escape any harmful addictions and compulsions you have — and begin reclaiming your full vitality. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In May 1974, the Grateful Dead introduced a new wrinkle to their live musical performances. Playing at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, they amplified their music through a “Wall of Sound”: 604 speakers piled high, together channeling 26,000 watts of energy. Had any band ever treated their fans to a louder volume and crisper tones? I’d like to make this breakthrough event one of your top metaphors for 2022. According to my analysis, it will be a great year for you to boost your signal. I invite you to distribute your message with maximum confidence and clarity. Show the world who you are with all the buoyant flair you can rouse. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Philosopher Emil Cioran said he despised wise philosophers. Why? Because they practice prudent equanimity, which he regarded as empty and sterile. In Cioran’s view, these deep thinkers avoid strong feelings so they can live in cool safety, free from life’s nerve-wracking paradoxes. I agree with him that such a state is undesirable. However, Cioran contrasted it with the lives of the normal people he admired, who are “full of irreconcilable contradictions” and who “suffer from limitless anxiety.” My question for Cioran: Are there no other options between those two extremes? And my answer: Of course there are! And you can be proof of that in 2022, Cancerian. I expect you’ll be full of deep feelings, eager for new experiences and infused with a lust for life — with less anxiety and fewer irreconcilable contradictions than ever before. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1838, 29-year-old naturalist Charles Darwin was early in his career. He had not developed his theory of evolution, and was not yet a superstar of science. He began ruminating about the possibility of proposing marriage to his cousin Emma Wedgwood. If married, he wrote: “constant companion and a friend in old age; the charms of music and female chit-chat — good things for one’s health.” If not married: “no children; no one to care for one in old age; less money for books, loss of time, and a duty to work for money.” I bring this to your attention, Leo, because I suspect that in 2022, you may be tempted and inspired to deeply interweave your fate with the fates of interesting characters. A spouse or partner or collaborator? Could be. Maybe a beloved animal or spirit guide? Have fun making your list of pros and cons! VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): What were your favorite toys when you were a child? Now would be a good time to retrieve fond memories of them and even acquire modern versions so you can
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MARKETPLACE
BY ROB BREZSNY
revive the joy they gave you. In my astrological analysis, you’ll be wise to invite your inner child to play a bigger role in your life as you engage in a wide range of playtime activities. So yes, consider the possibility of buying yourself crayons, Legos, dolls and puppets, video games, squirt guns, roller skates, yo-yos, jump ropes and board games. And don’t neglect the pleasures of blanket forts, cardboard boxes, mud pies and plain old sticks.
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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In his novel The Story of a Marriage, Andrew Sean Greer asks, “Does love always form, like a pearl, around the hardened bits of life?” My answer would be, “No, not always, but when it does, it’s often extra sweet and enduring.” One of my wishes and predictions for you in 2022, Libra, is that love will form around your hardened bits. For best results, be open to the possibility that difficulty can blossom into grace. Look for opportunities that are seeded by strenuous work.
MOUNTAIN PROPERTY WITH VIEWS FOR SALE Beautiful mountain property located in Swannanoa. Private and 10 minutes from Asheville. 25.7 acres of gorgeous mountain property with building sites. $259,000. Call Wayne at Purcell Realty at 828-279-8562 for more information.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “It is worth living long enough to outlast whatever sense of grievance you may acquire.” Author Marilynne Robinson wrote that, and I recommend her thought as one of your uplifting meditations in 2022. According to my reading of the astrological omens, the coming months will be a favorable time to dismantle and dissolve as many old grievances as you can. This could and should be the year you liberate yourself from psychic grunge — for the sake of your own mental, physical and spiritual health as much as for the sake of others.
SEAMSTRESSES/SEWERS NEEDED TO WORK FROM HOME FOR LOCAL COMPANY Part-time/full-time sewers need to sew our medical scrubs. Experience in sewing mens/womans clothing and owning your own serger and regular sewing machine is required. Contact info@ largesizescrubs.com.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Some critics view author Diana Wynne Jones as a genius in her chosen field: fantasy novels for children and young adults. She had a generous spirit, asserting, “I have this very strong feeling that everybody is probably a genius at something; it’s just a question of finding this.” If you are still unsure what your unique genius consists of, Sagittarius, I believe 2022 will show you in detailed glory. And if you do already know, the coming months will be a time when you dramatically deepen your ability to access and express your genius. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn biologist Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote a meditative book about moss. It was her response to questions she had been wondering about: Why has this inconspicuous plant persevered for 350 million years? While so many other species have gone extinct, why has moss had staying power through all the Earth’s climate changes and upheavals? And what lessons does its success have for us? Here are Kimmerer’s conclusions: Moss teaches us the value “of being small, of giving more than you take, of working with natural law, sticking together.” In accordance with astrological omens in 2022, Capricorn, I believe moss should be your role model. (Kimmerer’s book is Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses.) AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Author Joyce Carol Oates has been very successful and has won several major awards. But she describes her job as arduous and time-consuming. “I work very slowly,” she testifies. “It’s like building a ladder, where you’re building your own ladder rung by rung, and you’re climbing the ladder. It’s not the best way to build a ladder, but I don’t know any other way.” I wouldn’t always recommend her approach for you, Aquarius, but I will in 2022. As long as you’re willing to accept gradual, incremental progress, you’ll get a lot of fine work done. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I’ve selected a quote for you to use as one of your guiding principles in 2022. I urge you to undertake a specific action in the next 24 hours that will prove you mean to take it seriously. Here’s the wisdom articulated by Piscean rabbi and philosopher Marc-Alain Ouaknin: “People must break with the illusion that their lives have already been written and their paths already determined.” It’s reinvention time, dear Pisces.
MOUNTAINX.COM
EMPLOYMENT GENERAL
SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES BEGINNING TO EXPERIENCED MAKERS (SEWERS) NEEDED FOR A COOL PROJECT Trekroll has part time employment for a team of talented cut & sew types. $20 hr, flexible 16 hrs a week, 4-6 weeks project duration beginning January. Join us! Please contact us at info@trekroll.com for more information. P/T & F/T MAINTENANCE POSITIONS AVAILABLE Seeking mature, reliable persons with basic plumbing, drywall and carpentry knowledge to work at apartment communities in the Asheville and Hendersonville areas. Positions start at $18 - $22 . Duties include routine maintenance, preparing vacant units, cleaning common areas, etc. Ideal candidate will be well-organized, pro-active, knowledgeable in troubleshooting maintenance needs and coordinating contractor services. Skilled trade replacements and extensive repairs are made by third party service contractors. Must have reliable transportation and provide your own hand tools. Must be on-call for afterhours emergencies. Credit and criminal checks required. Equal opportunity provider
and employer. Please email letter of interest to Dleonard@ partnershippm.com, or mail to Attn: D. Leonard at PO Box 26305, Greensboro, NC 27407. Equal Opportunity Employer and Provider. WAREHOUSE OPERATOR The Warehouse Operator 1 is a critical contributor to the production processes throughout the Brewery. Reporting to the Warehouse Supervisor, this role is part of a rotational staffing plan where the warehouse operator is trained and able to perform all duties of the warehouse, including but not limited to: Receiving trucks, loading trucks, providing production support, building partial pallets utilizing the Bomber/Tygard, conducting inventory counts, utilizing scanners and understanding the WMS system. In addition to these duties, Warehouse Operators are expected to utilize inventory best practices such as: accurate inventory creation, accurate inventory moves, timely cycle counts and adjustments, and prioritization of FIFO during shipping. A successful Warehouse Operator 1 will be proficient at performing all of these essential warehouse functions. https://sierranevada.com/careers/
SALES/ MARKETING
SALES PROFESSIONAL Mountain Xpress is looking to add a new member to our sales team. This is a full-time position with benefits. Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present confidently, while working within a structure. Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and working well in a team environment. While no outside sales experience is required, experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position largely entails account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies, and working to
meet or exceed sales goals. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent, community-minded organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@mountainx.com
RESTAURANT/ FOOD DISHWASHERS PT & FT: SIERRA NEVADA BREWING $1,000 SIGN ON BONUS + BENEFITS The Dishwasher, who reports to the BOH Supervisor, is a member of the kitchen team who will receive and organize products; wash and sanitize equipment, plates, utensils, and spaces; stock equipment as needed in order to maintain proper BOH operations for the continuity of the guest experience. https:// sierranevada.com/careers/ LINE COOK: SIERRA NEVADA BREWING $1,000 SIGN ON BONUS + BENEFITS The Line Cook is a member of the kitchen team, who will work closely with all other positions in the Back of the House operations to prep, cook, and expedite food to the guests ordering onsite, delivery, and to-go.The Line Cook, who reports to the BOH Supervisor Team, operates grills, fryers, broilers, and other commercial cooking equipment to prepare and serve food. https:// sierranevada.com/careers/
DRIVERS/ DELIVERY
MOUNTAIN XPRESS DELIVERY Mountain Xpress is seeking an energetic, reliable, independent contractor for part-time weekly newspaper delivery. The contractor must have a safe driving record, a reliable vehicle with proper insurance and registration, and be able to lift 50 lbs. without strain. Distribution of papers is on Tuesday afternoons and typically lasts about 7-8 hours per week. Occasional Wednesday morning delivery is is sometimes needed or an option. E-mail distro@ mountainx.com. No phone calls or walk-ins please. Central Downtown Asheville route.
MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE HIRING: DENTAL ASSISTANT We are looking for a highly motivated individual to work under the supervision of the dentist and is responsible for a wide range of tasks in the office, ranging from patient care to laboratory functions, to tracking monthly statistics. This position is very varied and requires a diverse set of skills: clinical, clerical, interpersonal, technological and more. Deborah G. Anders Adult & Family Dentistry Please send resume to: info@andersdds. com. (828) 669-8781 3094 • US 70 Hwy., Black Mountain, NC 28711. HIRING: DENTAL HYGIENIST We are looking for a dental hygienist to join our team to promote dental health by completing dental prophylaxis; providing oral hygiene instructions, taking X-rays, charting conditions of decay & disease; performing procedures in compliance with the dental practice act. Please email your resume to info@ andersdds.com. Deborah G. Anders Adult & Family Dentistry (828)-669-8781.
HUMAN SERVICES LEAD LEARNING CENTER ASSISTANT This position will assist the after school & Summer Enrichment Program Manager in planning and implementing after school and summer enrichment programming in Learning Centers and other community based sites. https://childrenfirstcisbc. org/ STUDENT SUPPORT SPECIALIST Children First Communities in Schools is looking for someone who has experience in education, mentoring or social services and can help us continue to improve how we serve people of color. Specifically, we are seeking candidates that are representative of the communities that we serve. Student Support Specialists have the ability to form their plan based on what the school and students most need. We are looking for an organized, self-starter who can receive feedback and adjust accordingly. Interested applicants will need to submit
NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL
FATHER AND SON
Home Improvement Billy & Neal Moxley
100 Edwin Place, AVL, NC 28801 | Billy: (828) 776-2391 | Neal: (828) 776-1674
THE N EW Y OR K TI M ES C ROSSWORD P UZ Z LE a cover letter, resume and three professional references by email to employment@ childrenfirstbc.org.
TEACHING/ EDUCATION A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Coordinator, Law Enforcement Continuing Education & Assistant, BLET . For more details and to apply: https://www. abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5946 A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Part-Time Limited Adjunct Instructor position Lab Assistant Instructor, Small Animal Clinical. For more details and to apply: https://www.abtcc.peopleadmin.com/postings/5942 A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for an Adjunct Instructor position Adjunct Small Animal Clinical Veterinarian Instructor, Veterinary Technology. For more details and to apply: https://www. abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5945
YOUTH LITERACY DIRECTOR Literacy Together seeks a YL Director to provide
leadership and specialized training to volunteer tutors for K-5th grade students who are behind grade in reading. For full info: https://lit-together.org/job-openings/.
SERVICES AUDIO/VIDEO HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET Finally, no hard data limits! Call Today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147 (AAN CAN)
CAREGIVERS COMPANION • CAREGIVER • LIVE-IN VACCINATED • Alzheimer's Experienced • Heart failure and bed sore care • Hospice reference letter • Nonsmoker, with cat, seeks live-in position • References • Arnold, (828) 273-2922.
HOME 4G LTE HOME INTERNET NOW AVAILABLE! Get GotW3 with lightning fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo! 1-888519-0171 (AAN CAN) NEVER PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS AGAIN! Complete Care Home Warranty COVERS ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE. $200.00 OFF + 2 FREE Months! 1-877673-0511 | Hours Mon-Thu, Sun: 9:30 am to 8:00 pm Fri: 9:30 am to 2:00 pm (all times Eastern) (AAN CAN)
ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS A COURSE IN MIRACLES A truly loving, open study group. Meets second and fourth Mondays 6:30 pm on Zoom. For information, contact Susan at 828-712-5472 or email TJ at tjstierslcsw@ gmail.com. BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 1-877-649-5043 (AAN CAN) BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work… You reap the Rewards! Call for a FREE Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN) COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-855-5544616. The Mission Program Information and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical. edu/consumer-information. (AAN CAN) DIRECTV SATELLITE TV Service Starting at $59.99/ month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports &
Entertainment on TV! 877310-2472 (AAN CAN) DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s , too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response Maximum Tax Donation – Call 877-266-0681 (AAN CAN) SAVE MONEY ON EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIRS! Our vehicle service program can save you up to 60% off dealer prices and provides you excellent coverage! Call for a free quote: 866-915-2263 (Mon-Fri :9am-4pm PST)
MIND, BODY, SPIRIT COUNSELING SERVICES ASTRO-COUNSELING Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Stellar Counseling Services. Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 2583229.
AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689 (AAN CAN)
edited by Will Shortz | No. 1208
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