Mountain Xpress 01.31.24

OUR 30TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 30 NO. 27 JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

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THE NEW FACES OF PUBLIC HEALTH Local students share lessons from the pandemic

20 HARM AUDIT Reparations commision hears preliminary results

31 BY DESIGN Advocate for intentional community focuses on aging well

46 TRIP LEADERS Psychologists discuss the therapeutic side of ketamine

55 FRESH DISH Steven Goff on comfort food and gas-station charcuterie

COVER PHOTO Jessica Wakeman; featuring, Garry, Jenna and their rainbow baby Raine Crawford COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick 4

LETTERS

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CARTOON: MOLTON

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CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

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NEWS

22 CITY BEAT

40 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 44 WELLNESS 48 ARTS & CULTURE

A&C

66 CLUBLAND 56 MOUNTAIN MINDFULNESS Tyler Ramsey explores mental health on new album

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STAFF PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder EDITORS: Lisa Allen, Jessica Wakeman ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Thomas Calder OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose STAFF REPORTERS: Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Chase Davis, Andy Hall, Justin McGuire, Greg Parlier, Brooke Randle, Jessica Wakeman COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Andy Hall, Braulio Pescador-Martinez CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Mindi Friedwald, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Mark Barrett, Eric Brown, Carmela Caruso, Cayla Clark, Brionna Dallara, Storms Reback, Kay West PHOTOGRAPHERS: Cindy Kunst ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Tina Gaafary, Olivia Urban MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Vicki Catalano, Jamie Knox, Scott Mermel INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: Hinton Edgerton, Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick WEB: Brandon Tilley

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Parents preparing for a rainbow baby — a child born after a previous infant’s death — can experience complex emotions. Some parents fear getting too hopeful, because they know that even when a heartbeat sounds strong, a pregnancy can still end in heartbreaking loss.

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OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.

Funding loss would bode ill for WNC [Regarding “If HCA Doesn’t Address Deficiencies Quickly, It Could Lose Medicare and Medicaid Funding,” Asheville Watchdog via Xpress website, Jan. 12:] As a senior citizen (1 of every 6 people in Western North Carolina), our numbers are growing each year!

Not only do we live or die as it relates to health care, but we often choose where to live (and die) according to the quantity and quality of health care in the area.

Most folks would agree, I think, that seniors contribute to the economic well-being of a community, often because they have discretionary money to spend, they often are stellar volunteers to area nonprofits, and their talents and wisdom can be valuable to all who interact with them.

So losing Medicare would be like shooting yourself in the foot — and not having an emergency room to take care of your wound.

— Carol Anders Asheville

Taking parental control to the stratosphere Having read Barry Shoor’s letter in the Jan. 17 Xpress [“Schools Need to Reflect Parents’ Wishes”], I finally came to appreciate the need for parental control of education. Finally, parents are taking their rightful place in their children’s education.

They might not have a degree in education or the subject matter or even any knowledge in an area. But they can certainly tell when dictionaries and Bibles are filled with the sexually explicit. They understand teaching the truth about slavery hurts children’s feelings. They understand that teaching 2+2=4 will lead to acceptance of same-sex couples. We should not be teaching the adding of numbers of the same values, as this is insidious indoctrination.

What is getting ignored is sports.

Why should one person who does not know the true value of our children decide who plays or what play should be called? With modern technology, why can’t parents make the decision? Before each football play, shouldn’t parents be able to text the coach what play to call or who should be in what position? I know some naysayers will tell us that the object of the game is to win, and it should be left to professionals. This is as idiotic as saying the object of education is to expand the students’ understanding 4

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

literacy for decades, according to test scores over time,” and instead acknowledge the systems at work that push children to the margins.

Perhaps, “In Asheville, traditional education systems have failed to support Black children in reaching grade-level reading proficiency, according to test scores over time.”

— Jessica McLean and Ashley Allen Co-executive directors, Read to Succeed Asheville

Questions about Indigenous Walls Project and founder

C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N and knowledge and should be left to professionals.

The only caveat is maybe with our desire to correct the system, it leads us to teaching our children to distrust and malign the very system that will assist them to become fully functioning adults.

— Neil Kravitz Arden

Public discourse distorts Parents’ Bill of Rights I write to address a concerning trend in how education policy, specifically around parental rights, is being portrayed in our public discourse. N.C. Senate Bill 49, known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights, has been a topic of heated debate, often framed in a way that oversimplifies and misrepresents its intentions and implications.

The essence of this bill is the empowerment of parents in guiding their children’s education, particularly in sensitive areas such as sexuality and gender identity. This legislation is not an attack on any group but a reinforcement of the belief that parents should have a primary role in their children’s moral and educational development.

Critics argue that such policies might risk the well-being of children from nonsupportive homes by inadvertently outing them. While this is a serious concern, it must be balanced with the right of parents to be aware of and involved in significant aspects of their children’s lives, especially within educational settings. Sensitivity

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and confidentiality can be maintained alongside parental involvement.

Moreover, the discussion often extends to other contentious issues like gender-based restrictions in sports, further complicating the narrative. Each of these topics deserves its own thorough examination rather than being lumped together for political expediency.

Our public dialogue requires a nuanced approach that respects diverse viewpoints and refrains from reducing complex policy discussions to partisan sound bites. Open, respectful conversations are key to finding workable solutions in our diverse society.

— Jim Fulton Arden

Reframe thinking around student outcomes A huge thank-you to Mountain Xpress for sharing Read to Succeed’s mission and work with our community [“Zeroing In: Read To Succeed Strives to Close Asheville’s Racial Opportunity Gap,” Jan 17]. We appreciate Greg Parlier’s thoughtful questions and how he published direct quotes from our answers.

We hope with continued discussion around how our community can support young readers, we can also reframe the deficit-based language that led the article.

We recommend our community rethink placing the onus on children, as this lead sentence conveys: “In Asheville, Black students have lagged behind their white counterparts in

[Regarding “Sign of the Times: Indigenous Walls Project Recruits Local Business Allies,” Dec. 6, Xpress:] It came to my attention that the local newspaper is promoting someone who is not a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribe.

It is also concerning that Mountain Xpress takes only Jared Wheatley’s word for things and does not seem to fact-check his references or past history. Has anyone seen his tribal identity card from Oklahoma?

Although Jared was able to coordinate Native American artists across the country to participate in the Indigenous Walls Project, he neglected to go through the EBCI language council to approve the use of the language he himself is just now learning.

I also wonder if the Native artists participating received full transparency.

I highly suggest Mountain Xpress reach out to the EBCI to get their opinion on the matter, as that is the true representation the city of so-called Asheville needs.

— Jules Heimer Alexander Editor’s note: Xpress contacted the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians through the Principal Chief’s office but did not receive a response.

Prior to our reporting, Wheatley provided Xpress his tribal identity card. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

We also reached out to Wheatley regarding the writer’s points, and he provided the following response: “I am a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a TERO [Tribal Employment Rights Office] certified artist (recognized by my nation). The issue at hand is that open and public racism is allowed, accepted and sometimes encouraged by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members.

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5

OPI N I ON

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.

“The reader may not feel comfortable asking how ‘Black’ a Black person is, but the same is not true with regard to indigeneity. We are trained to receive and perpetuate these racist, colonialist and genocidal remarks.

Ask yourself these questions: • Would I feel comfortable asking these questions of another race?

• What do I know of indigeneity personally?

• How has my life experience belittled Indigenous people openly (reflect on land “ownership,” mysticism in media and assumptions about skin color)?

• If I have stood against an Indigenous person, why have I and to what end?

• Why would an Indigenous person need to ask to use and be a part of their language?

• What other ethnicity/race is this bar set for?

“If this message unsettles you or makes you question the author, then the work to be done is gardening the weeds in your own heart.”

What does Sheriff’s Office do for city residents?

The recent articles regarding the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office requesting additional taxpayer funds to pay for sheriff’s deputies patrolling downtown Asheville prompted me to wonder what services, if any, BCSO provides to city residents, outside of the special collaboration programs that began in the past year.

City residents pay Asheville city taxes to fund the Asheville Police Department, and APD provides law enforcement services to city residents. BCSO provides law enforcement services to residents in the county (who live outside the city).

However, city residents pay the same tax rate to Buncombe County as people who live outside the city, and those taxes fund the BCSO. Therefore, if city residents are not using or benefiting from the BCSO, then it would seem that city residents should pay a reduced tax rate to the county. Perhaps someone out there can help me understand what services the Sheriff’s Office routinely provides to city residents.

— L. Cash Asheville

Wells is a public servant I am an unaffiliated voter who supports Terri Wells in the District 2 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners race. I cannot toler6

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

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ate politics, but I value public service. Terri Wells is a public servant in every sense of the term. Every time I’ve contacted her, she has been responsive: listening carefully, asking and answering questions, and lending support as needed.

I’ve known Terri for a while now and consider her a friend. All of our interactions have been through one, the other, or both of us volunteering our time to help the community. If you didn’t know that Terri spends a lot of time volunteering, it’s because she doesn’t pose for the cameras putting a scoop of food on a plate at Thanksgiving. This past weekend, she and I were in a group clearing briars from hiking trails, and we had a great time doing it!

Throughout Terri’s professional life, she has been involved in education and agriculture, and as a commissioner, she has increased public school funding, expanded rural broadband access and has led efforts to conserve productive farmland and natural resources.

Her district was recently redrawn to encompass Candler, Sandy Mush, Leicester, Newfound, Alexander, French Broad, Weaverville, Flat Creek, Jupiter, Barnardsville, Reems Creek, Ox Creek, Swannanoa and parts of Woodfin. These are some of our most rural areas, and Terri is uniquely suited to serve them because she is the ninth generation of her family to farm Western North Carolina.

When Terri’s district was redrawn, my area was excised from it, but I still support her because of the positive impacts she has made on me personally and on my neighbors.

I ask those of you in District 2 to get to know her. Once you do, you will see the importance of keeping this public servant on the county Board of Commissioners. Her website is [avl.mx/db6].

— Kim “Dirt” Murphy Asheville

Rep. Edwards fails to represent us In his most recent email newsletter, Rep. Chuck Edwards completely misses the mark. He continues to show us that he is not interested in supporting the needs and the values of the citizens of Western North Carolina.

While he stonewalls the passage of bipartisan immigration reform as a member of the MAGA caucus in the House of Representatives, he rails about the illegal border crossings that this legislation is meant to address.

He touts his support for “pregnant mothers,” even though he has

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN a track record of opposing measures improving health care, education and nutrition of the living children and mothers in our region.

Edwards, while relying on skewed, outdated statistics, ignores the vast positive results of the Biden administration in overcoming the COVID pandemic, creating millions of good-paying jobs, bringing highspeed internet to hundreds of communities, improving the economy and expanding access to health care.

For our representation in Congress, in Raleigh and in local government, the working families of WNC can do better. By electing Democrats at all levels, these leaders will continue to restore our rights, provide the services we need, sustain our families’ well-being and expand opportunities for all of us to live better lives.

Vote your values in 2024! Vote all the way down the ballot in the upcoming primary and in the November general election. Vote for your family and our shared future.

— Frank L. Fox Asheville

Wells engages with businesses and residents As a seasoned business leader with decades of experience in various markets and a deep commit-

ment to fostering strong leadership, I wholeheartedly endorse Terri Wells for reelection as a Buncombe County commissioner in the newly formed District 2, encompassing Leicester, Candler, Swannanoa and North Buncombe.

In her first term, Commissioner Wells has proved to be a dedicated public servant with an authentic desire to engage with the business community and her constituents.

For example, when she learned that Buncombe County residents were commuting to work at our employee-owned company in Old Fort, Kitsbow Cycling Apparel, she asked for and received a tour of the manufacturing floor to better understand the work and meet employees.

Her approach is not limited to election periods; rather, she consistently reaches out to understand and address the needs and challenges of local businesses and families. This inclusive and proactive approach is vital for sustaining and growing our diverse business environment, ranging from small businesses and family-owned ventures to larger corporations.

Her understanding of the unique dynamics in our community, coupled with her commitment to inclusive growth, aligns seamlessly with the needs of all of Buncombe County. Her reelection would ensure the continua-

tion of this positive momentum, benefiting businesses and residents alike.

Terri Wells has demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to our community’s well-being. Her reelection will enable her to further her valuable work, ensuring that Buncombe County remains a vibrant and prosperous community for all.

— David Billstrom Black Mountain Editor’s note: Billstrom reports that he’s volunteering for Wells’ campaign.

No more rules needed on short-term rentals I would like to express that I do not support the Buncombe County shortterm rental proposal to ban or add restrictions to STRs in the county.

There are already zoning regulations in place, and further regulation of owners’ property rights in regard to STRs is not needed.

There seems to be a prevailing viewpoint that anyone who owns property, has an STR or has managed to acquire a rental unit or two is somehow “wealthy.” This is typically not the case. For many, STRs are part of a retirement plan, provide direly needed supplemental income or represent the sole source of household income. Many owners have worked their whole lives to achieve a basic level of income security by acquiring an interest in real estate.

Many STRs allow property owners to afford to keep their homes, whereas otherwise, mortgage payments, maintenance, taxes and insurance would force them to sell and possibly leave Buncombe County. For many, many people, STRs provide a critical way to supplement their income.

I strongly recommend that Buncombe County not change the rules around STRs. — Jennifer Bleasdale Asheville

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NEWS

The new faces of public health Local students share lessons from the pandemic

BY BROOKE RANDLE brandle@mountainx.com

Series

The importance of public health became glaringly apparent through the COVID-19 crisis, prompting a soaring demand — and interest — in public health degrees and careers.

According to the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Schools, applications for undergraduate and graduate programs increased 23% from 2019-20.

Between 2020 and 2021, that number jumped 40%.

That trend is playing out locally as well, says Ameena Batada, a professor in the health and wellness department at UNC Asheville and co-director of UNC Gillings Master of Public Health program in Chapel Hill.

She says the public health program has seen increases in enrollment, which she partially attributes to the pandemic.

“One of the changes during and in the wake of the pandemic is that a lot more people understand what public health is and are tuned into public health, which has raised a lot of interest among students wanting to pursue public health careers,” Batada explains. “We’ve had several people who were contact tracers during the pandemic or who worked with COVID-19-related response jobs come into our program because of that direct interest.”

The 21-month masters degree program, which launched in 2018, is through the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, although the students study on the

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS: UNC Gillings Master of Public Health students Dakotah Fozzard, left, and Amber Chapman say that public health practitioners should share information and resources, while encouraging individuals and families to make their own health decisions. Photos courtesy of Fozzard and Chapman campus of the Mountain Area Health Education Center .

The school also announced a partnership in December with the WNC Health Network, an Asheville-based nonprofit that supports health and well-being programming in Western North Carolina. The partnership will give students more real-life experiences in various aspects of public health within the region.

Batada says students are drawn to public health for a variety of reasons, including a desire to engage in social

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justice, earn a sustainable living and contribute to social good.

“We’ve had pharmacists and people in the dental field come through — as well as medical doctors and Ph.D.s — who want to get that public health lens,” Batada adds. “They want to be better equipped to do their jobs and to influence systemic change.”

But as the demand for public health education rises, future public health practitioners are considering how to address the mistrust of governmental institutions and the larger medical industry spurred by the pandemic.

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While the field of public health has been around for more than a century and touches many aspects of life, many people may not have considered the subject until they were impacted by public health decisions during the pandemic.

“I don’t think that most people had really thought of public health before, and then maybe during the pandemic and people think about [Dr. Anthony] Fauci as a public health practitioner who stands up in front of people and tells them to wear masks,”

says Dakotah Fozzard, a first-year master of public health student with an undergraduate degree in food, nutrition and health.

Fozzard says that public health has been behind well-known health campaigns such as educating women about the dangers of drinking alcohol while pregnant, promoting seat belt use and highlighting the risks of smoking.

“But public health is so much more than that. It is broad, it is impacting everybody’s lives all the time,” Fozzard says. “This stuff is everywhere.”

Today, the field of public health encompasses public health policy, communications, environmental health, sanitation and more.

“R​​ight now, there are a lot of opportunities in public health because it is so broad. Transportation, education, even access to housing, wages and economic stability may be seen through a public health lens,” says Batada.

That rings true for Amber Chapman, also in the UNC Gillings public health program. Chapman, who graduated with an undergraduate degree in gerontology and began working with aging adults, now works as a clinical partnership adviser at the N.C. Center for Health and Wellness.

She was drawn to the public health degree as a way to enhance her understanding of the interconnectedness of the health care system and to increase access to resources for aging populations.

“Before the pandemic, I had no idea that everything I had done before was public health,” Chapman explains. “I really wanted to deepen my understanding of the systems that are in place and how to communicate that, which can be really hard to understand unless you have the background and education.”

For her part, Fozzard, who has a background in nutrition and loves agriculture and farming, is pursuing a public health degree to address the health and wellness needs of farmers and seasonal migrant workers.

KEEPING IT LOCAL While the field of public health may suggest national or even global health policy, Fozzard says the Gillings public health program emphasizes “placebased” health, which homes in on

regional or even neighborhood-level health needs and concerns.

“You could really zoom in on each community, and each community has totally different health issues that they’re facing and priorities that they want to have. Appalachia has its own culture, its own place. And therefore, it’s going to have its own sort of struggles and priorities,” she explains.

“And then even, there are microcommunities within Appalachia, within Western North Carolina.”

Some of those public health needs specific to Western North Carolina may include heart disease, substance use or a lack of mental health practitioners or other providers.

“We’re losing a lot of our services in rural areas, especially in terms of maternal health services and hospital services for certain populations,” Batada adds. “Some of the big areas of public health in our area are climate change and the environment, and also substance use, particularly cigarette use.”

“Public health practitioners do not need to look to other countries to find problems to solve. There are plenty of public health issues that we can work on here in Western North Carolina, and there are a lot of underserved communities,” adds Fozzard.

Batada says that students undertaking the public health degree have opportunities to work within their local communities, and many continue that work after graduating.

“In Western North Carolina, we’re committed to improving health in this region through the work we do,” Batada says. “And we have over 80%

of our graduates who stay in the area and work here. That’s really important to us.”

BUILDING TRUST While the pandemic brought a heightened awareness and increased demand to public health, it also thrust the field into the center of the highly politicized debate between personal choice and common good. “[The pandemic] has increased a lot of people’s willingness to engage in public health measures,” says Batada.

“However, I think that it has revived this debate between public good and individualism. And so there has been some backlash around public health [measures] because people see it as potentially limiting their rights or freedoms.”

Mistrust of public health initiatives and programs has been around as long as the field itself, says Fozzard.

While some fear may be due to misinformation, government institutions, which are reacting to public health concerns, can and do make mistakes.

“Mistrust of institutions is an enormous roadblock for anybody who is working in the public health sector,” says Fozzard. “There have been a lot of mistakes in the past, so there’s lots of reasons why people have this feeling of distrust towards public health institutions. That’s totally fair.

We should always have to be trying to prove ourselves as trustworthy because public health has harmed people in the past.”

She points to what she calls fearbased public health campaigns, such as abstinence-only sexual education or the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, otherwise known as DARE, that aims to prevent substance use. Studies show that the DARE program, which was implemented in 75% of U.S. schools in the 1990s, was found ineffective at preventing drug and alcohol use in part because of its zero-tolerance approach.

“These fear-based health programs often seem to backfire,” Fozzard notes. “It’s tough because the pandemic was such an emergency situation — so many people were dying — and you have to use whatever tools you can to try and help alleviate the situation for the sake of the whole population. But it’s important to design an appropriate campaign that gets more people to follow whatever public health policy you’re trying to institute without making them feel ashamed, afraid or stigmatized.”

Chapman says she sees the role of public health practitioners as interpreters that share health information in plain language, while allowing individuals and families to make their own decisions about health.

“People don’t like to be told what to do,” Chapman says with a laugh.

“And that’s not our job. Our job is giving them all the tools and resources and education and also leading with empathy and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. What we’re seeing now is that people are really starting to understand that they’re masters of their own health and that they’re going to take care of themselves. And we have to give them the tools and resources to do so.”

Both Fozzard and Chapman say that the person delivering public health messages is important. Public health practitioners should partner with community members, faith leaders and others to start conversations about health early before public health crises emerge.

“I think one of the major issues with public health is that in the past, it’s sort of been this delivery from ’on high’ sort of situation, and there’s no reason why people should feel good about that or reason why they should follow that,” says Fozzard. “If you choose somebody that the community trusts to deliver that message, that health program is going go a lot further.” X

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JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

9

NEWS

House in order

Hopes rise for low-barrier shelter under revamped homelessness team WHAT’S DIFFERENT THIS TIME?

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com After years of false steps, it seems the City of Asheville and Buncombe County are on the same page about addressing homelessness: They’ve agreed that a low-barrier shelter is a top priority.

The community has numerous shelter options, including housing for veterans at Veterans Restoration Quarters at AshevilleBuncombe Community Christian Ministry or emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence at Helpmate. Each has specific rules: Generally, sobriety is required, and men and women must be separated (meaning couples can’t stay together, and boys over age 13 are separated from female family members). Additionally, pets, a source of companionship for people, are not permitted. Most shelters require some sort of official identification such as a driver’s license or military ID. For some people, these rules present too many barriers, and they remain unsheltered.

Alternatively, low-barrier shelters have fewer rules: Typically, no weapons are allowed on the premises; and no drug or alcohol usage is permitted on-site. But families and couples can stay together and have their pets nearby. Within limits, those under the influence can still have a place to sleep.

(When temperatures drop below freezing, triggering a Code Purple, area shelters waive many of their rules, becoming de facto low-barrier shelters.)

“Every community that has any amount of unsheltered homelessness certainly needs a low-barrier

MAKING PROGRESS: On Dec. 4, Emily Ball, City of Asheville’s homeless strategy division manager, updated a joint session of Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners about implementing the National Alliance to End Homelessness consultants’ recommendations. Photo via YouTube/City of Asheville shelter,” says Homeward Bound CEO Carl Falconer, who took the role in November.

Homelessness services providers say providing shelter is not one-size-fits-all, and a low-barrier shelter would close gaps. “People who are unsheltered are so varied in who they are and what things that they’re dealing with in their life, including a lot of trauma,” Falconer says. “It really becomes

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imperative that we have a way to allow everybody to be sheltered that we possibly can.”

A low-barrier shelter for people who are unhoused is a key component to cutting homelessness in half in two years, according to a National Alliance to End Homelessness report from January 2023. Yet the community has struggled mightily over the years to open one.

“Xpress represents the heart of Asheville and I want it to always be here.”

– Michele Bryan

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Asheville City Council and Buncombe County Board of Commissioners convened at a Dec. 4 joint session to hear updates on what will be different this time around.

Established in 2010, the AshevilleBuncombe Continuum of Care, also called CoC, is officially being restructured in March with the goal of operating more effectively.

The CoC is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development program that guides the system for addressing homelessness in a community. (It doesn’t provide services itself.) A community has to have a CoC in order to receive federal funding to address homelessness.

Asheville-Buncombe CoC received $1.9 million in its most recent funding cycle.

One of the major points raised in the 2023 NAEH report was a lack of a collaboration between the local municipalities and participating organizations, such as homelessness services providers. Currently, the City Council and the County Commission each appoint eight members to the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee, which doubles as the CoC board. Those appointments aren’t chosen by the community and therefore aren’t necessarily representative of the community they serve. Under the new CoC, the membership body will elect the board. (CoCs are self-governing, and their performance is tracked

by HUD.) “The history in our community is a lot of folks and organizations doing a lot of good and very hard work, but not at a strategic system level,” explains Emily Ball, the City of Asheville’s homeless strategy division manager. The NAEH report listed the creation of a new CoC Board structure — one not situated under the city or county, and one empowered with decision-making authority — as a top priority. The draft charter — the program’s first charter — for the CoC suggests one nonvoting liaison from the Council and the Commission be on the board.

Ball says that restructuring will create a framework that the community hasn’t had before. “I think we’ve had so much historic confusion about who is responsible for what, who has the ability to take what action, how do we make decisions about resources and interventions,” Ball says. She says she’s optimistic

about the new structure, adding, “This has tremendous potential to impact our community long term.”

In the fall, based on a recommendation in the NAEH report, Buncombe County hired Lacy Hoyle as its first homeless-program manager. “We want to do it right,” says Hoyle, who is also the project manager of the proposed low-barrier shelter. “We want to do it in a way where the population that we’re trying to serve will get the best possible chance to get the services that they need, and where the community that we’re serving will have the best possible chance to feel like this is an effective endeavor, and they’re going to be safe.”

Currently, the draft charter permits the CoC to have 17 board seats.

Ball says a nominating committee has tried to involve as many stakeholders as possible. As of Jan. 19, 28 organizations submitted applications to be members, as did 110 individuals, Ball says.

The membership body will elect the new board in March and adopt a charter at its first meeting, Ball says.

Then City Council will be asked to dissolve the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee.

Hoyle encourages community members to file applications to join the CoC. “It’s a good way to be informed, be involved and to have your voice heard about what we’re doing about this issue,” she says.

THE ROADBLOCKS Residents have heard discussions about the need for additional shelters over and over. For example, the city’s proposal for permanent supportive housing in East Asheville at the former Ramada Inn fell apart when a California-based company, Shangri-La, defaulted on its loan and the property went into foreclosure.

The low-barrier shelter planning team outlined what it would like to offer in a low-barrier shelter: be open for intake around the clock, allow pets and nontraditional families, and not require sobriety. “I wouldn’t say [those decisions are] solidified, but we’ve decided what we’d like to see,” Hoyle explains.

The team also would like to include space for partner agencies to provide services on-site, such as medical and mental health care.

Providing those services on-site would reduce the need for shelter guests to travel elsewhere.

One unknown is where the low-barrier shelter will be located. “We are looking at sites, and a Realtor is also looking at sites at this point,” Hoyle says. “But we don’t have any specific information about any sites right now.”

All recommendations for a low-barrier shelter will be presented this spring, Hoyle says. The goal is for it to open by Dec. 24, which is when funding for additional beds at Salvation Army, Haywood Street Congregation and a shelter for families at AHOPE is slated to end. X

Educating the community When the City of Asheville updated its panhandling ordinances, it discovered the level of unawareness about homelessness in the community.

“One thing that we discovered, which surprised us to a degree, was how much misunderstanding or a complete lack of understanding or awareness there was in the public that the city was, in fact, already regulating this particular activity and to what degree it was regulating it,” says Brad Branham, attorney for the City of Asheville. “Many people were either pushing for or against the implementation of an ordinance when those ordinances already existed.”

In August, Asheville City Council passed two technical amendments to the ordinances to comply with federal law. One amendment specified

solicitors must be at least 8 feet away from “transit stops,” like bus stops or medians. The other exempts people who are asking for money from family members or acquaintances.

The city developed brochures about panhandling, which are available at City Hall, community centers, several libraries, Fire Station One at Court Plaza and the kiosk in front of the Downtown Association on Haywood Road. Branham says they’re intended for everyone — tourists, locals and those who engage in panhandling. “We’re not going to pretend that these activities aren’t taking place,” Branham says. “We want people to understand that if they choose to give to someone, they have the right to do that. That’s a constitutionally protected right. But we want them to do it in a safe way.”

2024’s Point-in-Time Count Teams will be taking a different approach this year to counting the number of homeless people for the annual Point-in-Time count, which collects data on the number of homeless people in a community.

All communities that accept federal funding to address homelessness are required to do the count sometime during the last 10 days of January.

In years past, volunteer street teams of three to four people canvassed high-traffic corridors in the community where homeless people are found and gather information.

The data includes age, gender, race, ethnicity, veteran status and length of time homeless, among other information.

This year, each team will consist of two people. They’ll visit the areas twice: once the evening of Jan. 30, and midday the next day, explains Emily Ball, City of Asheville homelessness strategy division manager.

On Jan. 31, the PIT count volunteers will canvass the four crisis ministries operated by AshevilleBuncombe Christian Community Ministry and the Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry, a housing facility for mothers and children in Black Mountain, as well as AHOPE Day Center, a homelessness services center operated by Homeward Bound, and Haywood Street Congregation, a ministry that primarily works with people experiencing homelessness, addiction or mental health crises.

Also on Jan. 31, outreach professionals, such as those at Homeward Bound, will visit known encampments. Lacy Hoyle, Buncombe County’s homelessness program manager, says the PIT count aims to count rural encampments more accurately. Local agencies like the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office will help to identify those locations, she says.

Encampments in the City of Asheville, which are often on wooded property, may look different from those outside city limits in Buncombe County, Hoyle says. This year’s PIT count will visit traditional encampments in tents but also known groups of people in living situations not suitable for human habitation, such as condemned houses without heat, power or water.

The 2023 PIT count recorded 402 people who were homeless but sheltered, including 40 children, plus 171 people who were unsheltered.

However, those who work in homelessness services acknowledge the number is likely an undercount.

More accurate numbers, which are shared with the public in April, will help the community understand its scope of homelessness. “I think we are casting the widest net that we’ve ever had in our plan this year,” says Ball. “I think we should end up with more accurate data than we’ve ever had.” X

The city also began offering free homelessness learning series this fall. Each of the three sessions in the series is taught by Debbie Alford, community and economic development homeless strategy specialist.

“What we’ve seen historically is a lot of interest from the general public and the community about homelessness but not a lot of understanding on the issue and the people who are affected by a housing crisis,” says Alford.

The first session addresses the different categories of homelessness, like chronic homelessness, how a person might end up unhoused and repercussions of the trauma of homelessness. “It’s important that people really get that level of information so that they can understand that homelessness is not caused by someone’s lack of morality or personal decisions,” Alford says. “It’s something

that they might be at risk for years before they have a housing crisis due to those precipitating events, and then it all comes crashing down because rent increased or whatever the scenario may be.”

The second session covers past and present community response to homelessness, while the third explains how to partner with local agencies to help.

The city held the series in October, November and December in various libraries, and over 200 people attended. Alford estimates about 20 people have completed all three sessions, and most attended one or two.

The next homelessness learning series will be 9:30-10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays, Feb. 6, 13 and 20, at the Goodwill Career Center at 1616 Patton Ave. To register, visit avl.mx/daa. X

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PROBLEM AREAS: “We need to stay focused on those common problems, which right now are around public safety and cleanliness,’” says Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kit Cramer. The chamber proposes that a business improvement district in downtown Asheville could help. Photo courtesy of the chamber

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When Kit Cramer arrived at the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce as president and CEO in 2010, Asheville’s downtown was the subject of much complaining about panhandling, trash and graffiti.

The effort to address those issues embroiled the city in a fierce debate over a business improvement district, or BID, which is a designated area where businesses and residential properties pay an additional tax for more services, typically related to beautification and public safety.

Fourteen years later, Asheville’s downtown is the subject of much complaining about panhandling, trash and graffiti. And the community is once again considering a BID. Now Cramer, members of the chamber and several stakeholders from the business community such as the advocacy group Asheville Downtown Association are leading the charge.

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An Asheville BID proposal continues to be controversial. In 2009, Asheville City Council included a BID in the city’s Downtown Master Plan; in 2012, City Council passed plans for a BID, but disagreement over an appropriate tax rate scuttled the plans; and by 2014, the city declared the project “dormant.”

So the question for the chamber in 2024 is whether the political climate has changed enough to lead to a different outcome. Have the COVID-19 pandemic, the housing crisis, calls for police accountability and the foothold prescription opioids, fentanyl, meth and xylazine have on the community changed the appetite for a BID? Cramer thinks yes. Progressive Urban Management Associates, a consulting firm the chamber hired to evaluate the odds, conducted a feasibility study from January through June 2023. It has collated feedback from several focus groups and a survey of property owners and business owners,

employees and residents, which drew 337 responses.

“What we’re hearing from the feedback and the survey results was ‘Boy, do we need this,’” Cramer tells Xpress.

DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN COMING The feasibility study explored three potential areas for a BID — downtown, the Haywood Road corridor in West Asheville and the River Arts District — to reflect the breadth of concerns of chamber members, according to Zach Wallace, the chamber’s vice president of public policy leadership.

While the chamber declined to provide specifics, Wallace said downtown businesses showed the most support for paying more for a higher level of government services. The Business Improvement District Steering Committee saw the draft management plan the week of Jan. 15, and it will be presented in public meetings to other stakeholders the first week in

February. Discussions are underway on how best to present the plan to the public, Cramer says. A town hallstyle meeting over Zoom has been one suggestion.

It’s unclear, even in the draft management plan, how a BID board would be chosen, Cramer says. (Asheville’s 2012 proposed BID board was criticized for initially allocating seats based on property ownership, with larger property owners receiving more seats.

Seat allocation later changed.) The draft will propose the coverage area, a tentative budget, which will determine the tax rate increase, and expected services. The rate will be the same for residents and businesses, says Wallace.

Some services would take precedence over others. ”People started talking immediately about holiday lighting,“ Cramer continues. ”And I said, ‘Guys, holiday lighting is great.

But we’ve got bigger problems. And we need to stay focused on those common problems, which right now are around public safety and cleanliness.’“ The question some business owners may ask, however, is why the city isn’t already providing adequate sanitation and public safety services. “That’s the sticking point,” Cramer says. “I’ve said it before, as have many businesspeople — they want the funding that is produced through the business improvement district to supplement – not supplant – the existing tax dollars.”

WHY A BID WAS PURSUED The chamber reignited the exploration of a BID in response to public safety concerns, Cramer tells Xpress.

“We saw an explosion in the number of people on the streets as a result of [COVID],” she says. “And that is not to conflate homelessness with crime, but it creates an environment where crime is easy to develop. I mean, there are people who are preying upon people who are homeless.”

The Asheville Police Department closed its Haywood Street substation in 2020, and the following year the department announced it would no longer respond to certain types of crimes, such as trespassing where the property owner doesn’t want to press charges.

Cramer says she believes APD “[not having] a downtown presence … was a mistake from the very beginning and [I] registered my thoughts around that, as did others.” She shared those thoughts with former APD Chief David Zack, City Manager Debra Campbell and elected officials.

In recent years, chamber members reported to the chamber “more than ever before” that their workers are feeling less safe, Cramer says. “I was hearing from businesses so consistently it was not funny.” The chamber decid-

ed to publicly weigh in, she continues, because of serious concerns about “the viability of very small businesses” that have been impacted by concerns about public safety downtown.

In March, the chamber and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Agency hosted a listening session for elected officials and city employees on this very topic. The chamber had “been working behind the scenes for months to address these issues,” she explains. But she says the listening session got the attention of city staff and elected officials more effectively.

“We had been talking for a long time from the perspective of employers and business owners — what really made an impact was when workers themselves shared their stories because the emotions were visceral,” Cramer says.

The organizers “were very deliberate in asking people like Katie [Button, co-owner of the restaurant Curaté] to bring their employees. … I think that made the difference.”

But holding that listening session was something of a gamble for the chamber because media coverage of the event did shine a light on violence.

“I don’t want to diminish the image of this city, ever,” Cramer says. “I am a No. 1 cheerleader because we want to grow jobs and opportunities for existing businesses and startups.” So she and others were “really hesitant to display our warts and our concerns — very hesitant,” she says. “That’s not normally what you hear out of a Chamber of Commerce.”

Cramer is pleased with the downtown safety initiative that the city launched in May, which addressed poor lighting, litter removal and an increase in the presence of law enforcement downtown. (After Cramer spoke with Xpress, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a $56,000 funding request from the Sheriff’s Office. The money will provide additional downtown patrols on weekend nights over the next 26 weeks.)

“Putting additional visible resources downtown has made a difference,” Cramer says. “I know that I feel better, and I’m not getting the phone calls I was getting, which is great.”

The BID proposal is an effort to be “part of the solution,” she says. A BID “tightens the relationship amongst the players and provides for greater collaboration — which I think is absolutely part of the secret sauce, making everything work,” Cramer says.

Still, she’s adamant that addressing business owners’ issues with public safety downtown requires a variety of approaches. “That’s the only thing I fear about this whole process is everybody thinks there’s a silver bullet,” she says. “There’s not.” X

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‘It doesn’t have to be this way’ Local leaders and experts decry HCA, call for improved care at Mission Health

BY ANDREW R. JONES AN ASHEVILLE WATCHDOG REPORT An Asheville Watchdog community event focusing on the crisis of health care at Mission Hospital drew an audience of about 350 on Jan. 23, amid calls for HCA Healthcare to overhaul the way it has managed the hospital system since it bought it in 2019.

The event, titled “HCA-Mission at Five Years: What Can We Do to Restore Better Healthcare in WNC?” was held at A-B Tech as the five-year anniversary of the $1.5 billion sale to HCA approaches.

“Five years ago, Mission’s board of directors sold the system to HCA Healthcare of Nashville, promising that the sale to the hospital giant would lead to higher-quality, more accessible, and lower-cost health care for the people of Western North Carolina,” The Watchdog wrote in its invitation to the event.

“Now, after five years of HCA management, there’s a broad consensus that the exact opposites have occurred. The question now is: What can we, the citizens of Western North Carolina, do to once again have the best-in-class, accessible and affordable health care we used to expect?”

Watchdog Executive Editor Peter Lewis put similar questions to five panelists: Dr. Clay Ballantine; Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof; Dr. R. Bruce Kelly; patient advocate and nurse Karen Sanders; and state Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe.

The event began with a video statement from N.C. Attorney

Series

HEALTHY DEBATE: From left, Asheville Watchdog Executive Editor Peter Lewis and panelists Dr. R. Bruce Kelly, Dr. Clay Ballantine, Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof, patient advocate Karen Sanders and state Sen. Julie Mayfield convened at A-B Tech to discuss the state of HCA and Mission Hospital. Lewis moderated the panel discussion. Watchdog photo by Keith Campbell General Josh Stein, who declined The Watchdog’s invitation to attend.

“Like all of you, I am deeply concerned about health care in Western North Carolina,” said Stein, who is running for governor as a Democrat and filed a lawsuit against HCA and Mission last month for allegedly violating parts of the asset purchase agreement it signed as part of the sale, specifically its emergency and cancer care. He reiterated his view that HCA is not living up to the purchase agreement.

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Kelly referred to the issue as “a manufactured crisis,” repeating the words of Mission emergency department nurse Hannah Drummond during Stein’s news conference announcing his lawsuit. “It doesn’t have to be this way. [HCA is] making plenty of money, and they could make choices that would bring this health care system back.”

The Watchdog invited several executives from Mission Health and HCA, including HCA N.C. Division CEO Greg Lowe, Mission CEO Chad Patrick and HCA spokesperson Nancy Lindell, to participate in the panel. All declined.

Susan Mims, CEO of Dogwood Health Trust, was also invited.

While she declined, she provided a statement, which read in part: “Our community’s distress regarding the quality and accessibility of health care services at Mission/HCA is of great concern to Dogwood; however, our role in monitoring HCA is constrained by the legal parameters of the Asset Purchase Agreement.”

Each panelist gave an introductory statement. All were critical of Mission’s and HCA’s management of the hospital. Some became emotional: Ballantine choked up while

describing the exodus of physicians, and Copelof’s voice rose with fury as she described HCA’s negative impact on Transylvania Regional Hospital, which serves her community.

“Where do we go from here?”

Copelof asked the audience. “We are fighting for the truth. We are fighting for something precious. We are fighting for the health and welfare of the people that we love.”

Sanders, who teaches medical practice ethics, addressed the impact that a lack of staff has on nurses.

“We have nurses and physicians and many people working with death by a thousand cuts,” she said.

Mayfield said political leaders, doctors, nurses, religious leaders and others are working as a coalition toward reform and have received numerous stories from patients about issues at Mission.

“The No. 1 thing you can do is continue to share your stories about your experiences at the hospital,” Mayfield said.

Ballentine and Kelly simultaneously praised doctors and nurses while decrying the system under HCA. “We want to be clear that the staff at Mission are doing heroic work,” Kelly said, speaking for Western

North Carolina doctors. “We have the highest respect for those that are working to improve the system from within.”

Ballantine directly connected declines in health care quality at Mission to HCA’s business model, which he said revolves around culling physicians and nurses.

“The overarching trend is Mission makes its money by cutting out staff,” Ballantine said. “When you take a busy medical practice, you’ve got to have staff, and whatever Mission’s had their hands on, they’ve cut the staff and curtailed the availability of those services. Doctors and nurses are perfectly accustomed to working hard. In this setting, though, it’s not because of the jobs that all these people have left. They’ve uprooted their families, they’ve gone to other communities because they have bad management.”

Watchdog has reported extensively on Mission, tracking complaints from Mission nurses regarding quality issues there. In November and December, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services investigators visited Mission and ultimately recommended that the hospital be placed in immediate jeopardy, the most serious sanction a hospital can receive and a threat to the hospital’s U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services funding.

Mayfield said Tuesday that when the hospital submits a plan of corrective action around the immediate jeopardy findings, she and other leaders will review it “with a finetoothed comb.”

Answering Lewis’ question, “Are we in the worst-case scenario right now?” Mayfield described the potential loss of CMS funding as catastrophic.

“As bad as things are in the hospital, closing this hospital would be 10 times worse,” Mayfield said.

Leading up to the public event and the five-year anniversary of the sale, The Watchdog recently made an effort to speak to all members of the Mission board at the time of the sale, posing the question: Did the sale of nonprofit Mission to for-profit HCA Healthcare turn out the way you hoped it would? Only a couple of members of the board, which had unanimously approved the sale, were willing to comment.

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County.

Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@ avlwatchdog.org. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/donate. X

Former Mission board members speak Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from Asheville Watchdog’s Jan. 20 piece, “Former Mission board member: ‘We had hoped that HCA would be a better corporate citizen.’” For the full story, visit avlwatchdog.org.

The question posed by Asheville Watchdog to the former Mission Health board members who voted for the deal five years ago was: Did the sale of nonprofit Mission to for-profit HCA Healthcare turn out the way you hoped it would?

“Well, obviously not,” said Janice W. Brumit, a former Mission board chair who became the inaugural chair of the Dogwood Health Trust, the successor nonprofit created with proceeds from the sale.

“Obviously, we had hoped that HCA would be a better corporate citizen,” Brumit said, “and we had hoped that they would maintain the quality and the quality standards that Mission was so proud of. They had assured us that they would.

That was one of our guiding principles on looking for a partner.”

Asked if she thinks the sale to HCA was in the best interests of the community, Kristy Elliott, a former system executive of the Memorial Hermann health care system in Houston, was blunt.

“No. Absolutely not.

“I was disappointed in the choice of HCA as a buyer for Mission and wish a more thorough search for an appropriate buyer had been conducted by an outside consultant,” said Elliott, who was listed as a board member on Mission’s 2018 tax return but who said she was only on the board’s audit committee and did not vote on the deal.

“I think the board all voted their honest conscience,” Elliott said.

“But it’s the information they were fed — hand-fed, spoon-fed, however way you say it — was selective.”

The Watchdog recently queried all members of the board about how they now feel about the deal. Only Brumit and Elliott would talk, and their comments to The Watchdog are the first by any former Mission official or board member to break the official silence surrounding the

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$1.5 billion sale, which occurred five years ago.

As first reported by The Watchdog, the Mission board entrusted then-Mission CEO and President Ronald A. Paulus and his outside strategic adviser, Philip D. Green, with identifying potential partners for Mission.

Only two health care companies — HCA and Novant — were invited to make formal presentations to Mission’s board.

Novant’s offer was equal to or superior to HCA’s, according to former Mission Chief Financial Officer Charles F. Ayscue, who later worked for Novant.

N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein’s office investigated the proposed sale and determined that it was “rigged from the beginning” in HCA’s favor. On Jan. 16, 2019, Stein issued a “letter of nonobjection” to the deal after the Mission board reiterated its determination to sell to HCA. PROFITS OVER PATIENTS As a longtime philanthropist and community leader, Brumit was one of the most vocal and influential advocates for the sale at the time. She volunteered to appear with Paulus, board Chairman John R. Ball, Vice Chair Dr. John W. Garrett, Mission Hospital President Jill Hoggard Green and other Mission executives praising the deal in public sessions.

“Only after careful review and discussion did the board unanimously decide that joining HCA would best continue the quality, accessibility and affordability of care that our people and communities have come to know and expect,” Dr. Ball, a physician and lawyer who was then serving as Mission’s board chairman, wrote at the time.

Brumit’s and Elliott’s comments five years later suggest that the promises and assurances made to

Mission’s board of directors — that HCA would bring higher quality of care, technological innovations, new services, more doctors, greater efficiency and lower health care costs to Western North Carolina — were accepted under the belief that HCA would place patient care ahead of profits.

That belief has been tested.

Instead, five years of HCA management has resulted in documented chronic understaffing; hundreds of physician and nurse departures; higher health care prices; plunging employee morale that led to the formation of a nurses labor union; multiple lawsuits against HCA-Mission by local citizens, the cities of Asheville and Brevard, Buncombe County and the state’s attorney general; heartbreaking stories by patients and family members of substandard care — all culminating with the determination in December by state inspectors that patients seeking care at the once-proud Mission Hospital were in “immediate jeopardy” of serious injury, harm, impairment or death.

HCA, a $60 billion corporation that operates more than 180 hospitals and more than 2,000 other health care facilities, reported $5.6 billion in income for 2022. At last year’s shareholder’s meeting in Nashville, HCA’s board rejected a proposal to tie executive compensation more directly to quality of care, not just hitting financial targets.

The company will report its fourth-quarter 2023 and year-end earnings at the end of this month.

In its 2022 fiscal year, HCA spent $7 billion to repurchase its shares and increased dividends to shareholders by 17%.

The Watchdog requested comment for this article from HCA’s N.C. Division, which oversees six hospitals and other facilities. It had not responded by deadline.

— Peter Lewis X

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Approaching affordability City might pause development program over equity concerns EXPLAINING LUIG

BY CHASE DAVIS cdavis@mountainx.com With rising rents and a growing population, local leaders are using every tool they have to encourage more affordable developments, including the City of Asheville’s Land Use Incentive Grant program.

City Council members say the program designed to encourage developers to offer affordable housing is good in theory, but in practice it might be shutting out minority families, perpetuating decades of racial discrimination in housing.

Until the city can find a way to make its incentives fair, it might be putting its most used affordable housing tool on the shelf while consultants evaluate its effectiveness across all low-income demographics.

Asheville City Council adopted the Land Use Incentive Grant program in 2010 to increase the development of affordable, workforce and low-income rental housing by offering developers property tax rebates.

To qualify for a rebate, at least 20% of a development’s units must be offered for at least 20 years as affordable — using the city’s scale for rent levels — to households earning 80% or less of the area median income.

Developments also must be located within Asheville city limits, and at least 70% of the available square footage must be residential.

As previously reported by Xpress, grant amounts are based on a point system, and the main way for projects to earn points is through increasing affordability. Developers also can earn points from location or design criteria, such as proximity to grocery

AFFORDABLE HOUSING: The Land Use Incentive Grant program provides tax rebates for affordable housing projects, such as the planned 80-unit affordable microhousing development on Hilliard Avenue. Rendering courtesy of the City of Asheville stores and bus lines or incorporating energy-efficient building practices.

Every five points qualifies for a grant equal to one year of the property tax increase resulting from the new development. In other words, the difference between the tax on the previous property value and that on the higher property value after development. Grants are capped at $80,000 per affordable unit over the lifetime of the grant.

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ROOM FOR DEEPER AFFORDABILITY? All projects approved for LUIG so far have offered housing affordable to those earning 80% AMI or less, says Sasha Vrtunski, the city’s affordable housing officer. LUIG hasn’t been successful at incentivizing housing for those in lower income brackets because the subsidies don’t fully compensate developers for the profits they forgo by renting at those levels.

“It would be very difficult for a private developer to provide units at 30% AMI without substantial funding from other sources much bigger than our LUIG program — say, [federal] Low Income Housing Tax Credits,” Vrtunski says. “Providing units at 80% AMI is a typical standard across the country, with 60% AMI being even better, but it often needs additional subsidies to make the project pencil out.”

Several Council members have expressed concern over the program’s inability to fund housing projects for those earning lower than 80% AMI. “Ultimately, I believe that our current policy hinders our ability to leverage tax dollars for more deeply affordable units. When we are talking about 80% AMI, we are talking about households earning around $68,000 per year, which is still not affordable for many minority families,” says Council member Antanette Mosley.

“It begs the question: Do we want to get larger numbers of so-called affordable housing for families of four making $68,000, or would we rather have fewer affordable units if we ended up getting more deeply affordable units?”

Thrive Asheville, a local nonprofit that focuses on equity research, recently reported that minority community members, on average, fall below the 80% AMI band. According to the group’s presentation to the City Council in November, only white households surpassed 80% AMI when looking at median incomes for four-person households among different racial demographics in Asheville.

Garrett Raczek, a program director with Thrive Asheville, said during the presentation that even if the city were to lower the bar to 50% AMI, it would still be above the median income for most Black and Hispanic households.

“It really calls into question who is able to access housing that we call affordable,” Raczek said. “What we really need to do to target those who were most harmed by historical and current policies and systems is focus programs, policies and subsidies on those at the 30%-50% AMI level.”

“We say that equitable, affordable housing is our priority,” says Council member Kim Roney. “I want to support Land Use Incentive Grants as a voluntary rent control because I think our community needs that, but if it is not getting us to racial equity, then it is not helping me be responsible for our goals.”

Council member Maggie Ullman says she feels uncomfortable about keeping the LUIG program open while the Council has “fundamental issues” with it and believes the city should pause the program while it figures out what to do.

“It is really important that we sit down and have a policy conversation regarding the future of LUIG,” says Ullman. “I feel a lot of discomfort having a project go through the whole process to get to council, for us to then say, ‘Well we don’t like our rules and incentives.”

Vrtunski says city staff also has concerns regarding the program’s sustainability, particularly with the high number of LUIG projects that have been approved so far. Since the program was launched, 17 developments have been approved for LUIG funding, meaning less tax income for the city.

“We have a lot of projects that we have approved, and when you look at those subsidies, they add up to a lot of money,” Vrtunski says. “Because of the nature of LUIG where we give rebates over an allotment of time, one

of our biggest concerns is making sure that the program can be continued long term with our current budget.”

WHAT’S NEXT? The city hired consulting group Enterprise Community Partners to do an equity assessment of LUIG last July for $146,517, Vrtunski says.

Recommendations are expected in May. The city is also updating its overall Affordable Housing Plan, which includes LUIG and the Housing Trust Fund.

“From the very beginning, we asked our consultants to look at all of our programs and evaluate them together when they make their recommendations,” says Vrtunski. “We could try to tweak LUIG independently from our other programs, but then we are not taking into account all of the other ways that we spend and leverage money. We want to assess how the city addresses affordable housing as a whole and then make good decisions from that point of view.”

According to Vrtunski, staff is recommending that Council issue a pause for all LUIG applications until the Affordable Housing Plan is revised. Council is set to vote on the pause at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 13.

“We are not wanting to end the LUIG program, nor do we want to do anything that would discourage developers from bringing affordable housing to Asheville,” says Vrtunski.

“The proposed pause is so that we can take a holistic look at our affordable housing programs to see if there are ways to increase their affordability while also ensuring that the programs are sustainable.” X

Other options for affordability Sasha Vrtunski, the City of Asheville’s affordable housing officer, says that the Land Use Incentive Grants program is not the only tool the city uses to bolster affordable housing. The federal Housing Trust Fund, established in 2000, is a gap financing tool that offers low-interest loans to developers who build affordable housing in the city.

“The Housing Trust Fund is our other major tool for affordable housing and it tends to target developers of 100% affordable housing. In the past 20 years, the HTF has produced around 1,200 affordable units,” says Vrtunski.

The city also offers fee rebates, which helps to cover the fees associated with building and development permits.

Vrtunski says developers often apply for a combination of city and federal programs to help maximize affordability.

“Most of the time, developers will package different layers of tools to increase the affordability of their development while also covering the cost of development,” says Vrtunski. “We have had a number of projects where they apply for the Housing Trust Fund or LUIG, but they also get a HOME loan, which is federal money that goes through the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium. Combining tools not only helps to ease the rising cost of construction, it also gives developers an opportunity to provide affordable units at a deeper level than they may have previously been able to.” X

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17

NEWS

For and against Short-term rental listening session yields conflicting views

BY BROOKE RANDLE brandle@mountainx.com Asheville fire marshals were standing by as more than 140 residents, nonprofit representatives, business owners and other stakeholders filed into A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium on Jan. 22 to make their voices heard on proposed regulations for shortterm rentals in Buncombe County.

The City of Asheville implemented restrictions on short-term rentals in 2015, which allowed residents to rent up to two rooms on a shortterm basis while living in the same house. Simultaneously, the city banned whole-house rentals of less than 30 days in residential areas, with exceptions for operators renting prior to the ordinance’s adoption or who received conditional zoning approval. Asheville City Council further tightened the rules in 2018, outlawing new whole-house STRs in most commercial districts. Violators face a $500-per-day fine.

Currently, STR operators in Buncombe County must apply for a one-time permit but otherwise face few restrictions. County STR operators have the option to rent out entire homes and are not required to live on the property or even within the state.

The proposed regulations, which were first introduced in December as part of the Buncombe 2043 Comprehensive Plan, would ban future short-term rentals, both whole-house and rentals within the owner’s primary residence, in the unincorporated parts of Buncombe County unless they were located within commercial zones or in an open-use district. In an open-use district, the proposal would allow grouped complexes of STRs as a special-use permit. The regulations would also change the definition of short-term rental to allow only single-family detached units to be rented short term and prohibit shortterm rentals in mobile home parks, among other changes.

Existing short-term rentals would not be affected by the changes but would require a permit issued by the county. Permits would not be transferable upon the sale of a home.

According to a county memorandum, the proposed changes were designed to “affect low and mid18

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

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dle-income renters, homebuyers and local workers by seeking to make more housing stock available for long-term rentals and owner-occupied housing.” The memorandum goes on to say that a consulting firm hired by the county identified 5,268 STRs in Buncombe as of 2022, representing roughly 4.5% of the county’s housing stock.

The Jan. 22 Buncombe County Planning Board meeting was billed as a “listening session” for residents impacted by the proposed changes, after the Dec. 18 meeting was overflowing with those wanting to provide public comment on the issue.

‘I FELT SO POWERLESS’ Over three hours, 57 people spoke, with around a dozen others ceding their time to allow for longer comments. The comments ranged from personal experiences depicting how short-term rentals negatively affect neighborhoods and contribute to Asheville’s housing crisis, to others who shared how income from short-term rentals allowed operators to build generational wealth or stay in their homes when experiencing economic hardships.

More than a dozen people representing the Emma community — who made their comments in Spanish with assistance from a translator — spoke out in favor of the proposed regulations, saying that investors were purchasing mobile home parks and other low-income housing that their community relies on to convert into short-term rentals.

Resident Liliana Ramirez said that she and her three children were forced to move after her mobile home was demolished to build a new house that was then used as shortterm rental.

“They [told] us that we had to get out and that they would give us $1,000 for us to leave,” said Ramirez. “They didn’t care that we were people that struggled daily to survive. I ended up on the streets because I couldn’t find anywhere to rent. This is one of the saddest experiences I have ever been through with my children. And I felt so powerless to see that businesspeople think about making more money without thinking about people like us who don’t have the same resources.”

LISTEN UP: A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium reached capacity Jan. 22, as stakeholders made their cases for and against proposed regulations for short-term rentals in Buncombe County. Photo by Brooke Randle Other speakers, including Stephanie Biziewski, explained how several short-term rentals had disrupted their neighborhood and absent hosts left them with nowhere to turn for help.

“Rowdy, intoxicated visitors have violated their noise agreement well over 30 times, usually waking me up from a deep sleep at 1 or 2 in the morning with shouting, loud music, wild partying,” said Biziewski. “At least 10 of those times were serious enough that the police needed to intervene after calling the property manager proved useless.”

QUESTIONS AND TRADE-OFFS Those who opposed the regulations questioned the assertion that short-term rentals are a major contributor to Asheville’s affordable housing shortage, noting that the City of Asheville, where STRs have been regulated for nearly a decade, is still experiencing a shortage of affordable housing and increased home prices.

“One of the issues I have with the proposal is a lack of clarity on numbers and defined terms. I believe that this is causing a lot of confusion on this topic, and that confusion is contributing to the idea that we either get STRs or affordable housing,” said Joshua Houde, who works in civil engineering. “I think that that claim

has not been substantiated in this proposal, but for some reason that is being perpetuated back. Many, if not all of us, are in favor of having affordable homes in our area. But I believe that the vagueness of this proposal is the main barrier to an honest conversation on this issue.”

Other speakers shared how income from their short-term rental helped them afford their homes after experiencing a life-changing medical diagnosis or other economic hardship. Some commenters explained that regulations would only hurt Asheville residents and small-business owners rather than out-of-state investors or corporate-run STRs, and were skeptical of how regulations would be enforced, noting that the

City of Asheville struggles to rein in its illegal rentals.

A majority of speakers who said they operated short-term rentals said that while they disagreed with the majority of the proposed restrictions, they were in favor of some type of regulations — such as prohibiting STRs in mobile home parks, increasing the cost or frequency of permit fees and creating a “good neighbor” policy that would help neighbors manage noise and other complaints and hold problematic operators accountable.

“Satisfying reasonable regulatory requirements is a perfectly acceptable trade-off for being able to operate a short-term rental without the threat of having that right taken

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away,” said Matthew Allen, director of government affairs at the Land of the Sky Association of Realtors.

“There’s lots of things that we can do that don’t involve banning someone’s private property rights.”

Members of the Buncombe County Planning Board emphasized that the listening session was one of several steps that they planned to take before making a recommendation to the county Board of Commissioners, which is the governing body that will ultimately decide what changes, if any, to make to the county’s law.

The board plans to meet twice in February and is expected to schedule a public hearing in March, though no dates have been specified. X

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19

NEWS

Harm audit

Reparations commission hears preliminary results

BY GREG PARLIER gparlier@mountainx.com The independent firm charged with reviewing the City of Asheville and Buncombe County governments for harm caused to Black residents presented its preliminary findings to the Community Reparations Commission on Jan. 22.

The Stop the Harm Audit’s key overall findings revolve around the availability of data, equity training, affordable housing and hiring practices, according to the presentation by Adrian Carter, project lead and founder of the Carter Development Group.

“We know that this is the first known audit of this nature funded by a municipal and county government,” Carter said. “And so what we’re really doing is we’re baselining. This audit ends up serving as a baseline for us to grow from as you look to implement different strategies for the cessation of harm.”

Asheville became one of the first municipalities in the nation to pass a reparations resolution in July 2020 and, in partnership with Buncombe County, established a 25-member commission in March 2022. The commission contracted with Carter Development Group in December 2022 for about $174,000 to perform an audit of internal and external services for both the city of Asheville and Buncombe County. Members aimed to ensure that the cessation of harm to the Black community has occurred and confirm that local governments are in compliance with relevant federal and state laws, according to the contract.

Two of the group’s key findings were related to the collection of data

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CEASE HARM: Adrian Carter, founder of the Carter Development Group, presented preliminary findings of the group’s yearlong review of the City of Asheville’s and Buncombe County’s policies and procedures to the Community Reparations Commission on Jan. 22. Photo by Greg Parlier that could help monitor an organization’s equitable practices. Carter said there were “insufficient data-driven practices” to determine the level of participation of Black residents in opportunities and funds provided by the city and county.

Carter acknowledged the lack of data was partly because this type of process has never been done before but stressed that in order to ensure

equitable access to various program funds, data is vital.

“How can you assess representation?” he asked. “How can you ensure access? How can you ensure knowledge if you’re not collecting the data to be able to measure that to begin with?”

Carter also highlighted local governments’ lack of “wide-scale racial equity training” for everyone in their

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ranks, rather than just leaders, to ensure that there is an understanding of racial equity across the board.

Carter said the area’s well-documented limited affordable housing supply also has an outsized impact on Black people and said his firm focused on what the governments were doing to increase that supply.

Additionally, a “subjective interpretation of human resources’ hiring and promotion processes has enabled covert, latent and explicit biases,” he said.

The presentation was framed around a “cease-harm audit compass” anchored by four pillars: opportunity, representation, knowledge and access. Carter organized his critiques of government processes around how missing pillars can create inequity in a community.

Opportunity minus representation creates disproportionality, for example, while knowledge minus access creates exclusion, he said.

Throughout the presentation, Carter stressed the importance of focusing on solutions, not the problems that need to be solved.

“It’s not the problem that counts,” he said repeatedly, prompting the commission to respond in unison: “It’s the solution.”

FOCUS AREA FINDINGS Ultimately, Carter said his group held 18 meetings across government departments, collected and reviewed 1,000 artifacts and developed 70 recommendations across seven focus areas. Those areas included the CRC’s own five focus areas: economic development; education; health and wellness; housing; and criminal justice, plus a review of the governments’ internal workforces and departments of equity, inclusion and human rights.

In economic development, after reviewing purchase order data, Carter found that Buncombe County had a “persistent utilization of repeat vendors, limiting opportunities for minority-owned businesses,” as noted by Adrienne Hibbert of the Carter Development Group.

However, the county has not had a disparity study done to specifically show how public funds have been spent along demographic lines, something Hibbert recommended.

Hibbert also recommended the city and county establish a utilization and industry dashboard that would show how money is spent in contracts with government agencies, so local businesses could better access and potentially apply for government contracts. Plus, establishing a Black Chamber of Commerce could help Black businesses pool resources and promote entrepreneurship within the community, she said.

In education, CDG’s Jennifer Felton suggested it is unclear if money spent to close the racial opportunity gap is working, suggesting that the money may need to be applied in different ways.

One of the most alarming statistics shared during the meeting came during a discussion of housing. Citing U.S. Census data, CDG’s Beverly Cooper said Black median household income in Asheville and Buncombe County is about $22,000 compared with about $70,000 for their white counterparts.

Similarly, 37.8% of Black residents own a home compared with 69.6% of white residents in Asheville, where rent is also the highest of all major cities in the state, said Cooper, who presented the housing portion of the presentation. As a result, 72% of Black residents live in public housing communities, leading to issues of access to healthy food and other resources.

Cooper said local governments should prioritize increasing affordable housing supply, including by targeting developers focused on the lower end of the income spectrum. A joint strategic housing plan involving the city, county, housing authority and other stakeholders could help the community develop collective strategies to this end, she said.

After this preliminary presentation, Carter said his firm would hold meetings with city and county staff to review the findings before finalizing recommendations in the next month and a half. Its contract formally ends April 30. The final audit report is meant to provide guidance to the reparations commission for its own final recommendations to the city and county.

RACIAL JUSTICE COALITION SEEKS PARTNERSHIP WITH CRC At the end of the meeting, the Racial Justice Coalition, an independent alliance that “seeks to achieve and sustain deep equity by building power to those historically underrepresented,” according to its website, made a presentation asking reparations commissioners to work with it to help increase engagement with the process in the city’s public housing projects.

RJC has been advocating for reparations since its founding in 2014, said Ty Johnson, community engagement director for RJC. “I would just like to remind the commission that the reason why we were in the streets is because of that 72% of the population that is residing in public housing,” said Rob Thomas, executive director of the RJC. “And we really need to bring them into this process to realize the work that you all have done but also give them voice and agency. I don’t feel like they’ve really been involved, and they have not been engaged at all.”

Thomas made it clear that the RJC simply wanted to partner with the reparations commission to help increase engagement efforts with the lower-income segments of the community and wasn’t asking for any money.

“We’re just trying to collaborate with you all,” he said. “I didn’t think we’ve asked for any money. We’ve been doing this for months. We have a report. They just finished and would love to share the results with you about what the public housing community has to say.”

The next reparations commission meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 19.

February 27th 11am-1pm

— Greg Parlier X MOUNTAINX.COM

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

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N EWS

CITY BEAT

Council delays consideration of 24-hour downtown restroom Asheville City Council postponed a vote on the installation of a prefabricated 24-hour restroom outside the Rankin Avenue parking garage at its Jan. 23 meeting over concerns regarding the project’s cost and maintenance. Council previously voted to allocate $650,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds for the new facility in May 2022.

The project aims to fill the gap left by the city’s last 24/7 restroom at 29 Haywood St., which closed in March 2020 and never reopened. City officials cited increased maintenance costs, drug use and vandalism as causes for its permanent closure.

“One of the biggest things we noticed with the bathroom at 29 Haywood when we tried keeping it open 24/7 was that as soon as it was unstaffed, vandalism and other issues would occur,” said Jade Dundas, capital projects director.

“That often led to additional downtime the next day. Depending on the severity of the issue, that might have been several hours to half a day.”

As previously reported by Xpress, the proposed restroom is set to be a Portland Loo, a 7-by-10-foot single-stall structure that would provide enough room for a wheelchair, bike or stroller. Dundas said the facilities are built to be more resistant to vandalism and easier to clean. Additional site lighting and security cameras will also be installed to mitigate issues with vandalism. The bathroom’s blue interior lighting also makes it difficult for intravenous drug users to find a vein for injection.

Council member Kim Roney expressed her support for the project, noting that she has had to help

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“I am really concerned about this facility’s maintenance and cleanliness, and I am curious if it will really address the needs that we have downtown,” Kilgore said. “I think that by exploring the restrooms that we have now, including their service and hours, we could make them more accommodating. … But just to have a bathroom there that we still are not maintaining 24 hours, is that really doing what we want it to do?”

Dundas noted the possibility for the bathrooms at Pack Square and Haywood Street to be reopened with 24/7 availability but said that the city “would have to consider fulltime attendance.”

With questions remaining around the project’s feasibility and the potential for more affordable options down the road, Council opted to postpone a vote on the issue until February to give city staff time to reassess the project and provide alternatives.

In other news VANDALISM CONCERNS: Capital Projects Director Jade Dundas said that the proposed restroom facilities are built to be more resistant to vandalism and easier to clean. Screenshot courtesy of the City of Asheville sanitation workers to clean human excrement off the sidewalk on multiple occasions.

“It is very unpleasant, and I don’t even have a place to wash my hands afterwards because the bathrooms are closed,” Roney said. “Because this is such an important public health investment, I intend to support it.”

Additionally, Roney applauded the project’s accessibility.

“This is designed for maintenance and high-traffic use, unlike our porta-potty in the same location,” said Roney. “I also think that [the ADA compliance] is so important. We are talking about making our sidewalks and our mobility infrastructure ADA compliant, but our port-a-potty isn’t.”

Other members of Council were more apprehensive. Mayor Esther Manheimer expressed concern regarding the project’s cost, particularly with other public bathrooms in the area on Haywood Street and Pack Square.

“People often ask me, ‘How come you have to spend $650,000 on a

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bathroom?’” she said. “It’s not just the bathroom that we are paying for; you also have to run all of the utility services to the site. It is a lot of money, so I just want to make sure that we fully look at our other current facilities that are within a block of this location and just make sure there isn’t a way to open those so that they are more available.”

Manheimer said the city is in early talks with the Asheville Downtown Association, whose offices neighbor the Haywood Street facilities, to help reopen and maintain those bathrooms. Manheimer also suggested partnering with shelter operators to provide bathrooms on nights and weekends.

“We are looking at other things that we still need to fund, so I would really like to see where the discussions [with the Asheville Downtown Association] land before we commit to this project,” said Manheimer.

Council member Sandra Kilgore echoed Manhiemer’s concerns, also mentioning potential issues with the facility’s maintenance.

City Council also heard a presentation from Stacy Anderson, chair of the Realignment Working Group, which was created by the city and tasked with assessing the city’s engagement with advisory boards and commissions. Anderson summarized the input that the group received from the Board and Commission Experience Survey, which was distributed to all current and past board members (up to 10 years) in November 2022.

According to the presentation, board members felt strongly supported by city staff but noted high staff turnover as a hindrance. Additionally, Anderson noted that board members were most dissatisfied with interactions with City Council, citing issues with communication.

“The overarching theme from the comments is a feeling of powerlessness,” Anderson said. “One member wrote, ‘Serving on the board was a complete waste of time. Great people. Completely powerless to make recommendations or changes.’”

The Realignment Working Group made no formal recommendations, but Anderson noted that recommendations would be presented in the coming months.

— Chase Davis X

TDA BEAT

Board hears update on quarterly goals and initiatives

NEW CAMPAIGNS: Dodie Stephens, Explore Asheville’s vice president of marketing, said that a big focus of the marketing team this past quarter was to update the agency’s fall content. Photo by Chase Davis A new destination app, an upcoming website redesign and the unveiling of the Asheville Black Cultural Heritage Trail highlighted the Jan. 24 meeting of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority board. The quarterly progress report from Explore Asheville, the TDA’s marketing agency, aimed to spotlight the authority’s strategic goals and initiatives.

“We agreed to do quarterly updates this year to show the work that the team is doing in an integrated fashion,” said Vic Isley, TDA president and CEO of Explore Asheville. “Our job is to inspire visitors to come here for leisure and to spend money throughout our businesses and our community. The team really thinks about our strategic imperatives to guide their work, and those imperatives ladder up to the broader community goals of delivering balanced and sustainable growth.”

Dodie Stephens, Explore Asheville’s vice president of marketing, said that a big focus of the marketing team last quarter was to refresh the agency’s fall content.

She noted that each week of fall 2023, the agency sent out a “color report,” an email blast that featured photographs and insights from local

content creators as well as the week’s best events and activities.

“In general, our fall content is some of our highest performing,” Stephens said. “An anchor of that content year over year is our fall color reports. We gave [the color report] a complete overhaul with the addition of content from our ambassador program. This content was important because it was specifically designed to move business around the community and strategically showcased all of the paths that visitors can take to experience the season.”

Data from last year showed that the fall campaign boosted visitor engagement, with clicks on digital fall content increasing by 90% year over year and opt-outs decreasing by 17%.

In addition to the content overhaul, Stephens also gave details on the new Explore Asheville app, which soft-launched in October. Designed in partnership with Austin, Texasbased Visit Widget, the app serves as a mobile compilation of all of Explore Asheville’s preexisting partner listings and includes information on lodging, restaurants, tours and events.

“There are early signs already that this app is going to be a popular tool,” said Stephens. “Within one email we went from 70 to 500 downloads, so it is going really strong.”

Stephens noted that the Explore Asheville website is also up for a redesign, with the team working with Miles Partnership to analyze content and data for the future design. The new website is projected to go live in late summer.

Black Cultural Heritage trail launched The TDA board also heard a report from Penelope Whitman, Explore Asheville’s vice president of partnership and destination management, regarding her department’s work in the past quarter. Most notably, Whitman discussed the official launch of the Black Cultural Heritage Trail, which was dedicated last December and funded by a $500,000 Tourism Product Development Fund investment in 2018.

“The launch of the Black Cultural Heritage Trail was a huge success. Our Explore Asheville team worked closely with community members, local and regional scholars as well as archival institutions to gather local stories and set them in local and national historical context,” Whitman said.

There are three trail sections in different areas of Asheville, including downtown, Southside and the River Arts District. Each section features a

number of informational panels that tell the Black history of the area.

Additionally, the panels feature a QR code that can be scanned to play a voice-over narration by local performer Stephanie Hickling Beckman.

Whitman also gave a summary of the projects that were recently approved for investments from the TDA’s Tourism Project Development Fund. Totaling $6.1 million, the three approved projects included upgrades to Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, an outdoor covered equestrian arena for the WNC Agricultural Center and new turf, lighting and a playground for the Enka Recreation Destination.

Combined with the nearly $23 million committed to McCormick Field last July, the TDA’s Tourism Project Development Fund invested over $29 million in community project awards last year, marking the largest annual investment in the 20-year history of the fund.

“Additionally, the TDA funded 11 events through our sponsorship programs, disbursing a total of $37,000,” Whitman said. “These investments into these projects and events are a direct result of the hard work that our team and our community partners have put in.”

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GREEN ROUNDUP

Local biologist receives national prize to combat turtle trafficking Conservation biologist JJ Apodaca and his locally based organization, Tangled Bank Conservation, recently received a $100,000 prize to further develop genetic sequencing techniques that will help save three of the most poached turtle species in the United States.

Apodaca, who is also the executive director of the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy, was one of five applicants selected to receive the 2023 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Theodore Roosevelt Genius Prize. The TRGPs, established in 2019, are awarded yearly to applicants who “foster technology-driven solutions that can solve conservation challenges.”

Apodaca says that illegal turtle poaching and trafficking are increasing drastically, particularly in the Southeastern United States. He attributes this partially to a growing market for turtle parts in Asia.

“There is a heavy trade of turtle parts in many southeastern Asian countries. They use [turtles] in everything from food to using ground-up turtle shells for makeup foundations and other things we wouldn’t think about,” says Apodaca. “Because of that, many Asian countries have wiped out their native turtle populations, and so they come to the U.S. to try to fulfill that market.”

Additionally, Apodaca says the worldwide trend of keeping turtles as pets has been harmful to many turtle populations.

“It is really important for people to realize that most of the turtles that they see in pet stores are typically coming from the wild,” says Apodaca.

“Collecting turtles from the wild is detrimental to native species. Having adult turtles in the wild is really important for populations to persist, especially given their slow reproduction.”

While law enforcement agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service have increased efforts to confiscate illegally acquired turtles, releasing the turtles back into the wild still proves to be a challenge.

“Releasing turtles into the wild without knowing their place of origin can have harmful effects on the surrounding environment,” says Apodaca. “Because of that, confiscated turtles often just get euthanized, or in the best-case scenario, get put in a zoo. However, the harm to our native populations is still going on

because those turtles are not reproducing in the wild.”

Apodaca says that the prize money will go toward developing a genomic database for three of the most poached turtle species in the U.S., including Eastern box turtles, alligator snapping turtles and Blanding’s turtles. With these databases, scientists will be able to match the DNA of seized turtles to their original habitats, making it possible to safely release them into the wild.

“If we want to be able to identify where poached turtles came from, we have to collect a bunch of samples in the wild, sequence those, and build the database so that we can trace it back to its native location,” Apodaca says.

Without intervention, Apodaca says, North Carolina could potentially lose species like the Eastern box turtle forever.

“This is an incredibly real threat that could lead to the Southeast and North Carolina not having wild turtles to interact with, which will not only be detrimental to our environment but also to our culture,” Apodaca says. “Protecting these species has to be a priority, especially if we want our children or our children’s children to be able to see turtles in the wild.”

Save the Date

Good to know • The West Asheville Garden Stroll is offering grants between $100 and $1,000 for gardening projects in West Asheville. The grants are intended to increase environmental awareness, encourage creative landscaping and contribute to the beautification of West Asheville’s public spaces. Proposed projects must be submitted by an individual living in West Asheville and be community-oriented. More information at avl.mx/d9s.

• The Hendersonville Environmental Sustainability Board is seeking nominations for its second annual Hendersonville Sustainability Hero Award. The award is designed to honor an individual, city employee or team that is responsible for the development and implementation of sustainability practices in Hendersonville and the surrounding community. Nominations will

Tuesday of every month at 1 p.m. in the first floor conference room of City Hall, 70 Court Plaza. The next regular meeting is at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 6. More information at avl.mx/7b6.

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently invested $85 million in a new Industry Proving Grounds program at its National Center for Environmental Information in Asheville. The initiative is funded through the Inflation Reduction Act and will focus on promoting actionable climate information by engaging with three key industries: finance and reinsurance, retail, and engineering.

SAVE THE TURTLES: Local biologist JJ Apodaca says that without intervention, North Carolina could potentially lose species like the Eastern box turtle forever. Photo

by Erin Adams, courtesy of the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy remain open through Friday, March 1. More information at avl.mx/dal.

• Buncombe County’s Open Space Bond opened its first application window for passive recreation lands projects on Jan. 16. The bond will fund projects that provide passive recreational opportunities with minimal stress on a site’s resources.

Some examples of passive recreation include hiking, nonmotorized biking, birding and photography.

More information at avl.mx/d9t.

• The Asheville Urban Forestry Commission has resumed in-person meetings. It meets the first

• The 21st annual Business of Farming Conference, presented by the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, will be held 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 24, at the A-B Tech Conference Center in Asheville. The conference will focus on the business side of farming, offering attendees financial, legal, operational and marketing tools to improve farm businesses and make professional connections. More information at avl.mx/c7w.

• Asheville GreenWorks is hosting a presentation on pollinators at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Swannanoa branch of the Buncombe County Library. This presentation is designed for adults and will educate participants on the process of pollination, the most common pollinators in Western North Carolina, as well as conservation concerns and efforts regarding native pollinators. More information at avl.mx/cot.

• The WNC Nature Center will host a Night at the Nature Center 6-8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 23. The event is designed for kids and will feature educational crafts and games revolving around nocturnal animals.

Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to visit with several of the center’s nocturnal animals.

More information at avl.mx/da0.

• The N.C. Tomato Growers Association is hosting its 56th annual Winter Vegetable Conference and Trade Show on Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 21-22, at the Crowne Plaza Resort. The event is the largest commercial vegetable grower event in the region and will feature an educational program led by extension specialists at N.C. State University. More information at avl.mx/da1.

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— Chase Davis X JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

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FEATURES

100 miles to go

Runner signs up for a slice of Hawaiian hell

BY LISA ALLEN lallen@mountainx.com “We wouldn’t want it to be easy” is the slogan for the Hawaiian Ultra Running Team’s 100-Mile Endurance Run. Alex East, 27, of Asheville signed up anyway for the grueling Jan. 13-14 race through the mountains overlooking Honolulu.

For decades, the HURT100 has been the granddaddy of trail events.

It forces runners up and down 24,500 feet of elevation changes as well as 20 stream crossings over its five, 20-mile loops. Up to 140 runners, chosen by lottery, have 36 hours to complete the race or get the dreaded designation of DNF, or did not finish.

East, a toxicology scientist, has had his sights set on this race for a while.

It will be his 10th 100-mile competition and the most daunting.

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JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

Xpress spoke with East the week before the race and checked back in after the competition.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Xpress: Have you always been a runner?

East: Yes, but not a fast one. I was the second-slowest runner on my high school team. I had a friend who used to pace me. He’d pace me for a while, go into the woods and smoke pot, then catch back up with me. We used to get destroyed in meets. I’ve always been tremendously slow.

How did you get into running 100mile races?

I paced a friend in 2015 and did 39-ish miles. I was hooked. I ran my first 100-miler in 2017 when I was 20 and going to UNCA. I was the youngest finisher then. Since then, I’ve run at least one 100-miler every year, so the HURT will be my 10th, but it’s the toughest challenge so far.

What is the appeal?

[The races] appeal to me because you don’t have to be overly athletic to run 100 miles. A misconception is that it’s a run. It’s not. You can do a 20-minute per mile pace and still finish in 36 hours. That’s a comfortable walking pace for most people.

In a mountainous 100, even the first finishers walk part of the time.

What’s your goal for HURT? To finish in 35 hours and 59 minutes. But I don’t want to just survive.

I’ll push myself to go faster if I can.

But to finish is the goal.

What do you like about ultrarunning?

This is the only sport in the world where the more you suck, the more people like you. The people who finish quickly, they get to go home in the wee hours of the morning. There aren’t a lot of people at the finish for the first runners.

For the people who struggle, sometimes the sun is setting on the second day when they finish and everyone’s there at the finish line. And at the end of the race, if someone finishes just before the time limit, that’s huge.

You could miss finishing by five minutes. It’s exciting. People are just staring into the woods waiting for this person to come out.

I’ve never had the honor of finishing last, but I have been in the back of the pack a few times. It becomes all of us against the course,

MOUNTAINX.COM

Series

CENTURY STRIDE: Alex East discusses his latest 100-mile trail race.

Photo by Jesse Kokote encouraging each other to finish. It’s a great community.

How is this race different from the other nine you’ve run?

It’s a really tough course. The 2019 finish rate was 29%, and this year, due to a course change, it climbs 26,750 feet over the 100 miles and with a 36-hour cutoff. That time limit makes me pretty afraid. In 2022, I completed the Hellbender 100 in Old Fort, which is 24,000-foot elevation change with a 40-hour cutoff. It’s an experience I will draw on a lot.

How do you keep going?

I have the tools and tricks to get through HURT. First, you have to be able to be lonely or bored. You’re running through the woods for hours and hours by yourself, much of the time in the dark. You go through the whole emotional range. One mile could be euphoria, and the next you’ll be feeling sorry for yourself.

Mentally, I look at what I am going to go through and I prepare for that.

What are the major safety risks associated with HURT100?

Despite being on trail all day and night, it’s really a safe sport. It’s

low intensity without changes in direction and hard impact, which are factors that cause injuries in other sports. I haven’t had any injuries from ultrarunning. My feet were destroyed after Hellbender, but they healed.

I have hallucinated out there — a string of rocks turned into snakes and I saw people in the trees. Primalfear type stuff. If you’re that exhausted, eating more will make stuff like that go away. And sleeping after the race is done helps too, of course.

Is anyone going with you?

I’m going out with my dad, who’s my primary crew member, and my sister. I want it to be like a Formula One pit stop. I have a spreadsheet of times I want to hit at each aid station. My dad will have that and tell me what I have to do. My sister will refill my pack with food and water.

I don’t want to stop too long at the aid stations. If you sit for 15 minutes, you have to make up that time on the course.

What about the motivation to get you across the finish line? How do you keep going?

There are several motivators, and I cycle through them throughout the race. For one, I’m from Cary and went to UNCA. I want to represent Western North Carolina and UNCA. I looked through the finishers and I only saw three finishers from North Carolina in the past 10 years.

Generally, West Coast runners do well at events like these, so I want to represent the entire East Coast, too.

My training mountain, the Snooks Nose Trail from Curtis Creek campground up to Green Knob, is tougher than the HURT course. Snooks Nose climbs 3,100 feet in 4.5 miles.

I want to represent this place and these mountains.

Mentally, I look for rewards. I only allow certain things along the race. I have an MP3 player and I’ll only turn it on after about four hours. At mile 60, I might reward myself with my music or a particular snack.

Reset is another trick. I just need to get to this aid station rather than think about the whole race; 60 miles and beyond is tough. Another reset is changing my shirt or hat. Or brushing my teeth, that’s big because I’m eating 500 calories per hour.

I just keep cycling through what motivates me. A big one is I don’t want to let my family down or my run club or WNC. Or maybe I just want to do a Facebook post and be cool. Whatever gives me a boost at that moment.

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FEA T U RE S

Downtown 24/7

Residents talk about the pros and cons of urban living

BY CHASE DAVIS cdavis@mountainx.com Mickey Poandl, 32, says the appeal of living downtown comes from its busy atmosphere.

“I moved to Asheville from Washington, D.C., and I kind of missed the more urban, walkable lifestyle,” says Poandl, a public relations manager for Explore Asheville. “I went downtown a lot for the Black Lives Matters campaigns [in 2020], and I really liked the feeling of being with people and being a part of something. I thought that living downtown would be the perfect way to get more involved.”

Since 2020, Poandl has lived in a studio apartment in the Asheville Hotel Apartments, just above Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe. While Poandl admits the space is smaller than he would prefer, he says it meets his needs.

“I definitely don’t live in a luxury building or anything like that. For example, there’s no washer or dryer, but I am definitely willing to take all that for the sake of affordability,” says Poandl. “I pay a little over $1,000 a month, and while my rent has increased a bit, I don’t personally feel super financially crushed living here.”

In recent years, local and national reports have depicted downtown Asheville as a crime-ridden area. But in speaking with Poandl, his main concerns are walkability and transportation. As someone without a car, Poandl says downtown could use improvements to increase pedestrian accessibility.

“I think the core of downtown is very walkable, but some streets could use wider sidewalks, especially

LIVING DOWNTOWN: Xpress speaks with four residents to get their perspectives on the advantages and disadvantages of living downtown. Photo by Chase Davis around Lexington [Ave.] and Walnut [St.],” says Poandl. “I think the bigger issue, however, comes from right outside of the downtown core.

For example, when I am walking to Harris Teeter or Trader Joe’s on Merrimon [Ave.] for groceries, the pedestrian-friendly nature takes a sharp decline.”

Additionally, Poandl says public transportation should be improved.

“Right now, the bus route goes all the way down Merrimon before it turns around, making an hour commute out of something that would normally be 10 minutes by car,” says Poandl. “I don’t even use the bus because of that; I would rather just walk or call an Uber.”

But for others who live downtown, the issues are more severe: rising rents and frequent car break-ins are among the realities that are pushing some to reconsider which part of town they call home.

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While the vibrant community and entertainment drew Poandl downtown, rising rent and a lack of affordable housing has forced 24-year-old Jasen Folds to look for other options.

“Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love living downtown,” says Folds, a resident of The Patton apartments.

“When I moved here, my rent was steep, but I could afford it. Now, it’s nearly double what I paid when I first moved, and I am at a point where about 70% of my paycheck

each month goes to cover my rent.

That is just not possible to keep up.”

Folds has lived downtown for two years. A resident of Asheville most of his life, he chose to live downtown to be close to his previous job.

“At the time, I was living with my parents and working as a bartender at Jack of the Wood,” says Folds.

“I wanted to get out from under my parents, but I did not have my own car, so living downtown where I could walk to work seemed like the best option.”

While Folds has since purchased a car and found a different job outside downtown, he says he still appreciates being near the city’s nightlife.

“I don’t do it as often as I used to, but I really like being able to go out to different bars and just meeting new people,” says Folds. “When you live nearby, there is less of a worry about getting home at a decent time. I am going to miss that aspect of living [downtown] a lot.”

Folds believes the city is taking the right steps to address affordable housing downtown but wishes that there were fewer luxury condominiums and more apartments.

“I think the city is trying its best to address housing downtown, and I really like some of the projects that they are working on,” Folds says.

“While it may be too late for them to do anything now, I think that downtown has way too many condos. They are great for people who can afford them, but for most of the people working downtown, they are way too expensive.”

CULTURE AT THE DOORSTEP For others, such as 72-year-old Anne Centers, the price of living downtown is far more affordable.

Centers lives in the Battery Park Senior Apartments, subsidized housing for low-income seniors.

She moved downtown from North Asheville nearly six years ago and says the accessibility of entertainment is one the biggest factors that has kept her there.

“I really like living downtown because you can walk anywhere and do pretty much anything,” says Centers. “I can go to restaurants, the movies, shopping, or just about anything else I would want to do. I also live close to the symphony, so I used to go to that all the time. Everything is just so easy.”

Centers also says she feels safe downtown, despite hearing stories and complaints from others who live in the area.

“I have never felt unsafe downtown, even when I have walked late at night. I’ve heard stories of people being mugged or assaulted downtown, but I’ve never seen any of that,” says Centers. “The only real incident that I had was when I left my car unlocked and someone went through my glovebox, but that is something you have to deal with anywhere.”

For Centers, the biggest drawback from living downtown is a lack of parking. While she pays for parking near her apartment, she says it is often unregulated and will fill up with nonresidents and tourists during peak hours.

“My lot is supposed to be only for people who pay a fee, but a lot of tourists still park there during the day,” Centers says. “When it’s full, I have to park next to the library, which is a bit of a walk for me. When the weather is bad or I have a lot of groceries, not being able to park close by can be an issue. I hope in the future that the lots will be a bit more supervised.”

Additionally, Centers wishes downtown had more green spaces.

“As someone who loves being out in nature, I will say that downtown hardly has any good green spaces or parks,” says Centers. “A lot of people say that if a new park is developed, it

URBAN LIVING: Mickey Poandl, who lives in the Asheville Hotel Apartments, says that he chose to live downtown for its urban feel and to be more involved in the community. Photo courtesy of Poandl will just become a place for homeless people, but I don’t understand why that would be a problem. They need somewhere to go during the day.”

CONCERNS WITH SAFETY Meanwhile, Jennifer McLaren, 43, says the number of homeless people and a series of break-ins has her questioning whether she made the right decision when she moved downtown less than a year ago.

“When my husband and I were looking for a new place, we saw the complaints that downtown had gotten more unsafe. At the time, we didn’t really believe that it was that serious because we both went downtown frequently without any issue,”

MOVING OUT: Jasen Folds, resident of The Patton apartments, says that the rising cost of rent is forcing him to look for another place to live.

Photo courtesy of Folds

says McLaren. “Since we have lived here, though, we’ve had a number of safety issues. It has definitely made our transition more difficult.”

McLaren says since she and her husband, James, who works downtown, moved from Hendersonville into a condo on Asheland Avenue last April, they have had their car broken into twice and she has been harassed on multiple occasions.

“I have had homeless people follow me to the entrance of my building, they have catcalled me from across the street, and one even tried to take my purse,” says McLaren. “While I have not had a negative interaction with the police so far, I wish that there were more on patrol because it sometimes takes them a while to respond.”

McLaren says she doesn’t regret her decision to move but wishes the city took a more active role in addressing the issue of crime.

“Overall, I do like living downtown.

I love being able to walk everywhere, I love the restaurant and shopping scene, and I really love being close to events and concerts that are downtown,” says McLaren. “Even so, the safety issues that we have had have been really scary, and I wish the city would do something to increase police presence.”

CHANGING SKYLINE Several projects underway will bring hundreds of more residents downtown, many of them among the workforce.

“I think that downtown is growing, and it has a lot of potential, particularly on the western end near South French Broad Street and Carter Street,” says Poandl. “I really like when I see new apartments going up, and I think if we really want to make downtown a livable place, then there should be more affordable housing for people who work downtown as well as places to get groceries and clothes; the normal things that normal middle-class residents could use.”

Two developments Poandl is particularly excited about are microhousing apartments, including an 80-unit development at 217 Hilliard Ave. and a 231-unit development at 46 Aston St. According to David Moritz, developer of both projects, the Hilliard apartments will be completed by 2025 and the apartments on Aston by early 2026.

Poandl says he believes these units, if priced right, will be very appealing for downtown workers.

“I am really excited for the new microhousing developments that are coming,” says Poandl. “I think for

ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS: Anne Centers lives in the Battery Park Senior Apartments and says that the accessibility of entertainment is her favorite part of living downtown.

Photo courtesy of Centers a large majority of the people who work downtown, those apartments are going to be fantastic. I hope that we see more of these unique ways to address housing in the future.”

And to address safety concerns, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners recently approved funding to add more Sheriff’s Office deputies downtown on weekend nights.

“I am glad to hear that the Sheriff’s Office is going to help, and I hope that it is going to help reduce crime,” says McLaren. “It is good to see the city and the county working together to address this, I just hope that it is a long-term plan and not something that they stop in three months.” X

SAFETY ISSUES: Jennifer McLaren moved downtown less than a year ago but says that her car has been broken into twice and she has been harassed on multiple occasions.

Photo courtesy of McLaren

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FE A T U RES

By design

Advocate for intentional community focuses on aging well

BY LISA ALLEN lallen@mountainx.com Sheridan Hill hadn’t given much thought to what her life’s last chapters would be like until she turned 70.

“Having a seven in front of my age, my plans that were on the periphery are now front and center,” she says.

As a volunteer at the Center for Conscious Living & Dying, Hill has learned more about how being in a community is the ideal way to live and die. She points to the Netflix series, “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones,” which focuses on areas in the world where longevity and vibrancy are prevalent. Researchers in the series point to healthy eating, regular activity, a sense of purpose and close friendships as essential for people who live into their 80s, 90s and even 100s.

With this in mind, Hill has begun plotting her next move. Rather than leave her 5-acre property, which she purchased in 2020 across from Hickory Nut Mountain, she plans to sell parcels to like-minded people interested in creating an intentional community that she is calling Mountain Hearth Village.

Xpress spoke with Hill just before she held the first Zoom meetings with potential neighbors.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Xpress: What will your community look like?

Hill: I want it to be intergenerational with people who are progressive and forward-looking, people who want to live lightly on the land. I’m looking for shared values first, housing second.

It’s about how to treat each other, honesty, progressive thinking, nonviolent communication. As my website says, “Lead with love, be there for each other, lend a hand and love the land.”

HAPPY AND HEALTHY: Sheridan Hill believes creating an intentional community will help her age well. Photo courtesy of Hill And you’re initially meeting with potential neighbors over Zoom?

Yes, I’ve set up a series of Zoom meetings and invited interested people to talk about it. The Center for Conscious Living & Dying sent out information to its email list; 20 people signed up for the first Zoom.

To prepare for the meeting, I’ve asked participants to envision their ideal community. Would it include all ages? All genders? How many people? What provisions should we have for people who can no longer live independently?

An intergenerational, small community can provide obvious benefits for all people and more closely mirrors original village/tribal living.

What do you know about building houses?

I served on the Black Mountain Planning Board and the Black Mountain Urban Forestry Commission, and I built several cottages. I think constantly about community and housing. Part of this project for me includes turning my Airbnb rentals into housing for this community. I’m willing to invest in putting in the infrastructure — wells, permits, zoning, electricity — to get this off the ground.

I’m taking a financial risk.

What other types of housing are you considering?

I might set up a model, maybe a modular home because it would be quicker.

I’m making this up as I go along.

I’m thinking quadplexes built into a hill so there are two stories, each one at ground level. That way there’s less

Series of a footprint and more room for community gardens and outdoor space.

I’m envisioning this so others can see it. There would be HOA agreements. I am not selling housing, and I’m not going to do this if people aren’t interested in [a sense of community].

Why not create intergenerational living with your family?

My son is a chef in New York City.

He and his daughters aren’t interested in living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I grew up in Charlotte. I love it here. My daughter already lives in an intentional community, Laughing Waters in Gerton.

Talk about the health benefits of community.

Our relationships are not icing on the cake of our lives; they are the cake.

A recent study by Brigham Young University found loneliness in advancing years can be as deadly as smoking or obesity. According to A Place for Mom [a for-profit senior care referral service agency], loneliness also tends to lead to developing habits that are bad for health like smoking, drinking to excess and not getting enough physical exercise. Additionally, loneliness is also a risk factor for cognitive decline. The Rush Institute for Healthy Aging found that the risk of Alzheimer’s nearly doubled in seniors who felt loneliness.

What else do you want as part of your community?

There’s something larger than us here. We have to live with the land and the creatures that live on it. I look straight at that mountain. It’s astoundingly beautiful. I envision a huge community garden, and I would love to have shared meals a couple of times a week.

I told my kids that I want to drop dead on this land. You know, as Abraham Hicks said, “Happy, healthy, happy, healthy, happy, healthy, dead.” X

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FEA T U RE S

On ice

Locals look back on the Asheville Smoke’s four-year run

FROZEN SUCCESS: The Asheville Smoke’s four-year run included an appearance in the 2001 Colonial Cup finals. Photo courtesy of MaryHelen Letterle

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com It all started with a brawl.

Following two road games against the Winston-Salem Icehawks, the Asheville Smoke minor league hockey team played its inaugural home opener on Oct. 21, 1998, at the Asheville Civic Center (now the Harrah’s Cherokee Center — Asheville) against the Quad City Mallards.

Ron Wagner, then sports editor for the Hendersonville Times-News, was there covering the game. And like him, most attendees in the packed arena didn’t know much about the sport — beyond it being famous for spectacular fights between players.

“I think [the Smoke] knew that, and they wanted to give the people their money’s worth quickly. Because literally seconds into the dropping of the puck, every player on both teams squared off and started fighting,” Wagner says.

“There was no reason for it. The game was 10 seconds in, and it was a brawl all 32

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

over the ice, and fans were going nuts.

It was exactly what people paid to see, and they gave it to them. And I think it hooked people for a whole season.”

Such aggressive athletic entertainment remained in Asheville until 2002, when dwindling attendance and rising costs forced the team to fold. Over 20 years later, Xpress spoke with a few people involved with the team at different levels about the Smoke’s brief but memorable run and whether Asheville might support pro hockey anytime soon.

LACING UP Based in Brantford, Ontario, the Brantford Smoke joined the United Hockey League in 1991. During the 1997-98 season, team owner Roger Davis asked a group led by Dan Wilhelm, co-owner of league rival Madison Monsters, to help him run the organization.

“When we got there, we discovered it was not a good market for the

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minor league team to succeed,” says Wilhelm, who left the Monsters and soon worked out a deal to buy the Smoke. “With the help of the league, we started looking at other markets and locations. And Asheville was one that came up as a highly desirable place to be, based on the population demographics and a number of different things.”

UHL representatives initiated talks with City of Asheville officials, and the interest in bringing the team to town was mutual. In 1998, the Smoke moved south, and Keith Gretzky — brother of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky — was hired as the team’s coach.

MaryHelen Letterle was one of many locals elated by the news. The Asheville native started playing inline hockey at age 13 and, when she was old enough to drive, played pickup ice hockey at rinks in Spruce Pine and in Greenville, S.C. “I loved ice hockey — absolutely loved it,” Letterle says. “I was 16 when [the Smoke] came to town. They were

looking for volunteers [to work at games], and I immediately signed up.”

Letterle was one of many locals who sold promotional items and gradually worked her way up the ranks to keeping statistics and helping run other game components, such as monitoring the penalty box.

Attendance averaged 3,362 during the Smoke’s first year. Players such as enforcer Kris Shultz quickly became fan favorites and chants of “Let’s go Smoke!” resounded throughout the Civic Center. The team finished second in the Eastern Division with a 36-35-3 record and made the playoffs but were swept 4-0 by eventual league runner-up Quad City Mallards.

BUILDING MOMENTUM The following season, Slovakiaborn Peter Cermak was traded to the Smoke from the Fort Wayne Komets and put up some of the best statistics of his 11-year career. In 42

games with the Smoke, the left wing scored 31 goals and tallied 33 assists.

Gretzky’s brother, Brent, the Smoke captain and the team’s scoring (36) and assist (91) leader, was awarded the United Hockey League’s Player of the Year. The team went 34-38-2 but still made the playoffs, only to lose 2-0 to Fort Wayne, which made it to the semifinals.

“It was fun — I mean, you get to play a game,” says Cermak, who’s lived in the Asheville area for nearly 20 years.

“So the schedule is really not that crazy.

You practice early in the morning, and then guys go golfing or just hang out or take a nap. Other than that, there was a lot of traveling because in that league, you don’t fly anywhere.

Everything’s bus.”

Winston-Salem was the closest opponent, with other UHL teams based in New York, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Ontario, Canada. In 1999, the Winston-Salem team moved to New York, but the Madison Monsters — then owned by Wilhelm’s brother Andrew; Dan pivoted to part-owner — relocated from Wisconsin to Knoxville, Tenn., to become the Knoxville Speed.

“It was nice when you just had a little over an hour bus ride and could have that rivalry,” Dan Wilhelm says. “And it was good for the fans, too, because they could travel as well.”

Enhancing that loyalty was how Smoke players quickly ingrained themselves in the community. Wilhelm recalls the athletes participating in youth birthday parties and interacting with fans at various events around town.

The Civic Center offered a distinctive atmosphere as well. Opened in 1974, the arena was designed for conventions, concerts, family show productions and sports — albeit primarily basketball.

Wilhelm recalls having to “squeeze the rink in the footprint” of the arena in order to still have good site lines from the balcony seats. (“Regulation ice is 200 feet by 85 feet,” he says. “I believe [the] Smoke ice sheet was 190 feet by 85 feet.”) But he notes that the conditions “brought the fans in closer to the action and made for a good environment for the players.”

Cermac agrees that the more intimate setting yielded enjoyable hockey and gave the Smoke an edge because other teams weren’t accustomed to such tight quarters. He adds that coach Gretzky devised plays to take advantage of the confines, including bouncing the puck off certain spots on the backboard where Smoke players, better aware of the distance, could get to the puck faster than their opponents.

But Cermac notes that the venue “could have used a little bit of work back then.” A refrigeration malfunction scuttled the team’s home opener in October 1999, and a month later, a game had to

be canceled after the lights went out after the first period and two hours of effort couldn’t fix the electrical problem.

ON THE BRINK Keith Gretzky resigned in May 2000, citing the Civic Center’s issues as one reason for his departure but otherwise praised his time in Asheville as well as the community. Brent Gretzky was traded to the Port Huron Border Cats, and Cermak went to the Cape Fear Fire Antz, leaving neither around for one of the Smoke’s most infamous games.

On Jan. 28, 2001, the team played the third of three consecutive nights against the rival Speed, which saw the teams alternate games between Asheville and Knoxville and then Asheville again. Letterle recalls tensions being high between the two teams and quickly escalating.

“The refs lost control of the game, and you just watched them domino — fights started, and then all of a sudden players started jumping off the bench,” Letterle says. “By the end of it, there were several teeth on the ice, and I think somebody attempted to use a skate as a weapon. It was ugly, but it was also incredibly memorable.”

The 2000-01 season was also the Smoke’s most successful year. The team won the Southeast Division with a 45-22-7 record and dominated in the playoffs, going 6-0 and outscoring Knoxville and New Haven by a combined 28-10. Asheville advanced to the Colonial Cup finals, losing the series 4-1 to Quad City.

It was the last time the Smoke would make the postseason. The 2001-02 season saw the Smoke go 36-34-4 and just miss the playoffs.

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END OF AN ERA Numerous factors contributed to the Smoke’s demise. Just before the start of the team’s final season, the new National Basketball Development League brought the Asheville Altitude to town, and the two organizations shared the Civic Center.

By then, average game attendance for the Smoke had fallen to just over 2,500 — in one report, Wagner described a “paltry crowd of 1,748” on a Wednesday night in February 2002 — and the Smoke began losing valuable weekend home games to the Altitude. On occasion, the Smoke had to practice in Greenville and leave a day earlier for road games so they had a rink on which to train.

In the middle of the season, the Knoxville Speed filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which

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FEA T U RE S Wilhelm says made it difficult to secure a bank loan and keep the Smoke going as area pro hockey was deemed too financially risky. In February 2002, as reported in the Times-News, Wilhelm was “hoping that a hastily arranged raffle … will raise the $40,000-$50,000 he says he needs to finish out this season.”

Due to different agreements with the city, the Altitude was allowed to keep all of its concession revenues while all of the Smoke’s went to the city. The Altitude also got to keep 75% of the $1 “facility fee” the city added to Altitude and Smoke ticket sales beginning in fall 2001, while the city kept all of the Smoke’s facility fee. The arrangement allowed the Altitude to survive on fewer fans and averaged 1,037 attendees its first season.

“It’s kind of one of [those] things where we’ve been playing catchup year after year. We had a lot of expenses the first year in bringing the ice plan down here. We had some good crowds and some good revenue, but we had a lot of expenses,” Wilhelm told the Times-News. “And then the second year was kind of a break-even, but last year was kind of expensive. Making the playoffs cost us a lot of money and basically we’ve been playing catch-up all summer ... and it’s finally caught up to us.”

Wilhelm considered moving the Smoke to the East Coast Hockey League, whose teams included the Greenville (S.C.) Grrrowl and the Charlotte Checkers. Though the team managed to pay its debts to the city, the Smoke folded in 2002.

“You hated to see it end the way it ended, and I wish it could have been able to sustain itself in the market,” says Wilhelm, who went into the insurance business and lives in Troy, Mich. “Asheville is a great city with great people. And we had a couple of great teams with some tremendous fans.”

ASHEVILLE-AREA

of repairing the faltering ice-making equipment, Asheville City Council voted to discontinue public skating at the Civic Center.

OVERTIME

IN THE GROOVE: Peter Cermak, who played left wing for the Smoke in the 1999-00 season, calls his time with the Asheville squad “the most I’ve enjoyed playing, probably out of my whole career.” Photo courtesy of MaryHelen Letterle BRIEF REBOUND In 2004, Florida-based real estate investor David Waronker brought the Asheville Aces to the Civic Center as part of the eight-team Southern Professional Hockey League, which was founded in 2003. Cermak was the lone former Smoke player to play for the Aces. Though the surroundings were the same, the overall experience paled in comparison.

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“Not as fun, for sure,” Cermak recalls. “I don’t think the team was really taking advantage of the opportunities they had here in town, whether it was the coach or whoever was running things. But there were definitely some good guys on the team and a good staff.”

Wilhelm says he was hoping the Aces would have success but “knew they were probably facing a little bit of an uphill battle, too.” The team went 19-37-0 and missed the playoffs, then folded prior to the 2005-06 season after failing to agree to a lease with the Civic Center.

The news coincided with the end of the Asheville Altitude’s four-year run, despite winning the NBDL title its last two seasons. The basketball team, which averaged 499 fans its final year, was sold to an independent ownership group, relocated to Tulsa, Okla., and renamed the Tulsa 66ers. In 2014, the team moved to Oklahoma City and changed its name to Oklahoma City Blue.

The rink remained and was used for public ice skating and by the Asheville Hockey League, organized through the city’s Parks & Recreation Department. But in December 2009, citing budget shortfalls and the cost

While minor league hockey continues in Knoxville with the Ice Bears, founded in 2002, it has yet to return to Asheville. Were the Smoke’s four years a magical, time-sensitive bubble, or might professional hockey succeed today in Western North Carolina?

“I think they would do really well,” Cermak says. “The only thing they need to do is market a little bit better and start youth hockey programs.

When they get the youth involved, now the parents want to take the kids to the games, and it just turns into this whole big thing. And the city can benefit from all of it — they can charge for the ice time if there’s only one ice rink here.”

Cermak also points to the influx of hockey-loving New Yorkers in the area while Letterle notes that, besides lacrosse, hockey has been one of the fastest-growing sports in the Southeast for years. According to Letterle, who continues to compete, Asheville-area players make up 25% of the adult ice hockey league in Greenville, and while these amateurs are willing to travel for their love of the game, she’s confident that a local rink would prove popular.

“We’re close to Knoxville, Charlotte and Greenville, and Raleigh has the NHL [Carolina Hurricanes],” Letterle says. “We’re surrounded by larger teams and larger hockey organizations, so the interest is there.

With the right support and the right facilities, we could totally support a hockey team.”

A lot would have to go right for hockey to return and be successful, particularly in terms of financial support. Wagner notes that Major League Baseball subsidizes minor league baseball teams, a business model that no other professional sport follows. Having witnessed the Smoke’s demise and the quick exit by the Aces, he’s somewhat pessimistic about the chances of Asheville sustaining yet another hockey team, but he doesn’t rule it out.

“I’ve learned to stop underestimating the determination of some people to bring pro sports to small cities, against all rational evidence,” Wagner says. “So, I would never say it couldn’t happen again. Although I do feel like you probably need to wait for a new generation who would be wowed by the novelty of it.

And maybe it hasn’t been quite long enough for that.” X

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FEA T U RE S

Canine manners

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Pia Silvani grew up with dogs and as a child learned that she loved teaching good behavior with positive reinforcement. After an early career as a personal trainer and an aerobics dance instructor, she began teaching dogs (and their humans) instead.

In the early 1990s, Silvani opened a dog training center in New Jersey and wrote numerous training manuals for others who work in animal welfare. Her specialty is working with aggressive dogs that have been undersocialized.

In 2013, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals began behavioral rehabilitation for dogs in New Jersey, and four years later, Silvani came to Western North Carolina to direct the behavioral rehabilitation program at the ASPCA’s newly built facility in Weaverville. She rehabil-

itated dogs that had been victims of animal cruelty, such as hoarding and puppy mills, through socialization and training. She and the Weaverville facility’s other trainers were highlighted in a 2016 documentary produced by the ASPCA called “Second Chance Dogs,” which can be viewed on YouTube.

Silvani is now the director of behavior and training at the Asheville Humane Society, where she and a team of trainers teach canine manners and “puppy kindergarten” classes. The goal, she says, is to improve dog behavior — and owners’ confidence in leading their dogs — to prevent as many dogs from entering the shelter as possible.

Silvani spoke with Xpress about her love of dogs, teaching good manners and the issues facing shelter dogs post-pandemic.

This article has been condensed for length and edited for clarity.

Xpress: Where did your love of dogs come from?

Pia Silvani: I always had dogs as pets. My grandfather bred a variety of dogs, and he showed dogs. And then my dad did a lot of rescuing of dogs. The thing that I enjoyed most about dogs when I was a child was training them. I used treats very early on, and I enjoyed positive reinforcement work.

Why did training appeal to you?

I liked well-mannered dogs. That probably came from growing up in Sweden. We were taught to be very polite to people, and I thought that that should carry over. Why are your dogs any different? I think dogs need to learn to be polite to people and other dogs, too.

My mentors were animal behaviorists and veterinary behaviorists.

I loved the behavior part of it —

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Pia Silvani on training dogs — and humans

SOCIAL NETWORK: Pia Silvani, director of behavior and training at the Asheville Humane Society, says that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many dogs weren’t socialized with other dogs or people. Photo courtesy of Silvani rehabilitating dogs that were not only fearful but aggressive. It takes patience. My goal is not to become best friends with the dogs but to sit back and observe and build confidence. Because the dogs that are exhibiting fear lack confidence. The dogs that can be aggressive are also lacking confidence. … After a period of time, dogs learn to trust and then you can start to do some rehabilitation work with them once they build that trust.

You’ve been training dogs professionally for three decades. Are there any noticeable differences in dog behavior today versus 30 years ago?

The types of dogs that we’re seeing in the shelter environment, especially post-pandemic, are very different than they were years ago.

They lack socialization. Many of them are aggressive to other dogs because they haven’t been exposed to other dogs. They can be fearful and aggressive toward people

because they haven’t been exposed to people.

Also, a lot of people, especially in the South, do not spay and neuter their pets. They’re having litters of puppies, and they’re not socializing them. The first fear period that dogs go through is between eight and 10 weeks, and in the first 12 weeks of a dog’s life, things are imprinted.

So, if the dogs are never exposed to things [during those early weeks], then they’re going to have issues as they get older.

Have many of the dogs at the Asheville Humane Society shelter not been socialized?

We do get dogs [at the shelter] that just can’t be around other dogs.

Now, it doesn’t mean that they’re not adoptable. But there are many people that are looking for a second dog, a friend for their dog. So [the dogs who can’t be around other dogs] will sit longer.

And we get dogs that have what we call “stranger danger” issues.

They’re nervous with strangers.

That takes time. When you think about it, the poor dogs here are brought into this facility and then they’re around all strangers.

What’s a common behavioral modification that you teach?

What I discourage people from doing is just allowing every dog to go up to a strange dog to greet [them] when they’re on a leash. People do it all the time … [sometimes] the dog starts to have these negative experiences when they’re on leash.

The owner [allows] strange dogs to come up to them when they’re on leash, and they don’t have the ability to flee if they’re overwhelmed or if they’re unsure. And people tend to tightly lead the dogs when they’re doing intros, which then adds tension. What happens is the dogs become either frustrated that they don’t want to greet [the other dog] and then they become defensive. Or some dogs become frustrated because they want to get to see every dog, and they can’t understand why they can’t get to see every dog. So, you get this level of arousal and frustration and then sometimes aggression.

That makes so much sense.

People think if you’re going to socialize a dog, they have to touch each other, which is not true! …

There are a lot of dogs that just don’t want to be greeted by other dogs, but people force them [to interact]. … If you think about it with people, I don’t go up and touch every human being I see. I think we need to respect dogs and their space equally as much.

Do you think dogs have as complex reasons for their behavior as humans do?

I wouldn’t say as complex. It just depends. Environment has a lot to do with it. Genetics has a lot to do with it. It’s nature-nurture. … A lot of times people think that a dog knows “right”’ from “wrong.” They really don’t. Dogs know “safe and rewarding,” and they know “dangerous” or “not rewarding.” Dogs do things that are safe and rewarding.

So whatever they’re doing, it’s being reinforced somewhere. When people say, “My dog is barking at people passing by,” well, the barking is being reinforced. If something is reinforced, then you get an increase in behavior.

I think a lot of people believe “this is just the way my dog is, and he won’t change.”

Think of the dog more as a human being, and not a dog. [Ask yourself] Would you accept that behavior from a child, for example, parkouring off of people? No, you wouldn’t want your child jumping on a human being. Teach the dog some manners. Expose the dog to things. Socialize the dog. Get them into puppy class.

Is it hard to turn off your dog trainer brain when you’re in public? Do you find yourself going to breweries or hiking trails and seeing poor dog behavior that you know you can correct? [laughs] That’s pretty funny.

Yeah, I do. You just want to hand out your card and say, “Take him to class!" X

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FEA T U RE S

Log by log

An old building method enjoys a local revival

BY STORMS REBACK stormsreback@gmail.com It’s not every day you get invited to a barn raising, so when I did, I jumped at the opportunity.

The event took place on a 300-acre parcel southwest of Marshall owned

by Chris Allen and Daniel Larkin.

They have managed the restorations of numerous houses in New Orleans’ French Quarter, so when they moved to North Carolina and it was time to build a place to store their machinery, they didn’t want any old barn. They wanted a building that would be just as beautiful as it was lasting and structurally sound.

Timber framing was an obvious choice. A traditional method of building with heavy timbers connected with “mortises and tenons,” simple but strong joints often secured by wooden pegs, timber framing was the predominant building method in Europe for more than 1,000 years. It was equally popular in the U.S. until dimensional lumber — wood cut to standard widths and depths such as two-by-fours — became widely available at the end of the 19th century and stick-built houses became the norm.

Equally suitable for high-end homes and do-it-yourself projects, timber framing is enjoying a renaissance in Western North Carolina.

To build their barn, Allen and Larkin hired Barron Brown, a timber framer whose work is held in such high regard that, even though he has an unlisted phone number and doesn’t advertise, there’s always a long waitlist for his services. Brown learned the basics of timber framing while building a chick-

en coop with his grandparents on their Lucketts, Va., farm in 1964.

“I was 6 years old when we started building these,” he says. “There wasn’t a lot of cash floating around.

We would just cut down trees and make beams and posts and put them together, which was what was done before Home Depot came into being.”

After graduating with an engineering degree from Vanderbilt in 1980, he worked for the National Bureau of Standards and the Italian government before quitting to make art. Brown has sold some of his sculptures but derives most of his income from building houses. He likes building because it comes easily to him and satisfies his desire to “make things.” It also allows him to be particular about the projects he chooses. Unlike most builders, he looks for clients who are willing to invest some sweat equity. “I like to work on projects with the homeowners present,” he says. “It makes the communication loop way shorter, so there’s no misunderstandings.”

At the barn raising, Allen and Larkin worked alongside a handful of others who were there to help out and gain experience. Brown only had one paid employee on-site, his project manager Andrew Vice. A graduate of the American College of the Building Arts in Charleston, S.C., Vice has been working with Brown for nearly 15 years.

Brown often defers to him. “You might ask Andrew,” he says at one point. “He might have a different opinion.”

The goal for the day was to raise the barn’s second “bent,” one of a timber-frame structure’s load-bearing walls with beams that run perpendicular to the ridge. To tap the components of the bent into place, Vice used a

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“commander,” a large mallet with a log for a head and a tree limb for a handle. When it broke, he fashioned another from a large chunk of locust and an old ax handle.

Brown can build a structure solely with hand tools such as a commander and an assortment of saws and chisels, but he’s not a masochist or a Luddite. While he did eat lunch using a spoon he’d carved out of a piece of wood, he also used the design software TurboCAD to design the barn and power tools to make all the mortises and tenons in the lumber. An excavator did much of the heavy lifting to raise the bent. A crane would have made the job easier, but the steep terrain didn’t allow for one. Nine of us did the rest, using two wooden braces on

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TAKES A VILLAGE: Barron Brown directs a crew at a barn raising near Marshall. Photo by Storms Reback

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each side to lift the bent ever higher, several inches at a time.

A NEW WAY FOR AN OLD CRAFT I didn’t realize just how oldschool Brown’s operation is until I spoke with Tom Rouse, the owner of Timberframe Horizons. His crew uses 12-pound, dead-blow hammers instead of commanders, and some of their saws cost as much as a used car.

They also cut and preassemble much of the timber they use in a brand-new shop just off U.S. 70 in Swannanoa.

It wasn’t always this way.

A dedicated outdoorsman — he lists rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing and snowboarding among his interests — Rouse discovered timber framing in the late 1990s while attending an adventure camp at the Turtle Island Preserve near Boone. His first job was working for an old-timer named Elwood in Sky Valley near Brevard, where he cut his first joints while making a set of stairs.

During a 1,600-mile bicycle tour around the British Isles, Rouse observed how elegant the old timber-frame houses he saw looked and how well they were holding up. It inspired him to start working for Blue Ridge Timber Frame in Swannanoa after he returned to Asheville. The company didn’t have a designer, so Rouse, who prides himself on “jumping in and figuring things out,” taught himself how to use AutoCAD. The

next thing he knew he was the head of the company’s design department.

When Blue Ridge Timber Frame folded in 2013, Rouse started his own company. Timberframe Horizons’ first big job was a barn restoration at the Knights Hill Plantation in Camden, S.C., which required four tractor-trailer loads of reclaimed timber. For that project, he leased a shop in Old Fort, where his company was based until he moved the operation to Swannanoa. His new shop boasts giant windows, radiant-heat floors and plenty of room.

“With this amount of space, we can assemble an entire house in here,” says Andy Harvey, one of Timberframe Horizons’ two lead timber framers. “It decreases our footprint on-site.”

While Brown’s operation thrives on word-of-mouth, Timberframe Horizons has a slick website, a strong social media presence, and multiple projects in the works at any given time. When I visited its headquarters, I observed a whiteboard filled with nearly a dozen jobs in progress. Some of the more visible projects the company has worked on in the past include the North Asheville Public Library, the Weaver House, the Salt Face Mule Brewing Co. and the Grove Park Inn. ‘TRIMBER FRAMING’ Timberframe Horizons is working on a project at Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley. For this job, Rouse had to order locust from Wisconsin, which underscores a major difference between his company and Brown’s.

Given the size of his operation, Rouse

doesn’t provide any structural support. “If people can get to us earlier in the process, we can build them an actual timber structure,” Harvey says.

Brown and Vice’s sardonic term for this practice is “trimber framing.”

“People have been doing this for a long time,” says Brown. “I don’t fault them for it, but I think it’s kind of silly because I like the form-follows-function design philosophy.”

LEAVING A LEGACY

PLAN REVIEW: Barron Brown, right, discusses plans with his project manager, Andrew Vice. Photo by Storms Reback often experiences supply-chain issues with local materials, forcing him to order lumber from afar.

Content with building one or two timber-frame structures a year, Brown tries to get his lumber from a source as close as possible to the building site and usually succeeds. “If I’m in Madison County, I get wood in Madison County,” he says. “If I’m in Yancey County, I get wood in Yancey County.” For the barn near Marshall, he bought all his wood from Big Pine Log and Lumber north of Marshall.

Rouse’s crew is also more apt to use heavy machinery than Brown’s, frequently employing a CNC machine to make repetitive cuts and using cranes and forklifts to set bents in place.

That’s not to say that Rouse’s company produces cookie-cutter houses.

Every home it builds is custom-made, and no two projects are the same.

Similar to the way Brown depends on Vice, Rouse relies on Harvey, an experienced woodworker who trained as a shipwright in Wilmington, and his other lead timber framer, Chris Kagan, who worked with famed timber framer Tedd Benson in New Hampshire before moving to Asheville in 2006.

During a conversation in Timberframe Horizon’s shop, Harvey lamented the popularity of “faux timber framing” in the area. Some builders incorporate the look of timber framing in their projects without incorporating any of its functionality.

For example, they might install an exposed beam in a stick-built house that’s aesthetically pleasing but

BARN RAISING: Barron Brown and his crew prepare to work on a barn raising near Marshall. Photo by Storms Reback

When Brown isn’t building timber-frame houses, he spends much of his time making sculptures. His pieces have been displayed at the Burnsville Town Center, Asheville’s River Sculpture Festival, the N.C. Arboretum, and the courthouse lawn in Brevard, and on more than one occasion, he’s helped the renowned visual artist Mel Chin set up one of his works.

Brown also teaches workshops on woodcarving and blacksmithing and is a regular instructor at the Firefly Gathering. In the little downtime he has, he retreats to his homestead in Yancey County, where he lives with his wife, Karen. She wants him to retire. He could if he wanted to. “I’ve got my mortgage paid off,” he says, “and I live very simply.”

When Brown says simply, he means it. He drives a car that looks as if it’s been resurrected from a junkyard and, despite having built many houses that cost well over $1 million, he lives in a one-room house that lacks an indoor toilet. The fact that he and Karen only pay $35 a year in property taxes adds to the house’s charm. “I could certainly build myself a much nicer house.” He shrugged. “My wife seems OK with it.”

If Brown were to build himself a luxury home, he’d probably need to start charging his clients much more than he does, creating a capitalist-driven loop he’s happy to avoid.

“I get razzed for not trying to become richer,” he says, “but I really don’t care about that.”

Brown seems far more concerned with his legacy: the people he’s taught and the things he’s built. He proudly shared that his daughter is a successful builder in Massachusetts and his granddaughter built her own tiny house when she was 16.

Raising the second bent for the barn near Marshall took the better part of a day. Once it was standing perfectly plumb, I asked Brown how long the structure would last. “Hundreds of years,” he says with some satisfaction.

“Some of the [stone] walls I’ve built will easily be around for 1,000 years.” X

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR JAN. 31 - FEB. 08, 2024

month Whitney Mongé will grace the stage.

TH (2/1), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

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.

Scenius Series: Drew Montgomery, David Elliot & Jeff Santiago Scenius singer and songwriter series presents a listening room experience featuring songs and stories with a talented line up of local artists.

TH (2/1), 8pm, PULP, 103 Hilliard Ave

 Online-only events  More info, page 59  More info, page 65 Tai Chi for Balance A gentle Tai Chi exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Creative Flow: Yoga in the Galleries A creative flow experience that combines the beauty of art with the power of mindful movement. All-levels are welcome. Please bring your own mat.

SA (2/3), 9:30am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Tai Chi for Beginners A class for anyone interested in Tai Chi and building balance, whole body awareness and other health benefits.

TH (1/31, 2/8), MO (2/5), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Yoga for Everyone A free-in person yoga class for all ages and abilities. Bring your own mat, water bottle and mask. Registration required.

SA (2/3), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

WELLNESS

Therapeutic Recreation Adult Morning Movement Active games, physical activities, and sports for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over.

Advanced registration at avlrec.com required.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 10am, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave Tai Chi Fan This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome.

Fans will be provided.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Chair Yoga A gentle yoga practice while seated and/or with the aid of a chair. Well suited for those who may find other yoga classes too challenging. All ages welcome.

TH (2/1, 2/8), 10am, Asheville Community Yoga Center, 8 Brookdale Rd Nia Dance Fitness A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.

TH (2/1, 8), 9:30am, TU (2/6), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Qigong for Health A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.

FR (2/2), TU (2/6), 9am, SA (2/3), 11am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

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Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group Free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. Email depressionbipolarasheville@gmail.com or call or text (828) 367-7660 for more info.

SA (2/3), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd Wild Souls Authentic Movement w/Renee Trudeau Enjoy release, movement and connection with like-minded women.

SU (2/4), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard Winter Flow w/Jamie Knox This class builds heat in the body and releases excess water, so we can be our strongest and fittest, boosting our immune system and staving off depression.

No need to pre-register.

Walk-ins welcome.

SU (2/4), 10:30am, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks This class is centered towards creating an affirming and inclusive space for queer and gender non-conforming individuals.

SU (2/4), 1:30pm, W Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd Barre Fusion A high energy low impact practice that shapes, sculpts, and tones the body like a dancer. No experience

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

Winter Concert Series: The Shed Bugs Featuring Shed Bugs, a band specializing in funk, blues, and psychedelic rock.

SA (2/3), 7pm, Bold Rock Asheville, 39 N Lexington Ave

A GODLY PLAY: Hart Theatre kicks off its new production, An Act of God, on Friday, Feb. 2, starting at 7:30 p.m. Written by 13-time Emmy Award-winner David Javerbaum, this satirical comedy explores the human experience, with local actor Pasquale LaCorte playing the role of the Almighty. Photo courtesy of Hart Theatre necessary, open to all levels.

MO (2/5), 10am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109 Mettā Meditation In-person guided meditation focused on benevolence & loving-kindness. Free and open to beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

MO (2/5), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Free Zumba Gold Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance.

Free, but donations for the instructor are appreciated. For more information please call (828) 350-2058.

WE (2/7), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

ART Artwork of Leaflin Lore Winecoff Experience Leaflin's artistic evolution showcased in this exhibition, where diverse works capture the essence of her creative journey spanning the past few years.

Gallery open Monday through Friday, 8:30am.

Exhibition through March 2.

John M. Crawford Jr. Gallery, 360 Asheville School Rd Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson This exhibition celebrates the legacy of Lambert Wilson, a passionate col-

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lector of contemporary Native American art.

Gallery open Tuesday through Friday, 10am.

Exhibition through June 28, 2024 WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Counter/Balance: Gifts of John & Robyn Horn A presentation of important examples of contemporary American craft, including woodworking, metalsmithing, fiber and pottery by renowned American artists. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through July. 29, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Creating Textures: Focus Gallery Exhibition This exhibition features the work of five Guild members: Michael Hatch, Valerie Berlage, Joseph Rhodes, Barry Rhodes, and Joanna Warren. Each artist will display their own respectable arts and crafts during this exhibition. Open daily, 10 am. Exhibition through Feb., 2024.

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy The Colors of Pink This exhibition features 18 of the building's 30 artists and explores the studio's unusual name as well as the role color plays in each work.

Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon.

Exhibition through Feb. 3, 2024.

Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St Vera B. Williams: Stories This retrospective will showcase the complete range of award-winning

author and illustrator Vera B. Williams' life and work. It will highlight her time at Black Mountain College, her political activism in addition to her work as an author and illustrator. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am.

Exhibition through May. 11, 2024.

Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts Exhibition Featured in this exhibit are Arrowmont’s nationally and internationally recognized practicing artists and university workshop instructors.

Open daily, 10am.

Exhibition through May 1, 2024.

Folk Art Center, 382 Blue Ridge Pkwy Cynthia Llanes: Fluid Expressions Artsville Collective and Ferguson Family YMCA team up to feature the mesmerizing watercolors of Cynthia Llanes, a renowned impressionistic landscape artist. Open to the public, memberhship is not required. See p65 Ferguson Family YMCA, 31 Westridge Market Pl, Candler Beyond the Lens: Photorealist Perspectives on Looking, Seeing, and Painting This exhibition offers viewers an opportunity to explore a singular and still vigorous aspect of American photorealism.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday.

Exhibition through Feb. 5, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

American Art in the Atomic Age: 1940–1960 This exhibition features works created during the 1940s–1960s. Much of the art during this time expressed the uncertainty of the era, often relying on automatism and biomorphic forms.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday.

Exhibition through April 29, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Counter/Balance: Gifts of John & Robyn Horn A presentation of important examples of contemporary American craft, including woodworking, metalsmithing, fiber and pottery by renowned American artists. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through July. 29, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art.

A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works.

Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday.

Exhibition through April 15, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

COMMUNITY MUSIC Member Only Concert w/Whitney Mongé A monthly show featuring outstanding musical performances. This

Sal Landers Party Rx: 2nd Saturdays Sal brings her inimitable brand of groovy, Laurel Canyon-esque rock’n roll to the stage with an infectious energy and passion that swaggers and captivates.

SA (2/3), 7:30pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr A Birthday Tribute to Bob Marley A birthday tribute to Bob Marley featuring musicians from Culture, Midnite, Mishka, Dubconscious, Cadillac Jones, Empire Strikes Brass and more.

SU (2/4), 7pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr Citizen Swing A night of excellent, curated local jazz talent that happens twice a month. The fun starts with some cool, old jazz vinyl, and then continues with live sets by Connor Law and Adam Rose.

WE (2/7), 6pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave Music to Your Ears Discussion Series: The Music of Linda Ronstadt Bill Kopp, author and music journalist is joined by local Chanteuse Peggy Ratusz to discuss the music of Linda Ronstadt.

WE (2/7), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr Rakish Exploring tunes and songs from Irish and American folk traditions in a way that reflects their shared interest in and love for chamber and improvised music.

TH (2/8), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

LITERARY Black Cat Tales: Story Time Families with children ages 7 and under are invited to relax in the cat lounge and listen to a cat-centric book surrounded by the

resident panthers.

WE (1/31), 4pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd When the Jessamine Grows w/Donna Everhart Donna Everhart discusses her latest book, When the Jessamine Grows.

This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online.

WE (1/31), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St Poet Quartet: Destiny Hemphill, Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr., Katherine Soniat & L.S. McKee A monthly poetry reading series coordinated by Mildred Barya.

Registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

SU (2/4), 4:30pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St Blanket Fort Story Telling Night: Lupercalia It's the time of year for transformation: health, growth and werewolves.

The bar will turn into a giant blanket fort for a night as you hear stories of transformation.

SU (2/4), 8pm, Crow & Quill, 106 N Lexington Ave The American Queen w/ Vanessa Miller A resilient black woman becomes the only known queen of a kingdom built on American soil. This is a hybrid event with limited in-store seating and the option to attend online.

Registration is required.

MO (2/5), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St The Language of God: Book Study The Language of God by Francis Collins provides a testament to the power of faith in the midst of suffering without faltering from its logical stride.

TU (2/6), 10am, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville Poetry Critique Night Everyone is welcome to share a few poems or just sit back and listen.

Signups to share will open 15 minutes prior to the start.

TU (2/6), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain Stepping on the Blender w/Katherine Snow Smith Katherine Snow Smith writes with vulnerability and humor about forging an unexpected path, parenting, dating, reporting, aging, loss and launching the next act in a full life.

The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.

WE (2/7), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St

THEATER & FILM The Vagina Monologues A poignant and hilarious tour of the last frontier, the ultimate forbidden zone, The Vagina Monologues is a celebration of the feminine experience in all its complexity and mystery. See p59 TH (2/1), FR (2/2), SA (2/3), 7:30pm, SU (2/4), 3pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S Washington St, Hendersonville The Big Scary "S" Word The featured movie, The Big Scary "S" Word delves into the rich history of the American socialist movement and journeys with the people striving to build a socialist future today.

TH (2/1), 8pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd An Act of God Written by 13-time Emmy award winner David Javerbaum, known for his work on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, this laugh-a-minute play explores the human experience through the lens of a higher power.

See p59 FR (2/2), SA (2/3), 7:30pm, SU (2/4), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Lisa Peterson & Denis O’Hare Presents: An Iliad An adaptation of Homer’s epic masterpiece into an evening of theater at its best: intimate, incisive, and urgent.

FR (2/2), SA (2/3), 7pm, SU (2/4), 2pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 West State St, Black Mountain Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help A hilarious, memory play following 19 year old Linda O’Shea and her family as they attempt to evade the nosy parish priest. See p59 FR (2/2), SA (2/3), WE (2/7), TH (2/8), 7:30pm, SU (2/4), 2pm, North Carolina Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln The Wham Bam Puppet Slam An evening of short, hilarious, experimental puppet shows intended for mature audiences, and hosted by Toybox, America’s Favorite Cartoon Witch.

SA (2/3), 8pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Ave LaDonna Smith & Susan Hefner w/John English & Kris Gruda Through a process of improvisation and revision that seeks a range of authentic expression, human and vulnerable.

Susan and LaDonna will come together for one of a kind collaborative performance.

TH (2/8), 7pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

The Campfireball: Love Bugs Created spontaneously out of whatever stories and lives happen to be gathered together inside Story Parlor at that moment in time.

TH (2/8), 7:30pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS Aerial Silks Foundations Learn how to properly ascend, descend, and create stunning shapes on the silks while emphasizing safety and proper form. Participants of all ages and all abilities are welcome.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 4 and 5:30pm, Amethyst Realm, 244 Short Coxe Ave Eightfold Path Study Group A group will gather to study the Eightfold Path Program. Kris Kramer will host the group as a fellow participant and student.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 3pm, Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain Peace Education Program An innovative series of video-based workshops that help people discover their own inner strength and personal peace.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 5pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave On Stage Alaska This session features information about a cruise journey through the great land of Alaska with experts from AAA Travel and Holland America Line on site to answer questions. Reserve your seat online at AAA.com/ HollandAmerica.

WE (1/31), 6pm, Holiday Inn Express & Suites Asheville Downtown, 42 Tunnel Rd Faster & Looser: Stand Up Comedy Writing Workshop A one night workshop led by Erin Terry of Eyes Up Here Comedy. Bring your notebooks and be ready with 3-5mins of material to share and work on with the group.

WE (1/31), 8pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101 Embroiderers' Guild of America: Laurel Chapter Carlie Holdredge will instruct chapter members on creating a heartshaped embroidered sampler. There is a kit fee for this project.

TH (2/1), 9:30am, Horse Shoe Community Church, 3 Banner Farm Rd, Mills River Kids & Teens Kung Fu Learn fighting skills as well as conflict resolution and mindfulness. First class is free to see if it’s a good fit for you.

TH (2/1, 2/8), MO (2/5), TU (2/6), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Family Cooking Class Kids ages 7 to 10 must be registered alongside an adult to participate in this fun class. All ingredients are provided.

TH (2/1), 5pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St One-Pan Meals Each week we'll cook and taste delicious and inexpensive options that you can make at-home.

For more information, contact Jessica Mollet at (828) 649-2411.

TH (2/1), 5pm, Madison County Cooperative Ext Office, 258 Carolina Ln Marshall Southside Walking Club Gather with others and walk inside Grant Southside Center’s gym or outside if it’s a nice morning.

TH (2/1, 8), TU (2/6), 10:30am, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St How to Be Present in Your Body Lynh Nguyen, certified in Emotional Resolution, offers a basic understanding of how emotions are made, become stuck, and how to resolve these emotions in the moment they happen.

TH (2/1), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Pinewood Derby Racing Go through a start-tofinish process shaping and designing, adding weights, and racing pinewood cars with a focus on creativity, friendly competition, and positive sportsmanship.

TH (2/1), 6:30pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave Free Intro to On Camera Auditions Class Learn the ropes of self-submitting for TV, film, and commercials, even if you're a total newbie.

TH (2/1), 7:30pm, Misfit Improv & Acting School, 573 Fairview Rd Bingo on Grove Street A fun and friendly game of bingo in the community.

FR (2/2), 10:30am, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St Crochet a Market Bag Learn how to make a reusable, machine washable market bag with drawstrings.

Students should know basic stitches and bring their own hooks.

FR (2/2), 1pm, Foundation Studios, 27 Foundy St Astronomy Club of Asheville: Public Star Gaze A public star gaze at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County. This event is free and open to everyone, and registration is not necessary to attend. A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be

posted on their website by 5:00 pm on the day of the star gaze. Sunset occurs at 5:58 pm.

Location directions at avl.mx/prxa FR (2/2), 5pm, Grassland Mountain Observatory, 2890 Grassland Parkway, Marshall Parent's Night Out: XP League Asheville Enjoy a relaxing night out and let the kid's game.

Pizza dinner is included, registration is required.

FR (2/2), 5pm, XP League Asheville, 15 Loop Rd, Ste 2B, Arden Imbolc w/Brigid: GoldRed Woman This celebration will include traditional Irish practices including walking the turas and tying clouties, as we honor Brigid through music and ritual.

FR (2/2), 7pm, All Souls Cathedral, 9 Swan St Cedar Rock Mountain Hike A moderate to difficult 8.5-mile loop hike that will take hikers from the Fish Hatchery in the Pisgah National Forest up to Cedar Rock Mountain. This is a small-group hike with a limit of 20 participants.

This is a difficult hike, and all hikers must be pre-approved.

SA (2/3), 9am, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 West State St, Black Mountain Monoprinting Valentines w/Gel Plates This workshop will cover the entire process, which includes choosing imagery and colors, exploring various ways to prepare the gel plate, and printing unique works or art on paper or cloth.

SA (2/3), 10am, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain Of Whistlepigs & World Politics Doug Elliott describes not only the natural world of the groundhog but its role in the folklore, history, mythology, and philosophy of people past and present, from Europe to the Appalachians.

SA (2/3), 10:30am, Laughing Waters Retreat Center, 3963 Gerton Hwy Gerton Bid Whist Make bids, call trumps, and win tricks. Every Saturday for fun competition with the community.

SA (2/3), 1pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St Coloring w/Cats: Kiddie Edition Coloring books and markers and of course the cats are provided for this relaxing artistic session.

SA (2/3), 1:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Introducing Phonak Slim Hearing never looked better.

The sleek and stylish look of Phonak Slim is a perfect match for your modern life. Slim blends Phonak’s best hearing technology in an aesthetically appealing look to keep you feeling unique, elegant, and connected.

Contact us for a live demonstration and experience Phonak Slim today!

828.274.6913 thehearingguy.net Celebrating 10 years of being locally owned and operated MOUNTAINX.COM

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What Would You Do Without Neuropathy Pain Several years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatments. I'm now in remission and have felt blessed to be here except for so much pain. My feet and hands were constantly burning – a tingling sensation, almost like when your leg is falling asleep," shares Barbara of Biltmore Forest.

Barbara was suffering from Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy or CIPN. While chemo kills cancer cells, it also causes much bodily damage. Nerves, especially those far from the brain, are among the first to be harmed. 30-40% of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy experience peripheral neuropathy.

"Standing all day was not just a challenge, and it caused me physical agony. Keeping up with my busy schedule – forget about it. I couldn't even go for walks in my neighborhood."

Barbara, like so many others, was prescribed Gabapentin help with the pain and told there was nothing anyone could do. In Doctors’ words, 'there is no treatment for neuropathy.'

Then Barbara found Dr. Autum Kirgan, DACM, C.SMA, L.Ac of South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness. By blending the time–tested science of acupuncture with more modern medical technology, Dr. Kirgan has designed a natural solution for peripheral neuropathy.

"Acupuncture is incredible at restoring blood flow and stimulating damaged nerves, preventing them from dying off," says Dr. Kirgan. "We take our treatments a step further by integrating FSM Therapy which targets specific nerves in the body using microcurrent. FSM Therapy is like watering a plant. This treatment will stimulate the blood vessels to grow back around the peripheral nerves and provide them with proper nutrients to heal and repair.

Visit www.southslopeacupuncture.com or call 828-575-5904 to learn more and to take advantage of their New Patient Offer THIS IS A PAID ADVERTISEMENT 42

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

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After only four weeks of treatment, Barbara is already seeing incredible improvement. "I've taken the handicap placard off my rearview mirror and I am finally back to walking my neighborhood. I can't wait to see how I feel at the end of my program! I used to think that this pain was just the price I had to pay for still being alive. Dr. Kirgan has really given me hope for a better life!"

The number of treatments needed to allow nerves to recover fully will vary from person to person and can only be estimated after a detailed neurological and vascular evaluation. If you or someone you love suffers from peripheral neuropathy (of any origin), call 828-575-5904 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Kirgan and her South Slope Acupuncture & Wellness team.

They are waiting for your call.

C OMMU NIT Y CA L E N D AR Candle Blessing & Brigid Wheels in Celebration of Imbolc A celebration of Brigid the Gold-Red Woman and Imbolc. Bring your own candle or pick up a candle from the store to have it blessed.

SA (2/3), 3pm, Asheville Raven & Crone, 555 Merrimon Ave, Ste 100 Wellness Fair Mix and mingle while learning more about getting and staying healthy.

SU (2/4), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd Weekly Sunday Scrabble Club Weekly scrabble play.

All scrabble gear provided.

SU (2/4), 1:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Telling Their Stories: A Conversation w/ Palestinian Journalists Samer, a Palestinian American journalist and Yousef, a Palestinian journalist from Hebron will discuss the difficulties of reporting on the conflict and share the stories that are not being told.

SU (2/4), 2pm, AB Tech, Ferguson Auditorium, 340 Victoria Rd The Radical Era: An Astro-Jungian View of the 2020’s w/Brian Allemana Brian Allemana, Astrologer and Jungian scholar with ties to the C.G. Jung Center in Chicago, presents a fascinating look at the Astrological patterns of our current age through a Jungian lens.

SU (2/4), 6pm, The Well, 3 Louisiana Ave Writing Your Legacy A seven-week class offered by Aging Gracefully based on the book, Writing Your Legacy: The Step-byStep Guide to Crafting Your Life Story.

MO (2/5), 10am, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville Cornhole Smash Learn about the game and its benefits from national champion Dillon Pressley. This course is a five week round robin season ending with a tournament.

MO (2/5), 11am, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd Monthly Companion Orientation Learn about our worship services, our medical respite facility, and our bi-weekly restaurant style meals and how you can get involved. We invite all to the table where the lines that separate us become invisible.

MO (2/5), 5pm, Haywood Street Congregation, 297 Haywood St

Sketchbook Club A bi-monthly gathering for sharing inspiration and collaborating on drawings while developing a consistent sketchbook.

MO (2/5), 6pm, Foundation Studios, 27 Foundy St Men's Transformational Breathwork This practice illuminates the emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual that have long awaited release from their containment. Bring a cushion to sit on.

MO (2/5), 6:30pm, Amethyst Realm, 244 Short Coxe Ave Parkinson's Support Group Lisa Laney, of Mountain Area Premier Care Navigation, will provide an overview of care management, how to find assistance with needed care, and thoughts on navigating our local healthcare systems.

TU (2/6), 10am, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd Therapeutic Recreation Adult Crafting & Cooking A variety of cooking and crafts for individuals with disabilities ages 17 and over each week. Advance registration at avlrec.com is required.

TU (2/6), 10am, Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Rd Free Six-Week Pottery Class Learn the basics of pottery in this six-week course. Start when it's convenient for you and continue for the next six weeks. Space limited, advance registration required.

TU (2/6), 2pm, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St Crafting Your Airbnb Listing Story In this course, you will learn how to create a compelling and authentic listing that connects with your guests and encourages them to book your space. Preregistration is required at avl.mx/db4.

TU (2/6), 6pm, Online Energetic Defense Series 3 of 3 An empowering and transformative energetic defense workshop where you will learn practical techniques to safeguard and elevate your energy.

TU (2/6), 6pm, Skinny Beats Drum Shop and Gallery, 4 Eagle St WNC Prostate Support Group All men, family members, partners and supporters are welcome to attend no matter their current situation with prostate cancer.

TU (2/6), 6:30pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St Tarot Club A monthly meetup that explores the Tarot as a metaphysical practice.

Each month we will study

new ways to work with the cards while engaging in personal journey work.

TU (2/6), 7pm, The Well at Mountain Magic, 3 Louisiana Ave Crafting w/Cricut Make a new craft each month using your Cricut.

For more information, call (828) 350-2058 or email kkennedy@ ashevillenc.gov.

WE (2/7), 6pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave DIY Valentine's Day Cards In this hands-on session, we will show you how to use your Cricut to make personalized cards. Preregistration is required for this class.

For more information, call (828) 350-2058 or email kkennedy@ ashevillenc.gov WE (2/7), 6pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Drop-in Community Notary Service Stop by Firestorm on the first Wednesday of each month for free, friendly, no-judgment Notary Public services.

WE (2/7), 6pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd Healthcare Workers Professional & Social Networking MeetUp Mix and mingle with other people who are new to or veterans in healthcare. This event encourages people to swap stories, share experiences, net work and make new friends in the industry.

WE (2/7), 6pm, plēb urban winery, 289 Lyman St WNC Sierra Club: What You Are Doing Right About Recycling?

Learn why much of the material that should be recycled ends up in the landfill. Find out what you can do to help change that.

WE (2/7), 7pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd Sales & Service for Introverted Business Owners Explore how not being a salesperson can be your strongest asset in actually making sales.

Learn methods and mindset to leverage your strengths as an introvert to grow your business.

Preregistration is required at avl.mx/db5.

TH (2/8), 10:30am, Online MBBC Networking Event w/Focus on Leadership A monthly networking meeting with a special guest speaker. The meeting will focus on why leadership is key and there will be food, conversation and networking.

TH (2/8), 11:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Conserving Carolina: Green Drinks Learn about the latest developments on planning and construction of the Ecusta Trail, as well as potential trail enhancements and connections that could occur in the future.

TH (2/8), 6pm, Trailside Brewing Co, 873 Lennox Park Dr, Hendersonville Mosaic Jewelry Making 101 All supplies and tools will be provided for you as well as detailed instruction and a demonstration.

TH (2/8), 6pm, Foundation Studios, 27 Foundy St Notworking AVL A social scene welcoming all types of healers such as therapists, counselors, social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, intuitive healers, reiki practitioners, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and others who support healing.

TH (2/8), 6pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St The Remembrance Project: Remembering & Honoring Individuals of Record Lynched in Buncombe County Dr. Joseph Fox will share information on the Equal Justice Initiative’s Lynching Research Project, in which the number of racial terror lynchings increased throughout the South after the Civil War. TH (2/8), 6pm, Christmount Christian Assembly, 222 Fern Way, Black Mountain

SA (2/3), 11am, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS Twilight Job Fair A hiring event featuring almost 40 employers that will be on-site and available to speak with potential candidates. To learn more details including the list of employers visit avl.mx/db1.

WE (1/31), 3pm, WNC Ag Center (Boone Building), 761 Boylston Hwy, Fletcher 2024 White Squirrel Day In keeping with Brevard tradition, Pisgah Penny will not only predict whether there will be six more weeks of winter, but she will also predict the winner of the upcoming Super Bowl football game.

FR (2/2), 10am, Mary C. Jenkins Community and Cultural Center, 221 Mills Ave, Brevard Black Storytelling This family-friendly celebration will feature history and culture with live music, community, conversations poetry, makers market as well as food and drinks. This event that explores the

black narrative though many forms is free and open to the public.

FR (2/2), 5pm, The Block (on Eagle and Market), 39 S Market Groundhog Day This free event celebrates Groundhog Day, second chances and renewal with an open house. Walk through the halls of Hazelwood Elementary School building and see what studio artist delights lie within each classroom. A food truck will be on site and there will be games, drinks and prizes.

FR (2/2), 5pm, Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave, Waynesville Assembly Required: Asheville Designer Toy Expo The premiere destination for independent designer, bootleg and art toy artists and collectors.

Focusing on independent artists, it is the largest gathering of its kind created by independent artists, exclusively for independent artists.

SA (2/3, 4), 11am, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave Community Day Learn more about the work, mission, staff and volunteers. Play with adoptable kitties and learn how to get

involved with fostering and volunteering.

SA (2/3), noon, Esther Neonatal Kitten Alliance, 21 Pond St, Arden Winter Sound Music Festival 2024 An unforgettable day of music and community spirit to celebrate local talent and a vital fundraiser for the Arts Council's Artists in Schools program.

SA (2/3), 1pm, Oklawaha Brewing Co., 147 1st Ave E, Hendersonville Valentine's Dinner An evening of good food and entertainment.

All are invited and welcome and this event is not limited to couples.

Funds will support FBC Outreach Ministries SU (2/4), 5pm, First Baptist Church of Black Mountain, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Love, Marquee An evening of entertainment, sweet treats, interactive art, surprises through the night, and a dance party by a live DJ. TH (2/8), 6pm, Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St Land of the Sky Swing Soirée Dress up as your favorite movie, book or tv character and celebrate Swing Asheville's one year anniversary with dancing and music by

the Mary Kay and the Moonlighters as well as DJ Frankie B. TH (2/8), 7pm, Alley Cat, 797 Haywood Rd

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING R2S Reading Tutor Support unlocking a student's potential.

Volunteer as a Read to Succeed tutor with training included. Work one-to-one or in small groups during and after school. Register at avl.mx/d9g to volunteer.

WE (1/31), 6pm, Online Warming Shelter & Sanctuary In addition to a warm, welcoming space to share a meal with neighbors, Saturday Sanctuary offers restrooms, phone charging, videos, popcorn and a safe place to rest.

SA (2/3), 11am, First Presbyterian Church Asheville, 40 Church St Paws & Pints Adoption Day Each month you can meet adoptable pups from Charlie's Angels Animal Rescue and enjoy drinks from Hillman.

SU (2/4), 1pm, Hillman Beer, 25 Sweeten Creek Rd

Dharma Talk: Paul Linn Meditation followed by a Dharma talk on Buddhist principles applied to daily life with Paul Linn. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

TH (2/8), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Nerd Nite February A monthly event held in 100+ cities around the world featuring fun-yet-informative presentations across a variety of subjects.

TH (2/8), 7pm, The River Arts District Brewing Co., 13 Mystery St

LOCAL MARKETS RAD Farmers Market Winter Season Browse 30+ local vendors all winter long with fresh produce, pastured meats, baked goods, honey, and more. Safely accessible by bike or foot on the greenway, plus free public parking along Riverside Drive.

WE (1/31, 2/7), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Valentine Gift Market Enjoy live music, local food, artisan goods, and gifts for him and her.

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WELLNESS

Over the rainbow The joys and pains of parenthood after infant loss

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Most people see Amanda Demsky of Tryon as a busy mother with her hands full. She has a 5-year-old son, Noah, and infant triplets named Claire, Sadie and Ellie. But she also carries something others cannot see: the grief of two pregnancy losses.

Demsky and her husband are the parents of rainbow babies — children born to a family after an infant loss like a stillbirth, miscarriage or termination. There are a lot of rainbow babies out there, even if not every family uses the term. Miscarriage, which is the ending of a pregnancy before 20 weeks, occurs in 10%-20% of known pregnancies, according to Planned Parenthood. Stillbirth, which is the ending of a pregnancy after 20 weeks, occurs in one out of every 160 pregnancies.

Some parents who suffer a pregnancy loss describe feeling as if a bubble of innocence has burst.

“When we lose an infant, the world as we assume it would be is severed,” explains Katherine Hyde-Hensley, a psychologist and rainbow child mother who is certified as a perinatal loss care provider. Welcoming

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a rainbow baby can bring complex emotions: These parents don’t want to get hopeful again because they know that even when a heartbeat sounds strong and even when Mom feels a kick, a pregnancy can still end in heartbreaking loss.

‘IT SHOULD BE MAGICAL’ When parents learn they are pregnant again after infant loss, they may want to celebrate, but they also worry about making a connection with a child who might not live. “They don’t allow themselves to think into the future,” explains Hyde-Hensley.

“They take one day at a time.” This self-protection mechanism, while understandable, can sap the feeling of joy from the pregnancy and make it feel difficult for parents to bond, she says.

Jenna Crawford of Arden lost her daughter Abigail in 2021 during her 38th or 39th week of gestation. As soon as her next pregnancy was confirmed, she and her husband, Garry, began attending a weekly virtual support group provided by the Star Legacy Foundation for pregnancy after loss. All the parents in the group were stricken with the same anxiety about their next pregnancy outcome.

The Crawfords progressed through almost all three trimesters in a state of incredulity. “When we got to 36 weeks, we realized, ‘Oh, this could actually be a thing, we could actually end up having a baby,’” Garry recalls. They intentionally hadn’t readied their home for a newborn; the car seat, stroller and clothes they had purchased years ago for Abigail were kept in storage at Jenna’s parents’ house.

Demsky, the mother of triplets, also experienced anxiety during her successive pregnancies.

She called her pregnancy with Noah straightforward: “what you hope for with your first pregnancy — you want it to be magical and

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PARENTING THROUGH GRIEF: Jenna Crawford of Arden welcomed a rainbow baby, Raine, in November after losing her elder daughter, Abigail, at about 38 weeks of gestation in 2021. Abigail is “never too far away from our minds and our hearts,” Crawford says. Photo by Jessica Wakeman it should be magical.” When Noah was 2 years old, Demsky became pregnant again. But during a routine 15-week checkup at her obstetrician’s office, she learned that her baby, whom she and her husband had named Ethan, no longer had a heartbeat. It’s unknown why his heartbeat stopped. Demsky says it was more important to lay Ethan to rest than to expend effort on testing.

In 2022, Demsky experienced another pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. This pregnancy was different from the beginning, based on her experience of losing Ethan.

“From the moment I took a pregnancy test, I was excited and scared because I was afraid we’d repeat our experience,” she recalls. At eight weeks, Demsky and her husband learned her fetus had no heartbeat.

Facing painful medical decisions, she chose to wait for her body to miscarry, ultimately with the help of misoprostol. But she suffered heavy blood loss, resulting in hospitalization and further procedures. She says she was not only mourning the

pregnancy loss but also petrified that she might die and leave her son without a mother. She hadn’t told Noah about the pregnancy, she says, because after her first miscarriage, “it took him over a year to stop asking where the baby in my tummy went.” She also hadn’t told family or friends because telling them about the first miscarriage had been so awful. But now the experience was “harder because I felt like I had to deal with it alone.”

In late 2022, Demsky became pregnant with triplets. She was “terrified” about carrying triplets, she says.

Multiples are already high risk, as are pregnancies in women over age 35.

Demsky was anxious right up until each infant was delivered by cesarean section at 35 weeks at Mission Hospital. Even in the 20 minutes between the time when doctors listened to the girls’ heartbeats and the time when she was wheeled into an operating room, she was worried about her babies’ survival.

Relief only came once she heard them cry.

Holistic Mercury Safe Dentistry ‘A NEW OUTCOME’ The Crawfords both say they experienced post-traumatic stress disorder after Abigail’s stillbirth. They created a private code to communicate about Jenna’s next pregnancy, where she would let Garry know whenever she felt a kick in utero. “We came to an arrangement where if she could text, she would text me ‘squiggle,’” Garry says. “That’s all I needed, just ‘squiggle.’ And I knew she was moving.”

The couple worked with Ali Monkemeyer, a perinatal nurse navigator at Mission Hospital who specializes in helping expectant families navigate the health care process during high-risk pregnancies, which includes prior pregnancy loss. She follows their care throughout pregnancy.

For some, like the Crawfords, just entering the hospital can be emotionally triggering. They remember a specific room or hallway from the time of the pregnancy loss, or they might feel panicked when looking at an ultrasound because they remember seeing one that had no movement.

(Conversely, “some people say that they blank, and they don’t remember anything” about being in the hospital during the loss, Monkemeyer says.)

To address their anxiety, the Crawfords took multiple private tours of the hospital to expose themselves to the medical space when they were not under pressure, Monkemeyer says. They also had rainbow baby signs posted in the delivery room and hospital room so that everyone interacting with them during their birth knew of the family’s situation.

The Crawfords welcomed their new daughter, Raine, on Nov. 1.

The simplistic assumption of welcoming children after pregnancy loss is that the joy of expanding a family makes everything better. But in reality, parents of rainbow children are parenting through their grief.

Raine’s big sister, Abigail, is “never too far away from our minds and our

hearts,” Jenna says. But the pregnancy loss creates a void, one that doesn’t go away, and as parents, “you just kind of have to figure out what to do with it,” she continues. “And Raine does not fill Abigail’s void, of course. She’s her own [person].”

Their pregnancy-after-loss support group helped them separate the experiences of the two pregnancies. “This is a new baby, this is a chance for a new outcome,” says Jenna of Raine, who snuggles against her mother’s chest wearing a monster onesie. “This is not a subsequent pregnancy with Abigail — it’s Raine’s story.”

RAISING RAINBOWS Hyde-Hensley, the psychologist, says during a pregnancy after loss, mothers can “hold a lot of anxiety in their nervous system that directly impacts their rainbow baby.” And while raising a child, an anxious caregiver can inadvertently create separation anxiety that is really hard for both parents and kids. “The child senses that and is afraid to leave the parent because of the emotional enmeshment that comes from love and fear,” she explains.

Hyde-Hensley is the parent of a rainbow baby who is now in high school. Over time she learned to trust others caring for her daughter, but that was difficult. And “it was really hard to raise my rainbow and try to not have her live in the shadow of my sadness,” she says.

Some parents who experienced pregnancy loss will still think about the age their late child might be now, or what their life might have looked like. “You’re always going to wonder who they would have been,” says Demsky. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about them.”

She continues, “But I don’t usually allow myself to go in too deep because there’s so much I have to keep up with — with my 5-year-old and my girls.” X

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Psychologists discuss the therapeutic side of ketamine

BY LISA ALLEN

 No GRE required

46

WELLNESS

Ketamine rocketed to public awareness after the October death of actor Matthew Perry. Local therapists and psychiatrists have been trying to tamp down misconceptions about the drug ever since.

Asheville psychologist Sandra Newes, along with her colleague, Signi Goldman, say ketamine is a versatile, safe and effective treatment for mental health issues and addiction if administered by skilled practitioners.

Their team at Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry offers these services. They also train therapists and medical professionals through the Living Medicine Institute.

Concierge Medicine and Psychiatry uses ketamine therapy for treating depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and chronic pain. According to Newes, ketamine also helps ease the detox process for those struggling with substance dependence.

At high doses, ketamine works as an anesthetic. At midrange it can be a psychedelic, which can help with therapy breakthroughs. At lower doses, it has a mild dissociative effect, which helps reduce symptoms of depression and other mental health issues.

“It’s part of the psychedelic renaissance,” Goldman says.

Xpress spoke with Newes and Goldman to learn more about the pros and cons of the drug.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Xpress: What’s a common misconception about ketamine?

Newes: The fact that it’s used in clinical settings doesn’t mean it’s safe to use recreationally. Ketamine use for therapy and recreational use are nothing alike. Treatment involves preparation, integration and goal setting.

Goldman: Ketamine should only be used in a clinical setting in the presence of a professional. Then it’s used with intention.

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SWEET SPOT: Signi Goldman, left, and Sandra Newes administer ketamine at their mental heath clinic. Photo courtesy of Newes Does ketamine have adverse effects?

Newes: Like a bad trip? That’s more common with recreational abuse. We can control the dose. It’s an IV drip.

The staff members that facilitate sessions monitor patients very carefully, and we can stop it at any time. Its effect is much, much shorter than LSD or longer-acting psychedelics, which can be a 12-hour dose. Ketamine treatment is about 50 minutes, and we have control over the IV. If someone get anxious, within minutes, the effects of ketamine disappear.

Then there is caretaking after treatment. We don’t let people leave our office without them being emotionally and physically well. Bad trips can happen in recreational settings where people take more than they intended ... and they experience something they hadn’t planned for and without support. The effects are not what they intended. This can be terrifying because ketamine is a very powerful psychedelic. If you go into that without intention, it catches you off guard.

How does ketamine work in therapy?

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Goldman: You can use ketamine to treat depression or trauma without it being a psychedelic. But as a psychedelic, it opens people up to new ways of seeing and helps shift patterns, so people make more progress in therapy.

Are there concerns about addiction?

Newes: Recreational use is on the rise, and ketamine can be addictive.

Tolerance can build up, and you can get cravings or preoccupations. It’s particularly prevalent with nasal sprays or oral lozenges.

What about its use in emergency services? Two paramedics in Colorado were convicted of criminally negligent homicide in December in the death of Elijah McClain, who died in 2019 after he was injected with ketamine and then restrained.

Goldman: Ketamine can be used [by first responders in some states] to calm combative people. [Emergency services] officers sometimes use it to sedate people. But the doses we use are vastly lower. I read that they gave [McClain] 500 milligrams. We typically use between 35 mg and 70 mg.

What should you look for in providers if you think ketamine would be helpful for you?

Goldman: As ketamine gets more widespread, we’re going to see more people misuse it. Choose a provider with a high level of ethics. For example, we don’t send people home with psychedelic doses. The Living Medicine Institute also trains providers in the safe use of ketamine. Practitioners have to hone their skills. X

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ARTS & CULTURE

WITH CAYLA CLARK

Somewhat effective ways to stay fit in Asheville

BY CAYLA CLARK caylaclark73@gmail.com January is over, which means New Year’s resolutions have likely fallen by the wayside. If you’re anything like me, you completely lack conviction. Half-assed promises to “eat better” and “exercise more” have turned into mountains of stale pizza crust and remorse.

Fortunately, I have gathered some of Asheville’s most insightful standup comedians to keep us motivated and educated. This very special edition of “Best Medicine” features my very own boo-thang, Ryan Gordon — better known for his expert joke telling and heart of Southern gold.

Also in the lineup is Alex Parsons, a hilarious comedian who has taught me plenty about orgy etiquette — from his comedy, I mean; not from, like, attendance at, um. … Oh, and the gorgeous and wildly creative Miranda Allison! Miranda, who co-hosts The Hot Seat at Alley Cat Social Club on Mondays at 8 p.m., has quickly become one of my favorite Asheville comedians.

Along with their critiques of New Year’s resolutions and health tips, these three comedians are an extremely romantic bunch, willing to impart some Valentine’s Day-related wisdom. So grab your stale pizza crust and enjoy.

Cayla: What’s one resolution you plan to stick to for the remainder of 2024?

Alex: I’m on a journey of constant self-improvement. You know, trying to do and be better than the day before. Therefore, I think resolutions are built to fail, sort of like the bike lane on Merrimon. Instead, I like the

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HEALTHY CHATTER: Cayla Clark, top left, returns with her latest round of local comedians to discuss the futility of New Year’s resolutions, staying in shape (kind of) and Valentine’s Day. Also pictured, clockwise from top right, Alex Parsons, Miranda Allison and Ryan Gordon. Photos of Clark and Gordon

by Donnie Rex Bishop; photos of Parsons and Allison courtesy of the comedians idea of free-falling into a new year and seeing what I can learn from my many, many, many inevitable mistakes; I suppose all while reducing the number of repeated mishaps

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from the previous year(s). After all ... if I’m only making new mistakes, I can allow myself to feel less remorse and eat more pizza crust.

So far, though, I have been making this my year of committing to more strict disciplines as a comedian by setting aside structured time for writing and by creating opportunities for myself and others — like the recurring show I’m starting in February at Static Age Loft. Balance is key.

So I’m also planning on not doing things I don’t have energy or time

for. My resolution is the revolution of me. Mwahahaha!

Ryan: Well, I wouldn’t say that I’m really big into what people would call “self-improvement” or even “linear time,” so that can make New Year’s resolutions kind of difficult. At one point in my life, I was into studying Eastern philosophies and came across the idea of purposelessness or effortless action, and I kind of wish I hadn’t. Turns out, this particular philosophy can make it quite difficult to try to accomplish anything at all.

Now that I’m in my 30s, I’ve come to the realization that I will probably never change, and it’s a pretty freeing feeling.

If I had to choose, though, I’d say maybe I’ll try to go back to community college to become a doctor so I can actually afford to live here.

Miranda: Unlike Alex, I prefer to do mental gymnastics. Why tell my body to try something new when I can just overthink every possible circumstance?

We’ve all heard the quote “Treat others how you’d like to be treated.”

This year, however, I have resolved to treat myself the way I treat others.

So, if my internal critic is a little extraboisterous, I will simply say what I’ve said to many of my peers: “I’m bored with this conversation, goodbye.”

Cayla: Wow, I’m really into all of these ideas. Especially the one Ryan mentioned about effortless action.

That one sounds a lot easier than the stuff Alex and Miranda touched on.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, structured writing time and self-kindness sound great. But have you heard of binging Max and muttering, “I could’ve written this show,” between mouthfuls of Häagen Dazs?

Speaking of living life in savasana, I consistently pay West Asheville Yoga a monthly membership fee, yet I haven’t attended a single class in roughly four months. (Maybe nine.)

Every morning I wake up and think, “This is it. Today is the day I make it to a yoga class.” At around noon, I think, “Damn, I’ve already eaten about 12 pounds of cheese. If I go to yoga today, I might publicly fart. I’ll try again tomorrow.” There are few things as humiliating as a down dog cheese fart.

Anyway, this is all beside the point.

My resolution is to curse less.

Cayla: In addition to not going to yoga and eating a grotesque amount of f***ing cheese on a daily basis, I incorporate pole dancing into my personal health and wellness routine. Pole has been great for my core strength and floor twerks.

I’ve been taking weekly classes at DanceClub Asheville with Kathleen Hahn for the past two years. I haven’t improved even a little bit in those two years, but that’s because I’m just really bad at most things.

Not a reflection of her teaching skills, which are unmatched.

What’s the best way you stay in shape in Asheville?

Alex: I don’t own a car. How’s that for a reduced carbon footprint? So, I leave my footprints all over by strutting these lanky tree trunks I call legs across these hilly terrain of our fair city. Commuting this way — up and down, and up and down, and (you guessed it) down and up — releases endorphins, gets the heart rate going and the blood pumping. All of which

keeps me shaped this way and leaves me completely out of breath and rather hungry most of the time.

Cayla: Wasn’t Asheville rated one of the least walkable towns in America?

Alex: Almost definitely yes. It is absolute hell on earth to get around here on foot. I was told by an Uber driver recently that Asheville is used as an example of how not to design a city in some university civics engineering courses. Pretty whacky.

Ryan: It may seem counterproductive, but I’d say probably a pub crawl. Especially in Asheville, where a pub crawl easily turns into a marathon if you stop at every brewery in town. Or honestly just try and walk literally anywhere. Between all the hills and dodging all the cars on the roads without sidewalks, you’re sure to burn some calories.

Alex: I couldn’t agree more, Ryan.

I only ever felt OK about consuming too many Village Tarts at Noble Cider during the Freshen Up open mic if I did laps up and down Walnut Street afterward.

Miranda: Wow, you guys are making me feel a lot better about never

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AR T S & C UL TU R E walking anywhere. I don’t even go into Ingles anymore because the walking is too much.

Ryan: Every few months I go back to Planet Fitness and watch stand-up specials while I ride on the exercise bike. Honestly, that feels like enough.

But going that infrequently means I’m not very in shape or very funny.

Unfortunately, I don’t really like the gym that much. I also don’t like the cold, which means I can’t go walk around at the park and wonder how we let the French Broad River become radioactive. Some people like a runner’s high, but I prefer a nice walker’s buzz.

Miranda: Cigarettes and coffee are a girl’s best friend when it comes to maintaining that chic silhouette.

This year, though, I have ditched the chemicals and will be trying out new shapes. To be real, I think it’s important that we let our bodies meander naturally through the BMI chart.

Instead of chasing thin, I am throwing away my Walmart mirror and learning how to mend my clothes.

Cayla: Honestly, yes. Time to tune out the sociocultural messages encouraging us to embrace the “ultra-thin ideal.” Having grown up in Southern California (through no

fault of my own), superficiality was ingrained in me from a young age.

Since my youth, I have been on a mission to love myself in all of my ebbs, flows and fluxes. Radical self-acceptance, to me, sounds much more appealing than working toward an unrealistic beauty standard. Wait, Ryan, is radical self-acceptance an Eastern philosophy thing?

Ryan: Well, I don’t know if that’s entirely true, and I’m certainly no expert. But judging by American culture, it definitely seems like radical self-acceptance did not originate here.

Cayla: OK, final topic! Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. Fortunately, Asheville is the most romantic city in the world (after Paris, France, and maybe Myrtle Beach, S.C.).

This year, I’m forcing my sweetie to buy a ticket to Blind Date Live, a live dating show that I created and co-produce alongside Double Dip Productions. Because the show takes place on Wednesday, Feb. 14, at The Grey Eagle, our V-Day is spoken for. What are your plans?

And what’s the most romantic thing to do in Asheville?

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Alex: Anything can be romantic if you have good chemistry with your certain someone(s). Eating chicken wings, going for a drive on the parkway and tourist watching are definitely good ways to explore your connection. I’ve found that some of my best friendships and deepest connections with lovers stem from eating messy food, exploring nature and creatively insulting clueless out-of-towners.

And recently, thanks to Blind Date Live, I’ve discovered more than just a rad bromance here in town. Because of the show, I get to spend a lot of my time with our city’s talented drag queens and expose them to the wonderful world of comedy this town has to offer. Together, we’re slowly but surely making this already queer and silly place even queer-er and sillier! *See aforementioned evil laughter.* So, on Valentine’s Day, I’m absolutely going to be in attendance at The Grey Eagle with my fellow alumni for what promises to be an entertaining night of romantic hijinks.

Cayla: For the record, I did not pay him to say that. My heart is, however, melting.

Ryan: I’m not exactly what a lot of people would consider a king of romance. If I had to guess, I’d say the most romantic thing to do in Asheville is to stay in, maybe watch a movie and just enjoy each other’s company. Possibly plan a way to dismantle our current oppressive economic system. Nothing too crazy.

Miranda: I’m with the boys on this one. I love a good romantic night in.

There’s nothing that boosts my serotonin quite like getting cozy on the couch and rewatching old shows. But because my cat prefers to tackle lamps and stare at ghosts, I’ve been trying to get out more. As we know, it’s illegal to dislike Valentine’s Day. But many people don’t know that prison is one of the best places to find a mate. So, in the true spirit of the holiday, I will be putting cherry bombs in mailboxes and running around downtown in my underwear. (Kidding, of course.)

In all actuality, come Valentine’s Day you will see me at the Asheville Music Hall for the Disclaimer open mic. I will be crying and eating chocolate cake with my hands.

Cayla: I love crying and eating chocolate cake with my hands. I do agree with Alex: Anything can be romantic alongside the right person(s). The most romantic thing Ryan and I do regularly is make Instagram reels that gently poke fun at ourselves and Asheville as a whole. Turns out, collaborating on creative endeavors is my love language. Screw physical touch, let’s co-produce a show. Gift-giving, who? Time to drive to Tennessee for a 10-minute gig, baby. X

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Aging Backwards I had back pain for most of my life and as I aged, I constantly needed to consider just what I could do and how far I could even walk. I was sedentary, putting on weight and unhappy, but I didn’t know what to do to change this downward slide.

At 57 years old, I was drawn to take a workshop that turned out to be an introduction to the Kaiut Yoga Method, which I had never heard of before. Afterwards, I felt unbelievably good! Not cured, but better and hopeful.

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

ARTS

From the bayou to the mountains A look at Asheville’s creative connection to New Orleans

BY CHRIS KAMMERER ckammerer33@gmail.com Meschiya Lake plays every other Friday night at 5 Walnut in downtown Asheville, joined by a rotating cast of musicians. Lake’s voice blooms in a wild mix of grace and grit, her arms replete with tattoos and face adorned with piercings.

Depending on whom she’s brought along, she’s either resurrecting old jazz tunes or snaking through the tall grass of country blues.

On a chilly December night, she is joined onstage by her close friend and longtime music partner, Erika Lewis. Lewis moved to Asheville in 2019, Lake arrived in June. The duo met over 15 years ago in New Orleans, the town that taught them both how to make noise for a living.

Around the room, nearly a dozen people in the audience have also relocated from New Orleans to Asheville in recent years, most of them artists of one stripe or another. They recognize themselves as part of a quiet cultural exchange between the two cities — one that’s been happening for more than a decade. Some now call Asheville their permanent home, while others enjoy splitting their time between the two places. Meanwhile, a few recent arrivals have discovered the move is more challenging than they’d anticipated.

SO LONG Back in 2007, Lewis was working as an extra in a movie when she got a phone call from Lake. Irritated by the “hurry up and wait; here’s some cheese puffs if you’re hungry” Hollywood treatment, she answered.

“I’ve got a good [busking] spot on Royal [Street],” Lake told Lewis. “It’s beautiful out! Come down here now and play with me.”

Lewis walked off the set and found her friend in the French Quarter. The first song they played was a Lewis original, “So Long.” As they performed, a well-dressed man stopped to listen. When the song was over, he handed them each a $100 bill.

“We were like, ‘We’re gonna make it!’” remembers Lewis, who quit her coffee shop job and began regularly busking with Lake several times a week. “That was the beginning of doing music more seriously and sup52

JAN. 31 - FEB. 6, 2024

DUET: Erika Lewis, left, and Meschiya Lake perform at 5 Walnut. Both artists relocated to Asheville by way of New Orleans. Photo by Chris Kammerer porting myself that way,” she says.

The pair went on to form Magnolia Beacon, a gypsy country band.

Less than a year later, Lewis started busking with a group of musicians who’d all recently disbanded from other projects. They played traditional New Orleans jazz tunes, birthing the brass band now known as Tuba Skinny. The group soon grew a domestic and international following and often stopped in Asheville as they toured the East Coast. Meanwhile, Lake formed Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns and began touring across the U.S. and Europe.

“We were in this bubble of a lot of young, transient kids who came [to New Orleans] after [Hurricane] Katrina,” says Lewis. “Some to do work, some just to live in a place that they could afford to live in. And so we

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all kind of created this community out of that.”

Lake notes that music is “the fabric of the culture” in New Orleans, with a high level of musicianship. “But I’ve found a high level of musicianship here, too,” she says of Asheville.

A CREATIVE SANCTUARY At 5 Walnut, Lake and Lewis swing into a dark rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Their down-tempo, minor-key version wraps the song in a ragged temperament as they tromp their boots in rhythm and belt earthy-angelic harmonies.

At one table sits Rima Khalek.

For the last three years, she’s split her time between Asheville and New Orleans. Khalek is a photographer, metal worker and mixed-media artist whose work combines traditional art

materials and found organic objects.

These days, she embeds her photography in large pieces of pine that she burns and carves.

“Initially, I wanted to use found wood in New Orleans from abandoned houses,” says Khalek. “But the integrity wasn’t there, so I help fresh wood along a little [by burning it].” The pieces convey a worn and tattered beauty that mirrors the aesthetic of the City That Care Forgot. Recently, she’s started experimenting with old cabinet doors that she finds in Asheville’s abundant reuse stores.

When in North Carolina, Khalek lives in a house in West Asheville with five other people, four of whom are artists. She walks dogs professionally and creates new pieces in preparation for the months in New Orleans, where she sells her art on Royal Street and Pirate’s Alley.

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“Asheville is the sanctuary that I go to to be able to create the work that I’ve been inspired by in New Orleans,” says Khalek. For her, splitting time between the two cities has been a blessing. “You get the magical life force of New Orleans that also comes with the darkness — you can fill your bottle with that. And then you can fill your bottle with mountains, fresh air and streams.”

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DREAMS MEET REALITY Over at the bar, singer and jazz pianist Jenna McSwain sits with her husband, Matthew Martinez, an actor born and raised in New Orleans. The couple moved to Barnardsville in August with their two kids.

McSwain is originally from Charleston, S.C. For as long as the two have been dating, they’ve come up to Asheville to hike and camp in the summer. But last year, a couple they met at a spiritual retreat offered them a place to stay. For the past five months, they’ve been living on a hillside in the woods near Wild Abundance, a permaculture school.

In exchange for rent, Martinez and McSwain have tended the land and built a bathroom for their tiny home.

Musicians who’ve made the move notice a major change of rhythm, as far as work goes. Whereas in New Orleans gigs pop up constantly, and the party-strewn streets offer plenty of opportunities to make decent money, Asheville requires some strategy and patience in finding a steady musical niche.

A few weeks after the show at 5 Walnut, McSwain and Martinez are sitting around a fire in their dormant garden, explaining why they’re moving back to New Orleans. When they returned to The Big Easy for the holidays, they found several artistic opportunities — work they could not find in like quantity after six months in Buncombe County.

Lewis has had a similar struggle.

Since 2007, she’s made her living through music — until this past year.

“I was nannying and doing some odd jobs [to get by],” she says. “I’ve never been so broke in my life than I am right now. And I’m also making more money than I was making [in New Orleans], so you do the math.”

For the last three years she’s lived in a cottage off Town Mountain Road with her 5-year-old, paying rent that is barely affordable. She doesn’t know what she’ll do when she has to leave the place.

Lake says she’s also figuring out how to make full-time music sustainable in Asheville. Even with multiple regular gigs downtown, she’s relying

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RECENT ARRIVALS: Jenna McSwain, left, and Quinn Sternberg perform at Crow & Quill. Both moved from New Orleans to Asheville within the last year.

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PROS AND CONS How these musicians might have fared before or in the absence of the pandemic is impossible to know. Regardless, gentrification has been encroaching on both New Orleans and Asheville long before COVID’s arrival.

Still, Asheville offers a sense of calm, safety and healing that The Big Easy sometimes lacks.

“I love New Orleans; it’ll always be home. It’s where I learned most everything about music, which is my life,” says Lake. Yet during the pandemic, a traumatic circumstance ultimately led her to leave the city.

“I just needed my nervous system to be able to heal, which is hard to do when you have to lock your doors and worry about getting carjacked.

On a very real level, there’s like a survival stress there.”

Additional issues such as contaminated drinking water, high lead levels, theft, violence and the looming threat of rising sea levels persuaded these artists — many of whom are in their 30s and 40s and raising kids — to try to make it happen somewhere else. Asheville’s proximity and complementary spirit made it an obvious choice.

“I don’t think there’s that many cities in the country where you can go out and find live music nearly any day of the week,” Lewis says.

“This is an alternate universe,” adds McSwain. “The Blue Ridge Mountains here and New Orleans are like portals; they have this vortex energy.”

Until a better portal opens up elsewhere in the country, Asheville and New Orleans remain two Southern poles for artistic exploration, each with its own flavor and identity, despite ongoing pressures that make both places more difficult for artists to call home. X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD

Fresh Dish

Steven Goff on comfort food and gas-station charcuterie

BY ANDY HALL ahall@mountainx.com In January 2023, Xpress visited with chef Steven Goff shortly after he purchased West Asheville’s Tastee Diner. At the time, Goff had recently renovated the space and updated its menu, which includes classic comfort food as well as upscale dishes.

More recently, Goff extended Tastee Diner’s hours. The restaurant is now open until 3 a.m. five days a week, filling a void in the city’s late-night eats offerings.

A year later, Xpress caught back up with Goff to discuss gas-station charcuterie, radishes and great food destinations outside of Western North Carolina.

Xpress: What is a dish on Tastee Diner’s menu that you feel is not getting the attention that it deserves?

Well, I’ve been surprised a lot lately. We’ve moved a lot of the dinner stuff around, got rid of charcuterie and cheese and some of the more upscale stuff, and played around more with pastas. So now, everything’s kind of all getting ordered [laughs].

Do you still have the Slim Jim Dip? We don’t! That was one that didn’t sell for sh*t. I loved that dish because it reminds me of my childhood. I’ve always loved gas-station charcuterie.

And so that was kind of an homage to that. It was Slim Jim, cream cheese, a little barbecue rub and seasonings, served with pork rinds.

But it was too far out, I guess; people just didn’t get it. I understand.

It’s different. It’s a little weird. And I think maybe it was too much of a mix, an upscale pate with gas-station ingredients. But the high-low is my favorite thing. I love going somewhere where I can get a pate or a tartare and then a cheeseburger.

I think also it’s just a huge menu, so we’re going to whittle it down and make it a little easier and more approachable when you sit down and decide what the hell you want to eat.

Obviously, we’ll still put in all the love and care, and it’ll all be handmade.

Outside of your own, what’s a local dish that you’ve tried in the last month that left a big impression?

I rarely get to go out. But Baby Bull is by my house, so anything from them. But their fried fish sandwich is so good. They get the crisp just right, and they usually put the right amount of sauce on it. It’s also the right ratio of fish to bun. People don’t think about that with casual restaurants, but every bit of food is thought out.

What’s a good seasonal ingredient underrepresented in home cooking?

I don’t feel like people at home use enough radishes. I love radishes.

Sometimes I’ll just slice them in half and sear them on one side until they’re almost black and real crispy.

And then just toss them in butter, herbs and lemon juice. That’s it. Any root vegetable is great for that.

I love whole, raw radishes from the farmers market with butter and sea salt. It’s a classic French way to eat them. I’ve tried to put that on a menu a thousand times, and that’s something that would never get ordered — ever.

I also use radishes a lot of times as hors d’oeuvres. I’ll cut a little hole in half a radish and fill that with whipped nduja, which is a spreadable salami. Maybe top it with some crispy garlic from the Asian store or with chervil.

Shaving them raw is a really nice way to go, too. I’ll shave radishes in my salads, on my tacos; they also go great in soups. And you can use the greens, too. They have a little spice.

I cook them down like collards. You can make chimichurri or pesto with the greens as well. There are so many good uses for them.

What kind of cuisine do you think we need more of in Asheville?

I feel like we don’t have enough Turkish or Middle Eastern cuisines.

The ones we have are great, but we only have a very few. It’s such a cool region of the world, and their techniques and dishes are varied and different. Kibbeh is one of the coolest things in the world to me. You make a dough out of the meat; how cool is that?

Suzy [Phillips, owner of Gypsy Queen Cuisine] kills it. She’s an amazing chef and does such a good job. We just need more.

HIGH AND LOW: Steven Goff, owner and executive chef of Tastee Diner, says he’s as much a fan of gas-station charcuterie as he is of fine dining. Photo

by Andy Hall What’s a favorite food destination within driving distance of Asheville that readers should add to their list?

I love going to the Triangle because it’s so much stuff in one little spot. There’s this pupuseria on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh that has no visible name; I have no idea what it’s called. It has some of the best pupusas I’ve ever had ... besides Pupuseria Patty.

There’s a pho place I like to go to called Soo Cafe that also has Korean fried chicken. There’s Pho & Crawfish 79, a Vietnam and Cajunstyle restaurant with crawfish and pho in the same spot. There’s also tons of awesome grocery store-sized international markets.

My friend Preeti [Waas] has a place called Cheeni Indian Food Emporium in Raleigh. She just opened her Durham location. Also in Durham, there’s Mother & Sons

Trattoria and Mateo Bar de Tapas, right on the main street. Queeny’s in Durham has these amazing burgers. Anything Scott Crawford does is awesome; he has Jolie and Crawford and Son in Raleigh, which I love. He’s opening up a Croatian Mediterranean restaurant called Brodeto soon, too.

The main thing I miss from living in the Triangle is having almost any nationality’s cuisine represented. That’s the thing that I feel like Asheville is missing in general.

Who would you like to see us dish with next month?

My friend Mike McCarty at The Lobster Trap. Mike’s been here a long time, since we were in culinary school in 2006. He’s the owner now.

He really loves that space, and it’s such a huge part of downtown and Asheville’s growth and history. X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

MUSIC

Mountain mindfulness Tyler Ramsey explores mental health on new album

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com Food and beverage professionals often talk about “terroir” and the role that soil plays in a product’s flavor profile.

Similarly, music projects can embody somewhat of a “sonic terroir” based on where they were made and the particular conditions present. Such is the case for Tyler Ramsey’s two most recent albums.

His 2019 release, For the Morning, emits an earthy, Appalachian feel.

Kevin Ratterman (My Morning Jacket) served as the album’s engineer at La La Land studios in Louisville, Ky. Meanwhile, there’s frequently a West Coast vibe to New Lost Ages, which will be released on Friday, Feb. 9. A week later, he’ll partake in an in-store performance and signing at Records in the RAD. That sense is especially evident on the masterful “Where Were You,” which echoes the Laurel Canyon harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash as well as the Pacific Northwest vocal layers of Fleet Foxes.

It therefore makes sense that the album was tracked at Avast!

Recording Co. in Seattle with producer Phil Ek, who’s produced records for such iconic Pacific Northwest bands as the aforementioned Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Father John Misty, Modest Mouse and Ramsey’s former group, Band of Horses. Ek also has a strong track record of helping outsiders — such as New England-based Guster (Evermotion) and New York City’s The Walkmen (Heaven) — achieve a semblance of that Seattle sound. And he accomplishes those ends with trusted allies.

“I had some musicians in mind, but when [Phil and I] started talking about recording, he’s like, ‘I want to use these guys that I know really well. They’re great and they live right here in town, so let’s do that,’” Ramsey says.

Those hand-picked studio players wound up being Fleet Foxes bassist Morgan Henderson, with whom Ramsey had crossed paths a few times, and drummer Sean T. Lane (Heart; Pedro the Lion). Ramsey spoke with each artist individually over the phone and sent them his fairly bare-bones demos, curious at how they’d want to flesh out the tracks.

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CONTINUAL GROWTH: Now 52 years old, longtime Asheville-area musician Tyler Ramsey feels increasingly excited about opening up to his fellow man.

“Being vulnerable and talking with people and trying to connect with people is way more interesting to me as time goes on,” he says. Photo by Parker J. Pfister “I’m always open to people interpreting what I do,” Ramsey says.

“First off, I’m not a drummer at all, so I’m not going to tell a drummer what to do. I want people to bring what they have to the song rather than me steering the ship all the time. But if there’s something totally off, I’ll be like, ‘All right, maybe not that.’”

Despite Ramsey’s inherent trust in collaborators, the prospect of walking into a studio with two musicians he didn’t know well was nevertheless nerve-wracking. But his fears were soon quelled, particularly in hearing what Lane brought to the sessions.

“I’ve never gotten to play with a drummer like that who’s just so rock solid and steady and evenkeeled throughout the whole thing,” Ramsey says. “It was really cool to sit with those two guys and review the basic tracks and build things up under Phil’s guidance.”

TRIBUTE TO A FRIEND In a perfect world, guitarist Neal Casal of Circles Around the Sun also would have played a key role on Ramsey’s past two albums.

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Shortly after leaving Band of Horses in 2017, Ramsey met Casal and his bandmates at Heyday Musical Instruments & Repair when they were coming through Asheville.

They hit it off, and Casal invited Ramsey to fill in as their opener on a handful of shows the following week.

Though Ramsey says the musical styles of his solo work and Circles Around the Sun made for an odd pairing, it worked well together, and he quickly bonded with the group — particularly Casal.

“He just was a total dear, and I started having these thoughts of reaching out to him and getting him to at least play guitar on something.

Or maybe be more heavily involved in the process — maybe even see if he wanted to produce [For the Morning],” Ramsey says.

“I had some ideas, the very least — or greatest of which, maybe — was that we would just be friends. We were a similar age, and I felt like we kind of clicked in a way that I could reach out to him in a month and be like, ‘Hey, what’s happening?’ Or send him a song and run it by him or whatever — just those kind of thoughts you have when you meet someone cool.”

Though they wound up only communicating a few times after that tour, Ramsey was nevertheless shocked in late August 2019 when he heard that Casal had committed suicide at the age of 50. At the time, he was working on songs in a cheap beach condo in Gulf Shores, Ala. Inspired by their brief but powerful bond, he picked up his guitar and wrote the New Lost Ages track “Flare” in Casal’s memory.

“I was way up on a high floor of one of those giant beachfront condos and the sun had just set, and I thought I saw a flare go off way out in the dark ocean. After I called to report what I thought I’d seen to the local cops, I sat and watched the dark horizon for a long time,” Ramsey says in a tribute penned for the Neal Casal Music Foundation, a mental health support service for musicians, established after Casal’s death.

“Sometimes people need help, and they never ask for it — sometimes people send signals out, but those of us that might see them don’t know what to do to help. I barely knew Neal but somehow I think of him often and miss what was only a potential future. Look out for each other out there.”

While Ramsey is encouraged by the Casal Foundation, Backline and other mental health services geared toward helping musicians, he notes that many recording artists don’t have the wherewithal to reach out to anybody when they’re struggling. He stresses that being a touring musician takes significant extra work to feel healthy and grounded, and that the frequent financial challenges within the industry make persevering even more difficult.

“There are people that put their heart into something like that and don’t see maybe the return that they would expect. I’ve struggled with a lot of that myself,” Ramsey says.

“I’m glad [mental health is] something that’s being discussed more and I think that’s true for society in general. I think it’s important that people know that they’re not alone in situations that are hard like that.”

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

THEATER

Playbill picks February local theater highlights

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com If you’re a fan of local theater, Western North Carolina offers plenty of options. Below are some highlights of productions hitting various stages across the region.

GOOD HAIR Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective opens its 14th season with The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks and Curls, which runs Thursday, Feb. 1-Sunday, Feb. 18, at the Tina McGuire Theatre.

Written by Keli Goff, directed by Different Strokes’ managing artistic director, Stephanie Hickling Beckman, and starring Naimah Coleman, Kirby Gibson and Zakiya Bell-Rogers, the production honors the loveliness and variety of Black women’s hair and the memorable, moving stories that accompany it.

“This show is a celebration of self-expression, empowerment and the unique beauty of natural hair,” says Hickling Beckman in a press release. “Through the powerful performances of these outstanding actors, audiences will be taken on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. It is my hope that it will resonate with audiences from all walks of life.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/dae.

REAL TALK A perennial favorite on stages across the U.S., The Vagina Monologues opens Thursday, Feb. 1, at Hendersonville Theatre and runs through Sunday, Feb. 11. Director Ellen Pappas describes the vignettes and monologues by V (formerly Eve Ensler) as a work that takes attendees “on a journey into the world of the feminine” where “pain, laughter, hurts, struggles, surprises and love” are explored.

“All monologues are based on/ taken from interviews with women from a wide range of backgrounds.

Some are poignant, funny and painful — but all are real,” says Natalie Broadway, who plays Woman No. 1. “[It’s] unlike any show I’ve been involved with, and to be bringing it to

the stage with a group of such strong women will be an experience that I will never forget.”

In her role as Woman No. 3, CC Blackburn represents three individuals: an octogenarian who long ago gave up on intimacy; a woman dealing with her sexuality in an unusual way; and a grandmother defining the wonder of life.

“For those of us raised in the ’50s and ’60s, any discussion involving sex was taboo. Then, the ‘sexual revolution’ took hold, leaving many of us dazed and confused,” Blackburn recalls. “This performance is an honest retelling of women’s sexuality from several vantage points — an important piece for women and the men who love them.”

Jennifer Russ, who plays Woman No. 2, notes that one of her monologues is from a woman fed up with so-called “feminine” products and procedures that seem to have been developed by people who know nothing about what it’s like to be a woman.

“From tampons and sprays to the coldness of the annual exams — I mean, who thought those up?” she wonders. “Women have a part of the body that is unique. The uses of and feelings about the vagina are not often talked about with spouses and children; [it’s] ]mostly [discussed] with friends, in hushed tones. Our audiences will have the opportunity to consider their own desires, assumptions, taboos and past experiences while listening to the stories of women who have opened up about their innermost secrets — secret shame or secret pride alike.”

Russ continues, “Hopefully our show sparks conversations, laughter, thoughtful considerations and maybe even a new appreciation for what makes women unique and proud of it.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/daf.

LORDY, LORDY Just shy of a year after playing George Burns, who famously played the title character in the 1977 film, Oh, God!, local actor Pasquale LaCorte gets his own shot at playing the almighty in David Javerbaum’s An Act of God. The show runs Friday, Feb. 2-Sunday, Feb. 11, at Haywood

BACK AT IT: Sex, religion and history are among the issues explored in upcoming local theater productions. Photo by iStock Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville and finds God discussing the mysteries of life with archangels Gabriel (David Spivey) and Micheal (Tom Bastek), as well as introducing a new set of commandments.

“When I look for a show, I want one that makes you laugh, cry and think,” LaCorte says. “In my opinion, this is a perfect show. It’s a laugh a minute; but if you truly come with an open mind, it has the ability to change you for life.”

Candice Dickinson, artistic director at HART and the show’s director, is likewise hopeful that the material will challenge attendees while also winning them over.

“I mean, it’s a satirical look at a Christian god and is such a smart, well-written comedy,” she says. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the response we get.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/dab.

O’SHEA S.O.S. Religion is also at the heart of Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, which runs Friday, Feb. 2-Sunday, Feb. 25 at N.C. Stage Company.

Set in 1973, the comedy follows what happens after a conversation about sex between two sisters is overheard by their parish priest.

Written by Katie Forgette and directed by Charlie Flynn-McIver,

the cast includes Dax Dupuy, Kyra Hewitt, Heather Michele Lawler, Susan Stein and Scott Treadway.

“Audiences are going to love this fast-paced, funny memory play,” says Maria Buchanan, N.C. Stage’s audience relations manager. “Every character is spot on and feels so familiar.

It’s like ‘The Wonder Years’ meets ‘All in the Family’ meets ’Derry Girls’ — without the accents.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/dac.

AIRBORNE Next up at Asheville Community Theatre is the drama Flyin’ West, on stage Friday, Feb. 9-Sunday, Feb. 25.

Set in 1890s Nicodemus, Kan., one of the many all-Black towns established in the American West following the Civil War, Pearl Cleage’s play is told by four African-American women who exhibit resilience and seek better lives amid the harsh realities of the rural Midwest and the societal constraints of the times.

“This is a play about sisterhood, women coming together, holding each other in the light and caring for one another,” says Janet Oliver, who plays Miss Leah. “It’s also a celebration of the Exodusters who formed new towns on the western frontier.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/dad. X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

LITERATURE

Look Homeward

Tourism and gentrification in the time of Thomas Wolfe, 1900-38

BY THOMAS CALDER tcalder@mountainx.com Our series “Look Homeward” returns for its first 2024 installment.

As readers may recall, this recurring feature explores the life, work and impact of Asheville author Thomas Wolfe on our area’s local writers, educators, historians and creatives.

Previous articles have included conversations with author Wiley Cash, musician and writer Alex McWalters, and Kayla Seay, site manager at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial.

In this month’s column, we speak with Katherine Cutshall, manager of the Buncombe County Special Collections, located in the basement of downtown Asheville’s Pack Memorial Library.

On Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m., the library will host “Exile From Altamont? Race and Belonging in Thomas Wolfe’s Asheville, Part 1.” The series will continue Saturday, Feb. 17, at 2:30 p.m. Both events take place in Lord Auditorium at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. Presenters will include Andrea Clark, Darin Waters, Kevin Young and previous “Look Homeward” participant Terry Roberts. For more information, visit avl.mx/db9.

Xpress: Could we begin with your favorite Thomas Wolfe line and why it resonates with you?

Cutshall: “Fiction is not fact, but fiction is fact selected and understood, fiction is fact rearranged and charged with a purpose.”

Admittedly, I have never been able to make it very far in Wolfe’s most famous work, Look Homeward, Angel.

It isn’t for lack of trying, I’ve attempted it several times. However, I felt compelled to read something by Wolfe, which is how I discovered his play Welcome to Our City. I fell in love.

This play [written by Wolfe in the early 1920s while studying at Harvard] is the first time he explicitly wrote about Altamont — the fictional town inspired

by Asheville. ... Hoping to learn more about Wolfe’s motivations for writing the play, I read the preface to Look Homeward, Angel and I came across the above quote that summed up the heart of Wolfe’s intent for his stories set in Altamont. This fictionalized Asheville provided him with seemingly endless opportunities to offer up his perspective, and criticism, of the culture and politics of his time. This line makes it clear that Wolfe saw his fiction as a catalyst for discussion of real-world issues.

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PAST MEETS PRESENT: Local historian and archivist Katherine Cutshall discusses the parallels between Thomas Wolfe’s 1923 play, Welcome to Our City, and modern-day Asheville. Photo by Thomas Calder Fill readers in on Welcome to Our City. What issues does the play specifically address and what about it spoke to you?

Welcome to Our City immediately grabbed my attention because I felt like I was reading yesterday’s news, only this play is 100 years old. At the time, I was in graduate school

and thinking and writing a lot about tourism and its impact on Asheville throughout its history.

Set in 1923, the play chronicles the plot of a group of wealthy real estate investors who conspire to “do away with” the historically Black business and residential district of the town.

The investors hope to secure cheap

UP ON THE HILL: The original Battery Park Hotel opened July 12, 1886. E.W Grove purchased the property in 1920. Three years later, it was razed and replaced. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections at Pack Memorial Library

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property for developing a white hotel and residential neighborhood under the banner of “Altamont: Bigger, Better, Brighter!” The main conflict arises when an affluent Black doctor leads a resistance and a riot ensues.

Throughout Welcome to Our City, Wolfe explores the intersections of race, class and gender while grappling with other sociopolitical themes of the New South. Though none of the events described in the play happened exactly the way Wolfe portrayed them, they are a rearrangement and exaggeration of fact.

Would you mind offering readers an overview of how the tourism industry evolved in Asheville within Wolfe’s lifetime: 1900-38?

Tourism, or something that looks a lot like it, has been a part of Buncombe County’s economy since some of the earliest days of colonial settlement.

Folks from across the Southeast visited the area seeking respite from the intense heat and mosquito-borne diseases of the low country. In the early years, travel was rather difficult, but the introduction of passenger rail service to Asheville in 1880 kicked the industry into high gear.

During Wolfe’s early life, tens of thousands of visitors flocked to Asheville every year, and the city’s population soared. Given that his mother operated a boardinghouse, young Tom was in the thick of it. This influx of people and cash had a major impact on the

LOCAL development of the city. Asheville quickly became denser and more cosmopolitan — telephone service, electric streetcars and other modern amenities were available to travelers. People from across the country began investing in real estate at unsustainable rates. This era of prosperity couldn’t last forever, and by the time the Great Depression swept the nation, Asheville’s bubble had already burst.

As a historian, which of the many buildings that stood in Wolfe’s time, but have since been razed, would you have loved to explore and why?

The “old” Battery Park Hotel. It was such an iconic feature of Asheville’s skyline for so long, and I have a hard time wrapping my head around just how different the landscape would have been before the the hill was razed.

Help new residents, or readers unfamiliar with it, understand the enormity of that former site and just how drastically different Asheville would look today had the land itself remained.

The Battery Park we see today was totally different than what was on the site when Thomas Wolfe was a child.

Rather than the Spanish Revivalstyle building, the original hotel was a massive Queen Anne-style structure situated on the top of a large hill. The peak of the hill was about as high as the present hotel. Thousands of tons of earth were moved to create the plateau we know today and to fill in Coxe Avenue so that the road slopes rather than its previous steep drop-off.

During Wolfe’s time, Battery Hill rose far above the city and had a greater presence than the current hill and hotel. In Look Homeward, Angel, Wolfe complained about the “new” Battery Park Hotel and other modern hotels going up all over Altamont, saying it was “stamped out of the same mold, as if by some gigantic biscuit-cutter of hotels that had produced a thousand others like it all over the country.”

As a historian, if you could meet with Wolfe and ask him one question about his time growing up in Asheville, what would you be dying to ask?

First, I’d want him to spend a week in 2024 Asheville. Then I’d like to hear his reflections on that week. I’m so curious to know his thoughts on 100 years of “progress.”

Do you think any of the city’s progress would surprise him?

It depends on what you mean by progress. In Welcome to Our City, “progress” — that is, to achieve “Altamont: Bigger, Better, Brighter!” — is framed as a farce and a cover for undermining working-class folks and other marginalized groups. I think he would probably roll his eyes and give a chuckle at exactly how little has changed. X

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MANNA FoodBank, the sole Feeding America food bank in Western North Carolina, has launched a new food finder tool. The interactive map was made possible in part by Vivery, a technology company that digitizes food networks so pantries and meal providers can easily coordinate with people experiencing food insecurity.

MANNA FoodBank offers meals to tens of thousands of families in WNC each year through a network of over 300 partners across 16 counties and the Qualla Boundary, though the organization also cites an unprecedented level of need.

In 2021, about 1 in 5 adults were affected by food insecurity in WNC, according to WNC Health Network.

The Food Finder is one more tool in MANNA’s tool belt, which also includes a Food Helpline.

The Food Finder tool, which centralizes the efforts of the region’s existing network, is already making food distribution more consistent, according to MANNA’s agency relations coordinator, Madison Rousseau. “Partners are finding it easy to use and update in real time,” she says, “rather than waiting on a MANNA staff member to make those changes for them. We have partners using the free text messaging tool to give neighbors a heads-up when they will be closed, which has already been so helpful this winter.”

In its 2022-23 cycle, MANNA was able to provide over 20.1 million pounds of food through its distribution network, according to a press release. The organization calls on its community members to utilize and share the Food Finder tool to increase that number. “Our partner network is the backbone of our efforts to combat hunger in Western North Carolina. Together, we form a united front against food insecurity,” says Claire Neal, CEO at MANNA. “The Food Finder tool is a testament to our commitment to empowering our partners while also streamlining access to food resources for our neighbors who need our help.”

To get involved or get in touch with someone at MANNA who can help you navigate this tool, call 800820-1109 or text 828-367-9456.

The MANNA Food Finder tool is at avl.mx/dar.

Corner Kitchen embraces winter Corner Kitchen has unveiled a new seasonal menu of winter comfort dishes.

The menu includes new entrees such as coq au vin and a seafood simmer accompanied by a polenta cake, as well as small and shareable plates such as winter squash bruschetta with roasted squash, herb-whipped brie, baby arugula, pomegranates and balsamic glaze.

“Our inspiration stems from seasonal produce available during this time and the chilly weather that comes with it,” culinary director Brian Crow tells Xpress. The short-rib Beef Wellington and the parsnip gnocchi, for example, incorporate winter root veggies and rich, warming spices. “To complement the richness, we like to incorporate in-season citrus, such as blood oranges and cumquats, providing a refreshing contrast.”

Old favorites, such as the CK Meatloaf with cheese grits, will remain. Though most items can be made to align with dietary restrictions, the menu also includes vegan mushroom Bolognese, which Crow calls a “must-have dish.”

The winter menu will pause through February as Corner Kitchen marks its 20-year anniversary with a throwback menu of guest favorites. It will resume in March and continue until April.

Corner Kitchen is at 3 Boston Way. The dinner menu begins at 5 p.m. daily.

Visit avl.mx/bpl for reservations.

Poppy turns 10 In honor of its 10-year anniversary, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn announces a rebrand of the company’s packaging and introduces three new flavors to its lineup.

The company tapped Made Outside, a Charlotte-based brand consultancy, to refresh the website and merchandise.

The new design conveys “what makes POPPY tick,” says founder and CEO Ginger Frank in a press release. “The corn represents the farms we work with; the hearts represent the love we have for our community and the love that goes into making our popcorn. The sun and clouds remind us that both the sunny days and the cloudy days help us grow, and the smiley faces represent the fun of sharing your favorite popcorn with your favorite friends.”

Haywood Park intends for the Laundry Room to make a return in the future. “We’re trying to promote the identity of the Haywood Park Hotel,” says Mike Lovett, a spokesperson for the event. “If it goes really well, we may have more events like this later in the year.”

For future Laundry Room events, follow Haywood Park Hotel on Instagram @haywoodparkhotel. Haywood Park Hotel is at 1 Battery Park Ave. Tickets cost $5.

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NEW TOOL: Madison Rousseau, MANNA’s agency relations coordinator, displays the nonprofit’s new Food Finder tool. Photo by David Gwaltney The company’s three new flavors take inspiration from international cuisine. Mexican Street Corn is a creamy, cheesy flavor that incorporates ancho chile, lime, cumin and chipotle.

Mediterranean Herb is also cheesy with oregano, garlic, lemon, basil and thyme. Carribean Jerk, a vegan option, is made with citrus, brown sugar and crispy plantain chips.

“Snack flavors around the world are so incredibly varied and interesting,” says Frank in the same release. “I’m always striving to expand Poppy’s flavor palette.” She and her team taste-tested 10 international flavor ideas after a trip she took to Italy with her kids. “These three came out on top! We can’t wait to share the new flavors — I know people will love them.”

The company is also bringing back three customer-favorite flavors, Dill Pickle, Chai Latte and Southern Pecan Pie, in honor of the anniversary.

To learn more about Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn, visit avl.mx/ch3.

Hush-hush at the Haywood Park Hotel The Haywood Park Hotel is hosting a “sip-and-spin” jazz soiree on Tuesday, Feb. 13. The speakeasy-themed event takes place from 5:30-9:30 p.m. in the mysteriously named Laundry Room.

The Laundry Room is “where spirits are poured, the music swings and the ambiance whispers secrets,” according to the hotel’s Instagram post. The event speaks to the history of the hotel, which is in the Prohibition-era Bon Marche building.

Local jazz musician Russ Wilson and His Suds of Swing will be playing a set alongside Wendy “Bubbles” Jones. To access the clandestine soiree, approach the front desk with the following password: “Where can I pick up my hotel dry cleaning?”

A coordinator will then direct you through a coat rack into a cozy cellar where the event takes place.

Essy Hatchett, former owner of Trade and Lore Coffee, has partnered with her husband, Logan Hatchett, to unveil two new coffee shop and wine bar locations — on Weaverville Highway and on Wall Street in downtown Asheville.

Named Rite Rite, which refers to the twin rituals of wine and coffee, the shops feature a full menu of specialty coffee and espresso as well as pastries from Mother and Back Porch Baking Co. Both locations also offer a full wine program courtesy of Logan’s experience as a sommelier. “We wanted our name to reflect our passions,” Logan says.

“I have over a decade of experience in wine, and Essy has over a decade of experience in coffee, so we wanted to bring our skills together.” Popular specialties include pistachio-rosewater syrup and house-made chai.

The space also functions as a 1750foot event space with 50 seats, which the couple have already begun booking.

Logan says they plan to begin hosting markets there as early as February.

Rite Rite also sells a variety of dry goods such as everyday oil, spices, candles and apparel.

Rite Rite is at 37 Wall St. Follow on Instagram @riteritenc.

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

ROUNDUP

Around Town Book club spotlights literature by Black authors The Black Experience Book Club now meets in person to discuss fiction and nonfiction by Black authors at the Noir Collective AVL at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month.

The idea for the group was sparked in early 2020 when Buncombe County formed the Equity and Inclusion Workgroup to promote equity, diversity and inclusion in the community. The YMI Cultural Center and Buncombe County Public Libraries conversed about partnering to form a book club. As 2020 progressed and both the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement grew in impact, they knew that regardless of logistical difficulties, the time had come for open intercultural dialogue.

MOVIE REVIEWS THE ZONE OF INTEREST: Jonathan Glazer’s provocative yet repetitive Auschwitz-set drama missed its calling as a short film.

Grade: C-minus — Edwin Arnaudin

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com ashevillemovies.substack.com

“It’s one thing to know something intellectually or to see some statistics,” says East Asheville Library branch manager Alexandra Duncan.

“And it’s another thing to have a personal conversation with somebody and hear about their reflections on the books and how those same issues may or may not impact their lives.

It’s a really wonderful experience.”

In September 2020, the book club launched its meetings online.

Now the group meets at the Noir Collective AVL at YMI Cultural Center in the historic Black business district of downtown Asheville. A community member moderates the group, asking questions about each book’s themes and prompting reflection among reader perspectives.

“All of the books we read are about the many different facets of the Black experience in the United States, and sometimes we read international authors,” Duncan says. All titles are available in the Buncombe libraries and can be signed out at the lending library inside of the Noir Collective.

Duncan and Alexandria Monque, co-founder of Noir Collective AVL, have been discussing how to tie wider community initiatives into the book club’s upcoming readings and events — including public events with authors.

February’s pick of the month is a dark fantasy novel, The Changeling

by Victor LaValle, that was adapted into a television series in the past year.

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WELL-READ: First launched online, the Black Experience Book Club now meets in person on the fourth Friday of every month at Noir Collective AVL. Pictured is the shop’s co-founder Alexandria Monque. Photo by Chase Davis comfortable talking, you can always listen,” Duncan says.

The Noir Collective AVL is at 39 S. Market St., Suite C. Sign-up is not required. Email noircollective@gmail. com or Alexandra.Duncan@buncombecounty.org for more information.

In love, art and memory Asheville artist and activist Connie Bostic died at her home in Fairview on Jan. 14 at the age of 87.

Bostic’s artwork, exhibited in several galleries, conveyed social issues like racial injustice, gender inequality, gun violence and more. Her Mountain Xpress column “Gallery Gossip” contributed updates from the art scene.

Catherine Bostic Southern describes her mother as a “force to be reckoned with” and someone who loved unconditionally.

“She definitely was fearless in her personal life and her art. She really never met a stranger. And she was unbelievably good at making introductions between folks that could be beneficial to both parties,” Southern says.

Southern says her mother was very humble about her work. Her goal was to open up new perspectives on the experiences of people without a voice, and she had an intuitive sense about their struggles.

Southern’s favorites from her mom’s work are a set of paintings she has hanging in her home, depicting impactful figures like Frida Kahlo and Eleanor Roosevelt with quotes painted on the bottom.

Carrying out King’s dream The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative candlelight service lit up the Trinity Episcopal Church on Jan. 14 — shedding light on locals who have ignited change in the community.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County bestowed nine MLK Community Service awards on service workers, artists, activists, ministers and scholars. “The Martin Luther King Community Service Awards are given to people who have contributed to the community, in the tradition and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of promoting peace through nonviolence,” says Elizabeth Colton, chair member and organizer of the service.

Artists awarded were Stephanie Hickling Beckman, an actor, director, producer and founder of Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective in Asheville, and Cleaster Cotton, an artist, educator, inventor and author.

Cotton is the founder of Youth Artists Empowered and co-founder of WNC EarthMates, and her artwork includes local murals, poetry and a public art installation tribute to the ancestors of The Block, “Going to Market,” which is considered the gateway to Asheville’s historic Black business district.

Other service awards were granted to individuals who evoked change through ministry, politics, educational endeavors and nonprofits, including the late Nikita Chaunette Smart, Marvin Chambers, Glenn Childes, Brownie Newman, James

field guide

“Jim” Purvis Pitts, Terry Van Duyn and Brad Wilson. The group award went to the Arc of Buncombe County, whose mission is to empower children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The service’s keynote speaker, Becky Stone, lives in Fairview and has embraced the power of storytelling through performing arts for over 30 years. She has researched and portrayed Pauli Murray, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou and Josephine Baker.

For more information on the MLK Association of Asheville & Buncombe County, visit avl.mx/db2.

Grants awarded to Cherokee museum The Museum of the Cherokee People, the tribal museum of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been awarded two new grants that will support its endeavors to authentically share Cherokee history and culture.

A Responsive Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will support the design and interpretation of a new main exhibit that tells the Cherokee story from a Cherokee perspective.

A grant from the Duke Energy Foundation will support the research and development of an off-site facility to securely house Cherokee archives, object collections, a seed bank and collections of important plants native to Cherokee ancestral homelands.

These awards follow a spring 2023 grant from the Terra Foundation for American Art to advance scholarly research by Native American scholars.

“We are so grateful that granting organizations are interested in hearing about and supporting the work we are doing,” says the museum’s executive director, Shana Bushyhead Condill of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. “For much of our history, our story was told for us.

It is resonating with our partners and supporters that it is important to lift up Cherokee voices — not only for an authentic experience for our non-Native visitors, but for the health and vitality of our Cherokee community. As the tribal museum of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, we understand both the honor and responsibility we have as caretakers of our ancestral homelands. It is our job to ensure the themes we explore start with the importance of place to who we are as Cherokee people.”

The Museum of the Cherokee People is at 589 Tsali Blvd., Cherokee.

Debut country album Anna Victoria, an independent artist from Weaverville, released her first country album on Jan. 12.

Victoria recalls receiving her guitar as a gift from her parents just a decade ago and writing songs with a future album in mind. She’s thrilled that the time has finally come. The album Forget Me Not was recorded at Echo Mountain Recording and is now streaming on all musical platforms.

Her favorite song is the first track on the album, titled “Recognize Me,” and is intended to capture the nostalgia of riding through her hometown.

“I feel like it is a great way to start off the album and to introduce myself, because it is about missing home and life changing,” Victoria says.

“Nostalgia is such a weird, strange, specific feeling that you only get once in a while. And when you do get it, it’s emotional, but it’s special.”

Other songs on the album range from a breakup ballad Victoria wrote in 2016 to songs she wrote in the past couple of years. “That’s one thing I love about songwriting is I can still sing a song that I wrote a long time ago. Even if I don’t feel those feelings anymore, those feelings still mattered, and they’re still a part of me.”

Through making music, she feels connected to her heritage, the soul-stirring mountains she grew up in. She hopes her new album will project that feeling to listeners.

“My hope, in sharing this music, is that somebody will resonate with it, somebody else will be in that same space that I was in,” she says. “That’s why we make music. That’s why it exists.”

To stream Forget Me Not on different platforms, visit avl.mx/db3.

A fluid art discussion The Artsville Collective has partnered with the Ferguson Family YMCA for a full schedule of yearround art events. An exhibit of watercolors by Cynthia Llanes, an impressionistic landscape artist, will kick off 2024.

The exhibit Fluid Expressions celebrates watercolor and its unique characteristics as an art medium.

On Monday, Feb. 5, 11 a.m.-noon, a group presentation, demonstration and discussion with Llanes will be hosted at the Ferguson YMCA. A YMCA membership is not required to attend.

The Ferguson Family YMCA is at 31 Westridge Market Place, Candler.

— Brionna Dallara X

Asheville to

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BURGER BAR Burger Bar Comedy, 7pm CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE ASHEVILLE • Comedy at Catawba: Josh Bates & The Charleston All Stars, 7pm • Roll of the Dice: A Comedy Show of Chance, 9pm CORK & KEG Vaden Landers Band (folk, blues, Appalachian), 8pm EULOGY Impending Joy w/ Tongues of Fire & Rob Robinson (psych, garage, surf-punk), 9pm FLEETWOOD'S Temptress, Dead Register & Night Beers (metal, doom), 8pm

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EULOGY Rahm Squad w/Sugar Bomb & Balm (indierock, jazz, funk), 8pm FLEETWOOD'S Lexi Weege & JJ Slater, Safety Coffin & Satellite Williams (garage, indierock, rock'n'roll), 9pm GINGER'S REVENGE Eyes Up Here Comedy, 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Flashback Band (rock), 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Nobody's Darling String Band, 4pm • Swamptooth (bluegrass), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Invitational Blues Jam w/Ryan Barber & Scott Mills, 4pm • The Art House, 8pm SALVAGE STATION Brown Eyed Women w/Rainy Eyes (Grateful Dead tribute), 8pm SHAKEY'S • Friday Late Nights w/ DJ Ek Balam, 12am • DJ Rab!d Ron! & DJ Grimmjoi, 10pm SHILOH & GAINES Raphael Graves Trio (Americana, folk), 9pm

THE BURGER BAR Best Worst Karaoke, 9pm THE ORANGE PEEL • Kid Hop Hooray w/DJ Oso Rey (dance party), 10am • Rumours ATL (Fleetwood Mac tribute), 8pm THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Carolina Cold Ones (Appalachian, bluegrass, old-time), 7pm THE STATION BLACK MOUNTAIN Live Music Saturday Nights, 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT DJ Abu Disarray, 7pm

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4 CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE ASHEVILLE Comedy at Catawba: Brent Blakeney, 6:30pm EULOGY William Tyler & The Impossible Truth (postrock, folk,, 8pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB • Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm • Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Pleasure Chest (blues, soul, rock'n'roll), 3pm SHAKEY'S It's Trivial: Free Group Trivia w/Divine, 4pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Cosmic Appalachian Soul, 7pm THE DRAFTSMAN BAR + LOUNGE Karaoke Nights, 8pm THE ODD North By North, Aunt Vicki, Paprika & Hex Wizard (garage-pop, indie-rock, rock'n'roll), 8pm PLĒB URBAN WINERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 5 WALNUT WINE BAR CaroMia, Rahm, Iannuci & Jaze Uries (dreampop, soul, R&B), 8pm

HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic w/Taylor Martin & Special Guests, 7:15pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Takes All Kinds Open Mic Nights, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Downtown, 7:30pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Mashup Mondays w/The JLloyd Mashup Band, 8pm SHAKEY'S Open Mic Night w/Nick, 6pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Trivia Night w/ PartyGrampa, 7pm

NEW ORIGIN Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST The Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm

EULOGY Katy Kirby (indie-rock, pop), 8pm

ARCHETYPE BREWING Trivia Tuesday, 6:30pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Saylor Brothers & Friends (jamgrass), 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday w/DJ Lil Meow Meow, 9pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Tuesday Night Open Jam, 8pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm

THE GREY EAGLE Darren Kiely w/Kyndal Inskeep (Irish, folk-pop), 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Bluegrass Jam w/Derek McCoy & Friends, 6pm

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6

FLEETWOOD'S Psych Night w/DJ Torren, 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well-Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Open Mic Tuesday, 7pm

THE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT BREWING CO. Trivia w/Billy, 7pm

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ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Trivia! Trivia!, 6:30pm

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DSSOLVR Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S Best Ever Karaoke, 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S Spooky Tuesdays: All Vinyl DJs, 9pm

12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm SHAKEY'S Sexy Service Industry Night, 10pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm THE DRAFTSMAN BAR + LOUNGE Trivia Nights, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Jeffrey Martin w/Tommy Alexander (folk, rock), 8pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

THE ODD Free Terraoke Karaoke, 9pm

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Karaoke w/Banjo Mitcc, 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE Trivia, 6:30pm

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8 BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Mike Kenton & Jim Tanner (jazz), 5:30pm BLK MTN PIZZA & ALE HOUSE Billy Presnell (folk, Americana), 6pm CROW & QUILL Alex Krug Jazz Combo, 8pm EULOGY Para Gozar w/DJ Mtn Vibez (Cuban, Latin), 8pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

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F R E E W I L L A S T R O L O G Y BY ROB BREZSNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Happiness” is an amorphous term with a different meaning for everyone. What makes me feel happy may be unlike what works for you. Besides that, any kind of perfect happiness is impossible to achieve.

However we define it, we are always a mix of being happy and unhappy. Nevertheless, I invite you to ruminate about the subject in the coming days. I believe you are primed to arrive at a realistic new understanding of your personal version of happiness — and raise your happiness levels by at least 15 percent. Maybe more! Now here are helpful clues from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “Precisely the least thing, the gentlest, lightest thing, the rustling of a lizard, a breath, a whisk, a twinkling of the eye — what’s little makes up the quality of the best happiness. Soft!”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): I invite you to take an inventory of your taboos, inhibitions and restrictions. Meditate on why you originally adopted them. Evaluate how well they have served you and whether they are still meaningful. If you find any of them have become unnecessary or even injurious, jettison them. And be excited and happy about being free of them. If you decide that some taboos, inhibitions and restrictions are still wise for you to maintain, thank them for their service and honor the self-protection they provide.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini novelist Gregory Maguire says there are a “thousand ways people shrink from life, as if chance and change are by their nature toxic and disfiguring.” Your assignment in the coming weeks is to contradict his theory. I’m hoping you will interpret all chance and change as potentially expansive, redemptive and interesting. You will never shrink from life, but will boldly meet challenges and embrace twists of fate as interesting opportunities. I have abundant faith in your ability to carry out this vigorous project!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You could be a masterful eliminator of toxins and wastes in the coming weeks. Do it both for yourself and for those you care about. Start by purging nonessentials that obstruct the flow of the good life. These might include defunct fantasies, mistaken understandings, apathetic attitudes, and unloving approaches. Among the other dross or dreck you could root out is any clutter that’s making familiar environments feel oppressive. By the way, fellow Cancerian, this should be fun. If it’s not, you’re doing it wrong.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): My goals right now are to inspire you in the following three ways: 1. to be full of love for your daily life; 2. to adore yourself exactly as you are; 3. to shed any numbness or boredom you feel and replace them with alert aliveness. To help you in this exalted effort, I offer the inspiration of three quotes. 1.

“The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson. 2. “The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”

– Eden Phillpotts. 3. “I have the mysterious feeling of seeing for the first time something I have always known.” – Bernardo Bertolucci.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the coming weeks, I hope you avoid sucking up to egotistical manipulators. Please also refrain from being an unappreciated beast of burden and a half-willing pawn in boring games. If you are interested in paying off karmic debts, make sure they are yours, not anyone else’s. If you plan to work hard to lay the foundation for a future liberation, get a guarantee that YOU will be one of the liberated people.

P.S.: I’m fine with you doing unselfish things as long as they will also have selfish benefits.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): One of the great maladies affecting modern people is the atrophy of the soul. It’s related to another affliction: the apathy of the soul. A key contributor to these misfortunes is the entertainment industry. Its

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shallow and artificial stimuli are engineered to overfeed our egos, leaving our poor souls malnourished. Please note that I have no problem with our egos. They are an important part of our make-up and are essential for healthy functioning.

But it’s a shame they hog all the glory and sustenance. Now here’s my climactic message for you, Libra: It’s high time to celebrate a holiday I call Nurture the Soul. Make it last at least three weeks. Homework: Identify three actions you will take to excite, cherish, and enhance your soul.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In myth and legend, pregnancies don’t always begin with two humans having sexual communion. The well-known story of the Virgin Mary tells us she was impregnated when the Holy Spirit, disguised as a dove, whispered in her ear. The Roman goddess Juno conceived her son Mars solely with the help of an enchanted lily flower. The Greek hero Attis germinated inside his virgin mother Nana after she placed a pomegranate in her lap. This might sound outlandish, but I foresee you having a metaphorically comparable experience. Do you believe in the possibility of being fertilized by miraculous magic or a divine spirit? Might you be dramatically awakened or inspired by a very subtle influence? I think it will happen even if you don’t believe.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian computer scientist Grace Hopper (1906–1992) wrote, “The most damaging phrase in the language is: ‘It’s always been done that way.’” I will expand on that wisdom. The most obvious meaning is that we risk ignoring our individualized needs and suppressing our creative inspirations if we mindlessly conform to the habits of society.

But it’s equally important not to mindlessly repeat our own longstanding ways of doing things.

Maybe they were brilliant and appropriate in the past, but there’s no guarantee they will always be so. In conclusion, Sagittarius, I recommend you rebel against your own personal “it’s always been done that way” as well as everyone else’s.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Being in love is as desirable for you Capricorns as it is for everyone else. You may be less open and dramatic than the rest of us in expressing your yearnings, but they are still a driving force. Here’s an important point: Even if you are not constantly chattering to others about your urges to give and receive intimate care, it’s crucial that you acknowledge them to yourself. To keep your soul healthy, you must be in close touch with this core fuel. You must love your need for love. Now is an excellent time to deepen your appreciation for these truths.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It’s the fifth annual Brag Therapy Holiday—for you Aquarians only.

During this celebration, we expect you — indeed we want you — to boast with panache. Tell us all in exquisite detail why you are such a marvelous creation. Explain how you have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to transform yourself into a masterpiece of intuitive intelligence.

Regale us with stories of your winsome qualities, your heroic triumphs and your hilarious and poignant adventures on the edge of reality.

Make sure we understand how educational and healing it can be to bask in your influence. Show us why we should regard you as a role model.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I invite you to resolve old business, draw unrewarding projects to a close and finish your lessons at the School of Tough Love. You don’t have to carry out my next proposal, but if you do, I will be glad: Politely and quietly scream, “Get out of my life” at anyone who doesn’t give you the respect and kindness you deserve. I also recommend that you do a Wrap-It-Up Ritual. Start by making an altar that pleases you with its beauty. Take scraps of paper and write on each one a description of an influence or experience you want to purge from your life. As you rip each scrap into bits, say this: “I’m grateful for what I have learned from you, but now I am leaving you behind.”

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MOUNTAIN XPRESS DELIVERY Mountain Xpress is seeking an energetic, reliable, independent contractor for part-time weekly newspaper delivery for our far North route. The contractor must

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T HE N E W Y O R K T I ME S C R O S S W O R D P U ZZLE edited by Will Shortz | No. 1227

ACROSS 1 Travel requirement, at times 5 Where the 10 countries with the lowest median age are all located 11 Sounds of surprise 14 Book before Romans 15 “King James” 16 Word before nail or after steel 17 Cluster, as of grass 18 Product of volcanic activity 19 Certain grueling race, informally 20 Factory ___ 22 Moccasins, but not oxfords 24 Voice of doom 27 It’s a me problem 28 End up OK 29 Boring bit 31 Not forbidden 32 “A Doll’s House” playwright 33 Quattro preceder 36 “Joking!”

37 Secret traders 38 Father on “Modern Family” 39 Prof’s helpers 40 Mary, Queen of ___ 41 Roman fountain name 42 Digital money 43 Van Gogh masterpiece 44 One dying for a cause 47 Leave a mark on?

49 Put up 51 Japanese exporter of diesel engines 52 Coastal inlet 53 “___ Fideles” 55 Letters that go in both blanks of ___ ___tofferson 58 Jug unit: Abbr.

59 Comfy shoe 60 Bank note made of pure cotton fiber 61 Bow-making timber

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DOWN 1 Acid container, maybe 2 Hosp. area 3 Friar known for his patronage of animals 4 What had a major impact on this puzzle’s theme?

5 Notwithstanding 6 Guinness records, typically 7 Some handoff recipients in football, for short 8 Some investments, in brief 9 Boston, Amherst and others 10 Immune response trigger 11 “Great” 10th-century emperor 12 Features of many ceratopsians 13 Something possibly triggered during a mass extinction event 21 Blue material 23 “___ favor”

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24 Accelerated H.S. English course 25 First dog on an orbital spaceflight 26 Novelist King who wrote “Caretakers” and “One on One” 30 Applications 32 Some W.S.J. topics 33 Writer’s reference … or what each row of shaded letters is missing?

34 It helps keep a tight ship tight 35 Beethoven’s “Für ___” 37 Spooked by 38 Annual architecture award

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40 Ancient method of encipherment with a message wrapped around a cylinder 41 Pants, but half off?

42 List follower 43 Newspaper supplement 44 Come together 45 Common typeface 46 Ruler’s dimensions?

48 Crystalline mineral deposits in some caves 50 Like Beethoven, by his mid-40s 54 West Coast airport code 56 Music producer Gotti who worked with Ja Rule and J.Lo 57 Soak (up)

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