Mountain Xpress 02.23.22

OUR 28TH YEA R OF WE E K LY I NDE PE NDE NT NEWS, A RTS & EVE NTS FOR WE STE R N NORTH CA ROLI NA VOL . 28 NO. 30 FE B. 23 - M A R . 01, 2022

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FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

MOUNTAINX.COM

C ONTENT S

WELLNESS

ARCHIVES

FEATURE

NEWS

FEATURES 8

MEET AND GREET Democratic NC14 candidates hold first Buncombe forum

12 Q&A WITH TONIA PLUMMER YMI operations manager discusses evolution of Black community center

13 PRIDE AND ACTION The Negro Welfare Council launches in Asheville, 1933

18 UNEQUAL OPPORTUNITY How state law restricts WNC residents’ access to abortion

PAGE 6 PLAYING THE BLUES The Asheville Blues were one of the top all-Black baseball teams in the South during the 1940s, winning championships and sending players to the big leagues. For Black History Month, Xpress takes a look back at C.L. Moore’s powerful squad and its lasting legacy.

A&C A&C

MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder NEWS EDITOR: Daniel Walton ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR: Thomas Calder

COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

STAFF REPORTERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Justin McGuire, Sara Murphy, Brooke Randle, Jessica Wakeman, Daniel Walton

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LETTERS

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CARTOON: MOLTON

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CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

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NEWS

10 BUNCOMBE BEAT

18 WELLNESS 20 ARTS & CULTURE 28 CLUBLAND 30 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 30 CLASSIFIEDS 31 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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22 BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS Nikwasi Initiative efforts selected for new Smithsonian traveling museum

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COVER PHOTO National Baseball Hall of Fame

14 COMMUNITY CALENDAR

20 ANSWERING THE CALL Local groups provide opportunities for emerging artists of color

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OPINION

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

Tourists, the lifeblood of our community?

I’ve never joined Facebook, but I did sign up for Nextdoor to stay informed about my community.

During a recent debate about Asheville’s potential ordinance to curtail the feeding of unhoused humans in public, a newcomer stated that we needed to keep parks tidy for tourists because “tourists are the lifeblood” of our town.

Really?

Tourism is certainly vital to the economic success of a great many, but tourism is not (and should not be construed to be) all that we are.

This isn’t an argument against tourism. But no tourist has ever patched my roof, tended my godson or brought me chicken soup. No tourist has ever bagged my groceries, cleaned my teeth or changed the oil in my car. I doubt any tourist has ever captured thieves of our catalytic converters, and I’ve never seen a tourist stand before City Council to advocate for our rivers and trees.

Tourism may pump cash into the local economy, but the relatively paltry percentage that trickles into

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C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N providing for citizens pales in comparison to what is earmarked for projects attracting even more visitors who burden our infrastructure, crowd our streets and OD in pricey hotels.

How much more good (and good will) would be achieved if some tourism dollars were spent to save branch libraries, assist first-time homeowners and conserve urban forests?

Things would be different here without so much emphasis on tourism.

There would be fewer hotels, but more affordable housing; less traffic, but more space to garden and walk. But without as much reliance on tourism, would life continue in this wondrous place we call home? You bet it would.

Most tourists are surely wonderful people, and I believe they have the right to visit anyplace they can afford to go so long as they obey local laws.

But tourists aren’t the lifeblood of this town.

Teachers, activists and caregivers are, along with nurses, artists, bak-

Xpress is seeking experienced freelance writers to contribute to our Buncombe County government coverage.

FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

Trees missing from sidewalk improvement plan Looking at the Johnston Boulevard sidewalk improvement project, I was disappointed to see that street trees were not included.

This area is currently losing its tree canopy. Including street trees in this project is both the time and place for the city to stand up and support trees in our communities.

This is an underserved neighborhood that is developing quickly. If street trees are not included now, this neighborhood may never have them. At the minimum, the city should provide tree pits (openings in the sidewalk) at the standard street tree spacing so that the community could plant the trees in the future.

If no accommodations are provided now as part of this project, there may never be a chance for this neighborhood and community to have the trees they deserve.

— Mike J. Zukoski Asheville

Editor’s note

Send cover letter, resume and three or more clips to news@mountainx.com with the subject line: Freelance writer.

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ers and law enforcement. Plus veterans, professors, women and men who farm, mow lawns, clean homes, volunteer with food banks or tutor a child.

Others include longtime taxpayers of Richmond Hill who asked the city to protect their health and safety, only to be snubbed. Montford parents who requested science-based safeguards against noise on school nights when their kids can’t get to sleep. These and others who live here and are not merely passing through — they are the lifeblood.

Leaders should recognize the dangers of kowtowing too much to investors and guests. Leaders shouldn’t be so focused on turning our area into an amusement park for those with disposable cash to drop on lodging and entertainment. Leaders (if they’re truly leaders) should listen more closely when committed activists and stakeholders voice well-founded concerns.

Fast-growing cities have a great deal in common with startups.

Leaders should avoid the pitfalls of adding too many people and implementing too many money-driven changes without protecting the people who make everything run.

If citizens seem more vocal than ever before, the fact that short-term economic decisions are being made without considering the myriad long-term effects may explain why.

When those who are truly the lifeblood of their community feel they aren’t being heard — that their home has become more “a place to visit” than “a place to live” — they raise their voices. When their words continually fall on deaf ears, communities unify, galvanize and go to the polls.

As local leaders set about to do the work we’ve elected them to do as our representatives, they should remember …

Tourists don’t vote.

— Robert McGee Asheville

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NEWS

Playing the Blues

Revisiting Asheville’s Black baseball history

CHAMPIONSHIP CALIBER: Under C.L. Moore, kneeling at far left, the 1946 Asheville Blues won the first and second halves of the Negro Southern League season to capture the pennant. The following season, the team won the first half and defeated the second-half winners, the New Orleans Creoles, in the championship series. Photo courtesy of the National Baseball Hall of Fame

BY JUSTIN McGUIRE jmcguire@mountainx.com Baseball fever gripped Asheville Aug. 31, 1946.

The Asheville Blues were hosting the Atlanta Black Crackers in a game that would determine the second-half champion of the Negro Southern League. Fans who wanted to make sure they got seats for the 8:15 p.m. contest could buy a ticket for $1 at Miller’s Barber Shop on Eagle Street in the city’s vibrant Black business district. The Army department store at 35 Patton Ave. was also selling tickets.

“To handle the large crowd expected for the game, gates at McCormick Field will be opened at 6:30 o’clock,” The Asheville Citizen reported that day.

Then the paper noted, in a casual aside that jars the modern reader: “A special section of stands will be reserved for white fans.”

LONG HISTORY The Blues, who would go on to win that highly anticipated matchup with 6

FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

Atlanta, were part of a long tradition of all-Black semiprofessional teams that called Asheville home in the years before Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

The Asheville Royal Giants were established by Edward W. Pearson in 1916 and played into the 1920s. The Black Tourists took the field in 1929 and played throughout the 1930s.

Finally, former Black Tourists player/manager C.L. Moore took over ownership of the independent team in 1944 and renamed it the Blues.

The Blues existed for more than a decade, but the team’s heyday was 1945-47 as a founding member of the Negro Southern League along with the Charlotte Black Hornets, Chattanooga Choo Choos, New Orleans Creoles and others. The Blues were champions of the league in 1946 and 1947 and widely considered one of the best minor league Black teams in the country.

Sportswriter J.C. Chunn of the New York Amsterdam News even dubbed them the “wonder team of the Carolinas” because of their propensity for beating teams from larger cities.

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“The Blues were a pretty big deal in the community, and I think a source of pride as well,” says Bill Ballew, author of A History of Professional Baseball in Asheville. He points out that the (white) Tourists had disbanded from 1943-45 because of World War II, leaving Moore’s squad the only game in town for a few seasons.

Ballew says exact attendance figures are hard to find, but he has seen accounts of 2,000 or more people going to Blues games at a time when McCormick Field held about 3,000 patrons.

One indication of the team’s community importance can be seen by the support offered by local businesses. Before the season opener in 1946, for example, the Citizen reported Scott’s Lunch on Eagle Street would award a $5 meal ticket to the player who hit the season’s first home run. Another Eagle Street business, Slow’s Recreation Parlor, would give $5 for the first triple, and Mitchell’s Valet Shop on Brick Street would shell out a whopping $50 (about $760 in today’s dollars) to the pitcher who hurled the season’s first no-hitter.

Other businesses getting in on the action that season were Boston’s Downtown Cafe on Short Ivy Street, the James-Keys Hotel on Southside Avenue, McGuire’s Tea Room on North Lexington Avenue and Reliable Loan Office on Biltmore Avenue.

In addition to 30 or so league games each season, the Blues played — and often won — exhibition contests against teams from the Black major leagues. Frequent opponents included the powerful Homestead Grays (who split their home games between Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh) and Baltimore Elite Giants of the Negro National League, as well as the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League.

Those games brought future Hall of Famers like Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella, Cool Papa Bell and Buck Leonard to McCormick Field.

A 1945 Citizen article previewing a game against the Grays played up the presence of Gibson, Bell and Leonard, saying fans would have a chance to see “some of the most sensational stars in baseball.”

LOCAL LEGEND The team’s success can largely be attributed to owner-manager Moore, who had an astute eye for top talent from across the Southeast. His finds included future major leaguers Bill Greason, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1954, and infielder Jim Pendleton, who played several seasons for the Milwaukee Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Colt .45s.

The hard-hitting Pendleton was one of the key players on the Blues championship squads of 1946 and 1947. “I knew a pitcher named Vernon Phillips from Lenoir who had just gotten out of the Army,” Moore told the Citizen-Times in 1980. “He told me about a ballplayer he met in the service. He said I should sign Jim Pendleton right away.”

Other top Blues players included pitcher Bob Bowman and third baseman Herman Taylor.

“They had major league potential, but by the time Jackie Robinson broke in in 1947, they were too old to take a chance on,” Moore said in 1980.

An Arkansas native, Moore played professional baseball for the Chicago Union Giants, Atlantic City Bacharach Giants and others before coming to Asheville in 1935 to coach football at Stephens-Lee High School, the area’s all-Black secondary school. After leaving the school for a time, he returned in the late 1940s and coached multiple sports until its closure in 1965.

He also served as athletic director at Stephens-Lee. Moore’s success as a coach made him a legend in high school athletics.

His teams won the 1957 state championship in football and 1963 title in basketball, and he sent more than 100 students to college on athletic scholarships. He was inducted into the WNC Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the N.C. High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1992, the year he died.

After he retired as an educator in the early 1970s, Moore spent many years as a leader in the Black community, says longtime Asheville civil rights activist Matthew Bacoate, who knew Moore and took classes from his wife in high school. During the 1970s, Moore and three other retired men became a de facto committee that worked on initiatives to bring about more equity in education, recreation and other areas.

“Also, the city manager and various people on City Council would utilize them if they needed advice on some issue that dealt with race,” Bacoate says.

LOOKING BACK: A view of McCormick Field in the 1950s. Behind third base are the stands that were reserved for Black patrons during Tourists games.

Photo courtesy of the Asheville Tourists STRUCK OUT The Blues left the Negro Southern League in 1948 and played briefly in the new Negro American Association, along with regional teams from Greensboro, Durham and Winston-Salem. The team lost the league’s championship series to the Raleigh Tigers in 1948.

By the 1950s, as the major and minor leagues continued to integrate, interest in Black baseball faded, and countless Black teams went under.

The Blues were no exception.

Local media coverage of the Blues plummeted after about 1950, so exact details about the team’s demise are spotty. But in May 1956, the Citizen wrote: “The Asheville Blues, a local entry in Negro professional baseball

a few years back, are being organized again by C.L. Moore, coach of Stephens-Lee High School and former skipper of the Blues.”

This time, no local businesses were offering prizes to players, and the paper didn’t forecast large crowds.

What happened after that is unclear, as the Citizen never again wrote about Moore’s effort to bring back the Blues.

The team was largely forgotten for decades. In recent years, however, researchers of Black baseball have shown a renewed interest in the Blues and their championship years.

A 2012 article in the journal Black Ball, “Wonder Team of the Carolinas,”

gives a thorough account of the team’s history and features interviews with Moore’s sons and others. “For more than a decade in the 1940s and 1950s, Clarence L. Moore’s Asheville Blues were among the most successful professional black baseball teams operating outside the acknowledged black major leagues,” author Pamela Mitchem writes.

Among the fascinating details in Mitchem’s article: The Blues traveled to away games on a blue bus called “The Goose.” As Black men in the segregated South, they often slept on the bus. In bigger towns, they stayed at the local Black YMCA or a Black hotel.

“Clarence Moore Jr. recalls there were few places African-Americans could stop and eat or even buy food while traveling,” Mitchem writes. “In order to get groceries while on the road, the team would often stop the bus just out of sight of a store and send one or two of the lighter-skinned players to go buy the food.”

At McCormick Field, Moore’s sons ran the scoreboard, and his wife, math teacher Sadie Moore, took the tickets and counted the proceeds, Mitchem writes.

And in 2020, the National Baseball Hall of Fame featured an article about the team (avl.mx/b8p) on its website, further shining light on a forgotten era.

“The Blues are an important part of Asheville’s history, both on the baseball field and in the community,” says local baseball historian Ballew.

“The Blues were a talented team with a loyal fan base who generated a lot of joy and excitement, which is what the game of baseball is all about.” X

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NEWS

Meet and greet

Democratic NC14 candidates hold first Buncombe forum

OFF TO THE RACES: From left, the Democratic candidates vying to represent Buncombe County as part of North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District are Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, Katie Dean, Bo Hess, Eric Gash and Jay Carey. Photos courtesy of the candidates For roughly 80 attendees Feb. 12, the Ferguson Auditorium at A-B Tech was the place to be on a chilly Friday night.

Five Democratic candidates, aiming to represent Buncombe County as part of North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District, had gathered in the local party’s first public forum of 2022.

The two-hour event was hosted by the Buncombe County Democratic Party and moderated by Chair Jeff Rose.

The forum featured Jasmine BeachFerrara, Buncombe County Board of Commissioners member and executive director of the nonprofit Campaign for Southern Equality; Jay Carey, retired Army combat veteran; Katie Dean, small-business owner and environmental engineer; Eric Gash, pastor and former principal at Bruce Drysdale Elementary in Hendersonville; and Bo Hess, licensed clinical social worker and addiction specialist.

The district for which the candidates are vying is currently held by Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn.

However, Cawthorn announced in November that he instead planned to

run in the neighboring 13th District, which at the time of his announcement covered counties to Buncombe’s south and east such as McDowell, Polk and Rutherford.

(Congressional district lines in North Carolina are likely to shift after a Feb. 4 ruling by the N.C. Supreme Court, which struck down the state’s new maps as partisan gerrymanders.

Candidate filing is still scheduled to resume Thursday, Feb. 24, and end at noon Friday, March 4, with the primary election scheduled for Tuesday, May 17.)

Rose pressed each of the candidates on everything from police reform and LGBTQ rights to environmental policy and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Xpress rounded up a few highlights from the event. (a full video recording is available at avl.mx/b8v.)

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to meet their basic needs. Rose asked the candidates how they defined the term; while Asheville-based advocacy organization Just Economics has calculated the full-time living wage for Buncombe County workers at $17.70 an hour, some of the congressional hopefuls had a different view.

“I’m proud, as a Buncombe County commissioner, to have been part of the team that ensured that every single county employee was being paid at least $15 an hour, and that’s something we’ll continue to reassess as we move forward,” Beach-Ferrara said. She said she supported that wage as a general floor for workers but acknowledged that $15 “doesn’t always cut it.”

Carey said that the average cost for a one-bedroom apartment in Asheville is roughly $1,400 per month, meaning that people earning as much as $20 per hour are still paying more than 40% of their income on housing costs alone.

“The guideline is no more than 30%,” he maintained. Between

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rising housing costs and stagnant wages, he argued, “A living wage of $24 an hour is where we need to begin.”

And Gash, who also volunteers as a police chaplain with the Hendersonville City Police Department, added that starting pay for local police is often lower than that of some fast-food restaurants.

“A starting police officer in his first year, a rookie police officer, he or she can make more going and working at Chick-fil-A than standing that thin blue line. Something is really wrong with that,” Gash said. “We’ve got to do a better job than that.”

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Rose noted that North Carolina is currently a leading state in renewable energy and asked the candidates what they would do at the federal level to address climate change.

Dean, whose background is in environmental engineering, said that climate change was an existential crisis that required a multifaceted approach. “I think we need to bring the climate crisis into the fold of every single major decision that we make. I do not think that there’s one single unilateral piece of legislation that is going to solve this crisis. Nor is there one single country that is going to solve this crisis,” she said. “If the U.S. cut our carbon use down to zero tomorrow, we would still have a global climate crisis to deal with.”

Hess explained that volunteering in the aftermath of devastating floods in Cruso, a Haywood County

community that saw six deaths and the loss of over 450 homes and businesses in August, had caused him to prioritize environmental issues.

“As a social worker and therapist, processing the trauma of that event, it changed me,” he said. In addition to developing a regional lithium-ion battery market, Hess said, his priorities would center on sustainable farming, research and development for lab-grown meats, increasing access to organic and plant-based foods and campaigns to encourage plant-based diets and local recycling programs.

POLICE REFORM While police appear to be leaving the profession in droves nationally, the Asheville Police Department’s staffing shortage is among the worst in the country. The exodus coincides with local and national protests and calls for police reform.

Reflecting on the murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd in 2020, Gash said, “I could have done two things: I could have gotten bitter or better. I chose to get better.” The Hendersonville resident, who is Black, explained that communities and local governments need to reach out to their local police departments and find commonalities and solutions.

“Change moves at the speed of trust. Trust moves at the speed of relationships. We have to reach out,” he added.

Hess said that he had been “beat down and tasered by law enforcement officers” while exercising his First Amendment rights, although he did not go into detail regarding the incident. Nevertheless, Hess said did not support local and national movements that call for a defunding of police departments.

“I don’t think defunding the police in any way is making our community safer. In fact, we need more resources for law enforcement,” he maintained. Hess talked about the need to increase officer pay and opportunities for combat and deescalation training.

Carey agreed with the need to reform police, adding that local departments need to do a better job of recruiting, training and ensuring that officers have mental health evaluations at least once a year. He also said more attention needs to be paid to the causes of crime rather than the symptoms.

“Reduce poverty,” he said. “The less crime, the less interaction with the police, the less chance of being shot.”

LGBTQ RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS Both Asheville and Buncombe County passed nondiscrimination ordinances last year, which prohibit discriminatory practices in private employment and public accommodations based on 16 personal characteristics and lifestyles, including sexual orientation and gender identity. Given that local movement, Rose wanted to clarify where the five candidates stood on the issue of LGBTQ rights.

“Will everyone on the stage commit to publicly supporting the rights of queer, transgender and nonbinary people?” Rose asked. “And what will you do to support those rights in office?”

All five of the candidates subsequently committed to the supporting members of the LGBTQ community.

“I live by the saying that love is love and y’all means all. I mean it sincerely and unapologetically,” said Dean. “I’m a strong, strong believer, and fierce advocate for all of our constitutional rights and all of our civil liberties. We cannot give an inch on this topic.”

Hess identified himself as a member of the LGBTQ community, saying that “we always have the threat of violence hanging over our heads,” while Beach-Ferrara, who is a married lesbian and mother of three children, said that she was proud of her work “on the front lines of achieving LGBTQ equality in the South.”

“Let me be clear right now: The battle is in the states, and transgender youth are under attack. And each and every one of us, putting aside this race for a second, needs to find a way in our lives, to tell the story and make clear that trans kids know, they are beautiful, they belong, they are loved, and there is a community that will welcome them.”

LESSONS FROM THE PANDEMIC The pandemic may not be over, but signs that its visible presence in public life may be waning are beginning to appear. Buncombe County’s indoor mask mandate, which had been extended three times after going into effect Aug. 18, was allowed to expire Feb. 16 by the Board of Commissioners. For the final question of the night, Rose asked candidates to share what their biggest takeaways were from the last two years of the pandemic.

“We need to have clear communication. We need to be communicating in a way to the American public that they can understand and through different modalities,” said Hess. “I think the lack of communication from the top in the beginning, and also now, continues to hamper the way that we respond to this pandemic.”

For Gash, disparities such as access to high-speed internet, food and transportation became glaring.

“I shepherded 463 kids, little babies, through this pandemic,” he said.

“We had parents that would drive the kids to our school and sit in a parking lot just so they could jump on our Wi-Fi or we would take a bus drive a bus in these neighborhoods to have Wi-Fi on the bus.”

“I don’t know about you, but no more Republican presidents,” added Carey, eliciting a laugh and applause from forum attendees.

“Unfortunately, there were quite a few things in place prior to Trump becoming president that would have mitigated these circumstances greatly. But unfortunately, our Republican leadership destroyed it.

Put those things back in place and get ready for the next one. We all know another one’s coming.”

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District 14’s eight announced Republican congressional candidates will participate in a debate 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at the Blue Ridge Conference Center at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock. The debate is free and open to the public.

The announced Republican candidates include Rod Honeycutt, retired colonel in the U.S. Army; U.S. Navy veteran Wendy Nevarez; owner of the Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway Bruce O’Connell; Asheville Airport Authority Chairman Matthew Burril; three-term Hendersonville Sen. Chuck Edwards; Highlands real estate developer Ken McKim; former NC-11 GOP Chair Michele Woodhouse; and Buncombe County social worker Kristie Sluder.

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N EWS

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Buncombe floats $7.5 million pre-K expansion Improving early childhood education is already one of Buncombe County’s main strategic goals, and the county’s budget allocates over $3.75 million toward that purpose in the current fiscal year alone. But if the Board of Commissioners follows a set of recommendations presented to its members Feb. 15, an even larger wave of investment could be on the way.

Commissioner Jasmine BeachFerrara, who chairs the board’s Early Childhood and Development Committee, outlined a plan for $7.5 million in additional spending on prekindergarten expansion over the next two years. About $3.2 million would support a pilot program for increasing capacity in existing pre-K classrooms, as described in a December report by the Buncombe Partnership for Children; the remaining $4.3 million would pay for the construction and outfitting of new classrooms. Funding would come from the county’s roughly $27 million in remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act money.

According to a presentation shared

by Rachael Nygaard, Buncombe’s strategic partnerships director, work would primarily supplement and expand the county’s participation in the state-supported NC Pre-K program. About 35% of nearly 1,200 Buncombe children eligible for the program, which is offered at no cost to families, are currently enrolled; the county hopes to boost that percentage to 75% by 2030.

The most expensive part of the pilot plan, estimated to cost $1.75 million over two years, is a supplement to the money North Carolina pays pre-K providers for each child enrolled in the program. According to the

“Once this one-time funding is gone, these may be things that we just have to commit to some significant additional county funding to continue,” added board Chair Brownie Newman. “We should just go into that in a really clear-eyed way.”

The full Buncombe Partnership for Children report is available at avl.mx/b92.

Indoor mask mandate expires

NEXT GENERATION: Buncombe County leaders hope to more than double enrollment in NC Pre-K programs by 2030. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Buncombe Partnership for Children’s report, the state’s annual per-child reimbursement rate doesn’t cover the actual cost of providing care; while some providers, like public school systems, can access other funding to make up the difference, many private classrooms currently lose money by accepting NC Pre-K students.

Other strategies that would be funded include increasing outreach to eligible families, supporting ongoing education for pre-K teachers and offering transportation to children who couldn’t otherwise reach a classroom. If the county board approves the plan, implementation could begin as early as July.

“This is the chance that we can see, over the next two years, that we can excel,” said Commissioner Robert

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Pressley, who serves with BeachFerrara on the Early Childhood and Development Committee. He suggested that pre-K expansion was a particularly pressing concern for the county, given an expected influx of children from the families of workers at new manufacturing facilities like the Pratt & Whitney aerospace factory.

Once ARPA funds run out, the county would have to find different financial support to continue the new pre-K initiatives, Beach-Ferrara said.

She noted that early childhood education investments have bipartisan backing at the federal level, although a large source of potential funding, included as a provision of the Build Back Better Act, had failed to pass Congress last year.

Commissioners allowed Buncombe’s indoor mask mandate to expire at noon Feb. 16, having previously extended the measure several times since reestablishing it last Aug. 18. No board member spoke in favor of continuing the mandate or made a motion to keep it in place.

Stacie Saunders, the county’s public health director, said her department continued to “strongly recommend individuals continue to wear masks in indoor public spaces.” Her guidance aligned with that of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends indoor masking in areas of substantial or high coronavirus transmission. (As of Feb. 21, Buncombe’s weekly rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents was 411, more than quadruple the CDC’s high-transmission threshold of 100 cases per 100,000.)

Masks will remain mandatory at some county buildings, including public-facing Health and Human Services offices and the Detention Center. The Buncombe County Courthouse continues to require masks, and a federal mask requirement remains in place for buses and other public transportation through Friday, March 18.

Newman emphasized that businesses and organizations throughout the county can continue to require masks on their premises on an individual basis. “We ask people to respect that,” he said. “If you feel strongly against that, then we would encourage you to choose other places to go.”

But Pressley, who owns Celebrity’s Hot Dogs in Bent Creek, said the mandate had not worked for his business and that he would be dropping the requirement as soon as possible.

“It’s time for America to carry on,” he said.

— Daniel Walton X

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F E AT UR E S

Q&A with Tonia Plummer, operations manager at the YMI

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Old buildings are more than creaky floors and rattling window panes: They also contain the histories, memories and culture of the people who they once held.

That rings true for the Young Men’s Institute Cultural Center, which celebrated its 129th birthday Feb. 12. The building, located at 39 S. Market St. in Asheville’s downtown, was constructed in 1893 for the city’s African American community. Today, the YMI holds events and art exhibits throughout the year, including the annual Goombay festival celebrating African-Caribbean culture.

Tonia Plummer, operations manager for the YMI, gives tours to curious visitors, curates the gallery spaces and manages events. She was raised in Old Fort and retired from the medical field in 2014; she says her interest in Black history stemmed from her own experiences growing up in the South during segregation. “I could not go to my hometown school because it was segregated,” she recalls “So we were bussed to a black school in Marion, which was 13 miles away.”

Xpress caught up with Plummer to discuss the building’s illustrious history, its upcoming “face-lift” and how it has evolved to meet today’s community needs.

What was the original purpose of YMI Cultural Center and what was located in it?

It was founded by [Black entrepreneur and community leader] Issac Dixon and Edward Stephens [principal of Asheville’s first public school for Black children] who approached George Vanderbilt in 1892, about a place … that served Asheville’s Black

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TONIA PLUMMER community. The workers that worked on the Biltmore house constructed the YMI. It had meeting rooms, a swimming pool, a drugstore, sleeping rooms, doctor’s offices, a library and a gymnasium.

It was almost like a version of the YMCA, but it was seated in the African American community called The Block.

It was the African American business district, and it was an African American neighborhood center downtown.

It was a place where they would come on the weekends. You had the Del Cardo Building, which was a nightclub. Women would get their hair done.

There were hairdressers, barbershops, restaurants and people would just hang out to meet friends in this area.

After urban renewal happened in the mid-’60s, it broke up that community feeling downtown on The Block.

You saw a deterioration of Market and Eagle streets when the neighborhoods were dispersed and the houses were torn down. The YMI suffered greatly from people being relocated to different areas of the city.

You joined YMI in 2016. What is the building mainly being used for nowadays?

When I first started, the YMI had started doing events. People could rent the auditorium and the gallery space. We had the “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” which was a big exhibit. Then we had other little events, like people would have wedding receptions and rehearsals.

When Dewana Little became the executive director, the YMI was on a positive fast track to open up the building to more people with programs.

We have the Workforce Development Program and peer support. We have the Black book club. We’re restarting our exercise program. We also have Successful Transitions, which helps women who come off of welfare with financial management and support.

This past year, we were tasked with creating art exhibits showcasing African American artists. A-iah McDaniel will be showcasing her artwork here as part of the Young Black Artist Program.

The building will be undergoing renovations soon. What changes or updates will be made?

In March, we are shutting the main building down and renovating the whole building. I like to say she’s getting a face-lift. We have to make her shine once again. Hopefully in September, we will have reopened our doors. But either way, we are still hosting Goombay in September.

We have a fundraiser ongoing right now that will increase our capacity of what we can do when we open back up. We plan to have full access to a basement. And we hope to offer a safe place for kids to come and have games and get help with their homework.

We hope everybody will get involved.

Every little bit helps.

What do you think the YMI represents in the community today?

The YMI is a touchstone for people who remember what the area used to be, and it’s a touchstone for people who want to see something new happen on The Block. The YMI is one of those places where it never changes, it never leaves but people can come and say, “I have good memories here.”

We want to be able to help people remember and also create new memories. I would like to see the YMI be that base where people who want to know about African American history can come. We will have a library with resources that people can come and look for African American history. We also have African artifacts that will be displayed throughout the building.

It’ll be almost like a museum where you can come and see what African American life used to be and learn more about African American history, because kids in school today are not getting that.

— Brooke Randle X

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Pride and action The Negro Welfare Council launches in Asheville, 1933

FOCUS ON THE YOUTH: Though the Colored Library, formed in 1927 and pictured here, predated the Negro Welfare Council by six years, the latter helped draw attention to the need for ongoing improvement and access to public facilities like parks, playgrounds and libraries for Asheville’s Black youths. The featured photo, courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Library, was likely taken in 1946.

In the summer of 1933, the Negro Welfare Council was established as part of the Community Chest — a local initiative created in 1921 that pooled funds from various local entities to finance charity work.

By the fall of 1933, the local newspaper was reporting on the achievements of the new council. Two playgrounds were built for Asheville’s Black youth, as well as a baseball field on the corner of Biltmore Avenue and East Street. A city baseball league soon followed with over 250 children and 140 adults participating on teams from the South Asheville, Southside, East End and Shiloh neighborhoods.

Lastly, the paper reported, the council organized a marble tournament, with Shiloh resident Herbert Smith earning the top-place finish.

Sporadic coverage of the council’s ongoing impact continued over the next several months and years.

Major achievements included the 1933 launch of a night school program for Black adults, the 1934 formation of a three-week drama institute that subsequently evolved into the Richard B. Harrison Little Theater for Negroes and the 1938 effort to increase Black residents’ participation in Asheville’s Rhododendron Festival.

On June 9, 1938, The Asheville Citizen highlighted the African

American organizations participating in a segregated parade scheduled for that year’s Rhododendron Festival. The list included: the Negro Taxpayers League, Livingston Street School, Burton Street School, the Civic League, the Community League of Shiloh, the Women’s Federated Club, Modern Priscilla Club, Non Pariel Social Club, Paco’s Social Club, railway employees, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Steward Schools of Beauty Culture, Harris Beauty Parlor, Jesse Ray Funeral Home, American Legion Auxiliary, Wilson’s Barber Shop and Palace Grill Cafe.

Furthermore, the paper noted that an all-Black, female chorus was set to sing at the Rhododendron pageant taking place at McCormick Field.

Amateur boxing matches and a baby parade were also among the events the council helped coordinate.

On Oct. 18, 1935 — two years after the formation of the Negro Welfare Council — The Asheville Citizen updated residents on its ongoing efforts, while also stressing the limitations it continued to face. The article offers a glimpse into what life was like for some of Asheville’s Black residents during Jim Crow.

“There remains a large number of negroes the council is utterly unable to cope with, because its organization is too

small, its equipment too meager,” the paper wrote. “The one swimming pool here for negroes is too small. There is no negro amusement park. A gymnasium, workshop equipment, club rooms, rest rooms and a motion picture machine are needed for an adequate negro welfare program in the negro districts.”

Additionally, the paper reported, “Asheville has two fairly good library branches for negroes, one auditorium and stage, one sewing room and one cooking room — facilities all too small for the 14,000 negroes or one-fourth of the city’s population.”

Meanwhile, the article continued, many houses renting for $10-$12.50 per month in Black communities were without water, leaving some residents to rely on a single community spigot.

Leander G. Blackus, director of the council, told the paper, “This is not conducive to health and Asheville is proud of her health reputation.”

Despite these pressing concerns, the council’s overall presence and positive impact within the community seems undeniable. The same article reported that 1935 attendance at council-related activities and initiatives amounted to over 61,000 participants — more than five times the city’s total Black population.

Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original documents. X MOUNTAINX.COM

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 3, 2022 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

Online Events = Shaded

Men's Cancer Support Group Socially distanced meeting the first and third Wednesday of every month. RSVP to Will at (412)913-0272 or acwein123@gmail.com.

WE (3/2), 6pm, Free, Woodfin YMCA, 40 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 101

ART WELLNESS Yoga and the 12 Steps of Recovery (Y12SR) Addresses addiction as a mental, physical and spiritual disease.

WE (2/23, 3/2), 8:30am, Asheville Yoga Center, 211 S Liberty St Pub Run Rain or shine, all ages and experience levels welcome.

WE (2/23, 3/2), 6:15pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd Montford Tai Chi Hosted by local acupuncturist Tyler White. All ages, every Thursday.

TH (2/24, 3/3), 9am, Free, Montford Recreation Center, 34 Pearson Dr Introduction to Tai Chi Taught by Roger Byrd TH (2/24, 3/3), 10:30am, Free, Asheville Community Yoga Center, 8 Brookdale Rd Queer & Trans Yoga Class For everyone who identifies outside the lines and hasn't felt comfortable in a traditional yoga space.

TH (2/24, 3/3), 6pm, avl.mx/b1t LGBTQ Sweat Your Prayers A safe space for the LGBTQ community to

move their bodies with intention, love, in solidarity. All are welcome, sliding scale.

SA (2/26), 9:30am, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd North Buncombe Middle School 8K Chilly Challenge One mile Chili Chase and 8K chipped timed run, for runners of all levels. Free chili lunch provided to all participants, available for purchase for spectators.

SA (2/26), 10am, North Buncombe Middle School, 251 Flat Creek Church Rd, Weaverville Walk to Wintergreen Falls Join Friends of DuPont Forest board member Ericka Berg for a 3.4 mile easy to moderate family friendly hike.

SU (2/27), 10am, DuPont State Recreational Forest Guion Access Area, 3045 Sky Valley Rd, Hendersonville WNC Prostate Group Us TOO This month Dr. Jean Luc Urbain will speak regarding PSMA PET, a new diagnostic tool to detect prostate cancer anywhere in the body.

For information: Eric (828)419-4565 wncprostate@gmail.com.

TU (3/1), 7pm

Celebrate Artsville Meet guest artists Micah Mackenzie and Rhona Polonsky, and celebrate the release of the first Artsville USA podcast with host Scott Power and special interviewees.

SU (2/27), 2pm, Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St Of Body & Mind This exhibit explores the connection between form and soul through the medium of glass.

Daily except Tuesdays.

North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B Useful and Beautiful Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge Silver tableware created in the Arts and Crafts tradition, from a trained architect who moved to Asheville in 1924.

Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays. Closed Tuesdays.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Ruminations on Memory On view in conjunction with A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays. Closed Tuesdays.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL: The Asheville Mardi Gras parade will step off in downtown Asheville on Sunday, Feb. 27, at 3:05 p.m., after a two-year hiatus. The free, family-friendly celebration, themed “The Great Comeback Carnival,” will include the Queen’s Ball, 5-9 p.m., at the Funkatorium. Pictured are Mardi Gras King and Queen Bo Jolley and Andrea “Andy” Hall. Hall is a Mountain Xpress editorial employee.

Photo courtesy of Asheville Mardi Gras A Living Language: Cherokee Syllabary and Contemporary Art Highlights the use of the written Cherokee language. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays.

Closed Tuesdays.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square A Hand in Studio Craft: Harvey K. Littleton as Peer and Pioneer Littleton's collection from the early days of the Studio Glass Movement and the height of the American mid-century Studio Pottery Movement. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays.

Closed Tuesdays.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

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The Wyeths: Three Generations Provides a comprehensive survey of works

by N. C. Wyeth, one of America’s finest illustrators; and members of his family. Daily 11am-6pm, until 9pm Thursdays.

Closed Tuesdays., Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Carrie Mae Weems Exhibition This exhibition features recent photographic and video works questioning stereotypes that associate black bodies with criminality by the MacArthur Genius Award-winning artist.

Tuesday through Friday, WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Anything Goes …

Everything Shows!

Uncensored free-style mail art show using the postal system as a medium. Opens Feb. 26.

Free, Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 850 Blue Ridge Rd, Unit A-13, Black Mountain Color Dance Featuring new gallery artists Anne Marie Brown, Raquel Egosi, JoAnn Pippin, and Cindy Shaw. Meet the artists on First Friday, March 4, from 5-8PM. Daily 11am-6pm.

Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave Medicine Heart Mural Exhibit An exhibition of original large-scale collaborative paintings by Asheville artists and Art Garden co-founders, Annie Kyla Bennett, Dillon Endico and Jack Henry.

Closed Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Free, Art Garden AVL, 191 Lyman St

ᎢᏛᏍᎦ ᏫᏥᏤᎢ ᎠᎵᏰᎵᏒ Weaving Across Time Showcases the works of nine Eastern Band Cher-

okee basket makers.

Monday through Friday.

11am, Center for Craft, 67 Broadway

required.

TU (3/1), 6pm, Isis Music Hall & Kitchen 743, 743 Haywood Rd

acrobatics.

TH (2/24), FR (2/25), 7pm, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave

WNC Fibers/ Handweavers Guild Exhibition Processes represented include spinning, shibori, batik, silkscreen, weaving, natural dyeing, needle felting, knitting, and more. Daily.

10am, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

Adele Myers presents The Tobacco Wives, in conversation w/Wiley Cash The authors discuss Myers' debut novel.

Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration required.

WE (3/2), 7pm, avl.mx/b8m

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Stage version of the tragicomedy, rated for mature audiences. Friday and Saturday 7:30pm, Sunday 2:30pm. $10-16, McDowell Technical Community College, 54 College Dr Marion

COMMUNITY MUSIC Brevard Philharmonic presents The Symphony Returns!

Welcoming award-winning violinist Robyn Bollinger.

SU (2/27), 3pm, $10-37, Porter Center for Performing Arts at Brevard College, Brevard

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD

Malaprop's Book Club Participants will discuss The Library Book by Susan Orlean. Registration required.

WE (3/2), 11pm, avl.mx/9s5 Derek Baxter presents In Pursuit of Jefferson: Traveling through Europe with the Most Perplexing Founding Father The author discusses his new book. Sponsored

by Malaprop's. Registration required.

TH (3/3), 6pm, avl.mx/b8n

Poetry Collabrations Final Poetry Cabaret Featuring poetry with music, dance, visual art and more. Email 24 hours prior to the event to request location or Zoom link ccc.avl.nc@ gmail.com, SA (2/26), 7pm, Center for Connection + Collaboration

Malaprop's Crime and Politics Book Club Participants will discuss Hoffa's Shadow by Jack Goldsmith. Registration required.

TH (3/3), 7pm, avl.mx/a3t

Malaprop's Science Fiction Book Club Participants will discuss The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Registration required.

MO (2/28), 7pm, avl.mx/au7

Jeeves Intervenes The play follows high society playboy Bertie Wooster and his devoted valet Jeeves.

Wednesday through Thursday 7:30pm, Sunday 2PM. NC Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln

Benjamin Gilmer launches The Other Dr Gilmer The local author discusses his new true crime book. Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration

THEATER

The Peking Acrobats For the last 32 years, this troupe of world-class artists has redefined perceptions of Chinese

CLASSES, MEETINGS & WORKSHOPS Protecting the French Broad River Before It’s Too Late: A Swift Look at Buncombe's Future John Ross, winner of the National Outdoor Book Award, and an authority on the French Broad, will be the featured speaker.

WE (2/23), 12pm, avl.mx/b8q Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle The class will explain how Medicare works.

To register, visit www. coabc.org or call the Council on Aging at (828)277-8288.

TH (2/24), 2pm WNCHA History Hour – The Buncombe County Remembrance Project Discussion of the personal and community trauma inflicted on individuals of color after the Civil War, the Equal Justice Initiative’s research related to lynchings, and the three lynchings “of record” that occurred in Buncombe County.

TH (2/24), 6:30pm, avl.mx/b7u VITA Tax Preparation Assistance Moderate and low-income individuals and families in WNC can have income tax returns prepared for free by

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SNAPSHOT

C O MMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR UNCA volunteers as part of the IRS Voluntary Income Tax Assistance program.

SA (2/26), 10am, Free, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St

leaders and storytellers will re-engage the commnity, both local and global.

SU (2/27), 1pm, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave

MLK Community Work Day A day of service to encourage Asheville residents to volunteer and improve their communities in various betterment projects around the city.

SA (2/26), 12pm, Burton Street Community Peace Gardens, Bryant St

Drink & Draw Bring your own beverages and art supplies and draw from a live nude model or free paint on canvases to music in the front gallery. 18+ SU (2/27), 6:30pm, $10, Continuum Art, 147 Ste C, 1st Ave E, Hendersonville

Winter Workshop Series: Storytelling, Plantcraft and Basketry Participants will learn how the tradition of planting by the astrological signs spread from Europe to Appalachia, and how they can carry on this traditional gardening technique.

SA (2/26), 1pm, $35-45, Swannanoa Valley Museum, 223 W. State St, Black Mountain A Layman's Effort to Use DNA-The Harry Sederburg Story The entertaining account of how Bill Sederburg discovered the story of his colorful and elusive Uncle Harry.

SA (2/26), 2pm, Free, avl.mx/9ey Asheville Black History Month Celebration This award ceremony will highlight the work done to fuel the Black community, as well as honor Black history and its pioneers, SA (2/26), 5pm, Black Wall Street AVL, 8 River Arts Pl Night at the Nature Center Explore the ecology of our flagship southern Appalachia nocturnal species. Recommended 16+.

SA (2/26), 6pm, $35, WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd TEDx Asheville: Building Bridges, Opening Doors Nine speakers, innovators, thought

Holistic Crop Management Series Gain an ecological understanding of pest biology, and management strategies commonly used to prevent pest damage.

TU (3/1), 6pm, avl.mx/b7t Asheville Private Networking Group A small group to support each other in business through encouragement, critique, referrals and connections. Meet in the Food Court.

WE (3/2), 8:30am, Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Rd Cherokee Continuity Through Land and Craft Panel Lightning round talks followed by a panel about the intrinsic relationship between Eastern Band Cherokee identity, land, and craft.

WE (3/2), 6pm, Free, avl.mx/b94 Experience FernLeaf Night All things high school open house, with food trucks, a live DJ, live info sessions, an "Ask a FernLeaf Student" booth, as well as activities for all ages.

TH (3/3), 4pm, FernLeaf Community Charter School, 58 Howard Gap Rd, Fletcher Expand Your Circle: Speed Connecting Events for Women Entrepreneurs Connect with like-minded, forward thinking,

entreprenuerial women.

TH (3/3), 5pm, $11, Focal Point Coworking, 125 South Lexington Ave Ste 101 Sierra Club presents The Future of Our WNC Forests: A Review of the Nantahala-Pisgah Forest Revision Plan David Reid of the NC Sierra Club, Will Harlan of the Center for Biological Diversity, and Sam Evans of Southern Environmental Law Center will give an overview of the plan and its impact on the future of special places, old growth, habitat for threatened and endangered species, clean water, and others.

TH (3/3), 7pm, avl.mx/aox

LOCAL MARKETS River Arts District Winter Market Local produce, cheese, breads, meats and more.

WE (2/23, 3/2), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St

FESTIVALS The Great Comeback Carnival: Asheville Mardi Gras Parade & Queen's Ball Celebrate Mardi Gras Asheville style with the parade featuring more than 12 krewes.

Following, join the King and Queen as they host live music from The Royal Coffers and The Not Quite Knotts, dancing with DJ Chilligan, and more surprises.

Family-friendly.

SU (2/27), 3:05pm, Free, South Slope, Downtown Asheville Marshall Gras Crawl Parade Starts at The Pocket Park and will head north on Main Street. The fun includes bubbly and gumbo and live music from Riyen Roots, 75 Singlewide and more.

TU (3/1), 5pm, Downtown Marshall, Marshall

SPIRITUALITY

Weaverville Winter Tailgate Market Bread, cheese and fermented food makers, alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors.

WE (2/23), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr, Weaverville

Night of Worship Featuring songs from Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Rend Collective, and more. All are welcome.

TH (2/24), 7pm, Emmanuel Lutheran Church and School, 51 Wilburn Pl

ASAP Winter Farmers Market Weekly.

SA (2/26), 10am, A-B Tech Conference Center, 340 Victoria Rd

Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional This informal Sunday gathering is unstructured, welcoming all to share prayers, readings, music, and inspiration.

SU (2/27), 10am, avl.mx/a4t

Mini Market Pop Up A variety of local vendors highlighting some of the best in arts, crafts, and artisanal products from Asheville and surrounding areas.

SU (2/27), 11:30am, Highland Brewing Downtown Taproom, 56 Patton Ave Jackson Arts Market Makers & Music Festival Year-round market of local makers and producers, with live music on Saturday and an open mic on Sundays.

SU (2/27), 1pm, Downtown Sylva

Community Pancake Party Crafts, pancake dinner and a bonfire.

Sponsored by the congregations of the Hominy Valley Cooperative Parish.

TU (3/1), 4pm, Free, Reeves Chapel United Methodist Church, 225 Sardis Rd Jewish Power Hour Weekly Torah class via Zoom. All are welcome.

TH (3/3), 6pm, avl.mx/b0h

2022

Kids Issues Publish 3/9 & 3/16

Contact us today! advertise@mountainx.com 828-251-1333 x1

BACK AND FORTH: On Feb. 16, over a dozen registered nurses at Mission Hospital gathered outside the facility to urge state agencies to enforce the North Carolina and federal emergency temporary standards aimed at protecting nurses and patients from COVID-19. The rally was part of an emergency statewide day of action organized by National Nurses United, calling attention to working conditions that the organization claims have led to illnesses and the deaths of workers across the state. In response, Mission Health put out a statement noting its compliance with all state and federal guidelines, as well as other measures taken to ensure the safety and well-being of its patients and staff. Photos by Jennifer Castillo

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WELLNESS

Unequal opportunity

How state law restricts WNC residents’ access to abortion

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Although abortion is technically legal in the U.S., access varies widely. State laws dictate which specific procedures are allowed, which health care providers can perform them and even who can get an abortion. Access is also shaped by how many facilities there are in a given area that are capable of providing this kind of medical care. These conditions vary widely, and the restrictions they impose fall most heavily on poor women, rural residents and minors.

North Carolina abortion law doesn’t specify a particular week after which the procedure is prohibited; instead, it focuses on fetal viability, notes Elizabeth Nash, principal policy associate for state issues at the Guttmacher Institute. The national nonprofit conducts research and advocates for policies promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.

In North Carolina, “Viability has to be determined by a physician,” she explains, adding that it’s typically said to be achieved 24-26 weeks into a pregnancy. Terminating a pregnancy after that time is legal only if the patient’s life or health is at stake.

Life endangerment is determined by on a case-by-case basis by a physician, says Nash.

Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center is Western North Carolina’s lone abortion provider. It can terminate pregnancies at up to 14 weeks, the facility’s manager reports.

(Xpress is granting this person anonymity due to legitimate security con-

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JUST ONE: Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center is Western North Carolina’s lone abortion provider. Photo via iStockphoto cerns.) The clinic offers both surgical and medication abortions one day per week — less frequently than in the past, the manager reveals.

The closest Planned Parenthood clinic that provides abortions after 14 weeks is in Chapel Hill, the Asheville center manager explains. “Midtrimester abortions are typically done with moderate sedation, and at this time, we are not offering that here.”

A facility’s ability to offer these procedures depends on having accredited providers, she says. In North Carolina, only physicians can perform surgical abortions. In 18 other states advanced practice clinicians, such as physician assistants or certified nurse midwives, are allowed to terminate pregnancies, notes Nash.

NO LOCAL ACCESS IN MOST N.C. COUNTIES A 2017 study by the Guttmacher Institute found that 53% of women in North Carolina live in counties with no abortion providers. Ninety-one of the state’s 100 counties don’t have an abortion provider, says Jillian Riley, North Carolina director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which operates the Asheville clinic.

According to the study, 26 facilities across the state provide abortions.

Of these, 14 are clinics, some of them independent and others operated by

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Planned Parenthood. Most of the remaining providers are hospitals, which typically end pregnancies only in emergencies, says Nash.

“North Carolina is a state where access is really available in cities,” she points out. “When you get beyond cities, then access is very hard to come by. People have to drive very long distances.”

Having to travel makes ending a pregnancy less feasible for many women, increasing the cost and further complicating the already limited window for getting the procedure performed.

“Abortion is time-sensitive,” says the Planned Parenthood manager.

“What a lot of times gets missed is that scheduling these appointments can be stressful for that reason. Not everyone has the availability in their schedule that aligns with the availability at their local clinic.”

WHEN IT’S ALLOWED, WHERE IT’S AVAILABLE AND WHO PAYS The cost of terminating a pregnancy varies by the type of procedure performed. Nationwide, however, the mean cost of an abortion at 10 weeks is $550, says Nash.

And in any case, only limited help is available for individuals who can’t afford to pay.

North Carolina’s Medicaid program covers abortion only in cases

of rape, incest or life endangerment.

The same holds true for plans offered on the state’s health exchange under the Affordable Care Act, and for the policies provided for public employees. Private insurance plans are not required to offer abortion coverage.

As a result, policyholders may have to ask their insurer whether the procedure is covered, Nash explains, adding that “a lot of people pay out of pocket” for an abortion to protect their privacy.

Planned Parenthood’s Asheville clinic accepts both Medicaid and private insurance plans for its services, including abortions. But Western North Carolina Community Health Services, a federally qualified community health center in Asheville that serves patients covered by Medicaid, doesn’t terminate pregnancies, CEO Kim Wagenaar told Xpress.

Neither does Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers, another federally qualified organization with locations in Asheville, Leicester, Sylva, Murphy and Robbinsville.

Other major local health care providers likewise choose not to perform abortions. That’s the case with OB/GYNs employed by the Mountain Area Health Education Center, says spokesperson Jennifer Maurer. Those providers actually work out of Mission Hospital, which also doesn’t terminate pregnancies, Mission spokesperson Nancy Lindell confirms.

MAHEC’s OB/GYN residency program does include training in pregnancy termination. All residents do a rotation at Planned Parenthood and are taught the dilation and curettage procedure, which removes tissue from inside the uterus. A D&C can “address causes of heavy uterine bleeding, after a miscarriage or in pregnancy termination,” says Dr. William Gist, the residency’s program director. The residents, he emphasizes, aren’t required to assist with abortions during the training.

And Dr. Greg McCarty, chief medical officer at Pardee UNC Health Care, says the Hendersonville-based facility “does not have any physicians or providers who perform elective surgical or medical abortions.”

The same is true at the Charles George Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Asheville, says public affairs officer Vance Janes. Federal regulations exclude both abortion and the discussion of pregnancy termination as an option for both veterans and VA employees, he says.

Representatives of Swain Community Hospital in Bryson City, Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva and

“When you get beyond cities, abortion access is very hard to come by.”

— Elizabeth Nash, the Guttmacher Institute AdventHealth Hendersonville did not respond to requests for comment.

LEGAL HURDLES North Carolina’s abortion laws create “far more hurdles than there need to be,” the Planned Parenthood health center manager maintains.

Under state law, patients seeking an abortion must receive counseling by a registered nurse, nurse practitioner or physician assistant and then wait at least 72 hours before undergoing the procedure. At Asheville’s Planned Parenthood clinic, nurses provide the required counseling over the phone. Certain topics must be covered, including the health risks associated with both abortion and pregnancy, says Nash.

According to the Planned Parenthood health center manager, the counseling is “definitely designed to discourage abortion,” adding that this amounts to another hurdle for patients.

During abortion appointments, patients are required to have an ultrasound, and clinics must offer them materials developed by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services containing a list of medical centers that have specialists on staff to serve patients with highrisk pregnancies, Nash explains. The law does not require patients to read the materials, however.

North Carolina regulations require both a physician and a registered nurse with training in postoperative care to be on-site whenever any patients are present in the facility, regardless of what kind of care they’re receiving. According to Nash, the training in postoperative care is “an unusual requirement” for nurses, compared with the rules in other states. And Riley of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic says this mandate burdens clinics by requiring them to have certain staff on-site “even when it is not medically necessary for them to be in the building.”

Meanwhile, minors seeking to end a pregnancy face an additional hurdle: consent from a parent or guardian. And while there is another option in such cases, it too may be problematic.

“If the person who is pregnant and under age 18 does not want to get parental consent, or they would be put in harm’s way if they contacted their parents, they have to get per-

mission from a judge to receive an abortion,” Riley explains.

She adds that minors pregnant as the result of either incest or rape — two of the situations in which the law allows abortions — may be reluctant to discuss their pregnancy with a parent.

NONSURGICAL ABORTIONS Medication abortion begins with a single mifepristone tablet. According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, this drug blocks the body’s production of progesterone and prevents the pregnancy from continuing. Two days later, patients receive four misoprostol tablets, which cause cramping and empty the uterus. These are taken all at once.

The pills can be prescribed at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy in most states, according to Guttmacher. In 32 states, including North Carolina, only physicians can prescribe medication abortions — and, in North Carolina and 18 other states, the physician must be physically present when the first dose is administered. In North Carolina’s case, says Nash, it’s unclear whether “administered” means receiving the first pill from a physician or consuming it in the physician’s presence.

But ideally, she explains, patients should take the abortion pills at home rather than in a physician’s office, because “the abortion could start while you’re driving home, and that would not be what you want.”

North Carolina is also one of 19 states that prohibit the use of telemedicine in prescribing medical abortions, according to the Guttmacher fact sheet.

“Telehealth and using it for medication abortion is something that people need, because of all the difficulties in getting to a clinic and arranging their work life and childcare,” says Nash.

Riley, meanwhile, says that North Carolina’s regulation of medication abortion creates “so many more steps, and so many more barriers for folks who don’t have access to an abortion provider in their county.”

Far from deterring local providers, however, these restrictions “just make us want to commit ourselves to this work day in and day out, because these folks need us,” says the Asheville Planned Parenthood clinic manager. “Care is important — and we’re here to provide it.” X MOUNTAINX.COM

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ARTS & CULTURE

Answering the call

Local groups provide opportunities for emerging artists of color

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com In 2021, Steph Hickling Beckman reached a breaking point.

While Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective — where she serves as managing artistic director — has built a reputation over the past 12 years of producing diverse, thought-provoking works, Hickling Beckman had become increasingly mindful of the lack of plays by Black playwrights that celebrate Black joy.

“Not ones just talking about how everything is happy-go-lucky all the time, but plays that don’t concentrate on trauma,” she says. “Plays that aren’t about the struggle of Black people and how, no matter how far we go, we always get knocked back down. I’m sick of seeing that. So, I started looking for plays that were of the ilk that I wanted.”

With this quest, Hickling Beckman has joined a handful of other local arts organizations striving to expand the narratives about people of color and build a foundation from which these communities can be fully seen and heard for generations to come.

CHECKING IN Nearly halfway though her yearlong tenure as Asheville Community Theatre’s inaugural Artistic Partner, Maria “Ria” Young reports that the fellowship has gone smoothly so far. Designed to give local artists of color opportunities to hone their skills with experienced ACT staff and share stories of underrepresented communities, the partnership has inspired Young to expand her overall vision on where writing and directing can take her.

Making the most of her time, Young has already achieved much.

She created The Narrative play reading series, which analyzed Tarell Alvin McCraney’s The Brothers Size and Choir Boy. She’s in the final stages of preparing for a full production of her play Transition for performances Friday, April 1-Sunday, April 3. And she’s gearing up for a staged reading this summer of her latest play, Through Troubled Waters, the creation of which was funded by the fellowship.

But her greatest accomplishment, the playwright notes, has been her creation of the Young & Gifted Internship, which she considers a vital piece to the fellowship. “It’s not 20

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TEAMWORK/DREAMWORK: For Steph Hickling Beckman, left, the foundation for wanting to work with Aaron Snook, right, is simple: “We like each other,” she says. Hickling Beckman photo by Carol Spags Photography; Snook photo by Simone Snook enough just for me to be here when there are so many youth of color who could benefit just as much from this opportunity,” Young says.

On Feb. 1, Olivia Anderson was named the internship program’s inaugural recipient.

“Olivia holds a distinct love and passion of theater that cannot be ignored when you speak to her,” Young says. “She’s a champion of joy and creativity with a deep interest in acting, so this internship gives her an opportunity to expand upon that by shadowing my cast and me in the creation of [Transition’s] production.”

Though Young has plenty left to do before the fellowship concludes at the end of August, she’s already thinking about how to encourage an even better experience for the next Artistic Partner. Above all else, she advises next year’s selected artist to prioritize self and spiritual care.

“That’s been the beacon of my foundation throughout this fellowship when feeling overwhelmed,” she says. “Cultivate the creativity within that space and move in

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realms that pour into you while utilizing the wealth of knowledge and opportunity around you. Embrace the year for what it is and will be, and trust your intuition to create what’s placed on your heart.”

BLOCK PARTY At the YMI Cultural Center, Equity Director alexandria monque ravenel is involved with a pair of programs for emerging artists of color.

Co-organized with her child, Noir Collective AVL’s Ajax Ravenel, the writing group Le Mot Noir began meeting last August after local author and spoken-word artist Penny Meacham expressed an interest in a place for Black women writers to connect. Weekly meetings are held in the YMI’s art gallery so that attendees are surrounded by the works of local Black artists, with the gatherings designed as a stream-of-consciousness writing and sharing session.

“Writers are also welcome to bring pieces that they are working on to

share,” ravenel says. “Topics are usually based on what is emerging in our communities or in the lives of a participant. Sometimes, we play music for inspiration, or we talk and then respond with our pens.”

All female writers of color, regardless of experience, are welcome at Le Mot Noir. Those interested in participating should email noircollectiveavl@gmail.com. The schedule changes according to group availability, and members’ goals range from being published to staging live performances, whiles others, in ravenel’s words, “write to write.” Local playwright Monica McDaniel, who’s also the YMI’s operations director, is partnering with some of the more ambitious members to help bring their ideas to a stage setting later this year.

“Writing creates an opening for thoughts and feelings to emerge and then to live outside of our bodies,” ravenel says. “As much as we can allow our truths and the impressions of our lived experiences to live out-

side of our body, the better it is for our bodies.”

That mindfulness likewise holds true for the YMI’s Rising Young Black Artist program, which was launched to bring more visibility to developing creatives in the community. In addition to having their works displayed in the gallery, artists engage in an educational component to help learn what it takes to establish themselves as professional artists and, according to ravenel, “how to identify themselves as uniquely different from other artists, especially within the same genre.”

In turn, they better understand how to package and display, price, market, advertise and sell their creations. McDaniel oversees the program operations while local photographer and artist Micah Mackenzie serves as program mentor.

“The YMI intends that for every young artist that wants to paint, draw, craft or take pictures, they will have their whole community behind them,” ravenel says.

JOYFUL DIRECTIONS Meanwhile, in her search for plays rooted in Black joy, Hickling Beckman has partnered with Aaron Snook, co-founder and curator of American Myth Center, to create A Different Myth. The project offers Black playwrights a chance to develop their work with experienced mentors, directors and actors before eventually performing their plays in front of an audience at the Tina McGuire Theatre, Different Strokes’ black box home in the Wortham Center for The Performing Arts.

Snook will handle the dramaturgy and one-on-one mentorship of the playwright, and once the play is ready for the stage, Different Strokes will step in as producer with Hickling Beckman or another Black artist handling director duties.

TRAILBLAZER: Olivia Anderson is the inaugural recipient of the Young and Gifted Internship created by Ria Young at Asheville Community Theatre. Photo courtesy of ACT With 14 years in Chicago’s renowned theater scene before moving to Asheville a few years ago, Snook says he is dedicated to using his experience to increase representation on local stages and better reflect Asheville’s diverse community.

“I really believe in the development process of a play. It’s not a person in a room writing it, and then it goes out straight to the stage.

That’s just not how things happen,” Snook says. “Giving playwrights that team around them so that it’s not this lonely, ‘processed in a vacuum’ thing before it hits the stage — they can feel fully confident in their story and how it’s being told and that their voice is clear.”

Though A Different Myth isn’t limited to Asheville-area playwrights, the collaborators feel it’s important to involve as many local

artists as possible, especially in the initial phase. The goal is to select three playwrights for the first round and hopefully grow that number in subsequent years.

“All these myths exist about Black folks, just by the nature of the theater we’ve seen and the way our country is. And now we get to hear a different perspective. We get to see Black people just living their lives, not regretting their lives or living in torment,” Hickling Beckman says.

“It’s just people living their lives as people, just like we’ve always gotten to see white characters do.

Now, white folks get to see that Black people also have just regular and sometimes boring lives. We are more alike than we are different.”

As submissions for A Different Myth roll in, Different Strokes is also fielding applications through the end of February for its apprenticeship program aimed at high school and college students who are Black, Indigenous and people of color. The nine-week BIPOC Apprenticeship program is designed to be as specific or broad as the selected student would like. Interest, however, has thus far been fairly low, and while that doesn’t surprise Hickling Beckman, she’s determined to change that narrative as well.

“When we look around at both the colleges and the high schools, the numbers just are not there for BIPOC kids enrolled in the arts. And that’s one of the issues, because if we don’t get these kids at an early age, it’s just not something culturally that’s introduced to us,” she says.

“I didn’t know that it was possible for me to be involved in theater until I was 17, and that was because I stumbled upon it in high school.

So, it’s just trying to populate that pipeline to get an introduction to more of these kids.”

For more information on A Different Myth or the BIPOC Apprenticeship program, visit avl.mx/b8s. X

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ARTS & CU L T U R E

HISTORY

Blessed are the peacemakers Nikwasi Initiative efforts selected for new Smithsonian traveling museum

What began as an outlet for two disparate communities to make peace about the past and move forward in unity has attracted the attention of the Smithsonian Institution.

Based in Franklin, the nonprofit Nikwasi Initiative preserves, protects and promotes culture and heritage in the original homelands of the Cherokee. In turn, its board of directors — composed equally of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians members and white residents — is upfront and honest about the often fraught ways Native American history commingles with that of Appalachian settlers.

“This story starts a couple of hundred years ago when the settlers and the Cherokee started to have clashes,” says Elaine Eisenbaum, Nikwasi Initiative executive director. “The British burned out the entire community of Noquisiyi, and [the Cherokee] rebuilt it and then the Americans burned it out. And so there’s been this conflict for a long time.”

Long-buried tensions were stirred up in 2012 when a systematic spraying of herbicide killed all the living plants on the sacred Noquisiyi Mound (later interpreted as Nikwasi) in Franklin.

Rather than ignore this painful past and its legacy, people from the Franklin and Cherokee communities met in April 2015 with the common goal of conserving heritage and healing relationships between mountain neighbors. The Nikwasi Initiative officially formed in 2016 and has resulted in a range of projects that identify and honor Cherokee history and culture.

“We put up kiosks along roadways and at various places so that people can stop and have roadside learning opportunities, and we do education programs for kids,” Eisenbaum explains. “We’re also putting in an apple trail, based on varieties of apples that were originally bred by Cherokee people before they were removed by the Trail of Tears. In restoring those apple varieties, people can actually taste the Cherokee contribution to something that we aren’t aware of in our modern world.”

Those efforts, along with 29 other community-led projects throughout the country, have now been recognized by the Smithsonian Institution.

The organization’s new Spark! Places of Innovation traveling museum will bring the story of Franklin and Cherokee to 24 states and 144 rural 22

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for decades. Going forward, she’ll serve as conduit to Harsh and her team to determine what the presentation looks like. The current plan includes the production of several interactive videos, featuring interviews with EBCI registered members and Franklin community members speaking to how the collaborations have been important to them.

“We’re going to work hand in hand all the way through,” Eisenbaum says.

“The Smithsonian is obviously the expert at designing museums, and we’ll ‘sign off’ on the story, so to speak. We’ll be having so much input along the way that they’ll take our input and then make it into something spectacular.”

ENHANCED MISSION

STRONGER TOGETHER: The community-building effort between Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians members and white residents of Franklin forms the basis of the Nikwasi Initiative. Photo courtesy of the Nikwasi Initiative communities with populations of fewer than 25,000 people from 2023-29.

According to Carol Harsh, associate director for Museum on Main Street — the Smithsonian arm that handles traveling exhibitions — Spark! will “explore four broad themes of innovation: technological, social, cultural heritage and artistic,” with the Nikwasi Initiative featured in the cultural heritage section. Other selected stories include cherry-industry innovations from Forestville, Wis., and efforts that led to the revitalization of Helper, Utah.

“Rather than tell visitors about innovation, we want to show what actual innovation looks like in rural America,” Harsh says. “Real stories will be crafted into case studies in the exhibition with the goal of inspiring visitors to think about innovation in their own town.”

“What I emphasized in the application is how this is a place of mingling.

In Franklin, you’ve got the young, energetic, Appalachian Trail-walking people who thru-hike, and they’re mingling with what I call the ‘new mountain residents,’ who have moved to the country,” Eisenbaum says.

“And you’ve got the Cherokee people mingling with the non-Cherokee people, so there’s a lot of different types of people coming together here. And I think that really excited the Smithsonian, because it’s a different kind of intercultural relationship than you see in urban areas or other parts of the country.”

Upon being selected, Eisenbaum assembled a committee of people who’ve been involved with the interaction between Franklin and Cherokee

NATIONAL NOTICE In her regular searches for nonprofit opportunities, Eisenbaum read about the Smithsonian launching a new museum project to spotlight “diverse communities that implemented new ideas leading to innovations or inventions that change the community for the better.” Feeling that it was describing the Nikwasi Initiative, she filled out what she describes as a “pretty involved” application, answering questions about the community, its history and the importance of other communities learning from their efforts.

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CONNECTED: Richard Sneed, left, principal chief of the EBCI, and former Franklin mayor Bob Scott bond at the Noquisiyi Mound. Photo courtesy of the Nikwasi Initiative

Though Eisenbaum says there are currently no plans for the traveling museum to stop in Franklin, she hopes that the Nikwasi Initiative’s story and others selected by the Smithsonian will encourage other communities that are having cultural challenges between different populations to embrace communication and conflict resolution.

She and Fred Alexander, a fellow white resident of Franklin and a Nikwasi Initiative board member, additionally see the Spark! Places of Innovation collaboration as a way to spread the word about the small, rural nonprofit’s work and bring more people to the region.

“The Smithsonian [honor] is affirmation from a national perspective that all parties combined to do something noticeably good and right,” Alexander says. “Locally, I think we all will understand our shared history better. More people will visit Cherokee and Franklin to learn more, and we’ll discover new friends and supporters.”

But the achievement is even more significant for Juanita Wilson, EBCI member and Nikwasi Initiative co-chair.

“I never dreamed that this beautiful story of reunification would emerge from the terrible storm that raged between the Cherokee and Franklin communities not so long ago,” Wilson says. “It is, however, fitting that the mound, which was the center of the controversy, is now reuniting us. Our ancestors were neighbors who looked out for one another. We were connected then, and we are finding our way back to one another.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/b1v.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food

Soul Food Supper celebrates Black History Month

BACK AT IT: In celebration of Black History Month, Soul Food Supper returns to the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center. Renée White, president of the East End/ Valley Street Association, a co-sponsor of the free event, says to come hungry. Photo by Jennifer Castillo Each year, the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood and StephensLee Alumni associations sponsor Soul Food Supper, a free dining event to honor Black History Month as well as celebrate the past, present and future of Asheville’s Black community.

“We try to keep the story of Black people in the city of Asheville and the story of our Black communities in the forefront,” says Renée White, president of the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association.

The latest iteration takes place at the Stephens-Lee Recreation Center parking lot Thursday, Feb. 24, 6-8 p.m. (or when food runs out). Due to ongoing COVID-19 health concerns, this year’s gathering will be a drive-thru event.

White recommends that folks arrive hungry. Menu items will include fried chicken, baked chicken, ham, turkey, green beans, cabbage, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, potato salad, desserts and sweet iced tea donated by local venues including Benne on Eagle, Little Pigs BBQ and J&S Cafeteria.

“This is going to be a real soul food dinner,” White proclaims.

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“We think these types of events are important,” she continues. “They keep us together. It’s about legacy for Black people and for our Black neighborhoods. This is our heritage, this is where we came from, and this is where we make sure our story continues through these events that capture our history. That’s the reason we do this every year.”

Stephens-Lee Recreation Center is at 30 George Washington Carver Ave. For more information on the event, visit avl.mx/b7z. For further history on the East End/Valley Street neighborhood, visit avl.mx/b80.

Laissez les bons temps rouler Mark your calendars and grab your beads. Hi-Wire Brewing is hosting a free, all-ages Mardi Gras party at its River Arts District Beer Garden on Saturday, Feb. 26, noon-3 p.m.

“Our goal is always to offer guests good beer and a good time,” says Shanda Crowe, Hi-Wire digital marketing and press coordinator. The upcoming celebration, she adds, will

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feature a special King Cake 10W-40 Imperial Stout release “that people were really hyped about last year.”

Offering a unique twist to a Mardi Gras tradition, Hi-Wire will hide 11 small, plastic babies among its 4-packs of King Cake 10W-40 Imperial Stout. Participants who find the babies will earn a chance to win a Hi-Wire gift card ranging from $10-$100.

Local band Funk’n Around will perform at the celebration.

Additionally, king cake from Hendersonville’s Eaton Sweets will be available for purchase. The gathering will also feature face painting booths and a dog costume contest.

The Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden is at 284 Lyman St. Costumes and beads are encouraged but not required.

On the rise in RAD Mother, the brainchild of artisan baker Heidi Bass and wine maven Brett Watson, recently opened its first brick-and-mortar at 20 Artful Way, No. 102, in the River Arts District. At just under 200 square

feet, the shop was founded with approachability and hospitality in mind. “Sourdough bread, and wine as well, has developed this niche of being high-end and exclusive,” says Bass. “But I want people to feel welcomed and to create an environment that isn’t fussy or precious.”

Following a reputation that, not unlike Mother’s sourdough, has steadily risen since breaking through in late 2020, Bass and Watson see their new location as the perfect landing spot. “People in the River Arts District appreciate what we do because they all do the same thing in terms of making a living off of hard work using natural, quality materials. We wanted to curate a space where we could present what we do but also create a gallery feel so that we remained true to the River Arts District,” says Watson.

Mother has taken that neighborhood mentality a step further and brought in the nearby artistic talent to fully flesh out its physical space.

Local furniture maker Andrew Stack furnished shelving, Mawa Ceramics crafted the in-house coffee mugs, Iron Maiden Studios designed

the signage, and Drake’s Fine Coffee Roasting provides all coffee.

“These folks are really important in making a less than 200-squarefoot space feel like something special,” Bass says.

Mother is open Thursday-Monday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/atg.

Murasaki Asheville opens Murasaki Asheville, a new Japanese restaurant, has opened in Arden at the site previously occupied by Pomodoros Café. Launched in late January, the restaurant is the latest venture from owner Putra Negara, who also owns several other Japanese restaurants in Johnson City, Tenn., Cherokee, N.C., and Spartanburg, S.C. Murasaki is “really based on my childhood dreams,” says Negara. “I grew up in a poor family as the youngest of four, and I couldn’t afford to go to culinary school, but I had a big dream that one day I would open my own restaurant.”

Originally from Bali, Negara fell in love with Japanese cuisine as he gained experience working in kitchens. “I love the food, I love the culture,” he says.

Diners can expect the usual hibachi, sushi, sashimi and ramen bowl options traditionally found in most modern Japanese restaurants, as well as a number of rare and highly sought-after dishes.

“We have all kinds of fresh fish that most restaurants don’t carry, like madai snapper, shima aji, live scallops and even A5 Wagyu Kobe beef,” Negara says. “We’re also serving fresh bluefin tuna every day.”

In addition to the lunch and dinner options, Murasaki offers a full-service bar, including premium sakes and Japanese whiskeys.

Murasaki Asheville is at 200 Julian Lane, Suite 210, Arden.

Motor City munchies Pi-Squared, Hendersonville’s go-to spot for Detroit-style pizza, will open its second WNC location in Arden on Tuesday, March 1. Established by Karen Ostrowski, a Detroit native, Pi-Squared’s first franchise expansion will be operated by Andria Lassiter, also originally from Detroit. “[Karen and I] shared the common background of coming from Detroit and falling in love with the South,” Lassiter says. “When I learned of the opportunity to become their first franchisee, I jumped at the chance.”.

Detroit-style pizza is known for its rectangular shape, as well as a thick, crispy crust that’s light and airy on the inside and caramelized with cheese. Additionally, its sauce is placed on top of the cheese and toppings, rather than underneath.

“Beyond amazing food, we hope to provide a family-friendly, community-focused business,” says Lassiter.

“We want to help you celebrate the first night in a new home, a little league win or even mend a broken heart. We are on a mission to share the Pi-Love one slice at a time!”

Pi-Squared Arden is at 2615 Hendersonville Road.

Visit avl.mx/b8 for more information.

Zia Taqueria reopens Zia Taqueria recently reopened at 521 Haywood Road, after temporarily closing for upgrades and menu changes. Diners can expect an interior redesign that includes a refurbished and extended bar.

Meanwhile, sweet and savory taco plates and Hickory Nut Gap carne adovada are among its new menu items.

For additional information, including store hours, visit avl.mx/b9c.

Cheers to a better New Year from your friends at Smoky Park

2022 vendor applications open The Asheville Down Association recently opened applications for food vending during 2022 events, such as Downtown After 5, Asheville Oktoberfest, Community Concert Sunday and the city’s Independence Day celebration. Applicants have until 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25 to submit; accepted vendors will be notified starting March 4.

For more information, visit avl.mx/b82.

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

ROUNDUP

Around Town

In 1906, E.W. Pearson arrived in Asheville and soon thereafter established the Burton Street neighborhood. A veteran of the SpanishAmerican War, Pearson remained in his adopted city until his death on July 4, 1946. An entrepreneur, community leader and Renaissance man, Pearson established the Buncombe County District Colored Agricultural Fair in 1914 (which ran for more than three decades) and launched the Royal Giants — Asheville’s first Black semiprofessional baseball team — in 1916.

Today, the Burton Street community “remains a historically African American neighborhood, full of rich Black history,” says Catherine Siravantha, communications specialist for Hood Huggers International, a local tour group established by DeWayne Barton that focuses on Asheville’s African American historic sites.

On Saturday, Feb. 26, noon-4 p.m., Hood Huggers will co-sponsor a community workday in the Burton Street neighborhood. The event, originally scheduled to take place on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, was rescheduled due to snowfall. Planned projects include but are not limited to the removal of an old greenhouse, cleaning up Smith Mill Creek, picking up trash, repairing and weatherizing homes, and designing and laying out garden beds at The Vine Community Garden.

“The MLK Day of service is a defining moment each year when Americans across the country step up to make our communities more equitable and take action to create the beloved community of Dr. King’s dream,” Siravantha says. “While Dr. King believed the beloved community was possible, he acknowledged and fought for systemic change. His example is our call to action.”

Along with Hood Huggers, the event is co-sponsored by RiverLink, Asheville Parks & Recreation, Asheville Creative Arts, Energy Savers Network and the Burton Street Community Association.

Anybody wishing to volunteer should go to 47 Burton St. There will be an orientation at noon, but anybody who arrives later is welcome and will be given guidance. Folks are encouraged to RSVP at avl.mx/b89.

Telling tales Oh, the stories you’ll tell.

The Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center will offer Crafting Stories from Nature on Saturday, Feb. 26, 1-4 p.m., at Christmount Christian 26

FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

Community workday celebrates Burton Street neighborhood

BELOVED COMMUNITY: The Burton Street Peace Gardens will be among the many locations tended to during a rescheduled Martin Luther King Jr. Day community work day, taking place Saturday, Feb. 26. Photo courtesy of Hood Huggers International Assembly in Black Mountain. The event, originally scheduled for January, was postponed due to concerns over COVID-19.

“We will discuss how to find stories in the natural world and in our daily life, and how to craft engaging narratives that celebrate the richness of the human experience,” says master storyteller Doug Elliott, who will lead the workshop. “We will think about how we can recognize an incident, encounter, problem or question that might become the mythic, archetypal ‘call to adventure,’ which can lead us on an engaging narrative journey.”

The workshop leader will also give tips about how to incorporate dialogue and dialect into a story.

Elliott, who lives in Rutherford County, says Western North Carolina’s traditional tales and folklore are deeply intertwined with nature. “Plant and animal stories and lore are a big part of the culture and the narratives of the Appalachian people and a rich resource for storytellers,” he says.

A self-described “naturalist, herbalist, storyteller, basket maker, backcountry guide, philosopher and

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harmonica wizard,” Elliott has performed and presented programs at festivals, museums, botanical gardens, nature centers and schools from Canada to the Caribbean.

Tickets are $35-$45. The event will be held in the meeting room of the guest house at Christmount Christian Assembly, 222 Fern Way, Black Mountain. Participants will receive driving and parking directions ahead of time. For more information or to register, visit avl.mx/b24.

Waste not When he was in his early 20s, Rob Greenfield was obsessed with material possessions, financial wealth and social status. He had the goal of being a millionaire by age 30.

But at 24, something changed for the Asheville author and activist.

“I began to explore deeply the impact of my daily actions on the Earth, my community and myself,” he says. “This included the food I was eating and understanding the toll driving my car took on the environment. I decided to transform my

life to live more harmoniously with Earth, humanity and all our plant and animal relatives.”

Greenfield’s desire to extoll the benefits of a more environmentally friendly life led him to write Zero Waste Kids: Hands-On Projects and Activities to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The book, geared toward children ages 8-12, was recently published by Quarry Books.

“To get kids actively involved in zero-waste activities helps them better grasp their place on this Earth,” he says. “Zero-waste isn’t the solution to all the world’s problems, but a very good place to start and that’s really the primary message: Start with small, manageable steps and have fun.”

All of Greenfield’s proceeds from the book will be donated to grassroots environmental initiatives.

For more information or to purchase the book, visit avl.mx/b88.

Time to talk TEDx Asheville returns for the first time in more than two years on Sunday, Feb. 27, 1-6 p.m., at the Wortham

Center for the Performing Arts. The event, Building Bridges, Opening Doors, will also be livestreamed.

Reggie Tidwell, founder of Asheville graphic design business Curve Theory, and Amy Climer, a facilitator, speaker and coach, will emcee. Nine speakers are lined up: Lyndon Harris, Jeffrey Kaplan, Maiysha Clairborne, Nikki Robinson, Justin Jones-Fosu, J Hackett, Ginger Huebner, Hannah Williams and Jennifer MacDonald.

“We look to become a ‘hub of hope’ by sharing inspirational stories of personal growth, community engagement and, as always, groundbreaking ideas,” organizers say in a press release.

The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. TEDx Asheville is independently organized by community leaders.

For more information or to get tickets to the live or online event, go to avl.mx/b8g.

Sphere of influence Tracey Morgan Gallery will present Spheric, an exhibition of oil-oncanvas paintings by Asheville artist Ralston Fox Smith Friday, Feb. 25-Saturday, April 9. An opening reception with the artist takes place Feb. 25, 6-8 p.m.

Spheric is Smith’s second show with the gallery and will be presented in conjunction with a solo exhibition by Spartanburg, S.C., artist Ben Nixon.

“Long enamored with lines and rectangular shapes, Smith has recently begun incorporating spheres in his work, adding further opportunities for visual play and challenges in spacial awareness,” a gallery press release notes. “Layering and shading evoke a sense of movement, and the deceptively simple renderings continue to reveal new elements, if given time to do so.”

The Tracey Morgan Gallery, 188 Coxe Ave., is open TuesdaysSaturdays, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/b8c.

Black History Month Awards Black Wall Street AVL will present Black History Month Awards at the Black Wall Street AVL New Building on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m.

Awards presented at the dinner include Community Leader, Business Trailblazer, Outstanding Elder and Emerging Young Leader. Speakers

will be Bruce Waller, director of Black Wall Street, and J Hackett, founder of the organization.

Food will be provided by Ramona Young, owner of the Kente Kitchen Market, and Stephen Moore, owner of The Broke Stove. DJ Twan will be the featured entertainer.

The Black Wall Street AVL New Building is at 8 River Arts Place. For more information or to register for the free event, go to avl.mx/b8f.

Colorful images Tickets are on sale for the sixth annual Color Me Goodwill fashion show, presented by Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina. The fashion show, featuring collections by seven local designers, takes place Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m., at The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave. Each of the seven designers will present a runway collection based on a selected color, using materials found at local Goodwill stores.

Designers compete for a first-place prize of $500, awarded by a panel of expert judges, and an audience choice prize of $200.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets may be purchased through The Orange Peel box office at avl.mx/b8d. For more information, visit avl.mx/b8e.

New Edition coming soon

Contact us today!

828-251-1333 x1 advertise@mountainx.com

— Justin McGuire X

MOVIE REVIEWS Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include: THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD: Rightfully nominated for two Academy Awards, director Joachim Trier’s inventive, emotionally rich relationship dramedy is by far this week’s best new release. Grade: A-minus — Edwin Arnaudin CYRANO: Peter Dinklage gives one of the year’s most impressive performances in director Joe Wright’s vibrant musical take on the Edmond Rostand play, though the original songs by rock band The National are surprisingly hitor-miss. Grade: B — Edwin Arnaudin

Find full reviews and local film info at ashevillemovies.com patreon.com/ashevillemovies MOUNTAINX.COM

FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

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CLUBLAND

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The featured icon indicates which venues or artists require proof of vaccination for upcoming shows. Due to the evolving nature of the matter, the list may not be comprehensive.

Before heading out, please check with all venues for complete information on any vaccine or negative COVID-19 requirements.

12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Locals Night, 4pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Beauty Parlor Comedy: Andrew Rudick, 7pm •Aquanet Goth Party 9pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Stand-Up Lounge Comedy Open Mic, 8pm BREWSKIES Free Pool All Day, All Night, 1pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE General Themed Trivia Night w/Bingeable, 7pm CATAWBA BREWING TASTING ROOM Catawba Biltmore Trivia Night w/Billy Nesbit, 6:30pm

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm

DOUBLE CROWN Rock & Roll w/DJ Fast Eddy, 10pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Free Weekly Trivia Night, 7pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Classic Beauties Drag Show Downtown, 8pm

HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm

ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic & Featurek 7:30pm BLUE RIDGE HEMP CO. Comedy Night w/Grant Lyon, 8pm

ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm

BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 7pm

CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Thursday Night Trivia w/ Kelsey, 6:30pm

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Steep Canyon Rangers Winter Camp, 6:30pm RENDEZVOUS Albi (vintage jazz), 6pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Acoustic Jam, 5pm SILVERADOS Open Mic, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Lady Pills, Mad Mike, For Def (rock), 8pm

FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

THE ODDITORIUM Bad Wires, B & Iron Sights (grindcore, metalcore), 7pm

ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE The AVL Jazz Workshop, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm

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THE GREY EAGLE Andy Shauf (singer-songwriter)k 7pm

UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Trivia Night w/Not Rocket Science, 7pm

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D9 BREWING COMPANY Trivia Thursday, 7pm DOUBLE CROWN Gospel Night with The Voices of Harmonyk 9pm FLEETWOOD'S Danny Feedback, Bad Ties, & Safety Coffin (suckadelic, per-rock, post-Madonnas), 8pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy, (open mic), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Alice Bradley (singer-songwriter), 6pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy: Carl Sonnefeld, 7pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Melodic AF (soul, jazz, country), 7pm

THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic Hosted by Kid Billy, 8pm

TURGUA BREWING CO Trivia Night, 6pm

DOUBLE CROWN Rotations DJs Vinyl & VHS, 10pm

FLEETWOOD'S Mattiel w/Fortezza (post punk), 8pm

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Zoso (Led Zeppelin tribute)k 8pm

AMERICAN VINYL CO. David Desmelik & Friends (singer-songwriter)k 7pm

DRY FALLS BREWING CO. JED Flanders Band (covers), 7pm

For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23

D9 BREWING COMPANY Brett Milstead (rock, pop, country), 7pm

TODD ONLY KNOWS: Rebekah Todd will play a show at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva on Friday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. The Wilmington-based singer-songwriter was named “Best Female Musician” by Encore Magazine in 2018. Photo courtesy of Todd ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Asheville Sessions w/ Melissa McKinney (jazz, blues, rock), 7pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Michael "Country" Carver (country, blues), 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Urban Soil Duo (singer-songwriter, roots rock), 7pm OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Steep Canyon Rangers Winter Camp, 6:30pm POLANCO RESTAURANT SENSE w/DJ Audio, 9pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Free Weekly Table Tennis Tournament, 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS DJ Lil Tamagotchi, 9pm THE 2ND ACT Russ Wilson & The 2nd Act Orchestra (swing), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Brett Dennen (singer-songwriter)k 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Doctor Finnegan's Circus, 8pm

TRISKELION BREWING CO. Jason's Krazy Karaoke, 6:30pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic Night, 6pm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Cruz Contreras (acoustic, Americana, country), 7pm Bluegrass w/the Darren Nicholson Band, 8:30pm

CITIZEN VINYL Saturday Spins, 1pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Chelsea Lovitt & Boyz (bluegrass, country, soul, rock), 8pm

CROW & QUILL Firecracker Jazz Band (New Orleans style hot jazz)k 8:30pm

LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Rebekah Todd (rock, soul, folk), 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Scott Moss and the $100 Handshakes w/the Derek McCoy Electric Trio (Americana), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Friday w/Gus & Friends (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

185 KING STREET Mike Maimone Band (blues), 8pm

SILVERADOS Karaoke w/DJ Steph, 9pm

AMERICAN VINYL CO. Natural Blk Invention w/Noise Florist, Vespers & Om Dealer (drone-dance, post-rock, emo-space), 7pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Floating Action, Cam Stack, & DJ Arieh (rock), 8pm

BOOJUM BREWING COMPANY The Get Right Band (psychdelic indie rock), 9:30pm BREWSKIES Karaoke, 10pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Jake Burns (acoustic), 7pm CORK & KEG Zydeco Ya Ya (Cajun) k 8pm CROW & QUILL Sparrow and her Wingmen (jazz, ragtime, blues)k 8:30pm

BREWSKIES Pool Tournament Saturdays, 7pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Letters to Abigail (acoustic duo), 2pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Jamie Hendrickson Trio (funk), 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Drunken Doja Monkey w/Jonny G DJ Set (dance), 11:30pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (gypsy jazz), 5:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Asheville 8 String Collective (jazz, funk, blues), 6pm

12 BONES BREWERY J.C. Tokes (retro Americana honky-tonk, rock, blues), 5pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY VENUS (dark house dance party), 10pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL The Snozzberries (psychedlic rock), 10pm

THE DUGOUT Twisted Trail (country, Southern rock), 8pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy: Leah Rudick, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Agent Orange w/ PINKEYE (punk, surf) k 9pm THE SOCIAL Dirty Dead as Pied Pisces (classic rock), 9pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. The Abbey Elmore Band (pop, rock, folk), 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Christina Chandler (folk, soul, Americana), 7pm

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 185 KING STREET Mardi Gras Costume Party w/the Wobblers (soul, jazz, roots), 8pm

CORK & KEG The Uptown Hillbillies (honky tonk, classic country)k 8pm

DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Folkadelic Jam (folk rock), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Deke Dickerson w/Slow Poison (rockabilly surf) k 8pm GUIDON BREWING Sunlight Drive (acoustic duo), 6pm HI-WIRE BREWING Mardi Gras & King Cake w/Funk''n Around, 12pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Laura Blackley & The Wild Flowers (Appalachian blues & soul), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Pimps of Pompe (jazzedup pop & hip-hop), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Sam Baker (acoustic, singer-songwriter)k 7pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Supper Break (bluegrass), 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Hustle Souls (soul), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Sneezy (funk, rock, soul), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Funk'N Around Mardi Gras Celebration, 8pm POLANCO RESTAURANT SAUXE on Saturdays w/ DJ Audio, 9pm RENDEZVOUS Albi (vintage jazz), 6pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Pocket Strange (rock), 5:30pm

SALVAGE STATION Doom Flamingo w/ Lee Ross (soul, funk)k 12:15AM

Yoga Taco Mosak 11am Early Show: Charlie Starr w/Benji Shanks (Southern rock)k 6pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Black Futures DJ Night, 9pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Parquet Courts (indie rock)k 8pm

SUNNY POINT CAFÉ Albi (vintage jazz), 6pm THE DUGOUT Sinder Ella (rock), 8pm THE POE HOUSE Josh Dunkin (pop'n'roll), 7pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. The Baggage Brothers (progressive Americana), 7pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT DJ Molly Parti, 7pm

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 5pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Shay Martin Lovette w/Momma Molasses (Applachian, old time, country), 7pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Trivia Sundays, 4:30pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Jazz Brunch w/Nick Garrison Trio, 12pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Roots and Dore (roots), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Carver and Carmody (acoustic duo), 2pm DOUBLE CROWN Karaoke Sundays, 10pm HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Soul Jazz Sundays w/ Taylor Pierson Trio, 3pm HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Mr Jimmy Blues & Brews w/Charles Singletary, 1pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Sunday Bluegrass Brunch w/Supper Break, 12pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Mardi Gras Party w/ Hustle Souls (soul), 3pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST •Sunday Jazz Jam w/ The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, 1pm •SIRSY (indie pop/rock), 6pm

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28 BREWSKIES Open Jam w/Tall Paul, 7:30pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Musicians in the Round, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm LITTLE JUMBO Sinfonietta Live Recording (jazz)k 7pm SILVERADOS 8 Ball Tournament, 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Trivia by the River w/ James Harrod, 8pm THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 8pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm

ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 An Evening w/Liz Longley (Americana, indie, songwriter)k 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY •Queer Comedy Party: Mary Jane French, 7pm •AQUANET Goth Party w/Ash Black, 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Stand-Up Lounge Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Acoustic Jam, 5pm

CITIZEN VINYL Open Folk, 6pm CONTINUUM ART Westie Wednesdays, 6:30pm DOUBLE CROWN Rock & Roll w/DJ Fast Eddy, 10pm HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP Free Weekly Trivia Night, 7pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm

RENDEZVOUS Albi (vintage jazz), 6pm

SILVERADOS Open Mic, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic Hosted by Kid Billy, 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Coheed and Cambria (rock)k 7pm

THURSDAY, MARCH 3 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm

185 KING STREET Miss Tess (blues, rock, country), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE The AVL Jazz Workshop, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Kiki Thursdays Drag and Dancing, 8pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm CONTINUUM ART Singer Songwriter Open Mic Night, 6pm CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Thursday Night Trivia w/ Kelsey, 6:30pm D9 BREWING COMPANY Trivia Thursday, 7pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy, (open mic), 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Drag Music Bingo w/Divine the Bearded Lady, 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 The Floyd Philharmonic (classic rock)k 8:30pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Daniel Sage (rock), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Josh Clark's Visible Spectrum (soul, funk, rock), 7pm OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Trivia Night w/Nick Pearl, 6pm POLANCO RESTAURANT Sense Every Thursday w/ DJ Audio, 12am SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. Dirty Logic (Steely Dan tribute)k 6pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Free Weekly Table Tennis Tournament, 7pm THE 2ND ACT Russ Wilson & The 2nd Act Orchestra (swing), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Iceage w/Sloppy Jane & Secret Shame (rock) k 8pm

TUESDAY, MARCH 1 185 KING STREET Travis Book & Friends w/Mary Lucey, Tim Gardner and Tommy Maher (musical collaboration), 6pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Drag Bingo w/Calcutta, 8pm FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Riyen Roots (blues, soul, roots), 6pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute), 6pm

PLEB URBAN WINERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm

SALVAGE STATION Empire Strikes Brass Mardi Gras w/Vanessa Collier (funk)k

SWEETEN CREEK BREWING All Arts Open Mike w/ Mike Waters, 6pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Bike Night at Getaway River Bar, 2pm

THE GREY EAGLE Happy Fits (pop)k 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Late Show: Charlie Starr w/Benji Shanks (Southern rock)k 9am

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2

THE ORANGE PEEL Thursday (post hardcore)k 8pm THE POE HOUSE Fat Tuesday, 5pm

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FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it,” wrote author G. K. Chesterton.

Amen to that! Please regard his observation as the first part of your horoscope. Here’s the second part: It’s sometimes the right approach to move in harmony with the flow, to allow the momentum of elemental forces to carry you along. But now is not one of those times. I suggest you experiment with journeys against the flow. Go in quest of what the followers of easy options will never experience. Do it humbly, of course, and with your curiosity fully deployed.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “You’re never allowed to step on people to get ahead,” said TV personality and author Star Jones, “but you can step over them if they’re in your way.” I suspect the coming months will be a time when you really should step over people who are in your way. There’s no need to be mad at them, criticize them or gossip about them. That would sap your energy to follow your increasingly clear dreams. Your main task is to free yourself from influences that obstruct your ability to be the Royal Sovereign of Your Own Destiny.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini-born Gina Rowlands is retired now, but she had an award-winning six-decade career as an actor.

At age 20, she decided what she wanted to do with her life, and her parents offered her their blessings. She testified: “I went home and I told my mom that I wanted to quit college and be an actress, and she said, ’Huh, that sounds fascinating. It’s wonderful!’ And I told my father, and he literally said, ’I don’t care if you want to be an elephant trainer if it makes you happy.’”

Dear Gemini, in the coming months, I would love for you to receive similar encouragement for your budding ideas and plans. What can you do to ensure you’re surrounded by influences like Rowlands’ parents? I hope you embark on a long-term project to get all the support you need.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As you enter an astrological phase when vast, expansive ruminations will be fun and healthy for you, I will offer you some vast, expansive thoughts. Hopefully, they will inspire your own spacious musings.

First, here’s artist M. C. Escher: “Wonder is the salt of the earth.” Next, author Salman Rushdie: “What’s real and what’s true aren’t necessarily the same.” Here’s poet Allen Ginsberg: “When you notice something clearly and see it vividly, it then becomes sacred.” A proverb from the Omaha people: “Ask questions from your heart, and you will be answered from the heart.” G. K. Chesterton: “Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.”

Finally, playwright Tony Kushner: “I’m not religious, but I like God, and he likes me.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Out of love, you can speak with straight fury,” wrote author Eudora Welty. Here’s how I interpret that in light of the current chapter of your life story: You have an opportunity to recalibrate some misaligned energy. You have the necessary insight to fix an imbalance or dissolve an illusion or correct a flow that has gone off-course. And by far the best way to do that is by wielding the power of love. It will need to be expressed with vehemence and intense clarity, however.

It will require you to be both compassionate and firm. Your homework: Figure out how to express transformative truths with kindness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo political science professor Tatah Mentan was born and raised in the African country of Cameroon, which has never fully recovered from its grueling colonization by Germany, France and England. The democratic tradition there is tenuous. When Mentan first taught at a university in the Cameroonian capital, authorities found his ideas too controversial. For the next 16 years, he attempted to be true to himself while avoiding governmental censorship, but the strain proved too stressful. Fearing for

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FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

his safety, he fled to the U.S. I’m turning to him for advice that will serve you well in the coming weeks. He tells us, “Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.”

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Anything you do from the heart enriches you, but sometimes not till years later,” wrote author Mignon McLaughlin.

I’m pleased to inform you, Libra, that you will soon receive your rewards for generous actions you accomplished in the past. On behalf of the cosmic rhythms, I apologize for how long it has taken. But at least it’s finally here. Don’t underestimate how big this is. And don’t allow sadness about your earlier deprivation to inhibit your enthusiastic embrace of compensation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): No matter how reasonable and analytical you are, Scorpio, you possess a robust attraction to magic. You yearn for the refreshing invigoration of non-rational mysteries. You nurture urges to be delighted by outbreaks of the raw, primal lust for life.

According to my astrological assessment, you are especially inclined to want and need these feelings in the next few weeks. And that’s good, healthy and holy! At the same time, don’t abandon your powers of discernment.

Keep them running in the background as you enjoy your rejuvenating communions with the enigmatic pleasures of the Great Unknown.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Author Diane Ackerman tells us, “In the absence of touching and being touched, people of all ages can sicken and grow touch starved. Touch seems to be as essential as sunlight.” This is always important to remember, but it will be extra crucial for you to keep in mind during the coming weeks. I advise you to be ingenious and humble and frank as you collect as much physical contact as you can. Be polite and respectful, of course. Never force yourself on anyone. Always seek permission. With those as your guidelines, be greedy for hugs and cuddling and caresses.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Education, fundamentally, is the increase of the percentage of the conscious in relation to the unconscious.”

Author and educator Sylvia Ashton-Warner said that, and now I’m telling you — just in time for one of the most lesson-rich times of a year that will be full of rich lessons. In the next nine months, dear Capricorn, the proportion of your consciousness in relation to your unconsciousness should markedly increase.

And the coming weeks will be a favorable phase to upgrade your educational ambitions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You’re entering a phase of your cycle when your ability to boost your finances will be stronger than usual. You’ll be more likely to attract good luck with money and more apt to discover useful tips on how to generate greater abundance. To inspire your efforts, I offer you this observation by author Katharine Butler Hathaway: “To me, money is alive. It is almost human. If you treat it with real sympathy and kindness and consideration, it will be a good servant and work hard for you, and stay with you and take care of you.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Author Deb Caletti made the following observation: “You have ordinary moments and ordinary moments and more ordinary moments, and then, suddenly, there is something monumental right there. You have past and future colliding in the present, your own personal Big Bang, and nothing will ever be the same.” In my vision of your destiny in 2022, Pisces, there could be several of these personal Big Bangs, and one of them seems to be imminent. To prepare — that is, to ensure that the changes are primarily uplifting and enjoyable — I suggest you chant the following mantra at least five times every day: “I love and expect good changes.”

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REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com EMPLOYMENT GENERAL DOG DAYCARE/ KENNEL ATTENDANT You Work, I'll Play Dog Daycare and Training is looking for someone for a part time or full time.

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PART TIME WEATHERIZATION CREW LEADER Energy Savers Network (a program of Green Built Alliance) is seeking an exemplary member of the Asheville community to provide hands-on energy efficiency upgrade support for low-income households in Buncombe County. The ideal candidate should have some experience with weatherization and/or construction, an outgoing personality, comfortable interacting with people of all backgrounds, experience with leading and guiding volunteers, be vaccinated, and speak Spanish (optional). Training on best

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SALES PROFESSIONAL WORK FOR A LOCAL COMPANY THAT HAS COVERED THE LOCAL SCENE FOR OVER 20 YEARS! This is a full-time position with benefits in a supportive, team-oriented environment in a community-service, locally-owned business. Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present our company with confidence.

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RESTAURANT/ FOOD LINE COOK: SIERRA NEVADA BREWING $1,000 SIGN ON BONUS + BENEFITS The Line Cook is a member of the kitchen team, who will work

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MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE MEDICAL- NURSES NEEDED STATEWIDE MEDICALRNS $40/HR. for addictions, psych & corrections in Asheville and throughout Western NC. All shifts.

Fully employer-paid medical and dental. 401(k) with 6% employer contribution.

Call Morgan at Worldwide Staffing 866.633.3700 x 114

HUMAN SERVICES FULL-TIME POSITION: PROGRAM MANAGER Onsite Program Manager position at treatment center for LGBTQ+ individuals struggling with substance use and co-occurring mental health issues. Exp. req./45-50k.

Contact info@elevatewellnessandrecovery.com.

JUST ECONOMICS IS HIRING A LIVING WAGE PROGRAM COORDINATOR Just Economics is hiring a fulltime Living Wage Program Coordinator to lead our Living Wage Certification program.

For a full job description and to apply, visit: https://www. justeconomicswnc.org/justeconomics-is-hiring-again/

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ASHEVILLE! Make a Difference in the Life of a Child in Asheville! Youth Counselors are needed to provide support to at-risk youth being

served in our short-term residential facility. Duties include implementing direct care services, motivating youth, and modeling appropriate behaviors. Candidates must be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver's license.

Experience working with youth is highly preferred. We offer paid training, excellent benefits, and advancement opportunities. Apply online at https://www.mhfc.org/ opportunities/. Call 919754-3633 or email vpenn@ mhfc.org.

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT ALL SOULS COUNSELING CENTER SEEKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR All Souls Counseling Center (ASCC) seeks a passionate and experienced Executive Director to provide visionary leadership to the organization and its staff, board, and therapists as it provides high quality mental health counseling to the uninsured and underinsured. To apply: https:// allsoulscounseling.org/ employment-opportunities/

TEACHING/ EDUCATION A-B TECH IS HIRING A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Full-Time position Law Enforcement Continuing Education and Assistant, BLET Coordinator. For more details and to apply: https://www. abtcc.peopleadmin.com/ postings/5917 PART TIME POSITION WITH AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM AT EVERGREEN COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL We are looking for a few more candidates to work with kids in grades K-8. $15/ hr+ DOE. Please see www. evergreenccs.org/careers for full job description and to fill out an application.

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(AAN CAN)

edited by Will Shortz | No. 0119

DIRECTV SATELLITE TV Service Starting at $74.99/ month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV! 877310-2472 (AAN CAN)

COUNSELING SERVICES

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Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not - 24 Hour Response Maximum Tax Donation. Call 877-266-0681. (AAN CAN)

ASTRO-COUNSELING Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions.

Stellar Counseling Services.

Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 258-3229.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

6 You, in hymns

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7 Grande of “The Voice,” to fans

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NOTICE TO CREDITORS Estate of Lucy P. Chandler: All claims against estate should be sent with debt and account numbers to Lana Chandler: Executor 420 Panther Branch Rd. Alexander, N.C. 28701 Written this day January 31, 2022 for four consecutive weeks.

SAVE MONEY ON EXPENSIVE AUTO REPAIRS! Our vehicle service program can save you up to 60% off dealer prices and provides you excellent coverage! Call for a free quote: 866-915-2263 (Mon-Fri :9am-4pm PST) TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 1-866-243-5931.

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Call 833-664-1530 (AAN CAN)

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

CLUES

3 Sub

AUTOMOTIVE

5 Key inspiration?

9 Kind of fragrant oil in some Asian cuisines 10 Genre with a Hall of Fame in Ohio 11 Daisy variety also called a marguerite

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

12 Constellation known as the Whale

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NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689. (AAN CAN)

13 Leslie ___, Amy Poehler’s role on “Parks and Recreation” 14 Chocolate-andcaramel candy

Expand your horizons with us

15 Number of Brontë sisters or Karamazov brothers 16 Ones with a lot of pull in agriculture?

17 Major crop for Russia and Canada 18 Checks held

by Santa?

19 Actor Jared

We’re Hiring Call us today!

— We specialize in all makes and models! — 23 Sardis Rd, Asheville, NC 28806 (828) 670-9191 precisionInternational.com

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50 Lead-in to a culinary attribution

31 Mass x acceleration, in physics

51 Combine, as versatile wardrobe pieces

32 Area near TriBeCa in N.Y.C.

52 “Veni”

63 Author of macabre tales, in brief

53 Strobe light gas

64 Potpie bit

33 Gets comfortable with

54 Miracle-___

65 Stackable food item

34 Chewy Easter treat 35 Plains tribe 36 Bright color in the garden 37 Spoken 38 Italy’s Mount ___

40 Mess up

42 Pleasantly concise 43 Joyful giddiness

25 “___ dreaming?”

44 DC Comics antiheroine a.k.a.

Selina Kyle

26 WNW’s opposite

45 Talk show visitor

27 Principle of complementary duality

46 Loud chewing, for some

29 Some protest handouts

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41 Issa of “Insecure”

28 Some people bow to it

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21 Fountain treats

24 Collect, as profit

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39 Things taken in class

23 Poppin’, as a party

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20 One who wasn’t due to arrive, informally 22 Count

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PUZZLE BY ORI BRIAN

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4 “Check it out for yourself!”

8 Alamo offering TIME TO INVEST IN YOURSELF, TIME TO BUILD A BETTER YOU My name is Luis Baltierrez, founder of Caffeine N Fitness, a training facility that offers personal training, group classes, strong coffee and full accountability for success. Details at www. caffeinenfitness.com. For questions, contact me at caffeine.n.fitness89@gmail. com or call 619-587-1384.

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47 Id’s counterpart 48 Most faithful 49 First vegetable grown in space

55 Medieval adventure tale 56 Add fuel to 57 Beats easily 58 Info collected

by H.R. 59 Fashion accessories in a 1940s #1 Dinah Shore hit 60 Scholarship consideration

61 PlayStation maker 62 Neutral shades

66 “Let’s go already!”

67 Hearty meal options 68 Perceptive 69 Ones tending to brood?

70 Essential ingredient in Welsh rarebit 71 Miniature whirlpool

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

H I K E R

A D E L E

T G M A I S T F R R O I P T U O B

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L E V I S

L A I D O F I F N T O H R E E Z O D N A E Y

E G A D L E G I N K L I N E S N A R T G R O U L B A R B W A R H E O D O N O B Z D I V E S N I T S G L U E E L D E D E E D

S A R T L O E F A R F D E A T F O R A L G O A R O R E R E A C H P A Y C S M O S T I C R N O S G A

FEB. 23 - MAR. 1, 2022

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