Mountain Xpress 03.13.19 by Mountain Xpress

OUR 25TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 25 NO. 34 MARCH 13- 19, 2019

43 H 50 H Local restaurants

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Asheville

Amadeus festival

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Some exclusions may apply

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OUR 25TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 25 NO. 34 MARCH 13- 19, 2019

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PAGE 18 SUPER KIDS

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Local restaurants cater to kids

Asheville Amadeus festival returns

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For this year’s Kids Issues, we asked local K-12 students to submit art and writing around the question: “What would you do if you had superpowers for a day?” They enthusiastically answered with a colorful bounty of artwork, poems, essays and short fiction. On the cover: Third-grader Omar Perez Peralta of Leicester Elementary School created a superhero with this power: “I can take all the plastic away from the world.” COVER DESIGN Norn Cutson

FEATURES

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(828) 251-1333 fax (828) 251-1311 news tips & story ideas to NEWS@MOUNTAINX.COM letters/commentary to LETTERS@MOUNTAINX.COM sustainability news to GREEN@MOUNTAINX.COM a&e events and ideas to AE@MOUNTAINX.COM events can be submitted to CALENDAR@MOUNTAINX.COM or try our easy online calendar at MOUNTAINX.COM/EVENTS food news and ideas to FOOD@MOUNTAINX.COM wellness-related events/news to MXHEALTH@MOUNTAINX.COM

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NEWS

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38 NOT JUST A PILL Children’s musical explores opioid epidemic

41 GROWING PAINS Hemp farmers and CBD businesses adjust to a shifting legal landscape

FOOD

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47 LUCK O’ THE IRISH Local bartenders talk about Irish whiskey

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10 A HOT SEAT Amid soul searching over severe disparities, City Council weighs its latest school board appointments

52 SOUND TRAVELS Two local groups throw a World Music Dance Party

A&E

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54 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Asheville’s growing zouk dance community

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LETTERS CARTOON: MOLTON CARTOON: BRENT BROWN COMMENTARY NEWS BUNCOMBE BEAT ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES COMMUNITY CALENDAR WELLNESS FARM & GARDEN FOOD SMALL BITES TOP SHELF VIEWS BEER SCOUT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT SMART BETS THEATER REVIEW CLUBLAND MOVIES SCREEN SCENE FREEWILL ASTROLOGY CLASSIFIEDS NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com. STA F F PUBLISHER: Jeff Fobes ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson MANAGING EDITOR: Virginia Daffron A&E EDITOR: Alli Marshall FOOD EDITOR: Gina Smith GREEN SCENE EDITOR: Daniel Walton OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose

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STAFF REPORTERS: Able Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, David Floyd, Brooke Randle, Daniel Walton

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What’s up with ‘Black Girl Magic’? I’m new to the area, leaving cold Illinois behind, and living here since Aug. 1, 2018. I have really appreciated the Mountain Xpress’ articles and Community Calendar. I look forward to Wednesdays so I can learn more about what is happening in this beautiful area. However, I must take issue with a caption in [a recent] edition, Feb. 27. After turning to page 10, I saw the picture of Asheville’s new city manager, Ms. Debra Campbell [“Woman With A Plan: Campbell Settles In, Charts New Course for City”]. The first three words in the caption, in bold, read “Black Girl Magic.” I thought, what a strange way to introduce an article about Ms. Campbell. Why use the term “black”? Was it to connect it to “magic” to make “black magic”? The term “girl” really offended me. It’s obvious she’s not a “girl” (no offense to Ms. Campbell). It smacks of calling adult AfricanAmericans “boy” and “girl,” and giving less status than whites. My next thought was that there might be a connection between those three words and the text of the article. But, I read the whole article and saw nothing in there that connected to those three words. I know the writer of this article, and caption (I assume), meant no harm. But, I feel strongly that we must be careful of our word usage, especially writing for a newspaper where your

“voice” is the words you use. Also, given the South’s (for that matter, the whole nation’s) past in race relations, we all need to be careful with our words and thoughts. Let’s do better in the future! — Rick Johnson Leicester Editor’s response: Thank you for sharing your concerns. We agree that choosing the appropriate words is essential in journalism. As it turns out, however, “Black Girl Magic” is a celebratory expression embraced and popularized by black women. As Julee Wilson writes in The Huffington Post, CaShawn Thompson originated the phrase to “celebrate the beauty, power and resilience of black women.” She continues: “Black Girl Magic is a term used to illustrate the universal awesomeness of black women. It’s about celebrating anything we deem particularly dope, inspiring or mind-blowing about ourselves.” So, with that in mind, we stand by our caption.

Bare feet pose no threat The recent letter “Be Considerate and Wear a Pair of Sandals in Public” [Feb. 27, Xpress] is based on a faulty premise. The writer makes the erroneous assumption that all feet are afflicted with “certain diseases and fungal infections.” This is made clear by the suggestion that “wearing shoes likely limits the spread,” but that not wearing shoes could cause these “foot-borne infections” to spike and spread like “the flu.”

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

Hands are anatomically similar to feet in many ways. Why don’t hands routinely get fungal infections, smell bad or suffer other problems that feet often do? They indeed would if they were constantly enclosed in the same kind of hot, dark and moist environment as shoes provide, in a virtual petri dish as the skin sweats and dead skin cells are sloughed off, encouraging bacteria and fungi growth. Bare hands are just like bare feet in that respect. Being exposed to dry, fresh air and light keeps them healthy and free of fungal and similar infections. This isn’t rocket science. This is basic biology that most people learn in high school. Fungus infections almost never grow and thrive on skin exposed to dry, fresh air and light. People who never wear shoes do not have any these “footborne infections” that the letter writer is so worried about spreading around. The American Academy of Dermatology, in an article on athlete’s foot in its publication Dermatology Insights (Vol. 3, No. 1, Spring 2002), stated: “Athlete’s foot does not occur among people who traditionally go barefoot. It’s moisture, sweating and lack of proper ventilation of the feet that present the perfect setting for the fungus of athlete’s foot to grow.” The feet of anyone choosing to be barefoot are no threat whatsoever to anyone around them. In fact, those feet are likely much cleaner and germ-free than the shoes or the shoe-enclosed feet of others around them. — Kriss Sands Mars Hill

Another reason to tax the rich What platitudinous liberals like Julie Mayfield and Bernie Sanders don’t get is that helping the poor is not enough reason to tax the rich, since that will just be debated till doomsday with Detroit/ Venezuela scenarios questioning whether the poor materially benefit. If we want to tax the rich, we need a movement to tax the rich that can stand independently of promised welfare programs like free tuition or better special education. We need to be willing to tax the rich for the pure sake of taxing the rich; for pure spite as Seinfeld would say, something the platitude-spewers so lack that workers even turn to Trump, the guaranteed benefit being psychological, not necessarily material, guaranteed by the law of conservation of self-confidence, not wealth. — Alan Ditmore Leicester

Local vets celebrate peace, not NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is coming to the nation’s capital on April 4 to mark its 70th birthday. Instead of celebrating NATO’s anniversary, a growing coalition of individuals and organizations, including members of the local chapter of Veterans for Peace in Asheville, are

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C A R T O O N B Y B R E NT B R O W N calling attention to the issue of peace rather than bombing others. NATO has repeatedly violated international law, bombing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Serbia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Libya. Under the guise of “humanitarian intervention,” NATO targeted civilians and city infrastructure, such as bridges, power plants and local businesses, in the former Yugoslavia. Decades later, the region is still reeling from billions of dollars in damage and an outbreak of cancer, as a result of the six tons of uranium bombs dropped on the country in the 1990s. This illegal war never got United Nations authorization. NATO now accounts for three-quarters of all military spending and weapons dealing in the world. Wars contribute to the growing global refugee and climate crises, are the basis for the militarization of the police and the top cause of the erosion of civil liberties. April belongs to Martin Luther King Jr., not militarism. Instead of saying “Happy Birthday” to NATO, we’re celebrating peace, in commemoration of MLK Jr.’s speech against war on April 4, 1967, as well as his assassination on April 4, 1968. Go to notonato.org to learn more about No to NATO, Yes to PEACE, this April 3-4 in Washington, D.C. — E.L. Halsey Asheville MOUNTAINX.COM

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OPI N I ON

Let the sun shine Xpress calls for greater transparency in local government BY XPRESS NEWS STAFF Residents of Western North Carolina love to see the sunshine — especially this year, given the backdrop of cloudy skies that produced record-setting amounts of rain in 2018. Sunshine Week, created in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors and observed this year March 10-16, extends the metaphor to celebrate the salubrious effects of open government and freedom of information on our democratic system. Under North Carolina law, records and information compiled by government entities are “the property of the people” and must generally be provided for free or at minimal cost upon request. “Documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings” and other media are all fair game, “regardless of physical form or characteristics.” Our community has learned a lot about the limits of open government law over the past year, as indictments of former Buncombe County employees Wanda Greene, Mandy Stone, Jon Creighton and Michael Greene revealed corruption and embezzlement concealed from both the public and the media over many years. As part of the indictments, WNC residents discovered that Buncombe County provided false information in response to multiple records requests. Those revelations highlighted what journalists have long known: There’s no foolproof way to ensure that information provided by government agencies in response to record requests is accurate or complete. Open records regulations depend heavily on governmental compliance, bolstered by the willingness of media outlets and the public to sue for access when it is improperly denied. That’s why voluntary efforts by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority to make more information available freely online are an excellent example of what we hope will become a wider trend. Posting documents, budgets, agendas, presentations and reports as they are created dispels suspicion, facilitates sound

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reporting and democratizes access to information. The Asheville City Board of Education could take a page from the TDA’s book. Over the past couple of years, the district has emphasized a communications strategy heavy on upbeat posts, photos and videos on social media (#The ACSWay), but light on direct engagement with parent and community concerns and questions. At a March 4 board meeting, parent Scott Barnwell highlighted the absence of information on the district’s achievement gap between white and black students — the largest in the state and fifth-largest in the nation. On the district’s website, Barnwell said, he found “no mention of the words ‘achievement gap’ or ‘opportunity gap’ in anything. I opened every single document.” Xpress is currently waiting for Asheville City Schools budgets we requested on Feb. 6. On Feb. 20, the district provided the total budget amount for the current school year ($71,546,197) and the preceding two years but has not provided any additional detail, despite repeated followup requests. In contrast, Buncombe County Public Schools posts and updates its budget details online. Similar requests for ACS data have been pending since mid-February on Asheville-based Sunshine Request, an online platform created by local volunteers to make requesting public information easy and anonymous. We commend the way this service empowers more local residents to seek out information for themselves. Perusing the open, fulfilled and pending requests on sunshinerequest. com can answer questions you may not have thought to ask and inspire many more. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the volume of requests may be straining the limits of governments. The law requires that information must be provided “as promptly as possible.” That vague directive — which comes with no specific time requirement — can bog down when the requested information includes both privileged and public records. In such

cases, agency legal departments are often called upon to review record requests and redact restricted information prior to release. The city of Asheville’s legal department is operating with a skeleton crew after the tightly spaced departures of three attorneys last year. Multiple Mountain Xpress staffers have been waiting for requests dating back to Aug. 28 — well over six months — which has stopped reporting projects in their tracks and limited our ability to provide the scrutiny and oversight that’s part of our job. According to city spokesperson Polly McDaniel, the city employs a full-time public records officer to coordinate and facilitate requests. Asheville has received 1,013 records requests since July 2017; as of March 5, she said, 44 remained open. However, McDaniel was unable by press time to confirm the nature or submission date of the oldest pending request. We call on the members of Asheville City Council and City Manager Debra Campbell to mobilize city resources to promptly fulfill information requests brought by local media outlets and residents. Continuing to keep requesters waiting for months, without any indication of when or if the information will eventually be provided, impedes timely discussion and reporting on issues of local concern and diminishes trust in government. Over at the county, about six employees are at any given time processing upward of 15 records requests from the media and members of the public. County spokesperson Kassi Day says she’s close to finishing Buncombe’s oldest request, which dates to August 2018 and has required pulling multiple years of employee information. She says the county has noticed an increase in the number of records requests and general questions over the past year, which she attributes to the county’s Let’s Talk campaign and its new records request portal. As new County Manager Avril Pinder begins her herculean task of cleaning the corruption from Buncombe’s Augean stables, we call on her and other local government officials to embrace a new ethos of openness and transparency. It’s time to let the sun shine in and face it with a grin — even when it might seem easier to take refuge in tactics of delay and withholding information. That’s a change in the local weather we can all get behind. X

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NCDOT TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON MARCH 28 REGARDING THE PROPOSAL TO WIDEN AMBOY ROAD/MEADOW ROAD (S.R. 3556) FROM I-240 TO N.C. 81/BILTMORE AVENUE (S.R. 3214) WITH A NEW BRIDGE OVER THE FRENCH BROAD RIVER IN ASHEVILLE, BUNCOMBE COUNTY

STIP Project No. U-4739 The N.C. Department of Transportation proposes to widen Amboy Road/Meadow Road (S.R. 3556) to multi-lanes between I-240 and N.C. 81/Biltmore Avenue (S.R. 3214) with a new bridge over the French Broad River in Asheville, Buncombe County. A public meeting will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 28 at DoubleTree by Hilton – Asheville-Biltmore, 115 Hendersonville Road. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the public of the project and gather input on the proposed design. As information becomes available, it may be viewed online at the NCDOT public meeting webpage: http://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings. The public may attend at any time during the public meeting hours, as no formal presentation will be made. NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions and receive comments. The comments and information received will be taken into consideration as work on the project develops. The opportunity to submit written comments will be provided at the meeting or can be done via phone, email, or mail by April 26, 2019. For additional information, please contact Beverly Robinson, NCDOT Project Management Team Lead for Division 13 at 1582 Mail Service Center Raleigh, NC 27699-1582, 919-707-6041 or brobinson@ncdot.gov. NCDOT will provide auxiliary aids and services under the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled persons who wish to participate in this workshop. Anyone requiring special services should contact Matthew LeShure, Environmental Analysis Unit, at 1598 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1598, at 919-707-6087 or maleshure@ncdot.gov as early as possible so that arrangements can be made. Persons who do not speak English, or have a limited ability to read, speak or understand English, may receive interpretive services upon request prior to the meeting by calling 1-800-481-6494. Aquellas personas no hablan inglés, o tienen limitaciones para leer, hablar o entender inglés, podrían recibir servicios de interpretación si los solicitan antes de la reunión llamando al 1-800-481-6494. MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

NEWS

A HOT SEAT

Amid soul searching over severe disparities, City Council weighs its latest school board appointments

KIDS ISSUE 2019

BY JON ELLISTON jonelliston@gmail.com James Lee, an Asheville City Board of Education member who’s resigning his post after two years, halfway through his term, has some advice for any incoming members. His experience on the board has been largely positive, he says, and he’s only leaving because he’s taken a job out of state. But as a local African-American who’s had no illusions about the difficulties the board faces in addressing the ever-growing achievement gap among racial groups in Asheville’s public schools, he knows how to temper expectations. “The idea that most new school board members have is that they’re going in to fix problems with the administrators and the staff,” Lee says, but it’s just not that simple. “It’s not that you can’t introduce new ideas or encourage research into different areas,” Lee says, and he’s encouraged by the mounting chorus of voices calling for an emphasis on equity for all students, especially long-neglected minorities. “But we didn’t get to this point overnight, and we can’t turn the Titanic around overnight. This is a long-haul culture shift that has to take place within a system that’s been around for centuries.” With Lee opting out, Asheville City Council will soon select at least one new member to serve on a board that will be compelled to turn the ship around. Two other members, Martha Geitner and board Chair Shaunda Sandford,

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COUGAR PRIDE: Martha Geitner, left, and Shaunda Sandford are seeking reappointment to the Asheville City Board of Education. At an information session for applicants for the three seats Asheville City Council must appoint or reappoint by April 1, current board members outlined the board’s role, time commitment and challenges. Photo by Virginia Daffron are completing their first terms on the board and seeking reappointment. Meanwhile, in a process that will play out in the coming weeks, 11 other community members have applied to be appointed (see “Seeking Appointment”).

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Members of the five-person board are appointed by City Council to four-year terms. The board chair is compensated $350 per month in public funds, while the other members receive $250 per month. The job entails myriad meetings and other community commitments, but the requirements to vie for a seat are simple: Candidates must live in the Asheville City Schools district, be registered to vote and not be employed in the city school system. On Feb. 27, the applicants received a series of essay questions — addressing matters including their experience with oversight, their perspective on racial disparities in academic performance and their views on innovation and health systems in the schools — with answers submitted to City Council by March 6 (view at avl.mx/5sy). At its Tuesday, March 12, meeting, Council will determine which candidates it wants to interview before its next meeting, on Tuesday,

March 26, when the appointments are slated to be made official. Some of the scheduling for this process is “subject to change,” advises Deputy City Clerk Sarah Terwilliger, depending on “how many candidates Council decides to bring in.” Amid the relatively hurried proceedings to establish the new board membership, a long-standing question has increasingly hovered over many local conversations: Should Asheville’s school board be selected by elections rather than appointments? There are 115 public school districts in the state, and all but two — Asheville’s and the one in the Piedmont town of Thomasville — elect their school board members, according to the N.C. School Boards Association. There were three, until recently: In 2017, the town of Lexington in Davidson County successfully lobbied the state legislature to switch to an elected board, citing “the importance of the citizens’ and

parents’ ability to have a say in the election of the representatives” on their school board. (In North Carolina, such changes have to be authorized by the General Assembly.) That’s a turn that some veteran players in Asheville’s public education community support. Kate Pett is the outgoing executive director of the Asheville City Schools Foundation, a nonprofit that buoys the system with after-school programs, grants and scholarships for students and teachers, and other initiatives. “I support electing our Board of Education and I have been saying that for over 10 years,” she says. “This really isn’t a comment about our current Board of Education or past boards of education, it’s a reflection of my belief that our community needs to be more engaged in public education,” Pett adds. “I think an election process would engage the community in talking about the issues that are going on in our schools, and it would increase the community’s sense of ownership and engagement in our schools.” At present, beyond appointing school board members, City Council exercises no control or authority over the board, its members or its actions, says Vice Mayor Gwen Wisler, who serves as liaison to the school board

and chairs the city’s boards and commissions committee. She is uncertain whether City Council has the authority to remove a school board member for cause. What’s more, the city has no budget control over the school system, and the county controls local funding for the schools. Lee, the outgoing board member, echoes the views of those who think that as much as the system is struggling under the current arrangement, appointing school board members is still the best way of addressing the board’s challenges. “Having an appointed body, where the community speaks to elected officials to consider individuals who have community connections, is more helpful than having the popularity and name recognition of an election process,” he maintains. While he sees “some positives and negatives” to both approaches, Lee worries that elections would politicize the board and lead some to seek a seat only because they “have aspirations for higher political office.” At present, he asserts, “Individuals who ask to be appointed to the school board have an earnest desire to work for and build up our kids.” X With additional reporting by Virginia Daffron.

SEEKING APPOINTMENT In addition to current members Martha Geitner and board Chair Shaunda Sandford, who are seeking reappointment to Asheville’s board of education, 11 other local residents are seeking a seat: Pepi Acebo, Jessica Chale Byrd, James C. Carter, Shakira N. Davidson, Jennifer Farmer, Melissa Kedis, Ed Manning, John A. Mosconi, W. Scott Powell, Kelly Stamey and Katherine Wienberg. On March 4, the five current school board members held a Q&A for applicants. Acebo, Carter, Kedis, Manning, Mosconi and Wienberg attended the session. Board members cited the time commitment and the extent to which the role constrains what they’re able to discuss with community members as realities that have surprised them about the position. They pointed to achievements in expanding pre-K classrooms in the district and initiating the ICS Equity program to shift the system’s culture as recent accomplishments of the board. At the same time, all current members cited the district’s persistent and alarm-

ing achievement gap between white and black students as the board’s main focus and challenge. “It is awful to have the highest achievement gap in the state. Asheville is my home. I am native to Asheville,” said Sandford. Her initial resolve when joining the board to “save all the children” and “stop the nonsense that was going on” has given way to the realization that “I have to follow that chain of command and do things the correct way and hope that eventually it will have an impact on our achievement gap,” she said. The ICS Equity program, Geithner said, “is not the be-all, end-all of everything. It’s giving us the opportunity to make the changes we need to make.” Drawing on the system’s teaching and administrative staff, she said, the board is “doing the best that we can do with what we have, and that is excellent teachers and real need and want to make things better for each and every child in the system. And we are moving forward with fidelity to make those things happen.” — Virginia Daffron X

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N EWS

by David Floyd

dfloyd@mountainx.com

WIDE LOAD Joe Belcher and his wife, Reta, bought their first house for $5,500. “I’ll never forget it,” Belcher says from a rocking chair in the playroom at Maple Ridge Baptist Church in Candler. His small granddaughter races around the room, flying from toy to toy like a bumblebee in a field of flowers. “We got a little seven-year loan on it, and when we moved, we brought it to North Carolina with us. And when we sold it, my wife cried,” Belcher says of the manufactured home. “She loved it.” As time went on, the Belchers were able to move into larger quarters, buying a 1,100-square-foot double-wide, which is two manufactured homes put together (“I never thought we’d have a home that size,” Belcher says), and eventually a site-built home. Belcher purchased his first home in the 1980s — which helps explain why it was so cheap — but even today, manufactured houses are less expensive than traditional site-built homes. The U.S. Census Bureau says that, as of September 2018, the average sales price of a manufactured home was about $84,000 (not including land). In contrast, the agency says the average sales price for a new single-family home was about $385,000 in 2017 (including land). In Buncombe County, manufactured housing is limited to certain zoning designations (low-density residential, employment, R-3 and open use), but the county Planning Board recently voted in favor of an amendment that would add R-1, R-2 and the Beaverdam Low-Density Residential District to the list of areas where manufactured homes would be allowed. Buncombe County Zoning Administrator Joshua Freeman says a public hearing on the proposed changes will be held during the Tuesday, March 19, meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. OPTIONS FOR INEXPERIENCED HOMEBUYERS Belcher, who worked for almost 30 years at Tennessee-based Clayton Homes and now serves on the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, has long been an evangelist for manufactured housing. He sees it as an important tool in the county’s quest to ease the afford12

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Buncombe County considers expanding access to manufactured homes

HOME SWEET HOME: George Morosani, the owner of Wellington Community Estates, stands at the entrance of a singlewide manufactured home. Morosani estimates that there are 2,000 people living in his park, which has more than 400 lots. Photo by David Floyd able housing crunch, identified as one of commissioners’ strategic priorities in December 2017. “It gives people that are young or inexperienced homeowners, it gives them an entry point,” Belcher says, “and it gives them what I call, a path of equity, which I consider a path to independence.” At OnTrack WNC, a local nonprofit that offers educational courses for aspiring homeowners, housing counselors hear differing degrees of interest among first-time homebuyers about the prospect of owning a manufactured home. “It’s rare,” says Virginia Wells-Lane. “Generally, it has come up when a client has very limited options with the amount that they can get, or they have a piece of family land but don’t feel like they have the ability to take out enough money to build a stick-built home.” Anna Smith, however, has seen more interest. “People are definitely considering manufactured housing as first-time homebuyers,”she says. In her view, prospective homeowners would be more likely to explore this option if they had more information about manufactured homes’ pros and cons. Jonathan Stansell, the homebuyer program director at OnTrack WNC, says the organization offers information about manufactured homes in some of

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its courses and plans to update its curriculum in the near future. “We’re doing a better and better job at incorporating it into our services,” he says. OnTrack educators emphasize the benefits of owning land rather than renting it. Homebuyers who place a manufactured house on land they own have a better chance of seeing an increase in their property value, Stansell says. PATHWAY TO HOMEOWNERSHIP Bouncing over speed bumps in his silver Mercedes, George Morosani slows to a crawl every few seconds as he answers questions about Wellington Community Estates, a manufactured home park off Airport Road in South Asheville. As he drives, it’s hard to recall that another world exists beyond the seemingly endless rows of rectangular houses, which line the roads that crisscross about 70 acres. Morosani estimates 2,000 people live in the park, which has over 400 lots. He estimates the average household earns $30,000-$40,000 a year. “I would call them blue-collar, if you can have a good enough definition of that,” Morosani says, attempting to characterize the average person who lives in the neighborhood.

Residents of Wellington lease the land their homes sit on for $425 or $445 a month, depending on whether they’re staying in a double-wide or single-wide. The payment plan for single-wides typically runs 10 years, Morosani says. Altogether, he estimates the total monthly rate for a double-wide — including payments on the home, the lease on the land, taxes and insurance — is $1,300-$1,400. Singlewides can run $1,050-$1,250 a month, he says. Inside one of the park’s empty double-wides, Morosani draws attention to the house’s flat ceiling. While some older homes had vaulted ceilings, he says, it’s become standard among the larger mobile home manufacturers to construct houses with an eightfoot flat ceiling. They help the house feel more like a traditional site-built structure, he says. Walking from room to room, Morosani points out the three bedrooms, a walk-in closet, a bathroom with ceramic fittings, and the kitchen. “This would run about $74,000,” he says. A seam bisects the floor of the living room, evidence that the home arrived at the park as two singlewides that were then combined into one structure. For homeowners like Angel Tran, who owns Angel Nail Spa in Asheville and moved to the area from Florida, the savings associated with living in a manufactured home are significant. “My business is still fairly new,” she says, “so I don’t want to invest in a big house and have a big mortgage.” Manufactured homes, she says, are a good option for young people who are just getting on their feet or senior citizens who can’t afford to care for a big house. Her plan is to spend some time saving money before moving her family into a permanent home. LANDED VERSUS UNLANDED While manufactured housing tends to be more affordable than traditional homes, buyers can still face obstacles. Finding land is one of them. “You’ve got to have somewhere to put it,” says Gene Bell, the chair of the county Planning Board and director of the Asheville Housing Authority, “so the land cost has to be a factor.” At Wellington, once someone pays off the house, they can move the building outside the park to avoid

paying a lease on the lot where it sits. But Morosani says this doesn’t happen very often. “Only a couple have moved out of here because their parents gave them land on the back 40 of their farm,” he says. It’s also expensive, costing $3,000$4,000 to move the structure, Morosani says. “You don’t put this on a family car,” he explains. “You use big semis.” Stansell says putting a manufactured house on rented land can be “super risky.” If a renter’s landlord decides to sell the property, he says, homeowners typically abandon their homes rather than keep them. “There’s a reason we don’t call them mobile homes,” he says. “Once they are sited, they are not mobile. In fact, moving them costs a lot of money and can cause serious damage.” DESIGN STANDARDS Driving through Wellington Community Estates, you can make a pretty good guess at how old a building is just by looking at it. Homes with plastic cobblestone skirts lining their bases are the newest models in the park, Morosani says, having been placed sometime in the last 3 1/2 years. Morosani is trying to update the park to homes with vinyl siding and a shingled roof, though some older models with metal siding and roofs remain. “As [the older models] become available to us to move out, we do,” he says. The proposed amendment to the county zoning code includes design standards that will apply only to manufactured homes in the newly permitted districts. In the new districts, the houses must include skirting made from stone, brick, wood or architectural or rusticated block (though other materials could be allowed on a case-by-case basis). The amendment prohibits skirting made from vinyl, metal or foam and requires that homes in the revised zoning districts contain multiple sections, meaning that they must be larger than a single-wide. David Rittenberg is one of two members of the county Planning Board who voted against the changes to the zoning code. According to minutes from the board’s Jan. 28 meeting, Rittenberg said he’s supportive of affordable housing but expressed concern about the impact of manufactured homes on neighbors. He advocated for design standards he believes could better integrate manufactured housing into residential areas, such as requirements for how

the house is positioned on the lot and landscaping and screening. He also said the amendment doesn’t do enough to ensure that developers put manufactured homes close to public transit, jobs and services. OVERCOMING STIGMA In the past, lenders have been skittish about loaning money for manufactured housing. “What we find is that many lenders that we approach have a very outdated understanding of manufactured housing from more than a decade ago,” says Stacey Epperson, the president of Next Step, an advocacy group based in Louisville, Ky., that promotes manufactured housing. “Some lenders don’t understand today’s home features and how the homes can be sited on a permanent foundation for a real-property mortgage loan,” she says. “And some do not know they can be built indistinguishable from site-built.” But Epperson has noticed that lenders’ reluctance tends to dissipate as they learn more about current products. “The quality of manufactured housing has improved so much in recent decades that it’s really not comparable to mobile homes of the past,” Stansell says. “Manufactured housing is built in a factory setting out of the weather. This makes for a tightly built home. The quality can be excellent, and they can be surprisingly energy-efficient.” The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development updated the code governing construction of manufactured homes in 1976, requiring homes built after that date to have a label certifying that the house meets the department’s safety standards. Belcher believes manufactured homes have gotten past the trailer-park stigma that existed before improvements in construction. Still, he says, some people have an irrational distaste for this housing option. “I do think there are people who don’t understand the product to the point that they just don’t want to listen and they don’t want it anywhere near them,” he says. That attitude often changes when someone visits a modern manufactured home. “When they walk in, the word is typically, ‘Wow,’” he says. Belcher believes manufactured housing is a tool that hasn’t been used as effectively as it could. “It’s just a home,” he says, “and people should be allowed to own a home that they can afford wherever they live. Period.” X MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

BUNCOMBE BEAT

Buncombe County sheriff seeks funding for new positions, vehicles On most nights, Lt. Matthew Kiser of the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office has 12-14 officers per shift patrolling the department’s 656-square-mile jurisdiction. “And that’s [on] a good night, folks,” he told the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and members of the audience during the board’s March 5 meeting. In an effort to address what he sees as the department’s needs, which include increasing the number of patrol officers, Buncombe County Sheriff Quentin Miller asked the board for additional funding to pay for 21 new positions and to increase the number of vehicles that the county replaces annually. The Sheriff’s Office estimates that its requests would create a recurring annual expense of about $3.2 million. These changes, Miller said, would be part of an effort to enhance 21st Century Policing practices within the sheriff’s department, a model that emphasizes trust between law enforcement agencies and the public. “As a 25-year veteran of law enforcement, I’ve witnessed the highs and lows of this profession and, unfortunately, I think we’re in a valley right now,” Miller said at the beginning of this presentation. “I’m going to describe a portion of my vision to come out of the valley.” Because this was not a formal budget request, commissioners did not vote on whether to allocate the requested funds. NEW POSITIONS While there has been little change in the number of patrol positions over past years, the sheriff’s department notes there has been steady growth in the county’s population and the number of tourists visiting the area. “We’re having a hard time keeping up,” Kiser said. Miller wants to add eight patrol deputies and a crime prevention sergeant, additions that he said would increase patrol coverage from 12-14 officers per shift to 14-16 officers per shift. He also wants to hire an evidence room technician. The county sheriff’s department has 31,000 pieces of evidence and two full-time employees to

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

The Sheriff’s Office currently has 48 priority-one vehicles with more than 120,000 miles on their odometer and 14 vehicles with more than 150,000 miles, Powers said. “This deviates from best practice and was an obvious area of need for the sheriff in the way of safety and providing the services county residents expect of the Sheriff’s Office,” she said. The department wants Buncombe County to provide about $1.6 million annually to allow the department to replace 40 vehicles per year. “Historically we have been underfunded in that area,” Powers said. “Over the years we’ve had between 12 and 26 vehicles replaced over an annual basis, [which] sort of compounded the effect on out fleet today.” TIME TO CONSIDER

BIG PLANS: During a presentation to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on March 5, Sheriff Quentin Miller asked commissioners to consider funding for 21 additional positions in the department. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County manage it, Miller said in his presentation. In contrast, he added, the Asheville Police Department has five full-time and four part-time employees overseeing the evidence and property room. The county sheriff’s department considers roughly 33 percent of its evidence to be “high-profile” — cash, drugs and guns. Having just two people on staff, the department says, prevents the office from following the “two-person rule,” a best practice in handling valuable evidence, especially when one of those employees are out sick or on vacation. For the county detention center, Miller wants to add four intake specialists and one detention facility detective. Lt. Jeffrey Littrell, who oversees operations at the facility, said intake specialists would help prevent contraband from entering the detention center and evaluate whether new inmates have ingested alcohol or drugs. Intake specialists would also question an inmate’s arresting officer, asking whether the arrestee has been combative or has said anything to indicate that he or she might be suicidal. A detention facility detective would investigate assaults on officers, which Littrell said have increased, and any reports of inmates possessing contraband. “If they choose to come into our facility and … conduct criminal activity and assault our officers, we want to be able to prosecute them to the full extent of the law and hold them accountable,” he said.

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Miller also wants to add a technology officer, a policy analyst, a sergeant overseeing professional standards, a community outreach lieutenant and two community outreach advocates. The department estimated these new positions would require an initial investment of about $1.27 million. This figure, Miller said, could be covered in part by $315,000 in federal housing revenue, payment the department receives from the federal government for housing inmates. If the commissioners approve all of these requests, filling the new positions would cost the county about $1.6 million annually, which would increase the Sheriff’s Office budget by 4 percent over its current fiscal year budget. UPDATING VEHICLES The Sheriff’s Office currently has 267 vehicles in its fleet. The department classifies 144 of those vehicles as “priority one,” which include marked and unmarked vehicles that the department uses to respond to calls for service and other enforcement roles. Pointing to a recent survey conducted by the FBI, Sheri Powers, the business officer for the sheriff’s department, said it is standard practice among law enforcement agencies to replace priority-one vehicles that have accumulated 80,000-100,000 miles.

Commissioners have a few months before they vote in June on the fiscal year 2020 budget. Board Chair Brownie Newman asked Miller whether it’s likely that his department will identify more funding needs between now and then. “I think there will be other things,” Miller said, depending on what his staff hear from people in the community. Commissioner Joe Belcher said constituents in his district want to see more patrols. “When I hear from the public when I’m out in the community, a lot of the things that you’re requesting flies over the top of their head,” he said. “They want more presence.” Newman cautioned that the board probably wouldn’t be able to get to everything funded “at one bite of the apple,” but also said it would be important for the board to look at all of the department’s funding requests at one time. Commissioner Al Whitesides agreed with Newman and added that he wanted to see how Miller would prioritize these funding requests. There’s a good chance, he said, that the board would not be able to fit all these requests into a single year. “We need to be able to prioritize, so that we’ll know what you really need now,” Whitesides said. “Because at budget time, from what little I’ve seen so far, we’ve got a lot coming at us, but we definitely want to take care of what you need.”

— David Floyd X

Questions remain after city lifts needle-exchange zoning violation For over six months, the city of Asheville called The Steady Collectiveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weekly needle exchange at Firestorm Books & Coffee a shelter â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;a nonprofit, charitable or religious organization providing boarding and/or lodging and ancillary services,â&#x20AC;? according to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s code â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and thus in violation of zoning requirements for its West Asheville location. The exchange, which operates for 2 Â˝ hours every Tuesday afternoon and offers no food or beds for its clients, has vigorously objected to that characterization. After a lengthy appeals process, the city has apparently come around to seeing things Steadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way. On March 1, city spokesperson Ashley Traynum-Carson said in a press release the needle exchange would now be considered a medical clinic after it formalized a commitment to have a medical professional on-site during operation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Early on, the city considered this classification,â&#x20AC;? Traynum-Carson explained in an email to Xpress following the announcement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[H] owever, because operations did not include elements commonly found with a medical clinic, such as including the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions or having licensed medical professionals available to those seeking assistance, the city did not find this classification suitable. By committing to having licensed medical personnel present and available, the activity more closely resembles a medical clinic,â&#x20AC;? Traynum-Carson said. The process by which Asheville arrived at its new position, however, remains unclear. Multiple Board of Adjustment appeals hearings that would have publicly considered Steadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notice of violation were either postponed or canceled. No members of Ashevilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legal team were made available to Xpress for interviews, and city spokesperson Polly McDaniel said only that officials communicated no written offers to resolve the matter. Hillary Brown, director of The Steady Collective, characterized the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discussions with the city as â&#x20AC;&#x153;taxing.â&#x20AC;? For example, Brown said, Ashevilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initial offer to rescind the notice of violation wouldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve required a medical doctor on-site

LOOKING FORWARD: Hillary Brown, director of The Steady Collective, a nonprofit that operates a needle exchange, expressed relief to be finished with â&#x20AC;&#x153;taxingâ&#x20AC;? negotiations over a city zoning violation. Photo courtesy of Brown during exchange hours, a stipulation Brown described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;not based in sound public health researchâ&#x20AC;? and not included in any state-level legislation. The final agreement between the city and Steady allows licensed nurses, several of whom regularly volunteer at the exchange, to meet the medical professional requirement. Brown also said that Asheville hired Raleigh-based law firm Poyner Spruill to provide legal counsel on the zoning violation, but that those lawyers

stopped communicating with Steady in January. Xpress first asked the city about the terms under which it hired outside counsel on Jan. 24; officials did not confirm Poyner Spruillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement in the case until March 5, after the agreement with Steady was announced, and have not yet provided the amount spent on the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attorneys. Steady lost its insurance coverage after receiving the notice of violation, which in turn prevented the organization from completing a $25,000 service contract with Buncombe County or applying for a contract in the 2019 fiscal year. Brown said that Steady can now reapply for insurance but is unsure whether the nonprofit will seek another county contract. While Steadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations are now considered to be in compliance with Ashevilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s zoning ordinance, TraynumCarson says the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Planning and Urban Design Department â&#x20AC;&#x153;will lead an inclusionary public engagement process to garner public input on how needle exchange operations should be regulated within city limits moving forward.â&#x20AC;? Further details on how this engagement will occur or when it will take place were not available as of press time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When all this happened in August, I really couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have understood how long this would take,â&#x20AC;? Brown said about Steadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notice of violation appeal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am Steadyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only employee, and for 6 Â˝ months, the city of Asheville split my attention. I wanted to be done with this, and I wanted to be able to fully focus on addressing the needs of people using drugs in Asheville.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Daniel Walton X

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N EWS

Buncombe County to set terms for private EMS contract Fundamentally, Medical Emergency Ambulance president Kermit Tolley says his company’s new franchise with Buncombe County won’t result in much tangible change to how his business operates. “It’s all about the paperwork,” he says. Although some commissioners remain concerned the agreement could cut into revenue generated by local volunteer fire departments, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners decided in a 4-3 vote on March 5 to grant an expanded franchise to Tolley’s private EMS service, also known as Medic. Commissioners Brownie Newman, Jasmine BeachFerrara and Amanda Edwards voted in the minority. The text of the franchise agreement will come back to the board for final approval in the coming weeks. If approved, the new agreement will allow Medic to respond to emergency calls in the county, which the company is already called on to do when county-

GREEN LIGHT: The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 on March 5 to grant a franchise to Medical Emergency Ambulance (aka Medic), a private EMS service in Buncombe County. The franchise agreement, which will return to the board for review, would allow Medic to respond to emergency calls in the county. Photo courtesy of Medic or fire department-operated EMS services don’t have ambulances to spare. Former interim County Manager George Wood noted in a January memo to commissioners that the provision of back-up emergency services technically falls outside the bounds of Medic’s current franchise with the county, which is limited to non-emergency medical transport. Newman said he’s concerned that granting a franchise to a for-profit agency like Medic will “undermine” the county’s

system of emergency response agencies, many of which are volunteer fire departments. Only a certain number of calls happen every year, he said. “The only way these agencies have money is from the revenues they generate from providing services and the tax money that we invest,” Newman said. “If their revenues are cut into from the forprofit entity, that means they have less money to operate their agencies.” A study of Buncombe County’s EMS service conducted by Management

SWORN IN

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

LET’S GET TO WORK: Newly appointed county manager Avril Pinder took the oath of office during a special meeting before the Board of Commissioners’ regular session on March 5 and then took up her position on the dais beside commissioners. “Four weeks ago, I stood before you and accepted the manager’s position,” she said during the meeting. “I committed then to work to rebuild the public’s trust. Today, I take the oath of office as your manager, and again I recommit to you to that we will work to rebuild the public’s trust and move Buncombe County forward.” Photo by David Floyd

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Solutions for Emergency Services, of which commissioners heard the results last April, concludes that it is “hesitant” to recommend commissioners allow an external company to operate in the county system. “The data clearly shows that you do not have a need for them at this time and, should you see an increase in call volume, we would recommend you allow your current system to expand to its fullest extent first,” the study says. Like other EMS services in North Carolina, the study says, Buncombe County EMS agencies manage to collect only a portion of the funds they bill people. The average collection rate in the state, the study says, is 70 percent. Taking a specific look at the Fairview Fire Department, the study says that if an external company responded to half the calls that Fairview billed for in 2017, the department would lose about half of the approximately $262,000 they collected that year. Tolley, however, says Medic would only respond to an area covered by a volunteer fire department if the fire department’s ambulances were already engaged on other calls. The placement of Medic’s ambulances, he says, is “100-percent driven” by the county’s 911 center. “I can’t just take an ambulance and post it out in Weaverville and have them wait for calls,” he said. “I can’t do that.” Including calls from the city of Asheville, Tolley says his company responds to about 200 calls in an average month, the majority of which come from inside city limits. That number includes routine calls, emergency calls and convalescent transport. He doesn’t anticipate that the number of emergency calls to which Medic responds will increase as a result of the new franchise. Tolley estimated that Medic responded in February to about 11 emergency calls from the county. The proposed franchise will have a one-year term, which commissioners can decide to extend. County attorney Michael Frue says the franchise will require Medic to station its ambulances in locations assigned by the county 911 center. “We’re not going out here trying to make money and those types of things,” Tolley says. “Obviously we have to to stay in business, but we’re here for our community.”

— David Floyd X

FEA T U RE S

ASHEVILLE ARCHIVES by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Homesick In the spring of 1937, writer Thomas Wolfe returned to Asheville. He had avoided his hometown over the previous eight years, following the 1929 publication of his novel, Look Homeward, Angel. At the time of its debut, the book’s thinly disguised setting and characters did not sit well with many local residents. But by 1937, time had eased old tensions. On May 3, The Asheville Citizen informed readers of the writer’s visit: “The author said he was glad to be back, that many times during his travels in Europe and his residence in New York he had been homesick for Asheville, its people and its surrounding mountains.” Wolfe’s initial visit, however, was brief. He was back in New York by mid-May, with plans for a second, longer stay later that summer. On June 26, 1937, Wolfe wrote his older brother Fred about his imminent return. The cabin he planned to rent in Oteen was nearly ready for him, he explained. And though plans were going accordingly, Wolfe expressed concerns about his upcoming summer retreat in the mountains. First and foremost, he told his brother, he wasn’t sure how he would go about transporting his half-million-word manuscript. “I hate to take the chance of letting it go out of my sight,” he wrote. Then there was the issue of the cabin’s proximity to Asheville. Wolfe feared it would tempt many in town to show up unannounced, disrupting his writing process. “Most people don’t realize that writing is not only hard work, but that a writer, when he works, works several times as hard as the average business man,” Wolfe declared in the missive. He continued: “My experience has been that most business and professional people do not work very hard, not nearly as hard as they think they do. This is particularly true of a town like Asheville. ... I noticed this again when I was home in May: a lot of the boys I know who are now lawyers would invite me up to their offices in the Jackson Building and we would spend an entire afternoon talking, and no one would come in.” Despite his consternation and critique, Wolfe arrived in Oteen in early July. Soon thereafter, in a letter to fellow writer and friend Hamilton Basso, Wolfe reported: “I have encountered certain learned, local psychologists who hint darkly that I will find it impossible to work here: one even said that I would find these surroundings ‘allergic.’ … All of which I hold to be ridiculous: work, as you yourself

Thomas Wolfe returns for a summer in the woods

THE PRODIGAL SON: Thomas Wolfe returned to Asheville in 1937, renting a cabin for the summer in Oteen. Today, the city is considering the future use of the site, which was designated a local historic landmark in 1982. Photo courtesy of the North Carolina Collection, Pack Memorial Public Library, Asheville know, is a desperate necessity; and if the need is desperate enough nothing will stop us — not even our own lazy bones or natural indolence of which I have so much more than a fair share — not even, by God, allergic conditions.”

The statement proved prophetic. In an August correspondence with his agent, Elizabeth Nowell, Wolfe claimed he wrote between 60-80,000 words since his return. But such productivity did not stop Wolfe from grumbling to Nowell about the claustrophobic nature of his living situation. “I know so many people here and the place is really very small,” he wrote. “People know everything you do, even before you do it[.]” Such scrutiny, however, did not run Wolfe off early. He remained in the area until September. That November, while back in New York, he again wrote his brother Fred, bewailing the recent visit. Nothing about Asheville had changed, he complained. “I went home a very tired man. … And when I left home I was as near to a breakdown as I have ever been,” he proclaimed. “So I guess that’s the end of me in Asheville[.]” Sadly, the following year would be Wolfe’s final. He died Sept. 15, 1938, a result of tubercular meningitis. Years later, in 1971, Max Whitson, the cabin’s owner, revisited Wolfe’s time at his property. The piece, published in the Oct. 3, Sunday edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times, coincided with Wolfe’s birthday. Though Whitson notes that Wolfe had a “burning desire to get on with his work,” the property owner, who spent many days that summer with the writer, was skeptical about the true motive behind Wolfe’s visit. “I don’t think Tom came home that summer to do a lot of writing,” Whitson reveals near the latter half of the article. “Deep down he was a little home sick but it is my guess he came to collect fresh material for a new novel. A novel of Altamont up-to-date. A novel he never had time to write.” Editor’s note: Peculiarities of spelling and punctuation are preserved from the original texts. X

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In 1982, Asheville City Council designated the Thomas Wolfe Cabin as a local historic landmark. Currently, the city is working with the community to determine the cabin’s future use. Along with recent and future input sessions, the city is asking residents for any additional insight about the location’s history, including historical pictures. Information should be sent to project manager Stacy Merten at smerten@ ashevillenc.gov. For more, visit avl.mx/5r5. X

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KIDS ISSUE 2019 We are thrilled to present Part I of this year’s Kids Issues, our annual feature celebrating the creativity of our local K-12 students. This year, we asked kids and teens to submit art and writing around the question: “What would you do if you had superpowers for a day?” We received a record number of entries — more than 470— from students who attend 28 area public, charter, private, parochial and home schools, plus an afterschool arts program. These young artists and writers offered up a bounty of colorful art, poems, essays and short fiction, which are by turns thoughtful, funny, surprising and touching. These creative minds imagined how they could use their new superpowers to save animals, rid the oceans of trash, protect other kids, cure cancer, fight crime, help the homeless, open people’s minds on social issues and more. Be sure to check back next week for more superpowered art and writing in Part II, along with our annual guide to area summer camp offerings. Enjoy! — Xpress staff X

A GOLDEN CHANCE Life chose me by a golden chance to have superpowers for just 24 hours, and I used them to revive our planet. With my hands, I instantly raised great trees from the Earth; I withdrew the sinister gases that haunted our atmosphere with a single exhalation. When I was granted superpowers, I used them to bring about the solution to deforestation and air pollution. I felt the ground shaking beneath my feet, and my hands were tingling violently, as though surging with electricity. The earth cracked open dramatically, and a tiny sapling sprouted rapidly before me. It quivered for a moment, but soon the quivering intensified to a frenzied quake. My hands energized, burning with power. I gawked, astonished, as the sapling doubled, tripled, then quadrupled in size until it towered over me in a great exhibition of leaves and branches. I raised a finger, causing more trees to arise instantaneously for as far as was distinguishable. 18

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

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SUPER SPEED: Fourth-grader Alexis Gunter of Sand Hill-Venable Elementary School painted this dynamic superhero, who announces: “I will save the city from danger with my super speed!” This work and others by fourth-grade students at the school were created in the style of Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art comic strips, notes art teacher Elise Reed. The massive trees cast shadows over me, and I stood there, astonished. I inhaled deeply, and the air seemed cleaner, purer. I exhaled a contented breath. A ferocious wind arose from my lips, spiraling wildly throughout the sky. It soared toward a nearby factory, blowing a cloud of pollution up into the atmosphere, away into the void that is space. Greenhouse gases from vehicles and machinery everywhere entangled together and joined in the same fate, leaving behind but a trace. Never had the planet been so glorious. — Sydney Selmensberger Eighth grade Asheville Catholic School

SUPER INTELLIGENCE What would you do if you could have any superpower? If I could have any superpower, it would be Super Intelligence. This is the ability to know everything, even the secrets of the universe that the average human mind couldn’t even comprehend. This would help our community — and the world — because we would know the cures to all

sicknesses, like cancer. We could identify how to stop global warming and healthier ways to live without harming everything. We could know how to save endangered species or even how to bring back extinct ones. Our world would be so much more knowledgeable and be able to educate students so much more about ways of life and how to succeed. These powers are only for 24 hours, so I guess you would have to work fast. Except you would know everything, right? Possibly even how to build a time machine, and make those 24 hours a lot longer. Then you would be able to help correct and restore everything. We would even know the perfect war strategy to help us win and never have to fight again. These are just the little things. Just imagine how astonishing it would be to do so much more. Too bad this is just an essay and not real. — Laurena Stephens Eighth grade Enka Middle School

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THE SUMMIT: JULY 7 – JULY 13 TAKING ON AIR POLLUTION: Third-grader Phineas Bundy of Sand Hill-Venable Elementary School created this colorful collage of a superhero who fights air pollution.

SAVING THE SEA If superpowers were granted to me, I’d remove all the trash from the sea. Send it all to the sun,

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SUPER STRENGTH: Second-grader Beckett Forbes of ArtSpace Charter School drew this picture, explaining, “I would be superstrong for 24 hours so I could help people who are in trouble!”

HEALING THE WORLD Too much in our world is broken for a single person to fix it in 24 hours, superpowers or no. However, with the right type of power, it could be possible to undo a lot of damage and set the world in the right track to heal on its own. If I had any superpower, I would have telekinesis, the ability to manipulate objects simply by willing them to manipulate. This telekinesis, however, would not be the typical telekinesis portrayed in media. Rather than merely lifting objects, I would manipulate them down to an atomic and molecular level. For 24 hours, I would effectively have unlimited power. With this ability, I could slow global climate change by cleaning the atmosphere. I could reach out with my mind and fish out all the plastic in the ocean, edit the genetic code of a handful of bacteria so they’re capable of breaking down plastic, then set them loose in the monstrous pile of plastic garbage. I would reconstruct buildings decimated by earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis. I would aid those trying to end world hunger and those developing new, ecofriendly and biodegradable materials. I would hack into the servers and emails of corrupt companies and people and send proof of their wrongdoings to all the major news outlets. I would render all weapons on a battlefield useless and then force the leaders of countries to sit down and work out their disagreements. Twenty-four hours is not a lot of time to accomplish anything, really, so I would use my powers on myself as well, keep-

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ing my cells from shutting down so I wouldn’t have to eat, drink or sleep. If it was possible for me to control my cells like this, then I would also use it on others: healing people with illnesses and injuries from terminal to minor. Of course, I don’t have any of this power, nor will I ever have it. The world’s problems cannot be solved by sitting back and halfheartedly encouraging others to try to make a difference. If we want change, we’ll have to fight for it. — Liz Vaughan Ninth grade Nesbitt Discovery Academy

BUBBLE GIRL: Eighth-grader Chloe Ostman of Rugby Middle School drew this superhero, who goes to middle school during the day but uses the power of bubble gum to fight crime at night.

FLYING HIGH ABOVE THE CLOUDS I could forever Watch the sunrise and sunset Catch dazzling light Watching the colors Pinks, reds, oranges, purples Always before me Awaking at dawn

Chasing the beautiful sun Along its journey Before the end comes Destined to return to my Dull, single-hue life But with me I take The outstanding memories The sun, dawn to dusk — Mattie-Clark Palme Eighth grade Asheville Middle School

TO THE RESCUE: Third-grader Corbin Reed of Leicester Elementary School created this cheerful work, titled “Saving the Dog Whose Head Is Caught in a Peanut Butter Jar.”

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RAINBOW POWER: Fourth-grader Zelia Kerley of Asheville Waldorf School used crayon for this colorful drawing, explaining: “If I had a superpower, I would make everybody rainbow so people can see that we are all the same on the inside.”

EQUALITY If I had a superpower, it would be to change the way people think about different people. I would travel all over the world and make sure that everybody everywhere would be treated the same way. I want everyone to know that there is no difference from different colors of skin. Everyone deserves kindness. — Ila Brazanskas Third grade Evergreen Community Charter School

CURING CANCER AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS If I was given any superpowers for 24 hours, I would be able to cure cancer and MS by touching someone who has either of these sicknesses and injecting them with the cure. I’d also be able to travel through time by touching my locket while thinking of a day, year and place. I’d like to be able to cure these illnesses because I have seen what they can do, and it’s terrible.

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My old friend Sylvia and cousin’s best friend, Trevor, had cancer and died at a young age. That year was really tough, especially for my cousin, Tommy. They had everything planned out, and then he became a little unsure. My mom has MS, and I’ve seen her deal with it since I was little. Now, she’s doing OK, but if I had these superpowers, I could make sure that she never has a relapse again. If I could go back in time and have the superpower to cure cancer and MS, I’d first go back and give it to Trevor and Sylvia, and then come back to the present and give it to my mom. I could bottle the cure and give it to people who need it, scientists who have been searching for a cure, doctors who could finally give their patients hope, and young people like Trevor and Sylvia, who can finally have the future that they want, a future with more birthdays. — Lila Thomas Seventh grade North Buncombe Middle School

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POLLUTION GIRL: Fourth-grader Kimberly Alvarez-Beltran of Sand Hill-Venable Elementary School painted this picture in the style of Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art comic strips. “Pollution girl will remove air pollution with my magical hairdryer,” the superhero declares.

MY SUPERPOWERS My power would be to climb trees easily. I want to have this power because I could save animals in trees. I would make a difference for families in the world by saving their pets. After I save the animals, they will be thankful of what I did. — Winslow Meyers Second grade Odyssey Community School

HOW TO BE A SUPERHERO I was walking home from school when a scientist walked up to me and asked if I wanted powers. I was startled by the offer and asked how. He said all I had to do was take a sip

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of a “power shake,” and I would have powers for the next 24 hours. I thought it checked out, so I took a sip. After that, I felt kind of shaky, and I passed out. I woke up sometime later and felt amazing. The scientist was standing beside me, and I asked him what powers I had gotten. He said I only got one power, which was to harness the power of anybody I want. The first thing I did was I collected all of the world’s pollution and threw it into the sun with Superman’s powers. While I still had his powers, I heard a cry of help from California. I flew there and used Spiderman’s powers to stop a bank robbery. After that I got a cool book from a guy named Stanley called How to Be a Superhero. I tried to do one thing it said and see as many things going on as I could, but that was too hard.

So for the rest of the day I went around the world and stopped a total of 75 bank robberies/crimes. So at the end of the day, I stopped bank robberies and wiped out pollution in just one day. What can you do to be super? For Stan Lee. Who made one of the best comic franchises ever. R.I.P. — Ryan Corbitt Sixth grade Asheville Catholic School

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I would have the power to make things appear so I could give things to the poor. Like I could make money appear so they would not have to worry about food and water. And I could make New York or Mexico appear in front of me because I could go to them quickly to give more poor people money and food and water. Then afterward, no one would go hungry or thirsty again. — Griffin Patmor First grade Odyssey Community School

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THE BIG BATTLE: Leicester Elementary School third-graders Malachi Roberts, Maksim Serdukov, Carson Yow and Jay Jackson collaborated on this artwork, which shows “the good-guy kid has a superpower of building houses for poor kids, but the bad guy is trying to crush his work.”

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Why do we recycle? We recycle so we can reuse reusable waste, prevent landfills from overflowing and to keep our planet clean. If I were given a superpower for a whole day, I would choose to have the power to make an object magnetic to any other object I want. With these powers, I would make a giant recycling bin magnetic to all the recyclable trash that people had thrown away or littered. With all the recyclable trash in the giant recycling bin, we will be able to reuse more. A problem that I think affects the world is that many people do not recycle. Not recycling affects the world because when people don’t recycle things that can be reused, more trash is littered, and landfills are filling up. One American family throws away 1,200 pounds of trash per year, and that number can be reduced by recycling. Also 75 percent of the waste that we throw away is recyclable, but we only recycle 30 percent that much. After the giant recycle bin has collected all the trash, people around the world will see how the landfills are less full, the ground is clear of recyclable trash, and we are reusing more. Once people see this, more people will start to recycle to keep the Earth as beautiful as it was with all the recyclable trash in the giant bin. — Isora Brennan Sixth grade Cane Creek Middle School

MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE If I had superpowers For only 24 hours I would want to convince everyone to make the right choice Now it’s the government that needs it But imagine our country with it People wouldn’t have to live in fear Because Lucille Conner is here Saving friendships, the day and slowly but surely the world Wait, don’t leave yet, I have more tell you My cape would be orange and pink — Lucille Conner Fourth grade ArtSpace Charter School

TALKING TO ANIMALS My power would be talking to animals. I would tell them to not eat trash because it will make them sick. I could ask them to pick up litter and put it in the trash can. The world will be more clean and more animals alive. — Fiona Madson Second grade Odyssey Community School

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SAVING THE TURTLES: Fourth-grader Quinn Redrick of Asheville Waldorf School sculpted these turtles, explaining, “My superpower is to clean the ocean of trash and prevent any more from finding its way there.”

HELP CLOSE THE GENDER DIVIDE If I had a superpower for 24 hours, I would change people’s understanding of feminism. I would end the view that the definition means women wanting to overrule men, and change everyone’s understanding to the real definition of feminism: equal rights for all genders. Right now a lot of women and men all over the U.S. and all over the world are fighting for equal pay, for ensuring women’s voices and experiences are heard, and for access to the health care they need. Those people are fighting for me, for my kids and their kids. Some people only see one side: that men always should be believed and that they are the dominant gender/sex. So if I were able to get some new definitions/opinions in their brains, it would help feminists all over the world. I think that all genders deserve equal rights with pay, bathroom rights and people believing their experiences with violence and harassment. To be able to help close the gender divide, this superpower could really be helpful. — Isabel Bishop Seventh grade Evergreen Community Charter School

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BUBBLE POWER I woke up one day not so long ago with a superpower. My powers were to have the amazingly cool bubble power. I got into my superhero outfit and walked to the park. I started to blow bubbles. The kids started to run around and pop them. All I could hear was “pop,” “pop” and giggles. Then all of a sudden, I heard firetruck sirens. I realized that there was trouble lurking around, so I gave the kids a bottle of bubbles and made one huge bubble to carry me there. I saw a fire happening. I quickly went inside with the bubbles around me to see if anyone was still in there. There I saw a woman with her child trapped in the corner. I really quickly went over and grabbed them and put them in the bubble and checked the rest of the building. Luckily, everyone else had gotten out before it got really, really bad. I turned the bubble to the exit, and we got out just in time. All of a sudden, the building collapsed. I popped the bubble, and they thanked me. I ran off and saw two mysterious-looking people walking out of the building. No offense to them, but they looked kind of bumpy, so I got a closer look with my bubblescope, and they were thieves.

I called the authorities and told them soon after they got there. They saw them all wrapped up in bubble wrap. I was on my way to a good night’s sleep, and when I woke up I had no

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SUPER PIG POWER: Fourth-grader Regina Minaudo of Rainbow Community School drew this mighty pig, offering in an artist’s statement: “Super Pig flies superfast to pick up trash before somebody drops the trash.”

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PRISM: Ninth-grader Adie AltmanJacobs of Invest Collegiate Imagine Charter School created this superhero, explaining: “Prism is a hero that protects and sheds light to people within her community. She believes that all darkness can be battled by good, and people should stand up for themselves. She is the light in a dark time.”

LESS CHAOTIC, MORE AQUATIC Clean and available water is a big problem in today’s world. According to water.org, there are 844 million people who do not have access to water, and there are 2.3 billion people who cannot obtain improved sanitation. Every two minutes, a child dies from a disease related to water. Plus, every year, 1 million people die because of water-related diseases and hygiene-related diseases. Even one-third of all schools lack basic water and sanitation! Lack of water is not just a health crisis, but an economic crisis. Ninety-seven and one half percent of the water on Earth is not safe to drink, and 1 percent of it is easily accessible, because most of it is trapped in glaciers. If I had any superpower for a day, it would be to make hundreds of gallons of safe water per second out of thin air by a chemical reaction

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in my body that rapidly creates water and shoots out of my hands. This may seem silly, but it seems that this is what the world currently needs. In 24 hours, I would create 8,640,000 gallons of water. All of this water will certainly help the Earth. I would take this water to the places that need it the most: Libya, Western Sahara, Yemen, Djibouti, Jordan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Chad, Cambodia, Laos, Haiti, Ghana and India. These countries are some of the places where water is needed the most. This may not solve the water crisis, but certainly help it. The population will increase, and less people will die because they are unlucky to not live in a place that has what seems like endless amounts of water. Rivers will be replenished, lakes will be filled and smiles will be spread. Children will run around with a trillion pounds of energy like they were meant to. A majority of world hunger will be solved, and these countries will find peace. — Riley Johnson Eighth grade The Learning Community School

24-HOUR POWER If i had superpowers, for 24 hours, I’d want to do all i could. Because i think that’s good. Every place you see Would be peaceful because of me But little things are important, too. It matters, what you say or do. I’d like that very much It gives a heart a nice little touch. There are places that are worse than here Where death is almost always near Some lack a life of peace, That is something that i’d like to cease. Another important thing, To do before the clock’s last ding; Give people what they lack And let them bounce back. So those are the things that i’d do With my powers anew. But one question still remains. What if the power was in your veins? Would this be a better place If you were the ace? I’m going to let the question sink in. And the mystery deepen. — Lincoln Oakes Sixth grade Cane Creek Middle School

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TIME TRAVEL: Fourth-grader Kellen R. of Odyssey Community School created this poem and artwork, explaining how the superpower of time travel would benefit the world’s people.

SUPER HELPING AROUND THE WORLD What I want my superpower to be is to help this world to beat hunger; help people who do not have a home (homeless); and help with domestic violence. First to help hunger: I will go to most of the stores and buy all the food and start flying around the whole world and give all the food to everyone. I can’t wait to see their happy faces. That will make me even more happy. Next I will fly to a bunch of businesses and try to raise money that all the homeless people can share (four-five homes). Each home will get big goodie baskets for everyone. I am not saying all the homeless people in the world will all get homes, but I would really want to do something special for them. No person should be without a home. I would also really like to help women and children who are in a bad situation. Every child and woman should be happy and live in a safe, warm, loving home. I would fly around the world and rescue every child and woman from a bad place and build a beautiful palace full of toys, food and laughter. And last but not least, my superhero woman power girl will try to help this world to make a better place for everyone. — Delilah Tompkins Fourth grade ArtSpace Charter School

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SHAPE-SHIFTING The ears of an elephant The eyes of an eagle The size of a bear And the nose of a beagle The hair of a horse The brain of a dolphin The braveness of a hawk And the horns of an ox The happiness of a puppy The hands of an ape The fur of a cat And, of course, a cape. — Poeme Mack Seventh grade Invest Collegiate Imagine

THE POWER TO HEAL If I were granted any superpower for 24 hours, I would ask for the ability to heal anything or anyone, whether they suffer from disease, genetic disorders or injuries. The first thing that I would do is visit Mission Hospital, right here in Asheville, N.C. When I got there, I would head straight to the Mission Cancer Center, where patients are receiving diagnoses or even getting their chemotherapy. Next, I would take my healing superpowers to the emergency and trauma wing, relieving any patient from their suffering.

Second, I would visit Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s hospital in the United States. I would attempt to visit as many children as I possibly could before time runs out. I would spend the rest of my hours in that hospital healing every kid I could get to. I would give these kids and their families another chance. After the 24 hours were up, I would hope that I healed every person possible. — Gracey Abernethy Eighth grade Asheville Catholic School

POOR SHARKS! Have you ever thought about how pretty sharks are? Well, people take sharks and cut off their fins. That’s fine, but they throw the sharks back in the water, unable to swim. If you cut off a shark’s fins, you might as well eat the rest of it! They just leave it there to die! I would use my superpowers to teleport to these people and show them sad pictures and videos of what happens to the sharks. Then I would hope they stop. But if they don’t, I would sprinkle magic dust on them to know the right thing to do. The world would be different because there would be more happy sharks all around the world! — Jaemesi Jackson Third grade Evergreen Community Charter School

EARTH SAVER: Eighth-grader Quinn Ray of Omega Middle School created this artwork that suggests both a personal and world focus.

NATURE GIRL: Second-grader Cearnaigh McCorkle of Rainbow Community School drew this benevolent superhero, noting in an artist’s statement: “Nature Girl has three sidekicks: opossum, baby opossum and Tuscan. Her superhero power is to create nature with her mind.”

INCREDA GIRL There was a little girl. One day, she was so happy at school, but when the bell went ring, ring, the smile on her face went upside down, and she said, “Well, I got to go home.” When she went home, I was right behind her, but she did not see me. She got home, and I looked in the window, and I saw the mom hurting her, and then I used my past power to see the past. I saw that when she was a kid her daughter’s age, her mom did the same thing to her. I jumped in the window and I said, “STOP! Please just stop.” The little girl was crying and she had bruises all over her face. I said, “You do not have to be your mom. You can change. I know it happens to you. Just don’t do it to her.” The mom dropped the girl and started to cry and cry. She told her daughter sorry. That is when the cops came. They took the mom away, and then the girl said, “Thank you. My name is Annie.” I said, “How old are you?” and she said, “I am 12. Thank you again.” The girl said, “What is your name?” I told her, Increda Girl. — Noaloni Mosley Fifth grade Oakley Elementary School

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR MARCH 13 - 21, 2019

CALENDAR GUIDELINES For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, ext. 137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, ext. 320.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY EVENTS ANIMALS ASHEVILLE ANIMAL RIGHTS READING GROUP • 3rd FRIDAYS, 6-7:30pm - Animal Rights Reading Group. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Road

BENEFITS ART SHOW FOR HOMELESS ARTISTS • SA (3/16), 4-7pm Proceeds from sales at this art show featuring works by homeless artists benefit the artists. Sponsored by I Am Home Art Project. Free to attend. Held at Ginger's Revenge, 829 Riverside Drive, Suite 100 BREAK THE SILENCE SPEAKER SERIES: TARANA BURKE • TH (3/14), 5pm Proceeds from the Break the Silence Speaker Series: Me Too Movement Founder Tarana Burke benefits

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Our VOICE. Tickets: avl.mx/5r1. $35/$10 student/$100 VIP. Held at Asheville Renaissance Hotel, 31 Woodfin Ave. ELIADA LUNCH OF A LIFETIME • TH (3/21), noon Proceeds from the

FERNIHURST ANNUAL WNCHA FUNDRAISING DINNER • TH (3/14), 6pm Proceeds from the Fernihurst Annual Fundraising Dinner benefit Western North Carolina Historical Association and the Smith-McDowell House Museum, a five star dinner. $75. Held at Fernihust House at AB Tech, 340 Victoria Road LUCK O' THE IRISH RAFFLE

☘ SA (3/16), 7pm

- Proceeds from the Luck O' The Irish Raffle Celebration benefit Folkmoot. $20. Held at Bearwaters Brewing Company, 101 Park St., Canton

Lunch of a Lifetime

PI(E) DAY FUN RUN

event featuring lunch

• SU (3/17), 3:14pm Proceeds from UNCA’s Department of Mathematics, Annual Pi(e) Day Fun Run benefit Asheville Initiative for Math and Marvelous Math Club. Registration: avl.mx/5qe. $15. Begins at the Karl Straus Track. Held at UNC Asheville Sherrill Center, 227 Campus Drive

and stories from Eliada benefit Eliada. Registration required: truckman@eliada.org. Free to attend. Held at Crowne Plaza Expo Center, 1 Resort Drive EMPTY BOWLS FUNDRAISER [ • SA (3/16), 11am-2pm - Proceeds from the Empty Bowls fundraiser benefit Bread of Life. Local potters handcraft hundreds of bowls from which to choose for this soup and salad lunch. $20. Held at Brevard First United Methodist Church, 325 N. Broad St., Brevard

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

RIVERLINK OYSTER ROAST • SA (3/16), noon-4pm - Proceeds from this oyster roast with live music, raffle and prizes benefit RiverLink. $5 suggested donation. Held at The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave.

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BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY A-B TECH SMALL BUSINESS CENTER 1465 Sand Hill Road, Candler, 828-398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc • TH (3/14), 10amnoon - Starting a Better Business. Registration required. Free. • TH (3/14), 6-7:30pm - "The Business of Agritourism: Legal and Risk Considerations," seminar. Registration required. Free. • MO (3/18) & WE (3/20), noon-4:30pm - "Rocket Business Planning," seminar. Registration required. Free. • TH (3/21), 10am-noon - Is Exporting Right for My Business? The ‘nuts and bolts’ of international transactions. Registration required. Free. ASHEVILLE SCORE COUNSELORS TO SMALL BUSINESS A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Road, Candler 828-271-4786, ashevillescore.org • WE (3/13), 6-9pm - Basic Internet Marketing. Registration required. Free. • SA (3/16), 6-9pm How to Value a Business and Increase its Value. Registration required. Free. • WE (3/20), 6-9pm - Advanced Internet Marketing. Registration required. Free. NCWORKS MADISON CAREER FAIR • MO (3/18), 5-7pm Career fair hosted by

KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR FARMERS CLOSER: Spring approaches, and thoughts turn to asparagus, cucumbers and radishes as Southern Appalachian farms begin to sell Community Supported Agriculture shares. The Asheville CSA Fair is a free, family-friendly event providing the opportunity to meet area farmers, browse local CSA programs and sign up. CSA members purchase a share of a farm’s harvest before the season begins and receive a box of fresh produce, flowers or other farm goods on a regular basis throughout the growing season. Many farms also provide opportunities for CSA members to connect in person with the farm through farm tours, member workdays or end-of-season celebrations. This year the event takes place on Pi Day and includes a pop-up pie stand from Sweetheart Bakery. Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s ninth CSA Fair is planned for Thursday, March 14, 3-6 p.m. at New Belgium Brewing Co. Photo courtesy of Chelsea Lane Photography (p. 42) NCWorks Madison. Free. Held at A-B Tech Madison Site, 4646 US Highway 25/70, Marshall STRATEGIC PLANNING + COMMUNICATIONS FOR ARTISTS • FR (3/15), 10am-5pm - Learn key business, management and communications skills from artists who have used these tools to achieve success. $20 for BMCM+AC members + students/$25 non-members. Held at Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St.

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS ASHEVILLE CHARCUTERIE INTENSIVE (PD.) Hickory Nut Gap Farm. Author Meredith Leigh teaches sausages, salamis, and other cured meats you can make at home using pure ingredients. Sign up: mereleighfood.com/ books/asheville

EMPYREAN ARTS CLASSES (PD.) INTRO to POLE FITNESS on Tuesdays 7:15pm, Saturdays 11:30am & Sundays 2:15pm. SULTRY POLE on Mondays 6:00pm. BEGINNING AERIAL ARTS on Tuesdays 1:00pm, Wednesdays 7:30pm, Thursdays 5:15pm, Saturdays 2:30pm & Sundays 2:15pm. AERIAL FLEXIBILITY on Mondays 6:00pm & Fridays 1:00pm. EMPYREANARTS.

ORG • 828.782.3321 • 32 Banks Avenue, #107&108 HARK! COMMUNITY CHOIR SPRING SEASON (PD.) Enjoy singing? Join us for an eight -week session of non-auditioned, all-voices-welcome choir. All songs taught by ear. Weekly 2-hour classes with community song leader Yuri Woodstock. Register at WeRingLikeBells.com

WCA RETIREMENT PLANNING WORKSHOP (PD.)

339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140

KOREAN WAR VETERANS CHAPTER 314

Western Carolina University at Biltmore Park. A three evening course, April 2, 4 and 9. • 5:30pm-8:30pm. • $79 per person/couple. Call 828-227-7397 or Register Online: pdp.wcu.edu

COMMUNITY YARD SALE • SA (3/16), 8am-1pm - Community Yard Sale in the parking lot behind Gap Factory. Habitat for Humanity Restore is onsite to receive donations. Free to attend. Held at Asheville Outlets, 800 Brevard Road

• 2nd WEDNESDAYS, noon - Korean War Veterans Association, General Frank Blazey Chapter 314, general meeting. Lunch at noon, meeting at 1pm. Free to attend. Held at American Legion Post NC 77, 216 4th Ave. W., Hendersonville

ASHEVILLE CHESS CLUB • WEDNESDAYS, 6:30pm - Sets provided. All ages and skill levels welcome. Beginners lessons available. Free. Held at North Asheville Recreation Center, 37 E. Larchmont Road ASHEVILLE FRIENDS OF ASTROLOGY • FR (3/15), 7-9pm General meeting with presentation by Ron Tiggle on calculating secondary and solar arc progressions and directions. Free to attend. Held at EarthFare - Westgate, 66 Westgate Parkway COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR ADULT CARE HOMES • 3rd FRIDAYS, 9-10:30am - Community Advisory Committee for Adult Care Homes, meeting. Registration: julia@landofsky.org. Free. Held at Land-Of-Sky Regional Council Offices,

EMAS PROGRAM MEETING • TU (3/19), 7-8:30pm - Applying the Science: Conserving Birds on North Carolina’s Working Lands by Aimee Tomcho. Free to attend. Held at UNC-Asheville Reuter Center, 1 Campus View Road GINSENG GATHERING & AUCTION • SA (3/16), 1-5pm - Ginseng Gathering, lecture, Q&A and silent auction. Tickets: avl.mx/5o5. $25. Held at Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa HOMINY VALLEY RECREATION PARK • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - Hominy Valley board meeting. Free. Held at Hominy Valley Recreation Park, 25 Twin Lakes Drive, Candler

LEICESTER HISTORY GATHERING • 3rd THURSDAYS, 7pm - The Leicester History Gathering, general meeting. Free. Held at Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester ONTRACK WNC 50 S. French Broad Ave., 828-255-5166, ontrackwnc.org • TH (3/14), noon-1:30pm - "Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve it." Seminar. Registration required. Free. • MONDAYS (3/18) & (3/25), 5:30-8:30pm - Basics of budgeting, setting goals, planning, saving strategies and tracking spending series. Registration required. Free. • WE (3/20), 5:30-7pm - "Understanding Credit. Get it. Keep it. Improve

it." Seminar. Registration required. Free. • TH (3/21), noon1:30pm - "Budgeting and Debt," class. Registration required. Free.

FOOD & BEER FAIRVIEW WELCOME TABLE • THURSDAYS, 11:30am1pm - Community lunch. Admission by donation. Held at Fairview Christian Fellowship, 596 Old US Highway 74, Fairview LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 828-774-3000, facebook.com/Leicester. Community.Center • 3rd TUESDAYS, 2:30pm - Manna food distribution. Free. • WEDNESDAYS, 11:30am-1pm - Welcome Table, community meal. Free.

FESTIVALS

PURIM CARNIVAL • SU (3/17), 10am-3pm - Purim carnival, featuring games, costume parade, music and activities for all ages. Proceeds benefit the Shalom Children’s Center. Free to attend. Held at Jewish Community Center, 236 Charlotte St.

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS BLUE RIDGE REPUBLICAN WOMEN'S CLUB MEETING • 2nd THURSDAYS, 6pm - General meeting. Free to attend. Held at Gondolier Restaurant, 1360 Tunnel Road. BUNCOMBE COUNTY DEMOCRAT WOMEN MONTHLY MEETING • TH (3/21), 5:15pm Monthly meeting and dinner. Registration required: bit.ly/RSVPDWBCMarch2019. $15/$12 members. Held at Buncombe County Democratic Headquarters, 951 Old Fairview Road

CIVICS 101 • TU (3/19), 6:30-7:45pm - Panel discussion about how to communicate issues and advocate for things like city infrastructure, community services and affordable housing. Registration required: avl.mx/5sh. Free. Held at YWCA of Asheville, 185 S. French Broad Ave. SUNSHINE WEEK: YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW • TH (3/14), 11:30am1:30pm - Guest panelists Bill Moss, Hendersonville Lightning and Angie Newsome, Carolina Public Press discuss access to public information and open records laws. Free to attend. Held at Hendersonville Community Co-Op, 60 S. Charleston Lane, Hendersonville

KIDS PAINT ME A PICTURE (PD.) Art classes will begin late Summer/early Fall for Paint Me A Picture, a fun-filled creative art/

literacy program for children (ages 2-12) to explore their imaginations through art, music, children's books and selfdiscovery. Please contact Ann at annpaints@ gmail.com for further information. BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • 3rd FRIDAYS until (3/15), 4-6pm - Reading with JR the Therapy Dog for kids up to 12. Registration required. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • WE (3/20), 10:30am - Yvette Odell and Asheville Symphony live performance and interactive musical experience designed for the very young. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • WE (3/20), 4pm - Learn about electrical circuits, insulators, conductors and robots. Grades K-5. Reg-

istration required. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. CHILDREN'S THEATER FESTIVAL • SA (3/16) - Children's Theater Festival. See website for times and registration: tryonsupersaturday.com. $2 per show. Held at Tryon Fine Arts Center, 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon FLETCHER LIBRARY • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free. Held at Fletcher Library, 120 Library Road, Fletcher HOMEWORK DINERS 828-255-0696, unitedwayabc.org Homework Diner Program a strategy to support students and their families with tutoring, building parent-teacher relationships, a nutritious meal, community resources and workforce readiness. Free. • THURSDAYS, 5:30-7pm - Homework Diner. Free. Held at Owen Middle

GEM, MINERAL AND FOSSIL SHOW • FR (3/15), SA (3/16), 9am-6pm & SU (3/17), 10am-4pm - Bi-annual show featuring gem, mineral and fossil vendors. Free to attend. Held at Camp Stephens, 263 Clayton Road, Arden

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SUCH A TIME AS THIS: The holiday of Purim is an ancient celebration of biblical Esther’s role in the survival of her people. In addition to being deeply rooted in Jewish culture, the celebration of Purim represents a time for letting go, rejoicing in family and neighbors, enjoying the excitement of games and friendly competition, wearing costumes and singing. Asheville Jewish Community Center holds a Purim Carnival on Sunday, March 17, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission to the Purim Carnival is free and open to the public with tickets available for concessions and activities with the proceeds benefiting Shalom Children’s Center. Photo courtesy of Belle Crawford (p. 35)

School, 730 Old US Highway 70, Swannanoa • MONDAYS, 5:30-7pm - Homework Diner. Free. Held at Erwin Middle School, 20 Erwin Hills Road • TUESDAYS, 5-7pm Homework Diner. Free. Held at Asheville Middle School, 211 S French Broad Ave. • TUESDAYS, 5:30-7pm - Homework Diner. Free. Held at Enka Middle School, 390 Asbury Road, Candler MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 828-254-6734, malaprops.com • WEDNESDAYS, 10am - Miss Malaprop's Story Time for ages 3-9. Free to attend. • SA (3/16), 4pm - Allan Wolf presents his book, The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You into Space and Back Again. Free to attend. NATURE NUTS: RACCOONS • WE (3/20), 9am-noon - Learn about the fascinating world of racoons. Ages 8-13. Registration: avl.mx/5qm. Free. Held at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah Forest

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

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OUTDOORS CHIMNEY ROCK STATE PARK (PD.) Enjoy breathtaking views of Lake Lure, trails for all levels of hikers, an Animal Discovery Den and 404-foot waterfall. Plan your adventure at chimneyrockpark.com ANNUAL BIKE OF THE IRISH SA (3/16), 1:30pm Annual Bike of the Irish Spring Ride features four route options showcasing Asheville’s bike infrastructure and greenways. After-ride celebration at Wedge at Foundation includes live music. Free to attend. Held at Wedge Brewing Co., 125 B Roberts St.

☘

CLASSIC HIKES OF THE SMOKIES • WE (3/13) - Big Creek Trail, an easy 4.3 mile hike. Carpool leaves Asheville at 8am. Registration: http://avl.mx/5qd. $35/$20 members. FLY TYING FOR THE BEGINNER • MO (3/18), 9am-noon - Learn the basics of fly tying during this introductory level class. Ages 12 and up. Registration: avl.mx/5qm. Free. Held at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Road, Pisgah Forest

PISGAH CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED • 2nd THURSDAYS, 7pm - General meeting and presentations. Free to attend. Held at Ecusta Brewing, 49 Pisgah Highway, Suite 3, Pisgah Forest SWANNANOA VALLEY BIRD WALK • SA (3/16), 9-11am - Bird walk. Free. Held at Charles D. Owen Park, 875 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa WINTER TREE IDENTIFICATION • FR (3/15), 2-4pm Winter tree identification stroll, 1.5 miles. Registration required: 828-692-0100 or holmesesf.ncfs@ncagr. gov. Free. Held at Holmes Educational State Forest, 1299 Crab Creek Road, Hendersonville

PUBLIC LECTURES JOHN PAVLOVITZ TALKS • FR (3/15), 7pm - John Pavlovitz speaks on ‘Cultivating Hope in Difficult Times: Overcoming Fractures in Politics and Theology.’ $20. Held at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W. State St., Black Mountain • SA (3/16), 9:30amnoon - John Pavlovitz speaks on 'Cultivating Hope in Difficult Times: Overcoming Fractures in Politics and Theology.' $20/$15 youth. Held

at St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W. State St., Black Mountain APPALACHIAN EVENINGS: LIBERIA, SOUTH CAROLINA • TH (3/21), 6-7pm Appalachian Evenings Series: "Liberia, South Carolina," presentation by Professor John M. Coggeshall. Free. Held at The Ramsey Center in Renfro Library, 100 Athletic St., Mars Hill INTERNATIONALIST COMMUNE • SA (3/16), 11am - "Internationalist Commune of Rojava," presentation. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Road PUBLIC LECTURES AT UNCA unca.edu • SA (3/16), 4-5:30pm “AppalachA’ville," 42nd annual Appalachian Studies Conference keynote lecture by Lee Smith. Free to attend. Held at Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC Asheville, 300 Library Lane • TH (3/21), 7-8:30pm - 2019 Parsons Lecture: "The Patterns of Play: A Recreational View of Mathematics," presentation by Ronald D. Taylor. Free. Held at Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC Asheville, 300 Library Lane SALUDA TRAIN TALES • FR (3/15), 7pm - Saluda Train Tales featuring train

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR

stories by Forrest Jarrett. Free. Held at Saluda Historic Depot, 32 W. Main St., Saluda SCIENCE PUB: POLITICAL TECHNOLOGY AND ROYAL ARCHITECTURE, ANCIENT MAYA • FR (3/15), 5:30-7pm - Talk on Classic Maya royal politics. Free. Held at The Collider, 1 Haywood St., Suite 401 SPEAKER SERIES: PERSPECTIVES ON VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA • MO (3/18), 5:306:30pm - Speaker Series: "Perspectives on Vietnam and Cambodia," presentation by Mike Swartzlander. Free to attend. Held at Appalachian Coffee Company, 1628 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville THE MATRIX OF DISTRACTION • SU (3/17), 2-3:30pm - “The Matrix of Distraction,” presentation by Michael J. S. Carter. Free. Held at Asheville Friends Meetinghouse, 227 Edgewood Road WOMEN GET THE JOB DONE • TH (3/31), 6:30pm - Panel discussion examining the paradigm shift regarding women working in the music industry, including

by Deborah Robertson

recording engineer Susan Rogers, musician Rissi Palmer, conductor Melisse Brunet and musician and scientist Sally Sparks. First come, first served. Free. Held at Ambrose West, 312 Haywood Road

SENIORS ASHEVILLE ELDER CLUB GROUP RESPITE PROGRAM • TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS, 11am-2pm - The Asheville Elder Club Group Respite program for individuals with memory challenges and people of all faiths. Registration required: 828-253-2900. $30. Held at Jewish Family Services of WNC, 2 Doctors Park, Suite E BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • THURSDAYS until (4/11) - Chair yoga classes for seniors. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • TUESDAYS and FRIDAYS until FR (3/29), 11am - Geri-Fit: Free exercise class for Seniors. Bring a workout stretch band. Registration required. Free. Held at

Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. COUNCIL ON AGING, MEDICARE CLASSES • TU (3/19), 5:45pm - Medicare Choices Made Easy. Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville HENDERSONVILLE ELDER CLUB • WEDNESDAYS, 11am-2pm - The Hendersonville Elder Club for individuals with memory challenges and people of all faiths. Registration required: 828-253-2900. $30. Held at Agudas Israel Congregation, 505 Glasgow Lane, Hendersonville

SPIRITUALITY ANATTASATI MAGGA (PD.) Sujata Yasa (Nancy Spence). Zen Buddhism. Weekly meditations and services; Daily recitations w/mala. Urban Retreats. 32 Mineral Dust Drive, Asheville, NC 28806. 828-367-7718. info@ anattasatimagga.org • www.anattasatimagga. org ASTRO-COUNSELING (PD.) 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, LPC. (828) 258-3229 DE-STRESS, GET HAPPY & CONNECT! (PD.) Mindfulness Meditation at the Asheville Insight Meditation Center. Group Meditation: Weekly on Thursdays at 7pm & Sundays at 10am. www. ashevillemeditation.com, info@ashevillemeditation. com LEARN TO MEDITATE (PD.) Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation class at Asheville Insight Meditation Center, 1st Mondays of each month at 7pm – 8:30pm. www. ashevillemeditation.com, info@ashevillemeditation. com. ADULT FORUM: EPICUREAN JESUS: PART 1 • SU (3/17), 9-10:15am - Explore the relationship of Jesus and the Greek philosopher Epicurus. Free to attend. Held at First Congregational UCC of Hendersonville, 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville

to honor Ostara and the spring equinox. Register for location. Free. Held in a private home. DANCES OF UNIVERSAL PEACE • 3rd SATURDAYS, 7:30-9:30pm - "Dances of Universal Peace," spiritual group dances that blend chanting, live music and movement. No experience necessary. Admission by donation. Held at Dances of Universal Peace, 5 Ravenscroft Drive HOW TO LIVE: LESSONS FROM THE JATAKAS • SA (3/16), 3-5pm - The Jataka Tales, presented by the Venerable George Churinoff, are stories about the past lifetimes of Buddha Shakyamuni. Admission by donation. Held at Urban Dharma, 77 W. Walnut St. MEDITATION AND COMMUNITY • THURSDAYS, 7-8:30pm & SUNDAYS, 10amnoon - Meditation and community. Admission by donation. Held at

Shambhala Meditation Center, 60 N. Merrimon Ave., #113 MONTHLY SPIRITUALITY GROUP FOR TEEN GIRLS • 3rd SUNDAYS, 11:30pm - Monthly group for teen girls ages 13-18 from any background or tradition to recognize spiritual gifts and a sense of purpose. Facilitated by Sharon Oxendine, an elder from the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina. Free. Held at Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Road, Mills River

VOLUNTEERING TUTOR ADULTS IN NEED WITH THE LITERACY COUNCIL (PD.) 43% of adults with low literacy live in poverty. Volunteer and help our neighbors rise above the confines of poverty. Orientation 4/8 (10am) or 4/11 (5:30pm) RSVP: volunteers@litcouncil.com. Learn more: www.litcouncil.com.

SOKA GAKKAI

A MATTER OF BALANCE COACH TRAINING • TH (3/21), 9am-4:30pm - "A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls," volunteer coach training. Registration required: 828-251-7438 or stephanie@landofsky. org. Held at Land-Of-Sky Regional Council Offices, 339 New Leicester Highway, Suite 140

• 3rd SUNDAYS, 11am - Introduction to Nichiren Buddhism meeting. Free. Held at Kairos West Community Center, 610-002 Haywood Road

HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC • THURSDAYS, 11am, 2nd TUESDAYS, 5:30pm & 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 8:30am - "Welcome

OPEN SANGHA NIGHT AT URBAN DHARMA • THURSDAYS, 7:30-9pm - Open Sangha night. Free. Held at Urban Dharma, 77 W. Walnut St.

Home Tour," tours to find out how Homeward Bound is working to end homelessness and how the public can help. Registration required: tours@ homewardboundwnc.org or 828-785-9840. Free. Held at Homeward Bound of WNC, 218 Patton Ave. SATURDAY SANCTUARY • SATURDAYS Volunteers needed to cook, serve, play and clean up for Saturday Sanctuary, hospitality to the homeless. Registration required: avl.mx/5ig, sanctuarysaturday@gmail. com or 828-253-1431. Held at First Presbyterian Church, 40 Church St. VOLUNTEER WITH ASHEVILLE PRISON BOOKS • 3rd SUNDAYS, 1-3pm Volunteer to send books to inmates in North and South Carolina. Information: avlcommunityaction.com or ashevilleprisonbooks@ gmail.com. Held at Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Road

CELTIC CHRISTIAN HOLIDAY SERVICE • SU (3/17), 3-4pm - Celtic Christian Holiday Service

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Hundreds of Dealers, Collectors and Manufacturers • Thousands of Instruments • New, Used & Vintage • Guitars, Amps, Effects & Accessories • Professional Buyers Paying Top Dollar! Presented by Bee-3 Vintage Guitar Shows • bee3vintage.com • (828) 298-2197 MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

WELLNESS

NOT JUST A PILL

Children’s musical explores opioid epidemic

KIDS ISSUE 2019

EDUCATION THROUGH ENTERTAINMENT: Actors, from left, Rebekah Babelay, Hannah Williams, Aaron Ybarra and Anjie Grady rehearse a scene from It’s Just a Pill, a play by Melody Hays. Photo courtesy of Mountain Area Health Education Center

BY KIESA KAY kiesakay@gmail.com Melody Hays understands pain. As she struggled with myasthenia gravis and rheumatoid arthritis, unable to leave her bed for 10 years, she pondered how she could make a difference in the world and help others. Hays eventually regained mobility and, after seeing a presentation by Dr. Blake Fagan of the Mountain Area Health Education Center, she dreamed that he “asked me what I was doing for children, and I replied that I was writing a children’s musical,” says Hays, who’s now a health care education planner at MAHEC. 38

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

On March 8, her new play for children, It’s Just a Pill, premiered at A-B Tech’s Ferguson Auditorium. The 55-minute musical confronts the opioid epidemic from the perspective of a 10-year-old girl. The $155,000 budget has been raised through a combination of grants and private donations, some of which have come from unexpected sources. “I had to stay in bed so long, and a lady visited every day for three of those 10 years,” Hays says. “A month ago, she donated money for this play. I had no idea that her dear son was a recovering addict who had used heroin.” This woman’s son is one of the tens of thousands across the United States who are caught up in the opioid epidemic each year. In North Carolina

alone, opioid-related overdose fatalities increased by more than 800 percent from 1999 to 2016, according to statistics from the state Department of Health and Human Services. “It truly could happen to anybody,” says Hays. SLURRY IN A HURRY Fagan, who is MAHEC’s chief education officer, is one of several experts in behavioral health, school health and parenting who gave Hays input on her script. In her search for accuracy and authenticity, Hays also consulted Pennsylvania sixth-graders via a Google Hangouts chat. Even as Jolie, the play’s

main character, is learning about opioids at school, she finds her own life disrupted as she realizes that the epidemic is affecting her family and friends. The play features dancing, singing, bright colors and hope. But as the plot unfolds, a dancing cough syrup bottle and dancing pills take on sinister overtones. “The more magic we can show the kids and let them come along in the transformation, the better off we are,” director Bruce Hostetler said during a recent rehearsal. Hostetler has directed more than 150 plays for children, and David Ruttenberg, who produced the musical score, has worked with Grammy winners Stevie Wonder, Janet Jackson and Peter Gabriel. The songs are catchy, with lyrics like “Make a slurry in a hurry” and “I will narc, narc, narc to save a life.” “I intentionally wrote memorable songs, so that children can remember the messages,” Hays explains. “Children are 50 percent less likely to try narcotics if they talk about narcotics with their parents.” Unfortunately, some children’s parents struggle with opioid misuse themselves. During North Carolina’s 2016-17

fiscal year, 53 percent of the children in foster care in Buncombe County wound up there as a result of parental substance abuse, according to state figures.

Following the premiere, the play will go on tour, with performances in Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson counties, six in the Buncombe County Schools,

ASHEVILLE SCHOOL SENIOR CREATES ANTI-OPIOIDS VIDEO If Whitney Stewart had known how powerful addiction was, she says she would never have experimented with opioids. She began with a legal prescription; but when it expired, she turned to street drugs and eventually became homeless. Today, Whitney is in recovery in West Virginia. Fellow West Virginian Ryan Brown, however, didn’t manage to survive: He died of a heroin overdose. To honor his memory, his brokenhearted parents, Cecilia and Bobby Brown, established Ryan’s Hope to promote awareness of the problem. Adam Stewart, a senior at Asheville School, shares these stories and more in his powerful video One Decision. “I want people to know that opioids aren’t something you should experiment

three at Madison Middle School and one for the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County. All told, this educational play will be seen by at least 4,000 students. “If even one student leaves that play with more knowledge about opioids, it will be a success to me,” says Hays. REMOVING STIGMA

with,” says Stewart. “Being a teen, I don’t like being told what to do, but I do like being informed. I think teens should make their own decisions, but they should be informed ones. I wanted to share something that is fact-based and have it be about people’s stories.” Stewart created the film as an Eagle Scout service project in his home state of West Virginia. He raised the money, hired a videographer, conducted interviews and produced One Decision. In the video, Dr. Rahul Gupta sums up the horrors of addiction, saying, “It’s one of those things that creeps inside your body and turns into a brain disease, which you cannot control at all.” To view the video, visit www. onedecisionfilm.com. X

Hays hopes her play will be a force for prevention. Among other things, It’s Just a Pill addresses how to safely store and dispose of medications by making a slurry with cat litter or coffee grounds. The play also illustrates the ways that opioid addiction can slip into people’s lives, such as one student using a classmate’s pain pills, or a father continuing to obtain the drugs illegally after his prescription for back pain has expired. “We want to remove stigma and offer multiple resources,” notes Hays. “We cover a lot in a short time span.” Five regional non-Equity actors play 10 roles, and none of the actors are children. Parental permission will

CONTINUES ON PAGE 40

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

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be required for students to attend the school performances, she points out. MAHEC and Vaya Health, which partners with care providers to help people with behavioral health and disability concerns, will provide a curriculum and supplemental materials at all the performance sites. “We’ll have school nurses, school counselors, law enforcement and certified peer support available,” says Hays. “The whole point is not to drop a bomb and leave but to continue the conversation. We want to start generating conversations because change begins with awareness.” After the tour ends, the script will be available through MAHEC for free, so that anyone who’s interested, including school and community groups, can stage a production. The

goal is to also cover all production costs, so folks won’t have to pay to see the play. To date, key funding sources include AmerisourceBergen, a grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and an NC AHEC Innovation Grant. “I’m uplifted to see so many people working so hard,” says Hays. Donations can be made on the MAHEC website to support more performances, particularly in rural areas. Looking forward to seeing her dream realized onstage, Hays says she feels stronger now and hopes her work can help save lives. “I’ll probably be a puddle of tears,” she admits. “It’s been a labor of love.” X

WELLN ESS CA LEN DA R

WELLNESS SHOJI SPA & LODGE • 7 DAYS A WEEK (PD.) Private Japanese-style outdoor hot tubs, cold plunge, sauna and lodging. 8 minutes from town. Bring a friend to escape and renew! Best massages in Asheville! 828-299-0999. shojiretreats.com SOUND HEALING • SATURDAY • SUNDAY (PD.) Every Saturday, 11am and Sundays, 12 noon. Experience deep relaxation with crystal bowls, gongs, didgeridoo and other peaceful instruments. • Donation suggested. At Skinny Beats Sound Shop, 4 Eagle Street. www. skinnybeatsdrums.com WAVE STUDIOS (PD.) Offers Private or Beginner Group Lessons in Ballroom, Latin and Swing. • Beginner Group Class is Monday nights at 6pm - $10/ person - no partner necessary. • Free Sample

private lesson - call to schedule. 828-575-0905. Full schedule at www. waveasheville.com ADVENTHEALTH ORTHOPEDICS • WE (3/20), 6pm "Spine Care That Treats the Whole Person, Advanced Treatments for Back Pain," presentation. Registration required: 855-774-5433. Free to attend. Held at Hilton Asheville Biltmore Park, 43 Town Square Blvd. AURA AND ENERGY PROFILES • TH (3/14), noon - “See Your Aura, Your Energy Wellness Profile,” presentation. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Road DISCOVER YOUR INNER RESOURCES • WEDNESDAYS through (3/27), 6:307:30pm - "Discover Your Inner Resources," inner peace educational program. Information: jtfbuilder@gmail.com. Free. Held at Montford

675

Community Center, 34 Pearson Drive INNER GUIDANCE FROM AN OPEN HEART • 2nd WEDNESDAYS, 6-8pm - “Inner Guidance from an Open Heart,” class with meditation and discussion. $10. Held at The Meditation Center, 894 E. Main St., Sylva JOINT PAIN MANAGEMENT • TH (3/14), 5:30-7pm - Options for Managing Joint Pain seminar. Registration required: pardeehospital.org/ classes-events. Free.. Held at Henderson County Health Sciences Center, 805 6th Ave. W. Room 2003, Hendersonville NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER: LIVING WITH DEMENTIA • TH (3/14), 3pm Joanne DeSarle, RN, presents 'Living with Dementia.' Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler

NUTRITION MONTH LUNCH & LEARN • WE (3/13), noon1:30pm - Registered Dietitian Rebecca Rothwell speaks on “Nutrition & Gut Health.” Registration required: 800-424-DOCS. Free. Lunch provided. Held at Haywood Regional Health and Fitness Center, 75 Leroy Drive, Clyde OPEN MINDFULNESS MEDITATION • WEDNESDAYS, 3:305pm & 6:30-8pm - Open mindfulness meditation. Admission by donation. Held at The Center for Art and Spirit at St. George's Episcopal Church, 1 School Road SPECIAL OLYMPICS ADAPTIVE CROSSFIT • WEDNESDAYS, 3-4pm - Adaptive crossfit classes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Free. Held at South Slope CrossFit, 217 Coxe Ave., Suite B

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FARM & GARDEN

GROWING PAINS Hemp farmers and CBD businesses adjust to a shifting legal landscape

BUDDING INDUSTRY: Since hemp gained a small legal foothold with the 2018 Farm Bill, more farmers will want to be part of the industry, says local hemp grower and CBD dispensary co-owner Jeff Tacy. Pictured is a hemp field at Tacy’s farm in Leicester. Photo courtesy of Frances Tacy

BY BRIAN CREWS crewsbri@gmail.com When Melissa Clark, owner of Hemp Magik, opened the doors to her Woodfin storefront on the morning of Feb. 14, she was hit with quite a shock: A search warrant from the Woodfin Police Department was sitting on her counter. Listed in it were four felony charges. “I was shaking,” says Clark. “I’ve never been in any legal trouble, and it was just terrifying.” Open for a little over a year, Hemp Magik manufactures and sells cannabidiol, or CBD, tinctures and topicals. When the police responded to a security alarm at the storefront on the night of Feb. 13, they found unprocessed hemp plants on the counter, which they identified as marijuana and ultimately issued the charges. Although the charges have since been dropped, and the case is now closed, “the

problem here is in the way marijuana is identified by law enforcement,” says Clark. “There’s a visual inspection, smell and a field test. Unfortunately, hemp flower is going to fail all three tests.” It’s true: CBD hemp flower looks and smells almost exactly like its psychoactive cousin, marijuana. “Hemp fails the field tests because they can detect THC within 1/1000th of a percent,” says Clark. CBD hemp flowers usually contain at least some trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, she explains. Thus, these tests will run positive nearly every time. “There’s still just a lot of educating that needs to be done, for both law enforcement and the general public,” she adds. Sgt. Josh Hill from the Asheville Police Department confirms that field tests can detect THC in these trace amounts but says it’s rare that an officer will actually

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

FAR M & GA R DEN even use a field test kit. “Most people that have been in law enforcement even for a short time knows the smell of marijuana,” Hill says. “I don’t believe it smells like marijuana, but I’m not very familiar with hemp.” 2018 FARM BILL Although CBD and other hempderived products have been increasingly available throughout North Carolina in recent years, the December 2018 Farm Bill put the market on overdrive. Essentially legalizing the commercial production of hemp, the bill has received a mixed response from some local hempfocused businesses, a sector where misinformation abounds and confusion seems all but inevitable. N.C. Rep. Brian Turner, who toured Hemp Magik in January, is a supporter of the local hemp industry. He views this all as a period of adjustment. “I think what we’re seeing, especially with regards to the incident at Hemp Magik, are growing pains of an industry in its infancy,” Turner says. “We need to make sure that we are adequately educating local law enforcement and the rest of the community. We have generations of assumptions and misinformation to undo.” “There’s some good and some bad in the 2018 Farm Bill,” says local hemp farmer and dispensary owner Jeff Tacy. Tacy co-founded Franny’s Farm in

ECO ASHEVILLE CITIZENS’ CLIMATE LOBBY • 3rd MONDAYS, 6:30-8:30pm - General meeting for non-partisan organization lobbying for a bipartisan federal solution to climate change. Free to attend. Held at Paulsen Lodge at Asheville School, 360 Asheville School Road ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR URBAN TREES • TU (3/19), 5pm - “Maintenance Requirements for Urban Trees,” workshop. Registration: bit.ly/2ESYUSn. Free. Held at The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St. GREEN OPPORTUNITIES TRAINING PROGRAM • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 3:30-4:30pm - Green

Leicester a little over six years ago with his wife, Franny, and they were among the first North Carolina farmers to begin growing industrial hemp. They also manufacture and sell a variety of CBD products at their Franny’s Farmacy dispensary locations in North Asheville and Hendersonville (a third opens this month in Johnson City, Tenn.). One of the best things about the most recent Farm Bill, says Jeff Tacy, is that it provided more clarity to the 2014 Farm Bill, which allowed some states to start pilot hemp-growing programs. Only 11 states signed on, including North Carolina. “The problem with that particular legislation is that it was very vague,” Tacy says. “It also left hemp in the same legal category as marijuana, as a schedule 1 controlled substance.” One of the key aspects of the 2018 bill is that it removed hemp and hemp-derived products from that category. As both a small-business owner and grower in this burgeoning industry, Tacy had initially hoped the bill would get pushed back until at least the first or second quarter of 2019. “Because of the Farm Bill, we’re seeing this massive influx of product hitting the market,” he says, noting that market dominators like Amazon and Walmart “wouldn’t have dared to have gotten into the industry when we did, because there were too many obstacles.” And now that hemp has gained a bit of a legal foothold, a lot more farmers are

Opportunities holds a Training Program Information Session to learn about training and employment pathways. Free. Held at Arthur R. Edington Education and Career Center, 133 Livingston St.

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HENDERSONVILLE GREEN DRINKS

TRANSITION ASHEVILLE

• TH (3/14), 5:30-7pm - ‘What people of faith are doing to help the environment.’ Free to attend. Held at Black Bear Coffee Co., 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville

• MO (3/18), 6:308:30pm - “Homelessness, Thinking Outside of the Box,” presentation. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

PUBLIC SESSION ON CLEAN ENERGY PLAN • TH (3/14), 1-3:30pm - North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality public listening session regarding clean energy plan. Free. Held at The Collider, 1 Haywood St., Suite 401

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

• FR (3/15), 6:30-8:30pm - Annual donor gathering with refreshments. Free to attend. Held at Highland Brewing Company, 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite 200

FARM & GARDEN ASAP’S FIND YOUR FARM SHARE • TH (3/14), 3-6pm ASAP’s Community Supported Agriculture Fair, meet area farmers, browse local CSA

MOUNTAINX.COM

programs and sign up. Free to attend. Held at New Belgium Brewery, 21 Craven St. ASHEVILLE BOTANICAL GARDENS WORKSHOP • SU (3/17), 2-4pm “Native Plant Gardening in Small Gardens and Containers,” workshop with Dr. Lisa Wagner. Registration required: ashevillebotanicalgardens.org. $20/$15 members. Held at Asheville Botanical Gardens, 151 W.T. Weaver Blvd. ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS BASIC TREE WORKSHOP SERIES • TUESDAYS through (3/26), 6-7:30pm - Basic Tree Workshop series of six classes by GreenWorks. Registration required: avl.mx/5qw. Free. Held at The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St.

going to want in on the game, he notes. “What that’s going to mean is that we’re going to have a larger surplus of flower and plant material,” he says, adding that this might reduce how much hemp Franny’s Farm will grow this year. At this point, Tacy hasn’t noticed any shift in commodity pricing. And the surplus product is good news for small businesses like Tacy’s dispensaries. However, as larger farms growing more acreage of hemp enter the playing field, that could change. “Within a few years, it could, in fact, have a negative impact on the commodity cost side,” he points out. The 2018 Farm Bill, while removing many of the regulatory barriers for hemp growers and CBD producers, leaves the final products on the market largely unregulated at this point by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Companies are able to put any product out there, with any label and with any claim on it,” says Tacy. “We’re seeing all these products out there, and nobody knows what’s in them, nobody knows where they came from. Some don’t seem to have any CBD in them at all.” Clark echoes some of the same concerns over the gap between the bill’s language and the FDA’s official stance on the products. “Consumers need to protect themselves,” she says. “Cannabis is the bioaccumulator of the plant world. Any toxins or heavy metals in the soil are getting absorbed into the plant.”

LIVING ON THE LAND LEARNING CIRCLES • SU (3/17), 2-5pm - “Living on the Land Learning Circles,” workshop, gathering and design session. Registration required: http://avl.mx/5sm. $20. MILLS RIVER FARMER’S MARKET VENDOR MEETING • SA (3/16), 9am - Mills River Farmer’s Market vendor meeting for all interested vendors. Registration: millsriverfarm@gmail. com. Free. Held at Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Station, 74 Research Drive, Mills River POLK COUNTY FRIENDS OF AGRICULTURE BREAKFAST • 3rd WEDNESDAYS, 7-8am - Monthly breakfast with presenta-

tions on agriculture. Admission by donation. Held at Green Creek Community Center, 25 Shields Road, Columbus ST. PATRICK’S DAY CELEBRATION

☘ FR (3/15), noon-

1pm - St. Patrick’s Day Celebration with samples of Irish Stew and Irish Soda Bread. Free to attend. Held at WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Road TREES, TREES AND MORE: THE NC ARBORETUM IN OUR BACKYARD • TH (3/14), 6pm - Drake Fowler, COO at NC Arboretum, provides expertise and inspiration on the subjects of trees and gardening. Free. Held at Henderson County Library, 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville

She stresses that consumers should make sure that any businesses they purchase CBD from has a clean Certificate of Analysis ensuring the product is safe. “The C of A’s really are everything in this industry,” Clark says. Asheville lawyer Rod Kight, who focuses his practice on hemp and cannabis commerce law, sees a possible bright side to this vague regulatory period. Though it can be confusing for both business owners and consumers alike, he says, this legal gray area might allow small local CBD and hemp-oriented businesses to better position themselves on the market before larger companies enter the playing field. “Smaller businesses can test things out, get creative and make really interesting products,” he says. “The larger companies are usually more black and white and are watched more thoroughly by the FDA.” CRACKING DOWN In February, state regulators began sending warning letters to CBD businesses clarifying some of the language in the 2018 Farm Bill. Specifically, the letter reiterates that adding CBD to food or beverages is still illegal, as is making unapproved health claims about the product. North Carolina’s state-level crackdown joins those of other state governments across the country as they make an effort to catch up with the now booming marketplace. Tacy, for one, is focused on the bigger picture. “My advice for everybody in the industry is just don’t panic,” says Tacy. “Those of us that have been in the industry for years, we knew this was coming. Right now, there’s just some talk,” he says. “Let’s just see how it plays out and, you know, we’ll just have to adjust accordingly.” The current legal atmosphere around CBD and hemp is still in an adjustment period, but Tacy and others are staying positive. “The regulatory environment in general has been really friendly. And, after getting out and talking with law enforcement and getting out in the community, they realize what we’re doing is completely legal,” he says. “At the end of the day, this industry is really all about education.” Like Tacy, Clark’s eye is on the longterm potential of this industry, but also on the general effectiveness of medicinal cannabis. “My motivation is to go up to pharmaceutical,” she says. “This plant is healing on all new levels; it’s really amazing what can be done” says Clark. “I really want to help people that are truly suffering.” X

FOOD

PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD WNC restaurants make dining out a family affair

KIDS ISSUE 2019

KIDDING AROUND: Ingrid Cole and Kirsten Fuchs of Baked Pie Co. delight in entertaining kids and families. Photo courtesy of Baked

BY SARAH MARSHALL MARCUS sarahmarcus108@gmail.com Vintage cookbooks, floral-patterned pillows and the smell of homemade pie greet customers at Baked Pie Co., inviting them to relax, “just like they’re at grandma’s house,” says owner Kirsten Fuchs. The homey decor and vibe are intentional nods to the comforts of food and family, Fuchs explains. Baked was born in 2017 when she and her daughter had a hankering for pie and a cozy place to sit. When attempts to find just the right place in Asheville were unsuccessful, Fuchs decided to create her own familyfriendly destination in Arden. Now with a second location in Woodfin, both shops have large play areas filled with toys and coloring books, and Fuchs delights in providing a playful experience, particularly for children. “We love kids — they’re sort of our passion,” she says, adding that

she relishes making personal connections with customers. She describes facilitating pie-induced moments of bliss by holding babies for weary parents, and she invites each child who visits the restaurants to choose a stuffed animal to take home. The gift, says Fuchs, has been a part of her business model from the beginning and reflects her intention to make each child feel valued. To this end, Baked now offers in-store scavenger hunts, puppet shows and after-school discounts to make homework sessions and play dates sweeter. Adding sweetness to life is also part and parcel of Greg and Ashley Garrison’s plan for their business, The Hop Ice Cream Café. “Our vision is to help create moments for people that make their day better — whether a 16 year old celebrating a birthday with a friend, a 3 year old who can’t contain themself or a dog out with their owner,” says Greg. The Hop welcomes visitors at its three locations with frequent family-

focused events such as poetry nights, youth art shows, puppet shows and concerts. “Kids can run around, spin on the floor, and it’s all OK. There’s never lots of fuss,” he says, adding that creating a laid-back atmosphere where folks feel comfortable is as much a part of the business plan as selling ice cream. “The ice cream is really, really good, but it’s the vessel of all these other things.” The Garrisons, who worked at The Hop when they were students at UNC Asheville, bought the business in 2008. They’ve since become the parents of two young children, which, Greg says, has given him a deeper commitment to making space for special moments and a growing appreciation for community. “[My children] are starting to enjoy all these events,” he says. “Now I’m seeing it from the parents’ side. Now I’m in it, and I love it. We are very lucky, and I can’t help but feel that.” For E.C. Clary, owner of Blue Ridge Biscuit Co. in Black Mountain, the idea to create a kid-friendly restaurant started with his own family. “As a parent myself, it was hard to find a place we could eat breakfast and start the day together. We always want families to feel comfortable here,” he says. Known as “Biscuit” to regulars, the eatery is furnished with a couch and rocking chairs, frequently displays artwork by local children and features an indoor play area and outdoor seating space with a view of a nearby working railroad track. Clary’s desire to serve and support children extends beyond welcoming them in; Biscuit also has a habit of reaching out. The restaurant regularly makes donations of food, gift certificates and financial support to area schools as well as to the Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth and Families. He even helps local students prepare for bake sales by providing in-store breadmaking lessons. Last year, students from a nearby school appealed to Clary with letters and a speech on the environmental impact caused by plastic straws. He immediately responded by discontinuing use of all plastic straws, opting for compostable ones instead. “It really made me happy to know they feel like they could ask,” says Clary. “It’s good to know that they think of Biscuit as part of their community.”

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CONTINUES ON PAGE 44 MOUNTAINX.COM

(828) 398-6200 26 All Souls Crescent, AVL MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

FOOD

THE WRITE STUFF: Diners display their Japanese calligraphy work at a recent family-friendly event at WakuWaku Eatery. Photo courtesy of Naomi Mikami

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Welcoming families is also a goal for WakuWaku Eatery owner Naomi Mikami. The North Asheville Japanese comfort food restaurant hosts a slew of kid-friendly seasonal events to share traditional Japanese celebrations and arts. At recent gatherings, families have been invited to try their hand at calligraphy, origami and even playing Mikami’s koto, a Japanese stringed musical instrument. “There’s something every season to share,” says Mikami, describing a recent event at WakuWaku commemorating Japanese Girls Day, or Hinamatsuri. Like many others she has hosted, this event was interactive, with customers decorating their own cups of sushi and taking part in traditions dating back to Imperial Japan. WakuWaku offers affordable prices for kids, says Mikami, in order to encourage young people to try new things while eating healthfully. Children younger than 4 eat for free, and a $5 mini-buffet is avail-

able for ages 4-12. Students up to age 25 with identification are allowed free refills of rice and miso soup with any purchase. The altruistic intentions behind Mikami’s approach to business are grounded in her desire to share what she has learned from generations before her. “Kids make our future, old people share wisdom. We are getting old!” she laughs, “So it’s time to share important things. Food is definitely one of those things — not just the food but the whole experience of eating together.” Creekside Taphouse in East Asheville also provides a multifaceted experience for families. The Haw Creek neighborhood joint, known for its play structure, arcade, yard games, wade-able creek and volleyball court, is a full-service restaurant with a taproom pouring local brews. When veteran restaurateurs Kim Murray and Anthony Dorage took ownership of Creekside in September,

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they went from being customers who appreciated the family-friendly space to co-owners committed to making it even better. “Our vision has always been to take what we love and just move the needle up,” Dorage says. The pair’s vision, he adds, is to create an even more kid-centered experience by improving outdoor spaces and adding kid-friendly events. But while the proposed changes are intended to appeal to a broad audience, Dorage acknowledges that it can be difficult to strike the right balance. “[There’s] nothing wrong with adults drinking beer and playing volleyball, but we do want it to stay kid-friendly,” he says, noting intentions to carve out more green space for kids without alienating those who are kid-free. A recent shift toward locally sourced ingredients and the addition of vegan options was made largely in response to requests from parents seeking to relax while enjoying healthy, family-friendly fare. Ultimately, Dorage hopes, the changes make for a better experience for everyone. In addition to its own offerings, Creekside happens to be within walking distance of two parks, a greenway and the East Asheville Branch Library. It’s a combination that’s proven to be a hit with families over the years, including Murray’s, who live in Haw Creek. “We have always dreamed of having our own restaurant and for it to be a neighborhood spot — somewhere that offers a little something for everyone but with a strong emphasis on families,” she says. X

SMALL BITES by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

The Story of Barbecue in North Carolina

Gastropub & Pizzeria Pizza, Wings, Pubfare

KITCHEN OPEN! FOR LUNCH + DINNER

KIDS EAT FREE with an adult on SATURDAYS! Downtown Asheville in the French Broad Location Like us on Facebook

Gastropub at Hopey TASTE OF HISTORY: Jeff Futch, regional supervisor of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Western Office, invites all to attend the organization’s latest exhibit, The Story of Barbecue in North Carolina. Photo by Thomas Calder Did you know that hush puppies first became a common barbecue side dish in the early 20th century? Did you know during this same period, red-leaf sumac berry juice was commonly served rather than lemonade at cookouts in Western North Carolina? And lastly, did you know that western-style barbecue sauce is way better than eastern- and Lexington-style sauces? (OK, maybe that last bit is still up for rabid debate, but the rest is certainly true.) All this and more are part of The Story of Barbecue in North Carolina, an exhibit that runs through Saturday, March 23, at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Western Office. The final Saturday of the exhibit will feature free food samples courtesy of Luella’s Bar-B-Que. Dishes, while supplies last, will include a sausage and cheese platter, wings and pulled pork with a selection of sauces. Jeff Futch, the regional supervisor of the Western Office, says he hopes those who attend will gain a broader perspective on and a greater appreciation for the long-standing culinary tradition. “I hope visitors find connections to their own past,” he says.

The exhibit is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday through Saturday, March 23, at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources Western Office, 176 Riceville Road. Admission is free. For more information, visit avl.mx/3kb or call 828-296-7230. PI DAY AT PLĒB URBAN WINERY No matter your math skills, all are invited to celebrate Pi Day at plēb urban winery in the River Arts District on March 14. The event, presented in collaboration with Baked Pie Co., will feature a pie and wine flight pairing. The menu includes apple crumb with riesling, plēb cabernet berry pie with a red wine blend and chocolate chess pie with chambourcin. Each flight is $14. Flights will be served from 4-10 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at plēb urban winery, 289 Lyman St. For more information, visit avl.mx/5r7. JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE MEETUP WakuWaku Eatery will launch a free weekly Japanese language and culture

meetup session Thursday, March 14. Japanese food will be available for purchase. The sessions are suitable for all who have an interest in Japanese language and culture, regardless of knowledge or skill level. The meetup runs 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at WakuWaku Eatery, 674 Merrimon Ave., Suite 105. For more, visit avl.mx/5r9.

lunch dinner brunch bar & patio

STEPHENS-LEE COMMUNITY COOKOUT On Saturday, March 16, the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association will host a free community cookout. The lunch, prepared by Green Opportunities’ Southside Kitchen Catering, will include pulled pork barbecue, vegan jackfruit barbecue, Southside coleslaw, peach cobbler and more. Music will be provided by DJ Twan. The cookout runs 1-4 p.m. Saturday, March 16, at Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/5rh.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 46

Kids Night Every Wednesday all kid’s menu items are half-off!

828.505.7531 coppercrownavl.com

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

FOOD

ST. PATRICK’S DAY EVENTS

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29 taps - over 150 beers cider • wine • mead

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Come Sunday, March 17, everybody is Irish. Here’s a look at some events happening around WNC: In Hendersonville, Brooks Tavern will serve traditional Irish and Irishthemed dishes, including shepherd’s pie and Reuben egg rolls, along with St. Patrick’s Day drinks and live music (avl.mx/5re). Over in Sylva, The Cut Cocktail Lounge will have corned beef and cabbage along with green beer (avl.mx/5rd). In Asheville, Catawba Brewing Co. and Blind Pig will host an Appalachian Irish breakfast at the brewery’s South Slope location; tickets are $17 (avl.mx/5rc). On Tunnel Road, The Social will offer festive foods and all-day drink specials (avl.mx/5rf).

SAT., March 23

Belgium Beer & Basketball

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MACMOMMA VEGAN MAC ’N’ CHEESE COOK OFF The MacMomma Vegan Mac ’n’ Cheese Cook Off returns to The BLOCK Off Biltmore on Sunday, March 17. Amateurs and professionals alike are invited to compete. All entries must be vegan and must be

ready to serve at 5 p.m. Prizes will be awarded to the top three winners. There are no fees for competitors who preregister; otherwise, entry costs $5 at the door. Tickets to sample and judge the dishes are $10. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Asheville Vegan Society. The cook-off runs 5-7 p.m. Sunday, March 17, at The BLOCK Off Biltmore, 39 S. Market St. For more information, visit avl.mx/5rg. MAC ’N’ CHEESE CHALLENGE Asheville Food Fan Stu Helm will continue the cheesy fun with 10 local restaurants going head to head in the Mac ’n’ Cheese Challenge at Asheville Masonic Temple. Tickets are $20 and include samples of all 10 competing dishes. Funds will go toward the restoration and preservation of Asheville Masonic Temple’s historical hand-painted theater backdrops. The challenge runs 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, at the Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway. For more, visit avl.mx/5ri. FOUR-COURSE PAIRING AT TUPELO HONEY Tupelo Honey’s South Asheville location will host a four-course wine, beer and cocktail pairing dinner on Wednesday, March 20. The menu will include vegetarian gumbo with Da Luca Sparkling Rose, caesar salad with Hillman Kolsch,

beer-braised stuffed cabbage with Hillman Roggenbier and king cakestyle beignets paired with Copper and Kings Brandy Sidecar. The dinner runs 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 at Tupelo Honey, 1829 Hendersonville Road. Tickets are $45. To purchase, visit avl.mx/5ra. JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION AWARD SEMIFINALISTS Three Asheville chefs were recently named as 2019 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalists. Buxton Hall Barbecue’s Ashley Capps was nominated for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and both Cùrate’s Katie Button and Chai Pani’s Meherwan Irani were included as semifinalists for Best Chef: Southeast. Finalists will be announced Wednesday, March 27. For more, visit avl.mx/5r8. RISE SOUTHERN BISCUITS & RIGHTEOUS CHICKEN Rise Southern Biscuits & Righteous Chicken, a Durham-based restaurant that launched in 2012, recently announced plans to expand to Asheville. The new restaurant aims to open at The Peaks Shopping Center on Tunnel Road this spring. As its name suggests, Rise serves biscuits and chicken, along with sweet treats and coffee. For more information, visit avl.mx/5rb.X

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TOP SHELF VIEWS by Audrey and Bill Kopp | audreybill@liquornerds.com

Luck o’ the Irish

The Gaelic ‘water of life’

SUBTLE SPIRIT: “Usually the first thing that people say about Irish whiskeys is, ‘Oh, that’s very smooth,’” says Amanda Kuykendall, left, of the Asheville Yacht Club, pictured with Matt Wingo of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits. Photo by Luke Van Hine Ireland’s affinity for spirits has long been the stuff of legend. Liquor’s origins on the Emerald Isle date to at least the 12th century. In fact, the word “whiskey” is actually an Anglicized pronunciation of part of the Gaelic phrase uisce beatha (literally: water of life). Like their neighbors to the northeast, the Irish began distilling spirits from barley and water. Unlike the Scots, they created a product that’s sweeter, less earthy and eminently more drinkable. At its most basic, Irish whiskey is essentially distilled beer, notes Matt Wingo of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits beverage distributors. “Some distillers use a little corn, but barley is what primarily grows in the British Isles,” he says. Irish whiskey is distinctly different from its nearest relative, scotch, thanks to a different method of creation. Scotch bears the flavors of smoked peat, which isn’t part of the Irish recipe. Traditionally, Irish whiskey is distilled three times, whereas scotch goes through the process only twice. That’s because the Irish developed a process that uses some unmalted (unsprouted) barley. The reason for doing so was an economic one: The island’s British rulers placed a tax on malted barley. “The unmalted grain gives a sharpness, so it has to be distilled a third time,” Wingo explains. “But the end result is a lighter, sweeter, brighter product with a lot more honey notes.”

But Irish whiskey isn’t as sweet as its American counterparts, like bourbon; it has a subtlety that lends itself both to sipping and to inclusion in mixed drinks. “Usually the first thing that people say about Irish whiskeys is, ‘Oh, that’s very smooth,’” says Amanda Kuykendall of the Asheville Yacht Club. “And it doesn’t linger like some bourbons.” But it still works well in cocktails. “You can absolutely mix with Irish whiskey,” Wingo says. “But you have to respect it as the primary spirit in the cocktail because it can get lost.” That balanced character is a hallmark of Irish whiskeys, from the commonly available and highly popular ones like Jameson (controlling about 80 percent of the Irish whiskey market) to premi-

IRISH COFFEE Contributed by Matt Wingo • 1 ½ ounce Irish whiskey • ½ ounce Demerara sugar syrup • 1 cup medium or dark roast coffee • whipped cream Stir whiskey, sugar syrup and coffee into heatproof glass mug. Float whipped cream over the back of a spoon into glass.

um brands like Mitchell & Sons’ Green Spot (rare but sometimes found on ABC shelves for around $100) and Red Spot (rumored to be making an appearance locally in 2019). Kuykendall recommends Jameson as a good entry point for those wanting to begin an exploration of Irish whiskeys; she mentions Bushmills and Tullamore D.E.W. as well. Our favorite from among about a dozen Irish whiskeys tasted is Powers Signature Release, found for about $45 locally. “That one’s a sipper,” Wingo says. Age statements aren’t common on Irish whiskeys (or on most spirits sold anywhere but the United States, for that matter). And most Irish whiskeys are a blend of several varieties, distilled through different methods. That blending allows a consistency of product. Still, Wingo says with a smile, “there’s no substitute for age; age brings a depth of character.” Jameson whiskey is partially finished in fortified-wine barrels, adding to the sweetness and complexity of the spirit. Another major Irish distillery, Bushmills offers a variety called Black Bush that is completely finished in sherry barrels. With a goal of expanding the range of flavor profiles within the category of Irish whiskey, distillers have begun creating varieties that get some of their flavor and character from the finishing stage. While Irish whiskeys are all aged in new American oak barrels, some dis-

tillers transfer the spirit to other barrels for the final stage. Jameson sends some of its barrels to breweries, which return the empty vessels after their beer is made. Irish whiskey is then added to the “flavored” barrels, creating spirits that take on the character of IPAs or stouts (we can personally vouch for the rich flavor profile of the Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition, widely available locally). “That one has a longer finish with a cocoa roundness,” Wingo says. “It makes a killer Irish coffee.” Bushmills makes yet another Irish whiskey that’s finished in casks that previously held Caribbean rum. That, too, is a delightful product, albeit one that perhaps isn’t immediately recognizable as Irish whiskey. Perhaps the most popular mixed drink using Irish whiskey is Irish coffee. The origins of the cocktail remain a matter of contention, but most agree that Stanton Delaplane, a travel writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, was instrumental in the popularization of the drink in the early 1950s. But there are plenty of other inventive uses for Irish whiskey. Kuykendall mentions a slightly odd one, a shooter called the Pickleback. “Just take a shot of Jameson and chase it with dill pickle juice,” she suggests. She also recommends the breakfast shot (see recipe). “That one comes out tasting like pancakes,” she says. Despite the trend of tinkering with flavors, tradition remains a strong influence for distillers of Irish whiskey. “You don’t want to change something that has been around for 300 years,” Wingo says. X

BREAKFAST SHOT Contributed by Amanda Kuykendall • 1 ounce Irish whiskey • ½ ounce butterscotch schnapps • orange juice Fill a shot glass 2/3 with Irish whiskey; fill it the rest of the way with butterscotch schnapps. Serve with a side of orange juice.

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

BEER SCOUT

FOOD

by Edwin Arnaudin | earnaudin@mountainx.com

The Whale swims South

The acclaimed beer bar’s Greenville location aims to open by early summer

Most businesses celebrate their first anniversary by throwing a party. Asheville beer bar The Whale did just that in December, but added a rare layer of commemoration by announcing a forthcoming second location in downtown Greenville, S.C. Construction on the West End Historic District establishment is now underway at 1108 S. Main St., a block away from the Greenville Drive’s popular Fluor Field baseball stadium and the acclaimed restaurant Husk. Co-owners Andrew Ross and Jesse Van Note anticipate a late spring or early summer opening for the 2,400-square-foot space, which is over twice as large as their West Asheville bar. It’s also part of the new 260-unit housing complex called The Greene, which Van Note describes as “gorgeous, modern apartments with giant windows and a rooftop bar.”

sandwiches and an all-inclusive option for 10 people — an offering the owners see as consistent with the room’s overthe-top nature. ON THE MOVE

THE QUEST “I think it’s genius. It’s definitely the growing area of town,” says Shawn Johnson, owner/brewer of Greenville’s Birds Fly South Ale Project. “In Asheville terms, it’s the Arts District of Greenville.” Van Note has made regular trips to Greenville in the six years he’s lived in Asheville, playing music and meeting friends. Over that time, his fondness for the city deepened, and Greenville’s potential for growth, thanks to a strong infrastructure, robust economy fueled by sustainable jobs and a young-skewing demographic, made it even more appealing. Likewise attractive is the city’s growing beer scene, including stalwarts Thomas Creek Brewing and Quest Brewing Co., the widely revered Birds Fly South and newer breweries such as Eighth State Brewing Co. and Fireforge Crafted Beer. But expanding The Whale beyond Asheville wasn’t part of the original business plan, especially with Ross’ and Van Note’s somewhat unconventional approach to beer. “When we looked at how the first year in Asheville went, we started examining what the future of this business looks like,” Ross says. “We like emerging markets and spreading highend beer to an emerging beer market is exactly what we like to do. With 48

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

VESTED: The Whale co-owners Andrew Ross, left, and Jesse Van Note, right, pose with their commercial broker, Rakan Draz of Avison Young as construction begins on their Greenville, S.C., location. Photo courtesy of The Whale Asheville, the approach was always to stay away from local beer and serve oldschool beer and beer from around the country that doesn’t have great representation. It’s something the Asheville market needed, and Greenville is very much the same.” The seed for expansion planted, Van Note was driving through Greenville’s West Village, which he says resembles West Asheville 10 years ago, when he saw an old building that interested him. Pursuing the property brought him in touch with commercial broker Rakan Draz, and when the opportunity didn’t work out, Draz continued looking for suitable options. Word quickly got around that The Whale was eyeing Greenville, and the business partners were soon receiving invitations at least twice a week for showings. “When we went to look at the spot that we’re in, I don’t think either one of

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us thought we would like it because it’s a new building,” Van Note says. Ross concurs, admitting he was fairly tired going into their fifth showing of the day, but upon entering the space with its 30-foot ceiling and copious sunlight, he and Van Note both knew they’d found the right spot. The Greenville bar will feature turn-ofthe-20th-century decor as it seeks to capture the feeling of being in the Southwest or Colorado during the Gold Rush. The plan is to stick with 20 taps, a number Ross and Van Note say has proved manageable in Asheville. There will also be two reach-in beer coolers with 150-200 bottles and high-end bottle service in line with The Whale’s name’s nod to rare and hard-to-find brews. The big difference is that food will be offered at the new location. An Old World deli-style menu will feature a build-your-own charcuterie board, a few

Van Note will move closer to Greenville, likely Travelers Rest, so that his Asheville-native wife, Lia Van Note, an experienced restaurant manager, will have a shorter commute to work as the general manager of the new Whale. Ross will remain in Asheville, where Melissa Adamo will continue as general manager of the original location. Effective management at both spaces will free up Ross and Van Note to overlap in person a few days a week and bring a distinct beer experience to each bar, a prospect their Greenville peers are looking forward to with great anticipation. “Them coming in is a major step toward showing that the Greenville scene is progressive and progressing and there’s a thirst for some other style of beers here — and they’re going to do a great job bringing that here,” says Johnson. Conversations with Asheville friends who run Biscuit Head and White Duck Taco Shop, both of which have opened Greenville locations in recent years, likewise bolster Ross’ and Van Note’s confidence in finding success in the new market. The same goes for the response the Asheville Whale has received, a reception which still leaves them in awe. “There’s something to be said about the fact that now we know this works,” Van Note says. “When we originally had the idea, Ross and I knew it’s what we wanted to do, but we didn’t know how Asheville was going to be about us not serving Asheville beer.” Ross adds, “We were basically counting how many pints we had to sell to keep the lights on that first week, and then we were like, ‘Oh, people like hanging out here.’” “And then everybody said, ‘Hey, this is what Asheville was missing,’” Van Note says. “Which, now, it gives us a higher confidence rate opening a new location, knowing that worked.” X

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WOLFGANG AND THE WOMEN Asheville Amadeus festival celebrates the famed composer and many female artists BY ALLI MARSHALL amarshall@mountainx.com Austrian-born musician and composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived and worked 2 1/2 centuries ago, penning 41 symphonies in his alltoo-brief 35 years. To this day, his work remains a major part of the classical repertoire. “Mozart is like Shakespeare in literature — he’s just there, and he’s one of the very most important,” says renowned classical pianist Garrick Ohlsson. “What can we learn from any of the great creators? No. 1, the sheer pleasure of listening. No. 2, the human qualities.” He continues, “Mozart could write anything. He could write the deepest, most religious music, he could write the most bawdy music, he could write tragic music, he could write love music, which is completely convincing. In the fourth act of ‘[The Marriage of] Figaro,’ he writes an aria for a minor servant who is distressed over the loss of a hairpin, and somehow it works well. It shows his human range and genius.” Ohlsson will perform as part of this year’s Asheville Amadeus, a 10-day festival (Friday, March 15, to Sunday, March 24) produced by the Asheville Symphony and “inspired by the things we believe Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would have loved,” according to the symphony’s website. Among the celebration’s offerings are the Asheville Community Band’s Mozart, Mountains & Mickey Mouse concert (see sidebar for more family-friendly offerings); the Asheville Amadeus Finale Concert, featuring Mozart’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” and Piano Concerto No. 2.; and — so popular that a second show was added to the schedule after the first one quickly sold out — Warren Haynes Presents Dreams & Songs, A Symphonic Experience. That production sees the Asheville native (and member of such outfits as The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead and Gov’t Mule) take the stage with bassist Oteil Burbridge, keyboardist John Medeski and drummer Jeff Sipe “for a symphonic take on his classic, careerspanning material,” according to the Asheville Symphony website. 50

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

MUCH MORE THAN MOZART: This year’s Asheville Amadeus festival isn’t only about the music of its namesake composer. Native guitarist Warren Haynes (top right) performs with the symphony, and celebrated pianist Garrick Ohlsson (bottom left) performs a piece by American composer Amy Beach. Meanwhile, country musician Rissi Palmer (top left) and engineer Susan Rogers (bottom right) will speak on the Women Get the Job Done panel. Photos, clockwise from top left, courtesy of Palmer; by Jacob Blickenstaff; courtesy of Rogers; and by Dario Acosta “Think about how many people weren’t raised on classical music,” says Jessica Tomasin, who is producing the free Women Get the Job Done panel discussion — looking at the roles of female trailblazers in the music industry — as part of Asheville Amadeus. “If it’s not something you’ve experienced … you might not think it’s something for you. [But] Warren Haynes fans might think, ‘Warren Haynes and the symphony?’ [and then] you think about how much music has string and horn arrangements. … We hear it all the time in commercials and movies.” Haynes’ role in the local festival illustrates that the rock and classical genres are not so far apart. Then again, there’s plenty on the Asheville Amadeus roster that isn’t Mozart-related. For example, there’s the Ballet Conservatory of Asheville’s performance of Ballet with

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Bach and Rach; LaZoom is rolling out a local music history tour with busker pianist Andrew Fletcher; and Burial Beer Co. will release The Righteous and Barbaric Souls Imperial Stout, because what Asheville fete would be complete without a commemorative brew? Ohlsson’s performance with the Takács Quartet (a world-famous string ensemble with whom the pianist has performed off and on for 30 years) is also absent of Amadeus. Instead, their offerings include works by Franz Joseph Haydn and Felix Mendelssohn as well as a piano quintet by the American composer Amy Beach. “In the search for good music … there are five really major pieces for piano and string quartet, and then there are others of varying quality and excellence,” Ohlsson explains. In the search for a composition to accompany an Edward Elgar quintet that he

and the Takács Quartet will be recording together this spring, the instrumentalists came across Beach’s work. “She was a distinguished musician, but her husband didn’t like the idea of her traipsing around, being onstage. He wanted a proper wife,” Ohlsson says of Beach. Still, it’s not Beach’s rarity status as a 19th-century woman composer that attracted Ohlsson: “I’ve been asked, ‘Is this a recognition of women and creativity?’ And I say, ‘No, it’s the recognition of a good piece,’ which I think is the more important part.” The Women Get the Job Done panel also acknowledges women’s contributions to art. Tomasin and David Whitehill, the Asheville Symphony’s executive director, had been talking about a women-focused event. Tomasin had met Susan Rogers — audio engineer for Prince, among others — at a

recording summit and wanted to bring her to Asheville. “She’s a great speaker and a champion of women,” Tomasin says. The panel was built around Rogers and includes other innovators such as Rissi Palmer, the first AfricanAmerican woman to chart a country song since 1987. “And then,” says Tomasin, “we wanted to put a show together, too, that’s a tribute to women in music.” So local vocalist Marisa Blake was tasked with creating the Women Who Move the Needle concert, which will follow the panel at Ambrose West.

The lineup Blake enlisted — herself included — is bassist/vocalist Kayla McKinney, guitarist/vocalist Nicole Nicolopolous, drummer Eliza Hill, keyboardist/vocalist Rachel Waterhouse, Katie Richter on trumpet, Brooke German on cello, and vocalists Tasnim Setayesh, Ashli Bales, Coco Eva Solange and April Bennett. “Each vocalist has chosen a couple of tunes to sing,” Blake explains, such as songs by Annie Lennox, Mercedes Sosa, Etta James, Sade, Sharon Jones, Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and more.

ASHEVILLE AMADEUS FOR ALL AGES The following performances were either created specifically with young listeners in mind or offer youths and student pricing. • Mozart, Mountains & Mickey Mouse — The Asheville Community Band performs multigenre classics for the whole family. Sunday, March 17, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. at UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium, 300 Library Lane. $12 adults/free for students and youths. • WeeTunes — Kindermusik instructor Yvette Odell leads these Mozart music experiences with special performances by Asheville Symphony musicians. Monday, March 18, 11 a.m., at West Asheville Library; Tuesday, March 19, 10:30 a.m. at North Asheville Library; Wednesday, March 20, 10:30 a.m., at Skyland Library; Thursday, March 21, 10:30 a.m. at Pack Memorial Library. Free. • Garrick Ohlsson and the Asheville Symphony Youth Orchestra — The performance includes Edvard Grieg’s First Piano Concerto, Mozart’s Overture to The Magic Flute and Márquez’s celebrated Danzón No. 2, followed by a milkand-cookies reception. Saturday, March 23, 2 p.m. at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St. $25 adults/$15 youths. • Ballet with Bach and Rach — The Ballet Conservatory of Asheville performs “new and immersive neoclassical ballet, inspired by choreographer George Balanchine … and enlightened by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Sergei Rachmaninoff,” according to the event description. Sunday, March 17, noon and 1 p.m. at Ballet Conservatory Studios, 6 E. Chestnut St. $10 adults/$5 youths. • Takács Quartet with Garrick Ohlsson — The concert includes Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 76 No. 1, Mendelssohn’s String Quartet Op. 80 and Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet.

“Even though this list is great, others keep coming to mind,” Blake says. “I think that everyone singing chose songs and artists that were true to their own individual style. … I love how it shows how each of these women inspired the person who is covering them.” Even if, say, a Lady Gaga cover isn’t a direct descendant of the Mozart musical lineage, it’s not hard to believe the composer — not only famous for his symphonic, operatic and choral music, but infamous for his love of dancing, theater, bawdy humor and women’s voices — would have approved. X

WHAT Asheville Amadeus WHERE Various locations. See full schedule and purchase tickets at ashevillesymphony.org/ asheville-amadeus WHEN Friday, March 15, to Sunday, March 24

KIDS ISSUE 2019 BABIES ON BOARD: Mozart composed his first symphony at age 8. The local festival celebrating the legendary classical musician offers family-friendly options and events geared toward young listeners. Pictured, a youth violinist at the 2017 Vanderbilt Recital. Photo by Evan Anderson Tuesday, March 19, 8 p.m. at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. $42 adults/$5 youths. • Sébastien Lépine and ESCA Quartet — In his new multimedia project, IMAGINATIONS 5.1, “Lépine combines music with the art of painter Ozias Leduc,” according to the event description. Friday, March 22, 8 p.m., at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. $35 adults/$30 students/$20 children. Full schedule and tickets at ashevillesymphony.org/asheville-amadeus — A.M. X

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

A&E

by Bill Kopp

bill@musoscribe.com

SOUND TRAVELS

Two local groups throw a World Music Dance Party

EQUATORIAL BAND: Two Asheville-based musicians have launched side projects to explore their love of far-flung sounds. Below the Bassline, left, plays Jamaican reggae, and Coconut Cake, fronted by Michael Libramento, right, plays music of the Republic of Congo. Photos courtesy of the musicians Two bands, each led by highprofile fixtures of the Asheville music scene, are coming together to present a unique night of music. Michael Libramento’s band, Coconut Cake, pays homage to the music of 1960s Congo,

while Ram Mandelkorn’s group, Below the Bassline, explores the work of Jamaican guitarist-composer Ernest Ranglin. The two musical aggregations will present a World Music Dance Party at The Mothlight on Friday, March 15.

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PIECE OF CAKE While the term rumba often connotes Cuban dance music, its usage also describes a sound popular in Africa during the 1960s. The acknowledged originators of the genre — Orchestre Rock-aMambo and Franco Luambo’s OK Jazz — were hugely popular in the Republic of the Congo. Libramento describes Congolese rumba as featuring “lots of percussion, saxophone or clarinet and sometimes additional guitarists.” Libramento (also of Floating Action) has long been a keen enthusiast of musical styles that aren’t widely known here in North America. He began an independent study of African diasporic music around 2006, by which time he was already playing guitar and leading small groups. “I gradually grew more focused on incorporating AfroLatin songs, melodies, rhythms and more nuanced aesthetic elements into my performances,” he says. Libramento first discovered Congo music during a trip to Chicago. “I stumbled upon a compilation CD called Souvenir Ya L’independence,” he recalls. “That was my introduction to late ’50s

and early ’60s Congolese rumba. I continued to research and learn tunes and incorporate them into my set lists.” Working with some of his Floating Action bandmates, he launched Coconut Cake with a fluid lineup that at various times has featured local musicians Ami Worthen, Ryan Oslance and Jason Krekel, among others. “In 2011, I decided to expand the instrumentation and repertoire to more closely match that of the great bands of ’60s Congo,” he says. Coconut Cake gigs are relatively infrequent because most all of the musicians involved are busy with other touring bands; Libramento currently tours with rock outfit Dr. Dog. “Time at home is infrequent and has its own set of priorities for each of us,” he explains. “However, the low-profile, word-of-mouth/rare performance approach seems to work well.” Mandelkorn calls Coconut Cake “my favorite band in town” and describes its aesthetic as “Cuban music seen through an African lens. I’m not quite sure how that works,” he says with a chuckle, “but it’s very cool stuff.”

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RESURFACING Mandelkorn (The Digs) has been working on the musical project named after Ernest Ranglin’s landmark 1996 album for nearly three years. Collaborating with three members of Empire Strikes Brass (horn player JP Furnas, drummer Nik Hope and Lenny Pettinelli on keyboards), he describes Below the Bassline as “a passion project of the four of us. JP and I have both been kind of obsessed; we’ve loved Ernest Ranglin’s style of music for years and had a vision to do this years ago.” Like Coconut Cake, the members of Below the Bassline rarely have free time outside of their other bands, so gigs have been infrequent. But when the group does manage to schedule a show, Mandelkorn says that the response is very positive. Below the Bassline hosted its first World Music Dance Party last year, sharing the bill with another Asheville-based group, Les Amis. Mandelkorn first heard Ranglin’s music — a dance-flavored style related to but different from reggae — while in college, describing the musician as “a pioneer on all sorts of [Jamaican] albums that people don’t even realize. Below the Bassline was my entry point; I’ve been listening to that album for the last 15 or 20 years. It’s a good entry point to his stuff.” Though the styles explored by the two groups are quite different,

Mandelkorn says that Congolese rumba and Ranglin’s dance music do share some common characteristics. “There’s a vibe to them,” he says. “There’s a joyful, spiritual depth to both styles of music.” Below the Bassline doesn’t limit itself strictly to Ranglin’s catalog. “We also do a bunch of music by his peers from back then, other rootsreggae pioneers,” Mandelkorn says. The emotional depth of this world music is a big part of the appeal for the musicians involved. Although The Digs remain very active, Mandelkorn says that the music of Below the Bassline is fulfilling for him in a different way. “It’s a little more groove- and trance-based; not as many crazy changes going on,” he says with a laugh. “It’s probably easier to consume for most audiences. It’s more danceable.” While there’s certainly a crosscultural study component to appreciating these styles, ultimately it’s all about experiencing the groove. The upbeat and joyous feel conjured by live performance of the two musical genres is conducive to dancing. And while, so far, the World Music Dance Party has only taken place locally, Mandelkorn and Libramento hope to expand its reach. “We’re definitely going to keep doing this project,” Mandelkorn promises. “Hopefully, we’ll even get it out of Asheville and travel around with it a bit.” X

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WHAT World Music Dance Party featuring Below the Bassline and Coconut Cake WHERE The Mothlight 701 Haywood Road themothlight.com WHEN Friday, March 15, 9 p.m., $10

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A&E

by Carla Seidl

carla.seidl@gmail.com

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Leg to leg, dance partners glide, undulate and sway. The lead dancer guides the follower in swirling spins and serpentine body rolls accented by the occasional hair whip. This is zouk, the most popular dance style currently offered at Veda Studios in Asheville, where classes span yoga, dance and martial arts. “It’s grown by leaps and bounds,” says Veda’s executive director, M. Alexander. The beginner zouk class, held Mondays at 8 p.m., can attract 20-30 people. Alexander believes many are drawn to zouk’s balance of sensuality and artistry; he describes the style as an “energetic, sophisticated, smooth kind of aesthetic” and notes that people have been coming to Asheville zouk events — such as the monthly Saturday night zouk social — from as far away as Charlotte and Knoxville. Originally, the term zouk — which means “party” in French Creole — referred to a music and dance style that emerged in the French Caribbean in the early 1980s. In the mid-’90s, Brazilians discovered the zouk rhythm and began adapting lambada movements to it, yielding the hybrid form that is now more commonly associated with the term zouk. Today, Brazilian zouk, as it’s also known, is danced to many kinds of music, including pop, R&B, lyrical, electronic, reggaeton and hip-hop. Local massage therapist and doula Michele Rosa Gee began teaching zouk with Nathan Morrison at Veda Studios in 2017. The two were introduced to the dance at the Interfusion Festival and then attended a teacher training in Atlantic City, N.J. Gee had previously participated in tango, blues, belly dance, contact improvisation and ASHEVILLE-AREA

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

Asheville’s growing zouk dance community

NOT FORBIDDEN ANYMORE: “At first, when we brought zouk here, no one knew what it was,” says Michele Rosa Gee, pictured dancing with Nathan Morrison. Brazilian zouk is based on the lambada, aka “the forbidden dance.” These days, the Infinity Zouk Asheville Facebook group has more than 170 members. Photo by Jamie Hadnagy ecstatic dance, but something about zouk was special. “When I dance with very good zouk leads, I feel like I’m in an absolute flow state,” she says. “It’s just like heaven to me.” Janae Elisabeth agrees. She found zouk at Veda Studios about a year ago and hasn’t missed a lesson since. “The flow of zouk feels like an infinite spiral,” she says. “It can be a little bit addictive.” Many local zouk dancers are drawn from other scenes, including contra, blues/fusion and salsa. “I know that the word is out,” says Gee. While not all attend class regularly, the Infinity Zouk Asheville Facebook group currently has more than 170 members. “At first, when we brought zouk here, no one knew what it was,” says Gee.

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“Now, there are lots of points of reference for it, because it’s spreading so quickly throughout the world.” In fact, the style is growing in popularity in Europe, Latin America, Canada and Asia. Gee emphasizes that, despite its flowing appearance, zouk is harder than it looks. Moves include off-axis turns and body isolations, which require skill and technique. Much of the development of the Asheville scene in this regard is thanks to Knoxville-based zouk dancer Brad Meccia, who teaches residencies and workshops all over North America and offers regular instruction in Asheville. Meccia thinks people are very drawn to the popular styles of music zouk is danced to, and it “provides connection that we’re

lacking a lot in the new digital world,” he says. He believes that zouk also offers more room for flow and creativity than other dances. Asheville zouk dancer Andrew Sheffield agrees, contrasting zouk with dances that involve more set patterns, such as salsa. “With zouk,” he says, “you can really listen to the music. As a leader, at least, you can frame the music into whatever you end up leading.” But Sheffield’s main draw, he admits, was not the dance, but the people. The inviting feel and encouragement he experienced when he started dancing zouk in 2017 were far from the judgment he’d experienced as a novice elsewhere. “What it ends up coming down to a lot in dance scenes, I think, is the vibe,” says Gee. “And something I’ve always held as very important is for us to have an inclusive dance community that’s not snobby.” “People seem to be very open-minded to trying new things in Asheville, and they seem to be comfortable being close to each other,” Meccia says. “Zouk fits the culture very well, from what I can see.” While zouk is enticing to many, the sensual nature of its movements — close leg connection combined with undulations of the midsection — can also be intimidating. Zouk’s forebear, lambada, was nicknamed “the forbidden dance,” after all, for its spicy and suggestive appearance. “It is very, very sensual,” admits Gee. “And I do see that it’s not for everyone, probably for that reason.” Sheffield is one of many who enjoy zouk’s intimacy. “I like that it’s sexy,” he says. “It may push some people away, but maybe it just acts like a challenge — to say, ‘How open can you truly be with yourself, and can you allow yourself to be kind of vulnerable like that.’” Gee notes that she has felt safe when she’s traveled to dance zouk in other cities across the U.S. “It’s intimate,” she says. “But there are really clear boundaries, and really good, strong etiquette.” For most participants, zouk is a welcome embrace. The community “is exactly what I was looking for,” says Elisabeth. “Friendly, engaged people who care that they are dancing with an actual person more than getting the moves perfect.” Learn more at vedastudios.com and avl.mx/5r2. X

by Alli Marshall

amarshall@mountainx.com

EAR-PLEASING, EYE-CATCHING Poet Jodie Hollander leads a workshop and gives a reading in Asheville Poet and educator Jodie Hollander grew up in a family of classical musicians. “I tried the cello, the piano, the flute and the guitar,” she says. “My sister and brother had perfect pitch, and I didn’t.” So instead of performing, she’d lie under her father’s piano and watch the rest of the family play together. But the musical gene didn’t pass Hollander by. “I grew up attuned to what sounds good,” she explains. She studied meter and form and, “It’s always been a priority for me to make my poems sound ear-pleasing.” She works for The Poetry School, an online institution, where she teaches a course on musical poetry. And while those sonic qualities of rhythm and melody will likely come into play during Hollander’s upcoming Asheville workshop, the subject of that class — taking place at The Refinery Creator Space on Sunday, March 17 — is ekphrastic poetry. For those not familiar with the term, ekphrasis is art produced as a description or as a rhetorical exercise. Participants in Hollander’s Ekphrastic Poetry workshop will write about the exhibition Who’s Afraid of RED?, curated by Barbara Fisher and featuring work by Alicia Armstrong, Ian Brownlee, Margaret Curtis, Suzanne Dittenber, Spencer Herr, Karen Ives, Nava Lubelski, Daniel Nevins, Kevin Palme, Jeremy Phillips, Bethany Pierce, Peter Roux, Molly Sawyer, Ralston Fox Smith, Kirsten Stolle and Fisher. The show is on view in the Asheville Area Arts Council’s Thom Robinson | Ray Griffin Event & Exhibition Hall through Friday, March 29. “This day and age we’re so focused on the visual and on imagery,” says Hollander. So maybe the ekphrasis approach is “less intimidating for someone who has never had any experience writing poetry” — her Asheville workshop is open to writers of all levels — “or maybe somebody who is interested in visual art predominantly and might consider dipping a toe in poetry because it’s combining the two art forms.” She adds that, even for experienced poets, ekphrasis “opens things up … particularly with this exhibit we’ll be looking at. The [online images] I’ve seen look really emotional.

about my father as a concert pianist,” she says. “But then it delves into more of my own repercussions of growing up the way that I did.” The new poems grapple with depression and incorporate travel and more animal motifs. Hollander’s first book took eight years to craft. And, while she admits she’s a slow writer, “That was a haul,” she says with a laugh. “The first book always takes forever. I can’t wait eight years for my next book. I was told the first one takes the longest and after that, things begin to move a little more quickly.” X

WHAT Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop with Jodie Hollander WHERE Refinery Creator Space 207 Coxe Ave. ashevillearts.com WHEN Sunday, March 17, 1-4 p.m. $50 ________________________ WHO Jodie Hollander in discussion with Mildred Barya

VISUAL CUES: In addition to teaching a workshop on ekphrastic poetry, using the local exhibition Who’s Afraid of RED? as inspiration, Colorado-based poet Jodi Hollander, pictured, will join her friend and fellow writer Mildred Barya at Malaprop’s for a reading and conversation about the animal themes in their work. Photo courtesy of Hollander Colors and visual art can be a great tool to open people’s emotional eyes.” Hollander, who currently lives in Colorado, is making the trip to Asheville in part to celebrate her birthday with a friend. She met fellow poet and UNC Asheville professor Mildred Barya in Africa. Barya was a poetin-residence in Senegal and attended the Pan African Literary Forum in Ghana, where Hollander was helping out. Hollander has also been the recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship for Study of Literature and Education in South Africa, among other awards and international educational opportunities. The two friends, who have kept in touch over the past decade, will give

WHERE Malaprop’s 55 Haywood St. malaprops.com WHEN Monday, March 18, 6 p.m.

a reading at Malaprop’s on Monday, March 18, during which they’ll discuss the animals that appear in both of their poetry collections. Barya “realized we both integrate nature and wildlife into our writing,” says Hollander. “She looked at both of our works through that lens.” The two poets will not only recite — Barya’s collection is Give Me Room to Move My Feet — but will also share a conversation about their art and process. Hollander’s debut, My Dark Horses, was predominantly about her family and her relationship with her mother. Her forthcoming collection, currently in progress, “picks up some of the family themes [and] talks a little bit MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

SMART BETS

A&E

by Edwin Arnaudin | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

Sk, the Novelist & Friends

Allan Wolf

When the tightknit Asheville hip-hop scene produces a new work, the celebration of the fresh arrival tends to attract a generous dose of allies from within the city. That level of unity proves doubly true on Thursday, March 14, at The Mothlight, an evening primarily geared to fete the release of Sk, the Novelist’s latest full-length album, Baggage. Prior to the lyricist performing his recent collection, fellow local Musashi Xero will share tracks off his forthcoming collaborative EP with Raleighbased producer Oak City Slums. The convergence of recorded material has attracted fellow local MCs Mike L!VE, Spaceman Jones, Herb da Wizard and P.T.P., all of whom will take to the stage backed by tracks spun by DJ Kutzu, starting at 9 p.m. $10 advance/$12 day of show. themothlight.com. Clockwise from top left, Herb da Wizard; Sk, the Novelist; P.T.P and Musashi Xero. Photos courtesy of the artists

On July 20, people across the world will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin walking on the moon. That day at The Hop Ice Cream Cafe, Asheville-based writer Allan Wolf will present “Metaphors Be With You: Poems from Space” in its entirety, an eclectic program based on his new collection, The Day the Universe Exploded My Head: Poems to Take You Into Space and Back Again. Illustrated by “the amazing” — Wolf’s words — Anna Raff, the book also will be the focus of the author’s presentation on Saturday, March 16, at Malaprop’s. The afternoon include a few highlights from the full “Metaphors” program, which Wolf describes as a mix of “music, costumes, puppets, participation, amazing facts and a lot of poetry.” The reading begins at 4 p.m. Free to attend. malaprops.com. Author photo courtesy of Wolf

Seth Walker

Grandchildren Direct from Philadelphia, the duo of vocalist Shari Bolar and songwriter Aleks Martray have been performing under the name Grandchildren since 2008. Self-described purveyors of “orchestral pop with tight beats,” the group has explored new sounds with each recorded release, building from the lo-fi Everlasting (2010) to the symphonic-leaning Golden Age (2013) and into the more pop-focused musings of ZUNI (2015). With a selftitled album — complete with an earthbound, balloon-clutching astronaut cover photo — out in the world as of Feb. 1, Bolar and Martray turn yet another corner and lean into the soul-centric harmonies that have become the centerpiece of their music in recent years. These sounds are set to fill One World Brewing’s downtown location on Wednesday, March 20, at 9 p.m. Free to attend. oneworldbrewing.com. Photo by Ava Gupta

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

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North Carolina native Seth Walker splits his time between New Orleans and Nashville, and while influences from both musically rich cities can be heard on his new album, Are You Open?, the tracks also feature a noticeable dose of Cuban inspiration. In prepping his 10th studio record, the blues guitarist/vocalist spent time in Havana, and sounds from the trip abroad played a decisive role in the songs’ melodies and rhythms. “For a lot of these tracks, the grooves were born first, and the lyrics came after,” Walker says. “That was a new way of writing for me, and it’s a big reason this album has a different flavor.” Produced by drummer Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, Are You Open? figures to be the spotlight of Walker’s Isis Music Hall set on Saturday, March 16, at 9 p.m. $15 advance/ $20 day of show. isisasheville.com. Photo by Alysse Gafkjen

THEATER REVIEW by Jeff Messer | upstge@yahoo.com

‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ and ‘The Zoo Story’ by The Sublime Theater danger as well. Jerry has an unsettling and unpredictable quality that keeps the audience uneasy. Things spiral into a confrontation that brings both characters to more animalistic behavior toward one another. Moore is great as the sweetly charming Peter, who just wants to be left alone to read his book. Fisher brings an easy smile and light touch to Jerry but can also flip instantly to anger and unpredictability. Director Henry Williamson gives us theater that is as entertaining as it is smart. His love for these classic works shows. He’s a precise director with a keen understanding of how to elicit the best work from his actors while holding an audience in anticipation of every word and gesture. X

WHAT The Sublime Theater presents Krapp’s Last Tape and The Zoo Story WHERE The BeBe Theatre 20 Commerce St. thesublimetheater.org WHEN Through Saturday, March 23 Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. $15

PICTURES OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN: Steven Samuels plays a character reliving his youth through recordings in Krapp’s Last Tape, one of two absurdist plays staged by The Sublime Theater. Photo courtesy of The Sublime Theater For its second outing, the new Sublime Theater reaches back to two masterworks of the last century: Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape and Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story. This pairing of one-acts from the post-World War II era of what was known as absurdist theater was often presented to create a full evening. The Sublime Theater re-creates that classic combo at The BeBe Theatre for a run that extends through Saturday, March 23. Presented first, Krapp’s Last Tape stars Steven Samuels in a deftly precise and emotionally riveting piece of theatrical art. Samuels is the titular character and spends a great deal of the show in silence, shuffling about, eating bananas and assembling tin boxes of reel-to-reel tapes. He plays a particular tape on an old recorder. Krapp is a world-weary, aging man who is living outthe mundane final stage of his life. He both revels in and is repulsed by record-

ings of his experiences made at various points in the past. We can’t take our eyes off Samuels, who inhabits the character fully. It’s as if the audience members are voyeurs witnessing the slow decay of a person. Alternately funny and touching, the show is decidedly dark and delves into deeply uncomfortable parts of the human psyche. The Zoo Story follows with Art Moore, as Peter, reading a book on a lonely bench. Scott Fisher’s wiry and wily character Jerry arrives and engages Peter by teasing him with the promise of a story about something Jerry just witnessed at the zoo. What follows is a peculiar conversation with two men who are clearly polar opposites. Jerry lives in a seedy and crowded townhouse, while Peter lives with his wife, kids, cats and parakeets in a middle-class apartment. Peter is reserved and refined. Jerry is gregarious and uncouth. There is a sense of MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

A & E CALENDAR ST. PATRICK’S DAY EVENTS ART ADULT CRAFTERNOON • FR (3/13), 2-3pm - Easy craft project with Friends of the Henderson County Library. Free. Held at Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington St., Hendersonville BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • TUESDAYS, 11am-1pm - Veterans practice objectivity and a journey inward through intentional movement, art, stillness and writing. Registration required: 828-258-0710. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • TU (3/19), 2:30pm - All ages invited to come, be creative and make cards. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler • TU (3/19), 6pm - Local artist Christy Ammerman teaches the basics of alcohol inks. Registration required. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • TU (3/19), 6pm Beginners learn basic knit and crochet patterns. Experienced share their knowledge. Supplies available. Free. Held at Skyland/ South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road HAYWOOD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 86 N Main St., Waynesville, 828-452-0593, haywoodarts.org/ • SA (3/16), noon-2pm Ilene Kay demonstrates jewelry making techniques in Argentium Sterling Silver including the ancient craft of granulation. Free to attend. • SA (3/16), 2-4pm - Four, two-hour lecture/discussion-style programs on comic

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Held at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville, 1 Edwin Place • SA (3/16), 3pm - "A Night in Vienna," scenes from operas and operettas by Mozart, Lehar, and Strauss. $20. Held at First Presbyterian Church, 26 Church St., Franklin • SA (3/16), 7:30pm - "Breaking Winds," wind ensemble concert. Registration required. $40. Held in a private home. • SU (3/17), 2pm "Breaking Winds," wind ensemble concert. $20. Held at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 256 E. Main St., Brevard • SU (3/17), 4:30pm - "A Night in Vienna," scenes from operas and operettas by Mozart, Lehar and Strauss. $20. Held at St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 256 E. Main St., Brevard

book illustration. $20 each.

ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS CREATIVE ARTS MARKET • SU (3/17), noon-4pm - Local creative makers, artists, herbalists, potters, health coaches and astrologers. Free to attend. Held at The BLOCK off biltmore, 39 South Market St.

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS CALL FOR CRAFTERS FOR THE SHELTON HOUSE CRAFTER SHOWCASE • Until (3/15) - Shelton House is accepting applications for the Shelton House Crafter Showcase. Held at Shelton House, 49 Shelton St., Waynesville

ASHEVILLE DRUM CIRCLE • FRIDAYS, 6-9:50pm - Asheville outdoor drum circle. Free. Held at Pritchard Park, 4 College St.

MUSIC VIDEO ASHEVILLE • Through FR (3/15) Submissions accepted for the 12th annual music video competition. See website for submission guidelines, musicvideoavl.com.

☘ KISS ME, I’M IRISH: The next installment of Haywood County Arts Council’s Winter Arts Smokies Style event, called A Celtic Celebration at the Gallery, includes a jewelry demonstration and Celtic music. From noon-2 p.m. Ilene Kay demonstrates the ancient craft of granulation which in this case is the fusing of small beads of silver to sheet silver. Kay will also show texturing and shaping with hammers and stakes. From 3-6 p.m., Bean Sidhe (pronounced Banshee) performs traditional Celtic tunes and ballads covering a broad range of folk music from Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales — the musical heritage that influences contemporary bluegrass and country music. Band members include Amanda Burts, accordion and recorder; Karin Lyle, harp and violin; David Russell, guitar, bouzouki, tenor banjo and mandolin; and Ralph Wright-Murphy, vocals, bohdran and guitar. Photo courtesy of Haywood County Arts Council (p. 58)

DANCE LEARN TO DANCE! (PD.) Ballroom • Swing • Waltz • Salsa • Wedding • Two-Step • Special Events. Lessons, Workshops, Classes and Dance Events in Asheville. Certified instructor. Contact Richard for information: 828-3330715 • naturalrichard@ mac.com • www. DanceForLife.net INTERMEDIATE/ ADVANCED CONTEMPORARY LINE DANCING • WEDNESDAYS, noon-1pm - Intermediate/advanced contemporary line dancing. $5. Held at Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Road

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

BEAN SIDHE (BANSHEE) CELTIC ENSEMBLE SA (3/16), 3-6pm Bean Sidhe (Banshee) Celtic Ensemble, David Russell, Amanda Burts, Karin Lyle and Ralph Wright-Murphy, perform traditional music from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Free to attend. Held at Haywood County Arts Council, 86 N. Main St., Waynesville

OLD FARMERS BALL CONTRA DANCE • THURSDAYS, 8-11pm - Old Farmers Ball, contra dance. $7/$6 members/$1 Warren Wilson Community. Held in Bryson Gym Held at Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa SOUTHERN LIGHTS SQUARE AND ROUND DANCE SA (3/17), 6pm - "Wearin' of the Green" themed dance. Advanced dance at 6 pm. Early rounds at 7 pm. Plus squares and

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rounds at 7:30 pm. Free. Held at Whitmire Activity Center, 310 Lily Pond Road,

MUSIC

STEPHENS LEE RECREATION CENTER

AFRICAN DRUM LESSONS AT SKINNY BEATS SOUND SHOP (PD.)

30 George Washington

Wednesdays 6pm. Billy

Carver Ave.

Zanski teaches a fun

Hendersonville

• THURSDAYS, noon-1pm Improver contemporary line dancing. $5. • THURSDAYS,

approach to connecting with your inner rhythm. Drop-ins welcome. •

1:30-2:30pm - Beginner

Drums provided. $15/

contemporary line dancing.

class. (828) 768-2826. www.

$5.

skinnybeatsdrums.com

21ST ANNUAL STUDENT HONORS RECITAL • SU (3/17), 3pm - This year's Honors Recital features talented student pianists, instrumentalists and vocalists. Free to attend. Held at First United Methodist Church of Hendersonville, 204 6th Ave. W., Hendersonville AMICIMUSIC 802-369-0856, amicimusic. org • FR (3/15), 7:30pm "Breaking Winds," wind ensemble concert. $20.

DARREN NICHOLSON & FRIENDS, FEATURING MARC PRUETT • TH (3/21), 7pm - Bluegrass concert featuring Darren Nicholson and friends with Marc Pruett. $20. Held at Folkmoot Friendship Center, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville HARK! COMMUNITY CHOIR • MO (3/18), 7pm Hark! Non-auditioned, community choir practice for all voices. Registration required: weringlikebells.com.

Free. Held at Homewood, 19 Zillicoa St. HAYWOOD COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL STUDENT HONORS RECITAL • SU (3/17), 3pm - Student honors recital featuring pianists, instrumentalists and vocalists nominated by music teachers representing local schools and studios. Free. Held at Waynesville First United Methodist Church, 566 South Haywood St., Waynesville HENDERSONVILLE SYMPHONY • SA (3/16), 7:30pm - All ages symphony concert. $40/$10 students. Held at Blue Ridge Community College, 180 W Campus Drive, Flat Rock JAZZ HOUR AT PACK LIBRARY • MO (3/18), 6pm - Jazz hour with local musician Michael Jefry Stevens and friends. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. MOZART REQUIEM SING-ALONG WITH THE ASHEVILLE SYMPHONY CHORUS • TU (3/19), 7pm Mozart Requiem Mass sing-along. Singers call time at 6:15pm. $15. Held at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St. TAKÁCS STRING QUARTET & PIANIST GARRICK OHLSSON • TU (3/19), 8pm Takács String Quartet with pianist Garrick Ohlsson playing works by Haydn, Mendelssohn and Amy Beach. $42. Held at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. UNITED STATES NAVY BAND SEA CHANTERS • TH (3/21), 1pm United States Navy Band Sea Chanters performance. Free. Held at Charles George VA Medical Center, 1100 Tunnel Road WALK WITH WOLFGANG 2 • MO (3/18), 6:30pm - “Walk with Wolfgang 2: Pas de Deux,” progressive multi-location

chamber music concert in downtown Asheville. $33.30/$27.75 advance. WE BANJO 3 • FR (3/15), 8pm - We Banjo 3, bluegrass concert. $20 and up. Held at Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave. WOMEN WHO MOVE THE NEEDLE • TH (3/31), 8pm - A follow-up performance to the panel discussion features an all-women, local artist concert paying tribute to the pioneering women of music history. $15. Held at Ambrose West, 312 Haywood Road

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • WE (3/13), 4-5:30pm Creative writing exercises, meet other writers and help shape a writer’s community. Bring a piece of writing on any topic to share. Open to adults and teens 15 and older. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • TH (3/14), 6-7:30pm - Zelda Fitzgerald Day panel discussion on ‘Malady or Motivation’ hosted by Daniel Johnson, MD. Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • WE (3/16), 6pm Participants must be able to converse in Spanish at a basic level. Older teens are welcome, children under 15 are welcome with adults. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • SA (3/16), 3pm - Varina by Charles Frazier. Free. Held at West Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Road • MO (3/18), 2:30pm Varina by Charles Frazier. Free. Held at West Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Road • TU (3/19), 7pm Woman with a Secret by Sophie Hannah. Free. Held at Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain

• TU (3/19), 7pm - The Wife by Meg Wolitzer. Free. Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview • WE (3/20), 3pm - Afternoon fiction book club. Contact the library for this month's selection. Free. Held at Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain • WE (3/20), 3pm Sergeant Stubby by Ann Bausum. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler • TH (3/21), 2-3:30pm - No One is Coming to Save Us by Stephanie Powell Watts. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road FIRESTORM BOOKS & COFFEE 610 Haywood Road, 828-255-8115, firestorm.coop • WE (3/13), 5pm Richard Helms presents his book, Paid In Spades. Free to attend. • TH (3/14), 6pm - C.H. Hooks presents their book, Alligator Zoo-Park Magic. Free to attend. • TU (3/19), 6:30-8pm Womxn's Empowerment Bookclub: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. Free to attend. FLETCHER LIBRARY 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 828-687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • 2nd THURSDAYS, 10:30am - Book Club. Free. • 2nd THURSDAYS, 1:30pm - Writers' Guild. Free. LAURA WRIGHT AUTHOR EVENT • TH (3/21), 5pm - Laura Wright presents her collection of essays, Through a Vegan Studies Lens: Textual Ethics and Lived Activism. Free to attend. Held at MadStone Cafe & Catching Light Books, 732 Centennial Drive, Suite 5, Cullowhee MALAPROP'S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 828-2546734, malaprops.com • WE (3/13), 7pm - Jessica Wilkerson presents

her book, To Live Here, You Have to Fight: How Women Led Appalachian Movements for Social Justice, in conversation with Ronni Lundy and Erica Abrams Locklear. Free to attend. • TH (3/14), 7pm - Readings by authors published by the Ohio University Press who are participating in the Appalachian Studies Association conference. Free to attend. • FR (3/15), 7pm - Emily Hillard and Jessica Salfia present 55 Strong: Inside the West Virginia Teachers' Strike. Free to attend. • SA (3/16), 7pm Anthony Harkins and Meredith McCarroll present their book, Appalachian Reckoning: A Region Responds to Hillbilly Elegy. Free to attend. • SU (3/17), 3pm Elizabeth Lutyens, editor, The Great Smokies Review, hosts the reading of works-in-progress by writers from her spring Master Class. Free to attend. • MO (3/18), 6pm Poetry reading and discussion of the animals in Jodie Hollander and Mildred Barya's poetry. Free to attend. • WE (3/20), 6pm Frances Mayes presents her book, See You in the Piazza: New Places to Discover in Italy. Free to attend. • TH (3/21), 6pm - George Singleton presents Staff Picks: Stories. Free to attend. OPEN-MIC NIGHT FEATURING WORKS OF WOMEN WRITERS • TU (3/19), 7:30pm Open mic night featuring the writings of women authors and poets. Free. Held in the Star Atrium. Held at The WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee READING GROUP: USES OF THE EROTIC • SA (3/16), 1-4pm Discussion on the essay Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic As Power by feminist poet and activist Audre Lorde. Free. Held at Revolve, 521 Riverside Drive, #179

THOMAS WOLFE SHORT STORY BOOK CLUB • TH (3/14), 5:30-7pm - Thomas Wolfe’s short story: Circus at Dawn. Free. Held at Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 52 North Market St. UNC ASHEVILLE 828-251-6674, cesap.unca.edu/, cultural@unca.edu • SA (3/16), 4pm - Southern Appalachian Studies Conference Keynote Discussion: Wiley Cash, Ron Rash and Lee Smith. Free. Held at Lipinsky Auditorium at UNC Asheville, 300 Library Lane • WE (3/20), 7pm UNCA’s Creative Writing Program presents three local authors: Poets Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs and Novelist Kevin McIlvoy. Free. Held at Karpen Hall, UNC Asheville Campus

play by The Front Porch Theatre. $10. Held at Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W. State St., Black Mountain ‘ROCK & ROLL ODYSSEY’ • TH (3/21), 6pm - Rock & Roll Odyssey: A Puppet Play, by Toybox Theatre. $15. Held at Sly Grog Lounge, 271 Haywood St.

'SILENT SKY' • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS (3/13) until (4/7) - Silent Sky. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. SA (3/30) & SA (4/6), 2pm. $17-$34. Held at North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane ‘STEEL MAGNOLIAS’ • FRIDAYS & SUNDAYS until (3/17) - Steel Magnolias, Fri. & Sat.:

7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $25/$20 student/$15 youth. Held at Hendersonville Community Theatre, 229 S. Washington St., Hendersonville 'THE JUNGLE BOOK' • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (3/15) until (3/30) - The Jungle Book. Fri. & Sat.: 7pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. $28/$14. Held at Flat Rock Play-

house, 2661 Highway 225, Flat Rock 'THE MARVELOUS WONDERETTES' • THURSDAYS through SUNDAYS until (3/17) - The Marvelous Wonderettes, musical. Thurs.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sat. & Sun.: 2:30pm. $29/$34 premium/$18 students. Held at Owens Theatre, 44 College St., Mars Hill

THEATER 'ACTION MOVIE: THE PLAY' • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS (3/8) until (3/31) - Action Movie: The Play. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 3pm. $18/$10 students. Held at The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St. 'GODSPELL JR.' • SATURDAYS and SUNDAYS until (3/17), 2pm - Godspell Jr., musical by Kids at HART. $13 adults/$7 kids. Held at Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville 'KRAPP’S LAST TAPE' AND 'THE ZOO STORY' • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS until (3/23), 7:30pm - The double bill of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape and Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story, one-act plays. $15. Held at BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St. 'LOBBY HERO' • FR through SU (3/24) - Lobby Hero, drama, Directed by Devyn Villarreal. Fri. & Sat.: 7:30pm, Sun.: 2:30pm. $20. Held at 35below, 35 E. Walnut St. 'MIDNIGHT LUNCH' • FR (3/15) & SA (3/16), 7:30pm - Midnight Lunch,

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

GALLERY DIRECTORY

PRIORITY MAIL: Eight arts councils of Western North Carolina have put together a traveling exhibition of postcard-sized artworks called Postcards from the Edge. Selected regional artists have donated works to raise funds and awareness in support of the mission: to strengthen the arts community in Western North Carolina through peer support, shared resources and collaborative programming. The traveling exhibit features about80 postcard-sized works that include painting, textiles and mixed media. The art will be exhibited in each region’s arts council gallery for one month, from March through July. The Madison County Arts Council show opens March 15 with a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Photo of “Cyclamen” by Bud Fink, courtesy of Erich Hubner, Madison County Arts Council. ‘AARON SISKIND: A PAINTER’S PHOTOGRAPHER AND WORKS ON PAPER’ • FR through SA (5/18) Aaron Siskind: A Painter’s Photographer and Works on Paper. Held at Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St. 'ARTISTS OF TOMORROW' • SA through FR (3/16) - Secondary students featured in the 2019 Mentors & Students Exhibition. Held at First Citizens Bank, 539 N. Main St., Hendersonville 'CONCRETE COMMUNITY' • FR (2/25) through SU (3/17) - Concrete Community, a group show fundraiser for skatepark, The Foundation. Reception: Friday, Feb. 15, 7-10pm. Held at Push Skate Shop & Gallery, 25 Patton Ave. 'FRESH AIR' • FR (3/1) through SU (3/31) - Fresh Air features Sue Dolamore's plein air paintings. Held at Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave. 'HOOKING IN THE MOUNTAINS: TRADITIONAL TO CONTEMPORARY' • FR through FR (3/29) Transylvania Community Arts Council and the Tarheel Ruggers Rug Hooking Guild present hooked rugs. Reception: Friday, March 8,

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

5-7pm. Held at Transylvania Community Arts Council, 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard 'HYDROLOGICAL' • SA (3/2) through FR (4/12) - Hydrological, sculptures by Matthew West. Held at Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 850 Blue Ridge Road, Unit A-13, Black Mountain 'IN THE LANDSCAPE AND OF THE LANDSCAPE' AND 'VERNACULAR' • TH through SA (4/27) - Two exhibitions debut, In the Landscape and Of the Landscape: glass, mixed media, painting and drawing by Jennifer Bueno, Bryce Lafferty and William Henry Price; and Vernacular: watercolors, etchings and ceramic sculpture by Phil Blank, David C. Robinson and Sasha Schilbrack-Cole. Held at Momentum Gallery, 24 North Lexington Ave. 'MARGARET CURTIS: NEW PAINTINGS' • Through (3/15) - Margaret Curtis: New Paintings, painting exhibition. Held at Weizenblatt Art Gallery at MHU, 79 Cascade St, Mars Hill 'MULTIMODAL UNITY' • MO (3/18) through MO (4/15) - MultiModal Unity, exhibition of photography by Eric Howard. Reception: Monday, March 18, 6pm.

Held at The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St. 'NOSTALGIA 1950S-60S' • TH through SA (5/20) - Nostalgia 1950s-60s, an exhibition of 15 local artists at the Adler Gallery. Held at Posana Cafe, 1 Biltmore Ave. ‘THE RELOCATED IMAGE’ • FR (3/1) through SU (3/31) - The Relocated Image, a group show in painting, drawing, ceramics, glass, and textiles. Held at Satellite Gallery, 55 Broadway St. 'THEREFORE' • Through SA (4/6) Therefore, new works by Ralston Fox Smith, an abstract surrealist working in paintings, sculpture and light pieces. Held at Tracey Morgan Gallery, 188 Coxe Ave. 'WHO'S AFRAID OF RED?' • Through FR (3/29) - 16 artists curated by Barbara Fisher, Who’s Afraid of RED? Held at Asheville Area Arts Council, 1 Page Ave. 'YOUNG AT ART' EXHIBITION • Through SA (3/30) - Young At Art, 2019 student art exhibition. Held at Haywood County Arts Council, 86 N Main St., Waynesville

STUDENT (K-12) ARTWORK SHOWCASE • Through (4/22) - Student Artwork Showcase representing five WNC counties. Held at Art in the Airport, 61 Terminal Drive Fletcher TRAVELING POSTCARD EXHIBIT • FR (3/15) through MO (4/15) - Traveling postcard exhibit. Reception: Friday, Mar. 15, 5:30-7:30pm. Held at Madison County Arts Council, 90 S. Main St., Marshall WCU'S 51ST ANNUAL JURIED UNDERGRADUATE EXHIBITION • Through (3/22) - WCU’s Annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition includes 29 works in a range of media including photography, sculpture, ceramics, digital animation, graphic design, book arts, painting, drawing and printmaking. Held at The WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Drive, Cullowhee YOUTH ARTS EMPOWERMENT EXHIBITION • FR (3/1) through SU (3/31) - On The Cusp, Youth Arts Empowerment creative workshop exhibition. Held at Pink Dog Creative, 348 Depot St.

CLUBLAND WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis, (African folk music), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Bity City Blues Jam with host Chicago Don, 8:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Magenta Sunshine March Residency, 8:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic hosted by Billy Owens, 7:00PM BYWATER Open Can of Jam, 3:00PM CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats, 7:30PM DOUBLE CROWN Western Wednesday w/ Dog Whistle & DJ, 9:00PM FLEETWOOD'S Kismet, Julia Caesar & TBA, 8:30PM FUNKATORIUM The Saylor Brothers, 6:30PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesday, 6:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Latin Dance Night w/ DJ Oscar (Bachatta, Merengue, Salsa), 9:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 ilyAIMY, 7:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY French Broad Valley Music Association Mountain Music Jam, 6:00PM

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim-O, 10:00PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Weird Wednesday Jam, 5:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Cigar Brothers, 6:30PM

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night hosted by Jason DeCristofaro, 6:30PM

NANTAHALA BREWING'S ASHEVILLE OUTPOST Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM

STATIC AGE RECORDS Deloused In The Comatorium (Mars Volta tribute, art rock), 9:00PM

NOBLE KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Caleb Beissert (7:30pm sign up), 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Synergy Story Slam, 7:00PM The Styrofoam Turtles, Pons (rock), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Lounge Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM

KIDDING ASIDE: Lyrical Lemonade presents an all-ages show featuring 16-year-old artist Lil Mosey. The rap prodigy started performing at 9 and attributes his success to a few viral moments. His July 2018 video, directed by Cole Bennett, reached more than 39 million views on YouTube. “I didn’t set out to be a role model,” says the Seattleborn musician, “but I know there are a lot of young people who look up to me, and I accept that as a responsibility.” Polo G, C Glizzy and Bandkids open the Orange Peel show on Thursday, March 21, at 9 p.m. $22-$100. theorangepeel.net. Photo courtesy of the artist

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Asheville's Most Wanted Funk Bandits, Kazz & Unk, 8:00PM THE GOLDEN FLEECE Scots-Baroque Chamber-Folk w/ The Tune Shepherds, 7:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

THE GREY EAGLE Clark Beckham, 8:00PM THE ROOT BAR Lucky James (blues, Americana), 8:00PM THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Asheville Music School Series, 7:30PM THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Little Feat 50th Anniversary Tour, 8:00PM TOWN PUMP Open Mic w/ David Bryan, 8:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues and Soul Jam, 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 7:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Music Bingo, 8:00PM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

C LUBLAND

THURSDAY, MARCH 14 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest, (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM AUX BAR DJ Lil Meow Meow (R&B, jams), 10:00PM

COMING SOON WED 3/13 5:00PM–SUSHI NIGHT 7:00PM–ILY AIMY

THU 3/14

7:00PM–THE ETHAN JODZIEWICZ GROUP

FRI 3/15 7:00PM–JAMES MADDOCK 9:00PM–RICH NELSON BAND WITH ANNABETH BERRY

SAT 3/16 7:00PM–THE BLACK FEATHERS 9:00PM–SETH WALKER

SUN 3/17

6:00PM–MIXTAPES: THE LOUNGE SESSIONS 7:30PM–THE CURRYS CD RELEASE SHOW

TUE 3/19 7:30PM–TUES. BLUEGRASS W/ KEN CHAPPLE & ANOTHER COUNTRY

WED 3/20 5:00PM–SUSHI NIGHT 7:00PM–PUMPKIN BREAD CD RELEASE 8:30PM–ANTHONY WAYNE VIBE

THU 3/21

7:00PM–MAYBE APRIL

FRI 3/22 7:00PM–LEAH GRAMS JOHNSON

ARCHETYPE BREWING Canned Heat Vinyl Night, 5:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & the Space Cooties, 8:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP SakeOke (Karaoke), 8:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Ben Phan, 7:00PM BYWATER Open Electric Country Jam hosted by John Duncan, 7:00PM CORK & KEG Irish Night, 7:30PM CROW & QUILL Carolina catkins (gritty ragtime jazz), 10:00PM DOUBLE CROWN OLD GOLD w/ DJ Jasper (killer rock n' soul vinyl), 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open Mic, 6:30PM FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Todd Greene, 7:00PM FUNKATORIUM The Hot Club of Asheville, 6:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Thursday Night Blues w/ The Patrick Dodd Trio, 6:00PM

ALASH ENSEMBLE 8:30PM–ALASH ENSEMBLE SAT 3/23 9:00PM–AN EVENING OF LYNYRD SKYNYRD WITH THE ARTIMUS PYLE BAND

SUN 3/24 6:00PM–SHANNON HOOVER TRIO WITH DUANE SIMPSON & JEFF SIPE 7:30PM–RUSS WILSON & HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA “SWING INTO SPRING”

TUE 3/26 7:30PM–TUESDAY BLUEGRASS W/ THOMAS CASSELL BAND

ISISASHEVILLE.COM DINNER MENU TIL 9:30PM LATE NIGHT MENU TIL 12AM

TUES-SUN 5PM-until 743 HAYWOOD RD 828-575-2737

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 The Ethan Jodziewicz Group, 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam, 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND 80's INVASION (80's dance party), 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones, 6:30PM LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Vinyl Record Night, 7:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM Sons of Paradise w/ Space Koi, 7:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Bended Light & Kudu Stooge, 8:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: West Side Funk Jam, 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Tank and the Bangas w/ Maggie Koerner & Alfred Banks, 8:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Fwuit, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Laura Blackley and the Wildflowers, 8:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE One Leg Up, 7:30PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Todd Hoke, 7:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Hit Dogs with Thee Sidewalk Surfers and Thresher, 8:00PM THE ASHEVILLE CLUB Live Cello, 5:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Westsound (Motown, R&B, old school favorites), 8:30PM THE GREY EAGLE Chatham County Line w/ Katie Rhudy, 9:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE The Burger Kings (rock n' roll), 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT SK, The Novelist Album Release Show feat. Mike L!VE, Spaceman Jones, Herb da Wizard, P.T.P. & Musashi Xero w/ DJ Kutzu, 9:00PM THE ROOT BAR Dennis Carbone (folk), 7:00PM THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM The Pulse Presents Ben Rector Magic: The Tour Part II, 8:00PM TOWN PUMP Taylor Martin March Residency, 9:00PM

NOBLE KAVA Cuttlefish Collective: Beat Workshop & Show, 7:30PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam, 9:00PM

ODDITORIUM Party Foul Weekly Drag, 9:00PM

UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Dirty Dawg, 8:00PM

WED

13 FRIDAY, MARCH 15 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Eleanor & Friends, (Americana fusion), 9:00PM AUX BAR DJ Databoy & DJ Woodside, 10:00PM AMBROSE WEST An Evening of Improv Comedy with Reasonably Priced Babies, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Chris Wilhelm and Friends, 8:00PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Random Rab & Bluetech w/ Mycorr & Astoria, 10:00PM BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (Gypsy jazz trio), 7:00PM

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Jangling Sparrows, 7:00PM FROG LEVEL BREWERY Elysium Park Band, 7:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Rock n' Soul Obscurities w/ Wild Vinyl DJ, 10:00PM FLEETWOOD'S Eyes Up Here Comedy at Fleetwood's Late Show, 9:30PM

THIS WEEK AT AVL MUSIC HALL & THE ONE STOP!!!

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Circus Mutt, 10:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Gypsy & Me (Americana), 6:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 James Maddock in Concert, 7:00PM Rich Nelson Band with Annabeth Berry, 9:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Hot Club of Asheville, 6:30PM

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE We Banjo 3, 8:00PM

ORANGE PEEL Dark Side of The Dead, 8:30PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Justin Cody Fox, 7:00PM

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM

CROW & QUILL Mischief Managed Burlesque (nerdy burlesque), 9:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Kate Smith & Jones Cove, 9:00PM

GINGER'S REVENGE Noah Proudfoot and Friends (funk, soul), 7:00PM

BEN'S TUNE UP Throwback Dance Party w/ DJ Kilby, 10:00PM

CORK & KEG Appalachian Studys Conference Jam, 8:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Little Raine Band, 9:00PM

FUNKATORIUM Shelby Rae Moore Band, 8:00PM

LAZY DIAMOND Hot n' Nasty (rock n' soul vinyl) w/ DJ Hissy Cruise, 10:00PM

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Shiloh Hill, 7:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Fridays feat. members of Phuncle Sam acoustic, 5:30PM Voodoo Visionary, 10:00PM

PACK'S TAVERN DJ RexxStep (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Roots & Dore, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY David Zoll Quartet, 8:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Fwuit, 8:00PM

MAD CO BREW HOUSE Coy Wolf (bluegrass, folk), 6:00PM MOE'S ORIGINAL BBQ WOODFIN Banjo Mitch Duo, 7:00PM NEW BELGIUM BREWERY Swamp Rabbit Railroad, 5:30PM NOBLE KAVA Bad Comedy Night, 9:00PM ODDITORIUM Curious Folk Presents: Wild Realms Medieval Night, 9:00PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Sonic Collage #1, 9:00PM STRAIGHTAWAY CAFE GypsyBandWagon, 6:00PM THE ASHEVILLE CLUB Live Classical Guitar, 5:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Flashback Friday at the Block: Zelda Albi & The Lifters, 7:30PM

THU

THE MOTHLIGHT Coconut Cake w/ Below The Bassline, 8:00PM

FRI

TOWN PUMP Primitive Studio, 9:00PM

SAT

SUN ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH

CHATHAM COUNTY LINE

FOUR LEAF PEAT

MON

OPEN MIC NIGHT

W/ KATE RHUDY

SONGS FROM THE ROAD BAND

WED

OYSTER ROAST LAUNCH PARTY!

THU

W/ ONA

ROSS OSTEEN BAND

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE De' Rumba Dance Party w/ DJ Malinalli, 9:00PM

Asheville’s longest running live music venue • 185 Clingman Ave TICKETS AVAILABLE AT HARVEST RECORDS & THEGREYEAGLE.COM

SAT

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Banjo Palooza feat. Sheila Kay Adams & Friends, 8:00PM

CAAMPSOOULTD!

12:00PM

CHRIS KNIGHT

FRI

W/ DREW PARKER, ASHLAND CRAFT, 7:00PM

W/ ERIC CONGDON

ANDREA GIBSON W/ ASHLEE HAZE

WEST ASHEVILLE

ZAMBRA Jason Moore & 1st Person Soother (jazz), 8:00PM

520 HAYWOOD RD

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Sidecar Honey (Americana, rock), 9:00PM AUX BAR DJ New Millen (dance party), 10:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Swing Step Band, 5:00PM The Travelling Pilsburys, 8:00PM

Wed. 3/13

9pm- Latin Dance Night w/ DJ Oscar

Thu. 3/14

9pm- West Side Funk Jam

Fri. 3/15

9pm- Kate Smith & Jones Cove

Sat. 3/16

9pm- Free Flow Band (Old School Funk & R&B)

Wed. 3/20

9pm- Muddy Ruckus

Thu. 3/21

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Dirty Logic (Asheville Steely Dan Tribute), 9:00PM

$3 Selected Pints

9pm- West Side Funk Jam

$3 Selected Pints

BANKS AVE SES: Satisfaction Every Saturday, 9:00PM

THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Plywood's Band of Gypsies, 7:00PM

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Sunday Jazz Brunch, 2:00PM

THE GREY EAGLE Songs From the Road Band, 9:00PM

BEN'S TUNE UP DJ Lyric & DJ Nex Millen, 10:00PM

•• ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL ••

Mon-Wed 3pm-12am Thu-Sat 12pm-1am Sun 12pm-10pm

•• THE ONE STOP ••

•• ST. PATRICK DAY ••

AMH: Mimi Naja (of Fruition) w/ Brad Parsons + Friends & UPSTATE Tix: $10.00 - Show: 8PM (Doors: 7PM) The One Stop: Demon Waffle Ca$h Donation$ - Show: 10PM

AT AMH & ONE STOP

w/ Mycorr & Astoria

(AVL Steely Dan Tribute)

Dirty Logic

Sons of Paradise w/ Space Koi

Voodoo Visionary

Ethan Heller & The Jam Fam

FRI, 3/15 - SHOW: 9 PM (DOORS: 9 PM ) - ADV. $17

SAT, 3/16 - SHOW: 9 PM (DOORS: 8 PM ) - ADV. $12

THU, 3/14 - SHOW: 10 PM CA$ H DONATION $

FRI, 3/15 - SHOW: 10 PM CA$ H DONATION $

SAT, 3/16 - SHOW: 10 PM CA$ H DONATION $

Random Rab & Bluetech

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Lenny Pettinelli, 7:30PM The Falcon Four, 10:00PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

SALVAGE STATION YALL presents Possum Jenkins, 9:00PM

LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Singer-Songwriter Night, 8:00PM

THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ Sets, 9:00PM

CLARK BECKHAM

Mitch’s Totally Rad Trivia - 6:30PM

FRI

disclaimer comedy - 9:30PM

THU

Tuesday Night Funk Jam - 11PM Turntable Tuesday - 10PM

WED

TUE

WEEKLY EVENTS

UPCOMING SHOWS: 3/2 1 - griff • 3/22 - JAZZ IS PH ISH • 3/23 - Travers Brothership w/ Three Star Revival • 3/2 9 - Kitchen Dwellers • 3/3 0 - The Mantras w/ Opposite Box • 4/4 - SoDown

F ree Dead F riday - 5PM

TICKETS & FULL CALENDAR AVAILABLE AT ASHEVILLEMUSICHALL.COM

@AVLMusicHall MOUNTAINX.COM

@OneStopAVL

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

CLU B LA N D

Local

Dancing • Drinks • Live Music WED 3/13

Funk Bandits, (Aaron “A.J.” Mills & Kevin Collins), 8pm

THU 3/14

Westsound - Motown, R&B, Old School favorites, 8:30pm

FRI 3/15

Zelda Fitzgerald Celebration Finale w/ Albi and The Lifters. Fundraiser for Aurora Gallery, 7:30pm

SAT 3/16

CommUNITY Salsa/Latin Night w/ DJ Edi Fuentes, 9:30pm Salsa Lesson, 9pm

SUN 3/17

Green Gals Gala - Women & St. Patty’s Day Singer/Songwriter Celebration, 8pm

TUE 3/19

Swing AVL Tuesday Dance with Sweet Megg & the Wayfarers, 9pm Swing lessons: Advanced, 7pm • Beginner, 8pm Late Night Blues Dance, 11pm

FREE PARKING! Municipal Lots

After 5pm Weekdays & All Day Sat & Sun

(Spruce & Marjorie and Eagle & Charlotte)

39 S. Market St., Asheville, NC 28801 254-9277 • theblockoffbiltmore.com

PUPPET REGIME: For those who missed (who want more of) this year’s Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, here’s another chance to catch the 2019 winner for Funniest and Fringiest Show. The original story by Toybox Theatre’s Keith Shubert, pictured, centers on the quest for enlightenment for a few dead rock stars in puppet form. Expect shenanigans, marionettes, props and music by Michael Woodward of Aquamule. Rock & Roll Odyssey: A Puppet Play is onstage at Sly Grog Lounge Thursday, March 21, at 6 p.m. $15. slygrog.wordpress.com. Photo by Jennifer Bennett

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Erin Kinard, 7:00PM

GINGER'S REVENGE Miriam Allen (pop, folk), 2:30PM

MAD CO BREW HOUSE Banjo Mitch & The Hilltop Haints, 7:00PM

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Todd Hoke and Paul McIntire, 7:00PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Highland's St. Patrick's Day Celebration w/ Carpenter Academy of Dance, 12:00PM The Get Right Band, 7:00PM

NOBLE KAVA Chuck Lichtenberger (electric jazz), 9:00PM

CORK & KEG Big Dawg Slingshot, 8:30PM CROW & QUILL Queen Bee & the Honeylovers (swing jazz and latin jazz), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Soul Motion Dance Party w/ DJ Dr. Filth, 10:00PM DOWNTOWN MORGANTON St. Patrick's Day FAB Crawl (food, art, brews, music), 12:00AM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

MOUNTAINX.COM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 The Black Feathers, 7:00PM Seth Walker, 9:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Saturday Swing-a-ling w/ DJs Arieh & Chrissy, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio, 6:30PM

FLEETWOOD'S Record Show and Sale, 12:00PM

LOCAL 604 BOTTLE SHOP Live Synth Saturdays, 7:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Station Underground (reggae), 10:00PM

MG ROAD Late Night Dance Parties w/ DJ Lil Meow Meow, 10:00PM

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Jacktown Ramblers, 7:00PM

MACK KELL'S PUB & GRILL Roots & Dore Band, 9:00PM

ODDITORIUM Nest, GnarlScar (metal), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Ethan Heller & The Jam Fam, 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Free Flow Band (old school funk & R&B), 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Kid Hop Hooray! Wintertime Indoor Dance Party, 10:00AM The Breakfast Club (1980's Tribute band) w/ Stardust to Ashes (David Bowie tribute), 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Angela Easterling Duo (folk), 6:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Flashback (classic hots, rock), 9:30PM

PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Dave Desmelik, 7:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Mike Rhode's Fellowship w/ Duane Simpson & Michael Hynes, 8:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE Redleg Husky, 8:00PM SALVAGE STATION Sol Rhythms' Latin Dance Party, 8:30PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Dog Whistle, 8:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Synths & Syllables, 9:00PM STRAIGHTAWAY CAFE J.D. & Cindy Ross, 6:00PM THE ASHEVILLE CLUB Live Blues, 5:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE CommUNITY Salsa & Latin Saturday Dance Night w/DJ Edi Fuentes (lesson at 9:00pm), 9:30PM THE BARRELHOUSE Back South, 9:00PM

THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE The Sliding Rockers, 7:00PM THE GREY EAGLE Chris Knight w/ Drew Parker & Ashland Craft, 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Yoke Lore w/ Cape Francis, 9:00PM THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Warren Haynes Presents: Dreams & Songs A Symphonic Journey, 8:00PM TOWN PUMP Black King Coal, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Bill Mattocks & The Strut, 10:00PM US CELLULAR CENTER Imagine Nation: MercyMe w/ Crowder & Micah Tyler, 7:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Hall Sisters (country, shotguns, 20's, 30's), 8:00PM

SUNDAY, MARCH 17 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The Paper Crowns (altfolk), 7:00PM ARCHETYPE BREWING Post-Brunch Blues, 4:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Pot Luck & Musician's Jam, 3:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mimi Naja of Fruition w/ Brad Parsons & Friends, Upstate, 7:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Tim McWilliams, 7:00PM BYWATER Sunday Bluegrass Jam, 7:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Irish Music w/ Cailen Campbell Duo, 6:00PM

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Mixtapes: The Lounge Sessions, 6:00PM The Currys CD Release Show, 7:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Jack of The Wood's St. Patrick's Day Celebration feat. Irish/ Celtic Jam, Aulden McGray Irish Band, Emerald Road & Little Lesley and the Bloodshots, 10:00AM JARGON Sunday Blunch: Mark Guest & Mary Pearson (jazz), 11:00AM LAZY DIAMOND Punk Night w/ DJ Chubberbird, 10:00PM NOBLE KAVA Monthly Reggae Sunday feat. DJ Zion Rose (Caribbean food, music), 4:00PM

TAVERN DOWNTOWN ON THE PARK Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 15 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night LIVE M R A COV USIC , E V E N ER CHARGE!

FRI. 3/15 DJ RexxStep

(dance hits, pop)

SAT. 3/16 Flashback

(classic hits, rock)

ODDITORIUM The Go Devils, The Dirty Dutch Trio (rockabilly), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Demon Waffle, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Soul Jam (Sunday open jam), 8:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR St. Patrick's Day, 4:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Pisgah Sunday Jam hosted by Hurricane Bob Travers, 6:30PM PUB 319 SOCIAL HOUSE Gypsybandwagon, 5:00PM

20 S. SPRUCE ST. • 225.6944 PACKSTAVERN.COM

Airstream Season

SALVAGE STATION Yacht Rock Karaoke, 3:00PM Cody Dickinson & Friends, 9:00PM

Nightly Supper

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Vintage Vinyl (60's, 70's hits), 3:00PM

starting at 5PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Sly Grog Open Mic, 6:30PM

Sunday Brunch

STRAIGHTAWAY CAFE Lucky James, 1:00PM

FLEETWOOD'S Record Show and Sale, 12:00PM

THE ASHEVILLE CLUB Live Bluegrass, 5:00PM

FUNKATORIUM Bluegrass Brunch w/ Gary Macfiddle, 11:00AM Tom Mackell Duo, 8:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Green Gals Gala: A St. Patty's Female Songwriters Showcase, 8:00PM

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 1:00PM

THE GREY EAGLE St. Patrick's Day Celebration w/ Four Leaf Peat, 8:00PM

from 10:30-3:30PM

Closed Mondays 828-350-0315 SMOKYPARK.COM MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

CLU B LA N D THE IMPERIAL LIFE Select DJ Sets, 9:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Lucifer w/ Spell & Almuten, 9:00PM

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The

Sustainability Series

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY 2019

Every week in April

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Warren Haynes Presents: Dreams & Songs A Symphonic Journey, 7:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Tuatha Dea (9 piece band, Gypsy rock), 8:00PM WICKED WEED BREWING St. Patty's celebration feat. Gary Macfiddle Celtic Band, 2:00PM

MONDAY, MARCH 18

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 11:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Mozart Requiem SingAlong w/ the Asheville Symphony Chorus, 7:00PM

ARCHETYPE BREWING Old Time Jam, 5:00PM

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE Asheville Chamber Music Series: TakĂĄcs String Quartet w/ Garrick Ohlsson, 8:00PM

CASCADE LOUNGE Game Night, 6:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Country Karaoke w/ KJ Tim-O, 10:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Trivia, 7:30PM Open Mic, 9:30PM LOBSTER TRAP Bobby Miller and friends, 6:30PM NOBLE KAVA Ladies Night Stage Fright Open Mic (7:30pm Sign up), 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Risque Monday Burlesque Hosted By Deb Au Nare, 9:00PM

DOUBLE CROWN Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Tuesday Bluegrass Sessions hosted by Ken Chapple and Another Country, 7:30PM LAZY DIAMOND Noiz Oasis w/ DJ Salty Stax (post-punk vinyl), 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown, 6:30PM NOBLE KAVA Open Jam, 8:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Open Mic Night, 7:30PM

ODDITORIUM Free Open Mic Comedy, 9:00PM

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Jazz Monday Open Jam, 8:30PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Turntable Tuesday, 10:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Mountain Music Mondays Open Jam, 6:00PM REVOLVE MUSIC MATTERS: Asheville FM Lecture Series feat. Cousin TL - Prince B4 the Reign, 7:00PM

THE GREY EAGLE Open Mic Night, 6:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Leo Johnson (Gypsy jazz), 9:00PM

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ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Evening of Classical Guitar - 1st & 3rd Tuesdays, 8:00PM

CORK & KEG Old Time Moderate Jam, 5:00PM

SLY GROG LOUNGE Brown Kid, 7:00PM

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8:00PM

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Siamese Sound Club (R&B, soul, jazz), 8:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic Night: It Takes All Kinds, 7:00PM

TUESDAY, MARCH 19

ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Pizza Karaoke, 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Jeff Tweedy w/ James Elkington, 7:30PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Team Trivia w/ Josh Dunkin, 7:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Tomato Calculator & DJ Juan Bounce, 8:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Swing AVL Dance w/ Sweet Megs & the Wayfarers (swing lessons, 7 & 8pm), 9:00PM Late Night Blues Dance, 11:00PM

THE IMPERIAL LIFE Leo Johnson (Gypsy jazz), 9:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Open Mic hosted by Clint Bussey, 8:00PM THE MARKET PLACE RESTAURANT AND LOUNGE Rat Alley Cats, 6:00PM THE ROOT BAR Papa Vay Landers (classic country), 7:00PM THE SOCIAL Open Mic w/ Riyen Roots, 8:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Early Funk Jam, 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Robert's Twin Leaf Trivia, 8:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Jam, 6:30PM Open Mic, 8:30PM

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk music), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Chili Slaw Sessions w/ Tom Kirschbaum & Friends, 6:00PM BEN'S TUNE UP Magenta Sunshine March Residency, 8:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic hosted by Mark Bumgarner, 7:00PM BYWATER Open Can of Jam, 3:00PM CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats, 7:30PM DOUBLE CROWN Western Wednesday w/ Megg Farrel & Friends & DJ, 9:00PM FUNKATORIUM The Saylor Brothers, 6:30PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Woody Wood Wednesday, 6:00PM ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Pumpkin Bread CD Release, 7:00PM Anthony Wayne Vibe, 8:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5:00PM

NANTAHALA BREWING'S ASHEVILLE OUTPOST Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7:00PM NOBLE KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Caleb Beissert (7:30pm sign up), 8:00PM ODDITORIUM Indigo De Souza w/ Icky Bricketts (Indie), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING OWB Downtown: Grandchildren, 9:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST OWB West: Muddy Ruckus, 9:00PM ORANGE PEEL Lucinda Williams and Buick 6, 8:00PM PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR Laura Thurston, 7:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY French Broad Valley Music Association Mountain Music Jam, 6:00PM SLY GROG LOUNGE Weird Wednesday Jam, 5:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night hosted by Jason DeCristofaro, 6:30PM STRAIGHTAWAY CAFE Chalwa, 6:30PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Lucid Sound Project: Sound Meditation, 5:30PM Asheville's Most Wanted Funk Bandits, Kazz & Unk, 8:00PM THE GOLDEN FLEECE Scots-Baroque ChamberFolk w/ The Tune Shepherds, 7:00PM THE GREY EAGLE CAAMP: Strawberries Tour w/ Ona, 8:00PM THE ROOT BAR Lucky James (blues, Americana), 8:00PM TOWN PUMP Open Mic with David Bryan, 8:00PM

LAZY DIAMOND Killer Karaoke w/ KJ TimO, 10:00PM

TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Blues and Soul Jam, 9:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Cigar Brothers, 6:30PM

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic Night, 7:00PM

MOVIE REVIEWS

Hosted by the Asheville Movie Guys EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com

BRUCE STEELE bcsteele@gmail.com

★ PICK OF THE WEEK ★

Everybody Knows HHHH Director: Asghar Farhadi Players: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Ricardo Darín Drama/Mystery RATED R Not the Leonard Cohen biopic its title suggests, Everybody Knows marks a shift for Iranian master filmmaker Asghar Farhadi. Famous for intense dramas speckled with narrative-shifting revelations that make viewers and characters alike question their values and understanding of humanity, the two-time Oscar winner (A Separation; The Salesman) employs a fairly straightforward mystery for his latest film, sparked by the disappearance of a wedding guest in a town just outside Madrid. With ransom notes prompting a witch hunt for the responsible party, reallife married couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem simmer as former lovers whose unresolved past is excavated during the investigation and displayed for all to see in heartbreaking fashion. Beyond the central duo, despite a host of players capable of propelling the plot, the conflict is contained to a surprisingly small number of people instead of the series of new, epipha-

ny-bringing figures that have defined the filmmaker’s best work, especially The Past (2014). While this limited circle of agents produces an occasionally stagnant pace, the tension remains fairly high throughout, and when devastating new information is revealed, it lands with intense emotion in classic Farhadi style. Now playing at the Fine Arts Theatre REVIEWED BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN EARNAUDIN@MOUNTAINX.COM

Captain Marvel HHHS

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck Players: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, “Goose” RATED PG-13 After the success and acclaim of 2017’s Wonder Woman, it was only a matter of time before the Marvel Cinematic Universe countered the DC Universe with its own female-led superhero movie. Released in conjunction with International Women’s Day, the origin story of Carol Danvers aka “Captain Marvel” is trouncing the box

HHHHH

THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS

= MAX RATING Michelle Keenan

office and winning the hearts of men, women and children. Captain Marvel hits all the right notes while never failing to entertain. A large part of this success can be attributed to the writing/directing duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the creative team known for such indie films as Half Nelson. They bring a humanity to the story that makes it broadly appealing and current, a spirit that the actors then further elevate. Oscar winner Brie Larson is our titular character, though the moniker is never once uttered in the film. Uncovering her complicated background, whether as a human or a member of the alien Kree race, she encounters many of the misogynistic tropes that anyone lacking a Y chromosome has experienced in life — especially “mansplaining” and gaslighting. Carol responds throughout with sassy one-liners and a spitfire manner, but as her memories return and her truth revealed, she becomes the best version of herself — strong, smart, kind, just and completely comfortable in her own skin. Larson is supported by a terrific cast, including Jude Law, Annette Benning and Ben Mendelsohn, but it’s a digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson as the beloved S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury with whom she shares the most screen time. Amid a mid-’90s backdrop, well before the eye-patched Fury appears in the 2008-set Iron Man, the pair have great chemistry, and Jackson is, as always, a total delight. Captain Marvel further benefits from a sense of nostalgia, a crackling script and a scene-stealing orange tabby cat named Goose. Unlike many of the DC films, the MCU infuses a lot of humor in its stories and never takes itself too seriously. Captain Marvel is a welcome addition to the Avengers series and will appeal to devotees and newbies alike. REVIEWED BY MICHELLE KEENAN REELTAKES@HOTMAIL.COM

Kristina Guckenberger

Ali McGhee

STARTING FRIDAY Climax (R) HHHH Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (PG) HHS JUST ANNOUNCED Captive State (PG-13) Chicagoans revolt against their alien enslavers. Five Feet Apart (PG-13) Two sick teens fall in love at a hospital. Wonder Park (PG) A young girl’s imagination runs wild at a theme park.

CURRENTLY IN THEATERS Alita: Battle Angel (PG-13) HHHH Apollo 11 (G) HHHS Birds of Passage (R) HHHH Capernaum (R) HHHH Captain Marvel (PG-13) HHHS Everybody Knows (R) HHHH (Pick of the Week) Fighting with My Family (PG-13) HHHH Green Book (PG-13) HH Greta (R) HH How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (PG) HHHHS Isn’t It Romantic (PG-13) HHH The Kid (R) HHH The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (PG) HHHH Lords of Chaos (R) HHH A Madea Family Funeral (PG-13) HH Mary Poppins Returns (PG) HHHHS The Mule (R)HH Run the Race (PG) HH

Climax HHHH Director: Gaspar Noé Players: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub Drama/Horror RATED R

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (PG) HHHH A Star Is Born (R) HHHS A Tuba to Cuba (NR) HHHH The Upside (PG-13) HHHH

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MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

MOVIES How does one even begin to describe Gaspar Noé’s latest psychedelic dance thriller? Intense? Baffling? Unrelenting? A sick and twisted Boogie Nights had a grunge baby with Black Swan? Yes, yes, yes to all. After introductory, voyeuristic interviews with the cast of aspiring French dancers, screened on an old television with stacks of VHS tapes — including sinister mood-setters Suspiria and Possession — on either side, the leisurely tempo gets cranked up to 11 as the action shifts to an abandoned Parisian dance school in the winter of 1996. There, the infectious sounds of Cerrone’s “Supernature” perfectly syncopate with the dance troupe’s hypnotic rehearsal in which each performer is given a chance to shine with distinctly supercharged solo moves. They all appear to be possessed by the same psychosexual dance demon, but each character quickly piques one’s interest with his or her own brand of animalistic, sensually fluid gravitas. Once the dance ends, however, Climax soon devolves from a carefree cast party into a drug-induced dramedy of horrors. The trust the troupe once had for one another melts away with every LSD-laced glass of sangria

and the disoriented search for who spiked the beverage elicits guilty viewer delight as the drugs kick the characters’ reptilian brains into overdrive and they begin to ruthlessly destroy one another. Those first transfixing 20 minutes will have you glued to your seat, and the stellar soundtrack will echo throughout your cerebellum for days afterward. With song titles like “Sangria,” “Rollin’” and “Scratchin’” (all from Daft Punk) as well as Aphex Twin’s “Windowlicker” and Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love,” Climax’s tracklist brilliantly heightens the highs and lowers the lows of each dancer’s wicked acid trip, mirroring the hell brewing within each character as it leaches out in guttural screams and silent fits on the dancefloor. Though the plot slows considerably in the second half, favoring topsy-turvy surveillance over detailed descents into madness, the overabundance of indelible images — from a bird’s-eye view of a bloodied woman dragging her body through the snow to a half-naked German woman named Psyche silently dancing upside down on a red ceiling — make Benoît Debie’s haunting cinematography and Noé’s defiant directing a truly experiential spectacle.

It wouldn’t be a Noé film without a few shocked viewers fleeing the theater, but for those who choose to brave the depravity, the payoff feels equal parts traumatic and dazzling. Climax is undoubtedly made to disrupt your morning (and afternoon and evening), but ultimately it forces you to watch its hallucinatory horror unfold with untethered excitement. I couldn’t look away for one second and, frankly, I’m so glad I didn’t. Starts March 15 at Grail Moviehouse REVIEWED BY KRISTINA GUCKENBERGER KRISTINA.GUCKENBERGER@GMAIL.COM

Lords of Chaos HHH Director: Jonas Åkerlund Players: Rory Culkin, Emory Cohen, Jack Kilmer, Sky Ferreira Biopic/Horror RATED R Jonas Åkerlund’s Lords of Chaos raises a lot of unexpectedly deep questions: What does it mean to belong to a group? What is true friendship? How fuzzy can the line between performance and real life get?

The answers get increasingly complicated for the film’s central characters, cinematic versions of the real-life Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. Back in the 1980s, members of the group were accused of burning several of the country’s historic churches — and they might have killed some people in the process. The ringleader was bassist Kristian “Varg” Vikernes, who served a pitifully short (16-year) jail sentence for murder. Lords of Chaos picks up before all of the arson and homicides, laying the groundwork for the darkness ahead with the brutal suicide of the band’s original singer, Pelle “Dead” Ohlin (Jack Kilmer, simultaneously cherubic and brutal). We see this death and all events in the film through the eyes of our narrator, founding band member Euronymous, played with a darkly comic edge by Rory Culkin, who slithers between being completely unlikable and totally sympathetic with ease. Euronymous talks a big game about being an eeevil devil-worshipper, but it’s mostly just talk, albeit delivered with sardonic wit that kept me compelled even when the film waded kneedeep into gruesome violence of the most visceral kind (which, if you want

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The evening includes a brief introduction by the Asheville Movie Guys, Bruce C. Steele and Edwin Arnaudin of AshevilleMovies.com, as well as a lively discussion with the audience after the credits.

Everybody Knows Mon., 3/18, 7pm • Fine Arts Theatre 36 Biltmore Ave., Asheville

Do you want an email reminder prior to each Asheville Movie Guys night? Send an email with ‘Asheville Movie Guys’ in the subject line to ashevillemovies@gmail.com Xpress readers who say “Penelope” at the box office receive a discounted ticket price of $6.50 per person.

SCREEN SCENE to keep track, happens three times). He builds up an entourage of impressionable young men with dark inclinations, and together they have frat house-style bro-a-thons in the basement of the record store he’s opened on his father’s dime. It’s around these hard-partying times that Varg fatefully enters the picture. A textbook “poser” when we first meet him — and called out as such by Euronymous — he imitates Mayhem and slowly insinuates himself into their lives, eventually joining the band. Emory Cohen’s Varg is perfect. He’s so baby-faced and eager to please that he’s easy to underestimate, which is exactly what Euronymous does. When Varg starts acting out the fantasies Euronymous only talks about, becoming increasingly more fascistic and unhinged as the film goes on, it’s only a matter of time before everything, including all of those lovely 12th-century stave churches, goes up in flames. Lords of Chaos is a dark movie, but it’s also an extremely funny one. The ridiculous hyperbole of Euronymous and his minions is pure gold. At one point a young woman asks Euronymous about the band’s groupies. He doesn’t miss a beat, telling her with a straight face, “We don’t want any groupies. We’re into death and destruction. When people hear our music, we want them to commit suicide.” Of course, he knows better, because who would be out there to buy records if everyone were dead? But Varg doesn’t seem to grasp that concept, either because he’s deep into pretending to be a nihilist or he actually is one. Their story is not one that ends well (but you don’t expect it too, right?). The ride, however, is surprisingly fun. Now playing at Grail Moviehouse REVIEWED BY ALI MCGHEE ALIMCGHEE@GMAIL.COM

Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase HHS

Director: Katt Shea Players: Sophia Lillis, Sam Trammell Crime/Family RATED PG Arriving at a time when the oncepopular Nancy Drew books carry minuscule cultural currency beyond nostalgic boomers, Katt Shea’s Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase nonetheless has the potential to appeal to those dormant fans as well as contemporary plucky tweens. Competently made and always in motion, the adaptation smartly casts

Sophia Lillis as the teen sleuth and sticks her in the middle of a haunted house conundrum — a predicament somewhere between the heightened perils the actress faced in It and HBO’s “Sharp Objects.” The captivating redhead continues to be a beacon in mediocre projects, elevating the film’s passable writing through her bubbly personality and momentarily making viewers forget about transparent villains and groaninducing attempts at humor. Corniness and predictability aside, Hidden Staircase succeeds at its goals of playing to its intended audience, and while it’s likely to go the way of Emma Roberts’ likable Nancy Drew (2007) and fail to produce a sequel, its disposable fun and noncloying promotion of friendship and familial unity are a welcome change of pace. Starts March 15 REVIEWED BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN EARNAUDIN@MOUNTAINX.COM

The Kid HHH Director: Vincent D’onofrio Players: Ethan Hawke, Jake Schur, Dane Dehaan, Chris Pratt Western/Biopic RATED R The title of The Kid refers both to the real-life Billy the Kid and to the movie’s fictional 14-year-old protagonist, Rio (newcomer Jake Schur), who kills his own abusive father in the early 1880s, then goes on the run with his older sister, pursued by their nasty Uncle Grant (Chris Pratt, relishing the chance to break bad). The fugitives soon fortuitously find themselves in the middle of a shootout between Billy the Kid (Dane DeHaan) and Sheriff Pat Garrett (Ethan Hawke). As the movie unfolds — with plenty of gunfights, a jailbreak and a hanging — Rio learns vital life lessons both from Billy, a fearless and amoral force of nature, and from the lawman’s more complex moral judgments. Directed by actor Vincent D’Onofrio (who gives himself a small cameo), The Kid is a good-looking film that unspools at a measured pace. The ambitious screenplay is full of mini-monologues about fate and morality, and for once DeHaan’s tendency to chew the scenery is put to good use, while Hawke continues in the vein of First Reformed, portraying another determined self-doubter. The Kid isn’t quite as weighty as some of its dialogue or quite as exciting as the best neo-Westerns, but it finds its own middle meta-ground. REVIEWED BY BRUCE STEELE BCSTEELE@GMAIL.COM

by Edwin Arnaudin | earnaudin@mountainx.com artists in the Asheville area to network and meet one another. Attendees are invited to bring their own beverages. Post-event mingling will continue next door at Highland Brewing Co. Free to attend. avl.mx/5rp

PLEASE ADVISE: Casting director Erica S. Bream will be the featured speaker at the next AVL Filmmaker Mixer on March 18. Photo courtesy of Michae E. Allen via LOAA and Detour Entertainment • The Cat Fly Film Fest, AVLFilm. com and The Asheville Studio, 12 Old Charlotte Highway, Suite 75, co-host their monthly Asheville Filmmaker Mixer on Monday, March 18, 6-8 p.m. Casting director Erica S. Bream will lead a discussion on the casting process, self-taping dos and don’ts, the difference(s) between the Los Angeles and Southeast film and television industries and more. The longtime LA casting director has worked on such projects as Hulu’s “11.22.63,” Netflix’s “Altered Carbon” and Star Trek: Into Darkness. She relocated to Asheville in 2017 and works regionally while remaining connected with projects in LA, New York City and other major markets. The gathering seeks to provide an opportunity for filmmakers and media

FILM 'KILIAN JORNET, PATH TO EVEREST' • FR (3/15), 7:15pm Monthly screening of inspirational running documentaries, featuring Kilian Jornet, Path to Everest. Hosted by Relentless Running Events. Potluck snacks encouraged. Free to attend. Held at Lookout Brewing Company, 103 S. Ridgeway Ave., #1, Black Mountain 'ONE FAST MOVE OR I’M GONE' • TH (3/21), 7pm - One Fast Move or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur,

documentary based on Jack Kerouac’s novel, Big Sur. Free for BMBC+AC members + students/$8 non-members. Held at Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St.

• Tickets are on sale for the Asheville Jewish Film Festival, which will be composed of Thursday evening premieres and Friday matinee encores at the Fine Arts Theatre, 36 Biltmore Ave. Nikolaus Leytner’s drama The Tobacconist, about a young man’s friendship with Sigmund Freud during the Nazi occupation of Vienna, kicks off the festival on Thursday, March 21, at 7 p.m. and will be shown again Friday, March 22, at 1 p.m. Marc Fusco’s drama The Samuel Project, chronicling a teenager who gets to know his isolated grandfather via a school art project, follows on Thursday, March 28, at 7 p.m. and Friday, March 29, at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 4, brings a 7 p.m. screening of the romantic drama Leona, Isaac Cherem’s tale of a young Jewish woman in Mexico City who finds herself split between her family and her forbidden love with a non-Jewish man. It will also be shown at 1 p.m. on Friday, April 5. Chewdaism: A Taste of Jewish Montreal, in which foodies Eli Batalion and Jamie Elman take viewers on a daylong eating tour of the Quebec city, closes out the festival on Thursday, April 11, at 6 p.m. and Friday, April 12, at 1 p.m. All tickets are $10 with the exception of the April 11 screening of Chewdaism — which are $25 and include a reception at Blue Spiral 1 with catering by Suzy Phillips of Gypsy Queen Cuisine — and may be purchased online or at the Fine Arts box office. ajff.fineartstheatre.com X

Viggo Mortensen. Complimentary popcorn provided. Free. Held at Columbus Library, 1289 W. Mills St., Columbus

coming-of-age crime

333 Thompson St.,

ASHEVILLE FILM SOCIETY: ‘SUNSET BOULEVARD’ • TH (3/14), 7pm Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard. $7.50. Held at The Fine Arts Theatre, 36 Biltmore Ave.

FLOOD GALLERY WORLD CINEMA: 'CHICKEN WITH PLUMS' • FR (3/15), 8-10pm - Marjane Satrapi's 2011 drama 'Chicken With Plums.' Admission by donation. Held at Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 850 Blue Ridge Road, Unit A-13, Black Mountain

FILM FRIDAYS: 'GREEN BOOK' • FR (3/15), 1pm Green Book, starring Mahershala Ali and

HENDERSONVILLE FILM SOCIETY: 'MILLIONS' • SU (3/17), 2pm Danny Boyle's 2004

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drama 'Millions.' Screened in the Smoky Mountain Theater. Free. Held at Lake Pointe Landing, Hendersonville SALUDA COMMUNITY LIBRARY 44 W. Main St., Saluda, 828-749-2117, polklibrary.org/saluda • WE (3/13), noon Mary Queen of Scots, starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie. Complimentary popcorn provided. Free.

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The coming weeks might be a good time to acquire a flamethrower. It would come in handy if you felt the urge to go to a beach and incinerate mementoes from an ex-ally. It would also be useful if you wanted to burn stuff that reminds you of who you used to be and don’t want to be anymore; or if you got in the mood to set ablaze symbols of questionable ideas you used to believe in but can’t afford to believe in any more. If you don’t want to spend $1,600+ on a flamethrower, just close your eyes for 10 minutes and visualize yourself performing acts of creative destruction like those I mentioned. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus aphorist Olivia Dresher writes that she would like to be “a force of nature,” but “not causing any suffering.” The way I interpret her longing is that she wants to be wild, elemental, uninhibited, primal, raw, pure — all the while without inflicting any hurt or damage on herself or anyone else. In accordance with your astrological omens, Taurus, that’s a state I encourage you to embody in the coming weeks. If you’re feeling extra smart — which I suspect you will — you could go even further. You may be able to heal yourself and others with your wild, elemental, uninhibited, primal, raw, pure energy. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In some major cities, the buttons you push at a crosswalk don’t actually work to make the traffic light turn green faster. The same is true about the “Close Door” buttons in many elevators. Pushing them doesn’t have any effect on the door. Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer says these buttons are like placebos that give you “the illusion of control.” I bring this phenomenon to your attention, Gemini, in hope of inspiring you to scout around for comparable things in your life. Is there any situation where you imagine you have power or influence but probably don’t? If so, now is an excellent time to find out — and remedy that problem. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Philip Boit was born and raised in Kenya, where it never snows except on the very top of Mount Kenya. Yet he represented his country in the cross-country skiing events at the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2006. How did he do it? He trained up north in snowy Finland. Meanwhile, Kwame NkrumahAcheampong competed for Ghana in the slalom in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Since there was no snow in his homeland, he practiced his skills in the French Alps. These two are your role models for the coming months, Cancerian. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’ll have the potential to achieve success in tasks and activities that may not seem like a natural fit.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover,” wrote author James Baldwin. “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” To fully endorse that statement, I’d need to add two adverbs. My version would be, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to kindly and compassionately make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” In accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend that you Libras enthusiastically adopt that mission during the coming weeks. With tenderness and care, help those you care about to become aware of what they’ve been missing — and ask for the same from them toward you. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): For thousands of generations, our early ancestors were able to get some of the food they needed through a practice known as persistence hunting. They usually couldn’t run as fast as the animals they chased. But they had a distinct advantage: They could keep moving relentlessly until their prey grew exhausted. In part that’s because they had far less hair than the animals and thus could cool off better. I propose that we adopt this theme as a metaphor for your life in the coming weeks and months. You won’t need to be extra fast or super ferocious or impossibly clever to get what you want. All you have to do is be persistent and dogged and disciplined. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Wompsi’kuk Skeesucks Brooke is a Native American woman of the Mohegan tribe. According to her description of Mohegan naming traditions, and reported by author Elisabeth Pearson Waugaman, “Children receive names that are descriptive. They may be given new names at adolescence and again as they go through life according to what their life experiences and accomplishments are.” She concludes that names “change as the individual changes.” If you have been thinking about transforming the way you express and present yourself, you might want to consider such a shift. 2019 will be a favorable time to at least add a new nickname or title. And I suspect you’ll have maximum inspiration to do so in the coming weeks. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): For many of us, smell is our most neglected sense. We see, hear, taste and feel with vividness and eagerness, but allow our olfactory powers to go underused. In accordance with astrological omens, I hope you will compensate for that dearth in the coming weeks. There is subtle information you can obtain — and in my opinion, need quite strongly — that will come your way only with the help of your nose. Trust the guidance provided by scent.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the process of casting for his movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, director David Fincher considered selecting A-list actress Scarlet Johansson to play the heroine. But ultimately he decided she was too sexy and radiant. He wanted a pale, thin, tougher-looking actress, whom he found in Rooney Mara. I suspect that in a somewhat similar way, you may be perceived as being too much something for a role you would actually perform quite well. But in my astrological opinion, you’re not at all too much. In fact, you’re just right. Is there anything you can do — with full integrity — to adjust how people see you and understand you without diluting your brightness and strength?

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Essayist Nassim Nicholas Taleb says humans come in three types: fragile, robust or antifragile. Those who are fragile work hard to shield themselves from life’s messiness. The downside? They are deprived of experiences that might spur them to grow smarter. As for robust people, Taleb believes they are firm in the face of messiness. They remain who they are even when they’re disrupted. The potential problem? They may be too strong to surrender to necessary transformations. If you’re the third type, antifragile, you engage with the messiness and use it as motivation to become more creative and resilient. The downside? None. In accordance with the astrological omens, Aquarius, I urge you to adopt the antifragile approach in the coming weeks.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1993, an English gardener named Eric Lawes used his metal detector to look for a hammer that his farmer friend had lost in a field. Instead of the hammer, he found the unexpected: a buried box containing 15,234 old Roman silver and gold worth more than $4 million today. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect that you, too, will soon discover something different from what you’re searching for. Like the treasure Lawes located, it might even be more valuable than what you thought you wanted.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 2014, NASA managed to place its MAVEN spacecraft into orbit around Mars. The cost of the mission was $671 million. Soon thereafter, the Indian government put its own vehicle, the Mangalyaan, into orbit around the Red Planet. It spent $74 million. As you plan your own big project, Pisces, I recommend you emulate the Mangalyaan rather than the MAVEN. I suspect you can do great things — maybe even your personal equivalent of sending a spacecraft to Mars — on a relatively modest budget.

MARCH 13 - 19, 2019

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BY ROB BREZSNY

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TEACHING/ EDUCATION

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XCHANGE ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES I BUY OLD PAPER MONEY Buying old paper money, notes, bonds, documents, etc. Asheville, WNC and East TN. • Top value offered. Questions welcome! Call (865) 207-8994 or papermoneybuy@gmail.com

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FOR MUSICIANS

edited by Will Shortz

Note: The clues in this “uniclue” crossword appear in a single list, combining Across and Down. When two answers share a number, they also share a clue. 18 Seminary subj. 39 Carnival game with CLUES bottles 1 It emerges at dawn 19 Give a hand to 40 Author Sholem 20 Implore 2 Sch. with a campus in 21 “___ from that …” 41 Drinking game penalty, perhaps Providence 22 Old person, in 42 Many a character 3 Dainty eaters Oldenburg in Ann M. Martin’s 4 Prometheus’ gift 23 Presided over “The Baby-Sitters 5 N.Y.C. subway 24 Word of greeting Club” letters 25 Notable stretches 43 “Peter Pan” dog 6 Rapping sound 26 Help for a star 44 Language of the witness? 7 Runs off to a answers to this justice of the 27 Sadistic puzzle’s uniclues peace 28 Underground rock 45 Urban area 8 May honoree 29 Dawn’s direction 46 Good place to be 9 “Awake and Sing!” 30 Sound from a during a blizzard playwright Clifford rowdy crowd 47 It might be left 10 Bygone Pan Am 31 Like Ganymede holding the bag rival among Jupiter’s 48 British bottom 11 Call to the hounds moons 49 Annoy 32 “Somebody That 12 Port up the 50 Cpl. or sgt. I Used to Know” lake from singer, 2011 51 Comment made Cleveland, O. while yawning 33 Byron’s “before” 13 Clarify, as butter 52 One practicing 34 Light beige 14 “Either you do it self-help, ___ will” 35 Alternative to a informally cup 15 Russia’s ___ 53 Declares with Mountains 36 Dungeons & confidence Dragons, for one, 16 Source of some 54 Prime-time time in brief pop-ups 55 ___ factor 37 Classify by type 17 Contribution of 38 “Otello” and 56 Miley Cyrus’s Gilbert, but not “Pagliacci” Sullivan “Party in the ___”

No. 0206

PUZZLE BY QUEENA MEWERS AND ALEX EATON-SALNERS

57 One of Donald Trump Jr.’s parents 58 World Smile Day mo. 59 Hair-coloring technique 60 Dr. of rap

61 Fight finisher 62 Facility at Quantico, Va.: Abbr. 63 News inits. since 1958 64 Line on a receipt 65 Any of the Magi

66 Nessie’s home 67 Where you might get into hot water 68 Dissuades 69 “When all ___ fails …” 70 How many feet are in a fathom

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

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