Mountain Xpress 03.23.22

OUR 28TH Y EA R OF W E E K LY I NDE PE NDE NT NEWS, A RTS & EVE NTS FOR W E STE R N NORTH CA ROLI NA VOL . 28 NO. 34 M A RCH 23 -29, 2022

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C ONTENT S

WELLNESS

FEATURE

NEWS

NEWS

FEATURES 8

CUTE OVERLOAD Animal welfare community prepares for another ‘kitten season’

10 WORK IN PROGRESS No violations of local nondiscrimination ordinances found so far

18 Q&A WITH RENÉE WHITE East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association president talks social justice, community involvement

24 FLYING HIGH Air ambulances save time, lives in WNC

PAGE 26 100 AND COUNTING First launched on WRES as a live broadcast in 2014, “The Waters and Harvey Show” subsequently joined Blue Ridge Public Radio in 2017.

This spring, the show’s hosts will celebrate their 100th episode.

COVER PHOTO UNC Asheville COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick

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LETTERS

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CARTOON: MOLTON

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CARTOON: BRENT BROWN

6

COMMENTARY

8

NEWS

12 SNAPSHOT 17 BUNCOMBE BEAT

A&C

20 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 28 MINIMALIST DESIGN Josh Wardrip’s debut novel combines style and substance

24 WELLNESS 26 ARTS & CULTURE

A&C

36 CLUBLAND 30 QUEEN OF THE HILL Local archivist discovers distant relative’s criminal history in WNC

38 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 38 CLASSIFIEDS 39 NY TIMES CROSSWORD

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OPINION

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

On improving downtown Asheville

Elizabeth Warren, both of whom wanted to cut the F-35 program. Keep up this progressive momentum! Vote for Branyon on May 17.

— Larry Abbott Enka-Candler Editor’s note: Abbott reports serving as the candidate’s campaign treasurer.

[Regarding “Homelessness, Safety Rank as Top Downtown Concerns,” March 16, Xpress:] The problems sound enormous and hopeless, and I’m an optimist. But some cities have found solutions.

But improvement is needed: 1. Homelessness — but if AVL is able to do much more, does that attract more homeless to AVL? 2. Stop hotel construction for five-10 years! If “Asheville” stopped spending millions yearly on advertising, then we’re certain that tourist clutter would lessen.

Thank you, [Asheville Downtown Association Executive Director] Meghan Rogers, and good luck on this.

— Alberto Colonia and George Hunker Asheville

Ullman offers leadership on environmental issues Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time. Maggie Ullman Berthiaume is the only City Council candidate with environmental or climate credentials, and she has two qualities we need: 1) leadership on environmental issues and 2) a proven ability to work with the city.

When my wife and I moved to Asheville in 2007, a goal I set for myself was to get involved in our community. I joined the city’s newly formed Sustainability Advisory Committee on Energy and Environment, serving one year as chair.

At SACEE, I met Maggie Ullman, a recent UNC Asheville graduate in environmental policy and management who was serving as Asheville’s first sustainability officer. Maggie immediately and consistently impressed me with her professionalism and effectiveness.

Dominion pipeline proposal needs further study

C A RT O O N B Y R AN DY M O L T O N Maggie was responsible for guiding SACEE to ensure our community met our goal of reducing the carbon footprint of municipal operations by at least 4% per year. Under Maggie’s leadership, we exceeded that goal every year. The goal has not been met since Maggie left to work on regional and international climate change action.

At present, our city has a goal to implement 100% renewable energy by 2030. Unfortunately, the city is nowhere near achieving this goal. I sincerely believe that we could achieve that goal if we elect Maggie to City Council.

I support Maggie Ullman for City Council, and I hope you will join me and vote for Maggie in the nonpartisan primary on May 17.

— Dane Barrager Downtown resident and business owner Asheville Editor’s note: Barrager reports volunteering for the candidate’s campaign.

Keep progressive momentum with Branyon I’m one of those who had to flee Asheville due to outrageous rent increases and now live in the western fringe. Although I live in Buncombe County District 3, I encourage thought-

ful voters still hanging on in Asheville District 1 to vote for Bill Branyon for county commissioner.

He was a founding member of the [Green Line, predecessor of] Mountain Xpress, and he’s worked as a journalist for 30 years to try to get Buncombe County to live up to its potential. Bill is opposed to making Buncombe County into one more servant of the military industrial complex, as is now happening with our nearly $100 million subsidy of the Pratt & Whitney F-35 parts plant, and will instead subsidize peaceful industries.

Mr. Branyon will also try to make Buncombe’s economy humane with a $17.30 minimum wage, rent controls, a permanent freeze on middle- and lower-class residential property taxes, a referendum on how much more development we want and protection of our remaining forests, such as Big Ivy. Bill has also proven that he is not intimidated by Jack Cecil (the first cousin of the owner of the Biltmore Estate) who got much of the F-35 plant deal together, including selling Pratt & Whitney 100 acres worth $6 million for $1.

Go to Branyonforcommissioner.org to see these and numerous other progressive programs Bill has envisioned for our county, whose Democrats, after all, voted 53% in favor of progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders and

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Dominion Energy, which markets fossil (“natural”) gas in the Asheville area, has applied to the National Park Service for a permit to construct a 12-inch gas pipeline underneath our Blue Ridge Parkway and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail near the French Broad River. In its EA (environmental assessment) to NPS, Dominion claims that the pipeline will have no impact on people, water, animals or vegetation, and those impacts can be “dismissed.”

In fact, Dominion’s pipeline drilling and installation could have a number of harmful impacts, which cannot be dismissed.

Water: Horizontal direct drilling of the sort which Dominion is proposing under the parkway usually requires a mix of chemicals and lubricants.

Some of these, like diesel fuel, are toxic to living creatures, including humans. It is likely that Dominion will use some of these potentially toxic chemicals in its drilling.

Also, Dominion says that the primary lubricant will be unspecified quantities of water from the French Broad River, which we know contains pathogens which Dominion does not mention. At a minimum, Dominion should be required to specify quantities, types and toxicity of whatever chemicals and lubricants it is proposing to use. (When I buy a $1 can of processed food, I get more information about what’s in it than Dominion has provided for a multimillion dollar pipeline.)

But Dominion claims there will be no adverse above-ground disruptions.

Everyone who lives in these mountains knows — but Dominion has chosen to ignore — that our mountains are full of underground streams and aquifers, which the drilling could clog, disrupt or even poison. Many of us drink this underground water out of springs and wells. Many animals do, too. Since water is life, its drilling would impact life on the surface. The EA must analyze these impacts.

Safety: It is well known that pipelines leak gas and do cause fires or even explosions. In 2019, a gas explo-

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN sion in Durham killed several people and destroyed several buildings.

Although the EA says the pipeline cannot be placed elsewhere due to safety concerns, it does not mention possible safety concerns on the heavily trafficked parkway and our Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

Global warming: Dominion’s pipeline likely will feed gas to the new $650 million Pratt & Whitney jet engine factory being built nearby.

But Dominion’s EA does not analyze the pipeline’s impacts on greenhouse gas emissions or global warming. At a minimum, the EA should specify how many tons of greenhouse gases the factory’s eight furnaces would emit.

Review and comment process: Although Dominion started developing planning four years ago, the public was given only one month to comment. This is insufficient time for an adequate response to a complicated and potentially environmentally and life-damaging project.

Summary: We are asking NPS to extend the EA comment period two months; hold public hearings; and require Dominion to submit a much more detailed environmental impact statement. NPS must learn from past experiences with Duke Energy’s coal ash pollution, Chemtronics and CTS Superfund sites and other environmental disasters in the Asheville area, and

not allow Dominion to get by with an inadequate environmental assessment.

— Steven Norris Fairview

State should beef up animal protection laws I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream and moved to Western North Carolina for the beautiful scenery and lifestyle it offers. However, it’s been bittersweet as a very ugly side of the state has become glaringly clear.

The North Carolina animal welfare legislation fails miserably to protect “man’s best friend” in extreme weather conditions. After a frustrating summer and winter of attempting to help many suffering dogs left outside in sweltering heat and freezing temperatures, it’s become clear that local law enforcement and the Humane Society are powerless to do anything to help.

One example of this is a skeletal dog who spends every day alone in a small, uncovered pen on the side of the road in front of his owner’s property. All

he has for relief from the beating sun in the hot summer months is a small plastic barrel on its side. In the winter months, I drove by almost daily, seeing him shivering in the snow with the same small barrel as his only shelter, with no space to turn around or house his food and water, which had to be left out in the snow to freeze. His barrel had no covering over it, so it sat in the snow and ice all winter long.

It is a fact that dogs are sentient beings, experiencing joy, pain, fear, sadness and anxiety, just like us. Why is North Carolina behind most other states when it comes to animal welfare? Texas recently passed The Safe Outdoor Dog Act, making this type of abuse a criminal offense punishable with fines and jail time.

Why doesn’t North Carolina offer the same protection? By not changing the laws, we are guilty of condoning abuse and normalizing neglect. It’s time to speak up for the most loyal, loving creatures on the planet who deserve our protection.

— Tracy Shoelson Black Mountain

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OPINION

Smoke gets in your eyes

“Community residents’ health shouldn’t have to suffer when there are practical alternatives to open burning.”

Let’s ban open burning in Buncombe County

BY MEGAN TAYLOR My family lives in Weaverville.

Over the last 10 years, northern Buncombe County’s landscape has greatly changed as a result of large and small residential development.

Our region certainly needs more housing, especially affordable housing, but that doesn’t have to come at the expense of community members’ health and well-being.

Unfortunately, after clearing forestland to make way for construction, developers often choose to burn the downed trees and plant material, and the resulting smoke threatens both neighboring residents and our shared environment. In effect, open burning in residential areas creates mini-forest fires with the potential for profound local consequences that may not be detected by remote air quality monitors.

Currently, in unincorporated areas of Buncombe County, developers are allowed to burn leaves, brush and tree limbs up to 12 inches in diameter, in piles at least 500 feet from the nearest occupied structure.

But the smoke produced by open burning of vegetation and other organic materials contains toxic gases, carcinogens and particulate matter that is small enough to enter the lungs. According to the American Lung Association, the health effects resulting from exposure to this smoke can include acute asthma aggravation, bronchitis, emphyse-

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ma and lung infections, as well as increased risk of heart attacks and cancer. The elderly, young children and people with existing health conditions are particularly vulnerable to these impacts.

BAD AIR DAYS

MEGAN TAYLOR

Asheville’s air quality has generally been very good since the coal-fired power plants in Tennessee and South Asheville were modified or closed.

However, during the large forest fires in 2016, the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality officially labeled our air quality unhealthy, due primarily to high levels of particulate matter. The local air quality agency maintains monitoring sites for particulate matter at the Buncombe County Schools’ central office, more than 10 miles from my home in the Reems Creek Valley.

One of the main tenets of conservation agriculture is that burning is bad: It kills important soil microorganisms, pollutes the water, leads to erosion and is toxic to the soil.

I checked in with Meghan Baker, a small-farms specialist with the Buncombe County office of N.C. Cooperative Extension, who agreed that burning has negative consequences. She noted, however, that in certain circumstances it can be an effective way to minimize disease pressure on woody plants. But Baker added that most farmers in our area don’t use the practice, since they grow herbaceous vegetable crops and tend to favor sustainable, regenerative approaches.

I also contacted Ashley Featherstone, director of the Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency, who said that in her experience, most of the burns that generate a lot of smoke and complaints are associated with the construction of big developments and subdivisions.

Featherstone stressed that no burning can occur before 8 a.m. and no wood can be added to an existing fire after 6 p.m., because smoke gets trapped close to the ground at night due to temperature inversions.

Otherwise, open burning is allowed except on days designated Code

Orange or higher, or on dry, windy days when the fire marshal restricts it. Code Orange days are those that exceed the standards for particulate matter or ground level ozone, as detected at the monitoring stations.

In 2011, she explained, the N.C. General Assembly reduced the statewide setback requirement for open burning from 1,000 feet to 500. Since then, she said, her agency has seen an increase in open burning-related complaints.

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IS THERE A BETTER WAY? North Carolina allows local governments to impose stricter regulations than the state’s minimum requirements. The town of Weaverville has done this, approving a more restrictive ordinance than the current rules for unincorporated areas of Buncombe County.

Weaverville’s ordinance allows campfires, agricultural best practices and Fire Department training but prohibits most other open burning within the town’s jurisdiction. Leaf and brush pickup is provided, and any Buncombe County resident or contractor can bring tree and leaf materials to the county facility, where they’re chipped and composted for a charge of $20 a ton.

Perhaps the county commissioners would consider waiving this charge to discourage burning and encourage conservation. Providing lowcost pickup and composting would also help.

Developers also have other options for dealing with vegetative debris generated by land clearing. Small tree limbs, stumps, brush and leaves can be chipped, shredded or ground up on-site and repurposed as mulch or for erosion control or walking paths, rather than having to remove

them. In addition, state law allows developers to burn trees and vegetation in an air curtain incinerator that minimizes the amount of smoke and particulate matter produced.

Considering the potential for harm, however, developers shouldn‘t generally be allowed to practice open burning just because it’s cheaper and/or easier for them than other disposal methods. Perversely, allowing land to be strip-cleared and the resulting debris to be burned actually encourages unnecessary tree removal during construction, whether as a matter of convenience or to create optimal views. This increases the risk of erosion while robbing the community of trees. Essentially, these developers are imposing the health and environmental impacts of their actions on others for their own financial benefit.

WHAT YOU CAN DO Individual homeowners can also do their part by composting organic material on their property, which is both simpler and safer than either burning or removing it. For those needing guidance, Asheville GreenWorks provides free educational seminars on composting. I simply rake our yard debris into a pile that naturally decays, adding nutrients to the soil. These practices are better for us and for our shared environment.

Residents’ health shouldn’t have to suffer when there are practical alternatives to open burning. I have started a digital petition asking Buncombe County to follow Weaverville’s lead in banning most open burning of brush and debris (avl.mx/be7). To be clear, this is not about campfires or burning wood for cooking or heating.

As our population continues to grow, we are putting more and more people at risk due to the health effects of breathing smoke. If you agree, please stand with your like-minded neighbors by signing the petition.

The more signatures we can collect, the more support it will create for stricter regulation that will improve both the local environment and our community’s health.

Retired physician Megan Taylor is a board-certified internist and allergy/ immunology/asthma specialist. She’s lived in Weaverville for 10 years. X

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7

NEWS

Cute overload

Animal welfare community prepares for another ‘kitten season’

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN jwakeman@mountainx.com Across the Northern Hemisphere, something is in the air. Gardeners are planting seeds. Dresses and skirts are getting shorter. As the first day of spring draws closer, Mother Nature turns her focus to the birds and the bees — and in Buncombe County, to the kittens.

March to October is the feline breeding season, colloquially known as “kitten season.” “Many shelters experience the bulk of their cat and kitten intakes during this time,” says Dr. Karla Brestle, senior director of training and programs for the ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance, or ASNA, in Asheville.

While this time of year always reaps bountiful kittens, the past two years have been exceptionally prodigious.

In Buncombe County, the COVID19 pandemic led to strains on local spay/neuter programs as fewer veterinarians performed surgeries on both domesticated cats and ferals. The result was packed shelters.

“I’m worried it’s going to take years to undo the damage of the pandemic,” says Dr. Ann Schneider from OpenDoor Veterinary Care in Asheville. “I don’t know how many cats went unspayed and unneutered because of that, but it’s got to be an enormous number. And now they’re out there reproducing.”

CAT REPRODUCTION 101 “Cats are very good at populating and they can populate at a really young age,” says Leigh Craig Fieser, executive director of Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, a shelter that also operates a low-cost spay/neuter mobile clinic.

Want to keep your community in the know?

PURR-FECT: Cats can go into heat at 4 months old and can birth two-three litters per year. Left unchecked, the feline population can grow exponentially. Photo courtesy of Asheville Humane Society Cats can go into heat at 4 months old but can be safety spayed or neutered at 2 months, says Brestle. A female cat can birth two-three litters per year, and each litter usually has three-five kittens.

A healthy cat can live up to 15 years old and hypothetically become mama to 180 kittens during her lifetime, she says.

Left unchecked, the feline population can grow exponentially, so experts recommend that kittens be altered as soon as possible. The majority of

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Buncombe County’s high-quality, high-volume, or HQHV, low-cost spay/ neuter procedures are done by ASNA, which serves 18 counties in Western North Carolina.

HQHV surgeries are a great resource for the community, says Laila Johnston, major gifts officer for Asheville Humane Society. “At your average vet, spay/neuter is very expensive here,” she explained.

People who take in an unaltered stray cat often have sticker shock, she said: “‘What do you mean spay/neuter is going to be $350?’”

Through ASNA, spaying a female cat costs $50, while neutering a male cat costs $35, according to its website.

Financial assistance from ASNA may be available to those who need it.

The community embraces these services: ASNA performed 14,371 spay/neuter procedures on cats in 2019, according to figures provided by the organization.

‘RECORD-SETTING’ BABIES The number of spay/neuter surgeries dropped during the COVID-19

pandemic after the U.S. surgeon general recommended the suspension of elective or nonessential surgeries, in part due to the scarcity of personal protective equipment at the beginning of the pandemic. For a time, ASNA stopped surgeries altogether, Brestle said. During 2020, ASNA performed 10,741 spay/neuter surgeries — nearly one-third fewer than the previous year.

Brother Wolf Animal Rescue also scaled back the number of alterations it offered during the pandemic. The nonprofit operated two mobile clinics during 2020, which enabled it to alter 3,136 cats, says Fieser. But during 2021, one veterinarian for its mobile clinic left. “We therefore, sadly, went down to one mobile clinic as we were unable to find a replacement veterinarian at that time,” says Fieser. Still, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue altered 1,336 cats in 2021.

Its mobile spay/neuter clinic runs four days per week — two in Buncombe County, one in Transylvania County and one in Burke County. One veterinarian and two veterinary assistants alter 20-25 animals per day, both cats and dogs. The clinic focuses on house

[appointment] times available that we would be able to fill them.”

cats (pets) as well as feral cats, Fieser says. (Animals in a shelter are kept in separate kennels for their health, which also prevents them from reproducing.)

Less frequent spay/neuter surgeries have cumulatively translated into more cats — at least at Asheville Humane Society. “Kitten season in 2021 was record-setting for us,” Johnston says.

“At the height of summer 2021, we were taking about 65 cats and kittens a day.”

Fieser notes that her shelter is usually full every kitten season, and that remained the same in the pandemic.

“Pre-COVID, Brother Wolf was always full of cats,” she says. “During COVID, Brother Wolf was always full of cats.”

BOTTLENECK When Asheville Humane Society has a packed shelter, it tends to create a bottleneck for adoptions, says Johnston.

“What happens when we can’t get animals fixed is that it causes a bottleneck between the shelter and the adoption side,” she explains. “Animals are adopted but sitting and taking up space for two weeks because we don’t let people take animals home unaltered.” It never euthanizes animals for space, she says.

Asheville Humane Society doesn’t regularly perform spay/neuter procedures at its facility; instead, medical director Dr. Chelsea Fogal focuses on basic health care for all animals coming in. But during the summer of 2021 when the kitten population peaked, Fogal began neutering male kittens.

(It’s easier to perform due to their external genitalia, Johnston explains.)

During 2021’s kitten season, Fogal performed as many as 22 neuters per week.

Fogal continued to perform neuter procedures in September, October, December and January. “We ideally shouldn’t have that number of pressing needs over the winter,” Johnston says.

Asheville Humane Society took in a record number of cats throughout winter 2021 and 2022, she says. (When the shelter fills, it can relocate animals to partner shelters up north, as well as local shelters.) “We have neonatal cats right now [in February], which is unusual, because theoretically kitten season should be starting next month,” she says. “We should be seeing maybe pregnant [cats]. But in December, we still have 5-day-old kittens, which is unusual.”

In addition to Fogal performing surgeries in-house, Asheville Humane Society also contracted with other veterinary clinics in Asheville to spay and neuter. And Brother Wolf, which also relies on ASNA for its in-house spay/neuter surgeries, contracted with other veterinary clinics as well.

Its veterinarian focuses primarily

A LOOK AHEAD

A CLAWS FOR CONCERN: Industry leaders warned the American Veterinary Medical Association that a shortage of veterinarians is “real and growing.”

Photo by Jeff Fobes on reaching communities with the mobile clinic, Fieser says.

MORE VETS NEEDED Controlling the cat population also depends on having enough professionals trained in the procedures. In January, veterinary industry leaders warned the American Veterinary Medical Association that a shortage of veterinarians is “real and growing.”

Spay/neuter surgeries are taught during veterinary school. But Buncombe County also happens to be where ASNA, a nationally recognized training facility for HQHV spay/neuter procedures, is located.

ASNA established a veterinarian training program for HQHV spay/ neuter in 2009, and in 2010 it added a veterinary student training program for students in their fourth year of veterinary school. The training occurs on-site at ASNA’s Asheville campus, which has 12 surgical suites.

ASNA trains about 800 veterinarians, veterinary techs and assistants in HQHV techniques each year, says Brestle. It also trained about 480 veterinary students per year prior to the pandemic.

But in March 2020, ASNA temporarily suspended its training. “Due to government mandates and to protect our staff and the community, we suspended on-site training for 13 months at the start of the pandemic,” Brestle explains. During the time ASNA suspended its training, its staff performed all the spay/neuter surgeries.

It also shifted its focus to distributing free cat and dog food to WNC animals and providing free urgent veterinary care to 327 pets, Brestle says.

ASNA returned to off-site training at clinics around North Carolina in July 2020, and resumed on-site train-

ing for HQHV “at a reduced capacity” in June 2021, Brestle says.

The nonprofit isn’t the only spay/ neuter facility that’s been effected.

OpenDoor Veterinary Care also is operating with one fewer veterinarian than normal, says Schneider. And its surgery schedule is full. “We’re booked out pretty far,” she says. “I know for sure that if we had more

Buncombe County’s animal welfare organizations work interdependently, and each is trying to do its part to prevent another overpopulated kitten season in 2022.

ASNA has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels of spay/neuter surgeries, performing 14,062 procedures on cats 2021. “There was significant demand for spay/neuter services prior to the pandemic, and that need has remained consistent,” says Brestle.

Currently, ASNA staff members perform approximately 440 HQHV spay/neuter surgeries per week, she says.

Fieser says Brother Wolf anticipates spaying and neutering 1,600 cats this year. It has performed 351 alteration surgeries on cats as of mid-March.

“I think that folks are a little nervous in the shelter environment,” says Johnston. “What is the summer going to look like?”

She adds, “We’re bracing for another record season.” X

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9

NEWS

Work in progress

No violations of local nondiscrimination ordinances found so far

BY MARK BARRETT markbarrett@charter.net Enforcing local nondiscrimination ordinances has so far prompted a lot less public discussion than did their adoption in April 2021.

There was heated debate before the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved the county’s ordinance, with more than 30 people speaking on the issue during one board meeting alone. (There was less controversy before Asheville City Council voted in a nearly identical ordinance a week later after hearing mostly, but not exclusively, supportive comments from the public.)

In comparison, the number of complaints filed under those ordinances with city and county governments has yet to top 25, and it appears that no one has been found in violation of the rules so far. According to public records obtained by Xpress, Asheville had received five complaints as of January, and Buncombe County had gotten 17 as of early March.

The city and county ordinances prohibit discrimination in employment, businesses and institutions open to the public based on 15 factors, including age, race, sexual orientation, disability and gender identification. They took effect July 1.

Some people involved in last year’s debate say it is difficult to gauge what the figures mean. There is some disagreement about the broader impact of the ordinances; supporters say they help set a norm that local communities oppose discrimination, while an opponent claims the amount of

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UNEQUAL TREATMENT? Former Buncombe County employee Peyton O’Conner, a transgender woman, says county government responded poorly when she complained about sexual harassment. Photo by Mark Barrett discrimination that occurs was exaggerated to begin with.

Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, executive director of Asheville-based LGBTQ

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rights advocacy organization Campaign for Southern Equality, was one of the main backers of the county ordinance.

She says the number of complaints coming to the county is not out of line from those in other communities with similar rules, “and what it shows is that people are using the resource.”

City Council member Antanette Mosley says many people who feel they have been discriminated against just move on instead of filing a complaint.

As a Black woman, Mosley says, she still experiences incidents in which she is treated differently because of her race. “I don’t think it’s unusual for people of color in particular to experience discriminatory action,” she says.

“Folks don’t necessarily complain about it every time,” she adds. “At some point, it becomes part of your day. And you pick your battles, and in order to be successful, you forge ahead.”

FEARS NOT REALIZED? Much of the discussion around the adoption of the ordinances concerned protections they would extend to gays, lesbians, transgender people and others in the LGBTQ community. Kristie Sluder, a social worker from Weaverville who spoke against the county ordinance before commissioners adopted it, now says the number of complaints casts doubt on claims of frequent discrimination.

“I have never run into someone with a violent disposition or a hatefilled disposition toward someone who’s LGBTQ,” says Sluder of her local experiences. Mountain people, she continues, “are not haters.

They’re a live-and-let-live people.”

(Both Sluder and Beach-Ferrara are running for the U.S. House District 11 seat representing most of Western North Carolina, Sluder in the Republican primary and BeachFerrara in the Democratic.)

Opponents argued a year ago that the nondiscrimation rules would be a burden on businesses and would create disruptions when, for instance, a transgender person used a public restroom not designated for the gender of that person’s birth. Sluder concedes she hasn’t heard of any such incidents locally since the ordinance went into effect and that “it hasn’t affected anything that I come into contact with in my daily life.”

The Rev. Micheal Woods, executive director of Western Carolina Rescue Ministries, also asked county commissioners last year not to adopt the ordinance. The mission uses the gender stated on clients’ state-issued identification to assign homeless shelter beds to men and women, and Woods feared that practice could run afoul of the ordinance’s protections for transgender people. The shelter’s policy is intended to protect clients from abusive partners or others who might harm them, not to discriminate against anyone, he says.

WCRM’s policy remains, and adoption of the ordinances “hasn’t affected us,” Woods now says. He notes that two men presented themselves as females and sought admission to the women’s dorm over the past year because they were searching for women they thought were staying there, but they were turned away.

That also happened several times before the ordinances were adopted, he says.

He remains a critic of the ordinances, saying state and federal laws already ban many types of discrimination. “I’m not sure it was necessary legislation, other than somebody being able to champion something

to advance themselves politically,” he says.

Blue Ridge Pride, an Ashevillebased LGBTQ support and advocacy group, does not investigate reports of discrimination, but Executive Director Tina White says she still hears plenty. She recounts calls from “employees who get harassment from their colleagues,” parents and students unhappy with issues at schools and a “trans waitress who regularly gets harassed by customers.”

She says some businesses may have changed practices since the ordinances were adopted and having them on the books is a big step forward. White, a transgender woman, says that when she lived in New York City a few years ago, she worried whether the police “would be on my side” if she were mugged.

“When you hear the community make a positive affirmation that says … ‘Our standards of decency apply to you’ … it’s a very important exercise,” she says.

Beach-Ferrara says discrimination against LGBTQ people hasn’t disappeared: “We know that because LGBTQ members of the community have experience with it.” A national poll for CBS News last year found that 68% of U.S. residents feel LGBT people face either “some” or “a lot” of discrimination.

WHAT COMPLAINTS SAY While LGBTQ issues dominated debate over the nondiscrimination ordinances in early 2021, the types of discrimination alleged in complaints since the rules went into effect in July have been broader. The most common categories have been race, disability, age and gender identity.

County government gave Xpress a summary of the 17 complaints it received but provided detailed documents for only six, saying those were the only documents actually filed after a complainant contacted the county. The city’s response was more complete, but both governments redacted complainants’ contact information.

One woman complained to the county that a bus driver had not picked her up at a stop because she was white. The county said it found no violation. Another complaint charged in July that the county Board of Education requiring masks was discriminatory; the county said it had no jurisdiction.

Buncombe’s summary says eight complaints were dismissed because the complainants did not respond to requests for more information.

The county had no jurisdiction in six cases, two cases are still under

investigation, and the county found no violation in one. One of the complaints to city government involved conduct that occurred before the ordinance went into effect, one pertained to a private club exempt from the ordinance, and one was against an institution outside the city. Two others alleging racial discrimination in accommodation were still under investigation as of late January.

One of the county’s cases hit close to home. Peyton O’Conner, then Buncombe’s head of recreation services, says another county employee sexually harassed her after she announced in September 2020 she was transitioning from male to female. That included a request by the employee to see O’Conner’s breasts after the transition, she says.

O’Conner says she complained to county management in January 2021 but that it took six or seven months to resolve the situation. The alleged harasser resigned, although not before threatening to reveal information about O’Conner unless she dropped the complaint and helped that person get a promotion.

The county then gave O’Conner a written warning stemming from a minor transgression of county rules that was 2 years old, she says, based on information that came to light during the investigation of her sexual harassment complaint.

O’Conner, a 14-year county employee and member of the Asheville City Board of Education, says she tired of the “toxic work environment” and resigned effective Dec. 1. “I really started to sense that how I was viewed in the workplace wasn’t equal to my peers,” she says.

She filed a complaint in November claiming the county had violated its own nondiscrimination ordinance, charging that Buncombe’s investigation was poorly done and the county had retaliated against her. In a Feb. 10 letter O’Conner provided, the county responded that she had failed to provide evidence of retaliation and that how an organization deals with allegations of sexual harassment falls outside the scope of the ordinance.

Beach-Ferrara said she agreed with O’Conner that county workers need more training on LGBT issues, another issue O’Conner had complained about, but said she could not discuss the case further.

County spokesperson Lillian Govus said Buncombe officials are not able to respond to individual personnel issues and that state law limits the release of information about local government employees.

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SNAPSHOT

N EWS Govus did say that the county is “striving to go beyond platitudes and authentically create more inclusive environments. … We wholeheartedly believe equity is at the core of what we do.”

NOT A CURE-ALL

PUBLIC LECTURE: Educators, parents and students with the Asheville City Schools system rallied before the March 14 meeting of the Asheville City Board of Education to demand that all school employees be paid a living wage. Over 75% of the district’s 707 employees had signed a petition in support of that request, along with over 200 community allies. Photo by Jennifer Castillo

Asheville and Buncombe County are among 16 local governments in North Carolina that have adopted nondiscrimination ordinances since a prohibition on such local rules expired in December 2020, says Kendra Johnson, executive director of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality North Carolina. The state General Assembly had banned nondiscrimination rules in 2016 when it passed HB2, controversial legislation that said state and local government must segregate restroom facilities according to the gender shown on people’s birth certificates. A compromise adopted in 2017 repealed most of HB2’s key provisions and set a December 2020 sunset on the local rules ban.

Asheville’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, which handles complaints under the city’s ordinance, had no permanent employees when the ordinance took effect. Its first director, Kimberlee Archie, had left in August 2020, saying she hadn’t been supported by top city officials.

Brenda Mills, who took over Archie’s job in late July, says the office is now fully staffed at four employees and is in the early stages of efforts to raise awareness of the city ordinance. The office’s duties include staffing a city commission on racial justice reparations and providing training and other support to make city government more equitable.

Rachel Edens, Buncombe County’s first chief equity and human rights officer, began work in November.

Assistant County Manager Dakesha “DK” Wesley had investigated nondiscrimination ordinance complaints before Edens began work, and the two now share that responsibility, Govus said.

Greensboro has had only a few inquiries about its nondiscrimination ordinance since its City Council voted in January 2021 to reactivate enforcement of an ordinance extending protections to LGBTQ people, says Allen Hunt, primary complaint officer in the city’s Human Rights Office. None of the inquiries resulted in formal complaints, he says.

Greensboro had included LGBTQ people in its nondiscrimination ordinance in 2015, but HB2 forced it to suspend enforcement.

Johnson says the relatively few verifiable complaints in North Carolina municipalities “is a positive thing” and probably reflect a long-term shift toward more tolerance of LGBTQ people — as well as the reluctance of some people who are discriminated against to bring a complaint. People harmed by discrimination often worry that pushing back will damage relationships with family, friends, fellow churchgoers and others, she says. She also believes the number of local complaints is not unusual.

But anyone who thinks prejudice against LGBTQ people has disappeared, Johnson continues, should reflect on the dozens of bills being considered in state legislatures around the country that LGBTQ people consider hostile to them.

“Discrimination is rampant,” she says, and Asheville and Buncombe County are not immune. “Passing an ordinance does not cure homophobia and transphobia.” X

Against the rules The Asheville and Buncombe County ordinances prohibit discrimination in employment and businesses and institutions open to the public based on “race, natural hair or hairstyles, ethnicity, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, marital or familial status, pregnancy, veteran status, religious belief or non-belief, age or disability.”

The rules on employment do not apply to religious institutions and associations or educational institutions controlled by religious groups.

Those on public accommodation do not apply to private clubs. And among other exceptions, employers are entitled to have drug testing programs, make employment decisions on the basis of seniority and force workers to retire at age 65.

Violations are punishable by fines of $100 a day. To read the ordinances, visit avl.mx/bdg and avl.mx/bcz.

To report discrimination or for more information about the ordinances, visit avl.mx/bd1 or call 828-232-4517 for city government. For county government, visit avl.mx/bd2 or call 828-250-4059.

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

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NEWS

The price of preservation Asheville historic renovation efforts kick into full gear

properties, Landl says the church and house will be turned into low-income housing, with at least four apartment units in the church and the house rented out whole. PSABC eventually hopes to sell those buildings and turn the profits into future restoration projects.

BY LINDA RAY

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lindarayaccess@gmail.com

IT’S TIME

As high-end housing and highrise hotels continue to erupt across the Asheville landscape, some are instead working diligently to preserve buildings that are already standing. Quite a few historically significant structures are now receiving attention before they fall into what Jessie Landl, executive director of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, calls “demolition by neglect.”

“If these buildings don’t get refurbished soon, they’ll be too far gone to save,” says Landl, as she and her volunteer crew begin tearing through moldy drywall, dilapidated ceilings and overgrown bushes at the Cappadocia Fire-Baptized Holiness Church and an adjacent two-story house off Charlotte Street.

The church was built in 1908 and rebuilt in 1926, while the house was built in 1910.

The two structures form an important part of the East End, a historic African American neighborhood on the western slope of Beaucatcher Mountain, known as Catholic Hill. The house fronts Grail Street, which Landl calls “one of the most intact neighborhoods in the city.”

PSABC purchased both structures in February for $420,000, Landl says. But that’s just the start of the spending. Bringing old buildings up to modern-day standards involves architectural assessments, electrical upgrades, plumbing revamps and structural repairs — challenges that many preservationists are now facing, and seeking to fund, as Asheville’s turn-of-the-century landmarks continue into their second hundred years.

“It’s not a coincidence that all these places are fundraising at the same time,” says Mary Everist, board chair of the Basilica Preservation Fund. The nonprofit works to preserve downtown’s Basilica of St. Lawrence, a Catholic church designed by Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino and completed in 1909. “Since so many of our historic structures were built around the same time, they’re all needing major repairs at the same time.”

The Basilica of St. Lawrence, says Everist with the Basilica Preservation Fund, is in sore need of a new roof. She estimates that those repairs — made even more important by the church’s domed ceiling, among the largest free-standing elliptical domes in the country — will cost at least $2 million-$3 million. “If we don’t fix that, then there’s no use trying to preserve anything else,” she says.

The Basilica Preservation Fund’s overall fundraising goal at this time is $15 million-$18 million; in the “grand scheme of things, that isn’t that much,” Everist says. But she says that the downtown congregation is not particularly wealthy and would be unable to fund the work itself. (As an independent nonprofit formed in 2008 to support church upkeep and major repairs, the fund is separate from the parish’s religious leadership.)

Much of the wear and tear on the structure, Everist continues, comes from tourists, who often place the basilica on their must-see lists when visiting Asheville. She says the fund hopes to recoup some of those costs from visitors through more organized and impactful marketing efforts, such as placing donation boxes around the church, selling ornaments and offering more destination events.

Meanwhile, the fund has already paid six figures for a historical structure report, Everist says, which “represented a significant investment due to the national significance of the building and the complexity of the history and repairs.”

Work included 3D mapping of the entire dome and a forensic engineering examination of the architectural structures.

MARCH 23-29, 2022

LEADING BY EXAMPLE: Jessie Landl, executive director of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County, is dressed for work during a volunteer demolition day at two properties on Catholic Hill. Photo by Linda Ray MANY HANDS While Landl doesn’t know exactly how much renovations to the Cappadocia Church and neighboring house will eventually cost, she says PSABC sees huge savings when volunteers show up to work. On the first volunteer demo day, the nonprofit’s board president, Amy Hornaday, and her husband, Will, pull off layers of drywall and wallpaper in one of the house’s bedrooms, while finance and operations manager Jamie Moody strips siding from the church and other volunteers carry out pews and paintings to be donated elsewhere.

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“I put the call out, and people just show up,” Landl says, as she instructs a new batch of volunteers about what shrubs need to be discarded and what ceiling panels need to go. In addition to that volunteer sweat equity, local engineering firm Medlock & Associates is donating the time to conduct a structural report.

Landl says that document is needed before requests for proposals can go out for more in-depth renovations.

For needs that can’t be met through volunteers, the society primarily raises funds through grants, donations and its own house-flipping projects. For example, once work is complete on the Catholic Hill

FOR LOCALS AND TOURISTS Built in 1893, the YMI Cultural Center is undertaking a capital campaign to raise $6.2 million for renovations to its downtown Asheville building in the heart of The Block, another historic African American community. In June 2021, the nonprofit received a National Park Service Grant for $500,000, and the

BRICK BY BRICK: The YMI Cultural Center, a cornerstone of the historic African American district known as The Block, hopes to raise $6.2 million for renovations to its 1893 building.

Photo by Linda Ray group itself has raised an additional $1.75 million through donations to renovate the 18,900-square-foot building, says Phillipe Rosse, an outside contractor hired to lead the campaign. Another $3.6 million in grant requests remains outstanding with the city of Asheville, Buncombe County and the Dogwood Health Trust.

YMI Executive Director Dewana Little says fundraising will continue with major corporation and individual donor campaigns, as well as the renewal of a membership program the organization dropped in the late 1990s. “I also am excited about legacy building with our brick campaign,” Little says.

Construction is slated to begin in April and run through November.

The YMI’s staff, which has continued to serve the community with a myriad of social and educational programs such as after-school tutoring, workforce development training and peer support, will move into temporary offices throughout the city so that the renovations can be completed all at one time.

When the work is complete, the community will have access to four floors of programming, event and meeting facilities, as well as more space open to the public for tours.

The basement — which once held a swimming pool, sleeping rooms and even a morgue — will boast the majority of new usable space and feature complete Wi-Fi connectivity.

First Baptist Church on Oak Street in downtown Asheville, designed by architect Douglas

Ellington and completed in 1927, is another historic landmark joining the fundraising fray. Church leaders will kick off a congregational capital campaign in April, with hopes to raise $3 million for work on the original bricks and ornamental terracotta on the outside of the church, as well as roof, dome and floor repairs inside the sanctuary, says the Rev. Mack Dennis.

Dennis says that his church hosts a wealth of visitors who can contribute to the overhead needed to repair and restore the historical structure.

“We see people at least once a week who meander in from the parking lot, wondering what this place is.

They’re often surprised that it’s just a Baptist church,” he says with a laugh.

He also hopes to raise awareness and funds through the musical programs the church supports through its Academy for the Arts, enrollment in its child development center, special event rentals and limited debt.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION Some outside support for historic preservation in Asheville is already on the way. First Baptist and the Basilica of St. Lawrence each won a $250,000 grant from the nonprofit National Fund for Sacred Places in 2020. The grants require a 2-to-1 match, or $500,000, from the grant recipients.

Rachel Hildebrandt, director of the Philadelphia-based organization, says the churches will receive half of that money once they’ve met certain planning and fundraising benchmarks, with the remainder coming once work is complete. She adds that it’s unusual, given the nonprofit’s national scope, to award two grants to churches in the same city in the same year.

But she notes that both First Baptist and the basilica came to the National Fund with very compelling cases. “Both steward tremendously significant buildings with urgent capital needs,” Hildebrandt says.

“And both use their property assets to serve the city of Asheville and its peoples. These congregations checked every one of our boxes, so we made an exception and accepted both into the program in 2020.”

“This is such a testament to Asheville,” adds Dennis. “They don’t hand this money out like party favors. It’s obvious that these structures are a source of pride. And this isn’t just a grant to facilitate the building, but a gift to open our churches and reimagine the spaces for the greater community.” X

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N EWS

BUNCOMBE BEAT

County sets affordable housing targets for 2030 “We thought it would be like a meeting or two,” said Buncombe County Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman at the board’s March 15 meeting, reflecting on nearly a year of discussions that preceded the board’s adoption of affordable housing targets through the end of the decade.

The board unanimously approved the targets as outlined in Newman’s presentation at the meeting (avl.mx/bdu). Buncombe will commit to creating or preserving between 2,800 to 3,150 affordable housing units by 2030, requiring new county investments of an estimated $54 million.

The bulk of the new housing, up to 1,850 units, would be rental properties affordable to residents making 80% or less of the area median income (currently $42,100 for an individual or $60,100 for a family of four). Newman said at least half of those units should be affordable for those making 60% AMI or less; at least 200 units would be affordable at the 30% AMI level, classified by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as “extremely low-income.”

To encourage construction of that affordable rental housing, Newman estimated, would require an average subsidy of $40,000 per unit. That figure is significantly less than previous estimates from the city of Asheville, which projected subsidy costs of $57,500 to $80,000 per unit for a number of affordable housing projects in 2018.

Other elements of the county’s goal include 400 units affordable for ownership by those making 80% AMI or less and 400 units for either ownership or rent by those making 80%-120% AMI. An additional 500 currently affordable units would be kept in livable condition through repair programs.

MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM: Buncombe County aims to create or preserve up to 3,150 affordable housing units by 2030, including up to 1,850 affordable rentals like the Jasper Apartments in Swannanoa. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Commissioners emphasized that Buncombe would not be on its own in its pursuit of affordable housing.

Out of the estimated $99 million cost to meet the goals, county government would only invest about $54 million in new funds; the remaining $45 million would be sought from partners such as the city of Asheville, the federal government and the Dogwood Health Trust.

“This is absolutely a community-as-a-whole endeavor,” noted Commissioner Amanda Edwards. “I just really want to reiterate that this is such a significant and growing problem in our community that there’s no way Buncombe County can do this alone.”

Newman also acknowledged that the county’s work would not by itself meet the total demand for affordable housing. According to a recent report

by Bowen National Research commissioned by the Dogwood Health Trust, Buncombe’s affordable rental

housing rental gap through 2025 is somewhere between 3,669 and 5,439 units, depending on the methodology used to calculate the need. The county’s gap for affordable for-sale housing is estimated at 1,329 to 2,254 units.

The overall gap is likely to grow as the county’s population continues to expand. The Bowen report notes that Buncombe grew by nearly 15,200 households — more than 15% — from 2010 through 2020, with approximately 7,900 new households expected through 2025. (The full report is available at avl.mx/bdv.)

In light of that projected increase in demand, Commissioner Al Whitesides encouraged his colleagues to seek long-term affordability guarantees on any projects supported by the county.

“I want us to really work at making these units permanent, not just 15 or 30 years, because that’s a short time in housing,” he said. “Fifteen years goes quick.”

IN OTHER NEWS Buncombe followed the city of Asheville in naming five members to the Community Reparations Commission, the joint city-county body tasked with establishing short-, medium- and long-term recommendations to address disparities within Asheville’s Black community. Appointed were Dee Williams, Raynetta Waters, Christopher Gordon, Shantelle Simpson and Kelsey Simmons; Dwayne Richardson and Stephanie Lee will serve as alternates.

The commission now has its full complement of 25 members, including 15 selected independently by historically Black neighborhoods impacted by urban renewal. No schedule has yet been established for the group’s meetings, according to the city of Asheville’s website.

— Daniel Walton X

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FEA T U RE S

Q&A: Renée White discusses the ongoing legacy of the East End/Valley Street neighborhood As president of the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association, Renée White is no stranger to community activism. Holding the position since 2012, the Asheville native says her work within the historically Black neighborhood is driven by a desire to serve her fellow neighbors and preserve the area’s history.

“I saw the need for someone to step up to the plate and take responsibility for making the East End/ Valley Street neighborhood a nice, safe place to live,” she says.

Over the last 50 years, White points out, much of the community’s former African American-owned businesses and homes have been demolished through urban renewal and ongoing gentrification. As a leading voice for those who remain, one of White’s major motivations is ensuring that lifelong residents aren’t priced out of their homes.

In 2018, the city of Asheville recognized White for these efforts, naming her Asheville Volunteer of the Year.

More recently, White received the 2022 Pauli Murray Brilliance Award from the Tzedek Social Justice Fund, a local organization that redistributes money, resources and power to support systems change and community healing in Asheville.

Xpress recently caught up with White about her latest award, as well as her ongoing work within her neighborhood and the need for community involvement.

This interview has been condensed and lightly edited.

How has your work as president of East End/Valley Street

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

INVOLVED: For the last decade, Renée White has served as president of the East End/Valley Street Neighborhood Association, working on behalf of her neighbors and friends. Photo by Jennifer Castillo Neighborhood Association evolved over the last decade?

My position has evolved tremendously. The more needs that become apparent means more responsibilities and challenges that I must face — whether it’s traffic patterns and speeding, park maintenance, or even the taxes in that area which have become astronomically high. Getting all the neighbors involved and continuously meeting with city, county, and government officials is part of the job.

We must continuously identify the needs that we have and then come up with procedures and policies that are going to make the neighborhood a better place to live. For example, we

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need for our seniors and lifelong residents to be able to age in place and not have to worry about losing their homes to excessive property taxes. We need to have food security and affordable housing. We need Black-owned businesses. And we need to be at the table when city and county government are making decisions that will impact our neighborhood. Meeting those needs has caused my work to shift.

With that in mind, what is one of the greatest or most demanding challenges you face?

Some of the challenges have been going to the city government to speak up and say we want to be at the head of the table and not at the foot. When city and county government are doing things that impact an entire neighborhood, it’s important that people realize that our residents value where we live, there’s history in these Black neighborhoods and that a lot of it is gone, but we want to try to preserve what we have.

We may have to go to City Council, to county commissioners or even campaign in the state legislature to get things done — and all with little funding. So ultimately, my biggest challenges are getting funding and helping people understand that we have a voice.

Is there a particular moment or event over the last 10 years that has helped you sustain your work?

I always have a prayer that I say to God because I do believe in God: “If there is anything that I can do to help anybody along the way, please provide me with the resources to do so, whatever they may be.”

I’m inspired by the fact that we have a food pantry here in East End, along with an edible garden; I’m inspired that we have an educational initiative at St. James Church; and I’m inspired by the fact that we’re impacting people’s lives.

If Asheville could have the perfect support system for vulnerable people in our community, what would that look like to you?

That would look like the work that the organization BeLoved Asheville does. That organization to me just exemplifies what that looks like because they go out into the streets, out into the community and they help people every single minute of the day and they don’t turn people away.

How has the pandemic impacted your work?

We can’t meet in person, No.1. I’ve gone through these last two years and continuously had to do just about everything on Zoom. But we still have some people in our neighborhood who don’t have computers or don’t know how to work Zoom.

So that’s been a real challenge, but we continue to do the work that we do — reaching out to our neighbors and making sure that they’re OK, handing out masks, ensuring they have their COVID tests. We’re still doing the work even though we’re not able to see people like we used to.

How do you hope your work inspires people?

I hope that for generations to come people will know that East End is a legacy neighborhood, that there’s a lot of rich history in this neighborhood and that people won’t forget that East End is one of the oldest historical Black neighborhoods in the city. And even though we’ve gone through gentrification we welcome our new neighbors and hope they will join us in our effort to help us to remember our legacy.

What advice would you pass along to someone who wanted to make a difference in their community?

Get involved! My advice would be for anybody that wants to make a difference: Get involved. Find out what’s going on around you, who the powers that be are and what needs to happen to make sure your life and our neighborhood will be sustainable, comfortable, and help somebody else. Everybody has a different talent, so do that because you just never know what impact that might have. Don’t sit back and watch things happen, try to make a difference.

— Nizarah Caddick X

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR MARCH 23 - 31, 2022 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.

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

WE (3/23, 30), 8:30am, Asheville Yoga Center, 211 S Liberty St Guided DVD Chair Workout for Older Adults Bring hand weights and a stretch band.

Limited space, registration required by contacting enka.library@ buncombecounty.org or (828)250-4758.

WE (3/23, 30), 1pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler Pub Run Rain or shine, all ages and experience levels welcome.

WE (3/23, 30), 6:15pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd Queer & Trans Yoga Class For everyone who identifies outside the lines and hasn't felt comfortable in a traditional yoga space.

TH (3/24, 31), 6pm, avl.mx/b1t LGBTQ Sweat Your Prayers A safe space for the LGBTQ community to move their bodies with intention, love, in solidarity. All are welcome, sliding scale.

SA (3/26), 9:30am, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd Yoga in the Park Asheville Join together alongside the French Broad River for this all-level friendly yoga class based on Hatha and Vinyasa

traditions.

SA (3/26), SU (3/27), 1:30pm, $10, 220 Amboy Rd Yoga Taco Mosa Honor one another in practice lead by Clare Desmelik, followed by tacos and mimosas.

SU (3/27), 11am, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave Introduction to Tai Chi Pre-registration required ashevillecommunityyoga.com.

TH (3/23, 31), 10:30am, Asheville Community Yoga Center, 8 Brookdale Rd

ART Call for Artists: Broadway Public Safety Station Public Art Project Seeking artists for for new environmentally conscious public safety station in Five Points.

Submissions due by 3pm Mar. 28. Email questions to ngeorge@ ashevillenc.gov.

Useful and Beautiful Silvercraft by William Waldo Dodge Silver tableware created in the Arts and Crafts tradition, from a trained architect who moved to Asheville in 1924.

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

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square A Hand in Studio Craft: Harvey K. Littleton as Peer and Pioneer Places Littleton's collection from the early days of the Studio Glass Movement and the height of the American

MURALS, MURALS ON THE WALL: The Canopy Gallery at Art Garden AVL will hold a closing reception for Medicine Heart Murals, an exhibition of original large-scale collaborative paintings, on Saturday, March 26, 4-7 p.m. The murals were created by Asheville artists and Art Garden co-founders Annie Kyla Bennett, Dillon Endico and Jack Henry. Photo courtesy of the gallery mid-century Studio Pottery Movement.

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

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Stained with Glass: Vitreograph Prints from the Studio of Harvey K. Littleton A wide circle of artists in a variety of media were invited to Littleton’s studio in Spruce Pine to create prints using the vitreograph process developed by Littleton.

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

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

The Wyeths: Three Generations | Works from the Bank of America Collection Provides a comprehensive survey of works

by N.C. Wyeth, one of America’s finest illustrators; his son, Andrew, a realist painter; his eldest daughter, Henriette, a realist painter; and Andrew’s son Jamie, a popular portraitist.

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

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Ray Baccari: Humans Excited About Being Human Exhibit & Reception

NO JOB TOO LARGE OR SMALL

FATHER AND SON

Home Improvement Billy & Neal Moxley

100 Edwin Place, AVL, NC 28801 | Billy: (828) 776-2391 | Neal: (828) 776-1674 20

MARCH 23-29, 2022

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Described by the artist as an “empathy machine,” this interactive, sonic installation amplifies visitor heartbeats. Exhibit through April 29.

TH (3/31), 5pm WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Carrie Mae Weems: The Usual Suspects Features recent photographic and video works questioning stereotypes that associate black bodies with criminality

by MacArthur Genius Award-winning artist.

Tuesday through Friday, 10am.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee Of Body & Mind Explores the connection between form and soul through the medium of glass. Daily except Tuesdays.

North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B Color Dance Featuring new gallery artists Anne Marie Brown, Raquel Egosi, JoAnn Pippin, and Cindy Shaw. Daily 11am-6pm.

Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave Medicine Heart Mural Exhibit & Closing Reception Enjoy refreshments and meet the artists of an exhibition of original large-scale collaborative paintings by Asheville

artists and Art Garden co-founders, Annie Kyla Bennett, Dillon Endico and Jack Henry. Exhibit through March 31.

SA (3/26), 4pm, Free, Art Garden AVL, 191 Lyman St, Ste 316

ᎢᏛᏍᎦ ᏫᏥᏤᎢ ᎠᎵᏰᎵᏒ Weaving Across Time Showcases the works of nine Eastern Band Cherokee basket makers - touching on the dynamic evolution of lineage, sustainability, and cultural expression.

Monday through Friday, 11am.

Center for Craft, 67 Broadway WNC Fibers/ Handweavers Guild Exhibition Processes represented include spinning, shibori, batik, silkscreen, weaving, natural dyeing, needle felting, knitting, and more. Monday through Friday, 10am.

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

COMMUNITY MUSIC Community Contra Jam A local open jam for acoustic and contra-style music, by Asheville Parks and Rec. WE (3/23), 2:45pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd PAN HARMONIA Season 22 Kate Steinbeck on flute and Steve Newbrough

on guitar, performing works by Francesco Molinao, Julián Aguirre, Oscar Alem and more.

Donation-based.

FR (3/25), 5:30pm, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 256 E Main St, Brevard SU (3/27), 3pm, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 337 Charlotte St An Evening of Scottish Airs & Dance Violinist Jamie Laval, soprano Amber Rose and Celtic harpist Rachel Clemente perform a musical journey through Scotland, Ireland, and Brittany, reimagining Gaelic love songs, rustic peasant dances, and mythic tales from the Celtic world.

SA (3/26), 7:30pm, Tryon Fine Arts Center, 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon Blue Ridge Symphonic Brass Concert With guest conductors Bill Bryant and Joe Brashiers.

SU (3/27), 3pm, Trinity Presbyterian Church, 900 Blythe St, Hendersonville The Journey: A Pilgrim's Progress Suite

by Gregory Tardy and his Tentet Gregory Tardy brings jazz and classical musicians together for a suite based on “The Pilgrim’s Progress." He's a South Arts/Jazz Road Creative Residency Grant recipient and a University of Tennessee Associate Professor of

Jazz Saxophone.

TU (3/29), 7pm, $10-25, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Luke Manget presents Ginseng Diggers in conversation w/Daniel S. Pierce The authors discuss Manget's book. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

Registration required.

WE (3/23), 6pm, avl.mx/bcn Beyond the Ban with Nic Stone Georgia native and author of Dear Martin will discuss her book, which was recently banned from being used as part of the curriculum in a class at Tuscaloosa High School.

TH (3/24), 6pm, Haywood Community College, 185 Freedlander Dr, Clyde Neal Thompson presents The First Kennedys in conversation w/Denise Kiernan The authors discuss Thompson's book. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

Registration required.

TH (3/24), 6pm, avl.mx/bco Malaprop's Science Fiction Book Club Participants will discuss Geek Love: A Novel

by Katherine Dunn.

Registration required.

MO (3/28), 7pm, avl.mx/7on

F.T. Lukens launches So This Is Ever After in conversation with Steven Salvatore The authors discuss Lukens' book. Sponsored by Malaprop's.

Registration required.

TU (3/29), 6pm, avl.mx/bdj Hybrid Event: Jacqui Castle launches The Chasm in conversation with Rachael Sparks The authors discuss Castle's book. Registration required for in-person and virtual.

WE (3/30), 6pm, Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe, 55 Haywood St Dalia Kinsey presents Decolonizing Wellness The author discusses her book. Sponsored by Malaprop's. Registration required.

TH (3/31), 6pm, avl.mx/bdl

THEATER Whose Live Anyway? with Jeff B. Davis, Joel Murray, Ryan Stiles, and & Greg Proops Comedic songs and improv.

WE (3/23), 7:30pm, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah's Cherokee Center - Asheville, 87 Haywood St Anastasia the Musical Presented by North Buncombe High School, this musical is loosely based on the true story that inspired the 1997 animated movie. For questions or sponsorship information, email ricky.webb@bcsemail. com.

TH (3/31), 7pm, Free-$12, North Buncombe High School, 890 Clarks Chapel Rd, Weaverville

BENEFITS Bowl For Kids' Sake Jackson County To raise money to support Big Brothers Big Sisters in local counties. Prize for best costume with the theme "What Does the Future Mean to You?" SA (3/26), 11am, Galaxy Lane and Games, 347 Jackson Place, Sylva Blue Ridge Humane Society Kitten Shower To equip the Blue Ridge Humane Foster team with vital supplies and funds to care for the hundreds of kittens that will come through the doors of the rescue organization this year.

SA (3/26), 1pm, The 2nd Act, 101 E Allen St, Hendersonville

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Mexican Train Learn to play this game of dominoes with Asheville Parks and Rec, every fourth Wednesday

of the month.

WE (3/23), 10am, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle The class will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money. To register, visit coabc.org or call the Council on Aging at (828)277-8288.

WE (3/23), 2pm WNCHA History Hour – West End Women: Liquor, Labor, and Love in New Deal Urban Appalachia A virtual lecture and discussion of the lives of West End Asheville women in the 1930s. TH (3/24), 6pm, avl.mx/bdy Seasonal Mulch Giveaway Program The City of Hendersonville Public Works Department will offer mulch as well as composted leaves.

FR (3/25), 3-4pm, SA (3/26), 8am-12pm, Waste Water Treatment Plant, 80 Balfour Rd, Hendersonville Waterfall Sweep at Buck Creek Falls Meet at Buck Creek Falls trailhead to pick up trash as part of a statewide initiative.

SA (3/26), 9am, Mainspring Conservation Trust, 557 E Main St, Franklin VITA Tax Preparation Assistance Moderate and low-income individuals and families in WNC can have income tax returns prepared for free by UNCA volunteers as part of the IRS VITA (Voluntary Income Tax Assistance) program.

SA (3/26), 10am, Free, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St Neo Pre/Post Apocalyptic Blacksmithing: Kitchen Utensils with Tod Kershaw Learn the basics of blacksmithing while creating a functional steel serving spoon or ladle from materials that are one hundred percent found, foraged, reclaimed and reused.

SA (3/26), 11am, Firefly Gathering, Barnardsville La Promesa Education Program Program coordinators invite parents whose high school seniors attend one of the six Henderson County high schools and is on track to graduate June 2022 to a free informational meeting about college.

SA (3/26), 12pm, Salvation Army Gym, 239 3rd Ave E, Hendersonville Guest Speaker Ester Nicholson Recording artist, author, speaker, and recovery coach will serve as guest speaker and special musician during regular Sunday service. All are

welcome. Following, Nicholson will facilitate an afternoon workshop, Healing Code of Forgiveness: Freedom from Shame and Trauma.

Registration required for the workshop.

SU (3/27), 10:30am, Free-$40, Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd, Mills River Wild Walk: A Behind the Scenes Tour Go beyond where visitors are allowed.

SU (3/27), 1:30pm, WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd Bike Clinic I: Basic Bike Maintenance This hands-on perennial workshop will cover flat repair, proper lubrication, and how to do a full pre-ride safety check- including brakes, derailleurs, torque specs and proper bicycle sizing. All skill levels are welcome. Sliding scale. SU (3/27), 2pm, Asheville ReCyclery, 90 Biltmore Ave Asheville Sister Cities International Annual Meeting Make community and cultural connections.

Light hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be available.

SU (3/27), 3pm, Asheville Renaissance Hotel, 31 Woodfin St Drink & Draw Bring your own beverages and art supplies and draw from a live nude model or free paint on canvases to music in the front gallery. 18+ SU (3/27), 6:30pm, $10, Continuum Art, 147 Ste C, 1st Ave E, Hendersonville MountainTrue University: Review of the Forest Plan Webinar This will provide a closer look at the 2000 pages of the Forest Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement released for Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, and what it means for one million acres of WNC. TU (3/29), 6pm, avl.mx/bdw

realize a vision.

TH (3/31), 7pm, Free, Lenoir-Rhyne University, 36 Montford Ave

FOOD & BEER Weaverville Winter Tailgate Market Weekly winter market with bread, cheese and fermented food makers, alongside a small lineup of craft and artisan vendors.

WE (3/23, 30), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville ASAP Winter Farmers Market SA (3/26), 10am, A-B Tech Conference Center, 340 Victoria Rd

X Awards 2022

Jackson Arts Market Local makers and producers, with live music from Benjamin Jacobs on Saturday, and an open jam on Sunday.

Rain or shine.

SA (3/26), SU (3/27), 1pm, Downtown Sylva

SPIRITUALITY Jewish Power Hour Weekly Torah class via Zoom. All are welcome.

TH (3/24), 6pm, avl.mx/b0h Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional An informal gathering for readings, music, prayers, and conversation. All are welcome.

SU (3/27), 10am, avl.mx/a9m

VOLUNTEERING Stitches of Love Asheville Create and donate handmade items for local charities. If interested, contact Janet Stewart, (828) 575-9195.

Facebook: Stitches of Love-Asheville.

Voting

startsst April 1

The Free Clinics Assist with assembling a multi-piece mailing Email volunteer@thefreeclinics. org if interested.

WE (3/23), 9:30am, 841 Case St, Hendersonville

Seminars on Humanity: Understanding the Homeless Community A presentation and discussion about life for homeless people and the misconceptions that they face, presented by Mike Deserio. To attend, email leicesterlibrary@ buncombecounty.org for the Zoom link.

TU (3/29), 6pm

REACH of Haywood County Volunteer Training Training for volunteers to assist with several areas dealing with domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse prevention and intervention. Lunch and snacks provided. To register contact Buffy Queen, (828)456.7898 or BQreach@aol.com.

SA (3/26), 9:30am, First United Methodist Church of Waynesville, 556 S Haywood St, Waynesville

Maggie Ullman, Sustainability in Asheville: Past, Present, and Future.

This talk will explore the founding leader of the City of Asheville's Offfice of Sustainability's thoughts on the past, assessment of the current situation, and vision for the future, with an emphasis on how she engages community to

Community Garden Nights Seeking volunteers for the School Garden.

Gloves and tools will be provided. Email volunteer coordinator, Polly, at pphillips@verneremail. org for more details.

WE (3/30), Verner Center for Early Learning, 2586 Riceville Rd

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MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 23-29, 2022

21

t o l l a B s Categorie2022 When your rooster crows at the break of dawn, fill out your ballot before it’s gone. Let’s see who rules the roost.

Shake a tail feather! We’re excited to get the voting underway for the 28th annual Best of WNC X Awards. It’s time to strut our stuff!

The Best of WNC ballot is long but it’s easy to

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

• Jewelry Artist/Designer • Glass Artist • Woodworker • Metal Artist or Metalworker Music Events & Venues • Mural Artist • Local Music Festival • Painter/Illustrator • Place to Hear Live Music • Photographer • Outdoor Music Venue • Mixed-media artist • Intimate Music Venue/ • Potter/Ceramic Artist Listening Room Film, Stage, Dance & • Open-Mic-Night Venue

Musicians & Bands • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

All-Round Favorite Band Acoustic/Folk Americana/Country Blues Funk Jazz Old-Time/Bluegrass R&B/Soul Hip-Hop Rock Punk/Metal/Garage Classical Ensemble Busker/Street Group Lyricist (Songwriter) Vocalist (Singer) Guitarist or Bass guitarist Percussionist-Drummer Keyboardist/Pianist DJ (Nonradio)

Music Services

• Recording Studio • Musical Instrument Repair Company • Music-Related Nonprofit

Arts & Crafts

• Arts/Crafts Fair or Event • Studio Stroll/Driving Tour • Craft School or Place to Learn a Craft • Local Art Gallery • Craft-Oriented Gallery • Nonprofit That Serves the Arts

Artists, Crafters • Fiber Artist

22

MARCH 23-29, 2022

Writing • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Movie Theater Local Filmmaker Theater Company Actor (any gender) Performance Dance Company Place to Take Dance Classes or Lessons Comedy Troupe or Series Local Comedy Show/ Night/Event Comedian Trivia Night Emcee Local Playwright Local Author Local Poet

DRINKS Bars

• Bar That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville • Neighborhood Bar Downtown (including South Slope) • Neighborhood Bar River Arts District • Neighborhood Bar - West • Neighborhood Bar - South • Neighborhood Bar - East • Neighborhood Bar - North • Bartender • Bar for Live Music • Bar With a View • Bar With Games • LGBTQ+ Friendly Bar • Hotel Bar

MOUNTAINX.COM

navigate. Plus, it features a nifty autocomplete function to let you vote quickly and accurately. You can even take a break from voting any time and return later. Just remember to save your ballot.

• Dive Bar • Sports Bar • Bar: Local Beer Selection (excluding breweries) • Bar: Unusual Beer Selection (excluding breweries) • Upscale Bar • Bar or Brewery That Gives Back to the Community

Cocktails, Spirits & Wine • • • • • • • •

Wine Bar Local Winery Wine Store Distillery Cocktails Bloody Mary Margarita Mocktails or Nonalcoholic Options

Beer, Cider & Breweries

• Cidery • Local Cider • Local All-Round Brewery (for its beers) • Brewery (for its taproom & atmosphere) • Creative, Experimental Brewery • Family-Friendly Bar or Brewery • Local Beer (Any Style) • Local Dark Beer • Local Lager • Local Sour Beer • Local IPA • Seasonal Beer • Brewmaster • Favorite Local Beer Event • Beer Store

Coffee, Tea & Healthy Drinks • Coffeehouse for Its Vibe • Establishment With the Best Coffee

• Restaurant Cocktail Selection • Pub Grub • Takeout • Local Meal Delivery • Best Value • Best Service • Barbecue • Ribs EATS • Burger • Veggie Burger Restaurant types • Biscuits • Restaurant That Best • Wings Represents the Spirit • French Fries of Asheville • Fried Chicken • Favorite Restaurant • Hot Bar/Buffet • Restaurant to Take • Hot Dogs Out-of-Towners to • Pasta • Restaurant With a View • People-Watching Restaurant • Pizza • Sub Shop • Outdoor Dining • Sandwich Shop • Romantic Dining • Taco • Fine Dining/Upscale • Burrito • Kid-Friendly Restaurant • Sushi • Diner/Homestyle • Ramen • Late-Night Eats • Salad • Food Truck • Seafood • Catering Company • Special Diet Options • Green/Sustainability(Gluten-Free, LactoseFriendly Restaurant Free, etc.)

• New Restaurant (Opened • Vegan/Vegetarian in the Last 12 Months) • Local-Food Emphasis • Restaurant Still Needed • Healthiest Food in Asheville • Doughnuts Neighborhoods • Locally Made CBD Treats • Restaurant in Downtown • Bagels (including South Slope) Cuisines • Restaurant in the • French River Arts District • Restaurant in West Asheville • Italian • Restaurant in South Asheville • Greek • Restaurant in East Asheville • Middle Eastern • Mexican • Restaurant in North Asheville • Latin American Restaurant offerings • Japanese • Breakfast • Thai • Brunch • Indian • Lunch • Chinese • Quick Meal • Korean • Southern • Restaurant Wine Selection • • • • • •

Coffee Roaster Place to Drink Tea Smoothies/Juices CBD Drinks/Health Elixirs Kava Bar Barista

Desserts & Sweets • Desserts • Ice Cream • Frozen Treats Other Than Ice Cream • Chocolate

Bakeries

• Bakery (Sweets/ Desserts/Cookies) • Bakery (Bread)

Miscellaneous • • • • • • •

Butcher Shop Cheesemaker/Cheese Dairy Local Food/Drink Product Chef Pastry Chef Local Food Festival or Event Nonprofit Helping With Hunger Issues

FARM, YARD & GARDEN • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Tailgate/Farmers Market Roadside Farm Stand Farm to Visit for Events Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farm Orchard Community Garden Garden Supply Store Mulch Supplier Tree Service Nursery (Trees, Shrubs) Landscaping Service Lawn/Yard Care Excavator or Heavy Equipment Services Nonprofit Supporting Farms/Farmland Preservation

HEALTH & WELLNESS • Physician (General Practice) • Physician (Specialist)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Pediatrician Cosmetic Surgeon Family Medical Practice Medical Practice That Supports Holistic Health Women’s Health Center Maternity Care/Service Counselor or Counseling Center Psychologist or Psychiatrist Hospital Urgent Care/Walk-In Clinic Place to Get Medical Care When Under- or Uninsured Dental Practice Dentist Orthodontist Eye Care Specialist/Service Assisted-Living Community Hospice Mortuary/Funeral Services Pharmacy/Drugstore Place to Buy Supplements, Vitamins & Herbs Place to Buy CBD Products Health & WellnessFocused Nonprofit

Alternative • • • •

Chiropractor Acupuncturist Acupuncture Clinic Place to Center Yourself

Physical Therapy

• Physical Therapist • Massage Therapist • Physical Therapy Clinic

Fitness • • • • • •

Gym or Place to Work Out Fitness Studio With Classes Physical Trainer Yoga Teacher Yoga Studio Martial Arts Studio

KIDS Schools & Classes • • • • •

School (Precollege) After-school Program Preschool Art Education Program Music Teacher

Camps & Outdoors • • • •

Kid-Friendly Hike Overnight Camp Day Camp Nature Camp

Places • • • • • • • • •

Daytrip for Kids Place for Indoor Fun Place for Outdoor Fun Playground Museum Place for Birthday Parties Bakery for Birthday Cakes Place to Make Art Parents Night Out Program

Skill-Building • • • •

Dance Studio Gymnastics Program Martial Arts Program Team-Sports Program

Shopping

• Kids Clothes • Toy Store

Vo t i n g s t a r t s

Medical

April 1 mountainx.com/bestofwnc st

• Pediatric Practice General Medicine • Pediatric Practice - Dentistry

Miscellaneous

• Child Care or Day Care Service

MEDIA • Local Radio Station (commercial) • Local Radio Station (noncommercial) • Local Radio Personality/ Announcer • Local TV Personality/ Announcer • Local Print Publication Other Than Xpress • Local Print Reporter • Local News Source • Local Events Information Source • Local Social Media Page to Follow for News, Events and Local Happenings • Favorite Feature in Xpress • Local News Website • Local Podcast • Most Important Local News Story (in the Last 12 Months) • Most Overreported Story (in the Last 12 Months) • Most Underreported Story (in the Last 12 Months)

OUTDOORS Hiking

• Backpacking Trail/ Overnight Hike • Day Hike Trail • Easy Hike Trail (for kids, elders, limited mobility) • Hiking Club or Group • Picnic Spot • Walk - In or Near Asheville

Biking

• Bicycle Club or Group • Bike Event/Race Mountain or Road • Mountain Bike Trail

Running

• Running Club or Group • Running Event/Race - Road or Trail

Camping

• Camping Spot • Place to Car Camp

Water & Rivers • • • • •

Fishing Spot Waterfall Place to Relax on the Water Rafting Company Swimming Hole

Miscellaneous

• Canopy Tour/Zip Line • Place to Roller Skate or Skateboard • Ski Resort

FAQS When does voting start and end?

Voting officially begins April 1 and continues through April 30.

• Outdoor Gear and Apparel Shop • Environmental or Conservation Nonprofit

PERSONAL SERVICES Cosmetic • • • • • •

Hair Salon Barbershop Hairstylist or Barber Aesthetician Nail Salon Nail Technician

Tattoo & Piercing • Piercing Studio • Tattoo Parlor • Tattoo Artist

Miscellaneous • • • •

Spa Tailor/Alterations Shoe Repair Local Body-Products Maker

PETS Medical

• Veterinary Services • Veterinarian • Alternative Pet Health Care Provider

Services

• Animal Shelter/Rescue Organization • Grooming Service • Trainer/Training Center • Pet Kennel • Pet Day Care Facility • Pet Sitting Service

Miscellaneous

• Animal-centric Event • Outdoor Place to Take Your Pet • Pet Supply Store • Pet-Friendly Bar or Brewery • Pet-Friendly Restaurant

PROFESSIONAL & HOME SERVICES Financial

• Accountant/CPA Firm • Place to Have Your Taxes Prepared • Financial Adviser • Bookkeeping Services

General & Miscellaneous • • • • •

Law Firm Family Law Attorney Real Estate Attorney Criminal Law Attorney Real Estate Agent

• Real Estate Company • Insurance Agent • Architect or Architectural Firm • Web Development Firm • Computer Repair • Car Repair • Bike Repair • Construction Firm (Design/Build) • Green Builder • Alternative Energy Sales and Installation • Plumbing Company • Electrical/Electrician Company • Heating/Cooling Company • Home Inspection Service • Pest Control Service • Moving Company • House Painters • Roofing Company • Handyperson • Equipment Rental Services • Cellphone Service Provider for the WNC Mountains • Print Shop • Home Cleaning Service • Dry Cleaner • Laundromat (with laundy service)

SHOPPING Fashion

• Clothing: Dress-Up/Stylin’ • Clothing: Professional • Clothing: Used or Vintage (for-profit store) • Clothing: Used or Vintage (nonprofit store) • Asheville-Style Clothes • Shoe Store • Jewelry Store

Food

• All-Round Grocery Store • Budget-Friendly Grocery Store • Health Food Store • International/Specialty Food Store • Convenience/Corner Store • Local Grocery Delivery or Curbside Pickup

Home

• New Furniture Store • Used Furniture Store (for-profit store) • Used Furniture Store (nonprofit store) • Bed and Mattress Store • Picture Framer • Antique Store

• Refurbished or upcycled goods

General & Miscellaneous

• Store That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville • Mall-style market • Pawn Shop • Florist • Bookstore - New • Bookstore - Used • Store for Comics, Collectibles and/or Games • Record/CD Store • Musical Instrument Store • Gift Shop • Head Shop • Adult Toys, Lingerie & Naughty Things Store • Bike Shop • Automobile Tire Store • Auto Dealer - New and/or Used • Motorcycle/ATV Dealer

UNIQUELY ASHEVILLE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Neighborhood Street for a Stroll Local Asheville Attraction Local City Tour Local Fundraising Event Place to Take Your Eccentric Friends Place to Pretend You’re a Tourist Place to Connect With Nature Within Asheville City Limits Historic/Interesting Building Venue to Book for a Party or Event Place to Get Married Hotel B&B or Small Boutique Hotel Holiday Event - Summer/Fall Holiday Event Winter/Spring Local Hero Local Villain Local Politician Nonprofit That Improves Asheville Nonprofit That Serves the Underprivileged Activist Group for Civic/ Political Action Bumper Sticker or Slogan About Asheville Thing Downtown Asheville Needs Thing the River Arts District Needs Thing West Asheville Needs Thing South Asheville Needs Thing East Asheville Needs Thing North Asheville Needs Project You’d Like to See Local Government Do Worst Thing to Happen to Asheville in the Last 12 Months Best Thing to Happen to Asheville in the Last 12 Months

In how many categories must I vote in order for my ballot to be counted?

Each ballot must have votes for at least 30 categories to be counted.

How are the votes counted?

Mountain Xpress tallies the votes by hand, taking great care to understand each voter’s intent. We reserve the right to reject any ballot with inappropriate responses.

How do I get a category added or changed?

The categories are set for this year, but to suggest a change for next year, email: bestofwnc@mountainx.com

Why do voters have to vote for 30 categories?

We want meaningful results from people who are invested in and knowledgeable about the Asheville/WNC area.

• Biggest Threat to Asheville’s Uniqueness • Biggest Opportunity for Asheville’s Uniqueness

WORK & BUSINESS • Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Asheville • Employment Sector to Work in • Business That Gives Back to the Community • Co-Op/Workerowned Business • Bank • Credit Union • Bank Services for Small Business • Support Organization for Entrepreneurs and New Businesses • Business With EarthFriendly Practices • Innovative or Entrepreneurial Business • Coworking Space • Business With Best Customer Service

REGIONAL

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Questions for the following regions: Brevard Burnsville Hendersonville/ Flat Rock/Mills River Hot Springs Marshall/Mars Hill Swannanoa/ Black Mountain Cullowhee/Sylva Waynesville/Maggie Valley/Canton Weaverville/Woodfin Business That Best Represents the Spirit of Your Town Breakfast Restaurant Lunch Restaurant Dinner Restaurant Coffee & Sweets Local Bar/Brewery/ Watering Hole Music/Entertainment Venue Retail Store Art Gallery Cultural or Arts Event Cultural or Historical Landmark Local Place to Enjoy the Outdoors Local Cause to Support Best Thing to Happen to Your Town in the Last 12 Months

How do you prevent voter fraud?

Ballots are examined for telltale signs of voter fraud or ballot stuffing. We disqualify all ballots that appear to be fraudulent.

I hope my business wins. How do I get voting promotional materials?

Call us at 828-251-1333. We can provide you with printable and digital materials, or contact your sales representative for information.

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 23-29, 2022

23

WELLNESS

Flying high

Air ambulances save time, lives in WNC

BY SARA MURPHY

Airlift, Mission Health’s critical air transport service. As midnight approached, it immediately flew her to Dr. Yap, who inserted a coil into the aneurysm that stopped the bleeding.

Freese feels lucky to be alive and believes her MAMA flight played a crucial role in saving her life. “I was doing research on what happens to people clinically after something like this,” she says. “There really isn’t a lot of research on it, because a lot of people don’t survive.”

smurphy@mountainx.com On a June morning in 2020, 51-year-old Navy veteran, freelance writer and massage instructor Bettina Freese had just turned on the coffeemaker when she felt a sharp pain at the base of her skull.

At first, she suspected a pinched nerve, but then the pain exploded in intensity.

“I’ve had children, and it was more pain than I’d ever even imagined,” she recalls.

Freese’s son initially drove her to the Charles George VA Medical Center, and a CT scan revealed that she had a brain aneurysm. The VA transferred Freese to Mission Health, where doctors attempted to perform an endovascular coiling procedure, in which a minuscule coil is inserted into the aneurysm to seal it off from the blood vessel.

Not finding success, Mission Health located neurosurgeon Dr. Edward Yap at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, an aneurysm specialist who agreed to do the procedure.

More than 12 hours since her pain started, Freese required immediate care. In stepped the helicopter and crew of Mountain Area Medical

ANSWERING THE CALL Mission Health has two MAMA helicopters and crew ready 24/7 to lift off from either its Asheville hospital or Angel Medical Center in Franklin.

It also keeps a backup helicopter in a hangar at Asheville Regional Airport.

Since its first flight from Transylvania Regional Hospital in September 1986, MAMA has served over 26,000 patients across 18 counties of Western North Carolina, as well as northern South Carolina, northeast Georgia and eastern Tennessee.

MAMA and other hospital or government-owned air ambulances are operationalized only by emergency and medical personnel. But

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Mike & Bill would like to thank WNC for 25 great years!

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

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READY FOR LIFTOFF: MAMA1, the Mountain Area Medical Airlift’s newest helicopter, sits on Mission Health’s North Tower helipad. Photo courtesy of Nancy Lindell WNC residents can also hire private companies that provide fully outfitted medical planes for less critical situations.

The technology available on air ambulances, and the treatment they can provide, has changed dramatically over the years — as has the cost.

What hasn’t changed, according to MAMA director Dick Whipple, is the type of person best suited to flight medicine. “They like the uncontrolled environment, the variability, the opportunity to make important decisions,” he says. “That challenge brings a certain type of person that is unafraid.”

FLIGHT STATUS MAMA operates an average of 90 flights per month (two to three per day) transporting patients. In 2021, 29% of MAMA’s trips responded to trauma-related incidents, 22%for cardiovascular emergencies like heart attacks, 16% for neurological situations like strokes and 15% for all other medical issues, according to Whipple.

Helicopter ambulances are often called flying ICUs, because they are designed to provide intensive and critical care in life-or-death situations. While equipment can vary, all ambulances carry Federal Aviation Administration-approved stretchers with safety harnesses, means of delivering oxygen to a patient, defibrillators, emergency medications and equipment like pulse oximeters that measure vital signs.

MAMA flight crews include a pilot, a flight medic and a flight nurse.

Multiple factors determine whether a patient travels via ground ambulance or medical airlift, especially in the mountains. Sometimes, ground transport can reach terrain that may be inaccessible to helicopters or when conditions are unsafe for flight. However, when time is of the essence, flight can’t be beat: It takes a ground ambulance about an hour and 20 minutes to drive between Angel Medical Center and Mission Health, while MAMA can make the trip in 25 minutes.

MOUNTAIN INNOVATORS Since debuting in 1986, MAMA lays claim to some firsts for civilian air ambulance services. In 1999, the FAA approved the service as the first air ambulance to use night vision goggles during flights. More recently, it became the first medical airlift service to carry a blood thinner reversal medication. Both of these improvements are now industry standards.

On March 1, MAMA added another tool to its arsenal: an intra-aortic balloon pump, which is used to pump blood when the heart cannot.

This equipment allows the crew to fly patients with these pumps from outlying hospitals to Mission Health for further care.

According to Mission Health spokesperson Nancy Lindell, the new Airbus BK117 C2e helicopter MAMA purchased in December 2020 has almost one-third more room in the patient area than the older helicopters and a longer fuel range.

Having three helicopters available proved particularly useful during

the pandemic, when MAMA transported many COVID-19 patients from hospitals that were at capacity to other facilities.

FLYING HOME In the early days of the pandemic, private air ambulance companies also flew many COVID-19-positive clients.

“When [the pandemic] first started, we bought a couple of pods to put the patient in,” says Larry Bercu, the founder and CEO of Miami-based Air Ambulance Central. “It was sort of like AIDS: Everybody was afraid.”

Like helicopter-based air ambulance services, private air ambulance companies carry intensive care- or critical care-level medical equipment. Each flight also carries a flight medic and nurse. However, private services typically don’t transport patients in life-or-death situations.

Instead, they deploy small jets, called fixed-wing aircraft, to transport patients in non-emergencies over longer distances.

Private air ambulances are frequently used when a patient becomes ill away from home and wants to return safely and comfortably after receiving stabilizing treatment at a medical facility. Cancer and stroke are the two most common reasons his company is hired, Bercu says.

RISING PRICES

from rural hospitals. The cost of air ambulances has risen significantly since then, according to NPR’s podcast “Planet Money.”

Costs vary widely based on a patient’s insurance status and the services provided. A 2021 white paper by FAIR Health, a nonprofit focused on transparency in health care costs nationwide, found that the price tag for a private medical helicopter flight rose 22.2% from $24,924 in 2017 to $30,446 in 2020.

Fixed-wing flight costs rose 27.6%, from $19,210 to $24,507, during that time.

Mountain Xpress reached out to five private air transport companies with a hypothetical scenario of an elderly woman needing transport back to Asheville after suffering a broken leg while vacationing in central Florida. Quotes ranged from $15,460 to $18,200.

Patients in life-or-death situations, unfortunately, have no opportunity to comparison shop. Freese’s bill for her MAMA flight was $80,000.

However, her VA insurance plan covered the entire cost of her nonelective procedure.

Freese now takes blood thinners daily. She has a CT scan at the VA every six months and a cerebral arteriogram at UNC annually. This preventive care revealed another aneurysm in October, which Dr. Yap treated before it became another life-threatening emergency.

“I look at my children so differently now,” Freese says. “I’m so glad [they] still have a mother.” X

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25

ARTS & CULTURE

100 and counting

‘The Waters and Harvey Show’ celebrates a milestone

BY THOMAS CALDER tcalder@mountainx.com What is the American experiment?

How has it evolved? And will it survive?

These are among the questions Darin Waters and Marcus Harvey regularly discuss in their hourlong radio program, “The Waters and Harvey Show.” First launched on WRES as a live broadcast in 2014, the duo subsequently joined Blue Ridge Public Radio in 2017, where they’re nearing a milestone: the show’s 100th episode, set to air in either April or May. Over the last eight years, the pair have invited listeners in as they’ve explored a wide range of local and national topics — from the Reconstruction era’s largely forgotten history to North Carolina’s jazz giants. Amid these talks, they have also continued to attract an impressive list of guests, including Pulitzer Prizewinning author and historian David Blight, NASA engineer Christine Darden and William H. Turner, co-editor of the 1985 groundbreaking publication, Blacks in Appalachia.

The show’s scholarly pursuits are a natural extension of the hosts’ backgrounds — Waters holds a doctorate in history from UNC Chapel Hill, while Harvey earned his doctorate in religion from Emory University.

But their on-air discussions are a far cry from a dull lecture series.

“We try to bring a little soul, a little blues and jazz to the conversation,” says Waters. “We try to show that the life of a scholar doesn’t have to be — and isn’t — boring.”

TAKING IT TO THE STREETS Prior to his 2021 appointment as N.C. deputy secretary for archives

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ON-AIR: Since 2014, scholars Marcus Harvey, left, and Darin Waters have hosted “The Waters and Harvey Show.” This spring, the pair celebrate their 100th episode. Photo courtesy of UNCA and history, Waters served on faculty at UNC Asheville and later as executive director for the university’s Office of Community Engagement. A native of Buncombe County, Waters says his 11-year tenure at UNCA was never part of his original plan.

“I left Asheville in 1985 and really had no intentions of coming back,” he says.

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But in the late 2000s, as he researched his dissertation, Life Beneath the Veneer: The Black Community in Asheville, North Carolina from 1793 to 1900, Waters began making frequent trips home to sift through primary sources at several local special collections, including the Biltmore Estate’s.

By 2009, he was teaching as an adjunct professor at UNCA — a role

that later evolved into a tenure-track position, around the same time Harvey joined the university’s religious studies faculty in 2013.

“I didn’t know anybody in Asheville,” remembers Harvey, who arrived by way of Boston. “Darin was one of the first Black professors to reach out to introduce himself, even though we were in different departments.”

A friendship quickly developed.

And as their conversations and intellectual debates evolved, Waters pitched Harvey an idea. “One day, Darin said to me, ‘What if we take this show on the road?’” Harvey remembers with a laugh.

Though neither had previous on-air experience (and despite Harvey’s initial reticence), they agreed to give it a shot in the name of public education.

Meanwhile, leadership at UNCA, notes Waters, was immediately on board, viewing the show as a chance to further engage with local communities of color.

“It’s great to be in the classroom,” Waters says. “But there’s a limited number of people you can reach. And I’ve always had this passion for — to quote The Doobie Brothers here — ‘taking it to the streets.’”

YIN AND YANG Along with engaging audiences in a variety of cultural and historical topics, the show also strives to model civic discourse.

“I think that’s particularly important in the current political climate,” says Harvey.

Furthermore, he adds, the program is an act of subversion, dismantling racist stereotypes that often portray Black men as criminal ne’er-dowells. “We show up as everything but that,” Harvey explains. “We show up as two African American scholars.”

At its heart, however, “The Waters and Harvey Show” is about good stories and free-flowing conversations.

And while the pair prepare for each recording with a script in hand, their reliance on the available text has eased over the years.

“In the earlier shows, we kind of obsessively outlined to avoid the dreaded dead air,” Harvey says. “But these days, I’m often reminded of what a professor at Emory told me as I prepared for my teaching career.

She said, ‘Whether you realize it or not, you know a hell of a more than you think.’”

Along with their collective breadth of knowledge, the two hosts’ opposing outlooks further energize the program. Waters often operates as the show’s optimist, while Harvey gravitates toward a more pessimistic view.

“Marcus always forces us to deal with reality,” Waters says. “I’m always trying to bring that glimmer of hope.”

Yet, despite his own professed cynicism, Harvey is quick to note his admiration for Waters’ perspective.

“As a historian, [Waters] knows more about what has happened over the course of the American exper-

iment than I do,” Harvey explains.

“Meaning he has a more robust, deeper sense of what has been possible in years prior. So it makes perfect sense that he would have more of a sense of what could be possible going forward.”

THE POWER OF CONVERSATION Waters’ idealism, however, is not without critique. Citing historian John Hope Franklin’s 2005 memoir, Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin, he notes there is a common fear across the nation to examine one’s self and the country.

“People are so afraid that they may not like what they see, so they don’t even look,” Waters says. “But you have to be willing to accept the flaws and blemishes and still be able to walk away from the mirror appreciating something about the image that was there. Only then can you say, ‘OK, I’ll do the hard work to try and fix the flaws as we move forward.’”

History, adds Harvey, requires an ongoing dialogue. “If you refuse to be in conversation with it, it becomes this kind of specter that you can’t outrun,” he says. “Americans are haunted by this stubborn, studied refusal to be in conversation with the past, because that conversation inevitably requires you to wrestle with what is going on in the present.”

These points echo topics regularly discussed on their show. And while their approaches and outlooks may differ, both scholars possess a deep faith in the power of conversation.

“I believe that American society can make each other better if we’re willing to have a conversation with each other and not come to it thinking we’ve already created a perfect union,” Waters says. “We have to recognize we are creating a more perfect union.”

This recognition, notes Harvey, can only come through continued engagement. And as he and Waters look ahead to their next 100 episodes, his hope is “The Waters and Harvey Show” continues to invite listeners into the conversation.

“I think what Darin and I model well is a commitment to lifelong learning and critical engagement with what is happening in society,” he says. “Not to be too philosophical, but I think a life well-lived is a life that is defined in large part by such commitments. And my hope is that our show will inspire people in these directions.”

For more information and to listen to past episodes, visit avl.mx/bb5. X

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27

ARTS & C U L T U R E

LITERATURE

Minimalist design

Josh Wardrip’s debut novel combines style and substance

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com A native of western Kentucky, Asheville-based author and freelance editor Josh Wardrip wrote what he calls “some embarrassing short stories” as a teenager, emulating the genre fare that he read. Back then, he didn’t take the craft seriously or think of writing as a career path.

“I came to literature late,” Wardrip says. “I wasn’t a precocious oddball reading [Fyodor] Dostoyevsky at 12.

But when I did discover it, early in college [at the University of Kentucky], it was like I’d tumbled into a hidden world, and each new book was like a revelation.”

The limitations of his pre-internet, small-town upbringing likewise proved crucial to Wardrip’s development. The books that interested him often weren’t readily accessible, which made obtaining them all the more exhilarating.

“So once that took hold, I knew that literature and trying to make it would be part of my life, even if I wasn’t sure I had any special facility for writing,” he says. “I also realized that the things that most interested me seemed esoteric to most other people.”

Wardrip’s literary ambition has resulted in short stories published in Chicago Quarterly Review (“The Noisome”) and American Letters & Commentary (“Furthermore”). More recently, the author celebrated the release of his debut novel, Forum, which came out March 15 — the culmination of a multiyear process that establishes him as a force in the local fiction scene.

STYLE PROFILE Wardrip began writing Forum in 2014, finished the first draft in 2015 and revised for the next four years, followed by nearly a year of submitting to presses.

“Much of the work was done out in the world — in cafés, libraries, bars — so if I had been working during COVID, the process would’ve been rather different,” he says. “I prefer to work in varied settings, which bring different effects on mood and attention, among other things. It’s a way of constantly refreshing your perspective.”

Such creative thinking is evident throughout the novel’s narration by an unnamed character who plans and 28

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editing: “This whole question of how you work out the narrative is very mysterious. It’s a good deal more arbitrary than most people who don’t do it would ever believe.” Her advice proved pivotal in helping Wardrip learn to trust intuition over any prescribed ideas about narrative.

“I also had to muster the confidence to allow for accident,” he says. “Forum is a product of both chance and deliberate organization. I think of the way jazz can allow for degrees of freedom within fixed boundaries. Forum essentially follows a traditional three-part structure, loosely analogous to the constraints of, say, tempo, key and time signature. Provided all parts adhere to the established framework, there is room for the free play of elements.”

HOME SWEET HOME

THIS IS THE WAY: Asheville-based author Josh Wardrip’s debut novel achieves its ominous tone in part through short, powerful chapters and a lack of punctuation. Author photo by Wardrip commits an act of mass-casualty violence. Wardrip notes that the content is informed by the social climate and movements of the last decade, especially class disparity and the acute sense of this social issue, as well as the problem of policing. The result is akin to spending a few hours inside the mind of a modern-day Travis Bickle (Taxi Driver) or Alex (A Clockwork Orange).

“The perennial difficulty of making art is that it should be of its time but not constrained by or reducible to it,” Wardrip says. “I don’t think I set out to just reflect or comment on any contemporary particularity — that’s really the worst kind of art — but it’s also clear that recent history provided an accelerant of sorts.”

The first draft of Forum consisted of three long paragraphs. Its eventual final form of short, powerful chapters emerged after more than a dozen drafts.

“One problem was that the original structure didn’t work; it read more like three linked stories than a novel, and the pace was off. Another issue was that I wanted voice to be the foreground and story the background,” Wardrip says. “Making the text more fragmentary addressed both problems.

The narrative, maybe paradoxically, became more integrated, unified by voice, motif, tone and so on, rather than linear sequence. Correspondingly, attention is diverted from what happens next to what the narrator says.”

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CHOP SHOP An absence of punctuation likewise proves key to the novel’s rhythm and tone. Wardrip says early drafts were conventionally punctuated, but during the revision process, he gradually pulled back, albeit with some reservations.

It wasn’t until he read W.S. Merwin’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poetry, The Shadow of Sirius — which contains no punctuation — that he gained the confidence to fully proceed with this approach.

“Forgoing punctuation in poetry is different than in prose, but I was taken with the pure, uncluttered elegance of the lines [and] the way they float unobstructed on the page. So, I took out all the punctuation, which inevitably necessitated further stylistic recalibrations,” he says. “I do think that visual aesthetics are a component of literary style, even in prose, and the spaces in Forum are perhaps as important as the choice and ordering of words.”

Modernists such as Samuel Beckett (who has one unpunctuated novel, How It Is) and James Joyce (whose Penelope episode in Ulysses features only a couple of periods and a lone comma in its 24,000 words) provided further inspiration, as did Gertrude Stein, who purportedly said, “Punctuation is necessary only for the feeble-minded.”

Wardrip also kept a quote by Joan Didion on hand while writing and

After living in Austin, Texas, and Pittsburgh, the author relocated to Asheville in March 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. In turn, he’s had limited engagement with the local literary community thus far but has been keeping tabs on the area arts community, particularly local bookstores and their plentiful virtual events with an array of writers.

“Naturally, I’m also attracted to the region’s literary and artistic heritage,” he says. “Fifteen minutes from my house, there’s [Black Mountain College,] one of the historical epicenters of the American avant-garde.

And of course there’s [Thomas] Wolfe and [Carl] Sandburg and [F. Scott] Fitzgerald and all the other authors with ties to the area. It’s not a bad place to be a writer.”

Pursuing his craft, however, has lately taken a backseat to gearing up for the release of Forum, which has Wardrip feeling “anxiety, impostor syndrome — the whole lot,” but also a sense “of emerging from a long darkness, and the elation of having attained a seemingly out-of-reach goal.” With “published novelist” now on his resumé, he can turn his attention to the next project: a short story collection of mostly previously published pieces with a couple of new ones also in the mix, which he expects to devote his attention to later this year. X

WHAT Josh Wardrip book launch WHERE Facebook Live, avl.mx/bd8 WHEN Saturday, March 26, 6-9 p.m.

Free

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

29

A R TS & CU LTU R E

HISTORY

Queen of the hill Local archivist discovers distant relative’s criminal history in WNC

IN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS: Archivist Katherine Cutshall stands at the Craven Street bridge, which leads to today’s River Arts District and the nearby Chicken Hill community. In an upcoming Zoom talk, Cutshall will discuss her family ties to the area and a distant relative’s illegal activities within the community. Photo by Jennifer Castillo; historical image courtesy of Buncombe County Special Collections; collage by Scott Southwick

BY ALLI MARSHALL allimarshall@bellsouth.net Like so many others at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Katherine Cutshall needed something to occupy her time while quarantining at home.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Cutshall — the collections manager at Buncombe County Special Collections — began going through her family records and heirlooms, which her father had gathered over the previous decades. Her ties to the area, Cutshall notes, date to the 18th century.

“It’s probably why I became an archivist,” says Cutshall, who, along with her work with the county, serves as a member of the N.C. State Historical Records Advisory Board and was appointed to the Vance Monument Task Force in 2020. “I grew up with this basement of stuff, and it’s all so cool.”

While going through the boxes, Cutshall was surprised to discover information about the extralegal activities of a distant relative in the first half of the 20th century. More broadly, the documents also revealed a larger story about Asheville’s West End-Factory Hill neighborhood located near the River Arts District in the area known today as Chicken Hill.

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On Thursday, March 24, 6-7 p.m., Western North Carolina Historical Association will host Cutshall for a live Zoom talk about her research, West End Women: Liquor, Labor and Love in New Deal Urban Appalachia.

DUSTY AND DIRTY Obituaries and wedding announcements made up the bulk of Cutshall’s early family findings. But amid these everyday documents, the archivist also discovered an interesting police record concerning Grace McAbee, her paternal grandmother’s aunt.

According to Cutshall, McAbee was around 15 years old when she and her father were arrested for chicken theft.

“It led me down a rabbit hole,” remembers the archivist. “I started thinking, ‘OK, what else is happening here?’”

More notices about McAbee emerged — from police raids on her home and business to multiple family members arrested for bootlegging.

The story, Cutshall continues, “just kept building.”

As did the archivist’s research into the Asheville neighborhood McAbee ultimately called home, after being born into poverty in Haywood County at the start of the 20th century.

In Cutshall’s invitation to her upcoming talk, she notes, “The West End-Factory Hill neighborhood was characterized by poor white families who worked as industrial laborers along the French Broad River.” The C.E. Graham Manufacturing Co., a cotton mill, opened in the 1880s and became a major employer in the area. A village of small homes for its millworkers was later constructed on Factory Hill.

In 1894, Moses and Caesar Cone purchased the mill and expanded the operation, hiring additional employees and adding more one-bedroom cottages to Asheville’s West End neighborhood. At its peak, the mill employed roughly 300 people.

But by the 1930s, workers endured layoffs and economic hardships brought on by the Great Depression.

“Following the Second World War, after years of limited investment, the mill owners began divesting themselves of their holdings on Chicken Hill,” notes the website, ChickenHillnc.com. “Starting in 1949, with the struggle to compete with overseas markets, the mill began selling houses to the factory workers, taking out a small sum from their paychecks. This continued until 1953 when Caesar Cone finally shut down the mill, leaving the new homeowners unemployed.”

For the next half-century, Chicken Hill suffered decline as the community disbanded and unemployed workers sought jobs elsewhere. Some houses collapsed, and others were used by the Asheville Fire Department for burn practice.

“This was a loud neighborhood. It was a smoggy neighborhood. It was dusty and dirty and muddy,” Cutshall says of the tangle of streets where her relative lived, worked and ran illegal booze. “This wasn’t the glamorous Haywood Street of the 1920s.”

SHADOW ECONOMY Asheville’s history tends to focus on flashy moments and luminous people — Thomas Wolfe, Douglas Ellington, E.W. Grove and other powerful white men who appeared to run the city.

But there were forces at work behind the scenes, too, says Cutshall.

“I love the term ‘shadow economy,’” the archivist notes, referring to bootlegging, prostitution and petty theft.

“That’s what it is [because] if you suspended those businesses, it affects the overall economy. Just because it’s not legitimate doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”

In her talk, Cutshall will also touch on redlining, the discriminatory practice which withheld services from neighborhoods deemed too hazard-

ous to invest in. Oftentimes — as in Asheville’s East End, Stumptown and Southside neighborhoods — such homes were razed to make way for crosstown expressways, which further isolated residents.

“Grace’s immediate neighborhood was sandwiched between three redlined neighborhoods,” Cutshall explains. Redlining disproportionately affected communities of color, but one of the communities bordering McAbee’s home was almost entirely white. City officials, says Cutshall, claimed the zoning was because “a low class” of people had moved in.

“As I’ve gone back and reconstructed the neighborhood in my mind’s eye, [redlining] was very destructive,” Cutshall says. “It transformed the area from an industrial neighborhood to an industrial zone.”

The archivist’s research also turned up information about the formation of the federal women’s prison system.

Among her periods of incarceration, McAbee was sentenced to a term of hard labor on the roads. She also served time at Federal Prison Camp, Alderson — where Martha Stewart was incarcerated in 2004. When Stewart was there, the minimum-security center was dubbed “Camp Cupcake.”

“But it was originally an experiment in women’s incarceration and reform,” Cutshall explains. Prior to its establishment, women were sent to the same federal prisons as men.

“Alderson was built because there was an influx of female offenders in and around Prohibition.”

Though details about McAbee’s legal troubles remain vague, Cutshall was able to secure a copy of the warrant for her arrest. McAbee’s sentence, notes Cutshall, “was something like four years [but] the charge was only for 1 ½ pints of untaxed alcohol.”

Cutshall’s history talk may raise more questions than it answers. But it also paints a picture of a place and the people who lived there. It’s about a sector of Asheville almost lost to time, gentrification and development. And it’s a taste of what other stories might be lurking in basements and attics, just waiting for discovery. X

Green thumbs & aspiring gardeners alike!

Spring is near, and as the weather warms, Xpress will be launching a monthly gardening feature based on reader questions.

Please send all gardening inquiries to gardening@mountainx.com

WHAT West End Women: Liquor, Labor and Love in New Deal Urban Appalachia WHERE History talk on Zoom. avl.mx/bce WHEN Thursday, March 24, 6-7 p.m. $5 WNCHA members / $10 general admission

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31

ARTS & C U L T U R E

FOOD ROUNDUP

What’s new in food In March 2012, when Strada Italiano and Social Lounge opened at 27 Broadway, the location was considered cursed, says owner and executive chef Anthony Cerrato.

Tingles Cafe, Zoe Rose and Never Blue were among the previous shortlived restaurants that came and went inside the 19th-century building.

But a decade later — and despite a pandemic in the mix — the curse appears to be lifted. On Sunday, March 27, Strada Italiano and Social Lounge celebrates its 10-year anniversary. “We are so grateful for the Asheville community and the team we work with,” says Cerrato. “So many faces and so many hands have helped create Strada’s lasting success.”

As part of the celebration, Cerrato and the Strada team are paying homage to the history of its location with some of the restaurant’s classic dishes. Tuscan duck and figs, pasta Portofino and grilled Florentine ravioli are among the 10 items that will be specially paired with 10 cocktails from the Social Lounge’s original bar menu (back when it operated as Sazerac) through March 27.

For Cerrato, it’s the people at the center of Strada Italiano and Social Lounge most responsible for its success. “I always envisioned Strada to be a heritage business,” he says.

“We’ve always promoted from within, so people have a career trajectory within this organization. The whole reason we’re successful is because we’ve empowered our employees and built a great working culture.”

Later this year, Cerrato notes, his latest project, Gemelli, a spin-off of Strada, is slated to open inside the former Green Sage space at the Westgate Shopping Center. Italian for “twins,” the Gemelli name is a

Strada Italiano and Social Lounge celebrates 10 years

FAMILY BUSINESS: Strada Italiano and Social Lounge celebrates its 10th anniversary this month. Pictured, from left, are Carly Wilson, Gabriel Cerrato, Anthony Cerrato, Jennie Cerrato and Fallon Webb. Photo by Andy Lukacs loving nod to the twin baby girls the Cerratos welcomed in 2020. This new space will offer a split-service concept, providing both counter service and traditional sit-down dining.

Menu features will include fresh grab-and-go pastas, sauces, salads and antipasti, as well as a bevy of beer, wine and cocktail offerings, including six cocktails on tap.

“It’s been an incredible journey, and I like to think we’re not even halfway done,” says Cerrato.

For menu options and reservations, visit avl.mx/bcw.

Elevated Southern cuisine Join Ivory Road Cafe & Kitchen on Thursday, March 24, 6-9 p.m., for an upscale five-course meal with optional wine pairings. “Southern cuisine can be very humble, so our goal is to elevate it to a more fine-dining experience,” says Jill Wasilewski, owner and chef. Smoked trout roe deviled egg, brown butter cornbread, crispy skin pork belly and more await those ready to heighten their perception

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MOUNTAINX.COM

of Southern cooking. “We hope that diners try something new, whether it’s a flavor combination or ingredient, and come away with an appreciation for the way food and cuisines evolve over time,” says Wasilewski.

Ivory Road Cafe & Kitchen is at 1854 Brevard Road, Arden. Tickets run $55 per person, $69 with optional wine pairings included. For more information, visit avl.mx/bcs.

Wild spring greens Root Cause Farm will co-host a foraging and cooking class alongside Red Moon Herbs on Sunday, March 27, 1-5 p.m. Led by Red Moon Herbs’ Jeannie Dunn, this workshop will instruct attendees on how to identify wild spring greens and how to incorporate them into one’s diet.

“We want people to take away an appreciation and knowledge of the edible plants native to Western North Carolina,” says Becca Malloy, outreach and development coordinator for Root Cause Farm.

The workshop will conclude with a potluck, including a chickweed-based pesto and violet syrup made with herbs picked fresh from the farm’s garden.

The event is free to attend, although donations are encouraged. Root Cause

Farm is at 26 Joe Jenkins Road, Fairview.

Visit avl.mx/bct for more information.

Taco Billy expands eastward After launching in West Asheville in 2015, Taco Billy recently announced plans to expand eastward. In June, the restaurant plans to open a second location in Black Mountain at 117 Cherry Street.

“Black Mountain chose us,” says owner Hunter Berry. “A friend acquired the building last year, and when I first entered the space, I felt a pull which led me to sign a lease agreement.”

While the location and trappings will differ from what Taco Billy fans have become accustomed to (the Black Mountain venue will have no outdoor area but more indoor seating), the menu will remain unchanged, using the same food vendors to keep its brand consistent. “We are planning to provide the community of Black Mountain with tacos filled with high-quality ingredients at a good value in a space that fosters fellowship,” says Berry.

Taco Billy is at 201 Haywood Road.

For more information and updates on the Black Mountain expansion, visit avl.mx/bcu.

Indigenous food sovereignty The Museum of the Cherokee Indian recently announced its spring lecture series. With in-person and virtual events, Cherokee innovators, advocates and culture keepers will speak and educate on the theme of food sovereignty. “With this series, we hope to look at the importance and impact of traditional foods and foodways amongst Indigenous people,” says Jenn Wilson, MCI Aniyvwiyahi community program coordinator.

On Monday, March 28, Nico Albert (ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ), owner and executive chef of Burning Cedar Indigenous Foods, will be providing a live lecture on MCI’s YouTube page discussing food sovereignty and preparing Indigenous dishes. A Q&A session with MCI staff will follow Albert’s lecture.

Visit MCI’s YouTube page on Monday, March 28 at 6 p.m. to attend the session.

Yoga, tacos and mimosas Yoga, tacos, mimosas … what’s not to love? Stop by The Grey Eagle on

Sunday, March 27, for a yoga session, held 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., led by Clare Desmelik. Afterward, participants are encouraged to enjoy tacos and mimosas in the taqueria. While in The Grey Eagle’s newly redesigned space, be sure to take note of the music venue’s renovated front-facing signage, new paint job and mural from local artist Ian Wilkinson.

The Grey Eagle is at 185 Clingman Ave. Yoga Taco Mosa is a free event; a $5-$10 donation is suggested. For more information, visit avl.mx/prwn.

Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest returns Originally scheduled for spring, the WNC Cheese Trail’s annual Carolina Mountain Cheese Fest is now slated for Sunday, Sept. 25, at Oak and Grist Distilling Co. in Black Mountain.

“We want everyone to fully and safely participate in all that the Cheese Fest offers, like tastings and pairings, and the majority of cheesemakers felt unable to do so at this time due to staffing and supply chain issues,” says the WNC Cheese Trail in an email to its members. The WNC Cheese Trail has also partnered with Loyal Brew to build a new app designed to make the Cheese Trail more interactive and community friendly. WNC Cheese Trail’s app is free to use and accessible directly through web browsers.

The festival is currently seeking volunteers.

Visit avl.mx/bcx for event details and avl.mx/bcy to access the app.

Dinner with Materra Cunat Family Vineyard Bottle Riot welcomes Brian Noshay of Materra Cunat Family Vineyards for an exclusive dinner on Wednesday, March 23, 7 p.m. Materra is known for its commitment to environmental sustainability and carefully cultivating soil, climate and water for its grapes. Five separate award-winning wines from Materra’s Oak Knoll District Napa Valley winery will be paired with food prepared by Bottle Riot, including lobster and gruyere mini grilled cheeses, grilled pork tenderloin and several canapés and family-style boards. All wine served during the dinner will also be available for purchase, following the event.

Bottle Riot is at 37 Paynes Way. Tickets run $90 per person. For tickets and additional information, visit avl.mx/bd7.

— Blake Becker X MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 23-29, 2022

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ARTS & C U L T U R E

ROUNDUP

Around Town

Punk rock compilation album seeks to raise awareness of naloxone Overdose deaths in North Carolina have been increasing at an alarming rate, and the music industry has been particularly hard-hit.

“I personally know three musicians who have overdosed and died,” says John Kennedy, director of Musicians for Overdose Prevention. “And this doesn’t have to happen. There is something we can do about this.”

With that in mind, Musicians for Overdose Prevention has teamed with Black Mountain’s Holy Crap Records to release Ramones-Esque, a punk compilation album to bring attention to naloxone.

Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan and others, is a medication used to reverse the effects of heroin, fentanyl and other opioids. It is commonly used to counter decreased breathing in opioid overdoses.

“First, all music venues should carry Narcan. They just should,” Kennedy says. “Second, all musicians should carry Narcan.”

One problem, though, is that the price for a two-pack of Narcan, an easy-to-use formulation of naloxone that is administered as a nasal spray, is a steep $75.

“Pharmaceutical companies shouldn’t be able to make a profit on

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Narcan,” Kennedy says. “They need to take a loss. They helped create this overdose crisis, and they can’t make massive profits on this, off us.”

The group will send Narcan, CDs and more to all the artists on Ramones-Esque, as well as to more than 300 other artists they have a relationship with. It also will supply Narcan to music venues, recording studios and radio stations.

The album features 47 songs done in the style of the legendary punk band the Ramones — fast, loud, catchy and built around three chords.

Many of the featured artists are from Western North Carolina, including Dangerous Goods, Busy Weather, Malibu Stacy, Carpal Tullar, The Deathbots, DanceKrieg, Cardboard Box Colony, Slow Poison, John Kirby and the New Seniors, Bonny Dagger, Hit Dogs and Beulah Froom.

Ramones-Esque can be purchased at avl.mx/bdc or on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music or other online music services.

Made in Brevard The fourth annual Arts in March returns to downtown Brevard on Saturday, March 26, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,

MOUNTAINX.COM

THREE CHORDS AND THE TRUTH: Local bands John Kirby and the New Seniors, top left, Carpal Tullar, bottom left, and Bonny Dagger are among the artists featured on Ramones-Esque. Band photos courtesy of the artists; album cover courtesy of Holy Crap Records and Sunday, March 27, noon-4 p.m.

For the first time, the event will incorporate made brevard, an open-air market featuring 26 creators and artisans.

Made brevard exhibitors were selected through a juried process, with preference given to local and regional vendors. All products, including jewelry, paintings, pottery, textiles, local honey and skin care products, will be handmade or handcrafted.

The market will be in the West Jordan Street parking lot and the parking lot behind the Trust Building.

“Traditionally, many of our events close the streets and line them with vendors,” says Nicole Bentley, executive director of Heart of Brevard, the nonprofit sponsoring the event.

“Through post-event surveys, we’ve learned that this model isn’t a benefit to our year-round, brick-and-mortar downtown businesses. In an effort to support small businesses, local makers and our community, we decided to host the market in a central location that adds to the overall atmosphere of the event.”

In addition to made brevard, Arts in March will feature live music, food trucks, artist demonstrations, artist pop-ups and curated specials at downtown businesses.

For more information, visit avl.mx/bdd.

Going to the mat Gabriel Crow, an esteemed Eastern Band Cherokee basket maker and featured artist in the exhibition ᎢᏛᏍᎦ ᏫᏥᏤᎢ ᎠᎵᏰᎵᏒ Weaving Across Time, will lead a mat-weaving workshop at the Center for Craft on Friday, March 25, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Participants will learn about traditional Eastern Band Cherokee weaving patterns, how to dye splints and how to weave a traditional Eastern Band Cherokee mat form.

The woven mat has become a particularly valuable format for contemporary basket weavers like Crow to experiment with pattern and color.

The Center for Craft is located at 67 Broadway. Cost of the workshop is $75. For more information or to register, go to avl.mx/bdf.

Rockin’ for Ukraine Asheville’s Peacock Party Band will host the Ukraine Benefit House Party on Sunday, March 27, at 2 p.m., at 301 Pearson Drive.

“Louly Peacock and I decided we wanted to organize a fundraiser for the people of the Ukraine and have asked a group of Asheville musicians

and bands to perform acoustically at our house concert venue in historic Montford,” says Sim Hickman of the Peacock Party Band.

The group has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America, a group that seeks to help Ukrainians who have been injured, displaced or are suffering from a lack of shelter, food or medical care as a result of the Russian invasion.

Hickman hopes to raise $3,000.

Among those performing at the show will be the Peacock Party Trio, featuring Peacock, Hickman and Jenette Mackie, Pixiebelly, Chris Wilhelm, Ghost Pipe Union, Ashley Heath, Melodic AF, Justin Jay, and Ashes and Arrows.

For more information, go to avl.mx/bdh. To donate to the GoFundMe effort, visit avl.mx/bdi.

Going back in time John Cloyd Miller, a professor at Warren Wilson College and member of renowned local band Zoe & Cloyd, recently won first prize in the prestigious Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest.

The winning song, “Chestnut Mountain,” is an ode to Miller’s historic family homeplace in Wilkes County.

“I’d always wanted to write a song about the family homeplace because I felt that it was something that was very meaningful to all of us,” Miller says in a press release. “It’s such a poignant story, important to everybody in the family. When it was finished, I thought, ‘This is nice.’ It’s good, it’s simple, it has a good emotive quality. I felt proud of it.”

Miller’s late grandfather, Jim Shumate, was born on the family property in 1921 and was a pioneer in early bluegrass music, playing with Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, and other legendary artists.

Miller says his grandfather was a huge influence on his musical career, and he wanted the song to honor his family’s legacy.

The Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest includes a $500 prize, which Miller says he plans to spend on a new guitar.

Asheville musician Anya Hinkle received an honorable mention for her song “Hills of Swannanoa.”

To see the music video for “Chestnut Mountain,” go to avl.mx/bde.

The group will pay for selected volunteers to receive wilderness first aid and CPR training so that they can act as an assistant in case of injuries or emergencies. That could involve dealing with minor cuts or injuries or even having to help someone back to a trailhead or to more advanced medical care.

The ideal candidate should be a regular attendee of WNCHA outings, able to lift/carry 50 or more pounds in emergencies, confident in their ability to complete strenuous hikes up to 6 miles, willing to provide first-aid assistance after receiving training, competent at following trail or topographical maps and routes, and calm and professional under pressure.

If interested, email Trevor Freeman at education@wnchistory.org.

Visiting writer Author Nadia Owusu will speak at UNC Asheville’s Karpen Hall on Tuesday, March 29, at 7 p.m., as part of the school’s Visiting Writers Series.

Owusu is a Ghanaian and Armenian American writer and urbanist. Her first book, Aftershocks, A Memoir, topped many most anticipated and best book of the year lists and was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice.

For more information on the free event, go to avl.mx/89c.

— Justin McGuire X

MOVIE REVIEWS Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include: X: Writer/director Ti West (The Innkeepers) returns after a six-year venture into TV with this 1979-set mashup of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Boogie Nights. Plenty of promising ideas are present in X, but the connective tissue between them is thin.

Grade: B-minus — Edwin Arnaudin MASTER: Led by another strong performance from Regina Hall, writer/director Mariama Diallo’s university-set feature debut plays like the heir to Get Out before falling apart during the final half hour. Grade: B-minus — Edwin Arnaudin

SMOKYPARK.COM

Volunteers needed The Western North Carolina Historical Association is seeking volunteers to help with hikes and other outings.

Ready for sunny days at the Supper Club

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

350 RIVERSIDE DR. ASHEVILLE, NC 28801 828-350-0315

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 23-29, 2022

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CLUBLAND ONE WORLD BREWING 5j Barrow (folk rock), 8pm

k

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

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

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Electro-Lust (electronic Latin funk), 8pm REVERIE EVENTS ASHEVILLE Dream On Comedy at Reverie, 7:30pm

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia and Karaoke, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Rachel Fogletto, 7pm • AQUANET Goth Party w/Ash Black, 9pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Disclaimer Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm CASCADE LOUNGE Wednesday Bluegrass Jam, 5pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Trivia Night, 7pm FLEETWOOD'S TWEN, Meadow Trash & Dust Fuss (indie), 8pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 An Evening w/Keith Harkin (Celtic), 8:30pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING Pingo Wednesdays, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 7pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Acoustic Jam, 5pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/ Caleb Beissert, 8pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Godcaster, Space Grandma & We Were Here Before (rock), 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic Hosted by Kid Billy, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Satsang (indie)k 8pm

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

MOUNTAINX.COM

ROOM IX Ladies Night Dance Party w/DJ Moto, 10pm SALVAGE STATION Jon Stickley Trio w/ Taylor Martin (Americana, bluegrass, jazz, folk), 8pm

THE ODDITORIUM Waveformk Melaina Kol, Convalescent & Aunt Ant (indie pop, rock, metal), 7pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Mo’ynoq, Paezor, and Urocyon Mo’ynoq, Paezor, and Urocyon (metal), 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Shovels & Rope (Americana, alt country) k 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic, 6pm Wednesday Open Mic, 6pm

THURSDAY, MARCH 24 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET The Foreign Landers (bluegrass, folk), 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE The AVL Jazz Workshop, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Kiki Thursdays Drag and Dancing, 8pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR MGB at the AGB (covers, singer-songwriter)k 7:30pm ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic w/Cary Goff, 7:30pm BLUE RIDGE HEMP CO. Comedy Night w/Kate Willett, 8pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Thursday Night Trivia w/ Kelsey, 6:30pm DOUBLE CROWN Rock & Roll w/DJ Fast Eddy (punk, soul, garage), 10pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Ben Phantom (singer-songwriter), 7pm HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Andrew Wakefield (folk, rock, bluegrass), 4pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Asheville Sessions ft Ellen Trnka (blues, jazz), 7pm • An Evening w/Jamie Laval & Amber Rose (Celtic, world)k 8:30pm

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES: Asheville-based Jon Stickley Trio will play its first hometown show of the year on Friday, March 25, at 8 p.m., at Salvage Station. The trio, which consists of Stickley on flatpick guitar, Hunter Deacon on drums and Lyndsay Pruett on violin, performs bluegrass, Gypsy jazz and folk punk. Photo courtesy of Salvage Station JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Josh Dunkin (acoustic), 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Purple (funk, soul, rock), 7pm OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Trivia Night w/Nick Pearl, 6pm POLANCO RESTAURANT Sense Every Thursday w/DJ Audio, 12am ROOM IX College Night Dance Party, 10pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY John O'Connor (Americana, singer-songwriter), 6pm SALVAGE STATION Jimkata w/with Craig Waters & The Flood (synth, electro-rock), 8pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Free Weekly Table Tennis Tournament, 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Matthew Marx, Ben Asbury (A.X.), Nostalgianoid, & Printer Error (experimental), 8pm THE 2ND ACT Russ Wilson & The 2nd Act Orchestra (swing), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Delta Spirit w/Palm Palm (rock)k 9pm

CORK & KEG Soul Blue (soul, R&B), 8pm

THE ODDITORIUM Carinae, Fortezza & Serotina (indie rock, psych rock), 8pm

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

THE ORANGE PEEL Penny & Sparrow (folk) k 8pm

DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Remedy 58 (soul, blues), 7pm

THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Bobby Weir & Wolf Brothers w/The Wolfpack (acoustic, country and western, jam)k 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S The Stone Eye, The Electric Prophets, & Istari (metal), 8pm

THE 2ND ACT Sunlight Drive (acoustic duo), 6:30pm THE DUGOUT The Loudes (punk, folk, rock), 8pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy: Matthew English, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Modelface Comedy presents Joe Zimmerman w/Kate Willettk 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Perversions (play party) k 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL The Birthday Massacre (indie rock)k 8pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 26

GUIDON BREWING Andrew Wakefield (folk, rock, bluegrass), 7pm

185 KING STREET Jon Stickly Trio w/Gary McCullough (acoustic), 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. The Get Right Band (psychdelic indie rock), 7pm

AMERICAN VINYL CO. Michael Flynn & Mary Kenyon (folk pop, singer-songwriter, bluesfolk), 7pm

185 KING STREET The Jared Stout Band (alt country), 8pm

ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Noel McKay (Americana, country & western) k 7pm • Consider the Source (acoustic, world), 8:30pm

AMERICAN VINYL CO. Gold Light, Daniel Shearin& Andrew Victor (alt-country, folk, singer-songwriter), 7pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Beauty Parlor Comedy: Katie Hughes, 7pm • Big Gay Energy Dance Party w/Ganymede, 10pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Jesse & the Jugs (honky tonk, swing, rock'n'roll), 8pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Miami Gold (rock)k 7:30pm

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

LAZY HIKER BREWING SYLVA Album Release Party w/ Alma Russ (country, folk), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Brother and Sister w/ Kyle Travers (Allman Brothers family tribute), 9pm

MAD CO. BREW HOUSE The Trusty Hucksters (swing jazz, rock), 6pm

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

MILLS RIVER BREWING Two Step Too (acoustic duo), 7pm

BIG PILLOW BREWING Coywolf (folk), 5:30pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Craft Karaoke, 8pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic, 6pm

FRIDAY, MARCH 25

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues w/Howie Johnsonk 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL EarthCry w/Push/Pull, Numatik & Mycorr (dance/electronic), 8pm BREWSKIES Karaoke, 10pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Sandy Herrault (violin), 3pm CITIZEN VINYL Fiddle Fridays w/Casey Driessen, 4pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Wyatt Espalin (folk), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL • GE Early Free Dead Friday (jam band, rock), 6:30pm • Free Dead Friday w/ Gus & Friends (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

BREWSKIES Pool Tournament Saturdays, 7pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Wayne Taylor (bluegrass), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 2pm

CITIZEN VINYL Saturday Spins, 1pm CORK & KEG The Uptown Hillbillies (honky tonk), 8pm CROW & QUILL Best Western Swing Bandk 8:30pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Tuxedo Junction (covers), 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Dope Skum, Triangle Fire, Speed Trials & Slugemuffin (metal), 8pm GIRL AND GOBLIN Another Comedy Showcase, 8pm GUIDON BREWING Roots and Dore (roots), 7pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Midnight Mass Comedy Show, 11:30pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Hope Griffin (acoustic, folk), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Falcon 3 (improvisational), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Brothers Gillespie w/ Jack Marion & the Pearl Snap Prophets (Americana, country, folk), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Supper Break (bluegrass), 8pm MILLS RIVER BREWING ALR Trio (blues, rock), 2pm Sinder Ella (rock), 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. • The Gathering Dark (Americana, folk), 3pm • The Queue (pop, top 40), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Wigeon (soul, blues, funk), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • The Runaway Grooms (psychedelic Americana), 5pm • Funk'N Around, 9pm PARKER-BINNS VINEYARD Eric Congdon (acoustic), 3pm SAINT PAUL MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS Hunnilicious (vocal duo), 2:30pm SALVAGE STATION Kendall Street Company, Underground Springhouse w/Lua Flora (rock), 7pm THE 2ND ACT The Baggage Brothers (progressive Americana), 7pm THE DUGOUT Sly Sparrow (rock, pop), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Matt Heckler (Appalachian, world)k 9pm

ROOM IX Asheville's Biggest Dance Party, 10pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Lettuce (funk)k 9pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Shred Flintstone, TOF, Mouthbreathers, and Odd Squad (rock), 8pm

TRISKELION BREWING CO. Virginia Sweet (Southern rock), 8pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY BREVARD Doug Jones (singer-songwriter), 6pm

SUNDAY, MARCH 27 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 5pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Trivia Sundays, 4:30pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Jazz Brunch w/Nick Garrison Trio, 12pm • Soul Dance Party w/ Zati, 9pm BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS Roots and Dore (roots), 2pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Bike Night w/Ashley & Big Matty, 2pm THE GREY EAGLE • Laney Lou and the Bird Dogs (Americana)k 4pm • Ben Phantom and Friends (singer-songwriter)k 7pm THE ODDITORIUM • Motel Pearl, Lingo & Case Quarter (alt/indie), 3pm • Jacob Danielsen-Moore & The Boys, The Kindest People, Busy Weather & Cardboard Box Colony (alt/indie), 7pm THE ROOT BAR Comedy Open Mic, 7:30pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Nick Colavito and Chad Brown Bluegrass Duo, 2pm

MONDAY, MARCH 28

BURNTSHIRT VINEYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK The JackTown Ramblers (bluegrass, swing, jazz), 2pm

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Freshen Up Comedy Showcase, 7pm

CROW & QUILL The Roaring Lions (parlour jazz)k 7pm

BREWSKIES Open Jam w/Tall Paul, 7:30pm

HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic w/Taylor Martin & Special Guest, 7:15pm

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Musicians in the Round, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Soul Jazz Sundays w/ Taylor Pierson Trio, 3pm HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Mr Jimmy Duo w"Hollywood" Johnny Cosgrave, 1pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Brother and the Hayes w/Wilson Springs Hotel (Americana, folk, acoustic), 7:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Sunday Bluegrass Brunch w/Supper Break, 12pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Reggie Spears (blues, Southern soul), 2pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Shakedown Sundays (rock, jam band), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Sunday Jazz Jam w/ The Fully Vaccinated Jazz Trio, 1pm • Women to the Front presents an Acoustic Evening w/Melissa McKinney & Friends, 6pm PARKER-BINNS VINEYARD Phil Ruff (acoustic), 3pm PLEB URBAN WINERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

DOUBLE CROWN Country Karaoke, 10pm HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm LITTLE JUMBO Jay Sanders' Sinfonietta (jazz)k 7pm

TUESDAY, MARCH 29 185 KING STREET Tuesday Casual Collaborations w/Shawn Lane and Richard Bennett, 6pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Downtown Karaoke w/ Ganymede, 9pm CORK & KEG Foghorn String Band (Cajun, classic country, old-time), 7:30pm DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE Lúnasa (traditional Irish), 8pm FLEETWOOD'S Rocky MTN Roller, Ma'am & Old Lady (country punk), 8pm FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm GINGER'S REVENGE Modelface Comedy presents Matt White, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute, jam, rock), 6pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm STATIC AGE RECORDS Leya, Farewell Phoenix, and Meg Mulhern (R&B, soul, electronic), 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING All Arts Open Mike w/ Mike Waters, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE John Craigie w/The Lowest Pair (singer/ songwriter)k 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Eister's Twin Leaf Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Well Crafted Wednesdays w/Matt Smith (singer-songwriter), 6pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Nashville Stories Tour w/Autumn Nicholas & Madeline Finn (Americana, folk, alt-country), 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 10pm ONE WORLD BREWING Pingo Wednesdays, 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night Wednesdays w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 7pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Acoustic Jam, 5pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic w/Host Caleb Beissert, 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE BARRELHOUSE Open Mic Hosted by Kid Billy, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Naked Giants (pop-punkgrunge-surf-rock)k 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Sinker, Lil Connie, H3LIX, Castelhikari & Wicked Tongue (alt hiphop, emo pop), 7pm

THURSDAY, MARCH 31

185 KING STREET Supper Break (bluegrass), 7pm

SILVERADOS 8 Ball Tournament, 7pm

185 KING STREET Trivia and Karaoke, 7pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Trivia by the River w/ James Harrod, 8pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Beauty Parlor Comedy: Nathan Owens, 7pm • Aquanet Goth Party, 9pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm THE ODDITORIUM The Roundup Tour (Queer country), 7pm THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM AT HARRAH'S CHEROKEE CENTER - ASHEVILLE Glass Animals (alt/indie) k 8pm

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Trivia Night, 7pm FLEETWOOD'S Terraoke! Karaoke w/KJ Terra Ware, 6pm HI-WIRE BREWING RAD BEER GARDEN Game Night, 6pm

FLEETWOOD'S The Shrünken Heads, Ratchet Dolls & Silver Tongue Devils (heavy metal), 8pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten Free Open Mic Comedy, 6pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich & Friends, 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Billy Litz (roots, blues, ragtime), 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Smooth Goose (funk, jazz), 7pm OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Trivia Night w/Nick Pearl, 6pm POLANCO RESTAURANT Sense Every Thursday w/ DJ Audio, 12am

RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY John O'Connor (Americana, singer-songwriter), 6pm

12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

CASCADE LOUNGE Wednesday Bluegrass Jam, 5pm

DOUBLE CROWN Gospel Night w/Third Generation, 9pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Open Mic, 6pm Wednesday Open Mic, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Monday Mashup (jazz, funk, soul), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE Leif Vollebekk (singer-songwriter)k 8pm

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

ROOM IX College Night Dance Party, 10pm

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

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

CONTINUUM ART Singer Songwriter Open Mic Night, 6pm

THE ORANGE PEEL The Midnight (dance, electronic)k 8pm

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30

THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 8pm

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

305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Vaden Landers w/ West King String Band (rockabilly, ragtime, western swing), 7pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE The AVL Jazz Workshop, 7pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Kiki Thursdays Drag and Dancing, 8pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR KB and the LMD (jazz standards, classic pop)k 7:30pm ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic & Feature Comedy, 7:30pm

SALVAGE STATION The JLloyd Mashup w/ Joint Killer Brass Band, 8pm SILVERADOS Get Vocal Karaoke, 7pm SOVEREIGN KAVA Free Weekly Table Tennis Tournament, 7pm THE 2ND ACT Russ Wilson & The 2nd Act Orchestra (swing), 7pm THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Karaoke Jackazz, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE Western Centuries (country, R&B, rock) k 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Bumpin' Uglies Presents Femme Fatale (dance party), 8pm TWIN LEAF BREWERY Craft Karaoke, 9pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic, 6pm UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY BREVARD Bruce Threlkeld (bluegrass to punk), 6pm

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARCH 23-29, 2022

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Carib people from Surinam quote their mysterious Snake Spirit as follows: “I am the force of the spirit of the lightning eel, the thunder ax, the stone. I am the force of the firefly; thunder and lightning have I created.” I realize that what I’m about to say may sound far-fetched, but I suspect you will have access to powers that are comparable to the Snake Spirit’s in the coming weeks. In fact, your state of being reminds me of how Aries poet Marge Piercy expressed her quests for inspiration: “When I work, I am pure as an angel tiger, and clear is my eye and hot my brain and silent all the whining grunting piglets of the appetites.”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “It’s always too early to quit,” wrote cheerful author Norman Vincent Peale, who first popularized the idea of “positive thinking.” I’m an optimistic person myself, but I think his advice is excessively optimistic. On some occasions, it’s wise to withdraw your energy from a project or relationship you’ve been working on. Struggling to find relevance and redemption may reach a limit. Pushing ever onward might be fruitless and even harmful. However, I don’t think that now is one of those times for you, Taurus. According to my reading of the astrological omens, it is too early for you to quit.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “You can be as earnest and ridiculous as you need to be, if you don’t attempt it in isolation.” So says author Barbara Kingsolver. She adds, “The ridiculously earnest are known to travel in groups. And they are known to change the world.” In my view, this is perfect advice for you right now. If you and the members of your crew focus on coordinating your efforts, you could accomplish blazing amazements in the coming weeks. You may solve riddles that none of you has been able to decipher alone. You can synergize your efforts in such a way that everyone’s individual fate will be lifted up.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): About 200 years ago, poet William Wordsworth wrote, “Every great and original writer must himself create the taste by which he is to be relished.” Now I’ve come up with a variation on that wisdom: “Every great and original soul must herself create the taste by which she is to be understood and appreciated.” That’s what I hope you will work on in the coming weeks, Cancerian: fostering an ambiance in which you can be even better understood and appreciated.

You now have extra power to teach people how to value you and get the best out of you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I hate housework!” complained comedian Joan Rivers. “You make the beds, you do the dishes, and 6 months later you have to start all over again.” I wish I could give you a 6-month reprieve from having to attend to those chores, Leo. In fact, I’d love it if I could permanently authorize you to avoid all activities that distract you from thinking big thoughts and feeling rich emotions and pursuing expansive adventures. But I’m afraid I can only exempt you from the nagging small stuff for just the next 3 weeks or so — 4, tops. After that, you’ll have to do the dishes and make the beds again. But for the foreseeable future: Focus your energy on thinking big thoughts and feeling rich emotions and pursuing expansive adventures!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A British plumber named Kev Crane worked for weeks to install a new bathroom at a private home. As he toiled, he passed the time by singing his favorite songs. He didn’t know that the homeowner, Paul Conneally, was the owner of a music label. So he was surprised and delighted when Conneally offered him a deal to record an album in the label’s studio. There may be a comparable development in your life during the coming weeks, Virgo. You could be noticed in new ways for what you do well. Your secret or unknown talents may be discovered or revealed.

You might get invitations to show more of who you really are. Be alert for such opportunities.

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MARCH 23-29, 2022

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): It’s the start of the Listening Season for you Libras. I propose a full-on celebration of listening: a 3-week Holiday of Paying Close Attention to Important and Interesting Words Being Said in Your Vicinity.

Make yourself a magnet for useful revelations.

Be alert for the rich information that becomes available as you show the world you would love to know more of its secrets. For inspiration, read these quotes. 1. You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time. — M. Scott Peck 2. Learn to listen.

Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly. — my friend Jenna 3. Listening is being able to be changed by the other person. — Alan Alda 4. If you want to be listened to, you should put in time listening. — Marge Piercy 5. Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold. — Karl A. Menninger.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Worry doesn’t count as preparation,” writes author Lily Akerman. That sounds wise, but I don’t think it’s true in all cases. At its best, worrying may serve as a meditation that helps us analyze potential problems. It prompts us to imagine constructive actions we might take to forestall potential disruptions — and maybe even prevent them from erupting into actual disruptions. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Scorpio, because now is an excellent time to engage in this kind of pondering. I declare the next 3 weeks to be your Season of Productive Worrying.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If I had my way, you’d be a connoisseur of kisses in the coming weeks. You’d make it your intention to expand your repertoire of kissing styles and ask willing partners to do the same. You would give and receive unwieldy kisses, brave kisses and mysterious kisses. You would explore foolish, sublime kisses and sincere but inscrutable kisses and awakening kisses that change the meaning of kisses altogether. Are you interested in pursuing this challenge? It will be best accomplished through unhurried, playful, luxurious efforts.

There’s no goal except to have experimental fun.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days,” wrote author Flannery O’Connor. Her observation may be a bit of an exaggeration, but not much.

And I’m offering it to you now, as you begin a phase when you can glean many new teachings about your childhood — insights that could prove handy for a long time to come. I encourage you to enjoy a deep dive into your memories of your young years. They have superb secrets to divulge.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected,” said author William Plomer. I agree with that.

And I’m pleased to let you know that in the coming weeks, you will have more of this power to connect than you’ve had in a long time. I hope you will use it to link your fortunes to influences that inspire you. I hope you will wield it to build bridges between parts of your world that have been separate or alienated until now.

And I hope you will deploy your enhanced capacity for blending and joining as you weave at least one magnificent new creation.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I use my intelligence to discover more ways of appreciating you,” author Piscean Anaïs Nin told her lover Henry Miller. In the coming weeks, I recommend you activate a similar ambition. Now is a time when you can enhance your close relationships with important allies by deepening your insight into them. What magic is at play within them that you haven’t fully recognized before?

How could you better see and understand their mysteries? P.S.: You may be pleased when your deepening vision of them prompts them to extend the same favor toward you.

MOUNTAINX.COM

MARKETPLACE

BY ROB BREZSNY

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SALES/ MARKETING

SALES PROFESSIONAL WORK FOR A LOCAL COMPANY THAT HAS COVERED THE LOCAL SCENE FOR OVER

20 YEARS! This is a full-time position with benefits in a supportive, team-oriented environment in a community-service, locally-owned business. Ideal candidates are personable, organized, motivated, and can present our company with confidence. Necessary skills include clear and professional communications (via phone, email, and in-person meetings), detailed record-keeping, and self motivation. While no outside sales experience is required, experience dealing with varied and challenging situations is helpful. The position largely entails account development and lead generation (including cold-calling), account management, assisting clients with marketing and branding strategies. If you are a high energy, positive, cooperative person looking to join an independent media organization, please send a resume and cover letter (no walk-ins, please) explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@ mountainx.com.

SALES ASSISTANT Entry level administrative assistant position to our vibrant sales team. Position includes researching leads, verifying contacts, organizing outreach schedules, collections, and other tasks in support of the sales staff. Strong organization and communications skills as well as computer competencies required. Opportunity for advancement depending on skill level and abilities.

Salaried position with benefits in a positive team environment with an emphasis on community engagement. Please send a resume and cover letter explaining why you are a good fit for Mountain Xpress to: xpressjob@ mountainx.com.

DRIVERS/ DELIVERY

MOUNTAIN XPRESS DELIVERY Mountain Xpress is seeking an energetic, reliable, independent contractor for part-time weekly newspaper delivery. The contractor must have a safe driving record, a reliable vehicle with proper insurance and registration, and be able to lift 50 lbs. without

strain. Distribution of papers is on Tuesday mornings and afternoons and typically lasts about 7-8 hours per week. Occasional Wednesday morning delivery is is sometimes needed or can be an option. E-mail distro@ mountainx.com. Far Western route; preference for individual or couple who lives in Western Buncombe or Haywood County.

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL Direct Support Professional: Full time benefited position. Candidate provides support for adults with disabilities, assists with daily living skills, goal instruction, medication administration.

Overnights required, High School diploma and auto insurance required.

Training provided. Waynesville area! 828-778-0260 MEDICAL- NURSES NEEDED STATEWIDE MEDICAL- RNS $40/HR. for addictions, psych & corrections in Asheville and throughout Western NC. All shifts. Fully employer-paid medical and dental. 401(k) with 6% employer contribution. Call Morgan at Worldwide Staffing 866.633.3700 x 114

HUMAN SERVICES

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN ASHEVILLE! Make a Difference in the Life of a Child in Asheville!

Youth Counselors are needed to provide support to at-risk youth being served in our short-term residential facility.

Duties include implementing direct care services, motivating youth, and modeling appropriate behaviors. Candidates must be at least 21 years old and have a valid driver's license.

Experience working with youth is highly preferred. We offer paid training, excellent benefits, and advancement opportunities.

Apply online at https://www. mhfc.org/opportunities/. Call 919-754-3633 or email vpenn@ mhfc.org.

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT CHILDREN FIRST COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS IS HIRING FOR A RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR The Resource Development Director is a member of the

senior leadership team and is responsible for successful planning, execution, and evaluation of fundraising and marketing goals for the organization including donor development, grants, special events, and communications. This position works closely with the Executive Director, program staff, board members and supervises the Communications and Events Coordinator. Send cover letter & resume to employment@ childrenfirstbc.org.

MOUNTAIN HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IS SEEKING A DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY The Director of Philanthropy will support the sustainability of Mountain Housing Opportunities' mission. The ideal candidate will have experience in a successful resource development program. To apply, visit armstrongmcguire.com/jobs.

ARTS/MEDIA

WOMANSONG OF ASHEVILLE SEEKS NEXT PARTTIME ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Womansong of Asheville (NC) is seeking our next Artistic Director to lead our dynamic community of singing women. For description and further details on this exciting part-time job opportunity visit womansong.org/adposition.

Application review begins April 15, 2022. Send application and questions to womansongjob@ gmail.com.

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(AAN CAN) DIRECTV SATELLITE TV Service Starting at $74.99/month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV! 877-310-2472 (AAN CAN) DO YOU OWE OVER $10,000 TO THE IRS OR STATE IN BACK TAXES? Our firm works to reduce the tax bill or zero it out completely FAST. Let us help! Call 877-414-2089. (AAN CAN) (Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST) DONATE YOUR CAR TO KIDS Your donation helps fund the search for missing children. Accepting Trucks, Motorcycles & RV’s, too! Fast Free Pickup – Running or Not 24 Hour Response - Maximum Tax Donation. Call 877-2660681. (AAN CAN) TOP CA$H PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D'Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos.

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CLASSES & WORKSHOPS CLASSES & WORKSHOPS GROUP HARMONY SINGING CLASSES Enjoy singing? Join Hark! for an eight-week session of non-auditioned, all-voices-welcome choir. Group harmonies, rounds, vocal warm-ups, and lots of fun! Register at www. weringlikebells.com or email jupitercommunitychoir@ gmail.com.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

edited by Will Shortz | No. 0216

ACROSS

HEALTH & WELLNESS COACH Registered nurse helping people transition to a healthier plantbased diet/lifestyle. Address problems as weight/type-two diabetes/other illnesses associated with poor diet. Helping with food preparation/shopping/ yoga. eileencherry303@ hotmail.com.

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1 Weak hit 6 Big hit 11 Speak disrespectfully to 15 Hindi for “palace” 16 Mischievous fairy 17 “___ Homo” (Nietzsche book) 18 Worker designation coined by Upton Sinclair 20 Key that’s never used alone: Abbr.

21 Sign of a packed house 22 “Confound it!”

23 Disney mermaid 24 Traditional folk song played

by British and Australian ice cream trucks 28 Devoid of pleasure 32 French tricktaking game 33 Really bothered 34 Doughnut shapes 35 Get ready 38 Envy source in Genesis 37 that hints at 18-, 24-, 49- and 58-Across 42 Steve with eight N.B.A. championships 43 They’re placed in locks 44 Signs of saints 45 Cry for help 47 Most likely to preen 49 Upside, when down 52 Characteristic 53 “Understood” 54 “The Problem With ___” (documentary related to “The Simpsons”) 57 Letter after theta 58 Some sushi menu fish 62 Tech review site 63 Like prunes vis-à-vis plums 64 Nonstudio film 65 Sedgwick of “The Closer”

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27 Secular 28 Plug receptacle 29 First Native American tribe to meet with Lewis and Clark 30 After quite some time 31 Verdi opera originally titled “Amore e Morte” (“Love and Death”) 34 Foot bones 36 Cherubic god 37 “You there!”

39 Author Jonathan Safran ___ 40 Rough up 41 Line when you’re late to the punch line 46 Dog doc

47 Features of some bike helmets 48 Freshly 49 Carrot’s counterpart 50 Complaining about social media on Facebook, say 51 Frasier’s brother on “Frasier” 54 Gives a hand 55 Ballet bend 56 Employer 58 R.B.’s stat 59 Before, to Shakespeare 60 Simu ___, star of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” 61 Santa ___, Calif.

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H C M O O H I V T S A L A T A I L I C E E P A R G C I T G S H R I M H A M A E P E N B E R A L E A S B A T H O C T E W H A L

MARCH 23-29, 2022

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