Mountain Xpress 04.19.23

CLEANUP TIME

There generally are two categories of litterbugs, says Kim Spillars, Buncombe County environmental control specialist: those who abandon their detritus when they cannot find a trash can, and those who dump large amounts of trash illegally. Regardless of the type of offender, whose job is it to clean up their filth?

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City’s radio support creates conflict of interest

[ Regarding the press release “Community Radio Stands Strong in Defense of Free Speech Against Attacks,” March 30, Xpress website:]

The Asheville Coalition for Public Safety promotes First Amendment rights. It came to our attention that a show called “The Final Straw” was being hosted by 103.3 Asheville FM. We listened to the show and couldn’t help but notice the sideline sponsors listed, many of which are businesses located downtown and on major business corridors, including the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. The center is managed and owned by the city of Asheville.

We feel it is a conflict of interest for one city entity to sponsor a station that promotes a “weekly anarchist show” with what appears to be a very anti-police agenda. We believe the city of Asheville should avoid sponsoring a show that attacks another very important city staff department, especially one that relies upon the police for events and downtown pub-

lic safety. The program bills itself as “a weekly anarchist and anti-authoritarian radio show.”

Asheville is composed of mostly small businesses, many of which have

been under attack with petty and violent crime. Currently, our beleaguered Asheville Police Department is down by 40%. ACPS supports most of the programming but wishes 103.3

Fair Housing Marketing: Compliance and Beyond

to understand that it’s misleading to ask for support from businesses without their understanding that they are also financially supporting the “The Final Straw.” There has been a recent outcry from businesses with expressed interest in more police presence downtown.

As long as this station platforms a negative narrative toward local law enforcement, sponsors and the public should be made aware so they can freely understand exactly what their donations support.

We noticed that they removed the recent show hosting the Aston Park protesters bragging how they looked forward to throwing another party in the park to celebrate when the trial is over. We also noticed the station removed the sponsors entirely. The episode was aired for public consumption, in which anyone was able to access and judge for themselves and form their own opinion.

The Asheville Coalition for Public Safety supports law enforcement and all first responders. We represent many longtime businesses and people in all neighborhoods in Asheville. We seek to find common ground with all types of voters to support the desperate need to hire back local law enforcement. We hope that 103.3 will join us and support our local officers and discontinue supporting attacks on professionals who put their lives on the line to protect our city.

—

Bailey Stockwell

Asheville Coalition for Public Safety

Asheville

When: April 21, 2023 @ noon

Where: 21 Restaurant Ct. (the speaker will be virtual on our large screens and we will be serving LUNCH) or Zoom

Who: Alexia Smokler, Director, Fair Housing Policy & Programs

Editor’s note: Xpress contacted Asheville city government with the points related to Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville and received the following response from Chris Corl, general manager of the facility: “The Harrah’s Cherokee Center –Asheville is not, and has not been a sponsor of ‘The Final Straw’ radio show. The venue is an underwriter of Asheville FM, a locally based, nonprofit, independent radio station. Independent radio is an important asset of a well-rounded community. As an event space hosting nearly 300,000 attendees annually, we work in lockstep week in and week out with the Asheville Police Department and provide full support for all APD initiatives. Additionally, we are grateful for the officers and local first responders who volunteer to work extra shifts to help us provide a safe environment for our guests at concerts, performance art, sporting events, trade shows and community events. We will continue to underwrite independent radio in Asheville and have voiced our concerns to Asheville FM.”

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

“Where’s the latest list of fair housing words and phrases?”

“Am I allowed to say ‘master bedroom’ anymore?”

Alexia Smokler helps demystify the marketing provisions of the Fair Housing Act. Learn what the law requires, what it doesn’t require, and why you might want to go beyond what’s required to create inclusive messages for consumers.

Asheville FM fosters free speech on shows

I am an Asheville resident and president of the board of directors of Asheville FM, a nonprofit community radio station, that has been broadcasting locally via the internet since 2009, and on the FM dial at 103.3 FM since May 2015. This letter concerns one of our shows, “The Final Straw,” that is syndicated in various radio stations across the country.

“The Final Straw” has been on our schedule as a weekly, hourlong program for 12 years now and has many listeners in our area.

It is important to note that Asheville FM does not take a stand on issues or editorialize but allows free speech among our individually produced shows. We accept applications twice a year, and anyone in the community can apply for a show. The opinions expressed by any show host or guest are not necessarily the opinion of Asheville FM, its volunteers, staff, management or board of directors.

Our decision to air a show depends on its appeal to the broader community and that aligns with our mission, which is: “We keep Asheville thriving by producing diverse and eclectic programming that inspires our listeners to build connections across our communities and to discover new music and ideas.”

We have over 60 shows now, and they all are individually produced. Our content is music, talk, sports and news.

We sent a press release that Mountain Xpress published online [avl.mx/clt], which we are grateful for, and as far as the Asheville Police Department, we have had the chief of police and other representatives of local law enforcement on various talk shows over the years, and our news team has interviewed candidates for sheriff and other political offices.

We believe in the health and safety of our entire community and give voice to marginalized people and groups, like the unhoused, racial justice organizations, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ+ citizens and other minorities. We have the only Spanish-language show in Buncombe County. And we offer youth programming and opportunities for youths to share their voices on the air. And so much more community outreach!

We truly believe in Asheville and are proud of our volunteers and DJs. We invite the Asheville community to listen to our programming and thank everyone in our vibrant, inclusive community for your continued support.

— James Dougherty President of board of directors Asheville FM Asheville

Thumbs-up on freezing water fees

[Regarding “Council Seeks Freeze on Residential Water Fees,” April 4, Xpress:]

I think the city of Asheville was right not to raise water fees. Can the Water Department collect a new user tap fee or tie-in fee? This is common in other states and can cost $10,000, for example, for a new residential tap. This reflects the cost of new development and new infrastructure.

— Chas Fitzgerald Black Mountain

Editor’s note: This issue appears to have been not fully decided. See “Council Members Reverse Course on Water Fees,” in this week’s news section.

What the mask study really said

A letter to the editor published online April 1 could be cast as “April Fools!” if the topic were less serious [“With Latest Mask Study, a Hope for Respect,” March 29, Xpress].

The writer repeated misinformation about masking based on a misinformed New York Times op-ed regarding a review published by the prestigious Cochrane Library. She

stated that the report concluded that masking made no difference in the spread of COVID-19, She overlooked the immediate correction published by Cochrane [avl.mx/prx9].

Their review did not show that masking didn’t work. It showed that encouraging people to mask didn’t help. At the same time, in the largest of the studies reviewed, including some 360,000 people, in the cities/regions where there was the most compliance in masking, the spread of COVID was significantly reduced [avl.mx/clu].

That is exactly the opposite of what mask opponents want us to believe.

— Cecil Bothwell Asheville

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

Cleanup time

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

A lot has changed in Buncombe County over the past 50 years: Development is dense, highways eke through the mountains and the landscape is dotted with cellphone towers. But for Asheville GreenWorks, the nonprofit that organizes trash cleanups around rivers, greenways and roads, one thing hasn’t changed.

Humans are messy.

“We’ve pretty much been doing cleanups for 50 years without really seeing any real changes,” operations manager Chelsea Adams tells Xpress. “We go back to the same roads, in the same section of river and creek, every single year and do cleanups over and over and over.”

KEEPING WATER LITTER-FREE

GreenWorks puts its resources “where they’re going to be most impactful for the French Broad and the Swannanoa, and all of our different tributaries,” explains Adams. Its goal with both roadside cleanups and litter prevention is “the health of the waterways.” Adams cites the River Arts District as a priority, as well as Riverside Drive, Amboy Road, Meadow Road and Emma Road. In East Asheville, the priorities are Swannanoa River Road, Sweeten Creek Road and the Haw Creek area.

Previously, AmeriCorps, a federal service program, provided GreenWorks with a watershed outreach coordinator. Now that role will be in-house.

GreenWorks also makes and installs “Trash Trouts,” which are placed on rivers and tributaries to

Local governments and nonprofits tackle WNC’s filth

capture litter. It installed the first one in Mud Creek in Hendersonville and has since installed 35 Trash Trouts in five states.

WHO LITTERS? IT COULD BE US

On the city side, Asheville hasn’t researched the source of the trash it works to pick up. “I’m not going to blame tourists; I’m not going to blame unhoused people,” says Jes Foster, manager of the city’s Sanitation Division. “There are so many different places litter comes from. People not bagging their residential trash leads to litter. People overflowing their trash

carts leads to litter. Bears and wildlife getting into carts leads to litter.”

She adds, “I think people tend to want to point their finger at others … a lot of us contribute to litter, consciously or unconsciously.”

Foster believes litter “became more visible during COVID because we didn’t have as many volunteer groups picking it up.” Adams concurs that GreenWorks was unable to organize as many cleanups during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There generally are two categories of litterbugs, says Kim Spillars, Buncombe County environmental control specialist. When some people can’t find a nearby trash can, they dump items out of their cars or leave litter in the park. “That’s all over the county — there’s no specific area that I would say is worse than the other,” she says.

Adams says not enough trash receptacles are placed in areas that people frequent. “I’ve heard in certain neighborhoods and along greenways, you can walk blocks and blocks and blocks before you find a public trash can that you can put your litter into,” she tells Xpress.

Another issue is litter that blows off the back of commercial and personal vehicles that haven’t properly secured their loads. Foster calls vehicular litter a “huge [issue],” and recalled a recent drive to work when a Styrofoam container blew off someone’s truck and stuck to her windshield.

A second category of litterbugs are those who dump large amounts of trash illegally. They can include businesses, like builders not properly disposing of construction waste, or residences tossing household waste or items like old tires or couches where they don’t belong.

Hookers Gap Road, Candler Knob Road in Candler, Spivey Mountain Road in Leicester and Buckeye Cove Road, Bee Treat and Swannanoa are hot spots for illegal dumping, particularly in forested areas, says Spillars.

HOW MUCH LITTER?

Asheville fields calls about litter from a variety of sources, making tracking the amount of litter difficult, Foster says. People report litter to the city in numerous ways through different departments, including her department, Parks & Recreation and Water Resources. Drivers for the city’s Sanitation Department, who collect residential curbside trash, report litter as well.

Fortunately, the city has the resources — for now — to pick up more trash. The federal American Rescue Plan Act funds enabled a pilot program last month. That program is addressing trash in highly visible areas, including city parks. And according to a city press release, it’s “the first program dedicated sole-

MURKY WATERS: Volunteers from Starbucks participated in a cleanup in Hominy Creek. Photo courtesy of GreenWorks

ly to litter collection outside of the Central Business District.”

The $500,000 is a one-shot infusion, says city spokesperson Kim Miller.

WNC Landscaping has been contracted for that program, as well as its work to tidy up downtown. Teams started cleanup March 27 in West Asheville and have collected litter from 60 shoulder miles of city-maintained roadway that totaled 1,380 pounds, Foster tells Xpress in an email.

The new program’s cleanup schedule will rotate through the southern, eastern and northern quadrants of the city for one week in each quadrant and then rotate through the quadrants “on a continuous cycle.”

Community members have always called or emailed with complaints about litter, but there wasn’t a formal reporting mechanism until now. “In the past when people would submit a general complaint about roadside litter, we would take it but didn’t really have a crew to go collect it,” Foster explains. “Now that we do, we’re advertising more heavily to please report it.”

The Asheville App began accepting reports about litter complaints on city-owned streets and city-owned properties Jan. 1 and has received 109 reports so far. Some of those requests are duplicates, while others were about illegal dumping rather than roadsides, Foster says. (Litter can also be reported at sanitation@ ashevillenc.gov or calling the city’s customer service line at 828-251-1122.)

GreenWorks organizes cleanups in specific neighborhoods based on community requests, but it doesn’t work in areas the city’s maintenance already covers. “We tend to not put volunteer efforts toward the areas that the city is paying somebody to do,” Adams explained.

INTERSTATE CLEANUPS

In addition to local municipalities, the state has a hand in local cleanup too. Contractors with the N.C. Department of Transportation clean up interstates 240 and 40 from mile marker 44 to mile marker 46 twice per month, says spokesperson David Uchiyama. All other interstates and other heavily traveled routes are picked up once a month.

The remaining routes without medians are picked up every other month, Uchiyama says. Countyspecific maintenance teams also pick up litter on some routes. He says NCDOT’s work is supported by 73 organizations in Buncombe County that participate in its AdoptA-Highway program, which is volunteer run. Six organizations participate in Sponsor-A-Highway, which funds the contracted services.

It’s all hands on deck for spring and fall efforts, which enlist the help of county and state maintenance teams and volunteers. (Find more information about NCDOT cleanups and how to volunteer here: avl.mx/clq.)

NCDOT collected 852,630 pounds of litter from Buncombe and the six other counties that comprise its departmental division in 2021. In the eight-county district that includes Henderson County, NCDOT collected 528,780 pounds that same year.

Among the priorities of NCDOT, Uchiyama noted the department fills many roles. “Our maintenance teams and contractors strive to keep roadsides as clean as possible while balancing safety, infrastructure conditions and litter control operations,” he says. “The money spent on litter could easily go to other maintenance

operations such as paving, mowing or drainage improvements.”

MORE PEOPLE, MORE LITTER?

Buncombe County Solid Waste Department Director Dane Pedersen

says he’s uncertain that the county’s rising population has affected the amount of litter, suggesting litter may simply be more visible.

Buncombe County’s population rose nearly 15%, going from 238,318 in 2010 to 273,589 in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The six incorporated municipalities within Buncombe County each have their own program for residential and commercial waste collection. For unincorporated areas (meaning a community outside of city limits, without a local government), Buncombe County has a contract with Waste Pro.

The seasonal population of Buncombe County, which is attributable to both homeowners and tourism, does have a slight impact on the county’s trash pickup services. Waste Pro spokesperson Tracy Meehan, says the company has 36,000 current accounts open across Buncombe County, and the amount of accounts rises by 2,000 during the fall, spring and summer.

Whether these additional accounts will result in additional litter is unknown. Regardless, cleanup crews can rest easy that their jobs are secure. X

PICK-ME-UP: GreenWorks volunteers use trash pickers during a roadside cleanup. Photo courtesy of GreenWorks

WHEELS UP: A GreenWorks volunteer removes a tire from Hominy Creek during a 2020 cleanup. Photo courtesy of Paul King

Are you struggling physically or mentally to keep farming?

Into the woods

Plan charts future of Pisgah, Nantahala forests

BY BROOKE RANDLE

brandle@mountainx.com

“The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.”

— John Muir, American naturalist and conservationist

Western North Carolina is home to hundreds of miles of hiking trails, cascading waterfalls, old-growth forests and sacred lands, most of which are found throughout Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.

Pisgah National Forest lies both to the north and south of Asheville and is North Carolina’s first designated national forest. Meanwhile, Nantahala National Forest, the largest of the state’s four national forests, flanks Asheville on the southeast. Both forests comprise more than 1 million acres and span 18 counties in Western North Carolina.

Managing the forests’ resources and competing needs — such as recreation, conservation and timber production — is no small feat. That’s why the U.S. Forest Service updates plans that guide the use of the forest for decades to come.

The latest Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Land Management Plan was implemented last month and outlines land use for the next 20 years. The 361-page document centers on four main themes: connecting people to the land; sustaining healthy ecosystems; providing clean and abundant water; and partnering with others.

Forest Supervisor James Melonas, who works at the National Forests North Carolina office in Asheville, helped oversee the final revisions of the plan. He says the document

was 10 years in the making and included open houses, surveys, panels and other input opportunities to give members of the public and other stakeholders the chance to provide feedback.

“There was a huge amount of participation and over a long period of time on some stuff that’s pretty dense material and information,” says Melonas. “I’m always humbled and impressed by how engaged the public, our government partners and nongovernmental organizations have been throughout the planning process.”

The plan has received both criticism and praise. Balancing the needs of all of the interested parties was arduous, says Melonas. “There’s a lot of varying opinions on some of these things. The multiple-use mission [of the Forest Service] is inherently complex,” he says.

Xpress rounded up four takeaways from the forest plan.

SUSTAINABLE RECREATION

The Pisgah and Nantahala forests are among the most visited areas in Western North Carolina, averaging over 4 million visitors each year. Both forests provide some of the region’s best hiking, mountain biking, whitewater rafting and hunting.

Melonas says that the new forest plan shouldn’t affect current recreational sites, but it will guide future projects, such as adding trails. Some trail networks within the forests have spawned conflicts among different types of users — mountain bikers who prefer horse trails or hikers who carve their own paths — which can

Photos by James Parker.

Program sponsored by USDA in partnership with NC A&T State University.

lead to erosion or otherwise damage areas of the forest.

“We recognize that these are some of the most visited national forests in the country,” Melonas says. “We need to continue to work with partners and the communities surrounding the forest to ensure that we are providing those recreational opportunities, but doing it in a way that’s sustainable, both from a natural resource perspective and also a financial perspective.”

Among those partners is the nearly 100-year-old Carolina Mountain Club, whose mission includes trail building, maintenance and conservation.

President Tom Weaver says that the club advocated for hiking-only trails to be considered under national stan-

dards before any projects that would open the trails for bikes or horses. (The standards are laid out by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s recreational trails program.)

“Over the last 10 or 20 or 30 years, mountain biking has grown tremendously and there’s a lot of pressure on the forest to increase the amount of available trails for mountain biking,” says Weaver. “Our biggest concern is that they would take away some of our favorite hiking-only trails.”

While the plan lays out what type of new trails can occur throughout the forest, new and updated trails will be evaluated individually with input from advocacy groups and the public.

“The Forest Service had a severe challenge to try to appease everyone,

and certainly they could not because there are opposing priorities from different groups,” says Weaver. “When the rubber meets the road here with actual projects, we’ll see if the standards are used for evaluation of new trails or potentially converting trails.”

SHIFTING OLD-GROWTH FOREST DESIGNATIONS

The Pisgah and Nantahala forests contain one of the largest patches of old-growth trees east of the Mississippi River. Researchers go back and forth about a precise definition for old growth but it is generally defined as a stage of forest development that occurs when forests have

not had any major disturbance for at least 100 years.

“Old-growth forests are superimportant for a variety of reasons. They have structures that you don’t find in other forest types, mainly really large trees that provide habitat for very specialized types of plants and animals,” says Josh Kelly, a public lands field biologist at the Ashevillebased environmental and conservation nonprofit, MountainTrue. “[Oldgrowth forests] also are important for understanding how forests function naturally and without human intervention. They’re superimportant for studying things like climate change through studying tree rings and see-

CONTINUES ON PAGE 10

LAND WITH A PLAN: The U.S. Forest Service has finalized a management plan for Pisgah and Nantahala national forests. Black Balsam Knob, seen here, is among the most-visited sites in Pisgah National Forest. Photo courtesy of Garrett Martin

ing how tree growth responds to changes in the climate.”

Kelly says that his organization was one of many conservation and environmental groups that were disappointed with the plan’s stance on old growth.

“Unfortunately, this plan maintains the status quo, which is that there is no protection for old growth,” says Kelly. “There’s about 12,000 acres of documented old growth that is unprotected. And there are likely tens of thousands of other acres that are on their way to becoming old growth that are likewise unprotected.”

Kelly says all decisions about oldgrowth forests will be up to district rangers and will occur at the project level.

The final plan identifies 265,000 acres as old growth that will be managed to maintain and improve oldgrowth characteristics, says Melonas, increasing the previous old-growth network by about 54,000 acres.

“There’s a lot of varying opinions on some of these things,” he says of the criticism. “This is a substantial increase and is our biggest commitment to old growth in decades.”

But Kelly takes issue with what he sees as the Forest Service’s shifting definitions of old-growth.

“It’s really a paper tiger,” maintains Kelly. “I think for old-growth designation to be meaningful, it needs to be very long term. And [the Forest Service has] shown that these, so far, are short-term designations.”

THINKING GREEN

EBCI TO HAVE MORE INFLUENCE OVER FOREST MANAGEMENT

Decades of settlements, logging and fire exclusion have impacted culturally important forest practices of indigenous cultures in Western North Carolina, Melonas says. Now the 2004 Tribal Forest Protection Act requires federal agencies to consult with tribes more closely and gives tribes a greater stake in forest management. The Forest Service took that seriously when drafting the new forest plan, says Melonas.

The new plan dictates that the Forest Service partners with tribes to co-manage resources in the Pisgah and Nantahala forests while honoring traditional ecologi-

Creating intergenerational knowledge

Xero Koffsky is a sophomore at Warren Wilson College, currently majoring in creative writing and minoring in global studies. Koffsky is involved in the college’s Critical Services Microgrid Group and works on sustainable energy projects with Dave Ellum, the dean of land resources.

What sustainability initiative at your school are you most proud of?

This may be a tad bit biased, but I am most proud of the solar initiative. It started with the solar cart conversion project, but that is just the start. I wish I could say more, but I will say this: The ideas and conversations being had are exciting and make me curious about what is to come in the future. [For more, see “Sunny Days: WNC Groups Work to Put Solar Power on Wheels at Warren Wilson,” Page 12.]

How is your generation’s approach to sustainability different from that of other generations?

I would like to believe that my generation is more open to new ideas and approaches when it comes to overall sustainability. I feel as though my generation is trying their collective best to develop and work with people from past generations, learn their knowledge and try and use it with the new technologies at our disposal to try and generate better sustainability practices.

What is one step people in WNC can take to promote sustainability?

One way people in WNC could promote sustainability is to simply do it. What I mean by this is if you ever have the want to add a solar panel to your house or start a personal garden, turn that idea and want into reality. Talk about it, either with friends or family; go to your local government and try to make the change you wish to see in your community. Is the educational system doing enough to inform people about long-term environmental concerns like climate change?

I would like to say that the educational system is doing enough, but I personally do not feel that is the case. I would love it if each person could understand the concerns of climate change. I would love to see schools readily teaching the current generations and the next generations about the concerns so that we can all come together to try and change the world for the better, hopefully lessening the impact of climate change.

cal knowledge and protecting places of significance. Melonas explains that his agency consulted not only with members of the local Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians but also with tribes as far away as Oklahoma whose ancestral lands are here in the mountains.

“We’ve entered into agreements with the Eastern Band that allow us to work on specific work on the ground in those areas that are most of interest to the tribe,” he says.

In November, the EBCI Tribal Council unanimously approved a proposal with the Forest Service that includes restoration of 500 to 1,000 acres of tribal trust lands annually through fiscal year 2028 in the forms of controlled burns, treating invasive species and replenishing white oak.

INCREASING TIMBER PRODUCTION

Western North Carolina has a long history of logging, and commercial use has always been part of the forests. In 1916, an area of Pisgah National Forest just east of Asheville was the first tract of land in North Carolina acquired specifically as a national forest under the 1911 Weeks Act. Nantahala followed in 1920. Since then, logging has been managed by the Forest Service.

Currently, roughly 800 acres of trees are harvested for timber per year, less than one-tenth of a percent of the more than 1.1 million acres between both forests. The new forest plan calls for increasing those levels to around one-half of 1%, says Michelle Aldridge, planning officer at National Forests North Carolina.

“It really sounds like an extreme increase, but when you start with a very low number, it doesn’t take much to have a proportionally large increase,” Aldridge explains. “In fact, we’re talking about increasing a very small number by just a little bit so that we can have better habitat for wildlife and recruit the right types of species that the forest needs to have to be sustainable over time.”

She explains that timber harvesting helps diversify both tree types and age, which can help make forests more resilient to insects, disease and climate change.

“If an entire human community was aging, you would see that you need greater diversity to bring strength and resiliency to the community. And the same is true within forests,” she explains. “If our entire forest is aging and we don’t have that young forest, then we’re not providing the right kind of healthy environment for our forests to thrive into the future.” X

XERO KOFFSKY

Sunny days

BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE

When Warren Wilson College students threw an on-campus birthday party last fall, they didn’t need electricity to run the lights or power the sound system.

Instead, they simply plugged everything into the school’s fleet of 10 “mobile microgrid work vehicles,” which started life as traditional golf carts, but now run entirely on solar power. The carts use lightweight lithium iron phosphate batteries rather than heavy lead-acid batteries, says Dave Ellum, dean of land resources for the Swannanoa liberal arts school.

Each cart has a 330-watt solar panel mounted to its roof and an AC inverter that allows it to provide power wherever it is.

“This is a sustainable way to move people and provide energy,” Ellum explains. “One of our work crews could take it out to a site, set up a sawhorse, plug in their drills or power tools and run them right off the vehicle’s energy source, which is why it’s called a mobile microgrid.”

The initiative is a joint venture among Warren Wilson College and two other groups: Asheville’s Critical Services Microgrid Group and the UNC Asheville/N.C. State mechatronics engineering program. Mechatronics is a field that applies mechanical, electrical, computer and software skills to smart technologies.

Founded in 2020, the Critical Services Microgrid Group is made up of professionals in energy, information technology and engineering. Its goal is to encourage the city of Asheville and Buncombe County to evaluate the costs and benefits of a local microgrid to support essential services.

Warren Wilson provided funding through private donations — about $3,000 a vehicle — while the UNC Asheville/N.C. State program put three engineering students to work on the project last summer, says N. Moorthy Muthukrishnan, a professor in the program and a member of the micogrid group. Keith Thomson, co-founder of the microgrid group, procured the necessary equipment, including lift kits, body parts and solar panels, Muthukrishnan says.

In addition, four Warren Wilson students worked on other aspects of the project.

“The main thing is that the students get a lot of hands-on experience,” Muthukrishnan says. “It’s been a source of pride for students as well as our group.”

WORKING VEHICLES

Of the 10 vehicles at Warren Wilson, two were built from nonworking golf carts that were slated for the scrap heap. The rest were upgraded from functioning gasoline-powered carts.

“The first one was actually on a junk pile,” Ellum explains. “We had to use the forklift. It had no wheels; it was totally broken down. We had to take it off a pallet with a forklift and put it on the truck to get it to the workstation.”

One microgrid vehicle is used by Warren Wilson’s admissions department as a way to demonstrate to parents and prospective students the school’s efforts in innovation. Another is used by the school’s president and is taken to conventions and other events to show off the technology, Ellum says.

The rest are used by work programs, such as the paint crew, the IT

department and the facilities management department.

“We never have to plug them into the grid,” Ellum says. “They’re completely self-sufficient as long as you park them in the sun. I still try to get people to remember that you can’t park them under a tree.”

UNCA has one mobile microgrid work vehicle operating on campus and is seeking funding for a second, Muthukrishnan says. In addition, the engineering program is working on a fleet management system that would allow computers to remotely track such things as a vehicle’s current charge and location.

Five engineering students are working on the project, he says, with each taking on a different component, such as the hardware, the database and the GPS.

“They said this was the first time they got to do a tangible product,” he says.

In addition, Warren Wilson is looking for ways to partner with entrepreneurs and other funding sources to develop the vehicle program into a viable commercial enterprise, Ellum says. The first step in the process was completed in the fall, when business student Zach Taylor developed a business plan.

Taylor, who graduated in December, says he found that a business that produced and shipped conversion kits for people to convert their own carts would be more practical than one that did the conversions itself. The kits would come with instructions, a battery, a solar panel and other pieces of equipment that would allow someone to convert a cart or other vehicle.

“You’re not making a ton of money off of each kit compared to each conversion, but just with the labor hours you can make a lot more kits,” he explains. “Kits would definitely be the easiest way to start the business. And then there’s always room to grow into conversions.”

None of the technology used in converting the carts is proprietary, he says.

“Anyone that knew what they were doing and had a decent understanding of solar could order every item off Amazon or eBay. It’s the idea to bring it all together, the expertise in making it an efficient and well-working system, that’s what we bring to the table.”

Ellum is enthusiastic about the longterm benefits of the vehicle program.

“There are thousands or, I would argue, millions of these derelict golf carts all over the country,” he says. “So, what we want to do is start gathering those up and start refurbishing and putting them back into use rather than putting them onto trash piles.”

SUSTAINABLE MOVEMENT: Warren Wilson College has 10 solar-powered mobile microgrid vehicles on campus. “The one that I use around campus, the first one we built, has not been plugged in in close to six months,” says Dave Ellum, pictured. Photo by Justin McGuire

WNC groups work to put solar power on wheels at Warren Wilson

Rock (breaking) stars

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

When you’ve spent the past few weeks reporting on local rock musicians, then pivot to the work that Perry Olds and friends have done on the Bailey Mountain Trail, it’s difficult to ignore the overlaps. From storybook formations and cool group names to the work itself, there are plenty of parallels that unite these seemingly disparate disciplines and highlight an intriguing sense of connectivity to life in Western North Carolina.

Like most bands, Olds’ arrival to trail maintenance evolved out of a pure attraction to the work itself. A former mechanical engineer for Rolls-Royce’s aircraft engine division in Indianapolis, he and his wife, Irene (an occasional contributing cartoonist with Xpress), moved from Indiana to Mars Hill in 2017. Though fond of the outdoors and hiking, he never expected that he would spend the next four years cutting multiple miles of trail to the top of the Madison County mountain.

“Why do we do it? The most logical answer is we’re crazy,” Olds says with a laugh. “We do it because we enjoy being outside, plus its good exercise and camaraderie. We even socialize outside of the work on occasion. It’s just a great bunch of guys.”

BAND PRACTICE

Continuing the rock ’n’ roll analogy, like practically every musician since the 1950s, Olds and his band of trail builders weren’t exactly pioneers. Instead, they created something meaningful with help from those who preceded them.

According to Ryan Bell, a professor at Mars Hill University and chair of the Friends of Bailey Mountain, preservation efforts on the Bailey Mountain Preserve began in 1996 with significant community fundraising efforts through the local environmental preservation nonprofit Richard L. Hoffman Foundation to purchase land for the public. A 34-year veteran of the Mars Hill College (now University) faculty and administration, Hoffman was involved in numerous community initiatives before his death in 1994. In 2018, the property was deeded to the town of Mars Hill, whose residents had expressed a high interest

Bailey Mountain Trail ‘Geezers’ build a legacy

Olds says of the man who would prove especially instrumental in their journey. “He told us how he had some trail experience and he was looking for this kind of work and would be delighted to come and help us. So, he showed up and then we had five.”

Like any good band, these fellows needed a name. And after some deliberation, they agreed on what to call themselves: The Geezers.

PROLIFIC PRODUCTION

While the Geezers’ storybook formation is central to their tightknit bond, their tangible output is what they’re destined to be remembered by.

“We worked on what we call the ‘front side’ of the mountain — the side that faces the Smith Farm [property where the trail begins],” Olds says. “And we worked all the way up to a place called Connor Ridge, and it was kind of a milestone to reach that point. And we said, ‘Oh my gosh — we did it!’ We were so happy and proud of ourselves, but then we started thinking, ‘Well, what are we going to do now?’”

At that point, the Geezers were roughly halfway up Bailey Mountain, and their numbers had grown to a collective of nine workers, adding Rob Deaton, Reid Nasholds, Pete Lottman and Chris Zei Todd Blackley also occasionally documents their progress with photos and video.

Olds — who turned 75 in March, making him the oldest Geezer in the group — says they typically draw an average of five people each week to the trail, enough consistency to propel them onward to the peak.

in unpaved hiking trails via a community recreation survey.

“The original summit routes on these properties consisted of old logging roads and deer traces, but these trails were difficult to access and maintain,” Bell says. “Moreover, most existing trails did not meet approvable trail guidelines.”

An Appalachian Trail thru-hiker and a frequent Bailey Mountain visitor, Bell is the first person Olds acknowledges as having “a vision of what this trail might look like.”

Following the deeding of the property, Bell and John Beaudet from the East Tennessee Trail Association drew up a rough design of the trail

and, with help from other ETTA members, began cutting.

Though still relatively new to Mars Hill at that time, Olds was invited by fellow locals Archie Benton and Nick Moss to help with the initial efforts. In addition to the rewarding physical activity the work afforded, Olds was struck by the serenity of the preserve. From there, the power trio continued to grow, adding Asheville-based Richard Stiles to the ensemble.

“Then one day, we were walking down after working, and here comes this guy coming up for a hike. And we got to chatting with him and, lo and behold, this was Hunter Smart,”

Along the way, they used various tools to keep the trail grade to 10% or less, including Pulaski tools, which have a hoe on one side to dig the trail and an axe on the other to cut roots, as well as mattocks, a combination hoe and pick. But “the tool of choice,” according to Olds, is the rogue hoe, essentially an enhanced Pulaski with wider metal features and a longer handle.

Progress meant hauling the tools farther and farther up the trail each day before they were used. While the task was demanding, it wasn’t nearly as taxing as some of the other work.

“We do a fair bit of stonework, which involves moving a stone out of the way of the trail, for one thing. And then also we use stones to build steps,” Olds says. “When you go up there, if you take notice of the stone-

BAND OF BROTHERS: The Bailey Mountain “Geezers” pause from a workday in October.

Photo by Ryan Bell

work as you go up the mountain, you’ll find that it’s increasingly more sophisticated as you go up. That’s because our technique improved as we went.”

Smart, for example, taught himself how to break stones, which allowed the Geezers to construct more precise-sized rocks rather than rely solely on what they found on the preserve. This skill particularly came in handy as they neared the top of Bailey Mountain and built a stairway consisting of roughly 50 large stones.

They also built 18 switchbacks and additional wooden steps along the trail, using the copious locust logs on the property.

“It’s a great feeling to give something back,” Olds says. “It’s a legacy to Mars Hill that will last decades. It gives me great pride to think about it.”

PRESERVING THE LEGACY

In July 2022, the Geezers completed their final bit of construction:

a small, sixth-tenth of a mile loop near the bottom of the trail. That same month, the 2.2-mile hike was dedicated as the Richard L. Hoffman Trail at a gathering attended by approximately 65 people, including Hoffman’s sons, Will and Lee

“The community is extraordinarily grateful to Perry and ‘the Geezers’ for their work on Bailey Mountain,” says Bell, who attended the trail dedication.

But the Geezers’ work is far from done. Like many sophomore releases, their next project will be a combination of past accomplishments and new ventures. In addition to some ongoing maintenance of the Hoffman Trail, they’re currently surveying the other side of Bailey Mountain, which they call “the Hoffman side,” and will work up a proposal of more trails for the town of Mars Hill to review.

“So, yeah, we’ve got plans,” Olds says with a chuckle.

To learn more, visit avl.mx/cl9. X

THINKING GREEN

Ways to promote sustainability in WNC

McKee Thorsen is a senior prefect at Asheville School. He serves as the co-leader of Students for Environmental Action and is a competitive swimmer. He hopes to study environmental law in college.

What sustainability initiatives at your school are you most proud of?

While reviving our composting program and helping save endangered species of orchids come to mind, I’m probably most proud of our solar initiative — not because it took the most work, but rather because of what the project represents. We overcame numerous setbacks along the way, but our resolve to get solar power on campus held firm. Now, solar panels are a prominent feature of our campus.

How is your generation’s approach to sustainability different from that of other generations?

We’ve refused to shirk our obligation to act. We lead by example, change our own habits and, in doing so, influence others to do the same. As a former member of Georgia 4 the Planet and the U.S. Youth Climate Strike, I’ve experienced firsthand the power and potential of our generation. We disturb, we disrupt, we, as John Lewis said, “Make good trouble.”

What are steps people in WNC can take to promote sustainability?

• Use your voice. Whether it be with your vote, through volunteering, phone-banking or simply talking about sustainability — speak up!

• Reduce, reuse, then recycle. While more sustainable, the first two actions are frequently passed over in favor of recycling.

• Be efficient. Some struggle to limit their water or electrical use without realizing that installing more efficient dishwashers, light bulbs or showerheads are options easier to adapt to with oftentimes a bigger effect.

Is the educational system doing enough to inform people about longterm environmental concerns like climate change?

No, the educational system is not doing enough. Some may blame teachers. However, I think the bigger issue stems from our policymakers, who’ve somehow managed to twist the undeniable reality of climate change into a partisan issue. X

MCKEE THORSEN

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On track

First responders prepare for hazmat disasters

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

jwakeman@mountainx.com

Area residents noticed when a Norfolk Southern Railway train derailed in Ohio, spewing clouds of toxic gas and later smoke. After all, Norfolk Southern trains pass through Western North Carolina.

The Feb. 3 derailment in East Palestine affected nearly 50 cars belonging to Norfolk Southern. The incident caused widespread fear, as 20 cars in the 150-car train carried hazardous materials.

According to WKYC, an Ohio news station, the derailment released 1.1 million gallons of vinyl chloride. A resulting explosion and fire caused chemicals to become airborne; additionally, five cars carrying the chemical were burned to prevent another explosion. Following the derailment and the burn, East Palestine residents have reported rashes, congestion, headaches and nausea.

For many in Asheville, the derailment and the railway involved hit uncomfortably close to home: Norfolk Southern Railway Co. runs through Asheville, passing through Marion, Old Fort, Marshall and Hot Springs.

However, Wesley Rogers, Asheville Fire Department’s division chief of logistics and special operations, wants people to know rail incidents are “very rare in the Asheville area.” He acknowledged “anxiety is up a little bit” among locals following the East Palestine derailment.

To keep area responders’ skills sharp, they regularly practice their processes in such an event. Rogers says it was a coincidence that several agencies reviewed their protocols March 21-23, shortly after the Ohio spill. The review included AFD, firefighters from Buncombe County departments and several local municipalities, and staff from the N.C. Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern. It’s a review Norfolk Southern and local emergency services revisit every three to five years, he explained.

Norfolk Southern declined over email to make a spokesperson available for an interview. The spokesperson provided information about the recent safety review for responders.

TRAIN TRAINING

Norfolk Southern’s March review involved a classroom portion inside

a train car, which the company brings to “provide the responders some hands-on experience,” explains Angie Ledford, Buncombe County Emergency Management Division manager. The review also took place outside the train car on the grounds of the railyard.

That classroom portion covered “general safety, identification of tank cars, specific valves and fittings, responding to a locomotive emergency, what the shipping documents are [and] where they’re located,” explains Ledford.

A train’s shipping documents contain an inventory of all cars in the train, their location and whether they are carrying cargo. Cars carrying cargo must have a waybill specifying the contents, Ledford continues.

“Also, any car that is carrying something hazardous is required to have hazardous materials placards on all sides of the car,” she says. The U.S. Department of Transportation sets regulations on the amount of hazmat materials that require a placard, Rogers adds. Smaller quantities of hazmat materials may not require a placard. (Railroads are not required to share with the NCDOT when a train’s cargo is carrying hazardous materials, says spokesperson Liz Macam.)

Individual fire departments participate in a “regular ongoing hazardous materials training,” which is not specific to trains, Ledford says. There are requirements for annual reviews, as well as hazmat-specific reviews that occur weekly, says Rogers, explaining, “They’re constantly drilling us on how to handle or mitigate hazmat incidents.”

LOCAL HAZARDS

Speaking specifically to the chemical that caused the disaster in East Palestine, Rogers tells Xpress, “We have not responded to any vinyl chloride spills or accidents in Asheville.”

He did not recall hazmat incidents involving other chemicals on the railways or highways in Buncombe County. The most recent hazardous materials incident he recalled responding to occurred at a company in Yancey County.

Off the highways or roadways, local emergency management agencies respond to hazmat incidents “once or twice a month,” Rogers

explains. Those are primarily natural gas leaks resulting from a line cut by construction workers, followed by propane leaks, he says.

And in the previous two to three years, a new chemical incident requiring emergency service response has emerged: fentanyl exposure, Rogers says.

Although most fentanyl is made overseas, first responders can come into contact with the drug at places where it’s stored, mixed or distributed, according to 2021 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on methamphetamine and fentanyl laboratory cleanup.

COORDINATION

Emergency response to a chemical incident is a union of local, countywide, regional and state agencies,

each with its own role and chain of command.

Training in hazardous materials operations is part of the job for every AFD or Buncombe County firefighter, who receives 40 hours of training in hazmat. (Unlike AFD, which is a singular department, the Buncombe County Fire Marshal’s Office works collaboratively with 19 fire departments throughout the county, each of which is a separate agency, explains Buncombe County Fire Marshal Kevin Tipton.) Hazmat technicians for the AFD receive additional training on hazardous materials that is akin to college-level chemistry classes, Rogers says.

Asheville is also one of seven locations in North Carolina housing a N.C. Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team under the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.

Spread across three stations in Asheville, the team can respond to any hazardous materials incident in the western part of the state, as directed by the county’s emergency management coordinator. The team also works with the agencies responsible for the public water supply and air quality.

DECONTAMINATION

A chemical spill requires cleanup not only of the ground and sometimes the water; it can also require decontamination of affected people, including first responders.

In the event of an incident, the Buncombe County Department of Public Health would “evaluate the hazardous materials that were spilled or released and determine the health and environmental impact based on the facts that go along

with that particular agent,” says the county’s public health preparedness officer, Nathan Greene.

Further actions would be determined with the NCDEQ. But the Public Health Department also may distribute “chempacks” — an antidote to chemical nerve agents. Held in strategic stockpiles located in jurisdictions around the country, chempacks would be obtained through a local Emergency Management Services request to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, most chempack stockpiles are located in hospitals or fire stations. Ninety percent of the U.S. population lives within one hour of a chempack stockpile, the department says. X

FIRE DRILL: The Asheville Fire Department, firefighters from Buncombe County fire departments and several local municipalities, and staff from the N.C. Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway reviewed their protocols for train disasters March 21-23. Photo courtesy of Asheville Fire Department

GreenWorks contributes to federal heat-mapping study

This summer, the nonprofit Asheville GreenWorks will take part in a study of urban temperatures being coordinated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Program Office. Asheville is one of 18 communities across the U.S. and Chile selected for the work, which will help scientists understand how cities experience extreme heat.

GreenWorks will enlist community volunteers to record temperatures all across Asheville during the morning, afternoon and evening, creating a detailed map of how heat varies across the city. The goal is to identify neighborhoods with particularly hot microclimates and “heat islands” created by heat-absorbing pavement — areas that are more vulnerable to increasing temperatures driven by climate change.

“Climate challenges are shared, but they’re not shared equally. We already know that certain neighborhoods have fewer trees and experience disproportionately severe climate impacts,” said Dawn Chávez, executive director of GreenWorks, in a press release announcing the study. “By documenting the lived experience of those residents, we will be better able to co-create targeted solutions that address this reality.”

The study results will inform Asheville government’s efforts to plant trees and pursue climate justice initiatives, says Kiera Bulan, the city’s sustainability program manager. The work is especially timely given City Council’s unanimous March 28 approval of the Municipal Climate Action Plan, which calls for the city to employ “urban forestry practices on city land in priority neighborhoods to reduce heat island impacts and sequester carbon.”

New book marks Carolina Mountain Club’s centenary

The Asheville-based Carolina Mountain Club — North Carolina’s largest group dedicated to hiking and trail upkeep — is turning 100 this July. In advance of the occasion, author and longtime CMC member Danny Bernstein has released Carolina Mountain Club: One Hundred Years, a new exploration of the club’s history.

The book traces the CMC’s origins as an outgrowth of the Northeast’s Appalachian Mountain Club, the involvement of conservation figures like George Masa and Art Loeb,

and its important construction work on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and Appalachian Trail. “The history of CMC is the history of hiking and land protection in Western North Carolina,” Bernstein writes in her introduction. Bernstein will speak about her research as part of the WNC Historical Association’s History Hour, taking place at UNC Asheville’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute 10 a.m. Saturday, April 22. She will also present online as part of OLLI’s Fab Fridays series at 11:30 a.m. Friday, April 28. More information and event registration are available at avl.mx/cll.

Save the date

• Asheville’s Green Built Alliance celebrates Earth Day with the inaugural Earth Day 5K, coming to Carrier Park at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 22. Proceeds from race registrations will support the nonprofit’s Appalachian Offsets program, which supports local energy efficiency and solar

power projects. More information is available at avl.mx/ckg.

• The Barbara McRae Cherokee Heritage Apple Trail in Franklin hosts its grand opening on Friday, April 28, 4-6 p.m. The path and its accompanying mini-orchard honor Native American growers who developed apple varieties such as the Junaluska and Nickajack. More information is available at avl.mx/ckh.

• “Bloom with a View” comes to the N.C. Arboretum from Monday, May 1, through Sunday, May 14. The immersive floral installation, designed by the Dutch firm IGMPR in collaboration with arboretum staff, will feature thousands of hydrangeas and lilies raised to eye level by colorful planters. More information is available at avl.mx/clj.

• The Lake Junaluska Annual Plant Sale and Corneille Bryan Native Garden plant sale take place together at the lake’s Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, May 6. Over 2,500 plants will be on offer, from herbs and

house plants to hybrid roses. More information is available at avl.mx/clf.

• Get in Gear Fest will return for its eighth year on May 6 in a new location: The Outpost in Asheville’s River Arts District. The event features demonstrations of mountain bikes, camping equipment and other outdoor gear along with food, beer and live music. More information is available at avl.mx/cgq.

Watch and learn

• As spring planting season gets underway, Buncombe County’s Extension Master Gardeners are offering a full lineup of classes through the Learning Garden at 49 Mount Carmel Road. Upcoming options include Gardening for the Birds on April 22, Planting Root Crops on Thursday, April 27, and Planning Your Dye Garden on Thursday, May 4. All programs start at 10 a.m.; more information is available at avl.mx/ckn.

HEAT RELIEF: Urban forestry projects, such as this orchard at Asheville’s Hillcrest community, can help neighborhoods become more resilient to extreme heat driven by climate change. Photo courtesy of Asheville GreenWorks

• Drive Electric Earth Day comes to the Asheville Outlets Sunday, April 30, noon-4 p.m. The Blue Ridge Electric Vehicles Club and Tesla Owners of WNC group will be on-site to discuss electric vehicle ownership, and attendees can test out a number of vehicles for themselves, from e-bikes and scooters to full-sized pickup trucks. More information is available at avl.mx/clg.

• The 2023 Outdoor Economy Conference, taking place in Cherokee Monday-Thursday, Sept. 18-21, has announced its theme of “Connecting the Ecosystem,” with a goal of bridging divides between different parts of the outdoor business community. Early conference registration is available through Monday, May 1, at avl.mx/9zb.

Opportunity knocks

• The city of Hendersonville is gathering another round of public input on its proposed Walk Hendo Pedestrian Plan. Comments can be made in person during a drop-in meeting at 305 Williams St. from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, or via an online survey opening the same day at HvlNC.gov/WalkHendo.

• Asheville has launched a public survey regarding its proposed single-use plastic reduction measures. The city’s Sustainability Advisory Committee, as well as the PlasticFree WNC campaign, has recommended a local ban on single-use plastic bags and plastic foam products. The survey is available through Sunday, April 30, at avl.mx/clh.

• Conserving Carolina’s annual Habitat at Home photo contest is accepting entries through Monday, May 15. The Hendersonville-based nonprofit invites WNC residents to submit snapshots of native plants and wildlife, as observed in gardens and yards, for a chance to win a professional landscape consultation or $25 gift cards to local garden businesses. More information and full contest rules are available at avl.mx/ckm.

• The WNC: MADE X MTNS Partnership, a coalition of groups interested in growing the region’s outdoor economy, has established a $125,000 Outdoor Equity Fund. Grants from the fund will support traditionally underserved communities, such as people of color and the LGBTQ population, as they work to expand outdoor recreation access and opportunity. Applications are open through Wednesday, May 17, with more information available at avl.mx/cke.

• The N.C. Department of Transportation seeks helpers for its

annual Spring Litter Sweep, which runs through Saturday, April 29. Volunteers can receive free gloves, safety vests and bags from their county’s litter management coordinator; more information and contact details are available at avl.mx/bg6.

• Work trade applications are now open for the Firefly Gathering, an earthskills event taking place at Deerfields in Mills River TuesdaySunday, June 20-25. Opportunities include first aid, parking coordination, site preparation and photography. More information and application details are available at avl.mx/cli.

Community kudos

• Waynesville’s Grace Church in the Mountains received one of six Cool Congregations awards from Interfaith Power and Light, a national faith-based climate action nonprofit. The award highlights how the church transformed its lawn into an organic garden that provides food for the needy, as well as an outdoor worship and education space.

• Local developer Andy Baker received the Land Stewardship of the Year award from the Ashevillebased Southeast Regional Land Conservancy. The honor recognizes Baker’s work to conserve over 400 acres as part of residential projects in Buncombe and Henderson counties, as well as his support for pollinator populations.

• U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards , a Republican who represents WNC, received the 2022 Legislator of the Year Award from the N.C. Bowhunters Association. The group cited Edwards’ support of wildlife habitat research in North Carolina’s national forests while he was serving in the state senate.

• Thirty-one WNC farm businesses received a total of $244,000 from the latest round of WNC AgOptions grants administered by the local nonprofit WNC Communities. Awardees, including Blue Ridge Blooms, Fiddlesticks Farm and Mountain Meadows Nursery in Buncombe County, will use the grants of up to $8,000 to improve the efficiency of their operations and become more economically sustainable. A full list of awardees is available at WNCAgOptions.org.

• Local N.C. Department of Transportation staffers received the second-place William D. Johnson Daylily Award from the Garden Club of North Carolina for plantings at Exit 8 along Interstate 240 west.

— Daniel Walton X

Council members reverse course on water fees

A request by Asheville City Council to keep water fees flat for residential customers next fiscal year may be too ambitious to fulfill, according to city budget staffers.

During Council’s last scheduled work session for the fiscal year 202324 budget on April 11, some members appeared to reverse course on a previous push to freeze residential water fees. On March 28, Council had voted unanimously to delay approval of staff’s water fee recommendations, which would have cost a typical household roughly $43 more per year, and asked the staff to explore other options for raising funds.

Taylor Floyd, Asheville’s budget manager, told Council on April 11 that avoiding the residential rate increases would forgo roughly $2.5 million in revenue. He said that money was required to meet the water system’s growing infrastructure and staffing needs.

Water budget expenditures for the next fiscal year are estimated at $43.47 million, a roughly 7.7% increase over the current budget of about $40.35 million. Beyond increases to basic operating expenses, Floyd explained, that higher figure includes about $1.1 million in service enhancements such as hiring additional maintenance, communications and customer service staff and replacing all 63,000 city water meters with updated technology. The budget also accounts for roughly $700,000 in recommended pay increases, including a 5% across-the-board raise and a $2 hourly bump to overtime pay.

Floyd said a cost-of-service study was underway to help determine future water fee recommendations, but results would not be available until

BALANCING ACT: Water budget expenditures are expected to rise 7.7% next fiscal year. Budget Manager Taylor Floyd said keeping residential rates flat could cause a budget shortfall of roughly $2.5 million. Graphic courtesy of the city of Asheville

September at the earliest. At that time, he continued, Council could choose to change the rate structure based on the study’s findings. (Residential customers currently pay more than do commercial or industrial users, in some cases more than twice as much for the same amount of water.)

“Because we’re bimonthly billing, any rates and fees that are approved are in effect July 1, but we don’t actually make the increases until September,” added David Melton, the city’s water services director. That would give the city time to make residents aware of any changes, he said.

Council members Antanette Mosley and Maggie Ullman said that they supported city staff’s recommendations to increase residential water fees while

waiting on the results of the study. “I’m not comfortable with delaying infrastructure investment,” Ullman said.

Council member Kim Roney, however, pushed back against the increases and said there were options for making up the revenue that the city hadn’t explored.

“There are multiple levers to pull, whether it’s [the] base rate or closing the gap on the commercial rate,” she said. “I still would like to see an option for some sort of phasing that’s in between the ‘We do nothing’ and ‘We do everything’ for this budget cycle.”

Council is expected to vote on whether to approve the water fee increases during its next meeting on Tuesday, April 25

— Brooke Randle X

Experts collaborate, offer hope on sustainability efforts

By 7 p.m. April 12, a conference room at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Montford campus was at capacity as dozens of community members gathered to hear a panel on balancing Asheville’s growth against different environmental initiatives.

Hosted by Lenoir-Rhyne’s Master of Science in Sustainability Studies program, the Sustainability Symposium featured six speakers from different areas of expertise in conservation, renewable energy, city planning and more.

Speakers included Stephen Hendricks, environmental planner; John Howard, a Charlotte-based historic preservation planner; Dave Hollister, president and CEO of Sundance Solar; Ed Macie, urban forester; Alison Ormsby, co-director of Sustainability, UNC Asheville; and Jamie Wine, Green Built Alliance and Blue Horizons Project.

The event was moderated by Asheville City Council member Maggie Ullman . Ullman was Asheville’s chief sustainability officer and is now the Council liaison to the city’s Historic Resources Commission. Ullman noted that in order for Asheville to reach its 100% renewable energy goal by 2030, experts from all areas of planning, conservation, technology and local government need to collaborate and compromise on differing needs and priorities.

“It’s not every day that we have a renewable energy leader, an urban tree leader and a historic preservation leader in the room at the same time. That’s special,” Ullman said. “We need to build hope in these possibilities. I’m tired of being worried. And it doesn’t do us any good. So we need to find hope. And I think collectively listening and sharing helps us do that.”

Hendricks explained that connecting Asheville’s “green infrastructure,” such as forests, greenways and other green spaces, has multiple benefits, including increasing climate resilience, biodiversity and energy conservation. He said residents need to push their elected officials to consider green infrastructure during zoning and development approvals.

Ormsby and Wine said that residents should take advantage of rebates offered for energy efficiency upgrades through 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act. Those offers include a tax credit to cover 30% of the costs

to install rooftop solar and up to 100% of the costs to install electric appliances like heat-pump water heaters and clothes dryers, among other initiatives.

Urban Forester Macie noted the trade-offs that exist when residents choose to cut down trees on their properties to increase sunlight for solar energy production. He said that while solar offers environmental benefits, trees provide habitat, shade and carbon sequestration, among other benefits.

“We should never, ever forsake our trees to accommodate technology. That’s what got us in this mess in the first place, forsaking natural systems to accommodate our lifestyle,” Macie said.

Sundance Solar President Hollister said that net-metering, in which customers invest in shared solar energy generation outside of their own homes, could be a possible solution to the predicament, but the practice is not currently allowed in North Carolina. He urged those in attendance to petition local and state governments to expand access to energy production options.

“What is in the way between you wanting solar and getting solar? Who’s got trees in the way?” Hollister asked. “We want to take care of the trees. … If we want to change it, then we have to collectively change the game. Direct [your efforts] toward your representatives, because that’s the only way we’re going to change this thing.”

After the presentations, the panelists fielded questions and comments from attendees. Among the issues raised were Asheville becoming its own utility and city building codes that limit the installation of solar panels in historic neighborhoods.

“We have had 18 requests for solar on the front [of homes] in historic districts in Asheville, and all of them but two have been approved. Those two were withdrawn,” said Ullman.

To wrap up the meeting, Ullman asked each speaker what gave them hope after a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a “final warning” about the effects of climate change just last month. Panelists pointed to emerging technologies, collective human will and collaboration among different stakeholders as reasons to keep working toward sustainability goals.

“I am hopeful because of all of you,” Hollister said to the crowd. “We’re going to have to grapple with these things ourselves, in our own homes, and we have to grapple with them on a collective basis on a community level and state level and on a national level. I am just hopeful because I live in this wonderful community.”

— Brooke Randle X

GREEN TEAM: Asheville City Council member Maggie Ullman moderates a panel discussion on sustainability and planning efforts held April 12 at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s campus in Montford. Photo by Brooke Randle

Buncombe Schools seeks raises for some staff

Buncombe County Schools’ CFO announced plans to expedite full implementation of classified staff raises, recommended by a 2022 salary study, at a Buncombe County Board of Education meeting on April 13.

The plan would skip ahead a year to phase three of an updated salary schedule if approved by the school board and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners at upcoming meetings.

Classified staff — school employees without teaching certifications — would get an average increase of 17.4% over 2019 pay, starting July 1, if the plan is fully implemented, said Tina Thorpe, chief financial officer for Buncombe County Schools.

The 2022 salary study by Hickorybased HIL Consultants also recommended step increases for every year of service up to 30 years for classified staff, according to Thorpe’s presentation.

As an example, Thorpe showed board members what the raises would do for a staff member at pay grade 61, which comprises positions such as elementary data manager and electrician, according to the salary study. That position would go from earning $16.07 an hour in 2021 to earning $20.73 an hour next school year — a 29% increase over two years.

Thorpe said the work of the board to increase pay should be applauded considering financial challenges they face from the state, a fact not lost on the Buncombe County Association of Educators.

“We appreciate the hard work of the Buncombe County Schools staff who navigate the difficulties of creating a budget limited by legislation and a state legislature that has failed to uphold their end of the deal in adequately funding our public schools for years,” Shanna Peele, president of the BCAE, wrote in an email to Xpress after the meeting.

“While these efforts are valued, they are not enough to address the crisis our schools are facing. Our students deserve fully staffed classrooms with educators who are able to focus on their work, not educators who are tired from working two or three jobs and worried about putting food on the table,” she wrote.

BCAE is advocating for classified staff to earn a living wage or get a 20% raise, whichever is higher. The living wage in Buncombe County is $20.10 an hour, as calculated by local nonprofit Just Economics.

“We feel that our current rate of $20.10 an hour represents a wage that would allow for the faculty and staff of Buncombe County Schools to provide the bare minimum for their most basic needs, and Just Economics encourages this board to include this figure as the baseline in their next labor budget,” said Eric Smythers, living wage program coordinator for Just Economics during public comment.

Several Buncombe teachers and staff also spoke during public comment to plead for higher wages.

“Every week we are choosing between fixing our cars, paying for a root canal, [paying] other medical bills and wondering if we can send our kid to art camp or pay for soccer. There is an inability to save for retirement, a home or a rainy day for our new teachers and for most teachers,” said Joan Hoffman, a career and technical education teacher at A.C. Reynolds High School.

“We can’t be at our best when we are in survival mode holding down multiple jobs,” she continued.

David Honea, a teacher and coach at A.C. Reynolds, said he would make $16,000 more a year in Wake County, where he’s from, for the same work he does here. He said he makes less as a coach in Buncombe than he did in Wake 20 years ago.

“When I look to the future, even if I stay here, I don’t know how to convince a talented coach to come work with me,” he said. “Going forward, we have to make choices about salaries for teaching and coaching that tell people the work they do is valuable and that we want them to do it here.”

In other news

School board members voted down a request by staff for a $50-per-month increase to tuition at four Buncombe County-operated child care centers.

The child care centers at A.C. Reynolds High School, Clyde A. Erwin High School, North Buncombe

High School and T.C. Roberson High School are struggling to remain self-funded, according to a presentation from Thorpe.

The centers raised tuition by $110 a month in the 2020-21 school year to the current rate of $525 a month, according to staff documents. Thorpe said that is not enough to cover the salary increases approved after last year’s salary study.

In order to be self-sustaining after full implementation of salary raises, tuition would need to increase to $768 a month by 2024, Thorpe said.

Board member Kim Plemmons said that was too high, especially considering lunch is not provided and the centers close at 3:30 p.m. while some private centers are open later.

“I’m not comfortable asking these parents for extra tuition at this time. I can tell you, we can take our kids to other child care centers. I don’t want to add an extra burden on our teachers,” Plemmons said.

Board member Amy Churchill suggested staff look into pre-kindergarten grants to help make up the budget shortfall and consider keeping the centers open later as a trade-off for potentially increasing tuition.

“We’re asking parents to pay the same as [at] some of the five-star facilities in the county. I think we need to make up the money in another way. We need to find another way,” said board member Amanda Simpkins

— Greg Parlier X

STAFF PAY: The Buncombe County Board of Education heard about proposed school staff pay increases from staff and complaints about low pay from teachers at its meeting April 13. Photo courtesy of Buncombe County Schools

Q&A: Community Impact Award winner takes on climate change

Mars Zappia embodies their activism. “It’s what I find the most valuable in life, being able to help people,” they say. “Seeing people thrive is what I’m passionate about.”

A sophomore at UNC Asheville, Zappia recently received the Community Impact Student Award from the N.C. Campus Engagement network in recognition of their outstanding leadership and service to the campus and community.

As a climate analyst with the Office of Sustainability, Zappia works on the Climate Action Plan, which aims to have UNCA carbon neutral by 2050.

Zappia helped the engineering department with its mission to put solar panels on campus buildings while also educating people about solar power and microgrids.

In their work with the Student Environmental Center, Zappia cultivates the ROOTS Garden, the largest on the UNCA campus. Here, their efforts include hands-on gardening, educating volunteers and working with professors to facilitate mini-workshops for students and community members.

Through the Key Center for Community Engaged Learning, Zappia began working on a research

THINKING GREEN

Sunrise on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Simone Adams is the founder of Color My Outdoors, which works to change the outdoor narrative to celebrate people of color.

What’s a local sustainability initiative that you think is going well or on a successful path?

I love a good “land back” story. Last fall, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians entered into a Tribal Forest Protection agreement with the U.S. Forest Service to integrate their cultural and traditional ecological knowledge of the land into the stewardship practices of the Nantahala and Pisgah national forests. I hope this type of co-stewardship agreement serves as a framework to sustain culturally critical resources that the state and city will follow.

What is one piece of environmental legislation or policy change that you would like to see the city of Asheville or Buncombe County make?

I’d love to see efforts that do a better job of protecting the wildlife that are continually displaced by the development in the area. This could be anything from requiring bear locks on trash cans to building wildlife crossings to conserving more undeveloped forested space. We’re fortunate to live in an area with such diverse wildlife. If we act now, we can protect both animals and humans. But if we wait, we risk having to put animals down to “protect” humans.

What is your organization’s preferred method of educating the community about its mission?

Instagram has given Color My Outdoors an active community of supporters and advocates who are highly receptive to our mission to change the outdoor narrative to celebrate people of color. But our favorite method for educating the community is oral storytelling. This is an opportunity for Black and brown outdoor enthusiasts to share their knowledge and passion in a way that is traditional to our culture and allows us to hold sovereignty over our story. Where do you go to enjoy the outdoors?

I love a leisurely drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I live in Burnsville, not too far from the parkway — it’s at least an hour commute by highway to Asheville, but sometimes I make it even longer and take the parkway just for the serene views. My absolute fave thing to do is wake early, put my coffee in a thermos and stake out a spot in one of the overlooks for a sunrise picnic. X

project focusing on abortion history in WNC in December 2021.

Xpress squeezed into Zappia’s busy schedule to discuss food security, solar panels and tips for home gardeners pursuing sustainability.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Xpress: How are gardening and food security connected?

Zappia: We’re living in a world where any produce we get from grocery stores is widely industrialized. We’re asking for fresh foods in high volumes in times of the year when it’s not necessarily meant to be grown. The price of those foods is getting higher and higher because of demand, and they’re becoming less accessible.

When you add the layer of climate change and how different environments in the world are changing, that’s forcing us to rethink how we’re growing food. We need to educate people how, even just inside their own houses, they can set up their own little garden and have fresh lettuce. As the climate continues to get warmer, gardening is very important for your own sustainability and your community.

What sustainable practices do you recommend for home gardeners?

The biggest thing is composting. At UNC Asheville, we have a focus on recycling and composting on an industrial level. In the gardens, we are able to compost any weeds that we pull or crops that we harvested too late. Having the ability to take your waste and turn it into something that is a very good soil amendment is awesome. You’re not wasting anything. And it’s pretty easy to do from home. There’s a bunch of different setups that you can do. My partner and I compost in our apartment, and I bring it to the ROOTS Garden.

Finding gardening space between your current landscaping areas is a very feasible option. Sometimes gardeners have big fancy setups, and people who are introducing themselves to gardening get intimidated.

If you think you have to have a certain amount of space or tools to get started, it’s very expensive. But there are cheaper and sometimes free ways to do it. There are many seed libraries in the Asheville area and community centers that give out seeds for free. You can find people who have chopped down trees at their houses and are giving away mulch for free. There’s a lot of things

that you can find in the community that help improve your soil quality.

What is the impact of the solar panel project on the UNC Asheville carbon commitment?

A common misconception is that solar panels will completely green your grid and do maybe 50% or 60% of the work, when in actuality it’s probably more like 15% to 20%. But it’s still a very important step. When you’re talking about the social cost of carbon and how much things are costing, our emissions between now and 2050 are going to increase instead of staying steady if we continue with business as usual. Although it’s a small percentage, those solar panels are decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions and helping us become carbon neutral, especially in the context of microgrids and how that relates to climate resiliency.

What guidance would you offer young adults interested in getting more involved within their community?

I would say that there is never too little or too much support that you can provide to your community. Any amount of action is action. Having conversations with people in your family about issues that you’re passionate about that have political high stakes in your community — those conversations are action. A lot of the time, people try to quantify the amount of advocacy work that they’re doing. That is nonsensical because we’re all working toward the same thing.

ACTION FIGURE: UNC Asheville student Mars Zappia has earned recognition for activism. Photo courtesy of Zappia

SIMONE ADAMS

photo by Frances Neyra Claudio

Kids’ takes: Area youths share creative works about spring

Each spring, Xpress publishes its annual Kids Issues. Across two publications, we feature hundreds of original poems, drawings, essays and fiction from students in grades K-12.

While we intend to keep the tradition going, we’re also interested in featuring youth perspectives more consistently throughout the year. Moving forward, our goal is to run a monthly feature spotlighting area youths’ creative works. If you are an educator in the area and would like to participate, please email news@ mountainx.com with the subject line: KIDS CREATIVE WORKS FOR 2023. Please do not submit works in the initial exchange; the initial email should just be to express interest in participation.

Due to space, we can only run one feature per month.

Here, we feature three works from third and fourth grade students at Odyssey School. A big thanks to teachers Barbi Brittain and Elizabeth Mason Moore, as well as Kristin Harkey, the school’s admissions director.

The featured works responded to the following prompt: What do you love to do most in spring in Western North Carolina?

— Thomas Calder X

Lemonade — the perfect touch

“I love spring in Asheville because of its beautiful colors. Blooming dandelions, growing trees, pretty scenery, picnics and gardens. What more could you ask for? My favorite thing about spring is the perfect temperature. It feels so good to just lay down and rest in the sun with some lemonade. The lemonade is a perfect touch. In fact, springtime and lemonade are the perfect pair. It’s so nice and calming. I also love walking to the farmers market near UNCA every Saturday. In the spring you can also start hiking again. I love the views from up there. I love spring in Asheville. You can really see the beauty of spring in Asheville and that makes it special.”

— Emma Reese, third grade

Spring in Asheville

Flowers bloom so warm Go on hikes play in the streams

Time to go camping

— Beatrice Hufford, fourth grade

A FLOWER GROWS: Third grader Orrin Melonas drew this spring scene.

APRIL 19 - APRIL 27, 2023

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-only events

 More info, page 46-47

 More info, page 48-49

WELLNESS

Narcotics Anonymous

Meetings

Visit wncna.org/ basic-meeting for dates, times and locations.

Tai Chi for Balance

A gentle exercise class to help improve balance, mobility, and quality of life. All ages are welcome.

WE (4/19, 26), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Sparkle Time Holistic

Exercise

Aerobic, strengthening, balance and flexibility.

WE (4/19, 26), MO (4/24) 10:30am, Avery’s Creek Community Center, 899 Glennbridge Rd SE Arden

Free Zumba Gold

Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. Learn some new moves, while listening to some great tunes. Free, but donations for the instructor are appreciated. For more information please call 828-350-2058.

WE (4/19, 26), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Bicycle Day Group

Trip/Ride

Grab your helmet and some water for a day of biking. Not to be confused with the United Nations designated World Bicycle Day.

WE (4/19), 3pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave

Old School Line

Dancing Old school dances, and some new.

TH (4/20, 27), 6:15pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Asheville Aphasia Support Group

Every Friday in Rm 345. No RSVP needed.

FR (4/21), 10am, WCU at Biltmore Park, 28 Schenck Pkwy, Ste 300

Yoga For Everyone

For all ages and abilities. Instructors are trained to facilitate classes for people standing, or in a chair. Classes are in English,

instructor can speak Spanish if needed. Bring your own mat, water bottle and mask. Registration required.

SA (4/22), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Sacred Sexuality:

Experiences of Awe

Learn the ingredients of expanded, full body, breath, and energy orgasms through this workshop. Create safety and reverence in your play. All genders, sexual orientations, relationship styles and levels of experience welcome.18+

SA (4/22), 10am, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Therapeutic Slow Flow

Yoga

A blend of mediation, breathing and movement. All bodies, genders, and identities welcome. Bring your own mat.

SA (4/22), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd, Ste 103

Rooted Yoga

Slow flow class accessible to every-body type. All levels are welcome, beginners are encouraged. Please bring your mat and any props you might need such as a blanket or a block

SA (4/22), 12:15pm, Ginger's Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr

Magnetic Minds:

Depression & Bipolar

Support Group

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

SA (4/22), 2pm,1316

Ste C Parkwood Rd

Yoga in the Park

Each class is unique, intertwining movement with breath as well as different focus of strength and release. All-levels welcome, but bring your own props and mat.

SA (4/22), SU (4/23), 11am, 220 amboy Rd

Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class

A conscious movement experience in a 100-

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

year old building with a community of women at all life stages.

SU (4/23), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard

Rooftop Yoga w/Down Dog

Slow flow yoga class that will challenge students to practice at a slower pace while exploring difficult postures and poses for a full-body flow. Beginner friendly.

SU (4/23), 11am, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Spring Flow w/Jamie

Designed to release heat stored in the body, release excess kapha, and prepare the body for summer. Expect strength building with long stretches. Class is held inside. Bring your mat.

SU (4/23), 11am, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks

This class is centered towards creating an affirming and inclusive space for queer and gender non-conforming individuals.

SU (4/23), 1:30pm, West Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Rueda de Casino

Salsa dancing for all skill levels.

SU (4/23), 2pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

NCMTR Bent Creek Trail Run

Multiple pace and distance groups are available to cater to all experience and ability levels, three to six miles. Well-behaved leashed dogs are welcome.

MO (4/24), 6:30pm, Hard Times Trailhead, 375 Wesley Branch Rd

Tennis Clinic

Join APR instructors and other locals looking to improve their tennis game for a four-week skills clinic for beginner to intermediate players.

Advance registration is required. For more information, contact myoung2@ashevillenc. gov or (828) 251-4026.

TU (4/25), TH (4/27) 10am, Murphy Oakley Park, 715 Fairview Rd

Zumba

Mask and social distancing required.

Registration not necessary. Por Favor usa tu cubre bocas antes de la clase.

TU (4/25), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain West African Dance Class

Traditional dance from the ancient Mali Empire that helps to improve your health and tone your body through a dance workout. All

DOWNTOWN AFTER 5: The 35th season of Downtown After 5 kicks off Friday, April 21, at 5 p.m. The free monthly series happens the third Friday of the month, April-September, on North Lexington Avenue. Rock, blues and R&B artist Devon Gilfillian launches the season with support from Joe Lasher Jr. and Kaitlyn Baker. Photo by Jim Donohoo Photography

levels are welcome.

WE (4/26), 6:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Swing Dance Lesson and Dance Swing dancing lesson and dance, every Thursday. TH (4/27), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd

ART

Courtney M. Leonard - BREACH: Logbook23 | Coriolis

Exploring cultural and historical connections to water, fishing practices, and sustainability.

Created by Shinnecock Nation ceramic artist Courtney M. Leonard as part of her BREACH series, the installation is a response to the artist’s research in Western North Carolina. Free and open to the public. Tuesday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through May 5.

WCU Bardo Arts Center, 199 Centennial Dr, Cullowhee

Reflections of Nature: The Art of Robert Gregory Gross An exhibition of Plein

air master Robert Gregory Gross’s lifetime of work in watercolors, oils, etchings, ink and pencil sketches. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am, and Sunday, 1pm. Exhibition through June 3. Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 850 Blue Ridge Rd, Unit A-13, Black Mountain

Altruistic Genius: Buckminster Fuller’s Plans to Save the Planet This exhibition brings the inventions and designs of R. Buckminster Fuller to Western North Carolina and introduces visitors to Fuller’s strategies for the sustainability of humans and the planet relating to housing, transportation, mathematics, and engineering. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through August 21.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Luzene Hill: Revelate Multidisciplinary artist Luzene Hill's exhibition designed especially for the Asheville Art Museum features work from her recent activation, Revelate. Hill's drawing seek to communicate themes of feminine and Indigenous power

across her entire body of work. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through May 15.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Public Tour: Altruistic Genius

Join docents for tours of the Museum's Collection and browse the Altruistic Genius: Buckminster Fuller’s Plans to Save the Planet exhibition as well as others. No reservations are required. TH (4/20), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Angela Johal An Abstract Classicist: California Hard-Edge

A solo exhibition featuring the vividly colorful and stunning hard-edge geometric works of San Francisco Bay artist, Angela Johal. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am and Sunday, Noon. Exhibition through April 22.

Bender Gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave

Introduction to Natural Dyes w/Kristin Arzt

Explore how to create limitless different colors, hues, and values on fabric by using natural dyes. Additionally, this

class will teach you how to create resists on fabric using wooden shapes and shibori techniques, how to use pH to shift colors, and how to measure out and start a dye pot based on weight of fiber.

SU (4/23), Noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Daily Craft Demonstrations

Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Daily, 10am, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy

Pulp Potential: Works in Handmade Paper

The works in this exhibition reveal the breadth of possibilities and unique qualities that exist when artists choose to employ and even create handmade paper. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday. Exhibition through July 14.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Too Much Is Just Right: The Legacy of Pattern and Decoration Featuring more than 70 artworks in an array of media from both the original time frame of the Pattern and Decoration movement, as well as contemporary artworks created between 1985 and the present. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through May 29.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

COMMUNITY MUSIC

Homespun Tales & Music w/Michael Reno

Harrell & Josh Goforth

Two great musicians and storytellers performing together for the first time. Each has roots going back several generations in the Southern Appalachian mountains. TH (4/20), 7pm, Lake Louise Community Center, Weaverville

Tempus: A Journey to the Blue Ridge Asheville Choral Society's elite vocal ensemble celebrates the Blue Ridge Mountains in song. The songs tell the stories of

Native American, Celtic, and early American traditions, along with the struggles and pain of enslaved peoples brought to these hills against their will.

FR (4/21), 7pm, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 337 Charlotte St

Walker Family Band Concert

An evening of Irish dance, American oldtime, and original music with traditional styles.

FR (4/21), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Launch Celebration for White Horse Nonprofit A concert celebrating the launch of the new White Horse Black Mountain nonprofit with live music performances from various artists, singers and songwriters.

FR (4/21), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Mantra Music w/ Seán Johnson & The Wild Lotus Band

An evening of interactive, soul-stirring ancient mantras through New Orleans roots, rock, gospel, and world grooves.

FR (4/21), 7:30pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

The Whiskey Revival Band

Live music from the Whiskey Revival Band in local Black Mountain art gallery that features local and regional original artwork of all mediums.

SA (4/22), noon, The Painted Porch Gallery, 116 Cherry St, Black Mountain

AmiciMusic Presents:

The Russian Cello

Join us for a powerful and passionate program of Russian music with a wonderful cellist named Alicia Ward who directs the Peabody Prep String program in Baltimore and has performed around the world.

SA (4/22), 2pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Michael Jefry Stevens

Trio

Performing music from the Great American songbook.

SA (4/22), 2pm, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hendersonville, 2021 Kanuga Rd, Hendersonville

Solace Admist Life's Storms

Presented by Carolina Concert Choir, this event features works of chorus and Orchestra by Simon and Garfunkle, Bach, Oscar and Hammerstein, and Michael Trotta.

SA (4/22), 3pm, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville

Concert w/Tret Fure

American singer-songwriter, poet, artist, and storyteller whose career spands five decades.

An icon in women's and folk music scenes.

SA (4/22), 7pm, Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd, Mills River

The Music of Lou

Harrison: Stenberg|Cahill Duo w/Matthew Richmond

The Stenberg|Cahill

Duo is dedicated to promoting the American experimental tradition and expanding it through the commissioning of new work.

SA (4/22), 7pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Jon Stickley Trio

Hendersonville Theatre presents Asheville’s progressive ensemble, the Jon Stickley Trio, as this month's intimate Hometown Sound concert. The Jon Stickley Trio is rooted in bluegrass, but also incorporates Gypsy jazz, grunge, folk-punk and jam-band styles.

SA (4/22), 7:30pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 South Washington St, Hendersonville

The Asheville Jazz Orchestra

An evening of jazz favorites featuring this 17-piece Asheville Jazz Orchestra. Whether they are playing a swing dance, club date, or formal concert, the AJO is the hardest swinging band around.

SA (4/22), 8pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Sunday Live: Steve Lapointe

Live performance by Pianist-In-Residence, Steve Lapointe that brings artworks in the Museum's Collection and special exhibitions to life.

SU (4/23), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet

Weekly Sunday pot

luck and musician's jam with acoustic and

The Land of the Sky Men's Chorus

Rehearsal

Men of all ages and from all backgrounds welcome to attend this a capella ensemble rehearsal.

TU (4/25), 6:30pm, Care Partners Main Campus, 68 Sweeten Creek Rd

The Rodney Marsalis

Philadelphia Big Brass

A large brass ensemble made up a diverse group of men and women that break the usual barriers between genres and strive to create a connection between the audience and performers.

TH (4/27), 7:30pm, Brevard Music Center, 349 Andante Ln, Brevard

LITERARY

Joke Writing Workshop

Hosted by Disclaimer Stand Up Lounge and moderated by Cody Hughes, weekly. Bring 90 seconds of material that isn't working.

WE (4/19, 26), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Book Club Discussion and Author Presentation: Appalachian Book of the Dead Attendees will discuss the book from 10:0010:30am, then author Dale Neal will host a discussion about the book.

TH (4/20), 10am, Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain

Book Whisperers

The Book Whisperers club is reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. Pick up your copy of the book at the Canton Branch and join the club. Registration required, call (828)-3562561.

TH (4/20), 1pm, Haywood County Public Library, 11 Pennsylvania Ave, Canton

Poetry Open Mic Hendo

A poetry-centered open mic that welcomes all kinds of performers every Thursday night.

18+

TH (4/20, 27), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave, Hendersonville

Juniper Bends

Reading series returns featuring several emerging and established writers and a musical guest. The event will feature a mix of prose, poetry, and music. See p49 FR (4/21), 6:30pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave

Ecopoetry Earth Day Reading

Reading with WNC writers Loss Pequeño Glazier (Transparent Mountain), Catherine Carter (Larvae of the Nearest Stars), and Thomas Crowe (Zoro’s Field) at City Lights Bookstore. A conversation with the authors follows. SA (4/22), 3:00pm, City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St, Sylva

While I Walk: Solo Adventuring in the Vast, Beautiful World

While I Walk is an exploration of solo travel and hiking, emphasizing the transformation than can await for one in the mountains. Join Rachel Durchslag for a reading and launch of her new book followed by a Q&A.

SU (4/23), 5pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St Shut Up and Write! Join fellow writers to write, together. There’s no reading or critiquing, and no real talking, except for the optional socializing afterwards.

MO (4/24), 2pm, Dripolator, 909 Smokey Park Hwy, Candler

The Myth of Normal Book Club

A community discussion of Gabor and Daniel

Mate’s latest opus. WE (4/26), 5:45pm, East Asheville Library, 902 Tunnel Rd

THEATER & FILM

Act Up! Staged Stories

A creative and collaborative program designed for ages 8-14 to explore the stage in a new way. The program runs for six sessions, April 18 through May 4, ending with a public showcase. For more information go to ashevillenc.gov or call 828) 259-5483.

TH (4/20, 27), TU (4/25), 5pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St

Cyndi Williams: Fish

When two characters connect unexpectedly in a lonely bar, they wind up playing a dangerous game. Who will survive, and how can they forgive themselves in the process? Shifting timelines and unearthing skeletons, Fish is a fever dream twisting through memory, fantasy, and the present. TH (4/20), FR (4/21), SA (4/22), 7:30pm, SU (4/23), 4pm. Runs through April 29.

The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St

Elektra

This production aims to spark a conversation around the cycles of violence that inherited hate produces. The show will also feature original songs written by students in UNC Asheville’s Music Department, making it a true collaboration from start to finish.

TH (4/20), FR (4/21), SA (4/22), 7:30pm, SU (4/23), 2pm.

UNC Asheville Belk Theatre, 1 University Heights

Stewart/Owen Dance: Student Series

Experience an exciting collection of contemporary choreography from the nationally renowned, Ashe-

ville-based company, Stewart/Owen Dance. You can also learn about their creative process in an intimate discussion and Q&A.

FR (4/21), 10am, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave

The Little Mermaid

The Learning Community School proudly presents a production of The Little Mermaid at Owen High School Theater. The production will run through the weekend.

FR (4/21), 6pm, SA (4/22), 4pm, SU (4/23), 2pm. Owen High School Theater, 99 Lake Eden Rd, Black Mountain

Jerry Slaff Presents: Lies

The play revolves around Benny, a freshout-of-law-school Public Defender assigned with a compelling case: trying to win the parole of a notorious German World War II radio propagandist who has a hard time telling the truth. Runs through April 30.

FR (4/21), SA (4/22), 7:30pm, SU (4/23), 2:30pm.

Attic Salt Theatre, The Mills at Riverside, 2002 Riverside Dr, Ste 42-O Bright Star: A Folk Musical

A  sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of our very own Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s and ’40s. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, they discover a stunning secret with the power to transform their lives. Runs through May 4. FR (4/21), SA (4/22), 7:30pm, SU (4/23), 2:30pm. Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut St Friends of Music Present: Becky Stone

A unique program of storytelling and music with performance by the one-of-a-kind, Becky Stone. Becky

incorporates music and audience participation in her programs which frequently leaves children and adults enthralled. No advance registration is necessary.

SU (4/23), 4pm, The Episcopal Church of Saint John in the Wilderness, 1905 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

The Side Hustle Juggle

Learn how to effectively juggle both your primary job and your side hustle while still growing your business and maintaining a personal life with this free seminar. Register at avl.mx/cko

WE (4/19), 11:30am, Online

Lunch & Learn: Immigration & Justice in WNC

Join Pisgah Legal Services’ immigration team to learn more about our Justice For All program, which helps eligible immigrants in WNC work legally and secure legal status, addresses, and other basic needs. This event is free and open to the public. A light lunch will be provided.

WE (4/19), 12pm, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 337 Charlotte St

Introduction to Medicare: Understanding the Puzzle

The program will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money.The class is free and open to the public. To register go to www.coabc.org or call (828)-277-8288.

WE (4/19), 2pm, Black Mt. Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain

Youth Archery for Beginners

This 4 week beginner class will teach the basics of archery and is

open to individuals 9 to 12 years old. Archers will learn the basics of archery: range safety and proper shooting techniques.

WE (4/19, 26), 5:30pm, Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Dr

Six Steps to Grow Your Business

Learn how to take your business to its full potential, despite the economy.

TH (4/20), 9:30am, Asheville Sports Club, 137 Coxe Ave

Drive In Bingo

Play from the comfort of your car. Winners receive prizes and refreshments will be served.

TH (4/20), 2pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

Parent Teen Cooking Class

Each week the students learn cooking skills, receive nutrition education, and take home all ingredients to recreate the recipe. Grades 9 to 12, across the country.

TH (4/20, 27), 3:30pm, Black Mountain Montessori School, 101 Carver Ave, Black Mountain Makerspace: Third Thursday

Experiment freely using different materials, tools, and techniques. Visit a chosen artwork in the galleries for inspiration, then head to the studio to create.

All ages and abilities are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult). No reservations required.

TH (4/20), 5pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square Beginning Gardening

Create a 2x2 garden bed for your home and learn the basics of Square Foot Gardening in this hands-on gardening class with Master Gardener, Hughes Roberts. Registration required, call 828-3562561.

TH (4/20), 6pm, Haywood County Public Library, 11 Pennsylvania Ave, Canton

Southside Card Game Night

Families and community members can play card games like bid whist/ spades, Apples to Apples, Uno, and more. Light refreshments served.

TH (4/20, 27), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St

Tea & Tarot Fridays

Play with Tarot and Tea Leaf readings. Bring your cards, tea cup, and other favorite divination tools. All styles and experience levels welcome.

FR (4/21), Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Middle Schoolers

Tackle Issues of Racial Equity & Oppression

Evergreen will host My Place in Race, an experiential racial equity workshop for middle school students. This is a unique opportunity for Middle School students to come together and engage in critical conversations about identity, race, equity and power. Lunch, snacks, and transportation will be provided. To apply to participate, please complete this form at avl.mx/clr

FR (4/21), 9am, Evergreen Community Charter School, 50 Bell Rd

Little Shredders

This is a a social meet up for riders ages three to six who are ready to take on trails and try basic obstacles while having fun with other young bikers. Participants should bring their own bike and helmet fit for the rider.

FR (4/21), 10am, Richmond Hill Park, 280 Richmond Hill Dr

Art Park

Features a twist on painting in Carrier Park. Instructors from Grove St Community Center provide the supplies

and nature provides the inspiration.

FR (4/21), 2pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd

Bingo & Spaghetti Dinner

Spaghetti dinner and a few rounds of bingo. This is a free event, but advance registration helps with planning.

FR (4/21), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St

Color Me Goodwill

The annual Color Me Goodwill runway show features designers in the Asheville-area, who will present color-inspired collections made from items found at Goodwill stores. It’s a show of innovation and ingenuity like no other.

FR (4/21), 7pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave

Pisgah Project Day

A community work day that allows volunteers to make hands-on improvements to the Pisgah Ranger District. This year’s projects include bridge construction and repair, maintenance and view shed improvement, trail maintenance, and more. Volunteers are invited to register at avl.mx/cls

SA (4/22), Pisgah Ranger District, 1600 Pisgah Highway, Pisgah Forest

Saturday Morning Art Class for kids of all ages!

Students will learn various stitches. Each class will build up to creating a pattern and sewing their own original felt creature. All age are welcome. Register at avl.mx/prx6

SA (4/22), 9am, Riverview Station, 191 Lyman St

Greenway Walking Club: French Broad River Greenway

Explore the city’s

ral

Club.

SA (4/22), 10am, French Broad River Park, 508 Riverview Rd

Earth Day Mineral

Ceremony w/Lumbee

Elder Sharon Oxendine

This is an indigenous ceremony using rocks which are the bones of Mother Earth. You will need two smooth, flat river rocks, palm size. Bring an outdoor chair, water, and an open heart. Pre-registration required.

SA (4/22), 10:30am, Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd, Mills River

Yoga in the Park

Each class is unique, intertwining movement with breath, with a different focus of strength and release. All-levels welcomed, but bring your own props and mat.

SA (4/22), 11am, Yoga in the Park Asheville, 220 Amboy Rd

Earth Day Community Cleanup

Burton Street Community Center invites residents from within and outside of the Burton Street neighborhood to an Earth Day Community Cleanup.

SA (4/22), noon, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St . Girl Scouts: Strike a Chord Girl Scouts earn their music badge in this workshop at the Swannanoa Valley Museum. Also, participants get to hear a live performance from a local Buncombe County singer who will give pointers on how to be a performer.

SA (4/22), 1pm, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 West State St, Black Mountain

Groove at the Grove

Ten tables of games including card games, board games, billiards, and more. For more information contact (828) 359-2062.

SA (4/22), 3pm, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St

Running of the Goats

5K & Nature Walk

Join the WNC Nature Center for it’s 3rd Annual Running of the Goats 5k and Nature Walk. You can run, walk, slither, or slide your way across the finish line.

SU (4/23), 7:30am, WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd

Weekly Sunday Scrabble Club!

No dues for the first three months. SU (4/23), 12:15pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Fast & Loose: Femme & Queer Comedy Workshop

Comedy workshop for people interested in stand up comedy, open

mics or maybe just looking for other femme and queer friends interested in comedy. Open to all femme and non-binary identifying people and all comedy levels.

18+

SU (4/23), 1:30pm, Catawba Brewing Co. South Slope Asheville, 32 Banks Ave

Game Day: Perspective Café

Traditional game day with board and card games as well as refreshments from the Perspective Cafe.

SU (4/23), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Sew Co./Rite of Passage Factory Tour

On this 30 minute micro-tour, learn about sustainable and transparent business practices and hear about production processes and client collaborations. MO (4/24), free, Rite of Passage Clothing & SewCo, 240 Clingman Ave Ext Guardian ad Litem Volunteer Training

Learn how you can use your voice as a court advocate for abused and/or neglected children in Buncombe County.

MO (4/24), 1pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St

Lead By Example

Helping young men to build the skills to become confident leaders through guest speakers, games and activities, and homework assistance. Light refreshments served. MO (4/24), 6pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

DND Night Game Masters have created new quickshot campaigns that will inject fresh life into your DND gameplay, with action-packed scenarios. RSVP is required.

TU (4/25), 6pm, Well Played Board Game Café, 162 Coxe Ave, Ste 101

Homemade Health & Wellness Series w/ Ashley English

A class series focusing on homemade health and wellness items with author, teacher, and homesteader, Ashley English. WE (4/26), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Adaptive Outdoor Adventures: Fishing Fun

Join us for an evening of fishing and meeting new friends. Fishing 101 skills will be shared with new anglers, but seasoned anglers are welcomed too. Fishing poles and bait will be provided. Please call 828-232-4529 about specific questions you

may have.

TH (4/27), 5pm, Azalea Park, Swannanoa River Rd

Preservation Society

Presents: Asheville's Automotive History

Heath Towson will be covering some of Asheville's early automotive pioneers, George Vanderbilt and his cars kept in Asheville, racing and hot rodding history in Asheville, as well as an in-depth look at the filming of Thunder Rd with Robert Mitchum and what it left behind in local culture and local lore. See p49

TH (4/27), 5:30pm, Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church St

Community Choice

Open House

Free time for the community to enjoy the community center. Relax while painting on a canvas, walking on the treadmill, playing a game of cards, shooting some hoops, and more.

TH (4/27), 6:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Project Mind Lab

Adult science night with Asheville Museum of Science. High time of intellectual stimulation through discussions, crafts, beer, and science.

TH (4/27), 7pm, DSSOLVR, 63 N Lexington Ave

LOCAL MARKETS

RAD Farmers Market

Providing year-round access to fresh local foods, with 25-30 vendors selling a variety of wares. Handicap parking available in the Smoky Park lot, free public parking available along Riverside Drive. Also accessible by foot, bike, or rollerblade via the Wilma Dykeman Greenway.

WE (4/19, 26), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Weaverville Tailgate Market

A selection of fresh, locally grown produce, grass fed beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, eggs, cheese, sweet and savory baked goods, artisan bread, fire cider, coffee, pickles, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, and garden and landscaping plants. Open year round.

WE (4/19, 26), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr

Weaverville

Blue Ridge Community College: Annual Plant Market

This year’s market will feature a range of native and ornamental plants including herbs, vegetable starts, succulents, hanging baskets, and perennials.

All proceeds from the event will benefit Blue Ridge’s horticulture program.

SA (4/22), 8am, Blue Ridge Community College, Bullington Greenhouse, 245 E Campus Dr, Flat Rock

North Asheville Tailgate Market

The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors offer fresh Appalachian grown produce, meats, cheeses and eggs - with a variety of baked goods, value added foods, and unique craft items. Weekly through Dec. 16.

SA (4/22), 8am, 3300 University Heights

71st Annual Plant Market

The French Broad River Garden Club Foundation is hosting a plant market with 20 local vendors and live music from Asheville Ukulele Society. All of the club proceeds support local horticultural and conservation scholarships. This event is open to the public.

SA (4/22), 9am, 1000 Hendersonville Rd, 1000 Hendersonville Rd

Asheville City Market

Local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Weekly through Dec. 17.

SA (4/22), 9am, 52 N Market St

Transylvania Farmers Market

Dozens of vendors offering fresh, locally-grown produce, meat, poultry, eggs, honey, cheeses, mushrooms, juices, fermented vegetables, plants, herbs, cut flowers, baked goods, jams and jellies, prepared foods, and a variety of locally handcrafted and artisan items. Open every Saturday year-round.

SA (4/22), 10am, 190 E Main St, Brevard Makers Market

Featuring vendors and artisans selling housewares, vintage clothing, original art, handmade crafts, fair trade imports, and more.

SA (4/22), noon, Atelier Maison & Co., 121 Sweeten Creek Rd

SPARC Creative Market 2023

Fourth annual creative market with over 30 vendors. There will be paintings, pottery, jewelry, woodworking, food, and more.

SA (4/22), noon, The SPARC Foundation, 225 E Chestnut St

Earth Day Local Makers Market

Local artists will be selling their handmade goods, ranging from jewelry, pottery, hot sauces, clothing andmore. Its a great way to shop local and buy some gifts for friends and family while having a beer.

SA (4/22), 2pm, French Broad River Brewery, 101 Fairview Rd

WNC Farmers Market

High quality fruits and vegetables, mountain crafts, jams, jellies, preserves, sourwood honey, and other farm fresh items. Open daily 8am, year-round.

570 Brevard Rd

Spring Market Pop-Up

Indoor spring pop-up featuring over 20 local Asheville creators.

SU (4/23), noon, Hi-Wire Brewing Big Top, 2A Huntsman Place

Plant Show w/Native Flowers & More Sustainable nursery showcasing native wildflowers as well as complementary plants such groundcovers and herbs.

TH (4/27), FR (4/28) 1pm, SA (4/29), 11am.

M R Gardens, 441 Onteora Blvd

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

Asheville Hemp Fest

This is a three-day festival extravaganza of hemp education, entertainment, and community engagement. There will be music performances from local and regional artists is scheduled for all three days including performances from The Snozzberries, Fractured Frames, Granola Funk Express, and Rah Digga, as well as delicious options from the food trucks on site.

See p47

TH (4/20), FR (4/21), SA (4/22), 11am, Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza

Franny’s Farmacy 420

Canna Carnival

Holidaze celebration with carnival games, raffles, vendors, food and live music from Broken Sound.

TH (4/20), 3pm, Franny’s Farmacy, 231 Biltmore Ave

Downtown After 5 w/ Devon Gilfillian

Monthly music series with different artists performing every month in downtown, Asheville. Rock, blues, and R&B artist, Devon Gillfillian, will be kicking off the series with support from Joes Lasher Jr and Kaitlyn Baker. Free and open to the public. See p48-49

FR (4/21), 5pm, 100 Block N Lexington Ave

Story Parlor Anniversary Artists and partners from the past year take to the stage with stories, art and performance in honor of Story Parlor's One Year Anniversary, including a short film screening of Sink, by a former ASoF student and highly accomplished award-winning Filmmaker Missy Bell.

See p48 FR (4/21), 7pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd

Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend

Sip wine and cider, savor delicious food pairings and explore the Blue Ridge Mountain countryside during Hendersonville’s Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend. A variety of events take place throughout the weekend, including specialty tastings, dinners, tours, hikes and lots of live music. Full list of events at avl.mx/cl4

See p47 SA (4/22), Multiple Locations, Citywide

Green Built Alliance: Earth Day 5K

First annual Earth Day 5k and family-friendly mile run. This event will take place at Carrier Park in Asheville. Proceeds from the event will benefit our Appalachian Offsets program, providing clean energy to local nonprofits and schools.

SA (4/22), 8am, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd

Asheville Bread Festival

After a hiatus, the Asheville Bread Festival is returning this month. This two-day event provides a wonderful way for bread enthusiasts and professional bakers to showcase skills, share ideas, network and improve their bread-baking abilities. See p46-47 SA (4/22), SU (4/23), 8am, multiple locations.

Celebrate Earth Day

Join Carolina Mountain Club to rebuild trails at Sam Knob for Earth Day. All are welcomed, no experience needed. All volunteers, including minors, must register individually at avl.mx/clp SA (4/22), 9am, Sam Knob Trailhead, FR-816 Black Balsam Rd

Hendo Earth Fest

Join your friends and neighbors to celebrate Earth Day at the very first Earth Day festival in Hendersonville. Local organizations and environmental champions will educate, entertain, and raise awareness of the need to protect our planet for future generations.

SA (4/22), 10am, Historic Downtown Hendersonville, 145 5th Ave E, Hendersonville

Maker Faire Asheville

A family-friendly festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. Tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors of all ages will be in attendance.

SA (4/22), 10am, A-B Tech Mission Health Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Dr

Pollinator Palooza

A day of celebrating local pollinators with various activities for the whole family. Check out the buzzy bee music program, the pollinator costume parade, the bee hive demonstration or shop the pop-up Earth Day artists market.

SA (4/22), 10am, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Static Age 18.5 Year Anniversary Fest

Static Age Record's three-day Anniversary Festival with 20 touring acts and 28 local. There will be a mixture of bands and DJ acts with daily raffles and food.

FR (4/21), SA (4/22), SU (4/23), 3pm, Static Age Records, 110 N Lexington Ave

From Another Time:

Celebrating the Legacy of Ray Hicks

Listen to stories of how Ray became the face of traditional Appalachian mountain storytelling along with Connie’s personal reflections on her long friendship with the Hicks family.

SA (4/22), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Growing in the Mountains Spring Plant Festival Plant Festival for all your garden needs.

Local plant vendors will have vegetable starts, herb plants, fruit trees, pollinator plants, native plants, flowering trees and shrubs, ornamental plants, dried herbs, tinctures, and more.

SU (4/23), 8am, WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Rd

SpringFest

Propagation plant trade with local artists focusing on nature inspired art and plant nursery vendors from the area.

SU (4/23), 12pm, LookOut Brewing Co., 103 S Ridgeway Ave, Black Mountain

Earth Day Activist

Party: Dig In!

The Asheville Only One Earth Coalition is throwing a party for Earth Day with an evening of music, food, and drinks. This event will be a benefit for Southside Community Garden.

SU (4/23), 5pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

Black Mountain Library

Celebrates 100 Years

The Centennial Celebration is being hosted by the Friends of the Black Mountain Library. There will be displays, a slide show, and mementos from the library’s past.

Refreshments will be available. See p49

TU (4/25), 6pm, Black Mountain Library, 140 N Dougherty, Black Mountain

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

11th Annual Eblen Charities Coat Dr w/ WLOS

Please bring clean and gently used coats, hats, gloves, and scarves to donate to the event. Coats for children and teens, as well as adult men are in high demand this year. Coats will be distributed at our Coat Giveaway in October and throughout the chilly winter months at Eblen Charities.

FR (4/21), 7am, Carolina Furniture Concepts, 100 Airport Rd, Arden

Ezekiel's Journey 5K & 1 Mile Run/Walk

Ezekiel’s Journey is a fundraiser for Mountain Area Pregnancy Services. This family-friendly event features a chip-timed 5K, kids' fun run, inflatables, food trucks, and other activities. All proceeds from Ezekiel’s Journey benefit MAPS.

SA (4/22), Biltmore Church Arden Campus, 35 Clayton Rd, Arden

Balsam Range & Jeff Little Trio Fundraiser Concert

Enjoy a great local cause while enjoying some live music from Grammy award-winning, local favorites, Balsam Range and openers, Jeff Little Trio. All proceeds benefit the Altrusa Club of Waynesville's scholarship program for Haywood County students.

SA (4/22), 4pm, Sorrells St Park, Corner of Main and Sorrells Sts., Canton

Learn About Mountain Bikes & Raise Money for Animal Haven Learn how to change a flat tire, new bike trails, local bike shops, and bike meet up groups. This is also a fundraiser for Animal Haven so please bring cash. All proceeds will go to Animal Haven in Asheville.

SA (4/22), 11am, La Tapa Lounge, 402 E State St, Black Mountain Walk MS: Fletcher Walk MS brings people together with the common goal of raising funding for education and research to ultimately find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

SU (4/23), 1pm, Bill Moore Community Park, 85 Howard Gap Rd, Fletcher

Benefit for Aston Park Defendants & Asheville Survival Program

A benefit for Aston Park defendants and Asheville Survival Program with band performances by Studda Bubba, Roamck, and Lo Wolf. DJ Nex Millen and DJ LC Tamagotchi will be spinning tunes too.

WE (4/26), 7pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd

Keep food out of the landfills

Marisha MacMorran first joined Food Connection in 2015 as a food donor partner. Today, she is the organization’s executive director.

How has your organization’s mission advanced since its launch?

Food Connection was born in 2015 after learning that thousands of pounds of delicious, chef-prepared food were being thrown in the trash every week. Fresh food rotting in the landfill generates methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. Not only was freshly prepared, nutritious food being discarded, this was happening while many of our neighbors were struggling to put enough food on the table.

Co-founder Flori Pate sprang into action and rallied community members to begin rescuing this surplus food and connecting it with communities in need. To date, Food Connection has diverted a whopping 205 tons of fresh food from the Buncombe County landfill.

What is one piece of environmental legislation or policy change that you would like to see the city of Asheville or Buncombe County make?

Currently, there are federal tax incentives for businesses that choose to donate their surplus food to a nonprofit instead of tossing it in the trash. There are no state or county incentives for these food donors.

The new Food Donation Improvement Act passed in January of 2023 will enhance liability protections and tax incentives for businesses donating food.

While Food Connection is rescuing an average of 2,000 pounds of freshly prepared food every week, we know that there is still fresh food being thrown out. If the city of Asheville and Buncombe County were to get on board promoting food rescue and redistribution through local incentive programs, we believe that more businesses would look to donate their surplus food.

How do you go about getting your message out?

The No. 1 issue preventing chefs and business owners from donating prepared food is fear of liability if someone were to get sick after consuming the donated food. Prior to the passage of the Food Donation Improvement Act, businesses had liability protection under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which passed in 1996.

Meeting one on-one with chefs and business owners to educate them on liability protections and tax incentives is one way that we are able to move our mission forward.

Telling the Food Connection story to faith based and community groups offers us the opportunity to spread awareness about the impact of food waste on the environment. It also educates individuals about initiatives that are disrupting food waste practices while helping ease hunger in our communities by sharing this surplus food.

Where do you go in WNC to enjoy the outdoors?

We love the greenway connecting RAD all the way to Hominy Creek. We have seen collaborative efforts to mitigate years of pollution, restore native habitats and improve the overall ecological balance of the French Broad River basin through the city of Asheville. In addition to the improved natural landscape, the greenway offers healthy recreation space for people of all ages and walks of life. Good job, Asheville. X

Green thumbs &

MARISHA MACMORRAN

Behind the scenes:

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

Not everyone has the opportunity to work in the place where they grew up. Asheville native Dr. Mollie Scott, chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy at UNC Health Sciences at Mountain Area Health Education Center, knows she is lucky in that respect. Scott first pursued her interest in health care at an animal emergency clinic while attending Enka High School (now Enka Middle School). Recently, the regional associate dean for UNC and associate professor in clinical education has been working “right up the road” — less than a mile away — from her former high school at MAHEC’s EnkaCandler campus.

Scott also completed rotations at MAHEC and worked at Mission Hospital in intravenous care as a pharmacy student. She settled here for good in 2001 and has raised children and a gaggle of animals. (Her husband is a veterinarian, and “it’s very hard” to say no to adoptable animals, she says.)

Scott spoke with Xpress about a new grant to train pharmacists on providing contraception, working at the nexus of social issues and public health, and what she wishes more people knew about pharmacy.

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

The Duke Endowment recently awarded you a $705,000 grant to support training pharmacists to provide hormonal contraception — birth control pills and birth control patches — across the state in order to reduce unintended pregnancies. Can you tell us about it?

Dr. Mollie Scott on contraception and public health

Pharmacist Prescribed Hormonal Contraception], looking at how other states have handled this [issue]. A lot of states have legislation [to allow pharmacists to dispense hormonal contraception, but] didn’t really move things forward at a rapid pace. We wanted to accelerate the uptake of pharmacists providing the service because we think it’s important for the health of women in North Carolina. We saw a grant with the Duke Endowment, and we were fortunate enough to get that.

Which geographic areas or demographics will the grant focus on?

We’re focusing on any woman in North Carolina who is seeking contraception. We know that there are gaps in care for different demographics of women. There are areas within the state where folks may not have access to a health department or a gynecologist or a family physician. There may be women who have difficulty getting off of work to go and seek care, or [they] have to figure out child care or transportation. We’re particularly interested in women of color because we know that African American women are suffering higher rates of maternal mortality.

North Carolina passed [House Bill 96, enabling pharmacists to provide hormonal contraception and other medications] a little over a year

ago. I was very involved in a task force on contraception for our state society, North Carolina Association of Pharmacists [Task Force on

Focusing on access to contraception so that women can plan their family — when and if they want to have a family — is really important. It’s important that a woman be able to use a contraceptive she likes, that she can get it when she needs it and that we can work with her and her family going into a pregnancy and hope that [this relationship] then positively impacts maternal mortality [rates] down the road.

With access to contraception in mind, how do you feel about the

EXPANDING ACCESS: Dr. Mollie Scott, chair of the Department of Pharmacotherapy at UNC Health Sciences at Mountain Area Health Education Center, received a $705,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to support training pharmacists to provide hormonal contraception. Photo courtesy of Kathi Petersen

pharmacist’s role in where public health intersects with social issues?

I think the role of the pharmacist in public health is becoming more and more recognized. We teach our students how to care for patients, no matter their belief system. That can come into play as you’re caring for patients who maybe don’t want to be vaccinated. It could come into play where maybe there’s a pharmacist who has conscientious objection to initiating hormonal contraception or providing emergency contraception. There’s a stance from the [North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, a state public health department,] that says if you are not able to provide care for a patient because of conscientious objection, then we have a duty to facilitate care for that patient and help them to go to a provider who can help.

We teach our students at [UNC] and we talk a lot about ethics around contraception, emergency contraception [and] certainly medication abortion. Because we know that there are different opinions that people have toward the way those medications work and whether they believe they’re helpful or harmful.

But how do you personally feel about the role that pharmacists have? How does it feel to be, in some ways, on the front lines of those intersections of public health and social issues?

We think about this concept of reproductive justice, which is something that’s been championed by SisterSong [a reproductive justice coalition for women of color]. I really do embrace their philosophy that reproductive justice involves ensuring that women have access to care — and that’s a right — and that they also have bodily autonomy to be able to make decisions about their own health care, what medications they’re going to use and how they would manage an unintended pregnancy. That is their decision between them

and their provider. Those are things that I believe strongly. I know that not everyone believes those things, so I try to be respectful and listen and be open to others’ opinions.

[This contraceptive grant] is one way that I feel like I can give back to women in North Carolina, by creating an additional access point for women to go to see a trusted health care professional who is on the front lines of health care and serving important public health roles and is knowledgeable and can help the woman and select a contraceptive that will be safe and effective for her. If it’s something that we’re not able to provide because we can’t do all the products, then [we can] connect her with another health care professional within her community who can meet that need.

What do you wish people knew about pharmacists?

So many things. Pharmacists have a doctorate degree. I think that’s important for people to know. And we are kind of that last line of defense for the public before they get their medications. Our goal is to make sure that the medication is safe and effective for the patient, that their medications are optimized and that they’re achieving the goals that we want for them and that they want to achieve for their health.

[And] pharmacists are everywhere. We work in so many places. If you’re in an ICU, there’s a pharmacist behind the scene. If you are somebody who just had a heart attack and you’re over at the Heart Tower at Mission, there’s a cardiology pharmacist there who’s working with your physician in the team. If you have a loved one in skilled nursing, there’s a pharmacist reviewing your loved one’s medications every single month. People think of us in community pharmacy settings. But we are in lots of other places behind the scenes working to make sure that medications are safe and effective.

Elizabeth Garbarino, MD

Grace Evins, MD

Beer engine brotherhood

Five Asheville-area breweries continue cask ale traditions

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

earnaudin@mountainx.com

For a certain set of craft beer consumers, there’s nothing like a proper cask ale. Pumped by hand from a beer engine, resulting in an intentionally tall, billowy head of foam, the beverages are typically easy drinking with low ABVs, yet give the tippler a distinct sensory experience.

“Cask conditioning lends a softer carbonation and often creamier mouthfeel,” says Chris Whaley , brewer and co-owner of Whaley Farm Brewery in Old Fort. “With the lessened impact of carbonic acid on the beer, flavors meld and often bring a more harmonious symphony of hop to malt and yeast-driven nuances.”

Oyster House Brewing Co. head brewer Philip Shepard says it’s his “favorite way to drink a beer.” And DSSOLVR head brewer and co-founder Vince Tursi considers English milds and bitters “perfected” styles that, if ignored by breweries, does “an injustice” to brewing history.

But if cask ales are so beloved, why do only a handful of Asheville-area breweries serve them?

“It’s a labor of love for old brewers, and it’s something that really doesn’t exist anymore — even in England,” says Mike Karnowski, brewer and co-owner of Zebulon Artisan Ales in Weaverville. “It’s us clinging to the golden age of beer when really it was about the beer and not about hype. And it was about drinking a lot of beer.”

He adds that throughout its history, beer was something that people imbibed significant amounts of while doing other fun activities. Now, instead of complementing pool or darts, beer “has become the fun,” which he feels puts undue pressure on the beverage to be the entertainment.

“Beers should be a simple, easily, drinkable thing that you can drink a lot of while having fun doing other things,” Karnowski says. “So, [cask ale] harkens to the day when beer was something that you didn’t pay too much attention to — but if you wanted to, you can still geek out on it. You can really dig in on the yeast character and minerality. But you can also just drink six pints while you’re throwing some darts, and there’s just not a lot of modern beer that you can do that with.”

BEER ENGINEERS

Karnowski explains that cask ale, by definition, is a method of dispensing. Before the implementation of compressed gas to push beer out of kegs, pubs and taverns could either poke a hole through the bung atop the keg from the brewery, tap it and let gravity dispense it, or use a beer engine — a manual pumping system to bring beer up from the cellar and into the bar without the use of gas.

Zebulon has a 1955 Britannia Beer

Masta beer engine that Karnowski says spent 40 years in an English pub, then, through means unknown to him, made its way to New Orleans, where he purchased and rebuilt it.

What’s in the cask, Karnowski adds, can vary but should always be unfiltered. Though he’s served 12%

’IT JUST IS SO NOSTALGIC’: Zebulon Artisan Ales brewer Mike Karnowski hoists a reproduction of a 1939 IPA, poured from a 1955 beer engine. Photo by Gabe Pickard Body

ABV imperial stouts at Zebulon that he describes as “pretty wonderful,” he tends to feature low-ABV Englishstyle beers.

“By degassing the beer, the lowABV beers seem a lot less thin and prickly on the palate,” he says. “If you have a 3.5% [ABV] beer and it’s bottled up and really carbonated, it drinks like a seltzer and it’s hard to dig into the malt character of that. But when you get rid of all the [carbon dioxide], all of the sudden you’ve gotten more body and you’re able to enjoy it a lot more.”

However, the process of drawing air into the cask will gradually spoil the beer, which in turn means it should ideally be enjoyed within 48-72 hours. Karnowski notes that short shelf life can deter brewers from serving beers that might not sell fast enough and result in wasted product, but certain consumers embrace the brief window.

“Some people don’t like it when it’s freshly tapped. They like it a day or two later when it starts getting a little tangy or whatever,” Karnowski says. “That’s the beauty — there’s sweet spots in a cask tapping, and you can ask the bartender in England, ‘What’s pouring well? What’s getting ready to go off?’ And some people like it when it’s just getting ready to go off.”

But simply getting customers to try the beer can be a challenge. Though Karnowski often finds success by comparing his beer engine’s holdings to nitro beers, which he says are trying to emulate cask ales, many consumers are wary of the products. In the U.S., Karnowski says cask ales have gotten a bad reputation due to being served at overly warm temperatures. He identifies 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit as the ideal zone, and that the pour should have a nice head.

“If they’re pouring you a 75-degree, completely flat beer that’s four or five days old, that is not helping cask beer — and I think that’s really what’s caused casks to be so rare in America

is that it was done so badly for so long,” he says.

When the correct cask ale conditions come together, Karnowski notes that another sign will be evident as the beer is consumed. While the liquid is drunk, foam striations will appear on the glass and “tell a story” of how many sips it took to finish the beer.

CASK JEDIS

Andrew Zinn, brewer and co-owner of Leveller Brewing Co., located one block over from Zebulon, is another purveyor of the cask ale tradition. Since opening in early December, he’s served his Wigan’s ordinary bitter through the taproom’s beer engine, which has imbued it with far more flavor and nuance than its 4% ABV may suggest. And, he notes, it’s also a lot of fun watching bartenders pour it.

“There’s a performative aspect to it that I think resonates with customers, and it’s a good way to take otherwise ordinary beer and really sell it,” Zinn says. “Craft beer customers want excitement. Sometimes that turns into bad brewing, and this kind of fills that [desire]. They’re also delicious.”

Whaley agrees with Karnowski that classic English bitters, milds, porters and barley wines are natural choices for cask conditioning. He operates a pair of beer engines at his McDowell County taproom and by the end of April plans to release a beer through a German gravity cask.

“The lesser-known use of German Stichfaß, seen commonly in Cologne and other parts of Germany for kölsch and lager service, bring light to another old cask tradition outside of the British Isles that can be revelatory,” Whaley says. “Lambic, gueuze and other wild ales can be beautifully dispensed via cask as well.”

CONTINUES ON PAGE 38

Nonprofit issue

Before moving to Asheville in 2016 to work for Burial Beer Co., Tursi fell in love with cask ales while serving as lead cellar person for the Boston-based New England Real Ale eXhibition, the largest collection of casks in the U.S. The experience inspired him to feature two beer engines at DSSOLVR.

“There’s something ultimately refreshing about the no-frills aspect of it,” Tursi says. “A good cask ale is balanced in the lack of things going on. So, if everything’s turned down but in balance, there’s something beautiful about that.”

For a brewery constantly pushing styles forward and championing experimentation, cask ales also provide DSSOLVR a means of staying rooted in beer history. On the other side of its watermelon and tajin blonde ales and coffee king cake imperial stouts are English-style beers, including ESB and porters, that largely adhere to classic recipes.

“We like to exist across the entire spectrum,” Tursi says. “For those oldschool, traditional styles, an English mild is an English mild. A bitter is a bitter. The most exciting thing that we’re doing with those is using local malt from Riverbend [Malt House].”

BACK AT IT

These four breweries will soon be rejoined on the cask front by Oyster House, which has poured from its beer engines since opening in 2013.

Though cask operations ceased when the West Asheville brewpub temporarily closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shepard confirms that the tradition will resume in the near future with a retooled cask dispense system and the ability to maintain proper temperature.

Having more breweries continue this chapter of beer history the right way is encouraging to Karnowski, whose ethos is rooted in honoring historic recipes and techniques. Overall, he loves the inherent nostalgia of cask ales, and embracing the brewers and drinkers that came before us. He notes the misconception that beer wasn’t good a century or two ago and holds firm that English brewers knew what they were doing in 1830. By enjoying perfected styles the way they were intended to be served, those traditions endure.

“[Cask ale is] a whole package: It’s the reproductions of old beers or keeping alive styles that are dying out in England and here, and also the method of dispensing, which is very old school vintage, too,” Karnowski says. “Especially for old brewers, it makes us happy. It’s like an old Italian grandma making homemade pasta as opposed to just buying the pasta.” X

OLD SCHOOL: Leveller Brewing Co. brewer Andrew Zinn pours a fresh cask ale from the bar’s beer engine. Photo by Brandon Morreale

It’s time to vote!

now through April

‘Violence in the heart’

Charles Frazier’s latest novel takes readers across Depression-era America

BY THOMAS CALDER

tcalder@mountainx.com

Midway through Charles Frazier’s new novel, The Trackers, the story’s narrator and protagonist, Val Welch, cuts himself off midrant, worried that his diatribe against America’s political corruption and class warfare may have overwhelmed his audience of one — Raúl, a young, first-generation Cuban American cabdriver who dreams of going to school and improving his life.

“Part of me wanted to press on,” Val tells readers, “to set him straight about his land of dreams, but the other part of me decided against it. After all, the nation’s big, beautiful strength had always been dreaming forward against the brutal, ugly

WHEN: May 5th, 4:30 to 6pm

WHERE: 21 Restaurant Court, Asheville, NC 28805

WHAT: NAR Spire Information SessionFood & Drink Provided

undertow of reality, the violence in the heart of the human animal, the gluttony and greed.”

What Val leaves unsaid captures a core tension in Frazier’s latest work. Set in 1937, The Trackers follows Val, a Tennessee-born artist, who lands a mural project in Dawes, Wyo., through the Work Progress Administration. Val’s plans change, however, once he is drawn into the inner circle of wealthy, aspiring politician John Long and his wife, Eve, a former singer with a complicated and dark past.

When Eve leaves her husband, absconding with one of his most prized paintings, Val is hired to track her down. In his pursuit, the artist-turned-amateur-private-eye takes readers across Depression-era America, revealing the unrelenting

clash between the country’s professed ideals and its less-than-forgiving citizens and landscapes.

TURBULENCE AHEAD

Fans of Frazier’s previous novels — Cold Mountain (1997), Thirteen Moons (2006) and Varina (2018) in particular — will recognize a common thread that connects these earlier works with his latest publication: travel.

Granted, in his prior three books (all set in the 19th century), his characters moved about predominantly by horseback or foot. In The Trackers, Val is traversing the nation by car and plane. The latter, Frazier tells Xpress, was particularly interesting to research.

“Early commercial airlines wouldn’t get much above 8,000 feet,” he says. “So, they’d go through every bit of weather.” Basins beneath seats, he continues, were common features because “everybody was throwing up.”

Not surprisingly, Frazier’s research extended well beyond air travel, as he pored over the period’s popular culture, political tensions, economic woes and makeshift homes.

“Usually, the first couple of years of writing a book is probably two-thirds research and one-third writing,” he explains. “Then it kind of reverses itself by the last year or two.”

But unlike his earlier works, The Trackers was not a story he initially set out to write. In fact, Frazier says, he kind of stumbled upon it by chance.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN BOONE

The timeline itself is a bit hazy, Frazier notes. About a decade ago, he and his wife, Katherine, were visiting Boone for a horse show. (Katherine is a longtime rider.)

“I wasn’t really looking for a book idea,” Frazier explains. “I was just killing time, walking around.”

Eventually, the award-winning author ambled over to the town’s post office, where a WPA mural awaited. Triggered by the visual — and with several days before the horse show concluded — Frazier

visited his alma mater, Appalachian State University, to peruse its archives. While there, he stumbled upon an image of two WPA artists stationed somewhere out west, standing atop a scaffold and posing alongside a man and woman in more formal attire.

The photograph stuck with Frazier. What was the dynamic between these people? What story did they have to tell? And what did their experiences say about the turbulent period of American history that they were living through?

Despite these initial inquiries, Frazier did not immediately begin crafting a story to satisfy his curiosities. Instead, he wrote and published Varina — a work of historical fiction based on Varina Davis, wife of Confederate President Jefferson Davis

But by the fall of 2019, he returned to these earlier questions. By then, Frazier says, he was ready to head west to begin research and gain further insight into the characters he was preparing to create. A massive trip was planned for the summer of 2020. Then, COVID-19 arrived, putting all travel on hold.

WELCOME TO HOOVERVILLE

Though Frazier is far from a fantasy writer, one could imagine a scenario wherein a homebound author — accustomed to visiting the locations featured in his latest writing project — might begin fantasizing about travel so much so that

he creates additional routes for his main character to take as a means of satisfying his own itch.

Inferred fantasy aside, what becomes apparent when reading The Trackers, and following Val as he zigzags across America, is Frazier’s desire to show the Depression’s impact on as much of the nation as possible.

“I did loads of research on homeless camps around Seattle,” Frazier says, in discussing one of many cities Val visits in his search for Eve.

This research comes out through Val’s narration across several chapters. “The biggest of Seattle’s slums, its Hooverville, had risen out of the mudflats alongside Elliott Bay early on in the Depression,” Val tells readers. He goes on to describe some of the shanties, built of scrap materials held together by used nails and wire. Many of the residents, Val notes, numbered their makeshift homes, believing an established address was essential for being recognized as a citizen. But there were some in the community who refrained, he continues, “on the theory that it would somehow make eviction easier.”

Later in the same chapter, Val is invited inside one of the shanties, shared by a pair of former teachers. Along with armchairs and a wood stove made from a 10-gallon oilcan, the roommates have surrounded the walls with hundreds of books. These

PRIVATE EYE: Set in 1937, Charles Frazier’s latest novel follows narrator and protagonist Val Welch as he zigzags across Depression-era America in pursuit of a stolen piece of art. Author photo by Mallory Cash

works, Val learns, are not intended to display the owners’ former scholarly pursuits but rather function as insulation in winter.

Frazier’s prose shines particularly brightly within these scenes, wherein the novel’s plot is temporarily put aside and he invites readers into the world of the forgotten and overlooked.

As with his previous novels, Frazier says the more he researched the period, the more parallels he discovered with today’s political, economic and social issues — from concerns over housing to the Supreme Court.

“The deeper I got into the research and the more I read, the more it just felt like — ‘My gosh, all of these issues that we’re dealing with right now, they were dealing with back then.’”

HEAVY DRIFT OF GRIEF’

The Trackers also does a masterful job of reminding readers that while the past is prologue, every prologue has its own prologue. This point is most pointedly conveyed through the character Faro — an enigmatic elder and former lawman who in the novel’s present day works for John Long.

“He’s from the last century,” Val tells another character early on in the novel. “People were all strange back then.”

Part of Val’s growth as a character involves shaking loose some of his naivety. And much of his newly gained insights on love, politics and human nature come courtesy of characters such as Faro and Eve.

Along with rich character development, The Trackers also may be Frazier’s funniest book to date. Val’s idealism and beliefs about art as a power for good are often misunderstood by the residents of Dawe or simply met with indifference. Meanwhile, his travels to find Eve and the stolen artwork bring him

into contact with of a large cohort of misfits, including a squatting wino and an unruly family living among Florida’s swamp creatures.

The book’s surprising moments of levity, paired with its accelerating pace and endless sense of danger will keep readers continuing to the next chapter. But it’s the power of the story’s parallels to our present day that will likely cause these same readers pause throughout.

In these echoes, Frazier creates a humbling experience. Just as Val initially views Faro as a distant relic of a bygone era, readers are experiencing Val’s narrative from a similar vantage point. In this way, Frazier seems to be simultaneously reassuring us that, as a country, we have gotten through similar past struggles, while also reminding us that the struggles we face today are just the latest in an ongoing saga that will one day leave us all behind.

“Traveling the country, town by town, I felt a heavy drift of grief and sometimes a breakthrough of optimism for the long Depression,” Val reveals to readers early on in the book. “So many lives and ways of life were going or gone and would never return. So much confusion, so much loss of security and faith and wealth, livelihoods wiped away along with fundamental trust in the idea of America and its institutions. Those institutions had been what failed people, the loss of trust in them inevitable. Some days those past few years, I felt a sliver of hope that the country could scrabble its way out of the hole we’d found ourselves in, hope that if we actually tried to make life better for folks who’d been ignored or trampled on for so long, we might even come out better than we’d been before. Other days it felt like too massive an undertaking, that nothing could ever free us of the hard times we’d been living for years.” X

‘A

The sound of dedication

And the Hendersonville Community Band plays on

BY MIRIAM BRADLEY

Before the members of the Hendersonville Community Band take to the stage on Tuesday, April 30, for the group’s spring concert, they will have invested countless hours in preparation, practice and even physical labor to give Hendersonvillearea residents a musical experience to remember. The group’s presence within the community, thanks to an ebb and flow of participants, is 32 years strong.

Coming from all walks of life, the 75-member band includes music professionals, members who’ve played continuously since grade school, some who had set their instruments aside for decades and at least one who never performed until adulthood.

No matter their level of expertise, all members have a common objec-

tive. Joella Newberry, group historian, puts it this way: “We share great joy in coming together each week to be immersed in music, taking seriously our dedication to excellent performances for the community.”

THEN AND NOW

In 1991, Jim Stokes , former Hendersonville High School band director, placed an ad in the paper announcing a meeting for those interested in a community band. Jerry Zink, who hadn’t played in over 40 years, heard about it through the grapevine and was one of about 60 people who showed up.

“Not all of them stuck,” says Zink, a charter member. But Zink did, and he went on to become the first president of the group.

Since its launch, the band has performed more than 150 times

— initially at Hendersonville High School’s auditorium before eventually moving to the large hall at Blue Ridge Community College, where the group now averages 400-500 people per concert.

The Hendersonville Community Band offers four performances a year: one in the fall, one during the winter holidays and two in the spring. Tickets are $10; students can attend for free.

Stokes served as conductor for 14 years and is now the group’s conductor emeritus. Current conductor Winiford Franklin has led the band for the past 12 years. Franklin taught high school band for 43 years in Florida and has played in or guest-conducted 10 community bands. Just last month the band announced the addition of an associate conductor, Cole Hairston, the current director of bands at Brevard College.

LONGEVITY FACTORS

Members attribute the band’s longevity to several factors. Band President Carol Talbot believes the wide age span, 17-95, lends to continuity. In addition, the fact that there are still several charter members in the band gives stability. “Every time we have new people move into leadership positions, we have members who have held that position mentor them,” Talbot says.

Charter member Crystal Smith believes the organization endures due to the leadership of its founder. “Mr. Stokes knew that a volunteer band should govern itself,” she says. “We have an elected board of directors who make decisions that include input from all the members.”

Other factors mentioned include strong school music programs through which most members learned to play their instruments, advertising for concerts and word-of-mouth.

A MULTIFACETED MISSION

Watching this group perform, it’s impossible to miss members’ enjoyment and enthusiasm. But what is their mission?

According to Talbot, it is multifaceted. First, the musicians desire to promote the status of community bands in the United States through concerts and other performance opportunities.

Franklin purposely chooses music that the audience might recognize. Concert programs include jazz,

Broadway tunes and classic band music as well as various marches.

Each concert typically includes a guest performer. Some former participants include choral groups, a clarinet player, trombone player and a bell choir. The group also hosts guest conductors. At the April 30 concert, the featured guest will be the Blue Ridge Symphonic Brass, conducted by Jamie Hafner.

Twice, the band has commissioned pieces to be written for the group. Robert Sheldon arranged the first — The Blue Ridge – Traditional Blue Ridge Folk Tunes — for the group’s 25th anniversary. Five years later, Bill Locklear wrote the second, Balm in Gilead, for the band’s 30th anniversary.

SUPPORT THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS

In order to garner more interest in music through education, the band also offers scholarships to college music majors as well as high school students.

Two scholarships are offered for students enrolled in North Carolina college music education programs. They are the Joan Tripp College Scholarship of $2,500, and the $1,000 Ralph Campbell College Scholarship.

Furthermore, board member Keith Anderson reaches out to the four high school band directors in Henderson County to find potential recipients. “Our intent is to offer scholarships for high school students interested in going to a summer music program,” he explains. “It is

a good opportunity for students to expand their boundaries and work with other students their age as well as professionals who can help them grow in their abilities.”

This scholarship is available to this year’s rising ninth- to 12th-grade students. The hope is they will bring their experiences back to their band in the fall. The high school recipients are acknowledged at the concert in April, as well as at the high school graduations, giving an opportunity to promote band participation to their peers.

The pandemic, says Anderson, affected music programs from grade school all the way to college. Grade school students didn’t have the opportunity to start playing an instrument. Many who had started lost interest and haven’t returned to the band programs. Due to the break in continuity, colleges struggle to get music majors.

“It is a critical time to hop back in and help get students back into the swing of band,” Anderson says.

ARTISTIC OUTLET

Another key goal of the band is to offer opportunities for musicians to play. According to Franklin, it gives the members an artistic outlet apart from home and work. After retirement, many find themselves with extra time on their hands, and they decide to pick up an instrument they haven’t touched for years. He notes that with hard work, most of them can regain their earlier skill level.

“They are a fun bunch,” Franklin says. “They work hard and learn quickly.”

With only seven to eight hours of group rehearsals before each concert, most members practice from several times a week to daily to be prepared for the concert.

Members note the value of the camaraderie and strong friendships the band offers, as well as the life skills it reinforces such as discipline, increased attention and reliability. Members express pride in nonmusicians who participate in other ways, such as Gail Zink, their “charter usher,” who has worked every concert since the beginning.

A strong sense of teamwork is evident. As the band is a volunteer group, even the setup and breakdown are up to the band members. “It’s just us,” board member Kathy Reid says. While it may be a lot of work, it does come with one particular reward. As Newberry says, “There is a sense of accomplishment and pride for both the individual and the whole group when we do well.” X

WHAT

Hendersonville Community Band performs Adventures for Band & Brass WHERE 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30, avl.mx/cln

WHEN

Blue Ridge Conference Hall, 180 W. Campus Drive, Flat Rock

LONGEVITY: Over the past 32 years, the Hendersonville Community Band has performed more than 150 concerts, now averaging 400-500 attendees per show.

Photo by John Williams

What’s new in food WNC Farmers Market ramps up for spring festival

The WNC Farmers Market is throwing a two-day celebration of spring in Western North Carolina.

The second consecutive Spring Festival & Growing in the Mountains Plant Sale will take place on the 36-acre property from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23. The event will include local farmers, growers, makers, musicians and food trucks, and will highlight ramps and strawberries.

“Our spring festival is the culmination of what makes spring so special here in WNC — the growers and makers,” says Ellerslie McCue, marketing specialist. “Our market is home to many talented growers who focus on native and local plants, and [they] love to share their passion. Here, you’re buying local from local.”

The market will provide locally grown ramps and strawberries to participating food trucks, such as The Spotted Banana, Taqueria Muñoz and The Smokin’ Onion. DJ’s Pickles, located in Market Shop A, will also be serving pickled versions of the featured crops, as well as made-to-order menu offerings from its deli.

Patrons can check out local musicians, including 2 to Toot, Old Tyme Pickers and Asheville Junction under the breezeway between market shops A and B, as well as underneath truck shed 2 on Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and on Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

Other activities include large tick-tack-toe, cornhole and a children’s activities section next to the food trucks.

The festival will also mark the opening of market shop C, with new permanent vendors Locals Seafood and Heaven’s Gate Orchard.

Breaking bread

Along with ramps and strawberries, another annual festival will take place throughout the Asheville area.

After a four-year hiatus, the Asheville Bread Festival returns and will feature events including a bread fair, lectures and hands-on workshops in multiple locations on Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23. The two-day event is an opportunity for bread enthusiasts and professional bakers to break bread together, improve kitchen skills, share ideas and network within the artisan bread community.

This year’s festival coincides with Earth Day, which is no coincidence, says Jennifer Lapidus , festival organizer and founder of local mill Carolina Ground. “From the environmental implications of rebuilding regional grains communities and sustainable food systems to the broader understanding of sustaining the baker lifestyle, we are exploring the theme of sustainability throughout our programming,” she says.

McCue says she is excited to share in the celebration. “Spring is such a joyful time filled with new growth, potential and color,” she says. “I love meeting and connecting with

the people who share our love for buying local.”

The WNC Farmers Market is at 570 Brevard Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/cl6.

Most activities take place Saturday, beginning with the bread fair at New Belgium Brewing Co., where local and regional artisan bakeries will offer samples and sell their breads and pastries. Also featured will be booths from local and regional flour mills, as well as an assortment of baking and culinary books available for sale. Saturday’s schedule includes hands-on workshops and lectures by featured guest artisan bakers at various locations in and around Asheville and Hendersonville as well.

For the first time, one of the offered classes, Whole Grain Latin American Baked Goods: The Nutritional Benefits of Whole Grains in Bread and Pastries,

NECESSARY: The WNC Farmers Market will feature ramps, a wild garlic native to the Appalachian region, in many forms at its annual spring festival. Photo by Andy Hall

will be presented in a bilingual format, casting the spotlight on baked goods from Latin America and in turn allowing the festival to evolve from a Eurocentric movement into something broader and more diverse.

This year marks 19 years since the festival’s inception, but four years have passed since the festival last occurred due to COVID-19. One thing that has risen since the last festival is a wave of interest in baking sparked by the pandemic, producing avid home bakers as well as new baking businesses.

“We have been on a four-year hiatus, so I think more than anything it is about coming together — seeing old friends in the baking community, making new friends and inspiring one another,” says Lapidus.

For more information, including a complete list of workshops and locations, visit avl.mx/cl7.

A gathering of buds

The Asheville Hemp Festival returns for its third year, taking place in Pack Square Park from Thursday, April 20, to Saturday, April 22.

“In honor of the hemp plant and the benefits of what it has to offer, we are getting our community together yet again to continue to celebrate and educate all the wonderful benefits hemp has to offer,” says festival director Beau Ballard in a press release.

The alcohol-free festival will feature exhibitions from local hemp farmers, musicians, artists, glassblowers and activists. There will also be food and beverages that are made with CBD and other legal derivatives of hemp-cannabis.

Dozens of bands will perform throughout the festival. Highlights include The Snozzberries, Fractured Frames, Granola Funk Express and Dirty Dead. There will also be workshops and seminars, with a special presentation by Ed Rosenthal, cannabis activist.

“One of our main goals is to make something accessible and engaging for the whole community, family [and] friends,” says Ballard in the same press release.

Pack Square Park is at 80 Court Plaza. For more information, visit avl.mx/cl8.

Eat, drink, sleep

Another hotel is slated to open in downtown Asheville, this time with roots in the South Carolina Lowcountry.

The Restoration Hotel Asheville, owned and operated by Charlestonbased Jeffrey R. Anderson Real Estate, is a boutique hotel with 60 guest rooms, featuring four event spaces and four food and beverage outlets — with indoor, outdoor, street-level and rooftop seating.

The April 20 grand opening will begin with free coffee at the hotel’s coffee bar The Rise, with java from local purveyor High Noon Coffee Roasters. The day will also include a Burgers and Brews lunch special at The Exchange, a full-service restaurant and bar. Meanwhile, local breweries on-site will be serving beers from 11 a.m-3 p.m. In the evening, a DJ will play music in the solarium; and the rooftop bar, The Observatory, will be open to the public. The opening celebration will end with a band playing in the basement bar, The Draftsman, from 8-11 p.m.

The hotel operations and culinary staffs are hoping to attract both tourists and locals with their take on Appalachian-influenced food and beverage.

“Our ideal crowd is a mix of both locals and tourists,” says Anders Anderson, managing director of strategic investment. “This is something we’ve been able to accomplish in Charleston, and we believe we can accomplish the same here in Asheville. With The Draftsman, we want the majority of our patrons to be locals.”

The Restoration Asheville is at 68 Patton Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/cla.

A toast to Hendersonville

Hendersonville will highlight its wineries and cideries, as well as its culinary culture, during the inaugural Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, which takes place Friday, April 21, to Sunday, April 23.

More than a dozen venues will participate in the weekend, which is filled with tastings, tours, food features, live music and vineyard hikes. Approximately 50 events are scheduled to take place throughout the weekend.

The weekend is designed to encourage patrons to visit the vineyards, orchards and tasting rooms, many located in the Blue Ridge countryside to see where these wines and ciders begin their journey from field to bottle. Participating wineries are part of the Crest of the Blue Ridge Henderson County AVA, the state’s newest wine region. The cideries draw on decades of apple-growing heritage and utilization of fresh fruit from area orchards.

“These cideries and wineries work hard all year to make these craft beverages,” says Michelle Owens, executive director of Henderson County Tourism Development Authority. “Often customers only experience the finished product, which is great, but it’s nice to have an opportunity to educate visitors about where these drinks begin in the orchards and vineyards, and help them understand, firsthand, the amount of work, care and passion that goes into every sip.

“Wines and ciders made here in Henderson County have ties to our long agricultural heritage,” Owens adds. “We created a weekend to encourage people to spend multiple days going out into the countryside to see our abundant orchards and vineyards, so they have a better appreciation for the places where these beverages originate ... farm to glass.”

The event is designed to coincide with apple blossom season in the orchards and bud break in the vineyards, which both signal the beginning of a new crop. Events are both free and ticketed.

For more information, visit avl.mx/cl4.

— Andy Hall X

HOT BUNS & TASTY MEAT

NEW CATERING MENU

Around Town Exhibit to feature Asheville artist’s sky paintings

Growing up in Asheville, Jenny Kiehn felt hemmed in and restless.

“I needed to experience the world,” she says. “I wanted to know what my options were, how other people in the world thought about things and experience different points of view.”

At 17, Kiehn (then Jenny Hamil) left Asheville to study at the UNC School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. She went on to graduate from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York and eventually ended up in London, where she created and exhibited paintings for more than 10 years.

Now, after 15 years, she’s a mother of four and once again living in Asheville. “I felt satisfied and ready to settle down, almost like I had gone out and gotten enough material to work with, and now I’m ready to dig and really create,” she explains.

Covenant Community Church will host Emerging Light, an exhibit of Kiehn’s paintings Friday-Sunday, April 28-30.

An opening reception will be 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, with Kiehn giving a talk at 7 p.m. The paintings also will be on display 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. On Sunday, the church’s 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. services will feature sermons focused on the themes of the paintings, which will remain on display until 2 p.m.

Kiehn creates large, realistic paintings of skies of all varieties, including peaceful blue skies, dramatic cloudscapes, rushing storms and light bursting from behind clouds. “I paint skies because they symbolize inner peace and freedom,” she says. “I grew

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up hiking, being outside and absolutely loving nature. Once you get used to nature and start appreciating it, you feel the deep sense of peace that comes with it. I knew that peace as a young child and have been addicted to it my whole life.”

Emerging Light will feature about 15 of Kiehn’s paintings, as well as eight-10 paintings by A.C. Reynolds High School art students, whom she will instruct during a two-hour workshop. In addition, the church’s newly installed multimedia projection system will project videos of Kiehn’s paintings.

“I hope the people who attend will find a sense of peace and expansion through the paintings,” she says. “I want them to feel immersed in abundance and beauty.”

Covenant Community Church is at 11 Rocket Drive. For more information, visit avl.mx/wordcapf.

Story time

Story Parlor, a cooperative arts space in West Asheville, will celebrate its first anniversary this month with special events, new initiatives and expanded opportunities for artists.

But the anniversary almost didn’t happen.

One night in January, someone smashed a window in Story Parlor’s century-old Haywood Road building and stole the cash register. “The incident came at an already shaky time, as we were trying to navigate the age-old question of how to operate a sustainable arts business,” says owner Erin Hallagan Clare. “It could have easily been something to slip the rug out beneath our feet.”

Instead, she says, the Asheville arts community rallied around the arts space, leaving it with a more solid foundation than before. “It was a beautiful reminder of just how much a community can lift you up,” she says.

Story Parlor will mark its anniversary with a Story Mixer at 7 p.m. Friday, April 21. The revue will feature music by singer-songwriter Kathryn O’Shea, a short film by indie director Missy Bell, storytelling by actor Jeff Benninghofen, poetry by Meta Commerse and a performance by improvisational dance troupe The Accidentals.

Including the monthly Story Mixer series, the arts space hosted more than 100 events and classes in its first year, working with such partners as Asheville Creative Arts, Asheville Fringe Arts Festival, Asheville School of Film, Bilingual Birdies, Listen to This, Liar’s

NOTHING BUT BLUE SKIES: Asheville artist Jenny Kiehn describes her paintings as “colorful, striking, and emotional and sometimes very serene.” Photo courtesy of Kiehn

Club, Lonesome Station, Speakeasy Improv and Zoe’s Treehouse.

Over the next year, it will partner with radio show “Jazz Hybrid,” the Asheville Classical Guitar Society and more on new event series.

In addition, the arts space has several initiatives coming up, including the Story Bound Bookshop, which will offer books exclusively on creativity and storytelling, a summer Creative Facilitator Training program and the continuation of the recently launched “Story Parlor Hour” radio show hosted by WPVM 103.7

Clare and her husband, Matthew Clare, founded an organization called Story Bar in 2015 in Austin, Texas. Story Bar closed after five years, and the couple ended up in Asheville, where they decided to open Story Parlor after stumbling upon a vacant Haywood Road building they thought would be perfect for what they had in mind.

“I had essentially put the dream away in a drawer after trying again and

again to find a space while in Austin,” she says. “All things considered, finding the space and building the community here have felt effortless in comparison. In retrospect, it just feels like it was always meant to be in Asheville.”

Story Parlor is at 227 Haywood Road. Tickets for the April 21 event are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. To get tickets, visit avl.mx/clc.

Downtown After 5 returns

The 35th season of Asheville’s Downtown After 5 will kick off Friday, April 21, with a performance by Nashville-based soul singer-songwriter Devon Gilfillian. The husbandand-wife country duo of Joe Lasher and Kaitlyn Baker also will play at the free concert.

The full schedule for the monthly event, which runs through September, is:

• May 19: Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band with Coconut Cake.

• June 16: Victoria Victoria featuring Charlie Hunter with Josh Phillips.

• July 21: The Rumble featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. with Funk’N Around.

• Aug. 18: Asheville All-Stars with Asheville Rock Academy

• Sept. 15: The Sensational Barnes Brothers with Alex Krug Combo Downton After 5, presented by the Asheville Downtown Association, takes place on North Lexington Avenue near the I-240 overpass. For more information, visit avl.mx/clo.

Drops of juniper

Juniper Bends, a free quarterly reading series featuring prose and poetry from established and emerging writers, is back for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions hit in 2020. The relaunch will be at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 21, at Citizen Vinyl.

The event will feature readings from poets Katherine Soniat, Molly Rice and Kevin Evans and author Melanie McGee Bianchi, plus music from classical guitarist Yes the Raven (Alan Mearns).

“Juniper nurtures the voices of new writers while providing a space for local established writers to showcase their work,” organizers said in a press release. “The event will be an opportunity to share words with an audience who may not otherwise be exposed to their work.”

Juniper Bends began in 2009.

Citizen Vinyl is at 14 O. Henry Ave. For more information, go to avl.mx/6pp.

One for the books

Black Mountain Public Library will mark its 100th anniversary with a party 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 25.

The free event will feature speakers, refreshments and music from local string band Briar Branch, made up of the Black Mountain mother-daughter duo of Julia Weatherford and Pearl Shirley.

The library was founded in a classroom in First Presbyterian Church in 1922, but the anniversary celebration was delayed due to renovations to the building last year.

The library is at 105 N. Dougherty St., Black Mountain. For more information, go to avl.mx/cle.

Car talk

Car historian Heath Towson will give a one-hour presentation on

the automotive history of Asheville at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 27, at Central United Methodist Church.

The talk is sponsored by the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County.

Towson will discuss some of Asheville’s early automotive pioneers, the first motor mile on Coxe Avenue, George Vanderbilt and the cars he kept in Asheville, and racing and hot-rodding history. Additionally, he will take

an in-depth look at the filming of the 1958 Robert Mitchum movie Thunder Road, much of which was shot in and around Asheville.

A Model T and a Model A from Towson’s collection will be on display outside the church.

A suggested $10 donation is the only charge.

Central United Methodist Church is at 7 Church St. For more information, go to avl.mx/cld.

— Justin McGuire X

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19

12 BONES BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

BIER GARDEN

Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 7pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Hot Damn Scandal (gritty jazz, old-time), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S Crumbsnatchers, Floral Hygeinists, The Similar Kind (indie), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

BREWERY Bluegrass Jam Wednesday, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

LEVELLER BREWING

CO.

Golden Shoals & Nicholas Edwards

Williams (folk, old-time, blues), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

SALVAGE STATION

The New Pornographers w/Wild Pink (alt-rock), 7pm

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY

Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE BRANDY BAR

April Songwriter Sessions w/Mare Carmody, Carrie Morrison & Andrew Thelston (acoustic), 7pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER

BAR

Asheville FM Live Music Sessions w/SENDER (modern instrumental), 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Taylor Knighton (Southern-roots, pop), 5pm

• The Heavy Heavy w/Shane Guerrette (rock'n'roll, blues, psychedelia), 8pm

THE SOCIAL

Wednesday Night Karaoke w/LYRIC, 9pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

THURSDAY,

APRIL 20

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Kiki Thursday: Drag Party w/DJ RexxStep, 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

420 Fest w/The Secret

B Sides. Orange Moon & Leisureville, 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Ashley Heath (Americana, country, blues), 6pm

EURISKO BEER CO.

Hops Around Comedy: D.J. Lewis, 7pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Augurs, Watches & Zephyranthes (punk, metal), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

GREEN MAN BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

IMPERIÁL Homage to Bob Marley w/Otto Maddox, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Scott Stetson (Americana), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

4/20 Celebration w/Dr. Blake's Medicine Bag, 9pm

SALVAGE STATION

SICKICK (edm), 6pm

UP-AND-COMER: Songwriter Jesse Daniel Edwards from Cuyamaca, Calif., will perform high-energy alternative rock at Shakey’s bar on Sunday, April 23, at 9 p.m. Expect soaring vocals, a pounding piano and gritty guitars. Photo by Josh Wilkins

STATIC AGE RECORDS

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Okapi (avantrock), 5pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

The MGB's, 7:30pm

SILVERADOS Trinity Pharms Hemp Co. Season Kickoff Party w/Empire Strikes Brass (funk-jam), 7pm

Bl_ank, Alex Silva, Landon Bridge & Dot Com Bubble (experimental, ambient noise, harsh noise), 8pm

Keeping Asheville Weird Since 2010

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR

Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

VOTED WNC #1 KAVA BAR

• The Sadies w/Julianna Riolino (rock'n'roll, garage-rock, pop), 8pm

THE ODD

The Loudes, Fifty Year Flood & Shake A Leg (blues, punk, rock), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Judah & The Lion w/Ashes & Arrows (alternative-rock, indie, folk), 8pm

THE OUTPOST Outpost: Bearly Dead (Grateful Dead Tribute), 7pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Big Deal Band (bluegrass, Americana), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra and Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:45pm

URBAN ORCHARD Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

PALMYRA (Appalachian, Americana, folk), 7:30pm

FRIDAY, APRIL 21

27 CLUB Get Down w/The Sickness (nu-metal), 9pm

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

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Supatight w/Fresh Buzz (funk), 10pm

BEN'S TUNE UP EK Balam (reggaeton, hip-hop), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING David Matters (folk), 6pm

BOTANIST & BARREL TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP

Andrew Wakefield (bluegrass, folk, and Americana), 6pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

• Comedy at Catawba: Steve Gillespie (Early Show), 7pm

• Comedy at Catawba: Steve Gillespie (Late Show), 9:30pm

CORK & KEG

The Uptown Hillbillies (honk'n'tonk, country), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S Rougarou, Spirit Ritual, Oragami (psych-pop), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Mark & Mary Jazz Duo, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Kevin Daniel & The Bottom Line (Americana, Southern-rock, blues), 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Drag Music Bingo w/ Divine the Bearded Lady, 7pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ James Nasty, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Honky-Tonk Fridays w/Jackson Grimm, 4pm

• Brother & The Hayes (roots, Americana), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO.

Laney Jones (psychfolk), 5:30pm

NOBLE CIDER & MEAD TAPROOM AND PRODUCTION

FACILITY

Crisp Comedy, 8pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Rahm Squad w/Claude Coleman Jr., CaroMia, Asher Hill & Tommy Knoles (multiple genres), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

5J Barrow Friday Nights (folk), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

The Dirty French Broads (Americana, bluegrass), 7pm

SALVAGE STATION

Doom Flamingo & Ghostland Observatory (synth-wave, electro-dance rock), 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S

Big Blue Jams Band & DJ Ek Balam w/Mad Mike, 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES

M'andre: Melissa Mckinney & Andre Lasalle w/Elon JD (rhythm, blues), 9pm

SILVERADOS

Outlaw Nation: Nubreed & Jesse Howard (rock, hip-hop, rap-country), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Grateful Dead Night, 9pm

THE BUSH FARMHOUSE

Tonti & The Hot Pulses (blues, soul, rock), 6:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Lua Flora (Appalachian, folk), 6pm

• This Is What Dreams

Are Made Of (2000s Pop), 8pm

THE ODD

Nova Omega, The Welcoming, Counter, Life Without (hardrock), 8pm

URBAN ORCHARD

CiderCelts (Celtic, folk, old-time), 6pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 7pm

SATURDAY, APRIL 22

27 CLUB Of Consciousnes, VRAS, Nox Eternus & Razorbeast (metal), 9pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

80s MAXimum

Overdrive w/DJ Nato, 10pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR 40 20 10s (Americana), 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Duffrey (dance, electronic), 9:30pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK

EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (gypsy jazz), 5:30pm

BEN'S TUNE UP

Jaze Uries (house, electronic), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Chris Jamison (Americana, folk), 6pm

BOLD ROCK

ASHEVILLE

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 7pm

CORK & KEG

Zaydeco Ya Ya (Cajun, Zaydeco), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Vazum, Machine 13 & Socialist Anxiety (death gaze, industrial, electronica), 8pm

GINGER'S REVENGE SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

Wife Island (folk-rock, jazz, country), 4pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Penelope Road (soul, blues, funk), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Jukebox Jumpers (country-blues, soul), 7pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Nex Millen (hip-hop, funk, R&B), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

• Nobody's Darling

String Band, 4pm

• Jarrod Dickenson & Chris Kasper w/Electric Blue Yonder (rock, space-folk, Americana), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Karaoke Night, 9pm

NOBLE CIDER

DOWNTOWN

Don't Tell Comedy: Downtown Asheville, 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

The Runaway Grooms (jazz, rock, folk), 7:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• The Clam Chowder

Experience (jazz, Latin, pop), 4pm

• Bottleneck Jett (rock, blues, Americana), 9pm

With special guests

Season Kickoff Party on

Chilltonic and Josh Clark’s Visible Spectrum silveradoswnc.com

Your neighborhood bar… no matter where you live.

PILLAR ROOFTOP BAR

The Paper Crowns (Roots, Americana), 7pm

SALVAGE STATION

Cosmic Charlie's Dark Side of the Dead Show (tribute band), 7pm

SHAKEY'S Dance Party w/Birthdea, 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Ben Balmer (Americana, folk, blues), 9pm

SILVERADOS

Tracy Lawrance w/The Blake Ellege Band (country, honky-tonk), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Neon Butts (experimental), 9pm

THE BURGER BAR

Best Worst Karaoke w/ KJ Thunderk*nt!, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Pete's Thing w/ The Paper Crowns, Sufi Brothers & More (multiple genres), 12pm

• Patio: The Loudes (electric, punk-folk), 5pm

THE ODD

Party Foul Drag: Saturday Night Tease, 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL 80s vs 90s Dance Party, 9pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH

SLOPE

DJ Cousin TL (hip-hop), 5pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Divine Thud, 7pm

SUNDAY, APRIL 23

BEN'S TUNE UP Dub Kartel (reggae, ska), 8pm

CATAWBA BREWING

SOUTH SLOPE

Comedy at Catawba: Nathan Owens, 6pm

FLEETWOOD'S Yoni Bologna, Pilgrim Party Girl & R. Hundro (electronica), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Alex Krug Combo (dream-rock, Americana), 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Ek Balam (lo-fi, electronic, soul), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

SHAKEY'S

Jesse Daniel Edwards (alt-rock), 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachia, soul, Americana), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Shake A Leg (folk, blues, country), 5pm

• An Evening w/ Vanessa Collier (funk, soul, blues), 8pm

THE ODD

• Weirdo Rippers (post-punk, new-wave, power-pop), 5pm

• Ever After, Havenhurst & Lamps Required (emo), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Moonchild w/Austin Antoine (R&B, soul), 8pm

THE OUTPOST Outpost: Phuncle Sam (Grateful Dead Tribute), 4pm

PLĒB URBAN WINERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

MONDAY, APRIL 24

27 CLUB

Monday Karaoke, 9pm

5 WALNUT WINE BAR

CaroMia, Rahm, Daniel Iannuci & Jaze Uries (soul, R&B, dream-pop),

8pm

ALLEY CAT SOCIAL CLUB

The Hot Seat: Comedy Night, 8pm

DSSOLVR

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

GREEN MAN BREWERY

Traditonal Old Time Jam, 5:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Short Stop (soul, latin, dance), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm

NOBLE CIDER

DOWNTOWN

Freshen Up Comedy

Open Mic, 6:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Open Mic Downtown, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Monday Mashup w/The JLloyd MashUp Band, 8pm

SHAKEY’S Latinx Mondays w/DJ

Mtn Vibes, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Asheville Storyslam: Clean, 7:30pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

TUESDAY, APRIL 25

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Karaoke w/Ganymede, 10pm

FRENCH BROAD

BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Tuesday Bluegrass w/ The jacktown Ramblers, 6pm

IMPERIÁL DJ Mad Mike, 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

The Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute, jam band, rock), 6pm

SALVAGE STATION

Laura Jane Grace w/ Weakened Friends (rock, punk), 7pm

SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday w/DJ GrimmJoi, 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Weekly Open Jam

Hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 6:30pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Late Night Trivia, 9:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Pedro The Lion w/Erik Walters (indie-rock), 8pm

THE ODD Open Mic Comedy, 8pm

THE SOCIAL Travers Freeway Open Jam Tuesdays, 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Tuesday Night Trivia, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26

12 BONES BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Stand-Up Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

BIER GARDEN

Geeks Who Drink: Trivia, 7pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Queer Comedy Party w/Tamar Rubin, 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Open Mic Wednesday Night, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam Wednesday, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY

Jazz Night w/Jason

DeCristofaro, 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

SHAKEY’S

Sexy Tunes w/DJ Ek Balam & Mad Mike, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

The Band of Heathens

w/Them Coulee Boys (rock'n'roll), 8pm

THE SOCIAL

Wednesday Night

Karaoke w/LYRIC, 9pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, APRIL 27

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

Kiki Thursday: Drag Party w/DJ RexxStep, 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

The Tallboys (rock, reggae), 7:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

David Reynolds (acoustic), 6pm

FLEETWOOD'S Powder Horns, Sweet

Fiend & Dirty Sally (garage-rock, indie-folk, grunge), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

Modelface Comedy: Liz Greenwood, 7pm

GREEN MAN BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Ryan Perry (country), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Due Amiche: Anne Coombs & Siyanna (jazz), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Black Sea Beat Society (rock'n'roll, Balkan, Turkish-psych), 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Stand Up Comedy for Your Health, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Power Ensemble, Super Flower, Evan Lipson & Plurabel (experimental, noise, ambient), 8pm

SHAKEY’S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR

Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Afton Wolfe (country, blues, rock'n'roll), 5pm

• Jack Marion & The Pearl Snap Prophets w/ Lord Nelson (country), 8pm

THE ODD

Graveyard Shift: Mini Goth Convention, 9pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra and Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:45pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WICKED WEED BREWING

Trivia w/Kipper, 6pm

Community Action Opportunities

HELPING PEOPLE. CHANGING LIVES.

SEEKING SUBCONTRACTORS:

Community Action Opportunities is looking for reliable subcontractors (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, etc.) to perform residential weatherization services in FY 2023-24.

Minority, women, disabled owned businesses are encouraged to apply.

Visit communityactionopportunities.org/contractors for details and application instructions.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): In English, the phrase “growing pains” refers to stresses that emerge during times of rapid ripening or vigorous development. Although they might feel uncomfortable, they are often signs that the ongoing transformations are invigorating. Any project that doesn’t have at least some growing pains may lack ambition. If we hope to transcend our previous limits and become a more complete expression of our destiny, we must stretch ourselves in ways that inconvenience our old selves. I’m expecting growing pains to be one of your key motifs in the coming weeks, dear Aries. It’s important that you don’t try to repress the discomfort. On the other hand, it’s also crucial not to obsess over them. Keep a clear vision of what these sacrifices will make possible for you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Satirical Taurus author Karl Kraus defined “sentimental irony” as “a dog that bays at the moon while pissing on graves.” Please avoid that decadent emotion in the coming weeks, Taurus. You will also be wise to reject any other useless or counterproductive feelings that rise up within you or hurtle toward you from other people, like “clever cruelty” or “noble self-pity” or “sweet revenge.” In fact, I hope you will be rigorous about what moods you feed and what influences you allow into your sphere. You have a right and a duty to be highly discerning about shaping both your inner and outer environments. Renewal time is imminent.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In his poem

“October Fullness,” Pablo Neruda says, “Our own wounds heal with weeping, / Our own wounds heal with singing.” I agree. I believe that weeping and singing are two effective ways to recover from emotional pain and distress. The more weeping and singing we do, the better. I especially recommend these therapeutic actions to you now, Gemini. You are in a phase when you can accomplish far more curative and restorative transformations than usual.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): After careful analysis of the astrological omens and a deep-diving meditation, I have concluded that the coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to indulge in an unprecedented binge of convivial revelry and pleasure. My advice is to engage in as much feasting and carousing as you can without completely ignoring your responsibilities. I know this may sound extreme, but I am inviting you to have more fun than you have ever had — even more fun than you imagine you deserve. (You do deserve it, though.) I hope you will break all your previous records for frequency and intensity of laughter.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In 1886, Vincent van Gogh bought a pair of worn-out shoes at a Paris flea market. When he got home, he realized they didn’t fit. Rather than discard them, he made them the centerpiece of one of his paintings. Eventually, they became famous. In 2009, a renowned gallery in Cologne, Germany, built an entire exhibit around the scruffy brown leather shoes. In the course of their celebrated career, six major philosophers and art historians have written about them as if they were potent symbols worthy of profound consideration. I propose that we regard their history as an inspirational metaphor for you in the coming weeks. What humble influence might be ready for evocative consideration and inspirational use?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Gliding away from the routine for rendezvous with fun riddles? I approve! Delivering your gorgeous self into the vicinity of a possibly righteous temptation? OK. But go slowly, please. Size up the situation with your gut intuition and long-range vision as well as your itchy fervor. In general, I am pleased with your willingness to slip outside your comfortable enclaves and play freely in the frontier zones. It makes me happy to see you experimenting with AHA and WHAT-IF and MAYBE BABY. I

hope you summon the chutzpah to find and reveal veiled parts of your authentic self.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The German word Sehnsucht refers to when we have a profound, poignant yearning for something, but we quite don’t know what that something is. I suspect you may soon be in the grip of your personal Sehnsucht. But I also believe you are close to identifying an experience that will quench the seemingly impossible longing. You will either discover a novel source of deep gratification, or you will be able to transform an existing gratification to accommodate your Sehnsucht Sounds like spectacular fun to me. Clear some space in your schedule to welcome it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Most of us have at some time in the past been mean and cruel to people we loved. We acted unconsciously or unintentionally, perhaps, but the bottom line is that we caused pain. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to atone for any such hurts you have dispensed. I encourage you to be creative as you offer healing and correction for any mistakes you’ve made with important allies. I’m not necessarily suggesting you try to resume your bond with ex-lovers and former friends. The goal is to purge your iffy karma and graduate from the past. Perform whatever magic you have at your disposal to transform suffering with love.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The blues singer-songwriter B. B. King wasn’t always known by that name. He was born Riley B. King. In his twenties, when he began working at a Memphis radio station, he acquired the nickname “Beale Street Blues Boy.” Later, that was shortened to “Blues Boy,” and eventually to “B. B.” In the spirit of B. B. King’s evolution and in accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to identify areas of your life with cumbersome or unnecessary complexities that might benefit from simplification.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Proboscis monkeys live in Borneo and nowhere else on earth. Their diet consists largely of fruits and leaves from trees that grow only on Borneo and nowhere else. I propose we make them your anti-role model in the coming months. In my astrological opinion, you need to diversify your sources of nourishment, both the literal and metaphorical varieties. You will also be wise to draw influences from a wide variety of humans and experiences. I further suggest that you expand your financial life so you have multiple sources of income and diversified investments.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): It’s challenging to track down the sources of quotes on the Internet. Today, for instance, I found these words attributed to the ancient Greek philosopher Plato: “I enjoy the simple things in life, like recklessly spending my cash and being a disappointment to my family.” That can’t be right. I’m sure Plato didn’t actually say such things. Elsewhere, I came upon a review of George Orwell’s book Animal Farm that was supposedly penned by pop star Taylor Swift: “Not a very good instructional guide on farming. Would NOT recommend to first-time farmers.” Again, I’m sure that wasn’t written by Swift. I bring this up, Aquarius, because one of your crucial tasks these days is to be dogged and discerning as you track down the true origins of things. Not just Internet quotes, but everything else, as well — including rumors, theories, and evidence. Go to the source, the roots, the foundations.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In accordance with astrological omens, I’m turning over this horoscope to Piscean teacher Esther Hicks. Here are affirmations she advises you to embody: “I’m going to be happy. I’m going to skip and dance. I will be glad. I will smile a lot. I will be easy. I will count my blessings. I will look for reasons to feel good. I will dig up positive things from the past. I will look for positive things where I am right now. I will look for positive things in the future. It is my natural state to be a happy person. It’s natural for me to love and laugh. I am a happy person!”

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If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to advertise@mountainx.com

EMPLOYMENT SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES

to fill out an application or drop by our office located at 111 Guaranteed Way, Fletcher, NC 28732

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE

OFFICE ASSISTANT Support for the day-to-day operations of a local retail showroom.

ACT, Stats, Physics, Chemistry, Calculus desirable also. Excellent compensation; MASTERS DEGREE REQUIRED. Send resume to brian@biltmoretutoring. com, or call 828-505-2495

SERVICES

IMOCO INC. IN FLETCHER, NORTH CAROLINA IS HIRING! We are looking for experienced Millwrights workers, HVAC, plumbing and electrical technicians, along with CDL drivers to perform industrial projects in Western North Carolina and the upstate of South Carolina. Jobs may require overtime and occasional out of town travel. If you are interested in being a part of our team please go to our website, imocoinc.net/employment/

Responsibilities include but not limited to: Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Data Entry, Billing, Sales Support, Order Receiving, and Order Follow-up. Part-time position (20-29 hrs/wk). Knowledge of QuickBooks required. Previous bookkeeping experience a plus. Email resume to: Admin@bellahardwareandbath.com. NO PHONE CALLS OR DROP-INS.

TEACHING/ EDUCATION

PART TIME MATH TUTORS NEEDED Biltmore Tutoring is seeking math tutors. Algebra I/II, Geometry/Precalc. SAT/

HOME

4G LTE HOME INTERNET

NOW AVAILABLE! Get GotW3 with lightning fast speeds plus take your service with you when you travel! As low as $109.99/ mo.! 1-866-571-1325. (AAN CAN)

AUDIO/VIDEO

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FINANCIAL

ARE YOU BEHIND $10K OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES?

Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 844-836-9861 (Hours: MonFri 7am-5pm PST) (AAN CAN)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS If you have water damage and need cleanup, call us! We'll work with your insurance to get your home repaired and your life back to normal ASAP! Call 833664-1530 (AAN CAN)

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months!  Lifetime warranty &

professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 1-866-370-2939. (AAN CAN)

BCI WALK-IN TUBS ARE

LONG DISTANCE MOVING

Call for a free quote from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving!

skills. Three lesson packages available to choose from. www.studiojamesdaniel. com

ACROSS

1 Many a rescue

ON SALE

Be one of the first 50 callers and save $1,500!

Call 844-514-0123 for a free in-home consultation. (AAN CAN)

DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? Appeal! If you're 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help! Win or Pay Nothing!

Strong recent work history needed. 1-877-311-1416 [Steppacher Law Offices LLC Principal Office: 224 Adams Ave Scranton PA 18503].

DONATE YOUR CAR TO CHARITY Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details.

888-476-1107. (AAN CAN)

GUTTER GUARDS AND REPLACEMENT GUTTERS

INBOUND Never clean your gutters again! Affordable, professionally installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever!

For a free quote call: 844499-0277. (AAN CAN)

GUTTER GUARDS AND REPLACEMENT GUTTERS

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For a free quote call: 844947-1470. (AAN CAN)

Call to speak to our Quality Relocation Specialists: Call 855-787-4471. (AAN CAN)

MEN'S SPORTS WATCHES

WANTED Advertiser is looking to buy men's sport watches. Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Here, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. The advertiser pays cash for qualified watches. Call 888-320-1052. (AAN CAN)

NATIONAL PEST CONTROL

Are you a homeowner in need of a pest control service for your home? Call 866-616-0233. (AAN CAN)

NOTICE OF MEETINGS OF THE BUNCOMBE COUNTY BOARD OF EQUALIZATION & REVIEW Pursuant to North Carolina General Statute §105-322, the Buncombe County Board of Equalization and Review will meet as required by law.

of accepting requests for hearings regarding appeals of assessed value for tax year 2023. Meetings will be held at the Buncombe County Planning Department Board Room, 30 Valley St, Asheville, NC. Notice is further given that in the event of earlier or later adjournment, notice to that effect will be published in this newspaper. Take notice that all appeals or requests for hearings must be received in person no later than 1:00 PM April 26, 2023, the advertised date for adjournment or postmarked by April 26, 2023. Notice is hereby given that dates for the hearing of appeals timely filed will be available through the office of the Assessor, serving as the Clerk to the Board of Equalization and Review. All requests for hearing should be made to: R. Keith Miller, Property Assessor Clerk to the Board of Equalization and Review Buncombe County 155 Hilliard Ave Asheville, NC  28801 (828) 250-4940

FLAMENCO DANCE CLASSES FOR NEW BEGINNERS STARTING MAY 2 Unleash your passion with Flamenco Dance! An adult Flamenco class for new beginners is starting on May 2. Visit www. flamencoforall.com for information or email Alba@ flamencoforall.com

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

COUNSELING SERVICES

ASTRO-COUNSELING

5 Bit of wisdom

10 Playful sound while tapping someone’s nose

14 Brainchild

15 Buildup of tanks?

16 Atmospheric glow

17 Barrel of monkeys

PURPOSE

To hear, upon request, appeals from property owners who own or control taxable property assessed for taxation in Buncombe County, regarding the valuation of such property or the property of others, and to fulfill other duties and responsibilities by law.

OF MEETINGS

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CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Stellar Counseling Services. Christy Gunther, MA, LCMHC. (828) 2583229

AUTOMOTIVE AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

19 Symbol seen on more than 30% of the world’s flags

20 Catalog

21 Person you might see in August?

22 Whac-A-___

23 Word after high or seven

26 Rice option

TIME OF MEETINGS

The Board of Equalization and Review will convene for its first meeting on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 1:00 PM. The Board will adjourn Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 1:00 PM for the purpose

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

DRAWING AND OIL PAINTING INSTRUCTION All levels welcome. Learn new drawing and painting skills or improve on your existing

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28 With 50-Across, blue streak

32 Shapes up

35 Black, in verse

36 Barrier in certain zoo enclosures

38 Dora the Explorer’s cousin

39 Bit of ink

40 Leather band used to sharpen razors

42 Landon who lost in a landslide to F.D.R.

43 Sch. with campuses in Amherst and Lowell

46 Eye affliction

47 Voter on a failed 2014 independence referendum

48 Ghost in the machine

50 See 28-Across

67 Start of a fairy tale

68 Actress Messing

69 What the fourth little piggy had

70 Batik worker

71 Like many theater camp productions

72 Shred the ___ (skiing slang for conquering difficult terrain)

DOWN

1 Skirt covering the knees

2 Noodles often served in broth

3 Oversee, as a flock

4 Adopts

5 Insert a token, say

6 Sight at Rocky Mountain National Park

7 Excited

8 Accumulated, as charges

9 Goes by foot, informally

10 Rice option

11 Unobtainable

12 ___ motor skills (baby’s development)

13 Trim

18 C.T.O. or C.F.O.

24 Paper pushers?

25 They can be parting

27 Captained

28 Sting operation, e.g.

29 “A Promised Land” author, 2020

30 “No way!”

31 “Mostly harmless” place, per “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”

33 Home with a dome

34 Giant head?

37 Messed (with)

41 Spa treatment, informally

44 Burn like embers

45 Chump

47 Playoff ranking

49 One side of the Hoover Dam

51 Get, as a quick lunch

53 More even-keeled

55 Walked (on)

56 Tiny, informally 58 Orientation inits.

60 It makes up about a third of our planet’s mass

61 ___ Mode, “no capes” advocate in “The Incredibles”

62 Operator 65 B&O and others

66 “Huzzah!”