Mountain Xpress 05.17.23

PHOENIX RISING

Less than a year ago, Bhramari Brewing Co. was seemingly thriving at its South Slope location and preparing to open its Charlotte taproom. Now, the business is no more, replaced by new brewery Terra Nova Beer Co. (featured on the cover), which is set to debut in Bhramari’s former home in late May or early June. Meanwhile, the River Arts District Brewing Co. will host its grand opening on Saturday, May 20.

COVER PHOTO Joel Coady

COVER

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COPYRIGHT

Don’t legislate plastic-bag reduction

Asheville City Council reportedly wants to ban single-use plastic bags within Asheville city limits [ “Singled Out: Asheville Considers Ban on Single-use Plastic Bags,” April 26, Xpress]. Plastic bags, if they end up in the landfill, do not deteriorate over time as most garbage does. For your information, Ingles, Home Depot and Lowe’s stores provide a bin for customers to deposit their plastic bags. The content of these bins is then picked up by a company to be recycled for flooring, furniture, etc.

The problem is that there are many residents in Asheville who are uninformed about the importance of recycling plastic bags. They dispose of these bags in their garbage or release them freely outside on roads, etc. The solution, to my mind, is to educate the public about the harm that single-use plastic bags can inflict on the environment, not to ban the use of these bags through legislation.

If this ban is passed, it applies only to the city of Asheville. What about Buncombe County and other mountain counties? Don’t they deserve to know how single-use plastic bags are bad for the environment? To my mind, education, not legislation, is the key to fixing this problem.

— Meiling Dai Asheville

Choose paper over plastic to help planet

The time to stop climate change is now. There is something you can do to help. I am a student, thinker, daughter and friend, but most importantly, I am fond of this Earth of ours. I hope you feel the same way.

Asheville is currently working to implement a policy that aims at sin-

gle-use plastic reduction [ “Singled Out: Asheville Considers Ban on Single-use Plastic Bags,” April 26, Xpress]. As citizens, it is our duty to get on board and do our part to help. Climate change is a very pressing matter that my generation and the generations to follow will bear the brunt of. Even if it is something as simple as using paper bags instead of plastic bags, every little bit counts. Next time you opt for a plastic bag, remember this policy and the steps that policymakers are taking to combat climate change.

The issue with climate change is that it has become extremely politicized. This is not a matter of disagreeing with the opposing side; this is a matter of acting. As a political science major, I have spent a heavy chunk of my time in school watching political debates, reading news articles and writing opinion papers. So, trust me when I say that I love engaging in political disagreements

as much as the next person, but the climate should not be the subject of political disagreements. We need to pay attention to the facts and take action to mitigate the consequences. Whether this be sharing what you know with friends or using your vote in favor of politicians who value preserving the climate, your actions matter.

The next time you take out your trash, opt for a paper bag! This is such an easy action to take; if everyone does this, change will happen. It is time to stop disagreeing and start implementing change.

— Sally Beth Brown Asheville

Cloth bags are better alternative to plastic

I am responding to the news article in the April 26 issue of the

Mountain Xpress titled “Singled Out: Asheville Considers Ban on Singleuse Plastic Bags.”

One way to get rid of all the plastic bags laying around loose all over Asheville is to put an X amount of cents per turned-in bag. They would be brought into a collection center, where a cashier would count the bags a kid, homeless person or anyone else wanted to drop off. Then the cashier would pay out a certain amount to them. All those bags would be sent to Virginia to make plastic boards out of them.

The Asheville City Council would have to budget a certain amount of money to pay for each bag and the salary of the cashier.

Soon, I bet there wouldn’t be a loose plastic bag to be found anywhere in Asheville.

When I was a kid back in the 1960s and ’70s, a person could pick up glass Coke bottles, turn them in to stores and get paid so much per bottle returned.

The United States operates on financial incentive.

But I also know that plastic bags are bad for the environment and people when plastic gets into drinking water.

I am a member of the Arbor Day Foundation. Paper bags would cause an increase in cutting down more trees. Can anyone imagine how many trees would have to be cut down to replace all the plastic ones? Too many!

The best way to replace plastic bags is by making cloth and canvas ones. Cotton is a renewable resource.

There could be many individuals with sewing machines who would sew together and make cloth bags and sell them to stores. A group of sewers could form a small business to supply cloth and canvas bags. Even big industrial sewing factories employing hundreds of sewing-machine operators would be able to create thousands of bags and sell them to grocery stores that use plastic bags now.

There was a sewing factory in Asheville that had to close its doors recently and lay off good sewing-machine operators. Its owners could reopen and hire back those employees and perhaps hire more sewers.

The stores could, at first, sell the cloth bags to shoppers for a nominal fee, then those customers would bring their bags each time they came to a store. I notice shoppers at grocery stores are already doing that.

The N.C. General Assembly could pass a law forbidding any store from purchasing more plastic bags after their present supply was used up. Then the law would say

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

all stores would have to only use cloth and canvas bags. Not a bad idea, considering tiny plastic particles get into people’s blood and cause sicknesses.

Even though paper bags might be considered a good substitute, everyone probably would not bring them back to stores to be recycled. They would end up in the landfill, filling it sooner. Then new land would have to be found.

I say save the trees. When one is cut down, plant two seedlings in its place. It is a no from me on paper bags. Besides, they fall apart when they get wet.

Well, that is my opinion.

— Tom L. Nanney Asheville

Illusions of sustainability

It was heartening to see all the earnest and brilliant testimonies to sustainability from young readers in your Xpress Earth Day issue [April 19].

However, I didn’t see any of them talking about the elephant, the dinosaur and the blue whale in the room: economic development and growth. One need only look at the shattered stands of trees resulting from building motels, strip malls and big-box stores. Add to that housing, apartment and condo construction,

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

plus Interstate 26 and other road widenings, to see that development isn’t sustainable — no matter how sustainably you do it.

Because of this, the word sustainable has become a front word disguising ever more development, ever more environmental atrocity. Until that fact is confronted, we will sustain ourselves right into an asphalt-covered, treeless future: an environmental injury and a vision of ugliness.

— Larry Abbott Candler

Pointers on poo-bag etiquette

[Regarding “Cleanup Time: Local Governments and Nonprofits Tackle WNC’s Filth,” April 19, Xpress:] Please stop leaving your poo bags by the side of the trails! It’s littering; be a responsible pet owner.

Don’t leave them next to port-apotties; don’t leave them on railings. Don’t throw them in other residents’ trash cans. If there’s not a poo-bag receptacle on your route, take your poo bag home with you and dispose of it properly.

Keep your poo bag by your side till you throw it away! Thanks!

— Mark Thompson Asheville

Edwards should listen to the people, not NRA

By the time you read this, our country will probably be mourning another mass shooting. At this writing, we are at the 200 mark with about 125 days into the calendar year.

A recent Fox News poll shows that the American people overwhelmingly support gun violence prevention measures: 87%, background checks for guns; 81%, enforce existing gun laws; 81%, raise legal age to 21 to buy all guns; 80%, require mental health checks on all gun buyers; 80%, flag people dangerous to self; 77%, require 30-day waiting period; 61%, ban assault weapons; 45%, encourage more citizens to carry guns to defend against attackers.

When I call Rep. Chuck Edwards’ office, a staffer says he supports the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. For too long, the Second Amendment has been cherry-picked

by politicians like Edwards and Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, who value their “A” National Rifle Association rating over the voices of the American people.

Here is what the Second Amendment says: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” There is no well-regulated militia when it is easier to get a weapon of war, the AR-15, than it is to get a driver’s license or a voter ID. We don’t live in a free state when this distorted view of the Second Amendment now threatens our First Amendment rights to assemble in our public places.

Call the congressman at 202-2256401 and demand that he listen to the people and not the NRA and support the Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act, HR 1699, HR 698, the Assault Weapons Ban Act and HR 660, Ethan’s Law.

— Linda Pannullo Asheville

Second chance

Grant offers job training for low-income young adults after incarceration

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

When Phillip Cooper completed a prison sentence in 2010, he spent months applying for jobs that he was told would be available to those with a criminal record. Living with his father in Candler, he was trying to support his two children, but no one would give him a chance.

“A Black man with a violent conviction is the hardest person to help get a job,” he tells Xpress. “When I got out of prison, I got told ‘no’ after ‘no.’”

Finally, CiCi Weston, a parishioner at his church, helped him land a job at the YWCA. It set him on the path where he is today — coordinator for the Investments Supporting Partnerships in Recovery Ecosystems, or INspire, program run by the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board at Land of Sky Regional Council, a multicounty planning and development organization. He also is the project director for a Land of Sky program that provides job training and career support to criminal justice-involved young adults from the highest-poverty areas in Asheville.

The GO PLACES project is funded by a nearly $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

“I can relate to the young guys,” says Cooper, who also understands what it’s like to live with a substance use disorder. “A lot of times people don’t know about the pathway. So, we’re brightening the pathway.”

‘PEOPLE BEING LEFT BEHIND’

The GO PLACES project will zero in on men or women who are:

• Between the ages 18 and 24.

• Either live in Asheville’s highest poverty areas or who’ll return to those areas when their sentences are complete.

• Were either kicked out of school, have been on probation or parole, or were incarcerated.

• Have one or more risk factors associated with criminal activity, such as current or prior gang membership or a parent who is currently or formerly incarcerated.

According to Land of Sky’s grant application, the focus will be on

Asheville’s two poorest areas. Poverty rates in these areas are 33.43% and 22.30%, for a combined poverty rate of 26.36%.

“We know that poverty is the main contributor to criminogenic activity,” explains Cooper. “The violence that we see, the poverty, the substance misuse, the lack of behavioral health treatment and everything — it’s coming from the same neighborhoods.”

The grant is set up so that more than half of participants will be referred by local offices for probation, parole, juvenile detention or the District Attorney’s Office, says Vicki Jennings, Land of Sky’s strategic initiative director. (According to the N.C. Department of Corrections, 53 individuals in that age group returned to Buncombe County from prison in 2022.) Other referrals can come from other partners with the project, such as school districts.

The project builds on research that shows certain factors keep individuals living in poverty. A racial disparity study released in February by Land of Sky showed that on average people of color in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties have less educational attainment, experience significant criminal justice disparities and earn lower wages compared with white individuals, says Mountain Area Workforce Development Board Director Nathan Ramsey. The report was derived from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. The study found “stark disparities in almost every metric in our community,” Ramsey says.

The GO PLACES project is “an effort helping us make progress to try to reduce and eliminate those disparities,” Ramsey says. “We have a lot of people being left behind.”

Jennings anticipates the project can assist around 350 people, depending on their financial needs. Some may need tuition for job training, while others may not require any financial boost.

TRAINING AND LIVING WAGES

Asheville’s GO PLACES participants will receive job training and individual development plans to ensure they’re trained for jobs that are in demand in the local labor mar-

ket. Each participant is required to complete 200 hours of work experience, which could be on-the-job training, an apprenticeship, an internship, or paid or subsidized employment.

Land of Sky has several employers who have committed to becoming work experience sites, including Linamar Light Metals, Silver-Line Plastics Corp. and Mountain Area Health Education Center, says Gene Ettison, GO PLACES project mentor.

Participants can take classes at schools with short-term job training programs, such as A-B Tech and Blue Ridge Community College, in fields such as phlebotomy, construction management technology or office administration. “Our goal is probably not going to be a two-year business degree at A-B Tech. The point is short-term job training for a credentialed position,” explains Jennings.

The program also will pay participants to learn. Otherwise, they would

have to focus on earning money rather than taking classes. “We’re actually paying them a wage while they’re in this training,” Ettison explains.

GO PLACES is focusing its efforts on jobs that pay at least $15 per hour. The program also will bring participants up to the current living wage of $20.10 as determined by Just Economics of North Carolina.

“If an employer takes a chance on an individual and that [role] is only paying $15 an hour, we will subsidize and actually bring them up to a living wage,” Ettison explains. (The statewide minimum wage is $7.25, according to the N.C. Department of Labor.)

VIOLENCE PREVENTION

The grant also requires Land of Sky to partner with violence prevention organizations that have

“experience in delivering culturally competent outreach to individuals with a high risk of committing violence (and/or becoming a victim) to interrupt the cycle of violence.”

It’s working with the YWCA, youth development nonprofit My Daddy Taught Me That and the SPARC Foundation, which works to keep people out of the criminal justice system. Jennings says participants will be able to take advantage of these partners’ resources, including child care at the YWCA.

The three organizations were chosen because they’re already embedded in communities most affected by poverty and violence. “Some of the shootings that happen, we know the parents and we know the people doing the shootings,” Cooper explains. “So, it’s not going to be a heavy lift for us to be able to get into these communities … because we’re already trusted by the community.”

‘THIS WORLD IS COLD’

An aspect of the project that excites Cooper is mentorship. “When I see what it took for me to be successful, I wanted to replicate that,” he says, noting individuals from his church and his 12-step recovery group have supported him. “Everybody needs access to something like a sponsor, like a mentor, a coach — somebody that’s pouring into their cup,” he says. “This world is cold out here, and they need somebody to help them get through.”

Mentors will help participants with “stuff that goes on outside of the job” that can affect job retention, like “if you’re sick, let your employer know ASAP — don’t just [not show up],” Cooper says. “‘Oh, you got a better job opportunity?’ Work out a twoweek notice, homie. Don’t just quit on the people. ... ‘Oh, you’ve got baby mama drama?’ Talk about it with somebody, bro. Don’t just blow up.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The USDOL grant allows six months of planning for the project. However, everyone involved is eager to get started, says Ettison. The YMCA and My Daddy Taught Me That already are hiring community health workers, he says, and the initiative may kick off as soon as June or July.

Once participants are paired with a community health worker, he or she will set personal goals, Ettison explains.

Like Cooper, he’s thrilled to help young adults from a background similar to his. Ettison, who grew up in the Erskine Street Apartments and has been incarcerated, is excited to “bring positivity and ensure that the next generation has a fighting chance at sustainability of life, employment education that I never had access to,” he says.

“It’s an amazing feeling. Like I can’t even put into words — it’s an amazing feeling.” X

GOING PLACES: Phillip Cooper of the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board at Land of Sky Regional Council is the project director for a training program for criminal justice-involved young adults from the highest-poverty areas in Asheville. Photo courtesy of Cooper

‘The perfect ballpark’

ESPN’s Ryan McGee recalls colorful summer with Asheville Tourists

BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE

Ryan McGee has been to 129 minor league baseball stadiums and countless other sports venues, so it means something when he labels Asheville’s McCormick Field “the perfect ballpark” in his new memoir.

“I understand that McCormick Field lacks the amenities of a Triple-A ballpark or some of the brand-new Single-A ballparks,” says McGee, senior writer for ESPN and co-host of Marty & McGee on ESPN Radio . “But what it lacks in fancy stuff, it has never lacked in character.”

McGee first visited McCormick as a child, when it still had the wooden grandstand that dated to the park’s opening in 1924. The grandstand and the rest of the ballpark were torn down and replaced with a concrete structure following the 1991 Asheville Tourists season.

“I grew up in the Carolinas, and we didn’t have Major League Baseball,” he explains. “And so, my family collected minor league ballparks, and McCormick Field was my favorite. My father loved it because it reminded him of the textile-mill ballparks that he grew up playing in as a kid in Eastern North Carolina.”

In 1994, McGee got a chance to see the stadium up close when he worked as an intern for the Tourists. The job didn’t pay much, but it provided him with countless stories that he has been telling for decades and now has compiled in Welcome to the Circus of Baseball: A Story of

the Perfect Summer at the Perfect Ballpark at the Perfect Time, published last month by Doubleday.

McGee spoke with Xpress about his internship with the Tourists, why he wrote the book and his memories of Asheville.

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

Xpress: How did you end up working as an intern for the Tourists in 1994?

McGee: I graduated college the fall of 1993 and landed right in the middle of a recession. There certainly weren’t a lot of jobs in what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a

radio play-by-play guy. My dream was to be the voice of the Durham Bulls. I did some high school football games on the radio and took my cassette tape to the baseball winter meetings in Atlanta in December 1993 and found out very quickly that no teams wanted a guy with a Southern accent calling their games. The Asheville Tourists did not offer me a radio job, but they did offer me a $100-a-week internship. They did not have a radio network but were looking into the possibility of it. And they were like, “We know you love Asheville. We know you’re from North Carolina. There is a chance we might talk about doing radio, and if we do, we want you to be involved.” And I love McCormick Field, so despite my best financial sense, I took the job.

What were your basic responsibilities as an intern?

We had three interns, and we rotated jobs on a monthly basis. You had the ticket intern [whose job] was to run the ticket office during the day. And then you would jump into the stadium during the game and help with promotions: Throwing a baseball through a swinging tire to win a set of tires; the dizzy-bat race — all the stuff that we love about going to minor league baseball games. Then there was the office

intern. That was doing the paperwork, going into local businesses and trying to help sell ads with the actual full-time staff members, running the press box. The press box is like a World War II pillbox. It’s tiny, and it’s concrete, and there’s no air circulation. Your job was to take care of the very tiny group of media members who were there to cover the game. And then there was the concessions intern. Cooking hot dogs and freezing ice for the snow cones. You had to fill the Dairy Queen machine with soft-serve mix. I literally almost drowned myself trying to do that. You had to change kegs during Thirsty Thursday. At the Baptist Student Union at the University of Tennessee, they didn’t teach us how to tap kegs, so I was not very good at it.

Why did you decide to write a book about your experiences with the Tourists?

Well, bless my wife’s heart. I’ve been married 25 years, and she has heard these stories over and over and over again. And I’ve got a lot of friends that I work with at ESPN, and we all started in minor league baseball. And I realized anyone who has worked in minor league baseball could write a book. I’ve got a pretty good memory and I throw nothing away, so I had a box full of stuff from the summer of ’94. I remember consciously thinking about halfway through that summer, “Man, this feels like a movie.” There was James the Mountain Man, [who was] the guy in the overalls that collected the foul balls, and Grady Gardner, the groundskeeper who disappeared every Tuesday night to go line dancing. There were so many characters, and I didn’t even hit all of them in the book. Every minor league ballpark has that cast of characters. I dedicated the book to the people who are grinding it out every night at all these minor league ballparks because I was only in their world for a summer.

McCormick Field has been in the news recently because the Tourists ownership group set an April 1 deadline to get about $30 million from local governments to pay for renovations. It looks now like the team will stay, but were you concerned about that?

One year ago, I’m turning in a manuscript, and we’re like, “All right, April 4, 2023, sounds good” [for a release date]. And then the book is done, edited. It’s headed to the printers, and all of a sudden, the news is coming out of Asheville that literally the same week that the book is coming out, the Asheville Tourists might go away after a century. I’m

FIELD DAYS: Ryan McGee’s first job in sports was working as an intern for the Asheville Tourists at McCormick Field in 1994. Author photo courtesy of ESPN

like, “Is that good publicity? Is it bad publicity?” I don’t know. Major League Baseball took over operations of Minor League Baseball post-pandemic and immediately started telling teams, “You have to do this to your stadium, or we’ll take your team and move it somewhere else.” On top of that, Major League Baseball wiped 40 teams off the map. Much like the summer of ’94, when I worked for the Tourists, I feel like minor league baseball is certainly at a crossroads now.

Do you have memories of Asheville and the people here?

They call it Beer City USA now. But when I lived there in ’94, if you had offered someone a craft beer, they’d have thought it was beer with cheese in it, like Kraft with a K. We had Bud Light, Budweiser, Coors Light, Miller Lite [at McCormick Field]. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could get a Killian’s Irish Red. And honestly, we could have just sold Budweiser, and it would’ve been fine. Nobody really bought anything else. And so that’s what Asheville was then versus Asheville now. But the spirit is still the same. Asheville has always been very eclectic; it’s always been

this really odd but delightful mix of artsy folks that have moved there and locals. There’s always been this underlying independent free spirit about Asheville, and that’s what I experienced. Why is minor league baseball important to communities like Asheville?

I think it’s part of your identity. That might sound hyperbolic, but it’s the truth. The Tourists have been right there on that same hillside for almost 100 years. That’s crazy. I see the impact that [minor league baseball] has on these towns, and I see the pride. I’ve been to 129 minor league ballparks, and no matter whether they’re brand-new or they’re a hundred years old, as soon as you sit down, you get a sense of the city that you’re in and the people that are there and the families there. To me, it’s not just about baseball. It’s about part of the fabric of what makes the residents of a town the residents of that town. Yankee Stadium is a great place, but it feels like I’m a hundred miles away from the players. Minor league baseball just has something that I think most of the rest of the sports world has lost. X

Asheville floats $4M police boost in proposed budget

What a difference three years makes.

In 2020, following months of protests and criticism from racial justice activists, Asheville City Council reduced the city’s policing budget by $770,000. In her proposed budget for fiscal year 2023-24, City Manager Debra Campbell now wants to give the Asheville Police Department a bump of almost $4 million — an increase of more than 13% over current funding levels.

“That is unprecedented,” Campbell told Council members during a May 9 presentation on the budget. The APD boost is by far the largest driver of new spending proposed for the city’s general fund, which is mostly supported by property and sales taxes; budgeted expenditures would increase from about $159.1 million this fiscal year to $172.5 million in fiscal 2023-24, a roughly 8.4% bump.

Included in that overall increase is a 6% pay bump for sworn APD officers, compared with a 5% increase for all other city employees. Police also would receive extra compensation for holding an intermediate law enforcement certification, working night shifts or being on call. On the capital investment front, the APD would get new uniforms with “more technical fabric for durability and comfort,” as well as upgraded vehicle cameras.

“When we were meeting with the [Police Benevolent Association, a law enforcement trade group,] and [APD Chief David Zack], all that was explained to us, why that mattered and why we should put it together in this format,” said Mayor Esther Manheimer about the package of compensation boosts. Zack has been lobbying for his force to receive much higher pay, telling Asheville Watchdog in March that a starting APD officer should receive close to $60,000 per year versus the current rate of roughly $46,000.

General fund revenues from taxes and fees for fiscal 2023-24 are only expected to grow by about $5.4 million, and Campbell did not recommend an increase to the city’s property tax rate. That means Asheville will have to dip into its reserves for about $7.9 million to cover the planned hike in spending. According to the most recent available figures, published in June through the city’s annual comprehensive financial report, about $34.6 million is available.

Taylor Floyd, Asheville’s budget manager, called that use of savings “a bit unconventional” but said the city had a sufficient financial cushion.

He projected that Asheville’s general fund balance, or money unspent after all budgeted expenses are accounted for, would remain above Council’s policy target (15% of expenditures, or about $25.9 million) at the end of the next fiscal year.

Several of those speaking during public comment said even the record APD budget increase wasn’t enough to meet the city’s needs. The department is operating at roughly 60% of its authorized capacity, and downtown businesses have increasingly raised concerns over public safety. Even after the proposed salary increases, starting APD officers would make less than they would in other North Carolina cities like Charlotte and Raleigh.

“Effectively, what you’re doing is not even keeping up with inflation,” argued resident David Rodgers. “If you guys want to make a change, we’re going to have to do something drastic. Six percent [salary increase] isn’t going to incentivize anyone to come here.”

Only one commenter, Daniel Dean, voiced the call for reform that had been shared by so many following the police murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd. “We cannot just throw money at the Police Department and ignore the issues that brought thousands of people onto the streets in 2020

to protest police brutality,” Dean said. “Without putting the same increase in budget toward the root causes of crime — poverty and inequality — or community-based resources, we can only expect that this budget increase will ultimately serve the wealthiest among us rather than the most vulnerable.”

Council members will next discuss the budget proposal during a public hearing Tuesday, May 23. A vote to adopt the spending plan is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, June 13.

Homelessness count falls from 2022

The results of Buncombe County’s point in time count, shared May 9 by Homeless Strategy Division Manager Emily Ball, indicate a decrease in unsheltered homelessness from a 2022 peak. The count, which aims to tally every person sleeping on the streets, at a shelter or in transitional housing on a single night in January, recorded 171 unsheltered residents, down from 232 last year. (That figure remains well above the 2020 count of 65 unsheltered people.)

“I don’t think we’re done with any of the hard work, but I feel like we’re moving in a direction that we’re trying to,”

Ball told Council. “I feel like we might look back at 2023 and go, ‘All right, that’s when things turned around.’”

The joint city-county Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee has started to work through recommendations outlined by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in a January report. Ball also noted that nearly 200 new units of supportive housing for homeless people are scheduled to open within the year, including 113 units at the former Ramada Inn in East Asheville.

— Daniel Walton X

PRICEY PIE: Although the Asheville Fire Department remains the largest single expense in the city’s proposed general fund for fiscal year 2023-24, the largest budget increase is slated to go toward police. Graphic courtesy of the city of Asheville

Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail nearing launch

The cool mountain streams of Western North Carolina are home to some of the world’s most diverse arrays of salamanders, fish and other aquatic wildlife. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission hopes visitors soon will come face to face with those critters — even if the view is through a diving mask.

The Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail, a collaboration between the NCWRC, Mainspring Conservation Trust and MountainTrue, will guide adventurers through 10 snorkeling locations across 10 WNC counties. Each site will have public access and educational signage to help snorkelers identify the species they might see.

“River snorkelers will get to experience our rivers through the fishes’ eyes and explore all of the unique and beautiful species that are hidden just under the surface,” says Luke Etchison, a wildlife biologist with the NCWRC and one of the trail’s co-creators, in a press release announcing the effort. “You’ll get the chance to see crayfishes, mussels, aquatic snails, salamanders, aquatic insects and fishes you don’t normally see, even if you fish.”

Etchison told Xpress that kickoff events for the trail are being finalized but will take place from June through August. Events in the French Broad River watershed are scheduled at the Canton Recreation Park on Saturday, June 17, and at Mills River Park on Monday, June 19. More information will be available by the end of May at avl.mx/cow.

The snorkel trail collaborators hope to open sites across all of WNC, with potential expansion to northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee. MountainTrue requested $150,000 for the effort from the state, but the trail is not mentioned in the 2023-25 budget bill passed by the N.C. House.

Early College students share plans for Azalea Park

A project in the making since 2020 has yielded results for Azalea Park. Students from Buncombe County Early College developed several recommendations for the East Asheville facility, home to the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex and a large dog park. (Daniel Walton has served as an occasional adviser to students on the project.)

During a May 5 event at The Collider, small teams of students presented detailed ideas to make the park a more valuable community amenity, such as rain gardens to mitigate flooding issues, an outdoor classroom, educational signage and a stage for performances. Many groups proposed adding pollinator gardens to the site; they noted that Azalea Park does not host any of its namesake foliage.

Most of the recommendations came with price tags of less than $5,000 each. Asheville City Council member Kim Roney, who attended the May 5 event, said the city would consider the student projects but hadn’t set aside any funds for implementation.

However, Roney said she would encourage city staffers to explore grants available for environmentally

focused work through the federal Inflation Reduction Act. She also encouraged students to push for support from occupancy taxes managed by the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.

Get involved

• The N.C. Forest Service seeks community input on a master recreation plan for the DuPont State Recreational Forest. The document will guide trail maintenance and development across the 12,400-acre forest in Henderson and Transylvania counties. More information and a survey link are available at avl.mx/cnv.

• N.C. State Cooperative Extension is accepting applications for prospective extension master gardeners through Thursday, June 1. Volunteers will receive intensive hands-on training in horticulture to help local residents solve common garden problems. More information and an application form are available at avl.mx/cnz.

• MountainTrue kicks off its MountainTrue-a-thon fundraising campaign on Thursday, June 15. Participants collect pledges for miles hiked, biked or paddled through the end of August, with the most successful fundraisers receiving prizes. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/cok.

FACE TIME: Visitors to the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail can expect to see the region’s startling diversity of salamanders, fish and other aquatic wildlife. Photo by Jason Meador, courtesy of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission

CAN YOU DIG IT? RiverLink staff, partners and supporters celebrate on April 12 as greenway construction begins at the future Karen Cragnolin Park. Photo courtesy of RiverLink

Save the date

• Asheville GreenWorks will hold two Hard 2 Recycle events from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays, May 27, and June 10, in Buncombe and Henderson counties, respectively. Participants can drop off batteries, electronics, food-grade plastic foam and other items not accepted by municipal recycling services. Exact locations were not confirmed as of press time; more information is available online at avl.mx/cot.

• The WNC Sierra Club hosts RiverLink leaders Lisa Raleigh and Renee Fortner for a discussion of the French Broad River’s past, present and future at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7. The presentation, available both live at the UNC Asheville Reuter Center and online via Zoom, will focus on the challenges the river now faces due to bacterial contamination. More information and advance Zoom registration are available at avl.mx/cor.

• The Organic Growers School has announced its 2023 season of forest farming tours on Sundays, July 30, Aug. 6, and Sept. 24. Participants will see how local growers incorporate livestock, medicinal herbs and mushrooms into forests to create systems that are both profitable and ecologically sustainable. More information and registration are available at avl.mx/cos.

Money moves

• A coalition of groups working to deconstruct the Ela Dam in Whittier has received a $4 million grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As previously reported by Xpress, the project aims to reconnect 549 miles of the Oconaluftee watershed to the Tuckasegee River, restoring habitat for species like the eastern hellbender.

• The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina’s Pigeon River Fund awarded over $246,000 to organizations working on water quality issues in Buncombe, Haywood and Madison counties. The largest grants include $35,000 to the town of Woodfin for riverbank restoration work at Riverside Park, $35,000 to Mountain Housing Opportunities for stormwater design at Waynesville’s Balsam Edge affordable housing development, and $30,000 to Asheville GreenWorks to develop training materials for the volunteer StreamKeepers program.

• Curbside Management, which handles recycling for the city of Asheville and Buncombe County,

received a $60,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to improve its facilities. The money will go toward a new optical sorter and conveyor belt, allowing the company to capture more value from incoming materials.

• UNC Asheville students

Dylan Major and Ari Puentes each received the Goldwater Scholarship, a competitive national award of $7,500 for undergraduates in scientific fields. Major is researching the data analysis of air temperatures over oceans, while Puentes has examined the effects of prescribed fires on forest mushrooms.

Community kudos

• Work has begun on a greenway section through Karen Cragnolin Park in the River Arts District. The paved path through the property — a former junkyard that has been under remediation by RiverLink since 2006 — will connect Carrier Park with French Broad River Park, with construction expected to be completed by late summer.

• The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy received a 102-acre conservation easement at Crabtree Bald in Haywood County from Ginger and Rich Lang. The property contributes to a network of land conserved by SAHC stretching into Sandy Mush that protects key wildlife habitats and water sources.

• Mike Huffman , stormwater division manager for the city of Hendersonville, was named the city’s first Sustainability Hero by the Hendersonville Environmental Sustainability Board. The award recognizes Huffman’s leadership on water quality improvement and stream restoration initiatives. The city also hired Caitlyn Gendusa as its first sustainability manager.

• Monte Cosby, a student at Warren Wilson College, was featured as the subject of Monte: Can’t Stop. Won’t Stop, a new documentary by outdoor brand Patagonia. The film, which debuted at Warren Wilson on April 29, shares Cosby’s path from the public housing projects of Richmond, Va., to a full scholarship as part of the college’s cycling team.

• Material Return, a Morganton-based textile manufacturer, announced the creation of the first “circular sock” in the U.S. The Second Cut hike sock, launched in partnership with clothing company Smartwool, was made by recycling over 750,000 used socks into new material.

— Daniel Walton X

The elusive morels

Their season was exciting, challenging — and way too short

BY STORMS REBACK

Peggy Sauter has a long history of foraging for morels — in her side yard.

About 15 years ago, the avid gardener from Haw Creek bought some mulch that, to her surprise, was full of morel mycelia. She has enjoyed a modest flush every year since.

As easy as it is to stumble upon a morel in the oddest of places — fire pits, foundations, sidewalks, even wallboard — it’s maddeningly difficult to find them in the wild. “If mushrooms are a mystery, morels are an enigma wrapped within that mystery,” Langdon Cook writes in The Mushroom Hunters. Of the many choice edible mushrooms found in Western North Carolina, the morel is arguably the hardest to find. Searching for them can feel like an Easter egg hunt designed by a sadistic adult. Their elusiveness, combined with their deliciousness and the fact that they’re the first choice edible to appear each year, has made them one of the area’s most sought-after mushrooms.

Inspired by her little patch of morels, Sauter bought some guidebooks and started watching wild food enthusiast Adam Haritan’s YouTube videos. She’d caught the mushroom bug, but she didn’t start foraging for them in the wild until last July when she went on a foray with Natalie Dechiara, co-owner of the local foraging company Wild Goods.

Sauter met Dechiara and Wild Goods co-owner Luke Gilbert at their booth at the East Asheville Tailgate Market. “They’re just terrific,” said Sauter. “They’re both so enthusiastic about the subject it’s contagious.”

I discovered the pair the same way last year and left the encounter determined to learn how to forage. In February, I signed up for their April 16 foray, but when morel fever hit Asheville in March, I knew I couldn’t wait that long.

SHUT OUT AT MILLS RIVER

Foraging for morels has become so popular, the Asheville Mushroom Club, the region’s foremost mycology group, had to devise a special sign-up system to accommodate interest.

I signed up for one on April 1. Only the day before were we told the destination: the North Mills River Recreation Area.

After we’d convened in a parking lot next to the river on an overcast Saturday morning, I followed the club’s president, Laurie Jaegers, as she walked downstream, hoping some of her expertise might rub off on me. Morel season only lasts three to four weeks, and its timing varies from year to year. Nature provides some clues. According to Jaegers, conditions are ideal when oak leaves are the size of a squirrel’s ear, trilliums are flowering, and poison ivy is starting to emerge.

To determine where morels are most likely to appear, Jaegers studies maps that identify elevation, slope angles, topography and geology. She also gravitates toward trees that have a mycorrhizal relationship with morels — ash, tulip poplar, elm, apple and hickory trees are best known — but Jaegers shared a pro tip: “Sycamores are underappreciated morel trees.” During the foray at Mills River, the club’s previous president, Frank Bartucca, shared the results of members’ morel foray in the Big Creek area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park the day before. They’d only found 18. “This part of the country is not known for morels,” he said. “We really struggle to find them.”

Conditions at Mills River were even less conducive to finding

morels. Soil temperatures need to be at least 55 degrees five days in a row for morels to fruit, and Bartucca’s soil thermometer delivered readings that consistently hovered around 53 degrees. The fact that spicebush was flowering but the leaves had yet to appear was also bad. Verdict: We were a bit too early.

We didn’t find a single morel that day, but at least we knew why.

THE MYCELIUM NETWORK

Shut out at Mills River, I reached out to my growing list of foraging friends — let’s call it my mycelium network — and asked who could take me to find morels right now. Dechiara and Gilbert steered me to Kevin Krzyzaniak of Blue Ridge Chaga Connections in Leicester. In late winter and early spring, Krzyzaniak usually focuses on finding medicinal mushrooms such as turkey tail and chaga, but this year he devoted more time to pursuing morels, starting in Upstate South Carolina at the end of February and following the trail as it moved north and into the mountains. He’d be happy to talk to me about morels, he told me, but the person I really needed to talk to was his morel-hunting partner Steve

FORAGED FEAST: June Mader, left, and Christian Marr, right, of No Taste Like Home count morels after their April 15 foray. Photo by Storms Reback

Schachtschneider of Grandfather Mountain Medicinals.

On April 12, Schachtschneider took me, along with his dogs, Kitty and Sandy, to some private property on the south side of the Swannanoa River, where he’d gotten permission to forage long ago. During the drive there, he recalled finding morels with his dad at the base of a walnut tree near their home in Edgerton, Wis. After moving to Asheville, he found himself “staring a morel in the eye” from his fishing boat one day. He quickly found a dozen more and has been trying to replicate the pattern that led to his success ever since: bottomland, gradual slopes, plenty of shade.

Thanks to a mapping class he took three years ago, Schachtschneider approaches morel hunting with the same analytical approach as Jaegers. He relies on soil temperature readings, topographical maps, satellite imagery and the Great Morel’s Facebook group. “When they start posting in South Carolina,” he said, “you know it’s on.”

Schachtschneider has between 30 and 40 spots he regularly visits in search of morels. Unlike most mushrooms, morels don’t pop out of the ground fully formed overnight; instead, they develop over the course of several weeks. By allowing his best spots to rest for a week in between visits, Schachtschneider can get three or four picks from each of them.

By mid-April, he’d found 80 pounds of morels, but it hadn’t been easy. “These are the most challenging mushrooms for me,” he said. He provided an example of their unpredictability: the previous day he and Krzyzaniak had visited a “perfect spot” in Morganton but walked miles in vain. Only after returning to their car did they find 70 morels next to the road where they’d parked.

Given all that I’d heard, I braced myself for a difficult outing at the spot he’d taken me to, but as soon as we got out of the car, Schachtschneider lifted his walking stick and pointed at two morels beneath a butternut tree. He also gave me some advice: Looking out is better than looking down, and looking uphill is better than looking downhill. Together we found 68 morels in less than two hours.

Flush with success, we moved 8 miles downriver to a spot with nearly the same conditions but didn’t find a single morel.

“Every time I think I have these things figured out,” said Schachtschneider, “they throw a curveball at me.”

‘THEY GET IN YOUR HEAD’

After my one-on-one excursion with Schachtschneider, the Morel and

Ramp tour I took with No Taste Like Home on April 15 initially felt a little crowded. Guide Christian Marr and her assistant June Mader led seven of us up the side of a mountain on 350 acres of private property near Barnardsville. With fields of larkspur giving way to patches of trillium and elevations fluctuating between 3,000 and 3,900 feet, the terrain was stunning. During the foray, Marr admitted to being obsessed with mycology. “Mushrooms dictate most of my life choices,” she said. “They are my bosses.” Morels in particular fascinated her because of their capricious nature. “They have so many mysteries. Sometimes they’ll come up in the same spot. Sometimes they’ll pop up in a new spot. There’s a lot of variability.”

Mader told us that people often find morels in disturbed areas like the old logging road we were following. Minutes later, Josh Howard, who works for Bounty & Soul in Black Mountain, found two of them in the middle of the path. He’s colorblind, which seemed to help him lock onto their distinctive shape and pattern rather than their tannish color, which is easily concealed by dead leaves. That I’d walked past both annoyed me. Marr articulated my frustration. “There’s an impression that morels like to cause drama because they get in your head.”

As we made our way down a south-facing slope, Mader taught us the squat technique for hunting morels: walk a few steps, then sit on your haunches and look around.

It proved to be effective. After we turned around and started making our way back up the slope, we found enough morels to keep our pulses quickened but not so many that we ever felt like it was easy. After six hours in the woods, we dumped more than 130 morels on a black sheet and tried to keep our giddiness in check.

BEGINNING TO INTERMEDIATE FORAGERS

The foray I went on with Natalie Dechiara, Peggy Sauter and a family from Rockingham County, Va., on April 16 focused on “spring ephemerals,” plants that are only out for a blink of time before the oak canopy forms and summer arrives. While leading us through the woods off North Fork Road near Barnardsville, Dechiara described the “green wall” that most people see when looking at a forest. “As you meet the plants,” she said, “the wall starts breaking down.”

Quicker than I thought possible, I began to recognize many of the plants she’d pointed out, including wood nettle, chickweed, cleavers, may apple, yarrow, sochane, bellwort, greenbrier, waterleaf and toothwort.

Near the waterfall that was our turnaround spot, Dechiara showed us a patch of ramps and educated us about harvesting them sustainably — “Don’t take the roots!” She let us sample some she’d taken from a larger patch.

Several days after the foray with Wild Goods, Sauter and I made plans to look for morels at a spot near Warren Wilson College that June Mader had mentioned to me. Expectations were low. Despite going on three forays with Wild Goods last year and finding 10 pounds of lion’s mane with two friends in November, Sauter describes herself as a “beginning to intermediate mushroom forager,” and I’m closer to “beginning” than “intermediate.” Worse, according to Schachtschneider, local production had “nosedived.” The morels were creeping into higher elevations, and we were looking down low. A diligent handicapper would have made us long shots — at best.

Which made it all the more exciting when we found some.

Storms Reback is an author living in East Asheville. He has written five books, including Ship It Holla Ballas!: How a Bunch of 19-Year-Old College Dropouts Used the Internet to Become Poker’s Loudest, Craziest, and Richest Crew with Jonathan Grotenstein and In Full Color: Finding My Place in a Black and White World with Rachel Dolezal. He has also ghostwritten a handful of books and written numerous feature-length articles for print and online publications.

FOUND YOU! Morels popped up near some trash on the south side of the Swannanoa River. Photo by Storms Reback

FOREST FOOD: Natalie Dechiara, left, discusses the edibility of wood nettle with Peggy Sauter during a spring ephemerals foray. Photo by Storms Reback

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

STARGAZE NIGHT: On Friday, May 19, at 5 p.m., the Astronomy Club of Asheville will gather at the Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison Country for a public star gaze. This event is free and open to everyone interested in observing the night sky. Photo courtesy of the Astronomy Club of Asheville

MAY 17 - MAY 25, 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

 Feature, page 26-27

 More info, page 32-33

WELLNESS

Narcotics Anonymous

Meetings

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

Sparkle Time Holistic

Exercise

Aerobic, strengthening, balance and flexibility.

WE (5/17, 24), MO (5/22), 10:30am, Avery's Creek Community Center, 899 Glennbridge Rd SE

Arden

Tai Chi for Balance

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

WE (5/17, 24), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Free Zumba Gold Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired

dance. Donations are appreciated. For more information call (828) 350-2058.

WE (5/17, 24), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30

George Washington Carver Ave

Springtime Skincare

Soirée

Learn from our skincare experts about Botox, fillers, Hydrafacial, laser treatments and more. We'll have demos, raffles, as well as the opportunity for personal consults and Q&As with our MedSpa staff.

TH (5/18), 4pm, Mountain Radiance Medical Spa, 7 Yorkshire St, Ste 102

Old School Line

Dancing

Old school dances, and some new.

TH (5/18, 25),

6:15pm, Stephens Lee

Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Asheville Aphasia Support Group

Every Friday in Rm 345. No RSVP needed.

FR (5/19), 10am, WCU at Biltmore Park, 28 Schenck Pkwy, Ste 300

Conscious Sexuality

May: Polarity & Sacred Role Play w/Melinda

In this monthly meetup we talk about all things related to sexuality, desire, manifesting, orgasms, sex magic, sexual healing, therapeutic kink, and genitals.

SA (5/20), 10am, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Goat Yoga on the Farm

Move through your sun salutation in a wide open field as baby goats frolic nearby.

SA (5/20), 10am, Round Mountain

Creamery, 2203 Old Fort Rd, Black Mountain

Therapeutic Slow Flow Yoga

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

SA (5/20), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd, Ste 103

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 (5/20), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd

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 (5/20), SU (5/21), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd

Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class

A conscious movement experience in a 100year old building with a community of women at all life stages.

SU (5/21), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard

Bend & Brew Yoga

An all-levels ayurveda-influenced yoga experience with instructor, Claudia. Bring a mat and stay afterward for community.

SU (5/21), 10:30am, Hillman Beer, 25 Sweeten Creek Rd

Rooftop Yoga w/Down Dog

At a more intermediate level, this class will strengthen, challenge, and cleanse the body and mind.

SU (5/21), 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. Class is held outside. Bring your mat.

SU (5/21), 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 (5/21), 1:30pm, West Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Rueda de Casino

Salsa dancing for all skill levels. For more information, contact (828) 350-2058.

SU (5/21), 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 (5/22), 6:30pm, Hard Times Trailhead, 375 Wesley Branch Rd

Zumba

Mask and social distancing required. Registration not neces-

sary. Por Favor usa tu cubre bocas antes de la clase.

TU (5/23), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain

Open Heart Meditation

An easy way to listen to your heart. Each week you will be helped to relax, smile and enjoy your own heart. Follow your heart to happiness and healing.

TH (5/25), 3pm, SeekHealing, 50 S French Broad Ave, Ste 300

ART

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

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

Natura a Colori Exhibition

This exhibit explores the wide range of expressive possibilities using various techniques from slumping to "painting" with glass powders. The goal of this show is to share the unexpected ways in which kiln-formed glass can make a creative statement. Gallery open Friday through Sunday, 10am.

North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B

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 (5/19), 2pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd

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

Citron Gallery Group Presents: Reflections

Opening Exhibition

beiConsisting of both literal and metaphorical

meanings, reflections can appear in many different forms. Reflections can also be internal; emotional, spiritual or cerebral, revealing distant memories. These artists have created works that aim to portray an inner dialogue for the viewer.

SA (5/20), 5pm, Citron Gallery, 60 Biltmore Ave, Ste 002

Marsha Almodovar Gallery Opening

An evening celebrating feminine and Latinx creators. Free and open to the public with DJ Malintzin spinning beats.

SA (5/20), 6pm, Bottle Riot, 37 Paynes Way, Ste 009

Paint w/Monet & Chardonnay

A fun-filled night of painting this portrait of an elephant while enjoying a cold brew. This class is designed for all skill levels, and our experienced instructors will guide you step-by-step through creating this majestic animal on canvas.

TU (5/23), 6pm, 12 Bones Brewery, 2350 Hendersonville Rd, Arden

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

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

SOJOURN: Phil Garrett Paintings & Monotypes

Phil Garrett's work is informed by nature. The power of storms, the spiritual quality of the elements, the beauty, grace and ferocity of plants and animals. Painting and making monotypes is his search for the mystery within the subject, within himself. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10 am, Sunday, noon. Exhibition through June 11.

Pink Dog Creative Gallery, 348 Depot St

COMMUNITY MUSIC

The Songwriter Sessions w/Jenna Lindbo, Spalding McIntosh & Charlie Wilkinson

An evening of original songs in natural acoustics and listening room atmosphere. This month's session will feature singer and songwriter Jenna Lindbo, Spalding McIntosh, and Charlie Wilkinson.

WE (5/17), 7pm, The Brandy Bar, 504 7th Ave E, Hendersonville

American Patchwork Quartet

By weaving the music, stories and experiences of many cultures into a beautiful musical tapestry, APQ draws connections between the nation’s contemporary culture and its immigrant roots, celebrating all that makes us different through songs.

TH (5/18), 7pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave

Jazz Jam

Hosted by LEAF Global Arts, every Thursday with Thommy Knoles on keys, Felix Pastorius on bass, and Paul Gladstone on drums. This event is followed by an open

jam session. Drop-ins are welcome so bring your instruments and jam with us.

TH (5/18, 25), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St

North Buncombe High School Chorus: Chorus

Spotlight

North Buncombe High School Chorus directed by Jeannie Graeme will be performing for the community.

TH (5/18), 7pm, First Baptist Church of Weaverville, 63 N Main St, Weaverville

The Brave Collide w/ The Lads of Trads

Performance by contemporary folk-pop duo Chloë Agnew & Brian McGrane.

Traditional Irish music trio, The Lads of Trad will also be joining the stage with fiery and finessed sets of reels, jigs, and airs.

FR (5/19), 7pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

Asheville Choral Society Presents A Sonic Diaspora: Music of Life

The Asheville Choral Society explores choral traditions around the globe with A Sonic Diaspora: Music of Life

SA (5/20), 4pm, Highsmith Student Union, 1 University Heights

David Newman & Band w/Aditi & Jay

An evening of rocking and healing with Bhakti Bliss from David Newman and band. Jay and Aditi will open the night with an opening set of contemplative music with roots. This event will also celebrate Shanti Elixirs, a staple of AyurPrana Listening Room's beverage offerings. SA (5/20), 7pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

Masterworks 7: Béla Fleck & Americana

Asheville Amadeus Festival headliner, Béla Fleck, brings that same approach to the banjo by rediscovering and redefining the instrument. Doubling as the season closer and Asheville Amadeus Festival finale, this program challenges and explores the many shades of Americana. SA (5/20), 8pm,Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St

AmiciMusic: Musical Mothers

A celebration of incredible women composers to belatedly celebrate Mother’s Day with featured performers Frances Borowsky, Emmanuel Borowsky, and Dr Daniel Weiser, Concert Pianist and Founding Director of AmiciMusic.

SU (5/21), 2pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet

Weekly Sunday pot luck and musician's jam with acoustic and plug in players. It's a family friendly community day so bring a dish to share.

SU (5/21), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

The Sandburgs in Love Concert

In celebration of Carl and Lilian Sandburg’s 59-year love story, The Friends of Carl Sandburg are hosting a special Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra concert of love in homage to Lilian. The concert free with donations to the Orchestra welcome.

SU (5/21), 3pm, Grace Lutheran Church, 1245 6th Ave W, Hendersonville

The Blue Ridge Ringers Presents: Spring Dances

The Blue Ridge Ringers are an auditioned community handbell ensemble with 16 ringers from Henderson, Transylvania, Buncombe, Polk, and Spartanburg counties.

SU (5/21), 4pm, Saluda Elementary School, 214 E Main St, Saluda

Trailbound Trailsounds

A special Pop Up Show with Chikomo Marimba, a high-energy Zimbabwean Marimba group based in Asheville, NC.

Trailbound Trailsounds is free for guests of all ages. A short hike on an uneven mulch trail is required.

TU (5/23), 6pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

An Evening w/Synthesist Patrick Gleeson Dr. Gleeson demonstrates the Moog modular heard on "Apocalypse Now," which is on permanent exhibit at the Moogseum. Afterward, Moog-Koussa interviews him about his storied career and lifelong friendship with Bob, followed by a Q&A with the audience and a short DJ set.

TU (5/23), 7pm, Moogseum, 56 Broadway St

Michael Jefry Stevens

Quartet

Performance with Michael Jefry Stevens on keyboard, Christian Howes on violin, Rick Dilling on drums, and Bryan McConnell on bass.

TH (5/25), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Memorial Day Concert

The A.C. Reynolds band, chorus and ROTC are holding their annual Memorial Day Concert.

TH (5/25), 6:30pm, Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, 87 Haywood St

Songwriter Showcase: Amanda Anne Platt & Wes Pearce

Singer-songwriter and archivist Greg Cartwright will host a songwriter showcase, featuring Amanda Anne Platt, and Wes Pearce.

TH (5/25), 6:30pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Ave

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 (5/17, 24), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Poetry Open Mic Hendo

A poetry-centered open mic that welcomes all kinds of performers every Thursday night.18+

TH (5/18, 25), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave E, Hendersonville

Story Mixer: Mothering

An evening of art and stories that explore theme of mothering from mother nature and the nature of a mother, to parenting, reparenting, and beyond. This theme is explored through poems, prose, music and more.

FR (5/19), 7pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd

Camille T. Dungy & Jamie Ford: LGRWC Public Readings Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference faculty, Camille Dungy and Jaime Ford, give public readings of their work.

FR (5/19), 7:30pm, Porter Center,1 Brevard College Dr, Brevard

Margaret Renkl: LGRWC Public Reading Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference faculty, Margaret Renkl, gives a public reading of her work.

SA (5/20), 7:30pm, Transylvania County Library, 212 S Gaston St, Brevard

THEATER & FILM

DOSED: The Trip of a Lifetime w/The Pearl Psychedelic Institute

A movie premier followed by a Q&A session with Dr Raymond Turpin from The Pearl Psychedelic Institute.

WE (5/17), 7pm, Grail Moviehouse, 17 Foundy St

The Revolutionists

Four revolutionary women lose their heads in this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French

Revolution’s Reign of Terror.

WE (5/17, 24), TH (5/18, 24), FR (5/19), SA (5/20) 7:30pm, SU (5/21), 2pm.

North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Ln

Say Goodnight Gracie

This show celebrates George Burns whose career was showcased across radio, film, and television and was known for his smoking cigar and arched eyebrow. Runs through may 28. See p26-27 TH (5/18), SU (5/21), 7:30pm, SA (5/20), 2pm.

Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, 44 College St, Mars Hill

Julian of Norwich

A one-woman show about the life, wisdom, and inspiration of medieval mystic Julian of Norvwic, performed by Rev. Linda C. Loving, a professional actor who has given nearly 100 Julian performances. See p33 FR (5/19), 7pm, First Presbyterian Church Asheville, 40 Church St

Big Fish

A musical comedy filled with fantasy creatures, large dance numbers, incredible music, and a heartwarming universal tale about growing from child to adult to parent. FR (5/19), SA (5/20) 7:30pm, SU (5/21), 2pm.

Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Cinema on the Square Swannanoa's outdoor movie series, returns to Grovemont Square with a screening of the crowd-pleasing animated family movie, Big Hero 6 FR (5/19), 7:30pm, Grovemont Square, 101 W Charleston Ave, Swannanoa

The Azure Sky in Oz

The true stories of two women whose lives are changed by the neurodiverse. FR (5/19), SA (5/20), TH (5/25), 7:30pm, SU (5/21), 2pm. See p26-27

Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, 44 College St, Mars Hill

Dance of Hope

An intimate evening where Dance of Hope, led by internationally renowned artist Chinobay, is bringing 14 children to share songs, stories, and dances from their homeland of Uganda. All funds from touring will go towards supporting education for children in Uganda.

SA (5/20), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

MOVE: An Improv Workshop

Joe Carroll will lead exercises that utilize movement and sound to get out of your head. Improv is a great

way to build self-confidence, public speaking skills, and to connect with this awesome community. Open to all improv levels and for ages 18 and up.

SU (5/21), 1:30pm,Catawba Brewing Co.

South Slope Asheville, 32 Banks Ave

Nemesis Theatre Company Presents: Cymbeline

Features a panoply of Shakespeare’s greatest hits: orphaned royalty, mistaken identities, a cross-dressing heroine, a beheading, a war against Rome, poison that doesn’t really kill you, and more. Runs through May 21.

TH (5/18), FR (5/19), SA (5/20), 7:30pm, SU (5/21), 2:30pm.

BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St

Improv Showcase

Joe Carroll's improv class showcase. Featuring the Level 2 and 4 classes. Including a performance from. some of Asheville's best improvisers.

SU (5/21), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Improv Level One Showcase

A show brought to you by our Hendersonville Theatre Level One Improv Class. This is a free event open to the public. Donations will be accepted to benefit educational programs at Hendersonville Theatre.

WE (5/24), 7:45pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 South Washington St, Hendersonville

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Simple Pricing Like a Pro

A process that helps develop efficient and manageable profitable pricing for custom requests and standardized offers. You'll walk away with clear steps and tools to know exactly how to price your work in an easy-to-understand framework that you can immediately implement.

WE (5/17), 9:30am, Focal Point Coworking, 125 S Lexington Ave, Ste 101

Spanish Club

Spanish speakers of all ages and levels are welcome to join together for conversation to practice the language in a group setting. Every Wednesday.

WE (5/17, 24), 6pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

Learn Over Lunch: Instant Cash Flow

Learn the top strategies used by successful businesses to turbocharge their cash flow

and boost their bottom line. Discover proven techniques to maximize your profits, reduce your expenses, and optimize your financial performance. Connect with like-minded entrepreneurs, industry experts, and potential partners who can help you elevate your business to new heights.

WE (5/17), 11:30am, Asheville Home Builders Association Office, 14 Mimidis Ln, Swannanoa NC, Swannanoa

Competitive Duplicate Bridge

The Asheville Bridge Room hosts games on M, W and F. Check bridgeweb.com/avl for dates, times and special announcements. All are welcome.

WE (5/17, 24), FR (5/19), MO (5/22) noon, Congregation Beth Israel, 229 Murdock Ave

Money Visioning & Goal Setting

In this live and interactive online class, you will get a clear picture of your money goals through an interactive visioning exercise. Then, you’ll learn how to create a realistic savings goal and plan the steps needed to reach it. Register at avl.mx/coh

WE (5/17), noon, Online

The Lobby: Tattoo

A salon and meeting place for creative industries. Our aim is to hold space for engaging dialogue and provide moments of connection within the professional art and design community. Hear from a few people in our local tattoo scene.

WE (5/17), 6pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101

Intro to Tarot Workshop w/Sadie Chanlett-Avery

This workshop is your chance to learn about this ancient system, play with the cards, and ask lots of questions. It’s less about fortune telling and more about future creating.

WE (5/17), 6:30pm, All Bodies Movement and Wellness, 211 Merrimon Ave

How to Find Lasting Peace in an Ever-Changing World Ananta Nathanson speaks of non-duality with a touch of Kashmir Shaivism. He says that this life is only a dream and the body/mind is a virtual reality machine. His core teaching is:  At essence we are all the same and in this oneness we are without boundaries. Register at avl.mx/8u5

WE (5/17), 7pm, Online

Rhythm of Women

This is a women only drum circle. Learn East African drumming techniques and enjoy the rhythm and sounds of feminine beats.

Text (828) 777-6787 to reserve your space.

WE (5/17), 7pm, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Swing Dance Lessons

Open to all beginners wanting to learn 8-count Lindy Hop. Beginner basics will be learned and explored each week with new moves to add to your tool belt.

WE (5/17, 24), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St

Blue Ghost Firefly

Tours

Witness hundreds of blue ghost fireflies moving silently through the dark forest. Only the size of a grain of rice, the males appear to float above the forest floor as they move about, searching for flightless females.

WE (5/17), TH (5/18) , FR (5/19) , SA (5/20) , 7:30pm

Location provided after registering for event, Arden

Gardening in the Mountains Presents: Planting Steep Slopes

Master Gardener Beth Leonard will help us to assess and prepare, plant and maintain slopes and offer some hard-learned tips and tricks. If you garden on a hillside or ever plan to, you won’t want to miss this practical presentation. Register at avl.mx/bka

TH (5/18), 10am, Online

Drive In Bingo

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

TH (5/18), 2pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

Free Estate Planning

101 Seminar

Hosted by Attorney Christopher M. Craig, this seminar is designed for those who are new to estate planning as well as those who have dabbled in estate planning and wish to gain further insight. The seminar will benefit people who want to protect their assets and avoid the probate process. Register at avl.mx/coi

TH (5/18), 2pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

Tenant Rights Workshop

The goal of this workshop is to educate tenants about their rights as renters in North Carolina and begin connecting tenants to resources and to each other. There will be a presentation and question and answer session with Pisgah Legal Services followed by a discussion with Just Economics about the Tenants' Network. Register at avl.mx/cp0

TH (5/18), 4pm, Online American Art & Sound: An Evening of Innovators & Innovation

An immersive evening exploring synergies between American Art and the pioneering sound of Moog synthesizers. The program will include a live synthesizer performance and discussions centered around select works of art from the Museum’s collection.

TH (5/18), 4:30pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

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. No reservations required.

TH (5/18), 5pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square 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 (5/18, 25), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St WNC, Past and Present: Christmas in Captivity: The Japanese American Incarceration at Montreat, 1942-43

This talk looks at the Japanese American women and children from Hawaii, mostly US citizens by birth, and how they were moved by the State Department through Montreat and the Grove Park Inn in Asheville en route to Japan. Register at avl.mx/b99

TH (5/18), 6pm, Online

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 (5/18, 25),

6:30pm, Stephens Lee

Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Swing Dance Lesson & Dance Swing dancing lesson and dance, every Thursday.

TH (5/18, 25), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd

Astronomy Club of Asheville: Public Star Gaze

A public star gaze at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County.

This event is free and open to everyone, and registration is not necessary to attend.

A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be posted on their website by 5:00 pm on the day of the star gaze. Sunset occurs at 8:31 p.m.

Location directions at avl.mx/prxa

FR (5/19), 5pm, Grassland Mountain Observatory, 2890 Grassland Parkway, Marshall

Bingo & Spaghetti

Dinner

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

FR (5/19), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St Extension Master Gardener Plant Clinic Master Gardener volunteers will be available to answer all of your gardening questions and address related concerns. Feel free to bring plant or insect samples for identification or problem resolution. You can pick-up soil test kits and receive information about in-person programs and activities.

SA (5/20), 9am, Black Mountain Town Square, 100 E State St, Black Mountain

How to Build & Repair Your Credit Score

Find out what credit is and why it’s important, gain understanding about what affects your credit score, and learn methods to build and repair your credit score. Bring a note pad to take notes.

Pre-registration is required, visit http:// avl.mx/ck0

SA (5/20), 9am, United Way of Asheville & Buncombe, 50 S French Broad Ave

Identify Your Spiritual Gifts

This session helps identify your own spiritual gifts, how to possibly use them, and what environments you thrive in. Register at avl.mx/cov

SA (5/20), 10am, Unity of the Blue Ridge, 2041 Old Fanning Bridge Rd, Mills River

Saturday Seminar Presents: Growing Beautiful Roses

Learn basics of rose selection and care so you can successfully grow these beautiful flowers. Portions of this program may be held outside; please dress appropriately for the weather.

SA (5/20), 10am, Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center, 49 Mount Carmel Rd, Ste 102 Appalachian Dowsers Spring Picnic

A spring potluck style picnic at the Asheville French Broad River downstream towards Carrier Park. Bring a small dish and chairs. For more information contact, (828) 6461593.

SA (5/20), 11am, French Broad River Park, 508 Riverview Rd

Community Bingo Free bingo night with community neighbors. There will be small prizes awarded to winners and refreshments for everyone.

SA (5/20), 1pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Pet Portrait Event

Luminosity Creative will be capturing pet portraits. Jennifer's turnaround is about two weeks.

SA (5/20), 1pm, 12 Bones Brewery, 2350 Hendersonville Rd, Arden

Getting Your Own

Answers From God: Sound of Soul

A one-hour program to explore the benefits of the sound of HU. You’ll have the opportunity to chant HU, engage in spiritual conversation, and meet others of a like heart who share a desire to explore their own connection with God or Divine Spirit.

SU (5/21), 11am, Country Inn & Suites, Asheville Westgate, 22 Westgate Pkwy

Awake & Bold Town Hall to Stop Child Trafficking

Become a part of the solution to end child trafficking. Human Trafficking is the world's fastest-growing and second-largest criminal empire, second only to drugs.

SU (5/21), 1pm, DoubleTree by Hilton, 115 Hendersonville Rd

Chinese Medicinal Herbs

Learn about the many Chinese Herbs growing at Mountain Gardens in Celo, NC. We will discuss habitat, propagation & cultivation, harvesting and processing methods. Plants will also be for sale as well.

SU (5/21), 1pm, Mountain Gardens, 546 Shuford Creek Rd, Burnsville

Artéria Collective: Sugarbush Showcase

Artéria is local nonprofit that focuses on igniting social change through the power of arts, culture and restorative self-expression. This event will create space to showcase the local youth and BIPOC artist's work as well as space for music and dance performances.

SU (5/21), 2pm, The Mule, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd Ste 10

Game Day: Perspective Café

Traditional game day with board and card games as well as refreshments from the Perspective Cafe. SU (5/21), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Inner Magic: Shadow Integration

A monthly workshop exploring the subconscious mind. Learn a method of shadow work that works every time to get out of self-sabotage and into radical self-acceptance and personal liberation. SU (5/21), 2pm, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Navigating Conflict as Creative Practice Conflict as a Creative Practice is a collaborative ‘choose-your-ownadventure’ exploration of community and conflict that uses creativity to find pathways and practices for being in relationship.

SU (5/21), 2pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101 Anthony Thomas Presents: YMI Cultural Center Learn about the history and future goals of one of the oldest, most beautiful Black cultural centers in the United States.

SU (5/21), 2:30pm, Asheville Friends Meetinghouse, 227 Edgewood Rd

Family Folk Dance

A tradition of community dance and live music. These simple dances are a good intro for adults and children to traditional social dance such as contra, squares, circles, play-party games, and other formations. All ages are welcome, no experience necessary.

SU (5/21), 3pm, Harvest House, 205 Kenilworth Rd

KidCycle Club: Family Fun Greenway Bike Ride

A short out-and-back ride on the new section of greenway and gather after for connecting with new and old friends. Bring your own bikes, helmets, closedtoe shoes, water and snacks

SU (5/21), 3pm, French Broad OutfittersHominy Creek, 190

Hominy Creek Rd

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 (5/22), Rite of Passage

Clothing & SewCo, 240 Clingman Ave Ext

ACNC Asheville

Computer Lab & Wi-Fi

Hours

Each Monday in May, we will be having computer hours as well as free Wi-Fi with 2 workspaces.

MO (5/22), 11am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

AmeriHealth Caritas

Asheville: Food Pantry

This free event will focus on Nutrition. While supplies last, we will hand out 25 prepacked bags filled with non-perishable items. Please share with all persons in need. The limit will be one bag per household.

MO (5/22), 11am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

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 (5/22), 1pm, First Baptist Church of Asheville, 5 Oak St

Networking & Celebration of Program

Impact

This Folding Chair session will provide networking opportunities for equity advocates in our local community and offer a space to celebrate DEI efforts and accomplishments.

MO (5/22), 3:30pm, Lenoir-Rhyne University, 36 Montford Ave

Chess Club

Open to all ages and any skill set. There will be a few boards available, but folks are welcome to bring their own as well.

MO (5/22), 4pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain Catan Tournament

A night of friendly competition as you play for the coveted title of Catan champion. With a maximum of 24 players.

MO (5/22), 6pm, Well Played, 162 Coxe Ave, Ste 101

10 Ways to Love Your Brain

This event will give you strategies to incorporate lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of developing dementia, and improve your overall health throughout your life. You will hear research based recommendations on taking care of our brains and our bodies in order to age as well as possible.

TU (5/23), 11am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland 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 (5/23), 6pm, Well

Played, 162 Coxe Ave, Ste 101

WNCHA History

Hour: The Farmer’s Federation

John Ager discusses the Farmer's Federation, which changed the lives of many WNC farmers, in this virtual program. Register at avl.mx/cp1

TU (5/23), 6pm, Online

Ally Workshop w/ DIYabled

Discuss disabled rights with DIYabled.

WE (5/24), 6pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101 Business in Color

A community event fostering an inclusive and diverse business landscape. Expand your network, share ideas and connect with potential collaborators. Free & open to the public.

WE (5/24), 6pm, Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway

Homemade Health & Wellness Series w/ Ashley English

This weeks topic is spring reserves such as strawberry jam, quick pickled radishes, beet & dill relish, and pickled asparagus. Class is free to attend, but call (828) 250-4758 to register.

WE (5/24), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Vegetable Series: Planting a Seed Saving Garden Extension Master Gardener Barb Harrison will lead the program beginning indoors where she will cover what you need

to remember for a seed-saving garden.

TH (5/25), 10am, Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center, 49 Mount Carmel Rd, Ste 102

AmeriHealth Caritas

Asheville: Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

This free food demonstration is open toe everyone but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/ or their caretakers. Our featured host is Change Your Palate's very own Shaniqua Simuel.

TH (5/25), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Av

Disc Golf Putting & First Throw Clinic

Learn the basics of disc golf with Lone Star Discs Sponsored Pro, Matthew Splain. Players will start on Highland’s putting green to learn how to hold and throw a disc golf disc. This clinic is intended for first time players.

TH (5/25), 6pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Virtual In Conversation: Nancy Cohen

Nancy Cohen leads this virtual conversation to discover the breadth of possibilities and unique qualities that exist in handmade paper. Register at avl.mx/cou

TH (5/25), 6pm, Online

The Birding Effect: Birding as an Introduction to Nature

Wildlife Biologist Alex Troutman will share his passion for birding, how he connects with other Black birders in underserved communities, and how he helps people to find nature in their everyday life.

TH (5/25), 7pm, UNC Asheville Reuter Center, 1 University Heights

LOCAL MARKETS

Etowah Lions Club

Farmers Market

Fresh produce, honey, sweets, flowers, plant starts and locally crafted wares. Every Wednesday through October 25.

WE (5/17, 24), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

Leicester Farmers Market

Farmers Market with over 30 vendors.

Locally grown and sourced selection of meats, produce, eggs, plants and flowers, baked goods, cheese, honey, sauces, crafts, art, and more. Every Wednesday through October 25.

WE (5/17, 24), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

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 (5/17, 24), 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 (5/17, 24), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr, Weaverville

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

TH (5/18), FR (5/19) 1pm, SA (5/20) , 11am M R Gardens, 441 Onteora Blvd

Flat Rock Farmers Market

A diverse group of local produce and fruit farmers, craft-food makers, bread bakers, wild crafters, art-crafters, and merrymakers. Every Thursday through October 26.

TH (5/18), 3pm, Pinecrest ARP Church, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

Pack Square Artisan Market

This market will showcase local handcrafted goods in the heart of downtown Asheville. Every Friday through October 27.

FR (5/19), 1pm, 1 South Pack Square Park

East Asheville Tailgate Market

Local goods from neighborhood vendors selling tamales, dumplings, baked goods, ferments, bread, artisan cheese, meat, flowers, farm fresh vegetables, and more. Every Friday through November.

FR (5/19), 3pm, Grose

UMC, 954 Tunnel Rd

Black Mountain Garden Market

The market will feature annuals, carnivorous plants, cut flowers, edible shrubs, herbs, native plants, perennials, shrubs, trees, and vegetable starts from specialty plant vendors.

FR (5/19), 4pm, SA (5/20), 9am

Black Mountain Town Square, 100 E State St, Black Mountain

Saluda Tailgate Market

With over a dozen vendors, this agriculture-only market features an assortment of homegrown produce, meat, and eggs within a 25 mile radius.

FR (5/19), 4:30pm, W Main St, Saluda

The Bazaar

Fine items, artwork, jewelry, glassware, furniture, linens, silver, plants and more will highlight the fundraiser with proceeds assisting local charities involving women, children and families.

For more information call the church office at (828) 693-9783.

SA (5/20), 8:30am, The Episcopal Church of Saint John in the Wilderness, 1905 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

Community Yard Market

Browse your neighbors' gently-used treasures or become a vendor and get rid of some goodies that still have a little life left in them, but no longer use. For more information contact achavez@ ashevillenc.gov or call (828) 350-2058.

SA (5/20), 8am, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver

Ave

Henderson County

Tailgate Market

Henderson County’s finest seasonal fruits, fresh mushrooms, vegetables, local honey, meat, eggs, garden plant starts, perennials and much more. Every Saturday through October 28.

SA (5/20), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville

Hendersonville

Farmers Market

A vibrant community gathering space. With produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, coffee, crafts, food trucks, live music, kids' activities

and more. Every Saturday through October 28.

SA (5/20), 8am, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville

Mills River Farmers Market

Listen to local musicians as you shop the wide variety of vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, and high-quality crafts.

Saturdays through October 28.

SA (5/20), 8am, Mills River Elementary School, 94 Schoolhouse Rd, Mills River

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 eggswith a variety of baked goods, value added foods, and unique craft items. Weekly through Dec. 16.

SA (5/20), 8am, 3300 University Heights

Swannanoa Community Yard Market

Dozens of sellers and hundreds of buyers will descend on the Swannanoa Ingles parking lot for this area’s largest yard sale event. For information on registration and payment options, please send an email to SwannanoaYardSale@gmail.com or call 828-515-1840.

SA (5/20), 8am, Ingles Swannanoa Parking Lot, 2299 US-70, Swannanoa

Asheville City Market

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

SA (5/20), 9am, 52 N Market St

Black Mountain

Tailgate Market

Featuring organic and sustainably grown produce, plants, cut flowers, herbs, locally raised meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheeses, eggs and local arts and handcrafted items. Every Saturday through November.

SA (5/20), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

The Elephant Door

Makers Market

Hosting a variety of local crafts, artisans, creative talent and artists.

SA (5/20), 11am, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Art Market

There will be art vendors, a few food vendors, an art exhibit focused around menstrual health and awareness, and a silent auction whose proceeds will

be donated to Divine Drops, a nonprofit.

SA (5/20), noon, Fallout Art Space, 475 Fletcher Martin Rd, Alexander

Makers Market

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

SA (5/20), noon, Atelier Maison & Co., 121 Sweeten Creek 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.

SU (5/21), 8am, 570 Brevard Rd

May Pop-Up Market

This market of 20+ vendors will feature a variety of local creatives highlighting some of the best in arts, crafts, artisanal products from Asheville and the surrounding areas. With live music from Dirty Dawg at 2pm. SU (5/21), noon, Hi-Wire Brewing RAD Beer Garden, 284 Lyman St

Meadow Market

Browse goods and gifts from local makers and artisans with different vendors every week, you’ll find specialty items. Shop for handmade jewelry, housewares, vintage goods, and crafts.

SU (5/21), 1pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Asheville Night Market

A bizzare bazaar on the third Sunday of every month for up-and-coming peddlers, new artists, and questionable goods.

SU (5/21), 8pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd

Tuesday Creative Market

Browse the wares from local makers and creatives.

TU (5/23), 4pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd, Ste 101

Enka-Candler Tailgate Market

A grand selection of local foods and crafts, everything from produce to pickles, baked goods to body care, with a hefty helping of made-to-order meals from our food trucks. Every Thursday through October.

TH (5/25), 3pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

2023 Festival of Peonies in Bloom

Open daily through May 31st.

WE (5/17), 10am, Wildcat Ridge Farm, 3553 Panther Creek Rd, Clyde

AVL Beer Week

Kickoff Party White Labs kicks off Asheville Beer Week.

TH (5/18), 4pm, White Labs Kitchen & Tap, 172 S Charlotte St

Rhythm & Brews Concert Series: Hawktail Free outdoor shows with a variety of established acts as well as up-and-coming artists from around the nation. Hawktail, a bluegrass and Americana string band will be kicking off the concert series.

TH (5/18), 5pm, Downtown Hendersonville S Main St, Hendersonville

Asheville Beer Week

This multi-day, multi-venue event will be filled with collaboration releases, film screenings, beer dinners, educational seminars, brewer meet and greets, and friendly brewery competitions. The weeklong celebration will run from Friday, May 19 through Sunday, May 27. For more information and the full Beer Week event calendar, visit avl.mx/coy

FR (5/19), Multiple Locations, Citywide

Downtown After 5 w/ Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band Monthly music series with different artists performing every month in downtown, Asheville. Mandingue and Afro-beat style band, Baba Commandant and The Mandingo Band will be headlining this month's Downtown

After 5 with support from rumba music ensemble, Coconut Cake.

FR (5/19), 5pm, 100 Block N Lexington Ave

The Dog House: 50th Anniversary

Family-friendly celebration with music, food, kids obstacle courses, K-9 office demos, and more SA (5/20), 9am, The Dog House, 310 N Haywood St, Waynesvile

Saluda Arts Festival

Celebrating Saluda’s heritage and art culture with paintings, pottery, metal work, jewelry, sculptures, fiber, and more.

SA (5/20), 10am, Historic Downtown Saluda, 24 Main St, Saluda

Art Gallery 10 Year

Anniversary

An anniversary celebration for MoB studios and Gallery with light refreshments during the day along with artists demonstrations, show specials and a silent auction. The proceeds of the auction will go towards raising money to assist Henderson County Art Teachers for much needed supplies.

SA (5/20), 11am, Art MoB Studios & Marketplace, 124 4th Ave E, Hendersonville

Bluegrass & Brews

Listen to three different bluegrass bands, sip local beers, eat pretzels and more. The music lineup for this free event includes Cast Iron Bluegrass, Bear Creek String Bandits, and Blue Ridge Tradition.

SA (5/20), 2pm, Pack Square Parking Garage - Top Level, 26 Biltmore Ave

Ménage À Freak Carnival and beer release celebration with live music by Todd Cecil, Dirt Yard Choir, Gypsy Swingers, and Mood Ring. There will also be aerial performances and entertainment by Asheville Aerial Arts that's family friendly.

SA (5/20), 3pm, The Funkatorium, 147 Coxe Ave

The RAD Brew Co. Opening Asheville's newest brewery opens with fresh new brews, an art market, food trucks, and live music throughout the day.

SA (5/20), noon, The RAD Brew Co., 13 Mystery St

The RailYard Outdoor Stage Kick-off Celebration

Celebrate the unveiling of the RailYard's new outdoor stage with an all-day festival featuring music from Velvet Truckstop, David Zoll Trio, Chalwa, Eric Travers Band, and Hunter Begley.

SA (5/20), 3pm, The Railyard Black Mountain, 141 Richardson Ave, Black Mountain

Still Grateful: After All These Beers

A one day celebration of all things Dead featuring live music from the Dirty Dead and Three Fourteen. This will be an outdoor show with rock, reggae, blues, and jam band sounds.

SA (5/20), 5pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

AVL Battle of the Breweries Volleyball Tournament

AVL Beer Week Brewery Tournament. 6v6

Format, players are Brewery Employees only.

SU (5/21), noon, The

Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Murder in Bombay: Murder Mystery

Experience

Dress up, play a role, decipher clues, bid on silent auction items, enjoy your choice of Indian or British food.

SU (5/21), 6pm, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Bob Moog’s 89th “Electric Birthday”

w/Herbie Hancock

Collaborator & Patrick Gleeson

Includes tours of the Moogseum, the museum dedicated to sharing exhibits bringing Bob Moog’s legacy to life, guided by the Moogseum’s executive director, Michelle Moog-Koussa, Bob’s daughter. There will also be a live demo from legendary synthesizer pioneer, composer, producer from Patrick Gleeson  — a lifelong friend of Bob Moog.

TU (5/23), 11:30am, Moogseum, 56 Broadway St

Beer Week: Crawfish

Boil

Orders will only be taken on the day of the event at the in-house taqueria. Orders will be limited to 75 this year, so it's first come first served. Proceeds will go to MountainTrue.

TU (5/23), 4pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Bob Moog 89th Birthday Event w/ Patrick Gleeson

Am event celebration of Bob Moog's 89th birthday, featuring Patrick Gleeson.

Gleeson is a musician, synthesizer pioneer, composer, and producer. He worked with Herbie Hancock in the early 1970s.

WE (5/24), 6:30pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave

44th Annual Griffin Awards

Celebrate the folks doing preservation work all over our community with a full dinner catered by Celine and Co. This event is hosted by Preservation Society of Asheville Buncombe.

TH (5/25), 5:30pm, The Hideaway, 49 Broadway St

Just Brew It: Homebrew Festival Kickoff Party Kickoff the fun with beer and economic justice related trivia.

TH (5/25), 6pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St

The Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival: World Tarot Day Burlesque festival is coming back to the studio and stage for three days of class and sass with artists from all around the country. On day one, tarot author Madame Onça will teach a Tarot worshop. See p32

TH (5/25), 6pm, Asheville Raven & Crone, 555 Merrimon Ave, Ste 100

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

18th Annual Benefit

Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show

Fans of classic cars and unique vehicles will gather for the 18th annual Benefit Car and Truck Show. Free to the viewing public, all proceeds from vehicle entry fees will support students enrolled in Blue Ridge’s Automotive Technology Program.

TH (5/18), 9am, Blue Ridge Community College, Technology Education & Development Center, 180 W. Campus Dr, Flat Rock

Art Walk & Benefit

Each gallery will highlight a different local nonprofit organization. Take in the eclectic work of local, regional and international artists while learning about the fantastic work being done by each nonprofit. Additionally, each of the 12 galleries will contribute a percentage of sales to its featured nonprofit.

TH (5/18), 5pm, Multiple Locations, Citywide

Time Machine Dance Party w/The Royal Suits & MINØR (pop, dance)

This Asheville Music School fundraiser is bringing a live dance party with the band Royal Suits along with special guests and their flagship student band Minør. See p33

TH (5/18), 7pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr

Benefit Concert w/ Upbeats Ukelele Band

This is a special benefit concert to raise money for Black Mountain Counseling Center. The band plays a wide range of melodies, which include the Beatles, Motown Hits, as well as favorites by The Eagles, Van Morrison and more.

FR (5/19), 6pm, Bloom

WNC Flower Farm, 806 North Fork Rd, Black Mountain

Shred-A-Thon

Shred and watch your old and outdated important documents.

Also, accepting old eyeglasses, hearing aids and monetary

donations for Asheville Lions Club.

SA (5/20), 10am, 2310 Hendersonville Rd, Arden

Thomas Woof Festival

Animal Shelters and advocacy groups from Mitchell, Yancey, and Madison counties will be on hand with adoptable dogs and information about their services. The event is free and open to the public. All proceeds of raffle tickets and all donations benefit the animal rescue organizations in Yancey, Mitchell, and Madison Counties.

SA (5/20), 10am, Burnsville Town Square, 100 Town Square, Burnsville Avalon Rock Fest: A benefit for Blue Ridge Humane Society

A charity event to benefit for Blue Ridge Humane Society with multiple live bands. SA (5/20), 4pm, Oklawaha Brewing Co., 147 1st Ave E, Hendersonville

Masquerade Ball: A Safari Adventure Safari themed Masquerade Ball benefiting Blue Ridge Pride. Private ticketed event with entertainment, music, and prizes.

Costumes encouraged. Doors open to the public at 10 pm. SA (5/20), 8pm, Banks Ave, 32 Banks Ave

Midnight Mass: Space Horror Show

Out-of-this-world performances with laughs, scares, and surprises featuring burlesque and drag in space. Proceeds will go to benefit Planned Parenthood. SU (5/21), 3pm, 27 Club, 180 Patton Ave 20 Year Anniversary Spring Fling A spring fling benefitting Homeward Bound, Helpmate, and Mountain Housing Opportunities. This family-friendly event will also have a bouncy house, face painter, food and drinks, live music from Rahm Squad, The Greenliners, and a kid’s dance party with DJ Molly Parti. The event is open to the public and entry will be by donation. All donation proceeds collected will benefit the non-profits mentioned.

SU (5/21), 4pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave 2023 Battle of the Badges

A friendly competition to see who can recruit the most blood donors. Donating blood is one of the simplest things a person can do to help save a patient’s life.

TH (5/25), 10am, Southwestern Community College, 447 College Dr, Sylva

Hiking bucket list

BY AMBER ADAMS NIVEN

amberadamsniven@gmail.com

The great outdoors of Western North Carolina offers seemingly endless opportunities. Hikers can witness breathtaking vistas or get splashed by a waterfall on the most basic of hikes. But anyone can take a trek to the next level with a Zen llama, a backcountry art class, secret waterfalls or a magical firefly experience. Consider one of these trips led by local guides for your next adventure in WNC (and eastern Tennessee).

GET CALM WITH A LLAMA

If you need help mellowing out, consider a stroll in the woods with a woolly camelid. “I’m always reminding people to slow down to the llama’s pace,” says David Wynn, founder of Llamas of Hot Springs. “A lot of people are coming in from cities and the hustle-bustle lifestyle. I always share with them that llamas like to hike pretty slowly and nibble here and there.”

The trip begins at the trailhead on the edge of downtown Hot Springs with a brief introduction to Wynn’s llamas and a safety talk. Depending on the group size, each person may saunter with a llama on a leash. While following Silvermine Creek, hikers will see wildflowers (which will also prove as snacks for grazing by their llama companions) and learn about the unique biodiversity of the Southern Appalachian and Hot Springs history. The gentle outand-back hike is approximately 1.5 miles and typically two hours long. It’s mostly on flat terrain but with a couple of minor stream crossings.

Wynn, who has a background in mental health, says he notices shifting energies among the hikers, noting that most adopt the “slow state of mind” by the end of the hike. “This is just what I needed!” is a common phrase remarked post-trip.

Sandals, waterproof boots or a change of shoes and socks are recommended. Trips start at $60 per adult and $30 per child. More information is available at hotspringsllamas.org.

RAPPEL DOWN A WATERFALL

Are adrenaline-pumping experiences more your speed? French Broad Adventures’ Canyoneering

4 unique trips for the hiker who’s tried everything

Expedition — a combination of hiking, rock scrambling, rappelling and swimming — is worth checking out. This hike meets in Asheville, and participants travel to a secret location in Pisgah National Forest. Once

at the trailhead, an expert guide will cover safety. Hikers then walk 1.5 miles to the top of a waterfall for a 150-foot rappel descent to the river below. A guide will help hook participants into the safety equipment and

demonstrate how to rappel, while a guide below helps belay.

Access to the falls is off the beaten path. “It’s an interesting area because you can’t see the waterfall unless you hike in,” says group sales director Tyler Donaldson

The expedition offers views hikers would never see otherwise, such as a patch of moss in the shape of a heart found in one of the middle ledges, Donaldson says. Peregrine falcons, eagles, salamanders and other wildlife may also be visible. Depending on the group size, hikers can rappel a second time or relax by the river. Guests can slide or plunge into the cool mountain waters below on the hike back.

Participants should plan to be in the wilderness four to six hours. No experience is necessary, although comfort with heights and rappelling is required. French Broad Adventures provides safety gear, Astral water shoes and a small backpack. Excursions start at $141 per person. For more information, visit FrenchBroadRafting.com.

LEARN WATERCOLOR PAINTING

Adventure isn’t for everyone. For those who prefer a quieter outdoor

EASY DOES IT: “It’s an interesting area because you can’t see the waterfall unless you hike in,” says French Broad Adventures’ Tyler Donaldson. Photo courtesy of French Broad Adventures

BRUSH STROKES: Blue Ridge Hiking Co. guide and local artist Heidi Nisbett leads three-day backpacking trips in Pisgah National Forest that also are watercolor painting lessons. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Hiking Co.

experience, Blue Ridge Hiking Co. guide and local artist Heidi Nisbett leads three-day backpacking trips in Pisgah National Forest that also are watercolor painting lessons.

Nisbett provides painting supplies to share as well as an all-natural watercolor palette, water cup, brush and watercolor sketchbook. All food and gear are provided, and no experience is necessary.

Nisbett hopes that backpackers will find a deeper connection with nature the way she does when painting outside. “For the duration of that time, you’re so focused on what you’re doing,” she explains. “You aren’t thinking about work, your family back home, the hard miles you hiked that day. It’s mindfulness, setting an intention and being present in that moment with what’s around you.” (If an overnight trip sounds like too much, Nisbett also teaches “paint-and-sip” workshops at Hi-Wire Brewing’s Biltmore Village location.)

During the daily 2-to 3-mile expedition, backpackers can expect to see waterfalls, wildflowers and views of the surrounding mountains near the John Rock Trail. Nisbett teaches watercolor basics like atmospheric perspective and brush stroke techniques. After the three days of hiking, guests will have walked quite a few miles in Pisgah National Forest as well as completed a few watercolor paintings.

Visit www.BlueRidgeHikingCo. com for more information.

PEEP SYNCHRONOUS FIREFLIES

Synchronous fireflies are one of at least 19 species of fireflies living in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which sprawls across western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Each year, the special fireflies (Photinus carolinus) return for a showstopping performance as

they search for a mate. For a dose of natural wonder that truly cannot be seen anyplace else, guests can venture into the park to watch this mass of fluttering bugs flashing in sync.

Viewers can expect to see entire sections of the forest pulsating with light as the fireflies harmonize. According to the National Park Service, a series of five to eight flashes, followed by an 8-second pause, repeats continuously. It appears random until the periods of darkness synchronize; the flashing syncs as more males join and create the display. Lindsey Barr, owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Co., compares the sight of the synchronicity of the fireflies to the ethereal glow of bioluminescent algae in the ocean.

Blue Ridge Hiking Co. hosts an overnight trip to see the synchronous fireflies, which takes place at 10 a.m. June 10 near Gatlinburg, Tenn. (There is a shuttle available that departs from Asheville.) Melissa Watkins will lead the group to a backcountry campsite in hopes of witnessing the light show. The 9-mile loop trek, in historic Elkmont, an area of the park that was once a logging community, features waterfalls, wildflowers, riverside hiking and 1,400 feet of total elevation. Hikers should plan on covering approximately 4.5 miles each day and be comfortable with night hiking, as this is when the fireflies are active. (The trip is planned during the season when synchronous fireflies are most active; however, there is some risk involved, since no one can guarantee firefly sightings.)

The overnight trip costs $505 per person, which covers permits, guide fees, backpacking gear, food and transportation between the meet-up location and the trailhead. Scholarships, sliding-scale fees and payment plans are available for the trip as well. For more information, visit BlueRidgeHikingCo.com.

Elizabeth Garbarino, MD

Grace Evins, MD

Phoenix rising

Changes abound heading into AVL Beer Week

Lots of moves are afoot within the craft beverage industry as its members prepare to celebrate AVL Beer Week 2023. And the epicenter of activity is 101 S. Lexington Ave.

Less than a year ago, Bhramari Brewing Co. was seemingly thriving at its South Slope location and preparing to open its Charlotte taproom. Now, the business is no more, replaced by new brewery Terra Nova Beer Co., which is set to debut in Bhramari’s former home in late May or early June.

Such major changes are rare for the Asheville beer scene — but not entirely unheard of. Less than a year after Craggie Brewing Co.’s closure in 2012, Hi-Wire Brewing opened in that same Hilliard Avenue space; and Archetype Brewing moved with similar speed in 2019 to add its second location, mere months after Habitat Brewing Co. closed and vacated its taproom on North Lexington Avenue.

But the swiftness with which Bhramari folded and the lack of transparency around its closing sets it apart from those prior shutterings, each of which was announced in advance. In mid-January, multiple Bhramari employees posted on social media about layoffs within the company. Xpress reached out to Josh Dillard, executive chef and managing owner, for comment, but emails were not returned.

On Feb. 7, Bhramari broke the silence with an Instagram post, citing “circumstances beyond our control.”

On April 13, Jay Munro, managing partner of Bhramari’s parent company, Hivemind LLC, confirmed the brewery’s closure “due to unexpected financial hardship” and announced the formation of an entirely separate brewery, spearheaded by a locally based leadership team. Munro, who lives in Finland, had a largely passive role with the company, but has been

in Asheville since February, actively working alongside Terra Nova’s head of brewing, Kyle McKenzie, former Green Man Brewery head brewer; General Manager Steven Brett, past manager at City Bakery; and director

AVL Beer Week highlights

For her first AVL Beer Week as Asheville Brewers Alliance executive director, Karis Roberts is going big.

“It’s going to be an exciting time where we see Asheville come together, celebrate community and drink a lot of beer,” Roberts says. “Plus, there’s spirits, there’s mead, there’s cider. And we’ve got two new breweries opening up.”

River Arts District Brewing Co. is set for its grand opening on Saturday, May 20, noon-10 p.m. The celebration takes place in its taproom at 13 Mystery St. Meanwhile, Terra Nova Beer Co. will have brews on tap across Beer Week’s Friday, May 19-Saturday, May 27, run — just not at its taproom.

The Brewers Alliance also seeks to give back to the community by helping The Blood Connection grow its blood supply via the inaugural Battle of the Breweries Blood Drive, which runs throughout Beer Week.

“There’s going to be a bus parked at [a different] brewery every day,” Roberts says. “And you will donate your blood on behalf of a brewery and then you’ll get a T-shirt and a koozie and a little gift card [to use at the brewery].”

Nonalcoholic events are also on the calendar, including a mocktail showcase at The Mule on May 19, and numerous music, comedy and trivia events.

AVL Beer Week is also partnering with GRINDFest, which celebrates the success of local Black entrepreneurs and business owners, Friday, May 26-Sunday, May 28. Among its offerings is a concert on Saturday, May 27, at Salvage Station featuring hip-hop artists Big Boi, Talib Kweli and Waka Flocka Flame

To learn more, visit avl.mx/bkz. X

for Voting!

of operations Doss Church, founder and former CEO of Asheville-based software company Galaxy Digital.

“It’s an entirely brand-new group of people doing something totally new. And so, we really can’t speak to the past,” Church says. “We are as a team focused on the future and what we’re doing next.”

Even the new brewery’s name, Terra Nova — Latin for “new land” — speaks to a fresh start, which will be evident across the board. Interior and exterior walls feature murals by local artist Amar Stewart, and McKenzie plans to offer a variety of beers from recipes he’s been developing so that there’s something for everyone. He says to expect everything from hazy and West Coast IPAs to German and Czech-style lagers.

“I want to make as much lager beer as this facility will allow us to make,” McKenzie says. “I’m very raw-material focused — and as minimally processed as we could possibly use. I plan on trying to use whole ingredients, whether that’s whole fruit or whole vanilla beans as supposed to vanilla extract.”

These beers, as well as craft sodas and pre-made cocktails will all be served from a redesigned bar. Additional renovations include replacing the property’s current parking lot with a beer garden. Church says that 15 large trees — all 20-25 feet tall — will be planted in the beer garden at the end of the year. He envisions the finished outdoor space as a lush, green area where all ages can hang out and enjoy the occasional musical performance from a new stage.

Meanwhile, Bharmari’s former Charlotte location is being leased to a

FRESH FACES: The Terra Nova Beer Co. team seeks to hold true to its name — Latin for “new land” — as it operates from the former Bhramari Brewing Co. space. Photo by Joel Coady

Charleston, S.C.-based brewery that will be making expansion announcements in the coming weeks.

The house that Oscar built

Asheville’s oldest craft brewery is likewise not immune to change. In January, Highland Brewing Co. shed multiple jobs across the company as a result of internal shifts throughout the past few years.

Nikki Mitchell, vice president of brand development, notes that Highland’s staff has realigned as industry, company and departmental needs have changed. Reorganizations in the hospitality, brewing and packaging teams over the past two years subsequently gave way to consolidation in marketing and hospitality.

“It’s true a few great folks lost positions,” Mitchell says.

She also stresses that Highland is not exempt from the challenges facing the beverage industry. From supply chain issues to inflation, she notes that pressure is everywhere, particularly during and in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. “Everything costs more now — ingredients, packaging, utilities, freight and people,” she says.

In turn, Highland’s model shifted from an 80/20 distribution-to-taproom sales model to 60/40 and scaled back its presence to four states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.

“We’ve taken the ‘deeper vs. wide’ approach to our distribution footprint over the past five years,” Mitchell says. “The focus keeps our beer fresh and our relationships strong. With that mantra in mind, we left Florida and Virginia.”

With the readjustments, Highland can better focus on the future, which includes new beer releases, as well the recent expansion of its volleyball courts at its East Asheville taproom and the completion of its 18-hole disc golf course.

But the brewery’s crowning achievement took place May 3, when Highland founder Oscar Wong was awarded the Order of The Long Leaf Pine — the highest civilian honor granted by the governor of North Carolina to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state. The accomplishment was followed May 16 with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque honoring Wong and the birthplace of Asheville craft beer on the main floor of Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, in whose basement Highland operated for over a decade.

Edwin Arnaudin X

George Burns’ Yellow Brick Road

SART returns to repertory roots with dual productions

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

earnaudin@mountainx.com

By producing Say Goodnight, Gracie and The Azure Sky in Oz at the same time, Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre is able to showcase two high-quality plays and even offer a few double feature days. But Chelsey Lee Gaddy, senior artistic director for the Mars Hill-based company, is aware of the risks involved with such an ambitious endeavor as well.

“Hopefully, our patrons will not be too confused,” Gaddy says. “Because the content of these shows are very different, some folks might be disappointed if they show up on the wrong night. Our ticketing platform and website are very clear about which show is playing when, so we are hoping folks get the chance to check out both.”

Say Goodnight, Gracie, a one-man play by Rupert Holmes, starring area stage favorite Pasquale LaCorte as legendary comedian George Burns, opens Thursday, May 18. And the following night, New York City-based actor Amanda Ladd — a Mars Hill University theater arts alum and longtime SART company member — portrays a different real-life woman in each of The Azure Sky in Oz’s two acts, both of whose lives were profoundly changed by neurodiverse people.

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

Having performers whom Gaddy says “have done legendary work on the SART stage” gives the company the confidence to attempt this double dip. She adds that both productions have also recently been presented by other theater companies (Say Goodnight, Gracie at Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in 2021, and The Azure Sky in Oz at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival) and feel well suited to the intimate SART stage. And a certain tie to the theater’s past adds extra significance to the undertaking.

“When SART was first founded [in 1975], many shows were performed in the repertory style — two or more

plays alternating performances,” Gaddy says. “We wanted to get back to our roots and try this out with this duo of our best teams.”

It’s not the first time the troupe has tested the formula, either. Last December, SART ran A Southern Appalachian Christmas and a Theatre for Young Audiences version of A Christmas Carol. Lessons learned during those productions are informing how the leadership team manages the latest set of parallel shows.

“Our tech and design staff has to be highly skilled to pull off this trick. Nicole Sumpter is managing both shows, and MHU staff member Andrew Zebroski is designing. Their expertise in the technology available to switch between two shows is invaluable,” Gaddy says. “Our two other lead technicians, Katelyn Crutcher and Blake Freeman, just graduated from MHU and were on the management team for our Christmas shows. Their recent experience with this will also be so helpful.”

By keeping the same tech staff for both plays, SART is hoping for simple transitions from show to show, particularly as each play relies on the theater’s new projection system to tell the story at hand. Gaddy and her crew got to test out that system in late March during MHU Theatre Arts’ production of Neil Simon’s Sweet Charity that she directed, refining the process with projections before using it for SART shows.

“We want to keep revisiting things from our SART past that have worked, especially as we approach our 50th year of producing work,” Gaddy says. “We are already avidly planning other experiences like this one and are excited to learn more about the best way to accomplish this process with modern day technology. If it was possible in 1975, it is certainly possible today.”

INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO

Say Goodnight, Gracie is laden with what LaCorte calls “fun challenges.” Among them is pulling off a one-man show, which can prove exhausting;

timing the emotions so as not to understate them and not to overstate them, which he says “makes or breaks a show”; plus engaging with an audience, alone, for 90 minutes.

Atop those obstacles is the challenge of portraying a legend. LaCorte notes that most characters that actors play are fictional or interpreted. But in taking on the role of someone famous like Burns, a different approach felt necessary.

“Learning his mannerisms and speech patterns were imperative to making the character believable to the audience,” LaCorte says. “They have an image of him in their memory. I must re-create that image but without making it an impersonation of him. I’m striving to catch his spirit more than his physical presence. Though, if I do say so myself, I’ve got the look down pretty well.”

Ladd is likewise portraying historical figures in The Azure Sky in Oz, though not nearly as well-known as Burns. In Act I, titled Yellow, she plays Michelle Feulner-Castro, a visual artist whose life is dramatically altered by the birth of her profoundly autistic son. For Act II: Special, Ladd transforms into Mary Tilford, a special education teacher who attempts to stage a production of The Wizard of Oz with her neurodiverse students.

Ladd’s key to understanding these women was playwright William Leavengood, a longtime close friend of Feulner-Castro and Tilford. Though Ladd eventually had the privilege of talking with both subjects about their lived experiences, she held off doing so until she’d rehearsed the play.

“I didn’t want to imitate these amazing human beings,” Ladd says.

“Then when I met them, I said to Bill, ‘Wow, you wrote them so clearly, I’m already embodying so much of who they are.’ That to me is the essence of good writing. It is all right there for the actor to discover.”

ROAD TO SUCCESS

Ladd feels that after performing The Azure Sky in Oz in so many different venues, festivals and communities, she could “pretty much do it anywhere and under any circumstances.” While she’s looking forward to having alternating days and sharing the space with another show, LaCorte sees the additional breaks as yet another challenge.

“I prefer less time off as once a show opens, you get into a groove,” LaCorte says. “The extra time off just requires a bit more discipline to remain focused on the job at hand.”

Though the two actors had yet to meet as of press time due to hectic schedules, they will be collaborating before opening night to coordinate some of the tech issues that will confront them by running the shows in rep. That planning will prove especially crucial on Saturday, May 20-Sunday, May 21, and Saturday, May 27-Sunday, May 28, when they’ll alternate matinee and evening shows.

“I’m not worried. We’re all on the same team,” LaCorte says. “Theater is a constant challenge, and theater people know that working together is the only road to success.”

The shared yet separate experience also seems destined to bond the actors in a distinct way. Ladd intends to see as many performances of Say Goodnight, Gracie as possible and will spend her days off promoting the shows in hopes of cross-pollinating their audiences. LaCorte will likewise support his colleague.

“I will definitely be attending Amanda’s opening night — not only to show support for a fellow actor but because the subject matter of her show is meaningful to me, as it is to so many people,” he says. “Not to mention that I understand her performance is powerful. I’m truly looking forward to it.”

For more information, visit avl.mx/coc. X

IT TAKES TWO: “Say Goodnight, Gracie,” starring Pasquale LaCorte, left, and “The Azure Sky in Oz,” starring Amanda Ladd, right, will take turns on the SART stage, May 18-28. LaCorte photo by John Highsmith; Ladd photo by Liz Gonzales

Neighborhood rock

What a joy it is to hear Scott McMicken’s voice on a record again — and we’ll be hearing a lot more of it soon.

The distinct vocals that anchored such Dr. Dog anthems as “Shadow People,” “That Old Black Hole” and “Do the Trick” now lead the charge on an exciting new project: Scott McMicken and THE EVER-EXPANDING, whose debut album, Shabang, was released March 31. Its 13 original tracks straddle the line between familiarity and experimentation, precisely what many fans want from a reliable source of high-quality tunes.

That they were crafted with a group of musicians McMicken had essentially never met before makes the collection all the more impressive. With Dr. Dog on hiatus from touring, McMicken sent demos to producer/engineer Nick Kinsey, who invited him and longtime friend and collaborator Michael Nau (bass) up to Chicken Shack Recording, Kinsey’s studio in upstate New York, to track with a handpicked ensemble. McMicken had crossed paths with keyboardist Zach Tenorio “once or twice, many years ago,” but otherwise the band was composed of complete strangers — and their lack of baggage paid dividends once they started playing together.

“Clearly, [Kinsey] was choosing people who are a combination of very talented and also very chill. So, there was a sort of curated chillness about it,” McMicken says. “But still, I’ve been making music with the same people for 30 years. I’m not accustomed to making music with people that I don’t know. And I loved it. I really loved it, and that’s why I think I was so obsessed with the social experiment aspect of it, because it was very easy for me to see how differently it felt communicating with a stranger with good intentions.”

While Shebang is peppered with catchy choruses like the one on album standout “Another One,” McMicken and his collaborators exhibit a distinct sense of sonic playfulness. Multiple tracks embrace his space funk side, while the vibraphones on “Reconcile” are reminiscent of Animal Collective’s gleeful, childlike creativity. McMicken says the album was a result of seven fruitful days last summer when he and his new friends were “bopping around the room, grabbing [instruments] that felt cool to them.”

McMicken plans to keep making music with THE EVER-EXPANDING, though touring may be a challenge. The band members are spread across mul-

Scott McMicken, Indigo De Souza and Avey Tare release new albums

tiple states, creating additional travel costs. The group had initially planned for a 14-show run in April but had to cut it down to four gigs. An Asheville show was one of those victims. But other opportunities to catch McMicken live in WNC will soon be plentiful — especially now that he calls our city home.

Having toured through town numerous times with Dr. Dog, McMicken says Asheville “has always left a really positive impression” on him and his wife, Leann Cornelius, a fellow artist and his Press on Records co-founder. Though nothing was driving them to leave Tucson, Ariz., other than curiosity and what he calls “the generally privileged position to be able to pick up and move and try something new,” they relocated to Asheville in May 2021 after an extended visit confirmed their perceptions of the area.

“We wanted to be somewhere really beautiful nature-wise and have some sort of peace and quiet, but also a lot of cool sh*t going on in music and stuff,” McMicken says. “And now, two years in, I feel like life artistically has blossomed beyond my wildest imagination due to a lot of partnerships

and creative collaborations and new friendships I’ve made here. So, it’s all working out awesome.”

Those connections have included Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound; the Oblivians), with whom he’s formed another band — The Hypos — with Evan Martin on drums and Kevin Williams on bass. (Both Martin and Williams also play in Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters.) The Hypos are almost ready to start playing shows around town and nearly done with an album of its own, recorded in McMicken’s no-fuss backyard studio.

“The whole ethos behind the studio is kind of blowing my mind and filling me with a lot of good feelings about making music moving forward,” McMicken says. “It’s just a humble little shed with an eight-track [recorder] in it, but there’s just a lot more embedded in the ethos. And so far, the results have been very affirming of some deepdown, core values about the excellence of collaboration and music-making and the purity of all that.”

McMicken is in the process of moving the studio to a larger shed on his property, at which point he thinks it’ll

be more feasible to “really open the doors” to WNC-based musicians.

“My whole thing is local. I moved here because I wanted to be a local musician,” he says. “Part of what we were looking for in an area to move to was somewhere you could be active — making things and recording things and working with people. And so, I would like to put that message out strongly.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/cmc.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Community building has likewise proved essential to Indigo De Souza’s personal and artistic development in recent years, albeit in her own distinct ways.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the local singer-songwriter and indie rocker had a strong group of friends and musical collaborators. But after recording her second full-length album, 2021’s Any Shape You Take, she reveals that all of those comrades shifted out of her life.

“I was alone, and I was isolated for a while and kind of had a lot of self-worth issues. I just felt like no one cared to

STAR POWER: Clockwise from left, Indigo De Souza, Scott McMicken and Avey Tare each call the Asheville area home. De Souza photo by Angella Choe; McMicken photo by Wyndham Garnett; Tare photo by Amy Grace

get to know me,” De Souza says. “And I think in that isolation, that’s where I found confidence — which sounds crazy, but it was just being alone and feeling like I had nothing that made me find the strength that I needed from within.”

During that period of seclusion, living roughly 30 minutes outside Asheville, she wrote most of the songs that wound up becoming her phenomenal follow-up, All of This Will End, which was released April 28. Looking back, De Souza says she emotionally had more trust in herself going into the creative process, and, for listeners, that growth has resulted in her most impressive collection thus far. For that step forward, we have her new friends to thank.

“Once I found that [strength], I started manifesting people into my life that treated me well and really showed up ... in a way that I actually felt excited about and aligned with me and who I am,” she says. “And it gave me the clarity that all of my past relationships had been extremely toxic. I hadn’t realized that until I saw the other side.”

That perniciousness is reflected in such refreshingly blunt lyrics as “You’re bad/You suck/You f***** me up” on album opener “Time Back.” And on subsequent track “You Can Be Mean To Me,” De Souza gets even rawer, singing, “You can be mean to me/I’m not gonna stop you/You can be a d**k to me/It’s what I’m used to.”

De Souza’s sense of hindsight is especially present in album closer “Younger & Dumber,” a towering anthem that suggests a new direction for her — or at least even more variety for her already diverse sonic palette. While working with producer/engineer Alex Farrar at West Asheville’s Drop of Sun Studios, she brought him a demo of the song featuring just her on vocals and acoustic guitar. At the time, she was unsure how she wanted to build it out, though a vision was starting to form.

“I remember telling him that I wanted it to be very glossy, country-esque — kinda of like ‘Slow Burn’ by Kacey Musgraves, which is just such ear candy,” De Souza says. “I’ve always loved that sound. I love grungy sounds, but I also love pop sounds — like, very clear, crisp, warm-sounding things.”

Farrar was instrumental in combining those two sides of De Souza’s tastes throughout All of This Will End The two bonded while working on Any Shape You Take and have developed a unique communication style. De Souza says she can make “some crazy squealing noise to him” and he understands exactly what she means.

That connection and the others she’s forged in recent years are evident across the LP’s 11 tracks and left De Souza in a much better place than she was at the onset of the project.

“I met all these new friends and created new community and woke up from that isolation,” she says. “And then when I recorded this album, it was when I was surrounded by that community that had lifted me up. So, there was a lot of beautiful connection between my community and the process.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/cmb.

FLIPPING THE SWITCH

For fellow Asheville resident Dave Portner, aka Avey Tare of Animal Collective, the creative process carries a consistently intriguing question: Should the song at hand go toward his electro-rock bandmates’ next album or his solo work?

“If I’m writing for Animal Collective, then I usually imagine that the other guys will fill in the gaps and add the frequencies I’m not providing,” Portner says. “That also means that their personalities shine in there as well.”

But for his Avey Tare albums, including the engrossing February release, 7s, Portner tends to experiment a little more with songs outside the Animal Collective comfort and taste zones.

“The timing of Animal Collective versus solo stuff has made it that I usually start writing solo music while Animal Collective is touring or finished, and so I’m not really thinking or acting on touring my solo stuff in those moments,” he says. “The music has always been created for the studio. Then I will decide how to play it live later.”

With 7s, the recording meant working with producer/engineer Adam McDaniel at Drop of Sun Studios.

Portner says he and his longtime friend don’t enjoy dwelling on one thing for too long, resulting in a strong balance between deep listening, being productive and getting things recorded. He adds that McDaniel is also deft with little details, knowing when a beat needs a brief breath or space as well as where to put in what Portner calls “cool artifacts.”

“Adam is great at collecting a sound bed that can be used for the production as the process goes on. Like, he’ll run separate effects chains while I’m tracking so we have a whole wide array of sounds to work with,” Portner says. “He’s very aware and observant ... and marks things I like so we can go back to them later and use them somewhere. We’re able to move things along well together at a nice pace.”

Their sonic collaborations pair exceedingly well with Portner’s lyrical imagery of mountains, trails and rivers. During the writing of 7s, he was spending most of his free time hiking and camping around the Asheville area — just the right environment for inspiration to strike.

“When I have that kind of space and clear head, that’s when a lot of ideas start coming in,” he says. “I think a lot of the soul of the record comes from me reflecting and doing inner work while out in the North Carolina mountains. So, it seems fitting that it would pop up here and there in the lyrics. It’s my medicine and where I find the most peace.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/cmg.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

Where Adult Dreams

Body Piercing & Tattoo Studio

What’s new in food

The Crunchy Baker rolls out baking classes

Laura Walton, founder of The Crunchy Baker, will launch a new series of in-person baking classes starting Saturday, May 20, 10 a.m.1 p.m.

Walton, (whose husband, Daniel, is an Xpress contributing editor), taught at the high school level for nearly a decade before turning her professional attention to pastries.

“Toward the end of my school-teaching career, I wanted to focus full time on creating a suburban homestead, as well as teach baking and homesteading on my own terms,” says Walton. “I loved being in a classroom and doing the actual work of teaching, so my enthusiasm, as well as my experience with lesson planning and classroom management, will be superhelpful in this new venture.”

Walton is a lifelong baker with many formative memories of family kitchen experiences and experimenting with Pillsbury baking books as a kid. In 2020, she began attending local markets and building a committed following in East Asheville and Weaverville. She even won a blue ribbon for her pound cake at the N.C. Mountain State Fair.

Much like in the classroom, Walton felt at home at these venues interacting with new and familiar faces each day. As relationships grew, Walton envisioned a way to combine her loves of baking and teaching through accessible, personalized lessons at her Arden commercial kitchen.

“Gaining a consistent customer base, as well as having lots of practice baking for markets and festivals, has built confidence over the years to start classes,” she says.

Fittingly, Walton’s first class covers the basics of bread making. Just four ingredients (flour, water, salt and yeast) will be explored by beginners wanting to learn the fundamentals.

“I want to take some of the mystery out of baking, help people build confidence in the kitchen and share sustainable baking practices,” explains Walton. All classes will teach students the basics of responsible ingredient sourcing, composting and creative uses for leftover baked goods.

“I hope that sharing simple practices and information through classes will motivate my students to make and share positive, sustainable changes in their own kitchens,” Walton says.

Each class runs for three hours and takes place at 16 Glenn Willow Drive No. 36, Arden. The $99 course fee includes all ingredients, equipment and snacks. Visit avl.mx/cof for tickets and information.

Cultura Root to Table

Cultura will host chef Gabriel McIntosh and Namaari Kawamura of Better Thymes for a fully plantbased dinner on Thursday, May 18. The five-course menu will be prepared in collaboration with Cultura executive chef Eric Morris and his team, with proceeds supporting Equal Plates Project, a local nonprofit connecting WNC’s agricultural communities with neighbors who need access to fresh, locally grown, nutritious meals.

Better Thymes has been making a name for itself at local markets and through retail partnerships around town. All products from the smallbatch business, including hot sauces, trail bars and granola, are locally sourced, natural and vegan.

“This is a chance for us to share our vision, introduce our small business and showcase our culinary talents to share with the community,” says Kawamura, partner and co-founder of Better Thymes. “We are grateful for the opportunity to tell our story and work with chef Eric and his team to create our dinner.”

Highlights of the evening’s menu include beetroot tartare, okonomiyaki waffles, Sichuan dan dan-stuffed bao raviolis and more. A complimentary tequila shot will accompany a beignet doughnut dessert.

“The story we are trying to tell with our food is that healthy food can taste good. We believe in an overall balanced diet and want to offer food product alternatives for those who seek it and need it,” says Kawamura. “This will be an intimate and heartfelt evening, and we’re excited to tell our story through food.”

Cultura is at 147 Coxe Ave. Tickets cost $125 per person and include gratuity and beverage pairings. Email Cultura directly at culturareservation@ gmail.com for tickets.

Cater to your cravings

Crave Dessert Bar presents its very first drag brunch event on Sunday, May 21, 1:30-4 p.m

“Even in its nomenclature, ‘crave’ is a word that’s all about passion,” says co-owner Sheldon Osborne “When you crave something, it’s not just descriptive — it’s a feeling — and we are passionate about being a safe space for inclusivity and expression. We truly are a multicultural organization, and we represent that not only through the people we hire but also [by] who we create an oasis for.”

Hosted by drag queen Ivanna Cookie, guests will be served a full brunch with a complimentary mimosa prior to a “sickeningly sweet” show performed by Cookie and other local drag artists.

“We find it important to be a part of that community that provides space for art and love of all kinds,” says Osborne. “Even more

importantly: fun of all kinds, and that’s what Cookie and her team bring on a consistent basis when they perform.”

Guests can expect an array of dishes, such as Margherita flatbread, empanadas, decadent cupcakes and chocolate-covered strawberry desserts. Crave’s full-service bar will also be open for purchasing additional cocktails, beer and wine.

Crave is at 41 N. Lexington Ave. Suite 100. Tickets cost $38 per person. Visit avl.mx/cog for tickets and additional information.

Beer and cheese pairing

Blue Ghost Brewing Co., in partnership with the WNC Cheese Trail

and Barn Door Ciderworks, hosts an educational and experiential cheese and beer pairing event Tuesday, May 23, at 6 p.m.

This event marks the return of a long-running series combining Blue Ghost Brewing’s beer expertise with the WNC Cheese Trail’s commitment to all things cheese. The recurring event was put on hold throughout the pandemic, but now the tasty tradition is back and welcomes Barn Door Ciderworks to join in.

“We are all lucky enough to live in an abundant, beautiful part of the country where we can use local ingredients to create absolutely delightfully delicious food and drink,” says Barn Door co-owner Katie Moore . “As small-business owners, we take great pride in what we produce and love sharing that goodness with our guests.”

Event participants will be guided through a tasting of four paired beers and cheeses complemented by other pairing snacks, such as crackers, olives and breads. Hosts will offer education on individual tasting components, describe why the flavors of beer and cheese work so well together and shed light on the beer- and cheese-making processes.

“Our theme is to provide insightful information about our products and provide a fun way for our guests to enjoy themselves.”

Blue Ghost Brewing Co. is at 125 Underwood Road, Fletcher. Visit avl.mx/coe to purchase tickets at $40 per person.

NC food banks struggle

Food banks across North Carolina have announced a precipitous increase in the need for food and resources for people experiencing hunger after extra Food and Nutrition Services benefits ended in February.

MANNA FoodBank reported an increase of more than 10,000 people in need across the 16 counties of Western North Carolina from the final quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023. This trend is expected to continue as inflation adds to the strain of expired benefits.

“We are now serving over 133,000 people on average each month,” says MANNA FoodBank Chief Executive Officer Claire Neal in a news release. “This is more than double the number of people we were serving prior to the pandemic and is reflective of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis that thousands of households across our region are facing. These troubling trends underscore even further what we continue to hear from thousands of families every month: Even working full time, their income isn’t meeting their most basic needs.”

In response to the heightened demand, the MANNA network of food banks continues to implement new programs to find strategic solutions addressing hunger today. For information on how you can get involved and help end local hunger, visit avl.mx/6gn.

— Blake Becker

X

BAKE AND LEARN: Laura Walton combines her loves of baking and teaching through The Crunchy Baker. Photo courtesy of Laura Walton

Around Town

Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival returns

Unapologetic sultriness. A culture of empowerment. Representation of diverse bodies.

Audiences can expect all that and more when the Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival returns to Asheville from Thursday-Saturday, May 25-27, organizers say. The variety arts extravaganza had been on hiatus since 2019 due to COVID safety concerns.

“This is a collaboration of artists that have worked together before and are now ready to share what they’ve all been working on for the past few years

in artistic isolation,” says Lauren O’Leary, aka Madame Onça, the festival’s executive director. “Our stripping comes with storytelling. It’s basically sexy, smart comedy with an overall uplifting message.”

The 14th ABSFest gets underway Thursday, May 25, with Onça leading a Tarot for Everyone workshop at Raven and Crone from 6-7:30 p.m.

On Friday, May 26, Brooklyn-based goth folk band Charming Disaster will play live music behind burlesque and variety acts at Friday Speakeasy

Seance at The Grey Eagle, 8 p.m. VIPS will get early priority seating with entertainment by juggler Paolo Garbanzo

Action shifts to The Orange Peel on Saturday, May 27, with a series of workshops from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Topics include burlesque improvisation, songwriting and introduction to veil poi, an art form that involves swinging tethered weights through a variety of rhythmical and geometric patterns.

The Saturday Spectacular will feature headliner May Hemmer, a burlesque artist known as the Cocoa Barbie, at 8 p.m. at The Orange Peel. Also on the bill will also be sword swallowing, aerials and live music.

Onça, who has been part of Asheville’s art scene since 1995, created the festival as a local event in 2007.

“Variety arts and gender fluidity have always been integral to our festival, and that’s unusual,” Onça says. “It’s important to us to honor the shared vaudevillian history of burlesque, gender-bending and sideshow.”

That is particularly true at a time when trans rights and drag shows are coming under fire in many states, Onça says.

“There is no more vital work we can do as artists than to be loud and clear in our actions and our art that

we oppose the policing of bodies and those of our communities.”

Raven and Crone is at 640 Merrimon Ave., No. 207. The Grey Eagle is at 185 Clingman Ave. The Orange Peel is at 101 Biltmore Ave. For more information or to buy tickets, visit avl.mx/col.

Ghost (light) stories

Three months after Matthew Vollmer’s mother died, his father started seeing strange lights in the rural Cherokee County cove where he lived.

“I began to document the appearance and evolution of these lights over the course of several months,” says Vollmer, a Virginia Tech English professor. “I also made inquiries, did research on ‘ghost lights,’ [and] consulted with a shaman and an Anglican priest, as well as friends and family.”

After that, he says, things got weirder and weirder.

Vollmer recounts these unusual experiences, explores his grief and delves into family secrets in his new memoir, All of Us Together in the End, published last month by Hub City Press.

The book originally focused on Vollmer’s experiences growing up

SPIRIT OF VAUDEVILLE: From left, Madame Onça, Nadira, May Hemmer and Selia d’Katzmeow will be among those performing at the Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival. Photo courtesy of ABSFest

in the Seventh-day Adventist church in the small town of Andrews. But when his mother died shortly after he delivered the manuscript to his agent in September 2019, he decided to revise it. The ghost lights near his father’s house provided inspiration.

Ghost lights are lights or fires that appear in the atmosphere without an obvious cause.

“I’ve always been interested in that which can’t be explained, perhaps because I was raised in a religion whose adherents seemed to believe everything could,” says Vollmer, the author of five other books. “I was always jealous of people in Bible stories who bore witness to burning bushes and water turning to wine. I wanted to experience something I couldn’t explain.”

He hopes readers will likewise see the value of embracing uncertainty.

“The world — and the universe — is probably a lot bigger and more complex than we can comprehend,” says Vollmer. “Paradoxes can be true: for instance, our loved ones are always with us, even after they’re gone. For more information or to buy the book, go to avl.mx/com.

Schoolhouse rock

The Royal Suits will headline Time Machine Dance Party, a fundraiser for Asheville Music School, at 8 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Salvage Station.

The bill also will include special guests and AMS’ flagship student band, Minør.

Money raised from the concert will provide scholarships and outreach and help fund the school’s new Sound Lab, which is used for teaching recording, engineering and composition production techniques. The lab opened in 2022 as part of AMS’ new West Asheville campus.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

Salvage Station is at 468 Riverside Drive. For more information, go to avl.mx/con.

Medieval times

First Presbyterian Church Asheville will present Julian , a one-woman show about the life of medieval mystic Julian of Norwich, on Friday, May 19, 7 p.m.

The show will be the 100th and final performance by the Rev. Linda C. Loving, a Presbyterian minister and actor who has taken on the role for 26 years in the United States and England. The play was written by J.

Janda

Julian of Norwich was a mystic, writer and spiritual guide in the

14th century. She lived in a hermit cell in her hometown and survived the plague three times. Her book, Revelations of Divine Love, remains in print and is the first known book written in English by a woman.

First Presbyterian Church Asheville is at 40 Church St. For more information or to buy $10 tickets, go to avl.mx/cop.

Dykeman residence

John Vercher, author of the award-winning 2019 novel Three-Fifths, will be UNC Asheville’s inaugural Wilma Dykeman writer-in-residence.

The writer-in-residence program is open to writers ”whose work embodies a passion for equity and inclusion and demonstrates a commitment to social, racial, environmental and/or gender justice,“ UNCA says in a press release. The residency, offered in conjunction with the Wilma Dykeman Legacy, offers the recipient four consecutive weeks to write in the late Dykeman’s home.

Dykeman was an environmentalist, civil rights reporter and bestselling novelist.

Vercher will collaborate with UNCA to plan an activity to engage with the campus and Asheville community.

“To say I’m inspired to have the opportunity to create and write in the home of a woman who dedicated her creative efforts to equity and social justice when I aspire to do the same with my own writing only begins to describe the enormity of emotion I’m experiencing in this moment,” he says in a press release.

In addition to Three-Fifths, Vercher is the author of 2022’s After the Lights Go Out. His third novel, Devil Is Fine, is due in 2024.

For more information, visit avl.mx/coo.

— Justin McGuire X

MOVIE REVIEWS

Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include:

HYPNOTIC: Director Robert Rodriguez and star Ben Affleck achieve new career lows in this lazy sci-fi "thriller" that spells out every last detail. Grade: F

— Edwin Arnaudin

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

WEDNESDAY, MAY 17

27 CLUB

Abrevity w/Snakesnakewhale & Systematic Devastation (rock), 9pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

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

SALVAGE STATION

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe w/Ivan Neville (jazz), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE BARRELHOUSE Original Music Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Strawhouse, Old Weather & Taylor

Knighton (folk, rock, Americana), 4pm

• Riki Rachtman: One Foot in the Gutter, 7:30pm

THE ODD King Sh!t: Episode 5, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Hari Kondabolu, 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, MAY 18

ASHEVILLE ART

MUSEUM

Laura Boswell (folk), 6pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Kiki Thursday: Drag Party w/DJ RexxStep, 9pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Strangebyrds (folk, Americana), 7:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

JR Williams (multiple genres), 6pm

EURISKO BEER CO.

Ashevillians Comedy Showcase, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Divine’s Drag Cabaret, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

IMPERIÁL Homage to OFWGKTA, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Catoe White (acoustic), 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Possum Royale (Americana, folk), 8pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Steve Della Sala (altrock), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Mama & The Ruckus (blues, rock), 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Alex Homan w/ Superflower, Yes Selma & Nostalgianoid (ambient-noise, indie), 8pm

THE BUSH FARMHOUSE

African Music Nights, 6pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR

Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: John Allen Keck (alt-rock), 4pm

• Andrew Duhon & Abe Partridge (Americana, folk, country), 7pm

THE ODD

Graveyard Shift: Goth Dance Party, 8pm

THE OUTPOST Solvivor (blues, rock), 6pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Thursday Night

Karaoke, 8:45pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE

Latin Dancing Night, 8:30pm

FRIDAY, MAY 19

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Venus (dark house dance party), 10pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 7:30pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL Boogie T (dance, electronic, riddim), 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Syrrup (jazz, soul, and blues), 6pm

BOTANIST & BARREL TASTING BAR + BOTTLE SHOP

The Blushin' Roulettes (folk), 6pm

CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba:

Ryan Brown, 7pm

CORK & KEG

Vivian Leva & Riley

Calcagno (old-soul, indiefolk, Appalachian), 8pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

DJ Ramin & Friends (house, techno), 9pm

FLEETWOOD'S

The Whiffs, Rocky MTN

Roller, Pleasure House & Jonny Couch (punk), 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Drag Music Bingo w/ Divine, 7pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Oragami (house, indie, dance), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Honky-Tonk Fridays w/Jackson Grimm, 4pm

• Jesse & The Jugs (honky-tonk, rock'n'roll, bluegrass), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Local Gossip (covers), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

• Free Dead Friday w/ Gus & Phriends, 5pm

• Higher Education (rock'n'roll, psych, roots), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

5J Barrow Friday Nights (folk), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Natti Love Joys (reggae), 7pm

POINT LOOKOUT

VINEYARDS Confederate Railroad (country, rock), 7:30pm

SALVAGE STATION Gov't Mule w/Neal Francis (Southern-rock, jam), 5:30pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Lazybirds (roots, blues, jazz), 9pm

SILVERADOS

Them Dirty Roses (rock), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Sister Ivy (neo-soul, funk, rock), 9pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Sik Minds (Rap, hiphop), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Abby Posner (folk, roots, pop), 4pm

• The Foozer Experience (Foo Fighters & Weezer tribute), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Fo Daniels (rock'n'roll), 7pm

DATING SHOW: The inaugural Blind Date Live AVL takes place Saturday, May 20, at 7 p.m. In a show hosted at Story Parlor, participants will go on a blind date with other random singles in front of a live audience. Photo by David Gwaltney

I

“I depend on the Xpress to give me a different side of the story from TV and the other local newspapers.” – Cassie Welsh

THE ODD

Cam Girl w/Cloud City

Caskets & Tiny TVs, 8pm

THE OUTPOST

Bluestreak (rock), 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Cider Celts (Celtic, folk, old-time), 6pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

Jay Dipaola (funk, blues, jazz), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Chuck Brodsky (Americana, folk), 8pm

SATURDAY, MAY 20

27 CLUB

Leaving for Arizona, Tcoooa & Slothh (emo, alt-rock), 7pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

80s MAXimum Overdrive w/DJ Nato, 10pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Runaway Gin (Phish tribute), 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Stephen Evans (folk, rock), 6pm

CORK & KEG

3 Cool Cats (rock'n'roll), 8pm

DSSOLVR

Radioactive: Cybergoth Rave, 7pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

• Served By Sev Drag

Brunch w/DJ Issac

Thursday, 11am

• Haus of Liqueur, 9pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Fantømex, The Welcoming & Hunger Anthem (indie, punk), 9pm

FROG LEVEL BREWERY

Muddy Guthrie (Americana, rock, blues), 6pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

Tina & Her Pony(indiefolk, Americana), 4pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

The Dan Clare Duo (bluegrass), 7pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Nex Millen (hip-hop, funk, R&B), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

• Nobody's Darling

String Band, 4pm

• The Trusty Hucksters (swing, rock'n'roll, jazz), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Karaoke Night, 9pm

NOBLE CIDER

DOWNTOWN

Don't Tell Comedy: Downtown Asheville, 7pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

East Coast Dirt (rock, psychedelia), 10pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Kid Hop Hooray (dance party), 10:30am

SALVAGE STATION

Gov't Mule w/Maggie Rose (Southern-rock, jam), 5:30pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Jamie Hendrickson & Datrian Johnson

Acoustic Quartet (Appalachian-soul), 9pm

SILVERADOS

Who's Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Experience w/Lazr Luvr, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Brother Jim Hadley & Ryan Shah (hymns, folk, blues), 9pm

STORY PARLOR

Blind Date Live AVL, 7pm

THE BURGER BAR

Best Worst Karaoke with KJ Thunderk*nt, 9pm

THE MEADOW AT

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

The Feels & The High Flying Criminals (soul, rock, funk), 5:30pm

THE ODD

Party Foul Drag: Saturday Night Tease, 7pm

THE OUTPOST

Drip A Silver (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

Livin’ on the Ledge Series w/Phantom Pantone, 2pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Zoe & Cloyd (old-time, folk, bluegrass), 8pm

SUNDAY, MAY 21

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Life's a Drag Brunch, 12pm

B-SIDES LOFT

Cal Fish, Natural Blk

Invention & Alice

Does Computer Music (techno, electronic, house), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Dave Desmelik (alt-country, folk, Americana), 2pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Dani-Rae Clark, Busy Weather & Pipsqueak (punk, queer-country), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

HIGHLAND DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Mr Jimmy Duo (blues), 1pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Ek Balam (lo-fi, electronic, indie), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Steve Durose (folk), 3pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

• Kid Billy (roots, blues, indie-folk), 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Aaron Woody Wood (Appalachia, soul, Americana), 7pm

THE BUSH FARMHOUSE

Greg Candle (classic-country, old-blues), 12pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Burlesque Brunch, 11am

• Bob Dylan's 82nd Birthday Celebration (Bob Dylan tribute), 6pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Fire Flower (jazz), 2pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

WELLRED Comedy: Trae Crowder, The Liberal Redneck, Drew Morgan & Corey Ryan

Forrester, 7:30pm

ZILLICOAH BEER CO.

PubSing, 4pm

MONDAY, MAY 22

27 CLUB

Monday Karaoke, 9pm

5 WALNUT WINE BAR

CaroMia, Rahm, Daniel Iannuci & Jaze Uries (soul, R&B, folk), 8pm

GINGER'S REVENGE SOUTH SLOPE LOUNGE

Don't Tell Comedy: South Slope Lounge, 8pm

HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB

Taylor Martin's Open Mic Mondays, 6:30pm

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

LITTLE JUMBO

The CORE (live recording), 7pm

NOBLE CIDER DOWNTOWN Freshen Up Comedy Open Mic, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Nights, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Open Mic Downtown, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Mashup Mondays w/ The JLloyd Mashup Band, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Advance Base w/Julie

Odell & Sinai Vessel (indie, nostalgic-lofi), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Acid Mothers Temple w/ST 37 (rock, psych, space-rock), 7pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Jay Brown w/Madelyn

Llana & Sarah Mumford (folk), 7pm

TUESDAY, MAY 23

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

• Trivia w/Drag Queens, 8pm

• Karaoke w/Gany-

mede, 10pm

DIFFERENT WRLD

Angel Du$t w/Life's

Question & Jivebomb (rock), 7pm

IMPERIÁL DJ Mad Mike, 9pm

LITTLE JUMBO

The CORE (live recording), 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

The Grateful Family Band Tuesdays (Dead tribute, jam band, rock), 6pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Weekly Open Jam hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 6:30pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Multicult & US Christmas (post-punk, hard-rock), 8pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Late Night Trivia, 9:30pm

THE ODD Open Mic Comedy, 8pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Tuesday Night Trivia, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24

27 CLUB 80's Prom (costume dance party), 9pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

B-SIDES LOFT Child of Night (darkwave, dark-techno), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Drayton & The Dreamboats (vintage-jazz, rock'n'roll), 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

SALVAGE STATION

Filter w/Uncured & The Haunt (rock), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE BARRELHOUSE Original Music Open Mic, 12am

THE FOUNDRY HOTEL

Shed Bugs (rock, blues, funk), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE Austin Meade (rock), 8pm

THE ODD Tombstone Hwy, Systematic Devastation & Hellen's Bridge (stoner-metal, sludge-metal, punk), 7pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Wednesday Open Mic, 5:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

WICKED WEED

BREWING

• Kipper's Totally Rad Trivia, 6pm

THURSDAY, MAY 25

27 CLUB Assimilation (multigenre dance party), 10pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Kiki Thursday: Drag Party w/DJ RexxStep, 9pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

The Tallboys (rock, reggae), 7:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Hunter Begley (alt-country, folk), 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

Modelface Comedy: Good Cop & Rad Cop, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

IMPERIÁL

Homage to The Soulquarians (neo-soul), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

J. Dunks (Americana), 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 9pm

ONE WORLD BREWING Andy Ferrell (folk, blues, bluegrass), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST Off World Vehicle (space-rock), 8pm

PULP

Standup Comedy Feature & Open Mic, 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Stand Up Comedy for Your Health, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Silver Doors w/Watches & Impending Joy (garage-rock, psych, dad-rock), 8pm

THE BUSH

FARMHOUSE

African Music Nights, 6pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Moon Water (Americana, roots, country), 4pm

• Kaleta & Super Yamba Band (Afro-beats, psych, funk), 7pm

THE ODD

Queer County Night:

Dani-Rae Clark, Connie Page Henshaw & Rachel Angel, 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Thursday Night Karaoke, 8:45pm

URBAN ORCHARD Trivia Thursday, 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH

SLOPE

Latin Dancing Night w/ DJ, 8:30pm

WICKED WEED BREWING

Dan Shearin (alt-country), 6pm

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries dramatist Samuel Beckett, winner of the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature, wrote 22 plays. The shortest was Breath. It has no dialogue or actors and lasts less than a minute. It begins and ends with a recording of the cry of a newborn baby. In between there are the sounds of someone breathing and variations in the lighting. I recommend you draw inspiration from Breath in the coming weeks, Aries. Be succinct and pithy. Call on the powers of graceful efficiency and no-nonsense effectiveness. Relish the joys of shrewd simplicity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the coming weeks, you Bulls must brook no bullies or bullying. Likewise, you should tolerate no bullshit from people trying to manipulate or fool you. Be a bulwark of integrity as you refuse to lower your standards. Bulk up the self-protective part of your psyche so you will be invincibly immune to careless and insensitive spoilers. Your word of power is BUILD. You will align yourself with cosmic rhythms as you work to create situations that will keep you strong and stable during the next 12 months.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): How much do you believe in your power to become the person you want to be? Ninety percent? Fifty-five? Twenty? Whatever it is, you can increase it in the coming weeks. Life will conspire with you to raise your confidence as you seek new ways to fulfill your soul’s purpose. Surges of grace will come your way as you strive with intense focus to live your most meaningful destiny. To take maximum advantage of this opportunity, I suggest you enjoy extra amounts of quiet, meditative time. Request help from the deepest core of your intelligence.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Early in the 19th century, cultural researchers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm gathered an array of old folk stories and published a collection of what we now call fairy tales. Because the two brothers wanted to earn money, they edited out some graphic elements of the original narratives. For example, in the Grimms’ revised version, we don’t get the juicy details of the princess fornicating with the frog prince once he has reverted to his handsome human form. In the earlier but not published stories of Rumpelstiltskin, the imp gets so frustrated when he’s tricked by the queen that he rips himself apart. I hope you will do the opposite of the Brothers Grimm in the coming weeks, Cancerian. It’s crucial that you reveal and expose and celebrate raw, unvarnished truths.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Is there a job you would love to have as your primary passion, but it’s different from the job you’re doing? Is there a calling you would delight in embracing, but you’re too consumed by the daily routine? Do you have a hobby you’d like to turn into a professional pursuit? If you said even a partial yes to my questions, Leo, here’s good news: In the coming months, you will have an enhanced ability to make these things happen. And now is an excellent time to get underway.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was a versatile virtuoso. He excelled as an essayist, biographer, playwright, editor, poet, and lexicographer. How did he get so much done? Here’s one clue. He took his own advice, summed up in the following quote: “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Present opportunities are neglected and attainable good is slighted by minds busied in extensive ranges and intent upon future advantages.” Johnson’s counsel is perfect for you right now, Virgo. Forget about the future and be focused on the present. Dive into the interesting work and play that’s right in front of you.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I would love you to go searching for treasure, and I hope you launch your quest soon. As you gather clues, I will be cheering you on. Before you embark,

though, I want to make sure you are clear about the nature of the treasure you will be looking for. Please envision it in glorious detail. Write down a description of it and keep it with you for the next seven weeks. I also suggest you carry out a fun ritual to formally mark your entry into the treasure-hunting chapter of your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In the coming weeks, you’ll be guided by your deep intelligence as you explore and converse with the darkness. You will derive key revelations and helpful signs as you wander around inside the mysteries. Be poised and lucid, dear Scorpio. Trust your ability to sense what’s important and what’s not. Be confident that you can thrive amidst uncertainty as you remain loyal to your core truths. No matter how murky this challenge may seem, it will ultimately be a blessing. You will emerge both smarter and wiser.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you take the Bible’s teachings seriously, you give generously to the poor and you welcome immigrants. You regard the suffering of others as being worthy of your compassionate attention, and you express love not just for people who agree with you and share your cultural traditions, but for everyone. Numerous Biblical verses, including many attributed to Jesus Christ, make it clear that living according to these principles is essential to being a good human. Even if you are not Jewish or Christian, Sagittarius, I recommend this approach to you. Now is an excellent time to hone your generosity of spirit and expand your urge to care for others.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In 1982, Capricorn actor Ben Kingsley won an Oscar for his role in the film Gandhi. Then his career declined. In an animated movie in 1992, he voiced the role of an immortal frog named F.R.O.7. who worked as a James Bond-like secret agent. It was a critical and financial disaster. But Kingsley’s fortunes rebounded, and he was nominated for Academy Awards in 2002 and 2003. Then his trajectory dipped again. He was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for four separate films between 2005 and 2008. Now, at age 79, he’s rich and famous and mostly remembered for the great things he has done. I suggest we make him your role model for the coming months. May he inspire you to emphasize your hits and downplay your misses.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’m devoted to cultivating the art of relaxation. But I live in a world dominated by stress addicts and frenzied overachievers. Here’s another problem: I aspire to be curious, innocent and open-minded, but the civilization I’m embedded in highly values know-it-all experts who are very sure they are in command of life’s secrets. One further snag: I’m an ultra-sensitive creator who is nourished by original thinking and original feeling. And yet I constantly encounter formulaic literalists who thrive on clichés. Now here’s the good news: I am a successful person! I do what I love and enjoy an interesting life. Here’s even more good news, Aquarius: In the next 12 months, you will have a knack for creating rhythms that bring you closer than ever before to doing what you love and enjoying an interesting life.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Most of us suffer from at least one absurd, irrational fear. I have a daft fear of heights, even when I’m perfectly safe, and a manic fear of mosquitoes dive-bombing me as I sleep, an event that has only happened four times in my life. My anxiety about running out of money is more rational, though, as is my dread of getting sick. Those worries help motivate me to work hard to earn a living and take superb care of my health. What about you, Pisces? Do you know which of your fears are preposterous and which make at least some sense? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to get a good handle on this question. Ask yourself: “Which of my fears are misdirected or exaggerated, and which are realistic and worthy of my attention?”

MARKETPLACE

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ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT

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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

GENERAL ASHEVILLE AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IS HIRING

Join our team and help us further our mission of building homes, communities, and hope. We are seeking to fill the following position: Construction Supervisor, Accounting Associate, Housing Development Director, FT AVL ReStore Associates, AmeriCorps Construction Crew Leaders apply at: ashevillehabitat.org/careers

SERVICES

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ATTENTION HOMEOWN-

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MEN'S SPORTS WATCHES

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UNCLAIMED/RECEIVED

GY Arminius Titan Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Rossi Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Rossi Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Taurus Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Taurus Revolver .38 cal Rusted, GY H&R Revolver .22 cal Rusted, Blk H&R Revolver .22 cal Rusted, Blk Rohm RG10 Revolver Rusted, Blk Rusted .22 cal Revolver, Blk/Brn RG Revolver .22 cal Rusted, Blk/Brn RG Revolver .22 cal Rusted. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property must contact the Asheville Police Department within 30 days from the date of this publication. Any items not claimed within 30 days will be disposed of in accordance with all applicable laws. For further information, or to file a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property & Evidence Section at 828232-4576.

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AUTOMOTIVE

The following is a list of Unclaimed / Received firearms currently in possession of the Asheville Police Department: Sil Arminius Titan Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Sil Arminius, Titan Revolver .38 cal Rusted, GY NEF Inc. Revolver Rusted,

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ACROSS

1 “Furthermore …”

5 Crustacean whose species range in size from .2” to 12’

9 Sword-wielding fighter of feudal Japan

14 “The Bluest Eye” author Morrison

15 Mister, in Münster

16 Nonstarters?

17 “Ignoring what my assistant said …”?

20 Sound of suppressed laughter

21 Use a tandoor, say

22 Soccer star Morgan

23 1971 Ravi Shankar documentary

25 Leave the stage

27 What might be found outside a hipster cafeteria?

34 Fourth-mostcommon family name in China

35 Place to go in England

36 Kind of reader

37 One of three in “To be or not to be”

39 Needle

42 Celebrity chef ___ Leith

43 Sing like Nat King Cole

45 Year, in Portuguese

46 Old Roman word of greeting or parting

47 Wetsuit vis-à-vis a team triathlon?

52 Animal in the Hartford’s logo

53 Pinot ___ 54 Rebounds, e.g., informally

71 “Furthermore …”

DOWN

1 Some book fair organizers, for short

2 Body part that becomes an animal when its vowels are swapped

3 Ctrl+Z, on a PC

4 Mountain range, in Spanish

5 Life energy

6 Snoopy’s imaginary antagonist

7 Domain

8 Things you can hit or pump

9 Org. with a Sixth Man of the Year Award

10 “Don’t trust them!”

11 Author Gaiman

12 Precious material frequently buried with the dead in ancient China

13 Visa alternative, for short

18 Collar insert

19 Slinky, say

24 Fancy-sounding apple cultivar

26 “Cousin ___ Visits the Addams Family”

(1965 TV episode title)

27 Pizza parlor purchase

28 Wonder Woman accessory

29 Tabloid tidbit

30 Like the Mandarin and Punjabi languages

31 Wide variety

32 “___ Got Mail” (1998 rom-com)

33 Use a wheelchair’s push rims, for instance

38 Supportive pillows in a yoga class

40 Irregularly

41 It’s used to walk the dog

44 Co. behind the podcast

“First Person”

48 Former T-shirts, perhaps 49 Wetland waders

50 Over-the-top sorts?

51 “The Queen of Soul”

54 One unlikely to enjoy a dive bar

55 Trip with many stops

56 Palindromic flour

58 “___, am America” (Langston Hughes line of poetry) 60 Screenwriter/ actress Michaela

61 Snake eyes 62 Ctrl+Y, on a PC 64 Help line? 65 Superfan