Mountain Xpress 05.24.17

OUR 23RD YEAR OF WEEKLY WEE INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 23 NO. 44 MAY 24 - 30, 2017

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C O N T E NT S OUR 23RD YEAR OF WEEKLY WEE INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 23 NO. 44 MAY 24 - 30, 2017

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PAGE 33 SPILLING OVER As Western North Carolina’s brewing industry booms, other sectors — from farming to accounting to construction — are seeing their fortunes rise as well. Events during AVL Beer Week, which runs May 26-June 3, highlight the partnerships between local breweries and other businesses.

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10 4B OR NOT 4B? Despite progress, concerns about the I-26 Connector persist

WELLNESS GREEN

30 HIDE AND SEEK Geocaching community finds its way to Waynesville

39 SMALL BITES Frostbite Ice Cream’s new location will feature grown-up treats

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27 HEALTH PARTNERS Wellness coaching contributes to wellbeing in WNC

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42 THE FAMILY THAT RAFTS TOGETHER, STAYS TOGETHER Grail Moviehouse screens Torgersons’ French Broad River documentary

44 OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE Christopher Paul Stelling plays his first show after returning to Asheville

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The French Broad Food Co-op will hold its annual membership meeting on Saturday, June 3. Ideally, a large number of members should come together to make decisions through a democratic process. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to happen.

First, the bylaws require 3 percent of the members (now called “owners”) for a quorum. The co-op is not important enough to its members to persuade even this small number to attend a meeting once a year, thus, no business is likely to be conducted.

Also, there is no business meeting on the agenda. The board of directors is not welcoming to members actually making decisions, and the members don’t seem to care. They are rarely allowed to decide any questions other than election of the board or bylaw changes. The last time members were allowed to vote on any substantive issues was 2007, when they approved two ballot questions, but the board refused to implement these decisions.

Member democratic control is one of the seven international cooperative principles, and, in my view, should be the pillar of any cooperative. This is especially important since democracy has collapsed at the national level, and

largely at the state and local levels, too.

Can democracy work at even the food co-op level?

At this point, people are joining the co-op in record numbers but for unclear reasons. They get no discount.

There is the promise of a patronage rebate, but it is always microscopic.

There is still a token worker-member program, but it is not economically useful to the store because the workermembers are prohibited by the union contract from doing any work done by staff, and also our members tend to be too affluent to need a discount and too busy to be worker-members, so there is not a sense of a community of people working together.

Membership in the co-op, I will suggest, has become largely a marketing ploy, fully as much as membership in Sam’s Club is a marketing ploy — except that at Sam’s Club, you do get a discount, because they recognize that membership there is a marketing ploy and that they have to give you something to get you to join.

What do you get if you join the co-op?

Apparently, a feeling of being part of an (illusory) alternative.

I joined the co-op because I wanted to support an alternative to the corporate economy. I would like for it to be more than just a little corporation that has a really nice store and an effective jobs program. I would like for it to be a model of democratic governance,

INTERN REPORTER: Molly Horak

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Can democracy work at the food co-op level?

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak, Margaret Williams

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O P I NI O N

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of community, and to fulfill its mission statement “to be a transformative force in our community and in our world.” At this point, is there any way to do this?

Consider the program successfully modeled by the phone company CREDO: Setting aside 1 percent of gross sales to be given as grants to local nonprofit groups that would benefit the community and would be invaluable as a marketing strategy — every customer would know that their purchase was supporting worthy causes, a feeling they would not have at any other store. And it would involve and empower co-op members as they nominated and voted for local nonprofit groups. Of course, they would not be exercising member democratic control over the co-op itself, but it would be, perhaps, a start.

If you have any thoughts on this, please call me at 242-6073.

— Rusty Sivils

Leicester Editor’s note: Xpress contacted the French Broad Food Co-op and received the following response from board President Danielle Marie Goldstein and General Manager Bobby Sullivan: “As change is inevitable, co-ops have evolved over the years. Once totally member-run, most co-ops are now run

by paid employees — and jobs are good, especially good jobs. The FBFC is, in fact, the only grocer in town that pays a living wage. The nature of democracy is complex. It’s not just about voting, but rather multiple layers of participation and transparency. We offer that.

Our owners have the opportunity to run for the board of directors and elect their representatives. We welcome any owner to attend our monthly board meetings, and [we] have an owner comment period each month where we listen wholeheartedly. Throughout the year, we offer a myriad of ways for owners to be involved and multiple discounts that make natural foods more accessible to our whole community.”

The long-term rewards of teaching [Regarding “Burned Out: Preserving Asheville’s Teacher Corps,” May 3, Xpress:] Both my mother and father taught in the Asheville City Schools system all their lives. During my early years, I remember that we were relatively poor and lived in West Asheville, where we were not a lot better off than

most of the blue-collar working class who made up the large majority of people living in West Asheville then.

Neither of my parents ever complained about the low pay; they just loved their work and were not doing it for money. As to the hours, both of them put in long hours, and my dad practically lived at the schools he taught at and did coaching jobs after school for extra money.

I realize that we live in different times now, and Asheville, especially West Asheville, is much more expensive, but there are still, I am sure, many who now work in the Asheville City public school system who do the work because, like my parents, they get their rewards when former students tell them years after that what they did as teachers changed their students’ lives.

— John Penley

Asheville

Support helps Green Opportunities continue its work The board of directors and the staff of Green Opportunities join me in saying “thank you” to all the sponsors of our recent Soul Shakedown event.

Your support helped to ensure a successful event for our organization.

Much gratitude to the Mountain Xpress for providing the splendid coverage of our fundraiser [“Soul Shakedown by the River: A Tasty Fundraiser for Green Opportunities’ Kitchen Ready Program Returns,” May 3]. To all who came out on a cold, rainy night to eat, drink, dance and have a blast, we do appreciate your presence, energy and support. Thanks to all of you, Green Opportunities can carry on our work of job training, placement and support.

— Joseph “J” Hackett

Executive Director

Green Opportunities

Asheville

We want to hear from you!

Please send your letters to: Editor, Mountain Xpress, 2 Wall St., Asheville, NC 28801 or by email to letters@mountainx.com.

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C A RT O O N B Y B R E NT B R O W N

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NEWS

4B OR NOT 4B?

Despite progress, concerns about the I-26 Connector persist

BY MAX HUNT

WORK IN PROGRESS

mhunt@mountainx.com In an April 6, 1960, meeting with federal highway officials, President Dwight Eisenhower, for whom the modern interstate system is named, famously told his assembled staff that he opposed “running interstate routes through the congested parts of the cities,” according to notes taken by Gen. John Bragdon.

Nearly 60 years later, Eisenhower’s reservations have proved prophetic for the city of Asheville. Since 1989, the I-26 Connector project has been an albatross that city officials, the state Department of Transportation and residents can’t seem to shake.

When the DOT finally decided on a design for Section B of the project in 2015, many stakeholders thought they saw light at the end of a very long tunnel. Other residents, however, see serious flaws in Alternative 4B, questioning whether the project’s long-term benefits will justify the sacrifices their neighborhoods must make to see it completed.

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER: While community members largely spoke out in favor of Alternative 4B for Section B of the I-26 Connector Project, several aspects of NCDOT’s design, such as the three bridges that would span the French Broad River near Montford (above), have a coalition of Montford neighbors and others questioning the scale and scope of the design. Image via NCDOT; courtesy of Don’t Wreck Asheville Coalition

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Standing in an open lot adjacent to the Salvage Station on Riverside Drive, it’s hard to conceive of the changes the connector will bring to the surrounding landscape.

“How tall do you think that is?

Maybe 10 feet?” asks Montford resident Suzanne Devane, pointing to an Asplundh Tree Expert Co. truck parked nearby. She and Lael Gray, members of the Montford-based Don’t Wreck Asheville Coalition, stare overhead at a clear spring sky.

“Now imagine 10 of those things stacked on top of each other. That’s what we’re going to have.”

Since moving to Montford in 2015, Devane — a communications specialist who’s worked with transportation engineering firms in Chicago — has spoken out against the DOT’s adaptation of the Asheville Design Center’s 2008 proposal. “It looks beautiful — who would disagree with that?” Devane says about the nonprofit’s original plan. “The problem is, we’re not seeing it.”

In theory, Alternative 4B does offer some significant improvements: diverting interstate traffic

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north from the Bowen Bridge, which leaves Patton Avenue to local drivers; greatly reduced impacts on West Asheville neighborhoods, compared with previous designs; a smoother transition between interstates 240 and 26, as opposed to the current frantic scramble across multiple lanes.

For these reasons, Alternative 4B has been widely viewed as the best solution to concerns raised by the Community Coordinating Committee (a coalition of Asheville residents and other stakeholders) in the early 2000s — and a win for the city in its efforts to influence the DOT’s elaborate and costly plans.

CONFLICTING PRIORITIES But the way the project is actually shaping up, argues Don’t Wreck Asheville, is starkly different from the package the community was sold.

From incursions into the Montford and Hill Street neighborhoods, to interchanges the equivalent of 10 lanes or more, and bridges rising 100 feet over the river on “horizontal curves,” the grassroots coalition asserts, 4B will drastically disrupt riverside commerce and life. The Design Center had originally envisioned a double-decker bridge that would carry both I-26 and

I-240 traffic, reducing the highway’s footprint and, therefore, the impact on the surrounding area.

“We’re trying to make the riverfront really pedestrian- and bike-friendly, and to develop the areas that have that potential,” says Gray. “Why would we then put these massive highway structures in the middle of all of that opportunity and current activity?”

Devane, meanwhile, brandishes an architectural rendering of the very area we’re standing in. Pillars line Riverside Drive on either side, and a massive overpass looms overhead.

The bridges, she says, are unattractive, and the horizontal curve design proposed for I-240 poses significant safety hazards. According to the Federal Highway Administration website, accident rates along horizontal curves — slightly tilted curving sections connecting tangent roadways — are three times as high as those for any other road design, and “More than 25 percent of fatal crashes are associated with a horizontal curve.”

Coupled with three bridges, two of which will rise nearly 100 feet over the river, these structures will pose serious risks to motorists, particularly in inclement weather, says Devane.

“Who’s going to want to get on those things?” She asks.

City and state officials alike concede that Alternative 4B is not without its issues, stressing that the plans are still evolving.

Ricky Tipton, the DOT’s Division 13 construction engineer, says crews will work within the existing footprints of I-240 and I-26 as much as possible, minimizing the impact on adjacent neighborhoods.

In areas where more space is needed to accommodate construction vehicles and materials, or to modify or add drainage structures, he continues, easements will be used to limit the amount of land that will be purchased.

As for the concerns about the bridges, Tipton acknowledges that drivers will need to exercise caution in bad weather but says the DOT will be considering safety measures such as a de-icing system as the project unfolds.

Chris Joyell, the Asheville Design Center’s executive director, says he understands the Montford coalition’s concerns. “I appreciate where they’re coming from: 4B is far from perfect; it differs from the 4B we came up with. But I think the intent to get highway traffic off the Bowen Bridge and create a real connection for the Hillcrest community to Patton Avenue is still there.”

And the fact that the DOT is listening to and tried to accommodate residents’ concerns is in itself a victory, says Julie Mayfield, the city’s liaison with the project. Besides serving on City Council, Mayfield is co-director of MountainTrue, a grassroots environmental group.

“If you ask anybody in this city over the last eight years, they would assume that I would be the person suing to stop this project,” she said during an April 18 presentation to the Montford Neighborhood Association. “If I could just begin to tell you how different that relationship is now than it was for the past 15 years, where DOT wouldn’t even talk to the city. Now, we are sitting down with them on a regular basis, working through a series of issues.”

That cooperation is having an impact, she continued. The DOT recently suggested that the eight

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ELEVATED CONCERNS: The map above shows the current design template for Alternative 4B, complete with elevation estimates for various roadways and bridges. Green lines indicate new road configurations at grade; yellow lines represent elevated roadways that would be constructed. Map via NCDOT lanes it had originally suggested through West Asheville could conceivably be reduced to six, according to Mayfield. In addition, the current design offers options for multimodal transportation along and around the project area, she said, noting that City Council reaffirmed that concern in a December 2015 resolution that also asked the state agency to take all possible measures to reduce the project’s impact and scope.

And separating Patton Avenue from interstate traffic gives the city a host of options for returning the busy thoroughfare to local use,

while providing extra land along the current I-240 corridor that could hopefully be used for development, said Mayfield.

Although the city has given its blessing to the DOT’s decision to proceed with further studies to refine 4B en route to a final design, she assured the community that the discussion is far from over. “We still have a long way to go with this project,” said Mayfield. “If we don’t get there at the end, the city can always say it’s still terrible — and we don’t want it.”

Don’t Wreck Asheville members, however, are skeptical about the city’s ability to understand the complexities of interstate construction — or, for that matter, to get firm commitments from the DOT. Those concerns extend to the Design Center, too. “I don’t question their sincerity in wanting to find a better solution,” says Devane. “I think they were well-intentioned and well-meaning, but the entire group had no highway engineering people involved.”

At Don’t Wreck Asheville’s suggestion, the city put out a request for qualifications back in February, seeking a consultant to bring third-party expertise to the conversation, Mayfield noted at the April meeting. Only one firm has responded so far, and Devane contends that it lacks the credentials to provide effective services.

She also questions some of Alternative 4B’s other selling points.

“There’s this mythology that DOT is suddenly going to surrender all of their [obsolete] rights of way to the city to develop. If they really plan on doing it, they’ll put it in writing.”

Tipton, however, says such matters are usually considered after a project is completed, through the agency’s surplus right-of-way disposal process. As of now, he continues, “There has not been a request from the city” for any land to be transferred.

And though the idea of taking interstate traffic off the Bowen Bridge sounds nice, a closer look at traffic patterns raises questions about how much Alternative 4B will really alleviate congestion along the busy route. Much of that traffic, Devane maintains, consists of local commuters from Leicester and West Asheville who would still be using the bridge.

DOT projections, says Tipton, don’t distinguish between local and interstate traffic. Mayfield, however, says the agency’s statistics do indicate that the Bowen Bridge sees the highest traffic volume in WNC — and has the highest accident rate of any stretch of road in the state west of Charlotte.

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CRASH COURSE But while those statistics sound daunting, they may paint a distorted picture, notes transportation consultant Don Kostelec, who’s worked on several projects in Western North Carolina.

“Certainly, there are more crashes on the bridge, because congested roads tend to have more crashes,” he

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NEWS says, but they seldom involve fatalities. According to the DOT’s crash maps, between 2006 and 2013, only four accidents on the Bowen Bridge resulted in deaths.

“There are more fatalities on Broadway Avenue in Asheville over that same time period than there are in that section of I-26,” says Kostelec, “but nobody’s talking about needing to spend millions of dollars to fix Broadway.”

Meanwhile, the bridges proposed for I-240 and I-26 pose a much higher risk of fatal accidents, he continues — not necessarily because of of their design but because of drivers’ inclination to speed.

“The statistics are nuanced, but basically, for every 1 mile per hour of faster speed in a car, the risk of fatality in a crash increases anywhere from 4 to 6 percent, and the injury likelihood increases by 3 percent,” says Kostelec. “Regardless of what [speed limit] they post, there will be increased fatalities — that’s just the physics of it.”

And while he heartily acknowledges that Alternative 4B is the best solution on the table at the moment, Kostelec questions whether the city could recoup the tax revenue lost to right-of-way acquisition from whatever former portions of I-240 and I-26 the DOT might eventually give back to Asheville.

The regained property, he says, “ends up being so severed from the rest of the parcel and street network, I just don’t know what that ultimately entails for the economic viability of those parcels.”

for decades — it’s time to embrace solutions and get this thing done. It’s a major infrastructure investment, and too much power has been given to people’s personal opinions.”

TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE?

UNDER THE BRIDGE: Don’t Wreck Asheville Coalition members point to conceptual models like the one above, which shows what Riverside Drive might look like with the raised bridges for I-26 and I-240 passing over it in the vicinity of O’Reilly Auto Parts and the Salvage Station. NCDOT says that it’s currently in the process of updating these models to give a clearer, more accurate depiction of the project. Image via NCDOT

GET ’ER DONE Although the concerns about 4B may be valid, many local stakeholders say the time for endless debate is over. “Fixing I-26 has been a top

priority for the chamber for almost two decades,” says Kit Cramer, president and CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. While the organization has been content to sit back and let the city and the DOT haggle over the roadway’s design, Cramer says it’s high time the project moved forward.

According to a study by TRIP, a national transportation research group based in Washington, D.C., the average Asheville motorist spends 26 hours a year sitting in traffic, and collectively, local drivers waste $3.2 million worth of fuel annually, creating significant environmental impacts. With nearly

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40,000 commuters pouring into the city every day and an ever-growing tourist influx, the current interchange’s deficiencies can no longer be ignored, Cramer maintains.

“I-26 coming down to a single lane in Asheville creates an unsafe, inefficient system that diminishes our economy and our quality of life,” she says. “Road construction isn’t fun or easy, but it’s necessary at times. The end result will be worth the pain of construction.”

In her remarks to the Montford community in April, Mayfield also noted that a host of regional forces are applying pressure to get the project underway. “Even if the city was to stand up and say, ‘We hate this, and we want to back up,’ nobody will stand with us to do that,” she said. “All we’ll do is take ourselves away from the table.”

That sentiment is reinforced by community representatives like Carl Mumpower, the new chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party, who says the city has dawdled long enough, catering to special interests and exacerbating a problem that only gets more complicated as time goes on.

“There’s a difference between agitating over a project and attempting to complete it, just like there’s a difference between pleasuring yourself and making love,” says Mumpower.

“Asheville’s been playing with itself

Don’t Wreck Asheville understands that impatience, says Gray.

But with the city probably facing a decade of continuous construction, she and others question whether the long-term benefits will outweigh the headaches they say are likely to result from plowing ahead with 4B. “It’s a long, long process to build something of this size,” notes Gray.

Devane, meanwhile, cites the current construction around Biltmore Park Town Square as an example of how these projects can drag on.

“You cannot build a highway project that, during construction, is not going to slow down traffic,” she points out. “This city is going to be a traffic nightmare.”

Tipton agrees that maintaining traffic flow is a challenge, but the DOT, he explains, expects to keep “two travel lanes in each direction open during construction, and any work requiring only one travel lane to be open, or temporary complete closure, will be done at off-peak times, to minimize impacts.”

To help head off those problems, though, Don’t Wreck Asheville wants qualified experts to review the plans, looking for ways to limit the inevitable disruption.

WHO PAYS THE PRICE? And as the city and the DOT contend with yet another wave of dissent and debate about the connector’s impacts, they face the same central issue that has dogged the project since its inception: how to accommodate everyone’s wishes in a project where sacrifices must be made somewhere, by someone.

At the April meeting with Mayfield, for example, Montford residents bemoaned the increased noise Alternative 4B will bring to their neighborhood and called for the DOT to conduct more sound studies. Meanwhile, their Hillcrest neighbors worry that a sound wall will further isolate their community from the rest of Asheville.

“We’re already caged in — there’s only one way in and one way out,” says Opeolu “Sade” Mustakem, who’s lived in Hillcrest since 2014. “Now, you want to put

this wall up to block us from the road? That’s not fair.”

For a community that’s already dealing with near constant negative stereotypes and a long history of coming out on the short end of urban renewal projects, the I-26 Connector seems to symbolize what many residents feel is an attempt to hide them from incoming tourists and the rest of the quickly gentrifying city.

“You can say that you’re trying to protect Hillcrest from the noise, but Hillcrest is nearly 60 years old — we’ve been dealing with the traffic for a long time,” says Mustakem. “I just feel like you’re putting a wall up not for our own safety but because you don’t want the outside world to know that we even exist.”

And though the DOT and city officials have held public meetings to explain the project to the community, Mustakem says many of her neighbors weren’t able to attend due to work schedules or family obligations.

In addition, she and other residents worry about the psychological effects another barrier might have on their children. “These kids have to look at this wall for the rest of their lives,” Mustakem points out. “How do you think our mental status is going to be after that? Do you even care?”

Highway projects can also have adverse physical effects, says Kostelec. “Some of the new studies are showing that kids that grow up next to major highways have asthma and lung issues at the same rate as kids living in a household filled with secondhand smoke.”

Asked about these concerns, Tipton says the project “was included in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan, which is an input to the air quality analysis used to determine that Buncombe County complies with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and is in an air quality attainment area.”

The DOT, he notes, will continue to update its traffic noise study as the project proceeds. Neighborhoods found to benefit from a noise barrier, says Tipton, will be given a chance to vote on whether they want one.

Hillcrest resident Pat Reed understands the need for interstate upgrades but asks the city and the DOT not to tamper with the simple pleasures the community now enjoys.

“July Fourth is going to be coming up,” she points out. “I’ve never had to worry about taking [her boys] to see the fireworks, because the best view has been at the fence out here. But if they put that wall up,” notes Reed, who says she found out about the lat-

est plans for the I-26 Connector from the evening news, “the kids won’t be able to see the fireworks, or the beautiful flowers they put out on the interstate. Why do they have to take it away from us? Let us have a home and a view.”

MAKING THE BEST OF IT Mayfield, meanwhile, says the city is listening and working to make the I-26 Connector “the best project it can possibly be” for Asheville.

“Everybody is concerned about this project,” she stated in April. “What I can assure you is that the city is attuned to a variety of concerns from people in Montford, West Asheville and Hillcrest, and we’re doing everything we can to address those and work through them systematically with DOT.” The agency’s current timeline calls for drafting a new environmental impact statement by early next year. If all goes according to plan and the study is finalized and officially approved in timely fashion, the agency will begin right-of-way acquisition by 2020, with construction tentatively slated to begin soon after.

The project will be built in phases, stresses Tipton, and as design changes or other issues arise, DOT officials will continue to collect data and revise the plans to minimize the impact on the community.

For its part, however, Don’t Wreck Asheville still wants an outside consultant to evaluate the DOT’s designs and has offered to help come up with the needed funds to hire one. In the meantime, the group says it will continue to speak out until the problems it sees with 4B are addressed.

“At minimum, everybody needs to have an understanding of what the impact on our community is going to be,” Gray asserts. “If people can get a handle on how insane this is, then the conversations about how to resolve the problems can begin.”

Such debates, says Joyell, are inevitable in a small place with limited space, a range of perspectives and a penchant for community input — and the discussion isn’t likely to end anytime soon. “It’s part of city living: No one gets all of what they want. You have to give up a little. … It’s not perfect, but it represents compromise.” X

MOUNTAINX.COM

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EWS B U N C O M B E NB E AT

NEWS

Schools may offer property tax relief; Dems divide on solar debate A TAXING ISSUE The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners held a budget workshop and a regular session on May 16. The bulk of the more than seven-hour meetings focused on presentations and requests from county departments.

County Manager Wanda Greene’s proposed budget for next fiscal year is $419,289,728, an increase of $5.7 million, or 1.4 percent, over the current budget. That spending plan also suggests a property tax rate of 55.9 cents per $100 of valued property, down from the current rate of 60.4 cents, but higher than the revenue-neutral rate of 51.3 cents.

However, some potential breathing room was discussed in the form of two school systems the county helps fund. In particular, the Buncombe County Schools’ fund balance and A-B Tech’s designated quarter-cent sales tax could spell relief.

Finance Director Tim Flora noted that the county’s fund balance already has a built-in fund balance for BCS, meaning, the school system might not need to carry a fund balance, as it would be redundant. State law requires the county to have a fund balance of 8 percent, while the county requires itself to maintain one of 15 percent.

Basically, a fund balance is a best practice allowing for an organization to operate for a month or two should all other funds become depleted. For example, according to Flora, the county’s $54 million fund balance would keep the county afloat for roughly two months.

Commission Chair Brownie Newman asked about the necessity of BCS’ fund balance.

“My perspective is that we carry the school’s fund balance. They are one-third of our operating budget. …

They may have a different position,” explained Flora.

BCS had a fund balance of about $11.3 million, and Asheville City Schools had a fund balance of $7 million for fiscal year 2016.

Flora told Xpress, via email, “I do believe there are opportunities for collaborative solutions to our respective budget situations.

“I believe that since education represents over a quarter of the county’s

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MAY 24 - 30, 2017

NOT ALWAYS SUNNY: Buncombe County Democrats argued about perceived transparency issues regarding a partnership with Duke Energy to conduct a feasibility study for a 25-acre solar farm on the site of the old county landfill in Woodfin. Outlines indicate potential areas where solar panels could be placed. Image courtesy of Buncombe County

MOUNTAINX.COM

operating expenditures, the county’s general fund reserves are meant to address the school systems’ contingency or catastrophic needs.”

Meanwhile, Greene gave an overview of potential county revenue streams. That presentation gave way to hypothetical talks about altering the dedicated quarter-cent sales tax earmarked for A-B Tech capital projects. That tax was approved via a 2011 referendum and is slated to expire in 2029. However, the referendum’s language only approved the tax, not its specific purpose. That, according to N.C. General Statutes, can be altered by the Board of Commissioners.

To that end, Newman said he’d like to explore shifting its purpose toward maintenance and other campus needs.

“I’d be supportive of that. Dedicating 100 percent to capital projects has been great, but I think having more flexibility would be useful.”

Commissioner Mike Fryar, who also serves on the A-B Tech board of trustees, said he’s not in favor of that idea. “That money is supposed to sunset.”

Newman countered, “I think we want to keep property tax rate as low as we can, and having flexibility within can help us keep [the] property tax rate low.”

County staff told Xpress they anticipate closing the current fiscal year with $5.3 million available from the sales tax fund balance.

Earlier this year the community college asked commissioners for about $25 million from that sales tax fund in order to build a multipurpose facility. However, commissioners were not happy with the presentation and other issues surrounding A-B Tech, and upheld a moratorium on the quarter-sales tax funding that was initiated in January.

Whether or not the combined potential for eliminating the BCS fund reserve and pivoting of A-B Tech’s sales tax revenue could lead commissioners closer to a revenue neutral-property tax remains to be seen. Commissioners are not set to meet again until Tuesday, June 6, when they will take public comment on the proposed budget. The board has until June 30 to approve a spending plan.

POWER STRUGGLE Commissioners voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with Duke Energy. That agreement regards a proposed solar farm on the site of the old landfill in Woodfin. Duke Energy, in principle, has agreed to foot the bill

for the $27,000 feasibility study that will glean more information about the potential of the site. However, the issue ultimately divided the board’s Democrats, as questions about vetting partners arose.

At issue was the process of tapping Duke Energy to be the partner, a development that led Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara to question the methodology. “I’m trying to wrap my head around why we have a memo before we have a [feasibility] study? Why wouldn’t we wait for results of the study?” the freshman Democrat asked.

Newman then outlined his thoughts.

“We save the cost of the study if we go forward with Duke. This approach allows the project to be developed at no cost to taxpayers,” he said.

Beach-Ferrara didn’t appear happy with that explanation and pressed further, asking, “Has there been an open process for other financiers? Has there been dialogue with other entities interested in the project?

Newman, who works in the solar industry, explained: ”As I’ve said from the beginning, any company I’m involved with would not be involved. I reached out to other companies to see if there was interest. There were some that said they would be happy to talk. These companies are always looking for business development opportunities.

“From my perspective, none are in the same position as Duke is to offer fully funded development. I think one concern about our site compared to other projects not on landfills is that if we were working with a different partner … a year down the road a project might appear less attractive than other business opportunities.”

Commissioner Ellen Frost was also charged up about the process. “I think going forward we want to be clear how we do business. Everyone is all for this, but ... Outside looking in, it looks like a smug deal already done.”

With that, the board approved the memorandum of understanding by a vote of 4-3, with Beach-Ferrara, Frost and Commissioner Robert Pressley voting against it.

It’s not the first time Newman has been accused of moving forward with energy-related issues without a clear understanding from the rest of the board. In April 2016, Republicans were miffed that he was the de facto commissioner who would be seated on the newly formed Energy Innovation Task Force, another partnership with Duke Energy.

— Dan Hesse

BUNC O MBE BE AT HQ

Local tourism delivers strong numbers At Asheville’s first annual National Tourism Week Summit on May 12, the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau unveiled highlights of the 2016 Economic Impact of Tourism Analysis for Buncombe County.

Stephanie Pace Brown, the CVB’s executive director, presented the “hot off the press” data, which arrived the day before the summit.

“Tourism is a big part of Asheville’s regional economy and continues to make significant contributions to economic growth, generating business sales, employment and tax revenues,” said Brown. “In 2016, visitor spending totaled $1.9 billion. That’s money in cash registers. It generated $2.9 billion in total business sales, an increase of 6.7 percent from 2015.”

Following expansion in recreation and entertainment businesses in Buncombe County, Brown said, hospitality is now one of two industries in the county that pay workers above the state average. Earnings from tourism, she

said, “[total] $810 million of personal income for people living in Buncombe County.”

In 2016, Brown said, nearly 27,000 jobs were sustained by direct, indirect or induced impacts of tourism. That amounts to one in seven Buncombe County jobs. Of those, 27 percent were in food and beverage, 17 percent in lodging, 13 percent in retail and 12 percent in recreation.

Nearly a third of the tourism-related jobs (31 percent) were in “other” categories. Tourism is the county’s third-largest employment category, behind health care and retail.

Tourism generated $103.5 million in local taxes. Real estate taxes accounted for $49 million of the total; $31.2 million in sales taxes associated with tourism were collected.

Just over $76 million in total sales taxes were generated in Buncombe County during the 2016 fiscal year, according to Jennifer Durrett of the Buncombe County Finance Department. Of the 7 percent retail

sales tax collected, Durrett explained in a separate interview after the event, 4.75 percent goes to the state and 2.25 percent comes back to the county.

The 6 percent hotel occupancy tax generated $20.3 million, while assorted other taxes contributed $3 million.

Of the 10.9 million visitors Buncombe County hosted in 2016, 3.8 million stayed overnight — meaning most of the area’s guests were day-trippers. Over 90 percent of those folks came to the city for the purpose of leisure rather than business. International visitors made up less than 1 percent of the total.

The average visitor spent $107 per day, up 1.8 percent over 2015.

Money spent on food and retail combined made up about half of all the money dropped by tourists, while lodging made up just over a fifth of the total, and recreation accounted for about 14 percent.

To read all of Mountain Xpress’ coverage of city and county news, visit Buncombe Beat online at avl. mx/3b5. There you’ll find detailed recaps of government meetings the day after they happen, along with previews, in-depth stories and key information to help you stay on top of the latest city and county news. X

The economics report authors pointed to short-term rentals as a trend to watch, noting that the activity generated $18 million in sales during 2016.

Increased advertising funded by the hotel occupancy tax was credited with bringing new residents as well as visitors to the area.

By retaining and attracting talent through tourism, Brown said, the positive impact of advertising has increased the number of those locating to Asheville to open a business, begin college or find a job. Each dollar invested in advertising results in $43 spending at local businesses, she said.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 16

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N EWS

BIG MONEY: The numbers are in for visitor spending in Buncombe County in 2016, and they are big. Visitors spent a total of $1.9 billion during the year, with the largest share of those dollars going to food purchases, followed by spending in retail stores and on lodging.

Graphic courtesy of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority QUICK CHANGE ARTISTS As the CVB prepared to welcome 200 Buncombe County tourism partners to the summit, staff members couldn’t have known they’d get a chance to demonstrate their prowess at going above and beyond in responding to the unforeseen.

Brown explained why attendees were eating lunch at the Omni Grove Park Inn rather than the Renaissance Hotel downtown as planned. The night before the event, Brown said, she received an emergency phone call: A burst pipe had left the Renaissance without water service. By the next morning, the CVB was involved in a threeway logistics exercise to move the event to a different venue. In less than two hours, Brown said, the Renaissance and the Grove Park had coordinated an effort to relocate the lunch, meetings and cocktail reception across town.

“Little did I know how extraordinary the effort could be on our behalf, and I think it’s such a testimony to the spirit of tourism and hospitality that we’re celebrating today,” commented Brown.

Paula Wilbur, an executive at The Biltmore Co. and the chair of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority, agreed that the quick move highlighted many of the strengths of the hospitality industry. The joint effort of the two hotels and the CVB staff, she said,

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“shows you how flexible and how nimble and how creative the tourism world can be.”

POWER OF EMOTION While lunch was served, Wilbur introduced keynote speaker Steven Paganelli of TripAdvisor. Pagnelli’s presentation focused on the importance of tapping into tourists’ emotions in order to ensure return visits.

Tourism is in “the business of creating memories,” Paganelli said. “At the end of the day, it always brings me back to emotions, which is what we’re selling,” he said.

Understanding how the emotions of tourists change over the vacation experience helps to pinpoint how to make them want to come back, Paganelli explained. Promoting the tourism site as a cultural experience as well as a place to stay creates a sense of home that causes visitors to start planning their next trip before they have even ended their current one. Tourists are more apt to return to place they “love” more than just “like,” Paganelli said.

“Travel is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster,” the tourism guru explained. “It peaks upon arrival and goes downhill from there.”

Tourism boosters need to maintain tourists’ enthusiasm during the visit while keeping them emotionally connected to incentivize a return visit, he said. When he arrived in

NEWS BRIEFS

by Max Hunt | mhunt@mountainx.com ASHEVILLEBUNCOMBE CELEBRATE MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 29 The City of Asheville Mayor’s Committee for Veterans Affairs hosts its annual Memorial Day Concert and Ceremony in Pack Square Park Monday, May 29, beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The event features a commemorative wreath ceremony, as well as presentations

by Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer and Buncombe Co. Board of Commissioners Chairman Brownie Newman honoring local armed forces and community first responders.

In addition, the N.C. Fort Bragg 82nd Airborne Band will perform, along with Asheville’s Reuter Center Singers. Longtime community broadcaster and Air Force veteran Matt Mittan will serve as master of ceremonies.

More info: 828-2987911, ext. 5270, or Carlos.

McNeil2@va.gov.

WILLIAMS-BALDWIN TEACHER CAMPUS RIBBON-CUTTING, MAY 30 The new 24-unit Williams-Baldwin

Teacher Campus apartment complex hosts a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, May 30.

The affordable housing facility offers 2 bedroom/2 bath apartments for approximately $915/ month for teachers in the Buncombe County and Asheville City school systems.

“We have no stronger partners than Buncombe County and the school systems,” says Bill Murdock, executive director of Eblen Charities, whose organization partnered on the project. “Every day, we see the importance of what our educators have done in our community, and it is an honor for us to be able to help provide a wonderful place for them to live.”

Ribbon-cutting at 4:30 p.m., 182 Erwin Hills Rd., Asheville. More info: 828255-3066 or wmurdock@ eblencharities.org.

REPORT WARNS OF HEALTH CARE REFORM IMPACTS ON BUNCOMBE COUNTY CHILDREN A report released Wednesday, May 10, by advocacy organization NC Child highlights the potential impacts of health care reform on

Asheville, Paganelli continued, he felt as though he were somewhere unique. His Uber driver offered suggestions for food and other activities — which illustrates that the best way to advertise can be through the experiences of others, he said.

LOCAL PARTNERS Will Thomas of Forge Mountain Photography — who also works with Google as a street view photographer for its online mapping services — had a table at the event to help businesses discover new advertising methods that harness changing technology.

Buncombe Co. children, noting that 4.2 percent of Buncombe County children currently lack sufficient health care. NC Child warns that federal cuts could impact over 27,000 children currently covered under public health insurance programs.

“The gains we have made in children’s health insurance coverage are largely a result of investing in and strengthening public health insurance programs, like Medicaid and CHIP,” says Laila A. Bell, director of research and data at NC Child.

“If we want to build on our past progress, the U.S. Senate must reject the cuts to Medicaid and consumer protections in the American Health Care Act.” The report also notes that 23.1 percent of children live in “food insecure households,” while 47.4 percent of children live in poor or low-income homes.

NC Child urges local leaders to push for an increase in health insurance access for low-income families and stronger public policies to promote health equity.

Full report: http://avl. mx/3ql. X

“So many old businesses don’t have accurate listings, and we want to make sure everything has accurate listings so people can find them,” Thomas said. According to the Forge Mountain Photography website, businesses can now include interior photography of their business in their Google street view listing.

Thomas’ wife, Julie, echoed her husband’s sentiments: “This is super-important because our tourism is getting bigger and bigger, and the way people find out about things in Asheville is through the internet.”

— Laurie

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NEWS

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by Bob Berghaus

GET OUT AND PLAY Mountain Sports Fest highlights Asheville’s love of games, music and beer For three days a year, the Mountain Sports Festival brings together three staples of Asheville life that make it a city for fun-seekers.

There is, of course, an array of quirky participation sports, from cyclocross to disc golf. There is a variety of talented bands that perform in the center of the Festival Village and send out vibes that create a party atmosphere. And don’t forget plenty of craft beer.

“The greatest thing about the Mountain Sports Festival is that it really is the only event throughout the year that draws all those components of our Asheville culture together in one weekend,” says Chris Gragtman, who competes in paddling when he’s not enjoying other parts of the festival. “And I think that’s what I love about it.”

The MSF, which will be held Friday to Sunday, May 26-28, enters its 17th year with a new director, several fresh events and a threeyear grant from the city of Asheville worth $5,400 per year.

WHAT’S NEW, WILDCAT? New events will be the Prone Paddling Sprint Race on the French Broad River and the BMX Street Jam at Carrier Park, both of which will be held Saturday.

Another new wrinkle is a water zone, where French Broad Outfitters and Bellyak will put on watercraft demos on Saturday and Sunday. Additions to the Kids Zone will be an instrument petting zoo, courtesy of Experience Music Asheville, and a booth by the Asheville Museum of Science.

The festival should appeal to people from all walks of life, says Tim Grotenhuis, who replaced Terry Bemis as executive director of MSF. “We have a kids village, music and outdoor sports. There’s something for everyone in Asheville who wants to come out and enjoy the festival.”

Helping with expenses will be a strategic planning grant from the city, which is key for festival organizers whose goal is to break even every year. The festival is run by an all-volunteer board of directors and sponsorships from local busi-

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BELLY DOWN: Joining the Mountain Sports Festival event lineup this year will be a Prone Paddling sprint race in which competitors mount kayaks designed to be ridden face down and paddle with their hands. The Bellyak apparatus was invented by local kayak maker Adam Masters. Above, a group takes them out on the French Broad River for a casual float. Photo courtesy of Bellyak

MOUNTAINX.COM

nesses. “It helps us with police, EMS and other city services,” Grotenhuis said of the grant. He says he’s pleased that the new funding could allow them to bring on better artists for music and even the option to try out new events. “Most of our money is made on beer sales,” he says, “[so] the grant allows us to be more flexible with what we’re doing and puts less risk on us.”

Bemis said the festival made a profit last year, which will help in the future for an event that prides itself on being different and unique to Asheville. “If we had a title sponsor that wrote us a check for $50,000 and dictated to us what they wanted, we might be homogenized, a little vanilla about stuff,” says Bemis, who is still a member of the festival’s board of direc-

tors. “This way we’re open to all kinds of events. I think what works well for us is when we have these weird hybrid events, a sport you don’t see very often. I think that to me is the spirit of what we do here.”

GET PHYSICAL Case in point for not being plain old vanilla is the return of the Rock2Rock 10K Trail Race Mountain, which will be held in Black Mountain. Stumpy roots, rocks, low-hanging branches and downed trees along a steep course are just some of the challenges of the extremely demanding race. The event was canceled last year because the organizer had a scheduling conflict.

A crowd favorite is likely to be the third annual Downriver Dash SUP race, in which contestants stand on a paddleboard and go about a mile against the current before turning around and racing to the finish line with it. The race will be held Saturday morning on the French Broad River.

The SUP race has developed a large following, according to Gragtman, who won the event in 2015. “The French Broad is always a variable force, it’s always changing in terms of water level,” he says of the event, which is run by French Broad Outfitters. “You never know exactly what to expect. The river could be really high, or there could be rocks.

The river has such different characters with those different positions.”

A CLOSER LOOK AT NEW EVENTS

PUMP THE PEDALS: Mountain Sports Fest’s Cyclocross event pits bikes and riders with different specialities against one another on a course with lots of different surfaces in a grueling, multihour contest. Photo courtesy of Mountain Sports Festival LOOKING FORWARD One thing that will be missing from this year’s festival is the sports demo stage, although booths for gear vendors and environmental nonprofits will be in the Festival Village. “The board wanted to focus on the new Water Zone and water demo area instead of the stage,” Grotenhuis said.

Grotenhuis is already looking toward next year’s event, when he hopes to unveil a 5K run. “It’s another way for us to make some money,” he said. If the run happens, Grotenhuis won’t have to go far to find a race organizer. His wife, Leslie, owns and runs Kick It Event Management.

Grotenhuis said he hopes the three-day event will bring out well over 10,000 competitors and spectators. “The Mountain Sports Festival is a fantastic local event put on by outdoor enthusiasts,” says Sean Perry, a former competitor in cyclocross. “It’s a great atmosphere, and the camaraderie and the vibe is really fun. It’s a good time, superfamily-friendly.”

Some of the events are filled, but others will take on competitors on the day of the event.

For information see the event’s website at avl.mx/3qc.

Spring BMX Street Jam, Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

BMX riding is more of a daredevil sport like skateboarding, except with handlebars and pedals. The course has inclines and several jumps over boxes and pipes. It’s an event where riders are sent out individually and race against the clock and get style points. This year’s event is sponsored by Asheville Dirt and Bike in West Asheville.

“BMX is an aggressive type of riding that is all gravity-driven and all appeals to the same type of mindset,” says Jeff Ritterpusch, who owns Asheville Dirt and Bike with Michael Rhine. “BMX will bring a whole new demographic into the sports festival. It will bring a younger clientele, which highlights a whole different approach to riding.” Asheville Dirt and Bike opened two years ago, and this will be the third event the store has sponsored.

“When we did the first one, our biggest concern was that we didn’t have any carnage or major injuries,” Ritterpusch said. “We didn’t want to pick anyone off in the community.

We wanted a good, wholesome event where everybody is safe and has a good time. It went extremely well.”

Prone Paddling sprint race, Saturday, 2-4 p.m.

New to the festival will be the Prone Paddling sprint race, in which competitors lie face first and paddle furiously with their hands. The course will be a mile long and downstream. The race will be open to all levels of paddlers. “I can guarantee you there’s not a race like this anywhere else,” Bemis says. “It should be a lot of fun.”

Prone paddling was the brainchild of Adam Masters, who designed the Bellyak, which is a lie-on-top kayak.

He said he came up with the idea when he lay on his kayak one day and paddled with his hands. “I just started tinkering and building prototypes,” he recalls. He says the craft is gaining popularity, and sales of the Bellyak this year are at an all-time high. The success, he says, is all in the experience. “The sensation of being able to combine the motions of swimming with a kayak underneath you was such as awesome feeling.” X

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MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

19

MOUNTAIN SPORTS FRIDAY MAY 26

Sporting Events

Adult Dodgeball

6pm (in hockey rink)

Festival Village 4–10pm

Mountain Sports Fest Youth Open IV 4–10pm (Memorial Stadium/Carrier Park)

Kids Village 4–7pm

MSF Cyclocross

5–9pm (Event map included)

WNC Disc Golf

5–10pm (Sandhill DG course - county)

Rock2Rock

6–8pm (Black Mountain)

The Collier Lilly Ride

7:45am–3pm (Start finish at the Wedge)

SATURDAY MAY 27

Festival Village 10am–10pm

Youth In-Line Hockey

WNC Disc Golf

9am–4pm (in hockey rink)

5–10pm (Sandhill DG course - county)

Spring BMX Street Jam 10am–3pm

3rd Annual Downriver Dash SUP Race

8am–10am (Festival Village)

(Track and Festival Village)

1pm (Track)

10am–noon

Yoga Class

Trips For Kids WNC Kids Duathlon 3pm

Trips For Kids WNC Kids Race

Kids Village 11am–7pm

Silent Auction 12–5pm

Kids Dodgeball

2–5pm (in hockey rink)

Prone Paddling Sprint Race 2–4pm

SUN. MAY 28

Festival Village Kids Village 12–5pm

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Village

Trips For Kids WNC Bike Parade

Activity

1–2pm (Track & Festival Village)

Event

WNC Disc Golf Urban Skins

8am offer expires 6/05/17

KEY

11am–6pm

1–2pm (South Slope)

9am 10am 11am 12pm 1pm

2pm

Events are at Carrier Park unless otherwise listed

3pm

4pm

5pm

6pm

7pm 8pm

9pm 10pm

Note: Although many individual events require pre-registration for athletes, some allow day-of registration with varying fees. Select events, particularly children’s events, are free for participants. For more information on participating or costs, contact individual event sponsors or visit mountainsportsfestival.com. Photos courtesy of Mountain Sports Festival

FESTIVAL 2017 GUIDE

FRIDAY MAY 26

MUSIC LINEUP Lineup

Empire Strikes Brass

Dub Kartel

Find more info at mountainsportsfestival.com/music

(reggae), 5–7pm “It more or less took an act of Jah to bring the Dub Kartel together,” says the bio for the reggae collective. Local musicians representing Strut, Gnomebirds, Shining Rock, Natural Healing, Cosmic Wind, Empire Strikes Brass and Common Foundation came together in 2010 for a fundraiser to benefit victims of an earthquake in Haiti.

From there, a band was born that pays homage to classic dub rhythms and the golden era of Jamaican music. soundcloud.com/dub-kartel

(funk, jazz, rock), 7:30–9:30pm The Asheville-based outfit started on the streets — often as part of a parade. Its personnel come from a number of bands and can be found in various configurations playing local venues. In fact, Empire Strikes Brass itself is able to morph from a few members to 10-plus-piece ensemble. The group released Theme for a Celebration, its debut album, earlier this year.

Recorded at Echo Mountain Studios, the record synthesizes “the band’s love for brass instrumentation while drawing inspiration from different musical styles and influences,” according to Empire Strikes Brass’ website. And since the group’s first record was five years in the making, it was quickly followed by a collaborative release with DJ Push/Pull. empirestrikesbrass.com

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Junk Removal & Handyman We do it all!

SUN. MAY 28

SATURDAY MAY 27

Pierce Edens

m 12pm

(roots rock), 12:30–1:30pm Longtime Western North Carolina staple Pierce Edens nods to both a background in old-time music and a misspent youth in punk.

His rough-hewn melodies, visceral lyrics and amped-up delivery make for poignant albums and raucous live shows. Edens plays the Mountain Sports Festival in advance of a June album release. pierceedens. com

Race to the Stage winner Modern Strangers

(rock), 4-5:30pm After beating out three other hopefuls during a battle of the bands at Salvage Station, local rockers Modern Strangers won a spot at the Mountain Sports Festival. The band describes its sound as a “jangle-pop juggernaut with a mountain twist,” which sounds as quirky and brawny as the event it’s playing for.

Alex Krug Combo

(Americana), 2–3:30pm More dreamy than rootsy, singer-songwriter Alex Krug builds her intricate songs on visionary lyrics and otherworldly melodies.

Harmony vocals, virtuosic instrumentation and deep grooves are all part of the sound. “This band will not exit a stage without leaving the audience in some sort of terribly wonderful stupor,” says Krug’s bio.

Ashley Heath

(Americana, soul), 12:30–2pm Appalachia-born singersongwriter Ashley Heath is newish to the local music scene but performs with old-soul savvy. She launched her full-time career in 2015, and her debut album, A Different Stream, out last year, was voted among WNCW’s top100 releases. Heath can be seen regularly on area stages and has been touring in ever-widening circles. ashleyheathmusic.com

1pm

Dr. Junk &Mr. Fix-It

2pm

David Earl & The Plowshares

(rock, soul), 2:30-4 pm Troubadour (and metalworker) David Earl Tomlinson has long been writing and playing in the fiery style he dubbed “amphetamine folk.” It’s loose, rugged and, at its heart, a joyful celebration. Earl recently launched a new album, Catch a Thrill, and a video for the title track laden with Asheville imagery, landmarks and the musician’s own artwork. reverbnation. com/davidearlandtheplowshares

3pm

4pm

Funk You

(funk), 6-7:30pm Based in Augusta, Ga., Funk You — if its Instagram account is anything to go by — likes psychedelic poster art, Mexican food and taking arms-aroundeach-other’s-shoulders-type group photos in various locations around the country. It’s no surprise that the group plays funk; the focus on tasteful lyrics and powerful vocals adds to the appeal. funkyoumusic.com

The Freeway Revival

(roots rock), 4:30-6 pm Though beardy and perhaps a little road-weary, rock collective The Freeway Revival performs with precision and well-honed élan. “A group forged on the road, they continue to use their lyrics as a window into the life of a traveling band on the current American landscape,” the musicians say on their website.

“Live, The Freeway balances organized, well-crafted tunes with a jam ethos that lends a raw and explorative power to the music.”

Expect guitars, vocal harmonies and organ melodies that sound both of an era and decidedly of the moment. freewayrevival.com

5pm

Call Pat Anytime!

828.620.1844 drjunkandmrfixit.com

The Nth Power

6pm

(funk, soul), 8-9:30 pm Although the collective calls New Orleans its spiritual home, the musicians in The Nth Power are no strangers to Asheville.

From recording with IamAVL.com and playing WNC venues to drummer Nikki Glaspie’s Skill Sets instructional workshop, the band — which formed during an impromptu late-night jam at Jazz Fest in 2012 — has made Asheville a frequent stop. Glaspie is a renowned pop percussionist who toured with Beyonce for five years; others in the band bring years of experience in the funk, soul and blues traditions. The group’s latest release, To Be Free: Live, applies the musicians’ inherent optimism to the current political climate.

Always, The Nth Power encourages the healing powers of music.

EMPYREAN ARTS Weekly Drop In Classes POLE DANCE Mon 8pm

BEGINNING POLE Wed 5:30pm Thur 11am Fri 7:15pm Sat 11:45am Sun 5:45pm

INTERMEDIATE POLE Wed 6:45pm Fri 2:30pm

32 Banks Ave #108 • Downtown Asheville

7pm

8pm

9pm

10pm

EmpyreanArts.org 782.3321

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

21

COMMUNITY CALENDAR MAY 24 - JUNE 1, 2017

CALENDAR GUIDELINES For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 2511333, ext. 137. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 251-1333, ext. 320.

ANIMALS

per day for children. Held at Camp Spring Creek, Bakersville

FIRESTORM CAFE AND BOOKS 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • Fourth FRIDAYS, 6pm - Animal rights reading group. Free to attend.

BENEFITS ASHEVILLE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

MLK ASSOCIATION OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY goo.gl/lGaNJ2 • SA (5/27), 6-8pm - Proceeds from concert with Darryl Rhymes benefit the MLK Youth Scholarship Fund. $20. Held at Crowne Plaza Resort, 1 Resort Drive

254-7162, colburnmuseum.org • TH (6/1), 6pm - Proceeds from “Under the Stars with AMOS,” event with live auction, food and beverage reception and live music from the Blushin’ Roulettes benefit the Asheville Museum of Science. $35/$30 members. Held at Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Drive ASHEVILLE ULTIMATE CLUB ashevilleultimate.org, ashevilleultimateclub@gmail.com • TH (5/25), 4-11pm - Proceeds raised at this raffle and auction with burgers from Hickory Nut Gap Farms and snacks from Roots Hummus benefit Asheville Youth Ultimate Frisbee Club. Free to attend/$5 raffle tickets. Held at Hi-Wire Brewing, 197 Hilliard Ave, Asheville EVENING UNDER THE STARS donate.friendsofthesmokies.org , 828-452-0720 • FR (5/26), 7pm - Proceeds from this stargazing event with the Astronomy Club of Asheville featuring wine, live music and hor d’oeuvres benefit Friends of the Smokies. $40.

Register for location.

GUARDIAN AD LITEM 694-4215 • WE (5/31), 8:30pm - Proceeds donated at “A Musical Voyage” concert with Duo Vela and Demeler benefit the Guardian ad Litem Association fund for children in foster care. Held at The BLOCK off biltmore, 39 South Market St. HEARTWOOD heartwood.org/events • FR (5/26) through SU (5/29) Proceeds from the Strong Roots Forest Council skill share weekend with local food, live music, talent show and live auction benefit Heartwood. Registration: heartwood.org/events. $60-$150/$15-$25

22

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC homewardbound.wnc.org • SU (5/28), 5-8pm - Proceeds from this music concert featuring Jim Arrendell and The Cheap Suits benefit Homeward Bound of WNC. $5.

Held at Aloft Rooftop/Poolside, 51 Biltmore Ave.

PRINCESS CHARITY BALL bit.ly/2qASYVt • SU (5/28), 3-6pm - Proceeds from this children’s concert featuring fairytale characters, jugglers, balloon twisters, face painting, glitter tattoos, photo booths, princess makeovers and dance party benefit Jordan Banks who has stage 4 Brain Cancer. $20/$17 advance. Held at the Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway WILD ON FILM 259-8092, wildwnc.org, americorps@wildwnc.org • TH (5/25), 6-8:30pm - Proceeds raised at this “Wild on Film” viewing event with silent auction, photo booth and educational animals benefit the WNC Nature Center. $20/$16 youth/$100 VIP. Held at Highland Brewing Company, 12 Old Charlotte Highway

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY A-B TECH SMALL BUSINESS CENTER 398-7950, abtech.edu/sbc • WE (5/24), 6-8pm - “Smarketing: Increase Profits through Smart Sales & Marketing Integration,” seminar.

Registration required. Free. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler • FR (5/26), noon-1:30pm - “What Entrepreneurs Need to Know about Personal Credit,” seminar.

Registration required. Free. Held at A-B Tech Enka Campus, 1459 Sand Hill Road, Candler

MOUNTAINX.COM

WHITE SQUIRREL FESTIVAL: Featuring 2 ½ days of live music, over eight blocks of street vendors, food vendors, merchants, artists, craftsmen, potters, painters, games and kids activities, the annual White Squirrel Festival in downtown Brevard is a great way to spend a spring weekend in the mountains from Friday, May 26, to Sunday, May 28.

One of the highlights of the festival is the Squirrel Box Derby down Jailhouse Hill on Saturday, May 27. In addition, the festival hosts the 5K and 10K White Squirrel Races, benefiting the Brevard Rotary Club. For more information about the free festival, derby and road race, visit whitesquirrelfestival.com or squirrelboxderby.com. Photo courtesy of White Squirrel Festival organizers (p. 23) BLUE RIDGE HOLISTIC NURSES 989-4981, brholisticnurse@gmail.com • SA (5/27), 10am-noon - General meeting. Retired, active and student nurses welcome. Free to attend. Held at EarthFare - Westgate, 66 Westgate Parkway

CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS AERIAL ARTS + POLE DANCE + FLEXIBILITY CLASSES AT EMPYREAN ARTS (PD.) BEGINNING AERIAL ARTS weekly on Tuesdays 11am and Wednesdays 4:15pm * TRAPEZE & LYRA weekly on Tuesdays 6:30pm and Saturdays 1pm * AERIAL ROPE weekly on Tuesdays at 2:15pm and Fridays at 6pm * POLE DANCE weekly on Mondays at 8pm * FLEXIBILITY weekly on Mondays 6:30pm, Tuesdays 8pm, and Thursdays at 1pm.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT EMPYREANARTS.ORG or CALL/ TEXT 828.782.3321 WRITERS WORKSHOP • GENIUS CREATIVITY STRATEGIES (PD.) With NY Times best selling author Linda Lowery. Wednesdays, June 7-July 5 • Crammed with professional tips to help your work flow productively and authentically. Information/ registration: (828) 250-2353.

UNCA.edu/gswp ASHEVILLE ROTARY CLUB rotaryasheville.org • THURSDAYS, noon-1:30pm General meeting. Free. Held at

Renaissance Asheville Hotel, 31 Woodfin St. BUNCOMBE COUNTY RECREATION SERVICES parks@buncombecounty.org, 828-250-6703 • SA (5/27), 8am-noon - “Veterans Fishing Day,” event for veterans (with proof) to fish without a license. Held at Charles D. Owen Park, 875 Warren Wilson Road, Swannanoa HAYWOOD STREET CONGREGATION 297 Haywood St., 246-4250 • 1st & 3rd THURSDAYS - Workshop to teach how to make sleeping mats for the homeless out of plastic shopping bags. Information: 828-707-7203 or cappyt@att.net. Free.

LEICESTER COMMUNITY CENTER 2979 New Leicester Highway, Leicester, 774-3000, facebook.com/ Leicester.Community.Center • SU (5/28), 2pm - Sandy Mush 4H Memorial Day ceremony. Free.

MARINE CORPS LEAGUE ASHEVILLE 273-4948, mcl.asheville@gmail.com • Last TUESDAYS - For veterans of the Marines, FMF Corpsmen, and their families. Free. Held at American Legion Post #2, 851 Haywood Road MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • MO (5/29), 2:30pm - City of Asheville Memorial Day concert and ceremony featuring the For Bragg 82nd Airborne Band and the Reuter Singers. Free. Held at Pack Square Park, 80 Court Plaza • MO (5/29), noon - Memorial Day

observance with live music and ROTC drill teams. Free. Held at Lake Louise Park, Lake Louise Drive, Weaverville ONTRACK WNC 50 S. French Broad Ave., 255-5166, ontrackwnc.org • FR (5/26), 12-1:30pm - “Budgeting and Debt Class.” Registration required. Free.

• WE (5/30), 5:30-7pm - “Budgeting and Debt Class.” Registration required. Free.

WNC PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY wncpsr.org • 3rd FRIDAYS, noon-2pm - Monthly meeting. BYO lunch. Free. Held at First Congregational UCC of Asheville, 20 Oak St.

DANCE EXPERIENCE ECSTATIC DANCE! (PD.) Dance waves hosted by Asheville Movement Collective. Fun and personal/community transformation. • Fridays, 7pm, Terpsicorps Studios, 1501 Patton Avenue. • Sundays, 8:30am and 10:30am, JCC, 236 Charlotte Street. Sliding scale fee.

Information: ashevillemovementcollective.org POLE FITNESS AND DANCE CLASSES AT DANCECLUB ASHEVILLE (PD.) Pole Dance, Burlesque, Jazz/Funk, Flashmobs! Drop in for a class or sign up for a series: • Tues. and Fri. at 12PM - Pole class for $10 • Intro/ Beg. Pole Drop in - Sat. at 1:30PM

- $15 • Memberships available for $108/month • Beginner Jazz/Funk starts May 18 • Chair Dance class starts May 22 • Intro to Pole Series starts May 23 • Exotic Poleography starts May 25 Visit the website to find out more about these classes and others.

DanceclubAsheville.com 828-2758628 - Right down the street from UNCA - 9 Old Burnsville Hill Rd., #3 STUDIO ZAHIYA, DOWNTOWN DANCE CLASSES (PD.) Monday 9am Yoga Wkt 12pm Barre Wkt 4pm Dance and Define Wkt 5pm Bellydance Drills 6pm Hip Hop Wkt 6pm Bellydance Special Topics 7pm Classical Ballet Series 8pm Tribal Bellydance Series 8pm Lyrical Series • Tuesday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 12pm Sculpt-Beats Wkt 5pm Modern Movement 6pm Intro to Bellydance 7pm Bellydance 2 8pm Advanced Bellydance • Wednesday 5pm Hip Hop Wkt 5pm Bollywood 6pm Bhangra Series 7pm Tahitian Series 8pm Jazz Series • Thursday 9am Hip Hop Wkt 12pm Sculptbeats Wkt 4pm Girls Hip Hop 5pm Teens Hip Hop 6pm Bellydance Drills 7pm Advanced Contemporary 8pm West Coast Swing Series • Saturday 9:30am Hip Hop Wkt 10:45 Buti Yoga Wkt • Sunday 11am Yoga Wkt • $13 for 60 minute classes, Wkt $6. 90 1/2 N. Lexington Avenue. www.studiozahiya.com :: 828.242.7595

FOOD & BEER FOOD NOT BOMBS HENDERSONVILLE foodnotbombshendersonville@ gmail.com • SUNDAYS, 4pm - Community meal. Free. Held at Black Bear Coffee Co., Rosdon Mall, 318 N Main St., #5, Hendersonville LIVING WEB FARMS 891-4497, livingwebfarms.org • TH (5/25), 6-7:30pm - “Elements of Cooking: Salt,” workshop. $10. Held at French Broad Food Co-op, 90 Biltmore Ave., ASheville

featuring live music, arts and craft vendors and activities for kids. See website for full schedule: whitesquirrelfestival.com. Free to attend. Held at Downtown Brevard, Main St., Brevard • SA (5/27), 11am - “Squirrel Box Derby,” event for homemade boxcars to roll down Jailhouse Hill during the White Squirrel Festival.

Registration begins at 7am.

Registration: squirrelboxderby.com.

Free for 17 and under/$100 for open division. Held at Downtown Brevard, Main St., Brevard

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS FESTIVALS CARL SANDBURG FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL nps.gov/carl • MO (5/29), 11am-4pm - Festival honoring Carl Sandburg and his preservation of traditional folk music as found in his collection.

Featuring live music and storytelling. Admission fees apply. Held at Carl Sandburg Home NHS, 81 Carl Sandburg Lane, Flat Rock WHITE SQUIRREL DAY FESTIVAL • FR (5/26) through SU (5/28) Family-friendly outdoor festival

ENKA SCHOOL DISTRICT • TH (5/25), 6-8pm - Enka school district residents are invited to a non-partisan community forum with County Commissioners Brownie Newman and Robert Pressley. Food Truck available at 5:30pm. Free to attend.

CITY OF ASHEVILLE 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • FR (5/26), 9am-noon - The I-26 Connector Project working group meeting. Free. Held at French Broad River Metropolitan Planning Organization, 339 New Leicester

Highway, Suite 140 HENDERSON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY 692-6424, myhcdp.com/ • FR (5/30), 7pm - Fletcher Precinct meet and greet with Matt Coffay.

Free to attend. Held at Blue Ghost Brewing Company, 125 Underwood Road. Fletcher

KIDS ASHEVILLE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE 43 Patton Ave., 254-7162, colburnmuseum.org • FR (5/26), 9am - “Little Explorers Club,” activities for preschoolers aged 3-5. Registration required.

Admission fees apply.

BARNES AND NOBLE BOOKSELLERS ASHEVILLE MALL 3 S. Tunnel Road, 296-7335 • SA (5/27), 11-11:30am - Storytime and activities for children featuring the book, Pete the Cat & The Cool Cat Boogie. Free to attend.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • TH (5/25), 4pm - “Intro to Herpetology,” event to learn about

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

23

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C O N S C I O U S PA R T Y

by Molly Horak | mhorak@mountainx.com

Asheville Youth Ultimate Frisbee

ULTIMATE FUN: Players from French Broad River Academy try to advance the disc up the field against Franklin School of Innovation during a Wednesday Middle School Spring League game at Memorial Stadium. Photo taken by Mark Strazzer.

FOOD TRUCKS: The Grubbery Root Down Hit the Bit BBQ Holy Smoke The Hop Ice Cream Truck

24

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

WHAT: A benefit night for the Asheville Youth Ultimate Frisbee program WHERE: Hi-Wire Brewing WHEN: Thursday, May 25, 4-11 p.m.

WHY: With both fall and spring programs, games running several times a week and a tournament to culminate the end of a successful season, the Asheville Youth Ultimate Frisbee league is expanding, allowing more students the opportunity to get active and enjoy a new sport.

The Youth Ultimate league began in 2003 with four middle school teams and has grown to include over 350 participants from 16 area schools. Yet increasing popularity means additional costs, ranging from renting field space for games to providing and paying coaches, said Mark Strazzer, youth program manager.

“When we have more schools than needed or we have some schools

that need more support than others, that’s where the money is used to sort of fill in the holes and supplement the fees,” Strazzer says.

The benefit night will feature raffle prizes and a silent auction for larger items, including donatations from Asheville Pizza Co., High Five Coffee, Buxton Hall and coupons for a day in Asheville, says Strazzer.

Hi-Wire Brewing will also donate a portion of their sales to the Youth Ultimate league.

“We hope to pack it, to have a good time and to raise a lot of money for the kiddos,” Strazzer says.

Visit http://ashevilleultimate.org for more information or to make a donation. Raffle tickets will be sold at the event, $5 for the first ticket and $1 for additional entries. X

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR

reptiles and amphibians with the opportunity to earn an ecoExplorer badge. For ages 5-13.

Free. Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • FR (5/26), 4-6pm - Read for 15-minutes with JR the therapy dog for preschool readers through age 10.

Registration required: 2504752. Free. Held at North Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave. • MONDAYS, 10:30am - “Mother Goose Time,” storytime for 4-18 month olds. Free. Held at Skyland/South Buncombe Library, 260 Overlook Road • MONDAYS, 10:30am - Spanish story time for children of all ages. Free.

Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler • TUESDAYS (5/2) through (5/30) - Read for 15-minutes with JR the therapy dog for preschool readers through age 10.

Registration required: 250-6482. Free. Held at Weaverville Public

by Abigail Griffin

Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville • WE (5/31), 4pm - “Intro to Herpetology,” event to learn about reptiles and amphibians with the opportunity to earn an ecoExplorer badge. For ages 5-13. Free. Held at Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Road, Candler FLETCHER LIBRARY 120 Library Road, Fletcher, 687-1218, library.hendersoncountync.org • WEDNESDAYS, 10:30am - Family story time. Free.

HANDS ON! A CHILDREN’S GALLERY 318 N. Main St., Hendersonville, 697-8333 • Through FR (5/26), 10am-4pm - “Make Stars,” Memorial Day activities for children.

Admission fees apply.

MALAPROP’S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 2546734, malaprops.com • WEDNESDAYS, 10am

- Miss Malaprop’s Story Time for ages 3-9. Free to attend.

SPELLBOUND CHILDREN’S BOOKSHOP 640 Merrimon Ave., #204, 708-7570, spellboundchildrensbookshop.com • WE (5/24), 6-7pm Michael Buckley signs his series, The Sisters Grimm.

For ages 7-14. Free to attend.

OUTDOORS ASHEVILLE DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION 251-9973, ashevilledowntown.org • Tuesdays through (8/29), 5:30-7:30pm - “Asheville Hoop Jam,” outdoor event hosted by Asheville Hoops, featuring hula hooping and music.

Bring your own hula or borrow a demo. Free.

Held at Pritchard Park, 4 College St.

BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY RANGER PROGRAMS 295-3782, ggapio@gmail.com • SA (5/27), 7pm “Wilderness Skills: Gambling with Survival,” ranger presentation.

Free. Held at Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater, MP 316 CITY OF HENDERSONVILLE cityofhendersonville.org • SATURDAYS through (5/27), 10am - Guided history walks in Downtown Hendersonville.

Registration: 828-5453179 or maryjo@maryjopadgett.com. $10/ Free for children. Meet at the back door lobby of the Hendersonville City Hall, Fifth Avenue East and King Street, Hendersonville GEOWOODSTOCK geocaching.com • SA (5/26), 1-8pm Geocaching festival for all ages with vendors, activities and presentations. Free to attend. Held at the Haywood County

Live @ Aloft Benefit Concert Series On our roof top Air Level 5 - 8pm $5 Suggested Cover Charge with 100% donated to assist local nonprofits!

May 28: Jim Arrendel and the Cheap Suits

Benefits Homeward Bound June 25: Caromia

Benefits Friends of Connect Buncombe 51 Biltmore Ave (828) 232-2838 AloftAshevilleDowntown.com MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

25

C OMMU N IT Y CA L E N D AR

SPIRITUALITY

Fairgrounds, 758 Crabtree Road, Waynesville

258-8737, wnca.org • TH (5/25), 4-9pm - Guided moderate 2.2 mile hike on Sam’s Knob Summit Trail with ecology lesson and gentle yoga. Register for location. $40/$15 members.

THE CRADLE OF FORESTRY 11250 Pisgah Highway, Pisgah Forest, 877-3130 • SA (5/27), 10:30am & 2pm - “Bogs, Bugs & Beavers,” guided 1.75 mile walk along the Pink Beds trail. Free.

THE PISGAH FIELD SCHOOL 49 Pisgah Highway, Suite 4, Pisgah Forest • TUESDAY through SATURDAY (5/30) until (6/10), 8:30-10:30pm - “In Search of the Blue Ghosts,” naturalist guided walk to see Blue Ghost Fireflies. Registration required: 828-884-3443. $15/$8 for ages 8 and under.

PUBLIC LECTURES LAND OF THE SKY UCC 15 Overlook Place • TH (6/1), 6-8pm - “Seeking Truth & Transparency: North Carolina’s Role in U.S. Torture,” lecture by Frank Goldsmith and Christina Cowger regarding the NC Commission of Inquiry on Torture. Childcare available.

Send your event listings to calendar@mountainx.com

Ave., #113, (828) 200-5120. asheville. shambhala.org

ABOUT THE TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION TECHNIQUE • FREE INTRODUCTORY TALK (PD.)

MOUNTAINTRUE

Admission by donation.

by Abigail Griffin

The authentic TM technique, rooted in the ancient yoga tradition—for settling mind and body and accessing hidden inner reserves of energy, peace and happiness. Learn how TM is different from mindfulness, watching your breath, common mantra meditation and everything else. Evidence-based: The only meditation technique recommended for heart health by the American Heart Association.

NIH-sponsored research shows deep revitalizing rest, reduced stress and anxiety, improved brain functioning and heightened well-being. Thursday, 6:30-7:30pm, Asheville TM Center, 165 E. Chestnut. 828-254-4350. TM.org or MeditationAsheville.org ASTRO-COUNSELING (PD.) Licensed counselor and accredited professional astrologer uses your chart when counseling for additional insight into yourself, your relationships and life directions. Readings also available.

Christy Gunther, MA, LPC. (828) 2583229.

OPEN HEART MEDITATION (PD.) Now at 70 Woodfin Place, Suite 212. Tuesdays 7-8pm. Experience the stillness and beauty of connecting to your heart and the Divine within you. Suggested $5 donation.

OpenHeartMeditation.com SHAMBHALA MEDITATION CENTER (PD.) Wednesdays, 10pm-midnight • Thursdays, 7-8:30pm and Sundays, 10-noon • Meditation and community. By donation. 60 N. Merrimon

CENTER FOR ART & SPIRIT AT ST. GEORGE 1 School Road, 258-0211 • 4th FRIDAYS, 10am-noon Contemplative Companions, meditation. Free.

• Last Tuesdays, 7-9pm - Aramaic, Hebrew and Egyptian vocal toning, breath work and meditation.

Admission by donation.

• 1st & 3rd THURSDAYS, 2pm Intentional meditation. Admission by donation.

GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH 1245 Sixth Ave. W., Hendersonville, 693-4890, gracelutherannc.com • Through (6/20) - Open registration for the Henderson County Churches Uniting vacation Bible school that takes place Monday, June 26 through Thursday, June 29. Registration: bit.ly/ vbs-peru. Free.

• Through TH (6/1) - Open registration for “Entrusted: A Study of 2 Timothy,” women’s summer Bible study.

Registration: 828-693-4890 X304 or bit.ly/grace-summer. $13.

URBAN DHARMA 29 Page Ave, Asheville, 225-6422, udharmanc.com • SU (5/28), 2:30-5pm - “Giving and Taking Tonglen,” class series in a Tibetan meditative practice for cultivating compassion for oneself and for others. $25/$20 members.

SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD 35BELOW 35 E. Walnut St., 254-1320, ashevilletheatre.org • TH (5/25), 7:30pm - “Listen to This”

storytelling series hosted by Tom Chalmers and featuring stories and original songs from locals. $15.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/governing/ depts/library • WE (5/24), 6:30pm - Storyteller Becky Stone presents on the development of her upcoming portrayal of Maya Angelou for the June Buncombe County Chautauqua series.

Free. Held at Pack Memorial Library Lord Auditorium, 67 Haywood St. • SA (5/27), 10am-3pm - Used book sale benefiting the Friends of the Weaverville Library. Free to attend.

Held at Weaverville Public Library, 41 N. Main St., Weaverville FIRESTORM CAFE AND BOOKS 610 Haywood Road, 255-8115 • First THURSDAYS, 6pm - Political prisoners letter writing. Free to attend.

FLATIRON WRITERS ROOM LITERARY CENTER 5 Covington St. • WE (5/24), 6-8:30pm - “Write Your Best Agent Query Letter,” workshop. $35.

MALAPROP’S BOOKSTORE AND CAFE 55 Haywood St., 254-6734, malaprops.com • TH (5/25), 7pm - Works in Translation Book Club: The Ministry of Pain by Dubravka Ugreši translated by Michael Henry Heiml. Free to attend.

• TH (5/25), 7pm - Zach Powers, in conversation with Thomas Calder, presents, Gravity Changes. Free to attend.

• SA (5/27), 7pm - Dada Maheshvarananda presents, Cooperative Games for a Cooperative

World. Free to attend.

• WE (5/31), 7pm - David Haskell presents his book, The Songs of Trees.

Free to attend.

SPEAK YOUR PEACE speakyourpeace2017.eventbrite.com • WE (5/24), 6:30-8pm - “On Coming Home: A Pathway to Reducing Inequalities,” lecture by author Chuck Collins hosted by The Mediation Center. $12. Held at Asheville Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway THE WRITER’S WORKSHOP 387 Beaucatcher Road, 254-8111, twwoa.org • Through TU (5/30) - Submissions accepted for the “Hard Times Personal Essay Contest.” Contact for full guidelines. $25.

• Through WE (8/30) - Submissions accepted for the “Literary Fiction Contest.” Contact for full guidelines. $25.

SPORTS APA POOL LEAGUE (PD.) Beginners welcome & wanted! Play in Asheville or Arden or Brevard. HAVE FUN. MEET PEOPLE. PLAY POOL. Vicki at 828-329-8197 www.BlueRidgeAPA.com ONGOING – weekly league play

VOLUNTEERING ASHEVILLE PRISON BOOKS ashevilleprisonbooks@gmail.com • SA (5/27), 3-5:30pm - Asheville Prison Books volunteer orientation and book packaging party. Free to attend. Held at Firestorm Cafe and Bookstore, 610 Haywood Road

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF WNC 50 S. French Broad Ave. Ste. #213, 253-1470, bbbswnc.org • TH (5/25), noon - Information session for those interested in volunteering to share their interests twice a month with a young person from a singleparent home or to mentor one-hour a week in elementary schools and afterschool sites. Free.

HANDS ON ASHEVILLEBUNCOMBE 2-1-1, handsonasheville.org • TH (5/25), 11am-12:30pm Volunteer to cook and serve a homemade lunch to the men staying at the ABCCM Veteran’s Restoration Quarters. Registration required.

• TU (5/30), 4-6pm - Volunteer to assist with unpacking and pricing in a nonprofit, fair-trade retail store.

Registration required.

HOMEWARD BOUND OF WNC 218 Patton Ave., 258-1695, homewardboundwnc.org • THURSDAYS, 11am - “Welcome Home Tour,” tours to find out how Homeward Bound is working to end homelessness and how the public can help. Registration required: tours@ homewardboundwnc.org. Free.

LITERACY COUNCIL OF BUNCOMBE COUNTY 31 College Pl., Suite B-221 • WE (5/31) 5:30pm & TH (6/1) 9am - Information session for those interested in volunteering two hours per week with adults who want to improve reading, writing, spelling, and English language skills. Free.

For more volunteering opportunities visit mountainx.com/calendar

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ALL REGULAR PRICED

MERCHANDISE! Saturday, May 27Monday, May 29 30% off select marked items throughout the store NOW SHIPPING ITEMS SEEN ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA! Did you also know that we offer a complimentary Personal Shopper Service?

Go to clothesmentor.com to set up your appointment today!

Follow us on Facebook & Instagram! @cmasheville

26

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

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WELLNESS

HEALTH PARTNERS

Wellness coaching contributes to well-being in WNC

BY TIFFANY NARRON tfnarron44@gmail.com What does a health coach do?

Where might you find one in Western North Carolina? And how do you find one best suited to your health needs?

WNC’s wellness industry is evolving, with an increasing number of self-care options. Health coaches help to bridge divides between traditional and alternative modalities. The world’s largest nutrition school, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City, defines a health coach as “a wellness authority and supportive mentor who motivates individuals to cultivate positive health choices.” That broad statement can be applied in a multitude of areas — from mental health care to physical exercise, diet, nutrition and more. These are all wellness fields where health coaches are found, and their respective areas of practice help to define their training and certification. Not every industry, however, requires a license to practice.

Many health coaches work as personal trainers, focusing on exercise as a significant component of health.

Personal trainers are not required to have certification, professional training or even experience in North Carolina. Nevertheless, they have an important role in providing motivation and support for physical fitness.

Kevin Martin, co-owner of Plank Fitness, says he turned away from “big box” gyms and toward smaller, more personalized fitness studios where he could be more effective. “I’ve always had trouble with the title ‘personal trainer,’” he says in the upstairs physical therapy room of his two-story fitness studio near Biltmore Village. “I know lots of dudes doing that as a hobby, and that’s fine. Some people call themselves personal trainers just because they’re into fitness,” Martin continues.

“A health coach defines so many more pieces of this work, including the lifestyle aspect of healthy habits and how to integrate them into your life to take steps toward better health,” he says.

As a certified trainer through the American College of Sports

WALKING THE PLANK: Wendy Roche and Kevin Martin, owners of Plank Fitness, expand personal training to include lifestyle choices that improve health. Photo by Tiffany Narron Medicine, Martin began his studies as a pre-med student but then gravitated toward nutrition. He says he didn’t agree with the outdated Standard American Diet curriculum being taught in med school. As an avid cook, he began a personal chef business — cooking healthy, customized meals for families. He also began apprenticing alongside personal trainers in both the “big box” and small studio fitness facil-

ities. After working for several years in Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn., he moved to Asheville and continued working as a trainer before opening Plank Fitness four years ago.

At Plank, the focus is on functional training and how best to use body weight rather than machines to build strength and ease for natural movement. One-on-one and semiprivate training sessions touch on diet and car-

diovascular disease; a personalized plan with meal planning and diet feedback is offered as an additional service. The facility also houses a physical therapy room, and appointments can be made with the resident physical therapist as needed.

“A lot of our clients in their 50s and 60s are getting their movement back and changing what they’re capable of doing in everyday life,” Martin says. Unfortunately, he adds, “most people who start a new exercise program are thinking about changing something about their body aesthetically, like weight loss.

If we can get them to focus on how well they move first, then that piece will come. That’s part of the health coaching approach of changing nutrition and other habits that leads to someone accomplishing what they truly want rather than looking to a quick fix.”

Katherine Wilson practices health coaching but adds, “I do differentiate myself from a health coach because I have had a lot of experience in my field and education training.” The core of a health coaching practice requires a fundamental understanding of wellness and how to balance diet, rest, exercise and stress. Health coaching techniques vary depending on the goals of the individual and the state of physical and mental health, she says.

Wilson has worked as the integrative health director at holistic mental health recovery center Cooper Riis for the past seven years. She notes that the training and licensing for health coaches vary, as there are no standardized requirements or credentials, aside from a degree in nutrition. “I go with the title of nutrition consultant because I want that to be felt and understood,” she explains.

“So I let people know that I do have the master’s [degree] even though that’s not relevant as a certification [as a health coach] in North Carolina but hopefully will be some day.”

Wilson says the focus of her work is helping clients cultivate a more sustainable and holistic relationship with food. She began working as a natural food-focused chef, and through that work she saw the value in helping people understand how to read labels, how to cook

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their own food and how best to filter through the “pop culture nutrition information” and get back to a nutrient-dense and whole-foods diet that works for them.

“Some people really want to be told what to do, and I do [that], but I really work in partnership with people, because everyone is at such a different level in their path with changing their relationship with food,” says Wilson. “In some ways, the work becomes very therapeutic in that I stress that their relationship with food is their longest-standing relationship, because you have to address it at least three times a day and it’s ever-changing.”

Acupuncturist and yoga instructor Sarah Leyki Fields holds a similar vision of wellness and the interconnected systems of the body and health. In her field, ayurvedic medicine, the focus includes wholebody healing and the balancing of mind, body and spirit. “There are external factors and internal factors,” she says, “and you’re taught through Daoist traditions how emotions affect us and what they actually do to the chi of our body and how the internal organs are operating inside of us as a family living under one roof.”

Fields, who holds a degree in nutrition and psychology from Arizona State University, supplemented her education with Chinese medicine and later went on to study and become certified as a Bikram yoga instructor and Five Element acupuncture practitioner.

The Five Element theory is one of the core systems of thought within Chinese medicine and serves as one of the major diagnostic tools in treatment, she explains. Using this approach, Fields observes the natural cycles and interconnected relationships within a person and the environment.

She agrees with Martin that the curriculum offered in college lacks the breadth of knowledge available in whole-body system awareness. As a health coach in various fields (yoga, acupuncture and nutrition), Fields works in many capacities to teach people how to understand their bodies’ systems better and how to naturally care for themselves. She offers a 21-day ayurvedic cleanse as a grounding approach for those wanting to detox and reset their bodies by eliminating dairy, sugar and processed foods from their diet.

“The philosophy is so important,” she says, “because then what you’re doing to care for your health becomes more than just treatment of symptoms.” X

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GREEN SCENE

HIDE AND SEEK

Geocaching community finds its way to Waynesville

BY JOHN PIPER WATTERS johnpwatters@hotmail.com For the second time in a decade, North Carolina will host what many see as the geocaching community’s premier gathering. GeoWoodstock XV is coming to the Haywood County Fairgrounds in Waynesville on Saturday, May 27 (see box, “Finding a Good Time”).

If you’ve never heard of geocaching, you’re not alone. A kind of 21st-century treasure hunt, the relatively new sport was born in May 2000, when changes to the Global Positioning System allowed for improved accuracy. Participants use a GPS device to hide and/or find containers stashed in precise locations anywhere in the world. After that they reconceal the cache, so it’s ready for the next geocacher.

Asked why people would want to participate in GeoWoodstock, co-organizer Rob Maile said, “It’s about the best way I can think of to see a new town.” The Hillsborough resident says Waynesville was chosen to highlight the state’s western region; the previous North Carolina gathering was held in Raleigh 10 years ago.

FROM THE TOP: While geocachers are usually looking for small containers stashed in precise locations, this group of local geocachers scoured an area above the Beaucatcher Cut to remove trash a few years ago. The photographer, geocacher Graeme McGufficke, notes that the area is no longer accessible by foot. Photo by McGufficke

SKY’S THE LIMIT In the early days, a handheld GPS receiver was needed to track and locate caches, which often take the form of a used ammo can. “But geocaches can be as small as a pea or as large as an industrial toolbox,” says Jacksonville, N.C., resident Allen Brewer, an avid geocacher who’s planning to attend the May 27 event.

“There are lots of Tupperware containers, recycled pill bottles, Altoids mint tins, empty plastic film canisters or just about any waterproof container you can imagine.” A larger cache might hold a logbook to sign, or items to trade with the person who finds it.

Caches can be hidden anywhere, from remote hiking trails to more urban settings. Groundspeak, a Seattle-based business, maintains geocaching.com, a website that enables participants to find out about caches, log their finds and communicate

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with other cachers. Over the last 17 years, more than 3 million caches have been hidden all over the world, and with the advent of smartphones and specialized apps, geocaching has become as simple as taking a walk through town or going for a backcountry hike.

GeoWoodstock was the brainchild of Nashville, Tenn., resident Joe Armstrong, aka JoGPS. Armstrong, who died in 2015, originally thought of just assembling the top 10 geocachers in one place, but then he was inspired to expand the idea and make it an event. Some 75 people attended the inaugural GeoWoodstock in Louisville, Ky., in June 2003. Since then, the annual gathering has been held in such diverse locales as Jacksonville, Fla.; Dallas, Texas; Wheatland, Calif.; and Carnation, Wash., and attendance has continued to grow.

The last few events have attracted about 2,000 cachers, and Maile expects a similar-size crowd this year. Groundspeak co-sponsors GeoWoodstock, and a committee of prior hosts decides the event’s next location via an Olympic-style bidding system.

CACHE CANDY Asheville resident Graeme McGufficke, aka OzGuff, has been geocaching since Sept. 1, 2003, and he’s personally stashed over 2,100 individual caches. “There’s something inherently rewarding about finding an item that’s been intentionally hidden,” he says.

McGufficke is excited about GeoWoodstock XV. “I place caches in cool spots that I think folks would like to visit, so when I’m traveling and get a chance to find some, I try to target ones that the locals have hidden in their own cool spots,” he explains. “A cool hike with an awesome view. An interesting piece of sculpture. A location with historical significance. These are the types of geocaches that get me jazzed.”

Brewer agrees. Instead of paying for a tour when he’s in unfamiliar territory, he prefers what he calls “geotourism.”

“I let the geocaches take me to all those out-of-the-way, off-the-beatenpath places that only the locals know about. Some people go on vacation to relax; I go on vacation to geocache.”

Brewer favors caches with a “wow factor ... a cache that takes me on a journey or teaches me some local, obscure, trivial history, or brings me to a special scenic

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO: Geocacher Terry Weidner (whose handle is Flowerdoc) near a cache in Pennsylvania. Photo

by Graeme McGufficke place, or challenges me.” It could be “some wacky roadside attraction, a park or some slice of Americana. These are what I call ‘cache candy.’” What matters, he explains, is that “The cache’s owner specifically hid it to take me, a stranger, on an adventure. I’ve geocached in over 525 U.S. counties, 38 U.S. states and seven foreign countries. Every single one was an adventure.”

in the attempt, you will have seen some really amazing places.”

And with so many caches to find both locally and worldwide, there’s something out there for everyone, says Brewer. “There are caches that are great for kids, caches that are hidden specifically for folks with disabilities, caches that require long hikes or special equipment ... and everything in between. It gets folks out of their house and out into the outdoors to explore the world.”

When Armstrong first conceived of bringing geocachers together, he thought it was all about the numbers: how many caches he could hide or discover. But after several years of organizing and participating in GeoWoodstock events, Armstrong experienced a shift in his perspective. “It’s still about the numbers,” he says in a video on the GeoWoodstock website, “but it’s about the number of friends you make, the number of smiles you give away. It’s all about just having a good time.” X

EXPLORING THE WORLD One of the best reasons for getting involved with geocaching, notes McGufficke, is that it “can get you off the couch and into the great outdoors. There are so many caches hidden along trails in WNC that you could go hiking every weekend for 20 years and not find them all. But

Finding a good time GeoWoodstock XV will run Wednesday, May 24, through Sunday, May 28.

The Saturday gathering at the Haywood County Fairgrounds will feature a mix of games, seminars, vendor booths and other offerings as well as individual geocaching opportunities.

In the days leading up to that, other activities are scheduled around the region. A hike to the top of Mount Mitchell is planned for Wednesday, May 24, as is a happy hour social at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Mills River.

Thursday’s calendar includes a train ride at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, followed by dinner and drinks along the French Broad River at the Salvage Station in the River Arts District. On Friday morning, the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway will screen short films from the Geocaching International Film Festival; visitors will also have a chance to experience the arts and crafts on display. A Friday afternoon and evening meet-and-greet at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville will provide a base of operations where cachers and visitors can connect, network and make plans for the weekend.

For more information, visit geowoodstock.info. — J.P.W.

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

31

FARM & GARDEN

YARD IMPROVEMENT

Hendersonville festival focuses on outdoor fixes

BY MAGGIE CRAMER

One big plant party

mcramerwrites@gmail.com Want the best front yard on your block? There’s a talk for that. The most beautiful backyard? There’s a talk for that. Yardless and aiming for the prettiest porch? You bet, there’s a talk for that, too — well, about good plant choices for containers.

It’s all happening at the 2017 Garden Jubilee in downtown Hendersonville Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28.

Bill Slack, a landscape and gardening specialist with Southern Living, will lead the three workshops guaranteed to help you revamp whatever outdoor space you have (and hopefully earn bragging rights) as part of the festival’s Lowe’s Expo, located at the visitor center. It’s his 15th appearance at the long-running event.

Each year, Lowe’s invites Slack to hang out in its “yard,” aka the center’s parking-lot-turned-patio à la pavers, lawn furniture and accessories, grills and, certainly, plants. Lowe’s brings along national product representatives

ECO

WHAT Garden Jubilee WHEN May 27 & 28, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days

BLOCK PARTY: Around 175,000 people flock to downtown Hendersonville every Memorial Day weekend for Garden Jubilee, and this holiday promises to be no exception.

Be a part of the crowd for plants, garden accoutrements and growing workshops. Photo

by Karen Baker, courtesy of Henderson County Tourism Development Authority from companies like Miracle-Gro and Stay Green, too, as well as hosts a kids clinic with hands-on projects for children ages 4-12.

Of course, the event also honors the wealth of knowledge here locally held by the many nursery owners and workers

ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS

PASSIVE SOLAR GREENHOUSE TOURS (PD.) M R Gardens. Saturdays, 11am, April 8-June 10. One-of-a-kind structure remains ideal growing temperature through the coldest parts of winter and in unseasonably warm weather. $5. • Sustainable plants available for sale. RSVP: (828) 3334151. megan@mrgardens.net

254-1776, ashevillegreenworks.org • FR (4/28), 4pm - Arbor Day celebration with tree planting and educational activities with area school children.

Free. Held at Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Road

FARM & GARDEN GARDEN JUBILEE 693-9708, historichendersonville.org • SA (5/27) & SU (5/28), 9am-5pm - Garden Jubilee outdoor event with over 250 vendors featuring local nurseries, arts and crafts.

Free to attend. Held at Historic Downtown Hendersonville, 145 5th Ave E, Hendersonville

who know just what’s best for WNC’s climate and soil. Handmade lawn furniture and yard accoutrements will also be for sale. Festival host the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority advises bringing a wagon to make plant transport easy. X

HAIKU BAMBOO BAMBOO NURSERY/FARM 20 Tuttle Rd, Hendersonville • 2nd & 4th SUNDAYS, 1:303pm - “Bamboo Walking Tours,” through bamboo forest to learn about bamboo plants.

Registration: 685-3053. $25/$23 seniors/$15 ages 13-18/Free under 13.

WHERE Main Street in downtown Hendersonville WHY To buy plants suited to Southern Appalachia and get expert pointers to help them thrive.

DETAILS Admission is free; pets are not permitted.

Learn more at www.visithendersonvillenc. com/garden-jubilee.

LIVING WEB FARMS 176 Kimzey Road, Mills River, 5051660, livingwebfarms.org • SA (5/20), 1:30-7pm - “Hands On Tools & Equipment Field Day,” workshop all about sourcing, use, maintenance, modification and use of tools and equipment in the garden. $15.

M R GARDENS 441 Onteora Blvd.

• SATURDAYS (4/8) through

(6/10), 11am - Tours of passive solar greenhouse. Registration: megan@mrgardens.net or 828333-4151. $5 and up.

NC ARBORETUM 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, ncarboretum.org • TH (6/1) through FR (6/30) - Winged Wonders: Step Into the World of Butterflies, butterfly metamorphosis exhibition.

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FOOD

SPILLING OVER WNC’s brewing boom brings rising fortunes to other sectors

Cafe, Market & Beverage Budget Friendly

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN edwinarnaudin@gmail.com As quickly as new breweries keep popping up in and around Asheville, the auxiliary businesses that support those beer producers are multiplying even faster. By providing an array of services, this critical infrastructure enables the breweries to focus on making interesting, high-quality beverages even as it helps fuel the local industry’s robust overall growth.

In the past 18 months, the Asheville Brewers Alliance has seen its membership more than triple, from 48 (32 breweries and 16 associates) to 180 (64 breweries and 116 associates). Increasingly, says Kendra Penland, the alliance’s executive director, local businesses are recognizing opportunities created by the industry’s commanding presence in the area — and capitalizing on them.

“Now we have tap-line cleaning companies, law firms, marketing firms, beverage equipment supply companies, those who sell hoses — they understand the value of being part of the ABA,” she explains.

Naturally, all that economic activity is creating lots of jobs. Between 2011 and 2016, brewery-related employment in the four-county Asheville metropolitan statistical area jumped 754 percent, according to a just-released study by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Coalition for AshevilleBuncombe County.

“That’s the highest of any manufacturing industry in Asheville’s MSA,” notes Heidi Reiber, the coalition’s research director. “It represents about 600 jobs, so it’s pretty intense growth for any industry, especially an MSA of our size.”

The rising tide of craft beer is lifting a wide variety of different industries. And that, in turn, helps solidify the breweries’ position, argues Clark Duncan, the coalition’s director of business development.

The industry’s broad reach, he points out, extends “far beyond great beer. While you can’t predict ebbs and flows in an industry, I think you get a little bit of stability when you’re able to bring those supply chain players into the region, because it gives our brewers an advantage.”

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PRODUCING RESULTS: Barnardsville farmers Michael and Lauren Rayburn, pictured with their son, Elijah, in the warehouse at Zebulon Artisan Ales, have found success growing produce for local craft brewers and distillers. Breweries, including Wicked Weed and Twin Leaf, now account for 70-80 percent of their business. Photo courtesy of Rayburn Farm THE FARMER In the winter of 2015, Mike Karnowski — then with Green Man Brewery — contacted Barnardsville farmer Michael Rayburn about buying pie pumpkins.

The two started talking about what produce local breweries were interested in using, and Karnowski (who now has his own brewery, Zebulon Artisan Ales) gave Rayburn a list of brewers to talk to.

Rayburn, who co-owns Rayburn Farm with his wife, Lauren, spent that January visiting industry figures, accompanied by his then 2-year-old son.

The farmer caught his first big break at Wicked Weed Brewing.

Co-owner Luke Dickinson “just happened to be there,” remembers Rayburn.

“He was like, ‘Well, we use a lot of basil for our Coolcumber beer.’ They were just buying it from a wholesaler, so I said, ‘Yeah, I definitely can do that.’ It’s worked out, and they’ve become our largest supporter. They literally buy a ton of basil from us every year.”

Rayburn now counts 18 Asheville area breweries as clients, plus a few distill-

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MAY 24 - 30, 2017

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eries. Besides accounting for 70-80 percent of the farm’s current business, having breweries as steady customers gives Rayburn, a horticulturalist by training, a chance to experiment.

“I’m growing things now that I never imagined I’d ever grow as a farmer,” he says. One such item is the obscure Kenyan Blue Spice basil, traditionally favored for nonculinary uses. Rayburn now grows it exclusively for Twin Leaf Brewery and the soon-to-open Zillicoah Beer Co. in Woodfin. “It’s hard to put a definite on it,” he says, “but we may be one of the first people to grow it as an agricultural crop.”

Having been hugged by beer fans at multiple tappings, Rayburn says the Asheville community clearly takes pride in having a local farm provide ingredients for its favorite beers — which, in turn, builds deeper loyalty to those breweries.

And the commitment to producing and using unusual ingredients, he maintains, helps build the local industry’s reputation for constant creativity. Last year, for example, five breweries used his pumpkins, which he wraps in foil and roasts on the farm over hot wood coals.

“Maybe that starts a trend: Ashevillestyle pumpkin beer,” says Rayburn.

“More diversity is really key to the Asheville brewery scene. It’s got to be something truly unique going on here, other than just ‘Oh, we’re making it better,’ because everyone says that.”

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Asheville attorney Derek Allen got pulled into alcoholic beverage law when Oskar Blues Brewery called asking for help with zoning issues while trying to establish its Brevard location.

Allen quickly recognized that his expertise in land-use law was applicable to breweries’ permitting process: In both cases, he explains, “You have black-and-white rules and lots of gray areas in between. Being able to be familiar with those on a daily basis just provides the value-add that I think folks are looking for.”

The attorney, who’s with Ward and Smith in Asheville, went on to work with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. as well as what he calls the “true homegrown guys” like Hi-Wire Brewing. By early last year, notes Allen, he was gaining another North Carolina brewery client just about every week, and the firm’s alcoholic beverage law group has expanded dramatically.

About a dozen lawyers spread across the state now represent more than 80 breweries plus distilleries, cideries, wineries, distribution interests and a range of vendors.

Their work involves a lot of trademark and intellectual property law. They also stay busy papering various kinds of deals,

BEER BY THE NUMBERS: Dixon Hughes Goodman CPA Dennis Theodossis works with nearly 40 local breweries, distilleries and wineries through his firm’s craft beverage niche. “We help empower them with tools to make business decisions that maybe otherwise they might not have had,” he says. Photo by Jack Sorokin helping breweries navigate distribution agreements, move into a new state or territory, find new land, close on a loan, get a new location permitted and attract investors. But as the firm’s client list has grown, Allen says he’s tried to focus on maintaining real relationships with each one, an approach he sees as part of a larger, more intentional lifestyle that continues to gain local traction.

“I talk a lot about a craft lifestyle and craft culture, and beer just happens to be part of it,” he says. “Asheville’s popularity has been driven, in part, by the high tide of a new awareness of this craft culture.” Many people, he continues, “want quality, authentic aspects in their life: from the goods they buy to the food they eat to the drinks they drink to how they live their lives.” The shift also involves “being more conscious of our world — more walkability, more ecofriendly, leaving shallower footprints on the planet. The craft beer space is just part of that bigger piece.” So for Allen, his “continued work in that space has just been an extension of the things that were already important to me.”

THE ACCOUNTANT As a CPA and senior tax manager at Dixon Hughes Goodman, Dennis Theodossis’ primary focus was manufacturing. And when the firm decided

to start a craft beverage niche about eight years ago, he applied those same principles to breweries, many of which hadn’t looked at themselves that way when it came to things like accounting and tax benefits. That understanding has since evolved within the brewing industry, notes Theodossis, who helps his clients get tax incentives and grasp the importance of tax accounting to their financial success.

He now works with close to 40 breweries, distilleries and wineries in Asheville alone. “We help empower them with tools to make business decisions that maybe otherwise they might not have had,” he explains. “A lot of brewers are really good at brewing, and they’re really good with people — but they’re not really good with the nuts and bolts of a day-to-day business. I think that’s a piece we’ve done a lot to help with: growing people’s skill sets and internal processes along the way.”

Theodossis also does a lot of real estate work, and those concepts, he says, are useful in analyzing brewery ownership structures, which are becoming more intricate and involved as new taprooms with multiple business partners sprout up.

“Our goal is to try and help them keep as much of the money in their pocket as they can, so they can get big-

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FOOD ger and create more beer or whatever they want to do: pay their employees more, give more back to their community. Whatever their mission is, I think we play a good role in that.”

THE CONTRACTOR Tim Singleton, a project manager for MB Haynes Corp.’s H&M Constructors - Industrial Division, first professionally crossed paths with the brewing industry just over a decade ago, when H&M moved Highland Brewing Co.’s equipment out of the Barley’s Taproom basement and into its current East Asheville facility. His sector mostly installs the boilers that provide steam and the chillers that cool down water during the brewing process.

Most of those breweries, says Singleton, “start out pretty small. Three

or four of them together put in a small brewing system that they can manage on their own.” But when they “grow into and secure financing to make the next step — into brewing equipment that requires steam in order to brew — they really can’t do that part on their own.”

Singleton’s background is heavy industrial, and though he felt his skills were a good fit with Highland’s planned expansion, the brewery’s lack of experience at that scale forced him to get creative.

“At a paper mill or a power plant, I was used to having the engineering work provided to me,” he explains. But in this case, “I had to fill a gap there and actually perform that service. It took me a little while to get my feet under me and accept the responsibility for designing those pipe systems.”

That custom design aspect has since become a standard service that’s helped H&M stand apart from other local piping contractors. Positive word-of-mouth has yielded nearly two dozen brewery projects so far, most recently Archetype Brewing in West Asheville and Wedge Brewing Co.’s new Foundation facility, and Singleton estimates that 30 percent of H&M’s piping work is now breweryrelated. To keep up with the demand, he’s made additional hires and now has three different crews working on this specialty. In the last five years, MB Haynes has grown from roughly 450 to 700 employees across 10 divisions, and the brewery business has played a significant part in that.

“Because of Tim’s good reputation and the work that H&M does in there, our service groups have also started getting business from the breweries, particularly our HVAC and refrigeration group,” notes Marketing Director Pam Bailey. “Their work’s really been increasing.”

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Meg Smith is one of a select few Asheville businesspeople who are already on their second stint as brewing industry ancillaries. She and her husband, Craig, formerly owned Land of the Sky Mobile Canning, which helped brewers package and distribute more quickly while maintaining high-quality standards. In January, they sold the business to the Manchester, N.H.-based Iron Heart Canning Co. Meanwhile, the couple were seeing many new brewer-

ies that were making good beer but had little experience with packaging and infrastructure. That inspired them to found Package Sense, a consulting firm that helps breweries develop a business culture beyond production.

“With the saturation of the market, we think growth is the biggest challenge and also the biggest necessity,” says Meg. “If you’re not growing right now, stagnation is a scary thing, given how many breweries are in planning and how many are here. We think that’s an area that breweries are really going to need help in, and we’d like to help them with that.”

Brewers’ passion for their craft, she continues, is “only part of the battle.”

She also believes that as the industry becomes more competitive over the next few years, breweries that have a strong business backbone and a defined plan will survive — and those that don’t may not.

“My experience is with finance and economics, and due to the sheer volume of what’s happening, I do think that over the next 24-36 months, there’s going to be a significant shift in the industry — maybe a 10-15 percent shift,” she predicts.

“Breweries that aren’t packaging or don’t have quality control that’s competitive with other breweries in their same area — people just, quite frankly, aren’t going to drink beer that doesn’t have that type of care associated with it. They’re going to have five other choices within a mile that are taking those things seriously. In Asheville, certainly, but also in other markets within driving distance.” X

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FO OD

by Jonathan Ammons

jonathanammons@gmail.com

FROM THE GROUND UP What it takes to open a restaurant in Asheville The setting late-spring sun presses against the brown paper still covering the windows at 715 Haywood Road, giving the room inside an orange glow. Just two weeks away from its May 18 debut as a restaurant, the space looks a bit different from when it was the grayy- and red-brick Schultz Shoe Shop. Completely gutted, with only the facade remaining, the building, which has transformed into a 49-seat eatery called Jargon, now has a basement, a flagstone patio and a floor-to-ceiling glass entryway.

“I like the definition of jargon of ‘repurposed language,’” says owner Sean Piper, a California film industry veteran-turned-restaurateur. “It is a language that only certain people understand. It’s an inclusive thing that anyone can learn, but there’s also an exclusivity to it.”

And from the looks of things inside, Piper likes repurposed culture as well as words. There are Mexican glass pendants made into chandeliers; a colorful floor mosaic made by his wife, Shelley Piper; tabletops made by Christopher Perryman of Goldsplinter Woodworking Studio from 1950s Indiana bowling alleys; vintage 1960s chairs; classic hightopped booths and a bar lined with antique Hamilton printers trays.

Even the restaurant’s 300 water glasses are upcycled art, all made by hand from recycled wine bottles by Piper, his friends and staff.

With nearly 80 credits to his name for his work as a grip, or camera technician, on IMDb movies, including The Hunger Games, Captain America: Civil War, and the Oscar-nominated Loving, Piper has never run a restaurant before. But he, like many others, has decided to try his hand at something new in Asheville’s booming foodie market.

CAPITAL IDEA “It’s really scary, all the money going out,” he says. The sound of nail guns punctures his speech, and just over his shoulder, a cleaning crew is detailing the windows. Piper has clearly spent a lot of money getting the place to this point. “I just wanted to do something that no one else is doing.”

BUILDING A DREAM: Sean Piper, third from left, says he persevered in the face of numerous challenges working up to the May 18 launch of his first restaurant, Jargon. “We’ve hit things that feel like walls, but there’s really always a way to get through them,” he says. Photo by Cindy Kunst Piper opted to feel his way along with the menu at first. “We’re going to start out small and then expand it,” he says.

Jargon launched with a menu of about 16 items from chef Matthew Miner — mostly small plates, a few entrée options, a crossover late-night menu and Sunday brunch.

Dishes show a multitude of influences, including Southern U.S., Asian, French and Caribbean. Deep-fried deviled eggs, General Tso’s quail with forbidden rice and baby bok choy and a

ramen noodle bowl with smoked dashi, pork, scallions, egg and Peppadews.

“An old mentor of mine told me that if I was going to do this, I needed to make sure I owned the building, and it took me 4½ years to find one,” he observes, noting that in Asheville, commercial real estate is a particularly tricky market.

To buy his building, the seller required him to pay cash. So he spent his life’s savings and borrowed money

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FOOD from his father. But that only got him through acquiring the building.

Financing the restaurant business itself was another hurdle. Banks turned him away because his idea was a startup, because he was a restaurant newbie and even because he did not have any more capital of his own. But eventually he found a bank willing to pony up and back his project.

“Operating capital is one of the most important things when you are opening a restaurant,” agrees Patrick O’Cain, chef and owner of Gan Shan Station, who is currently working to open his second location in West Asheville next to Pizza Mind. “The last thing you want to be thinking about when you are opening a new place and figuring out all the little details is cash flow and wondering if you are going to be able to make payroll,” he says. “I suggest having at least three months of capital before you even open.”

DEVIL IN THE DETAILS Throughout the development, construction and opening process, these entrepreneurs also have to maintain a close relationship with the fire marshal, health inspector and the city’s Planning and Zoning Department.

Before construction starts, restaurateurs must submit their plans to the city for approval. From there, they are assigned an inspector who oversees the construction process and works with the architect and contrac-

BITS AND PIECES: For Jargon’s eclectic dining room décor, owner Sean Piper used as many repurposed and handmade items as possible, including this floor mosaic created by his wife, Shelley Piper. Photo by Cindy Kunst tor to ensure that everyone is interpreting the building code the same way.

For Piper, completing some of those steps caused delays that added up to more expense. “It can be a little frustrating,” he says. “We have had three pre-inspections, and they just really

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don’t seem to be on the same page. For instance, by code, 18 inches from any combustible surface, you have to have stainless steel. So around our oven, we outfitted it all with stainless steel. But less than a week ago, the inspector said we had to coat around the hood too. So we had to go back and do it, and now the entire ceiling there is wrapped in stainless steel. There’s no consistency.”

Diane Meek, the city of Asheville’s interim director of Development Services, says that while public health and safety are the city’s primary concern when it comes to the permitting process, Development Services Department staff do their best to be “as consistent as possible with the enforcement of the minimum requirements of the State Building Codes.” The city also advises restaurateurs to hire design professionals and licensed contractors with experience in restaurant construction.

Meek stresses that the codes have an important purpose. “These codes are intended to protect the health and safety of the public and the welfare of the business owner,” she says.

Waiting is part of the game, says O’Cain. “Most architects work in phases, and there is always more than one submission to the city to get those plans approved,” he says, pointing out that the wait for plan approvals from

the city has been backed up due to the recent boom in construction.

His new venture plans to focus on affordable dumplings and noodles, and he hopes to have the restaurant and takeout window open by the end of the summer, but the process is so unpredictable that he isn’t willing to say for sure just when he’ll fire up the stove. “I certainly sympathize with the city’s position. They have a very small amount of people doing a lot of work.”

Meek says that while the city’s goal is to provide the first round of review comments on a project within 10-15 days, the time frame can be longer.

“The total process time for a restaurant can vary based on the completion of the submittal and the sitespecific details that must be worked through,” she explains.

She notes that the city offers a Restaurant Startup Guide that outlines permitting and licensing information as well as the option to schedule a meeting with code officials before starting the process.

Once the inspections are wrapped up and all the proper certificates have been awarded, it is a matter of going through the final health inspections and opening the doors. Which is, in reality, when the truly difficult work begins. Opening weeks — particularly when fumbled — can leave lasting impressions on guests. “Chef and I decided not to have a grand opening,” says Piper. “We’d rather put some grease on the wheels first before we ruin a first impression.”

Jargon opened quietly on May 18 after two evening preview dinners.

It is said that in the restaurant industry, which has one of the highest failure rates of any small business, there are a thousand ways to fail and all of them come down to details.

Which may help explain why it’s not uncommon to see one restaurant go bust while the one next door starts expanding. “There’s always a solution to a problem; you can’t just freak out,” says Piper. “We’ve hit things that feel like walls, but there’s really always a way to get through them.”

Jargon is at 715 Haywood Road.

Temporary hours are 5-10 p.m.

Monday-Sunday for dinner, 10 p.m.2 a.m. Monday-Sunday for late-night and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday for brunch.

For details and to make reservations, visit jargonrestaurant.com.

Gan Shan Station is at 143 Charlotte St. Gan Shan West is scheduled to open this summer at 285 Haywood Road. For details, visit ganshanstation.com or look for Gan Shan West on Facebook. X

SMALL BITES

FO OD

by Thomas Calder | tcalder@mountainx.com

Frostbite Ice Cream’s new location will feature grown-up treats Fans of West Asheville’s Frostbite Ice Cream will still find house-made softserve ice cream, funnel cakes, brownies and coffee floats at the business’s new North Asheville location. But unlike the flagship store, the new space — which occupies the former site of Northside Bar and Grill and, more recently, Nectar vegetarian restaurant — will offer alcoholic drinks and a full lunch and dinner menu, as well as weekend brunch.

Co-owner Misti McCloud describes the theme of the new menu as “a balance between sweet and savory.” The WaffaLotta, for example, is a waffle twist on classic sandwiches and entrées with varieties such as the Cubano, kids grilled cheese and buffalo chicken.

Created by the Frostbite owners, the WaffaLotta’s trademark is pending.

“It’s essentially all the ingredients you would find in a wonderful sandwich, but cooked into our amazing savory waffle base,” explains McCloud. The Cubano WaffaLotta, for example, combines chopped ham, pulled pork, pickles and Swiss cheese — all mixed into the batter and served with a freshly whipped mustard butter.

There will also be more traditional offerings, such as smoked chicken ribs with a tangy black raspberry barbecue sauce, as well as Frostbite’s own version of mozzarella sticks, known as Lotzarella Logs.

On the sweeter side, a highlight of the dessert menu at the Merrimon Avenue store will be dessert nachos.

This sweet take on the original replaces nacho chips with waffle cones and ground beef with homemade brownie crumbles.

And for the grown-ups, alcoholic slushies will be available in flavors including Jack and Coke, margarita, piña colada and strawberry daiquiri.

There will also be beer floats. “And since we make our ice cream in small batches in-house, we can make custom flavors that pair specifically with beers from local breweries,” McCloud says.

Happiness, she adds, is the restaurant’s goal. “We want the [Frostbite] Ice Cream Bar to be a really fun, happy

[participants] will take away an interest to continue with preserving foods for themselves and their families,” says Renay Knapp, family and consumer sciences extension agent. “This is an art that has been lost, but there is an increased interest in learning how to preserve food.”

Put It Up! Youth Food Preservation Camp runs 9 a.m.-noon, Monday-Friday, June 19-23, and Monday, June 26, at the Henderson County Extension Center, 100 Jackson Park Road, Hendersonville.

Each daily class costs $5. Space is limited. For more information, contact Knapp at renay_knapp@ncsu.edu.

A TASTE OF PORTUGAL

SWEET AND SAVORY: Frostbite Ice Cream is set to open a second location in North Asheville on Friday, May 26. Owners Misti McCloud and Jason Istvan are pictured in front of the new restaurant’s sign. Photo courtesy of McCloud place where there’s something for everyone in the whole family.”

Frostbite Ice Cream Bar will open at 2 p.m. Friday, May 26, at 875 Merrimon Ave. Regular hours are yet to be determined. The original Frostbite will continue to be open daily at 1475 Patton Ave. To learn more, visit avl.mx/3qm.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY FOR BLUE DREAM CURRY HOUSE On Saturday, May 27, Blue Dream Curry House will celebrate its second anniversary by donating 10 percent of its daily proceeds to Homeward Bound of Western North Carolina, a nonprofit working to end homelessness in Buncombe and Henderson counties.

Attendants will be able to buy $5 raffle tickets with prizes from local establishments, including Empire Tattoo, Wonderland Asheville, Ten Thousand Villages, Asheville Food Tours and more.

On tap that day will be Burial Beer Co.’s Yuzu Lemongrass Saison, Bhramari Brewing Co.’s Passionfruit Milkshake IPA, Urban Orchard’s Spiced Asian Pear Cider and Olde Hickory Brewery’s

Cherrywood-Vanilla Stout. “The last two years have been an amazing journey,” says James Sutherland, the restaurant’s marketing director. “When we began, we had a vision of a restaurant that could be a productive part of this vibrant community ... but still bring in new flavors and a new experience to the scene.” As far as the future is concerned, Sutherland notes upcoming changes that will include “new menu items, a focus on international comfort food and a revamped look.”

Blue Dream Curry House’s second anniversary party runs 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Saturday, May 27, at 81 Patton Ave. For details, visit avl.mx/3qk.

PUT IT UP! YOUTH FOOD PRESERVATION CAMP The N.C. Cooperative Extension will offer a six-day, hands-on food preservation workshop in June for children ages 9-12 at the Henderson County Extension Center. The class will provide instruction on making jams and pickles, freezing and drying foods and canning tomatoes and green beans. At week’s end, kids will take home samples of their work. “I hope

Black Mountain restaurant La Guinguette offers monthly wine dinners that highlight various regions of the world. Each event begins with hors d’oeuvres followed by a five-course meal. On Thursday, June 1, A Taste of Portugal wine dinner will feature green collard soup, piri piri salmon with avocado cream, mussels in red wine, bean and pork stew, and Portuguese custard tart. Each course will be paired with Portuguese wines selected by Andrew Miller of Ecovalley Imports.

A Taste of Portugal wine dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 1, at La Guinguette, 105 Richardson Blvd., Black Mountain. Tickets are $60 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For details and tickets, visit avl.mx/3qj.

CHEFS CYCLE FOR NO KID HUNGRY Gan Shan Station chef and owner Patrick O’Cain was one of nearly 250 chefs to participate in the 2017 Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. During the three-day event, which took place May 16-18 in Santa Rosa, Calif., chefs from across the U.S. rode 300 miles to raise money for No Kid Hungry, a nonprofit that works to end child hunger in America. With his ride, O’Cain raised more than $5,700 for the organization.

To learn more about No Kid Hungry, visit nokidhungry.org. X

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A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

MOTHERSHIPS TAKE FLIGHT RBTS WIN and Spaceman Jones collaborate on a timely EP

NOW AND THEN: A collaboration that borrows from a shared love of 1990s hip-hop and a desire to speak to the current social and political climate, Spaceman Jones & The Motherships tap the strengths of two local acts. “Even people who don’t like rap can bounce to the beats, and we might turn them on to something they never thought they’d be into,” says Cliff Worsham, left, of RBTS WIN, with rapper Davaion Bristol, aka Spacemen Jones. Photo by Adam McMillan

BY DANIEL WALTON danielwwalton@live.com Asheville hip-hop artist Davaion Bristol, aka Spaceman Jones, lays out the stakes clearly in his collaboration with local electro-soul group RBTS WIN. “Strange are the ways of the days, man / seems to me they tryna bring back that old thing / Jimmy Crow, human trafficking / the plantation transform into the damn pen / free labor is the plan to make this land great again,” he raps in “My City Has Lights,” an early track on the upcoming Spaceman Jones & The Motherships.

That ripped-from-the-headlines political consciousness runs throughout the EP, which is set to be released

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at Isis Music Hall on Saturday, May 27.

“I feel like this project had to be a sign of the times,” says Cliff B. Worsham, who produces for RBTS WIN under the name MOTHER HOOD and worked as Bristol’s main collaborator on the record. “Just because life’s good for you don’t mean that life is good all around, and we’re just trying to give people what we know.”

Although both of the artists are Asheville natives, the pair didn’t start making music together until late 2015, when Worsham sent Bristol the beat for what would become “Cut the Grits,” the second song on the EP. The writing and recording sessions for the project began in earnest during fall 2016 — the fever pitch of the presidential election campaign — and continued through the first 100 days of the Trump admin-

istration. “We were talking a lot of politics in the studio, looking at everything that was going on and seeing there was going to be a major shift in the world,” says Bristol.

Ironically, the two were drawn to begin collaborating not through contemporary politics but by a shared love of hip-hop’s past. “When I would listen to [Worsham’s] beats up on SoundCloud, it took me back to the era when I first thought I wanted to rap,” says Bristol. “I felt like I did in the ’90s when I would go buy a CD, like Westside Connection or Goodie Mob, and it’d be an experience from beginning to end.”

Worsham agrees that the project felt like a throwback to his youth. “I wanted to get [Bristol] on the record because we both came up in the same

school, the boom bap era,” he says. He defines that style by a specific way of sampling pieces from drum breaks — the “boom” of the kick and the “bap” of the snare — and recombining them into new rhythmic patterns.

Drawing from the approach of classic hip-hop producers such as Pete Rock, Diamond D and Large Professor, Worsham’s beats resonated with Bristol’s attitude toward rapping. “I come from the old-school thought about it, that the music is what speaks,” says Bristol. “When I play a MOTHER HOOD beat, I can hear where he’s trying to take me, what he’s trying to get out of me.”

That connection feels particularly strong on “White Owl,” the EP’s debut single. As an ominous organ blocks out heavy chords and a booming kick

drum echoes below, Bristol raps about the possibility of apocalypse: “Right now shit sweet, better hustle / Learn to use a gun, plant food, speak Russian / Gotta do something, shit coming.” The atmosphere is dark and foreboding, but the driving beat demands action.

The other members of RBTS WIN, producer Javier Bolea and guitarist Josh Chassner, make their presence on Spaceman Jones & The Motherships known largely through samples from the band’s back catalog. Worsham is cagey about precisely where all of the sounds come from — “Being a producer is just a long line of ripping other people off,” he laughs — but says that he supplemented the RBTS WIN material with vinyl sampling of Italian rock, Japanese obscurities and classic ’50s and ’60s soul.

The resulting music is more aggressive and harder-edged than previous RBTS WIN releases, but Worsham is unconcerned about alienating listeners. “Even people who don’t like rap can bounce to the beats, and we might turn them on to something they never thought they’d be into,” he says about the sound. About the politics, he adds, “This is reality. A lot of people have a problem with reality these days.” X

WHAT Spaceman Jones & The Motherships EP release show WHERE Isis Music Hall 743 Haywood Road isisasheville.com WHEN Saturday, May 27, 9 p.m. $8 advance/$10 day of show

MOUNTAINX.COM

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A&E E T H I O P I A N R E S TAU R A N T

by Edwin Arnaudin

edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

THE FAMILY THAT RAFTS TOGETHER STAYS TOGETHER

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Grail Moviehouse screens Torgersons’ French Broad River documentary

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PADDLE PEOPLE: Charlotte, Isabel, Bill and Megan Torgerson pause for a snapshot on the French Broad River. Bill’s documentary about their summer 2016 rafting adventures and the river’s environmental concerns screens May 24, 27 and 28 at Grail Moviehouse.

Photo by Megan Torgerson

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MOUNTAINX.COM

Some families go to Disney World or head to the beach for vacation.

Asheville’s Torgersons, however, aren’t your average crew.

Over the course of about three weeks last summer, the Torgersons

— Bill, Megan and their daughters, Charlotte and Isabel — spent 12 days rafting all 149 miles of the French Broad River Paddle Trail from Rosman to Douglas Lake in Newport, Tenn. The aptly titled

On the French Broad River, Bill Torgerson’s documentary chronicling the family’s adventures and the environmental issues that affect the river, screens at Grail Moviehouse on Wednesday, May

24, at 7 p.m. and both Saturday, May 27, and Sunday, May 28, at noon.

Spurred by the sense that he and his family were missing out by not being out on the water, Torgerson bought a copy of the River Keeper’s Guide to the French Broad River by Chris Gibbs and Hartwell Carson last spring.

Already on the lookout for more Asheville stories following the positive response to his documentary Christopher’s Garden, about West Asheville gardener Christopher Mello, Torgerson came up with the idea of bringing the book to life.

Spending time with his wife and daughters, whom he’d only seen in spurts for the past three years, was also foremost on his mind. Then an associate professor at St. John’s University’s Institute For Writing Studies, Torgerson typically spent a cycle of 10 days in New York City followed by four or five days at home in Asheville. He also got a month off at Christmas and 2 1/2 months of freedom each summer.

The prospect of undertaking a project as a foursome was met with enthusiasm by his family and flung Torgerson into full-on storyteller mode. Though the Torgersons are a seasoned road-trip clan who’ve gotten more into hiking as Charlotte and Isabel have grown, their prior joint aquatic experiences were limited to two or three French Broad River day trips with kayaks rented from the Asheville Outdoor Center. Going from a weekend or two on the water to his proposed plan may have been a big leap, but the director/novelist says it was necessary for a successful narrative.

“When you write, your subconscious sort of works on things even when you’re not thinking of them,” he says. “If the Torgersons raft six miles on the river one day, that’s no story. But doing the whole thing, doing the French Broad Paddle Trail, that did seem like a story.”

Torgerson used a JVC video camera on a monopod for the film’s interviews with local environmental professionals and river enthusiasts. On the water, the family used a variety of iPhones as well as a GoPro camera, which they purchased on the second day of shooting. Conscious of mixing up vantage points, Bill put the GoPro on his family members’ heads and attached it to the raft, getting shots

facing the front, back and sides.

He also learned fairly quickly that, despite the hours of viewing it would cost him each night, it was best to have the GoPro rolling throughout the day. The revelation came about when the Barbie boat, in which his daughters sometimes floated alongside the raft, became separated from the family’s watercraft at an inopportune time.

“We’re in the current, and the raft isn’t that maneuverable, and I’m trying to get to the side of the bank. ... Something we saw lots of times that really upset my wife was snakes would be in the trees and when they would hear us come, they would drop,” Torgerson says. “So, as we’re trying to get the Barbie boat, a snake drops into the water pretty close to us, Megan freaks out, a fish jumps out of the water and lands on the side of the boat and hits my daughter in the arm and falls back in. So all that happens in about a minute or two, and we didn’t get that on film.”

Conquering the Paddle Trail taught the Torgersons a great deal about the river and conservation.

It’s an experience they’ll cherish as they move this summer to the Indianapolis suburbs, where Bill will teach seventh-grade language arts and be the head girls basketball coach. Even with his relocation, Torgerson hopes that On the French Broad River isn’t his last Asheville story. Two topics that he’s been thinking about exploring on film are the River Arts District and the Asheville brewing industry.

“Now, I’m probably going to have to sleep in a tent and bring a generator in the summer if I’m going to do stuff like that,” he says, “so we’ll see.” X

WHAT On the French Broad River screening WHERE Grail Moviehouse 45 S. French Broad Ave. grailmoviehouse.com WHEN Wednesday, May 24, 7 p.m. $7 student and senior citizen $9 adult Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28, noon. $7

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A&E

by Bill Kopp

bill@musoscribe.com

OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE Christopher Paul Stelling is a singer-songwriter, a skill set that doesn’t include the ability to predict the future.

Yet unlike some of the most respected pollsters, the seismic political changes that took place in the United States last November didn’t come as a surprise to him. The songs that he wrote as the future began to unfold are collected on Itinerant Arias, his fourth album.

Stelling plays The Altamont Theatre on Saturday, May 27.

Stelling wrote obliquely topical songs like “Badguys” months before the election. “I turned in the finished record in September,” he says, “so I was writing it all throughout the year when I was touring.” He’s a bit surprised that the country’s turn toward a populist demagogue caught so many people unaware and suggests that many Americans — himself included — tend to be out of touch with the country’s mainstream norm.

“If you live in Asheville, you live in a bubble; if you live in New York City, you live in a bubble,” says Stelling, who started his musical career in Asheville, relocated to Brooklyn, N.Y., and recently moved back to Western North Carolina. (The May 27 show will be the first local date for Stelling’s band since the musician’s move back to town.) “But if you get outside of these isolated environments, you see what’s really going on.” He believes that his travels — taking him to places like Oklahoma, Ohio, “middle-of-nowhere Kansas” and Europe — opened his eyes to the concerns of a much wider sampling of people.

Stelling is wary of too much being made of his supposed prescience.

“There’s always a press release that

OUTSIDER PERSPECTIVE: Christopher Paul Stelling’s time on the road helped him understand some of the thinking that led to last November’s “regime change.” The musician recently moved back to Asheville. Photo by Josh Wool a [record] label writes to spark people’s interest,” he says, demonstrating a healthy awareness of how the music busi-

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Christopher Paul Stelling plays his first show after returning to Asheville

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ness operates. He doesn’t consider any of the observations within the songs on Itinerant Arias at all prophetic.

“The general denial with which we were approaching this ... regime change, if you will, is pretty insane,” he says. Stelling’s busy touring schedule these last couple of years took him away from the telephone and internet; instead he was “getting on the road, meeting actual people and talking” without any kind of agenda.

Songs often grew out of Stelling’s experiences on the road, but not in a deliberate way. He says that he rarely sits down to write a song about a specific topic or idea. “It’s more like automatic writing,” he explains. “I usually figure out what [my songs] are all about afterward.”

While he doesn’t consider himself “mystical,” Stelling allows that he consid-

ers songwriting something of a spiritual practice, “even though I really regret using that word,” he adds with a laugh.

When he does sit down to work, songwriting isn’t usually on his mind.

“Ninety percent of the time, I’m sitting at the desk, trying to book the shows and make the tours and order the T-shirts … and sustain actually being a working, blue-collar musician,” Stelling says.

“Maybe that’s not as romantic as people would want to hear,” he continues, “but [songwriting] is more the ‘magical’ element of it. The songs just kind of show up. I don’t consider that effort; that’s not hard for me. Thinking and pondering and being creative — that’s easy for me.”

For an artist who’s been getting some notice for his insight into where this country was headed, Stelling seems remarkably content with the idea of embracing uncertainty. “That’s kind of my thing on the whole record,” he says. “That’s my faith at this point. You can drive yourself crazy trying to know.”

But everybody wants to know, Stelling says. “And religion sells us on this. I really do believe that deep down they know they don’t know. But they’re selling us on the fact that they do.” The musician chooses instead to accept “not knowing” with open arms.

But not, he says, “in a way that’s [full of] angst or antagonistic; more in a way that’s freeing.”

Stelling savors the freedom he experiences as a touring musician who isn’t superfamous. “We have the benefit of really kind of knowing our audience and befriending our audience in a way that a star never could,” he says.

“We’re accessible.” X

WHO Christopher Paul Stelling WHERE The Altamont Theatre 18 Church St. thealtamonttheatre.com WHEN Saturday, May 27, 8 p.m. $10 advance/$12 day of show

A&E

by Lauren Stepp

lstepp98@gmail.com

ON POINTE Consider that ballet began as entertainment for European aristocrats in the 1400s, and it might seem dated. But stray beyond its Tchaikovsky-scored hits, and the genre’s 21st-century manifestation is quickly revealed.

“It’s not just The Nutcracker anymore,” says Ann Dunn, artistic director and founder of Asheville Ballet. Her production, Spring into Dance: A Movement Bouquet, showing Friday-Saturday, May 26-27, at the Diana Wortham Theatre, drives that point home.

Eight resident choreographers, three composers and two visual artists will come together for a night of collaborative live performance. With no restrictions beyond a 10-minute time frame, Dunn likens the show to a floral arrangement: diverse and eclectic. “My theory is to hire the absolute best out there and let them do what they do, rather than dictate a theme,” she says.

So, Hickory-native Sandi Weinberg is finding space between modern dance, live theater and banjo picking. Her performance is inspired

by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell’s Broadway musical Bright Star. Set in post-World War II Appalachia, it follows Alice Murphy, an unmarried 16-year-old who has just given birth to her son.

“But here’s the dark part,” says Weinberg. Like some ghoulish ballad, Alice’s father-in-law steals the infant, stuffs him in a suitcase and sinks it in a river. For extra spookfactor, the action is set to eerie mandolin licks and folky vocals in two songs, “Whoa Momma” and “Asheville,” played by musicians Will Saylor, Kevin Scanlon, Trevor Stoia and Elizabeth Terry.

Though disturbing, the narrative resonates with Weinberg. Maybe it’s the clawhammer banjo or Southern sociology, “but it’s like home,” she says. “I’m coming back to my roots and feeling the area as an adult rather than a child.”

Megan Jones Medford tells a similar story. After studying under Dunn, she relocated to New York and worked for Periapsis Music and Dance, LiNK! the Movement and Shauna Sorensen and Dancers. But six years in a concrete jungle left her pining for black-as-night soil and Appalachian sky. “I missed being

Asheville Ballet puts a fresh spin on performance opens with, “Here I am, floating in emerald sea/Keep me dense, Keep me as still as can be.”

Mair W. Culbreth’s “This Kind of Bird Flies Backwards” also melds text and dance. She says performers will be moving around a large installation constructed by designer Nicole Bauguss. The panels are covered in words that will be, for the most part, indecipherable to audience members. Because the piece grapples a lot with shifting identity, chiefly her father’s, Culbreth describes the whole performance as purposefully disjointed.

“It’s a transtemporal approach,” she says. “You’re not sure where you are, but maybe it doesn’t matter.”

Since being diagnosed with dementia, her dad has slowly lost parts of himself. He speaks on a loop or forgets faces. That disorientation comes through vis-à-vis dance. A duet even mimics a conversation where two people are connected in space, but not so much in thought.

“The fragmented style is like how my dad thinks,” Culbreth says. “I wanted to create confusion in the movements.”

Above all, however, Dunn wants the production to be accessible.

She sees each Asheville Ballet performance as a chance to rebrand dance as “cool and contemporary,” not just an outmoded pastime for baroque royalty. “It’s not something you dress up for,” says Dunn. She even encourages audience members to wear their Ashevillean gear (hiking boots, shorts and socks) and bring young children.

“Ballet has this aura in people’s minds as being an elitist art form,” she says. “But it just isn’t.” X

MODISH: Choreographer Megan Jones Medford, pictured, will use circular motions to embody a flowing river in her performance, “Embankment.” She calls the style “contemporary modern,” a stark contrast to her last show with Asheville Ballet, The Nutcracker. Photo by Rachel Neville part of nature,” she says. Her piece, “Embankment,” uses continuous circular patterns to symbolize her reconnection with nature.

“The movement is like how a river might flow,” she says. “It runs into downed trees and rocks, but it keeps on.” The performance speaks on behalf of humankind, too. “It’s about us com-

ing together through this journey of water,” says Medford.

Medford blends artistic mediums by coordinating movement to “Árbakkinn,” a composition by Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and producer Ólafur Arnalds and poet Einar Georg Einarsson. When translated, the verses allude to grief. It

WHAT Spring into Dance: A Movement Bouquet WHERE Diana Wortham Theatre 18 Biltmore Ave. ashevilleballet.com

MOUNTAINX.COM

WHEN Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27 7:30 p.m. $12-$40

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T H E AT E R R E V I E W

by Jeff Messer | upstge@yahoo.com

MONTFORD PARK PLAYERS STAGE ‘TIMON OF ATHENS’

TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING: “This play is a very challenging one,” director Adrian Suskauer says of Timon of Athens. “It’s rarely performed, so it will be interesting to put on a play that most people never get to see in their lifetimes!” Dalton Hamlett, left, and Jon Stockdale star in the story about a man whose generosity leads to ruin. Photo by Rodney Smith/Tempus Fugit Design You can’t help but think that the late Montford Park Players founder Hazel Robinson is smiling down upon the theater company as its 45th year of live Shakespeare in the park kicks off with Timon of Athens. This is the final show of the Bard’s canon for the company to tackle, completing its mission of performing all of Shakespeare’s plays. The show runs through Saturday, May 27.

Adrian Suskauer directs a small company of actors through this lesser-known play, providing a lean

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and wholly entertaining evening.

The play tells the tale of a wealthy Athenian known for his excessive generosity, but the show (as Shakespeare penned it) is riddled with numerous characters and plot threads that have no resolution, leading some to believe that it was not an actual completed work. Suskauer has trimmed much of the excess from the script, making for a tight, twohour production that focuses on the central plot and does away with a lot of extraneous text. As a result, this

is one of the shortest Shakespeare experiences for local audiences who are used to plays that clock in around the three-hour mark.

The play charts the fall from grace of Timon, whose acts of ample generosity lead him to financial ruin.

Those who once gathered around him to be in his magnanimous presence now shun him. Discovering that his friendships were based not on loyalty but greed made by his own excessive giving, Timon rejects Athens and makes his way to a tat-

tered life as a hermit, living in a cave.

As Timon, Jon Stockdale strikes an impressive visage on the stage.

He is tall and youthful, yet regal in his purple robes and bejeweled adornments. Stockdale plays Timon with a vigor as the man of the people, then deconstructs to anger when his fortunes turn.

Hannah Williams-Beaver plays Alcibiades, a loyal soldier, who stands with Timon and defends his honor, even at personal cost to her reputation among the elite of Athens. Williams-Beaver takes the typically male role and makes it her own with a strong and impassioned performance. Will Storrs, as nobleman Lucullus, gives a memorable turn with light touches to this tragedy. The ever-quirky and quickwitted Devyn Ray shines in the role of Apemantus, lending a wellplaced snide remark and a little sideways glance of knowing mockery to a show that could otherwise come off as dark and dreary.

Any cast that contains the likes of David Mycoff, Sophie Yates and Trissa King is sure to be interesting to watch. All deliver solid

performances. The standout is Sonia D’Andrea as Flavius, who dedicates herself to trying to save Timon from his spiral of anger and self-loathing.

D’Andrea takes this role and makes it so compelling that you can’t take your eyes off her.

There is something special about this long-standing Asheville tradition of free outdoor theater that the Montford Park Players provide.

Picnics, bottles of wine, pints of local brews and a setting sun combine for a perfect atmosphere. In the world of local theater, these are the official signs that summer is on its way. X

WHAT Timon of Athens WHERE Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre 92 Gay St. montfordparkplayers.org WHEN Through Saturday, May 27 Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Free

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SMART BETS

A&E

by Emily Glaser | Send your arts news to ae@mountainx.com

ABSFest “In a world now brimming with burlesque festivals, from Vegas to Amsterdam, ABSFest is known for embodying the true spirit of vaudeville and nurturing creativity and empowerment,” says producer Lauren “Madame Onca” O’Leary. This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival with three days of performances and workshops. The celebration begins at The Grey Eagle on Friday, May 26, at 8 p.m., with a series of fandom and nerdlesque tributes to pop culture ($25). On Saturday, May 27, at 8:30 p.m., The Orange Peel hosts the Saturday Spectacular, featuring headliner Sydni Deveraux, the Golden Glamazon ($24/$45 VIP). The show returns to The Grey Eagle for a Burlesque Brunch on Sunday, May 28, at 12:30 p.m., hosted by DC Cryptozoology experts Dr. Dour and Peach, pictured ($15). absfest.com. Photo courtesy of the performers

Kenilworth Art Studio Tour Asheville’s Kenilworth neighborhood, just south of downtown, houses a slew of artists in stately homes and crafty bungalows. The annual Kenilworth Art Studio Tour provides an opportunity for visitors to explore the workspaces of these artists and purchase their wares, which range from paintings to hand-shaped tiles to jewelry. Nineteen artists will be featured in 14 locations in the hilly ’hood. “As a new artist to Asheville and new to the Kenilworth neighborhood, I was delighted to find an already established art association and studio tour,” says Ann Baird, who will showcase her handmade shibori silk scarves in punchy colors at the festival. Explore Kenilworth’s studios on Saturday and Sunday, May 27 and 28, from 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. Free. kenilworthartists.org.

Landscape by Ursula Gullow

The Orbiting Human Circus

Kikagaku Moyo Experimental Japanese rock band Kikagaku Moyo is on a nationwide tour in support of its latest EP, Stone Garden. The record “was made by isolating ourselves in a basement studio in Prague for two days,” says drummer and vocalist Go Kurosawa. “Our method was the same as when we started playing music together, and we wanted to express that raw energy on the record.” Listeners will find that trademark vivacity on new tunes like the album’s opener, “Backlash,” a ceaseless stream of muffled drum and electric guitar that’s followed by the more mellow, sitar-laced “Nobakitani.” The band brings its passion for performance to The Mothlight for a free show on Monday, May 29, at 9 p.m. Acid Reign and Al Lover round out the concert. themothlight.com. Photo by Kentaro

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Julian Koster, whose musical saw can be heard in Neutral Milk Hotel and The Music Tapes, created a narrative podcast last fall. “The Orbiting Human Circus (of the Air)” explores the dreamlike phenomena in the daily life of the Eiffel Tower’s janitor. The Music Tapes released an EP this spring with music inspired by and featured on the podcast. “Mystery and the unexpected can be so powerful and fun,” Koster says of the impetus for the project. “Being able to lose yourself and have a special time in some sort of adventure is one of the best parts of being a human.

It’s such a privilege to work at arranging that for people.” Music and stories meld in The Orbiting Human Circus tour, which stops at The Grey Eagle on Tuesday, May 30, at 9 p.m. $15. thegreyeagle.com.

Photo by Bryant Miller

A& E CA L E N DA R

by Abigail Griffin MUSIC

Sun.: 2pm. $15-$30.

ASHEVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE • FR (5/26), 7:30pm & SA (5/27), 2:30pm "Broadway Bootcamp Showcase," concert featuring broadway hits sung by young performers. $5. Held at Belk Theatre, UNC Asheville Campus, One University Heights

ANDY AND ASH: Award-winning blues musician Andy Cohen and ethereal Americana songstress Ash Devine will be performing original and traditional folk and old country blues at the Flood Fine Art Center in Swannanoa on Thursday, May 25, from 7-9 p.m.

The two will play in collaboration and solo, and the event will also include some lively storytelling on top of the old and new tunes. The event is free, though donations are encouraged. For more information, visit floodgallery.org, andycohenmusic.come or ashdevine.net. Photo courtesy of Flood Gallery Fine Arts Center (p. 49) ART THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY • ARTIST STUDIO SALE (PD.) May 26 and 27, 10am6pm. Local Artist Tonsenia Yonn presents a Artist Studio Sale at 170 Lookout Road, Asheville, NC 28804. Tonsenia.com 362 DEPOT GALLERY 362 Depot St., Asheville, 234-1616 • TH (3/30), 10am-1pm "Artists' Breakfast," informal monthly gathering of artists, writers, musicians and art patrons. Coffee is provided. Bring snacks to share. Free.

and refreshments.

Free to attend. Held in Downtown Brevard

ART/CRAFT FAIRS GARDEN JUBILEE 693-9708, historichendersonville.org • SA (5/27) & SU (5/28), 9am-5pm - Garden Jubilee outdoor event with over 250 vendors featuring local nurseries, arts and crafts.

Free to attend. Held at Historic Downtown Hendersonville, 145 5th Ave E, Hendersonville

CONTEMPORANEO ASHEVILLE GALLERYSHOP 4 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, 253-0879 • FR (5/26), 4-8pm Reception featuring jewelry designs by Luz Maria Charlita and handbag designs by Erin Kaleel.

Free to attend.

KENILWORTH ART STUDIO TOUR 785-2644, kenilworthartists.org • SA (5/27) & SU (5/28), 10am-5pm - Self-guided tour of 19 art studios in the Kenilworth neighborhood. Free to attend.

Held at Kenilworth Neighborhood, 30 Normandy Road

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • FRIDAYS, 5-8pm - Brevard 4th Friday gallery walk with open galleries, art stores, restaurants, live music

ST. PHILIP'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 256 E. Main St., Brevard • FR (5/26), 4-8:30pm & SU (5/27), 9am3pm - "Art of the Mountains," art sale featuring 20 artists raising funds for local nonprofits.

Free to attend.

AUDITIONS & CALL TO ARTISTS ASHEVILLE YOUTH CHOIRS 5 Oak St., Asheville, .254.7841, ashevilleyouthchoirs.org • TH (6/1), 4-7pm - Open auditions for children and teenagers. Registration and information: ashevilleyouthchoirs.org or call 828-254-7841.

BLACK MOUNTAIN COLLEGE MUSEUM & ARTS CENTER 56 Broadway, 350-8484, blackmountaincollege. org • Through WE (7/12) - Papers and proposals accepted for the annual ReVIEWING Black Mountain College conference. Contact for full guidelines.

CALDWELL ARTS COUNCIL 601 College Ave., SW Lenoir, 754-2486 • Through - Submissions accepted for the 32nd annual Sculpture Celebration taking place Saturday, Sep. 9.

Contact for guidelines.

CITY OF ASHEVILLE 251-1122, ashevillenc.gov • Through FR (6/9) Applications accepted for the Lexington

Avenue Public Art Project. Registration: bit. ly/2pXZEwo. Held at Sunrise Community for Recovery and Wellness, 370 N. Louisiana St. FOOTHILLS FOLK ART FESTIVAL facebook.com/ FoothillsFolkArtFestival • Through FR (9/1) Applications accepted for The Foothills Folk Art Festival. See website for full guidelines.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • SA (5/27), 2pm Michael Jefry Stevens Jazz Trio concert. Free.

Held at Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St. • TU (5/30), 7pm "Livin' the Dream," outdoor concert with The Catamount Singers and Electric Soul. Free. Held at Grovemont Square, 101 W Charleston Ave., Swannanoa FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE DOWNTOWN 125 S. Main St., Hendersonville, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • THURSDAYS through SUNDAYS (6/1) until (6/11) - Music on the Rock: "The Music of Don Henley and Phil Collins." Thurs.: 7:30pm.

Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. Sat. &

FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 273-3332, floodgallery.org/ • TH (5/25), 7pm"Music for Folk," concert of original folk music and group song with Ash Devine and Andy Cohen. Free.

HENDERSON COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY 905 S. Greenville Highway, Hendersonville, 6926424, myhcdp.com • 2nd & 4th WEDNESDAYS, 7pm "Strings and Things," folk pop music jam.

Free.

MUSIC ACADEMY OF WNC 1411 Asheville Highway, Suite B, Hendersonville • SU (5/28), 4pm Academy String Quartet concert. Free to attend.

THEATER ASHEVILLE BALLET 252-4761, ashevilleballet.com • FR (5/26) & SA (5/27), 7:30pm - "Spring Into Dance: A Movement Bouquet," ballet concert. $20-$40/$12 students. Held at Diana

Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave.

PARKWAY PLAYHOUSE

DIANA WORTHAM THEATRE 18 Biltmore Ave., 2574530, dwtheatre.com • SAT (5/27), 1pm - The Asheville Academy of Ballet 2017 showcase concert. $7/$5 children.

202 Green Mountain

FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE 2661 Highway 225, Flat Rock, 693-0731, flatrockplayhouse.org • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (6/3) - A Tuna Christmas, comedy. Wed., Sat. & Sun.: 2pm. Wed. & Thurs.: 7:30pm. Fri. & Sat.: 8pm. $15 and up.

Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 3pm.

4285, parkwayplayhouse.com • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (5/27) On Golden Pond. Fri. &

MONTFORD PARK PLAYERS 254-5146, montfordparkplayers. org • FRIDAYS through SUNDAYS until (5/27), 7:30pm - Timon of Athens, Shakespearian tragedy. Free to attend.

Held at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St. NC STAGE COMPANY 15 Stage Lane, 2390263 • WEDNESDAYS through SUNDAYS until (6/11) - Matt & Ben, comedy. Wed.-Sat.: 7:30pm. Sun.: 2pm. $16 and up.

$20/$10 students.

THE AUTUMN PLAYERS 6861380, www.ashevilletheatre. org, caroldec25@gmail.com • FR (5/26) & SA (5/27), 2:30pm - Readers Theatre Showcase Series: All My Sons. $6.

Held at 35below, 35 E. Walnut St. • SU (5/28), 2:30pm - Readers Theatre Showcase Series: All My Sons. $6. Held at UNCAsheville Reuter Center, 1 Campus View Road THE MAGNETIC THEATRE 375 Depot St., 279-4155 • THURSDAYS through SATURDAYS until (6/3), 7:30pm - Malverse. $16/$12 preview shows.

Thank you for voting us #1!

MOONLIT ART MARKET burialbeer.com • Through WE (6/14) Open registration for art and craft vendors to participate in the Moonlit Artist Markets every second Wednesday from June until October. Registration: http://bit.ly/2qtScch.

Held at Burial Beer Co., 40 Collier Ave. TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 859-8322, tryonarts.org • TU (5/30) & TH (6/1), 6-8pm - Open auditions for the summer youth theater production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. For ages 12-18.

Contact for full guidelines.

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GALLERY DIRECTORY AMERICAN FOLK ART AND FRAMING 64 Biltmore Ave., 281-2134, amerifolk.com • TU (5/30) through TU (6/20) - Night Visions, curated show of nine folk artists.

Reception: Friday, June 2, 5-8pm.

MICA FINE CONTEMPORARY CRAFT 37 N. Mitchell Ave., Bakersville, 688-6422, micagallerync.com • SA (5/27) through MO (7/24) - Works in Black and White, member exhibition.

Reception: Saturday, May 27, 5-8pm.

APPALACHIAN PASTEL SOCIETY

STAND GALLERY

appalachianpastelsociety. org • Through SA (6/17) - Big Little Paintings, exhibtion of works by the Appalachian Pastel Society. Held at BlackBird Frame & Art, 365 Merrimon Ave.

Phil Mechanic Studios Building, 109 Roberts St. • Through TU (6/20) Metamorphosis: Following Abstraction into Form, exhibition.

THE GALLERY AT FLAT ROCK

ART AT MARS HILL UNIVERSITY mhu.edu • Through SU (5/28) Shelter on the Mountain: Barns and Building Traditions of the Southern Highlands, exhibition of photographs by Taylor Barnhill. Held at Rural Heritage Museum at Mars Hill, 100 Athletic St., Mars Hill • Through SA (8/12) - Rock Creek Pottery, exhibit. Held at Weizenblatt Art Gallery at MHU, Moore Fine Arts Building, 79 Cascade St., Mars Hill ASHEVILLE AREA ARTS COUNCIL 258-0710, ashevillearts.com • Through FR (6/23) - Current Effects: Contemporary Woodfiring in WNC, exhibition curated

by Josh Copus. Reception: Friday, June 2, 5-8pm. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. • Through FR (6/23) Iconography of the Early Anthropocene, paintings and illustrations by Rees Perry. Reception: Friday, June 2, 5-8pm. Held at The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave. ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM 253-3227, ashevilleart.org • Through TU (7/11) Cherokee Baskets, exhibition. Held at State Employees Credit Union Downtown, 701 N. Broadway Ave. • Through TU (7/11) Western North Carolina Glass, exhibition. Held at State Employees Credit Union Weaverville, 8 Monticello Road, Weaverville • Through TU (7/11) Western North Carolina

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702-A Greenville Highway, Flat Rock, 698-7000, galleryflatrock.com/ • FR (5/26) through MO (5/29) - Art in Bloom, juried exhibition of art paired with floral designs. Reception: Friday, May 26, 5-8pm.

‘ICONOGRAPHY OF THE EARLY ANTHROPOCENE’: In a new exhibit at the Asheville Area Arts Council, shown until Friday, June 23, longtime Asheville-based artist Rees Perry presents his most recent paintings and illustrations that blend elements of human origin stories, pop-science, conspiracy theories and medieval heraldry. According to the artist, the exhibition, Iconography of the Early Anthropocene, includes works that draw from elements of illuminated iconography, are inspired by the works of masters such as Blake and Bosch and allude to a “neo-archetypal realm of a people dependent on technology and industry and whose evolution is the product of experimentation and modification.” The artist reception for the event takes place on Friday, June 2, from 5-8 p.m. For more information, visit ashevillearts.com or reesperry.com. Base Pair, painting by Rees Perry, courtesy of the artist Pottery exhibition. Held at State Employees Credit Union South, 1310 Hendersonville Road ASHEVILLE ART MUSEUM ON THE SLOPE 175 Biltmore Ave., ashevilleart.org • Through SU (7/16) - Hear Our Voice, exhibition sponsored by the Amplifier Foundation. Reception: Friday, June 2, 5-8pm.

ASHEVILLE COTTON COMPANY 1378 Hendersonville Road • Through SA (6/3) Proceeds from this charity quilt show benefit MANNA Food Bank.

ASHEVILLE GALLERY OF ART 82 Patton Ave., 251-5796, ashevillegallery-of-art.com • Through WE (5/31) - Light + Line, paintings by Sandra Brugh Moore.

BLUE SPIRAL 1 38 Biltmore Ave., 251-0202, bluespiral1.com • Through FR (6/23) -

MOUNTAINX.COM

Exhibitions: Tamie Beldue + Christina Brinkman; John Paul Vincent; Connected

by Fire, wood-fired invitational; and John L. Cleaveland Jr., Robyn Horn, Kenneth Baskin. Reception: Thursday, June 1, 5-8pm.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES buncombecounty.org/ governing/depts/library • Through WE (5/31) Storybook Characters on Parade, exhibit of original, mixed media art dolls created by Go Figure. Held at Fairview Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview

fcchendersonville.org • Through MO (5/29) Bridges Not Walls, multimedia exhibition featuring works by regional artists illustrating their visions of compassionate collaboration, not division, between peoples.

FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 273-3332, floodgallery.org/ • Through FR (6/30) Looking for You—New & Old Photography, exhibition of photography by Rimas Zailskas.

CENTRAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 27 Church St., 253-3316, centralumc.org • SUNDAYS through (7/15), 9am-12:30pm - Nature’s Apothecary, exhibition of textile art by Mountain Art Quilters.

GRAND BOHEMIAN GALLERY 11 Boston Way, 877-274-1242, bohemianhotelasheville. com/ • FR (5/26) through TU (7/11) - Exhibition of the paintings of Mitch Kolbe.

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UCC OF HENDERSONVILLE 1735 5th Ave. W., Hendersonville, 692-8630,

HENDERSON COUNTY HERITAGE MUSEUM 1 Historic Courthouse Square Hendersonville, 694-

1619, hendersoncountymuseum. org • Through SA (12/16) - The Vagabond Players, exhibition of Flat Rock Playhouse Vagabond Players memorabilia.

LONDON DISTRICT STUDIOS 8 London Road • Through TU (6/6) - A Community of Artitsts, exhibition of works by ArtSpace Charter School staff and parents.

MADISON COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL 90 S. Main St., Marshall, 649-1301, madisoncountyarts.com • Through WE (5/31) - The Barns of Madison County, photography exhibition.

MARK BETTIS STUDIO & GALLERY 123 Roberts St., 941-5879502, markbettisart.com • Through FR (6/30) Parables in Clay and Paint, exhibition of works by Mark Bettis and Christine Kosiba.

TRANSYLVANIA COMMUNITY ARTS COUNCIL 349 S. Caldwell St., Brevard, 884-2787, tcarts.org • Through FR (5/26) - The Other Side, group art exhibition.

TRYON FINE ARTS CENTER 34 Melrose Ave., Tryon, 859-8322, tryonarts.org • FR (5/26) through FR (7/7) - Lost Loves, juried exhibition.

UPSTAIRS ARTSPACE 49 S. Trade St., Tryon, 8592828, upstairsartspace.org • Through FR (6/16) Altered Realism: Seven from the Upstate, group exhibition.

WHITESPACE 129 Roberts St. (upstairs at Wedge Studios) • Through WE (5/31) - Thallo: Four Artists Welcome Spring, group exhibition.

WNC HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION wnchistory.org • Through WE (10/25) - The Luthier's Craft: Instrument Making Traditions of the Blue Ridge, exhibition. Held at Smith-McDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Road Contact the galleries for admission hours and fees

CLUBLAND JUICY LUCY'S BURGER BAR AND GRILL Acoustic Jam, 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Ben Hovey (dub, jazz), 6:30PM OLE SHAKEY'S Salsa Night, 10:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Evil Note Lab, 10:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Deception Past, 9:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Frank Lee & Allie Burbrink (bluegrass), 6:00PM

UNITE! OPEN MIC NIGHT Resumes Friday, 6/2 @ 8pm

39 S. Market St.

●

theblockoffbiltmore.com

SALVAGE STATION Joe Hertler & The Rainbow Seekers, 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Tessia Doerfler, 7:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Hemp Day w/ The Dirty Dead, 6:00PM

REINVENTING THE WHEEL: Exuberant, infectious and free-wheeling, the music of Nashville’s John Frazier’s foursome FrazierBand couples country music sensibilities with rock ’n’ roll energy in a “newgrass” fusion that’s thrilled audiences across the U.S. and earned Frazier tour spots with luminaries like Del McCoury and the Steep Canyon Rangers. FrazierBand rambles through WNC on Thursday, May 25, stopping at Brevard’s 185 King Street for an 8 p.m. show. Photo courtesy of 185 King Street WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 185 KING STREET Vinyl Night, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Les Amis (African folk), 8:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Karaoke, 8:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Zach Williams, 7:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Brad Hodge & friends (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 8:30PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Juke Box Cowboys, 6:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Open Mic w/ Billy Owens, 7:00PM

BONFIRE BARBECUE Trivia Funtime w/ Kelsey, 8:00PM BROADWAY'S Broadway HumpDay Variety w/ DJ NexMillen, 9:00PM BYWATER Hoot and Holler (bluegrass duo), 5:00PM CORK & KEG 3 Cool Cats (50s & 60s rock), 7:30PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Open mic jam w/ Riyen Roots & friends, 7:00PM CROW & QUILL Sparrow & Her Wingmen (hot swing jazz), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Classic Country Vinyl w/ DJ David Wayne Gay, 10:00PM FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Ashely Heath Duet (Americana, folk), 9:00PM

FUNKATORIUM John Hartford Jam w/ the Saylor Brothers (bluegrass), 6:30PM GOOD STUFF Jim Hampton & friends perform "Eclectic Country" (jam), 7:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Wayne "The Train" Hancock w/ Back South (country), 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Primus w/ Insects vs. Robots [SOLD OUT], 7:00PM Primus afterparty w/ Pleasure Chest (blues, soul, rock), 10:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL All you can eat snow crab w/ Rob Parks & friends, 5:00PM Sofia Talvik (Americana, neo-folk), 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old-time session, 5:00PM

THE DUGOUT Karaoke!, 8:30PM THE MOTHLIGHT Gringo Star w/ Shantih Shantih & Shaken Nature (indie rock), 9:00PM THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Phantom Pantone Rooftop DJ, 8:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE Noetiq Science, 9:00PM

5/24 BINGO! SHAKTI SHIVA FOOD 5/25 $1 OFF FULL POURS/ APPALACHIAN CHIC FOOD 5/28 FLOW YOGA + CIDER 12:30 COMING UP: LYRIC! FREE SHOW ON 6/2

TOWN PUMP Open Mic w/ Billy Presnell, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Invitational Blue & Soul Performance (blues, soul), 9:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Wide Screen Wednesday's, 7:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Aaron Price Piano Trio, 7:30PM WILD WING CAFE Jason Whittaker (acoustic), 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH J Luke (acoustic), 6:00PM

THURSDAY, MAY 25 185 KING STREET Official White Squirrel Pre Party w/ The Frazier Band (newgrass), 8:00PM

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

51

CLU B LA N D

TAVERN Downtown on the Park Eclectic Menu • Over 30 Taps • Patio 14 TV’s • Sports Room • 110” Projector Event Space • Shuffleboard Open 7 Days 11am - Late Night

East Asheville’s Craft Beer Destination • 29 Taps

BEER WEEK

DAY AF SUN T H TERNOON TUNES E PAT N O IO – 4:30PM!

AT THE CR EEK

THU. 5/25 (acoustic rock)

FRI. 5/26 DJ MoTo

SAT. 5/27

Seasonal Draft Release Live Reggae Music Cornhole Tournament

BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Patrick Fitzsimons (roots music), 7:00PM

HIGHLAND BREWERY

TROPICAL THEMED RELEASE PARTY!

featuring Volleyball Tournament

Lyric

( funk, pop, soul)

We Cater On & Off Site!

8 Beverly Rd. Asheville, NC

Parties of 10+, please call ahead

20 S. Spruce St. • 225.6944 packStavern.com

BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Alien Music Club (live jazz), 10:00PM

THURSDAY • 6/1

FRIDAY • 6/2

( dance hits, pop)

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & The Space Cooties, 7:00PM

BEN'S TUNE-UP Blues at Ben's w/ The Chris Coleman Blues Experience, 8:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BEER INFUSED BBQ!

Jordan Okrend

5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 8:00PM

BONFIRE BARBECUE Social Function, 8:30PM BYWATER Well Lit Strangers (bluegrass), 8:00PM CROW & QUILL Carolina Catskins (rowdy ragtime jazz), 10:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER Ash Devine & Andy Cohen (Americana, folk), 7:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Bull Moose Party (bluegrass), 9:00PM

NATIVE KITCHEN & SOCIAL PUB Cary Fridley & Dave Perkins, 6:30PM

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Dave Dribbon (Americana), 6:00PM

ODDITORIUM Kink Night, 9:00PM

GOOD STUFF Freestone August & Caitlyn Deviney (indie, folk, singer-songwriter), 6:30PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN The Blasters w/ The Delta Bombers (rock), 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY East Side Social Ride, 6:00PM Wild On Film, 6:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Ordinary Elephant & Gina Holsopple, 7:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Open Jam Session, 7:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Brody Hunt & The Handfuls w/ Bryan Marshall & His Payday Knights, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Hank Bones ("The man of 1,000 songs"), 6:30PM

OLE SHAKEY'S Shakey's Karaoke, 10:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Mitch's Totally Rad Trivia, 6:30PM Sumilan w/ Lespecial (jam, funk), 7:00PM ONE WORLD BREWING Jimmy Ridlin & Cougar Attack, 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Wonky Tonk (folk), 6:00PM PULP Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 9:00PM PACK'S TAVERN Jordan Okrend (acoustic rock), 8:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Raising Caine w/ Woody Wood (alt. country, Americana), 9:00PM PURPLE ONION CAFE Dana & Susan Robinson, 8:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Billy Litz, 8:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB Dance Club w/ DJ & drag show, 10:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY King Possum, 6:00PM SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Vinyl Night, 6:30PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Westsound (R&B, soul), 8:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Tricky Trivia w/ Sue, 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Luxury Club w/ Just Neighbors (dance, math rock), 9:30PM TIMO'S HOUSE Flow Mocean w/ Olaf, Gilbot & Spice Rapture, 9:00PM TOWN PUMP Stevie Lee Combs, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Jesse Barry & The Jam (live music, dance), 9:00PM

52

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Anthony Mossberg (singer-songwriter), 7:30PM WILD WING CAFE Jeff Anders & Friends (acoustic), 9:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Grand Theft Audio Duo (acoustic), 6:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Unplugged w/ Just Us Duo, 8:00PM

FRIDAY, MAY 26 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Firecracker Jazz Band (hot jazz), 9:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Modern Day Society (rock), 9:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE John Cowan w/ Darin & Brooke Aldridge (Americana, bluegrass), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Joe McMurrian (acoustic deep roots, blues), 7:30PM ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Dr. Bacon w/ The Company Stores, 9:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Iggy Radio, 6:00PM DJ Kilby spinning Vinyl, 10:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing, 7:00PM BOILER ROOM Hafla (bellydance event), 8:00PM BYWATER Mark Bumgarner (Americana), 6:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Mike Martin Band, 7:00PM CHATTOOGA RIVER RESORTS Long Creek Music Festival, 6:00PM CORK & KEG The Resonant Rogues (Gypsy jazz, old-time, swing), 8:30PM CROW & QUILL Carpathian Spruce (klezmer, Balkan, gypsy), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Garage & Soul Obscurities w/ DJ Greg Cartwright, 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER Classic World Cinema, 8:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB SHAMAN (funk, jam), 10:00PM FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Community Center (orchestral rock), 6:00PM GOOD STUFF Cameron Sutphin, 8:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN ABS Fest 11 (Americana, burlesque, sideshow), 8:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Findog (bluegrass, Americana), 7:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL An evening w/ the Midnight Plowboys, 7:00PM Sarah Shook & The Disarmers w/ Valley Queen, 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Shane Pruitt Band (gospel, blues, rock 'n' roll), 9:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Rock 'n' Soul DJ, 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Rob Parks & friends, 6:30PM LUELLA'S BAR-B-QUE Benjo Saylor (banjo, singer-songwriter), 8:00PM LUELLA'S BAR-B-QUE BILTMORE PARK Tina Collins, 8:00PM MOE'S ORIGINAL BBQ WOODFIN Ashley Heath, 7:00PM NATIVE KITCHEN & SOCIAL PUB Steelin' Time, 7:30PM NEW MOUNTAIN THEATER/ AMPHITHEATER Nik West (R&B, soul), 9:00PM ODDITORIUM Go Devils w/ Crank County Daredevils (rock), 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Fridays w/ members of Phuncle Sam, 5:00PM Savi Fernandez Band (reggae, funk), 10:00PM

PACK'S TAVERN DJ MoTo (dance hits, pop), 9:30PM

5/24 wed

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY The Screaming J's (boogie-woogie, swing), 9:00PM

w/ shantih shantih, shaken nature

5/25 thu

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Wonky Tonk, 8:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB Dance Club w/ DJ & drag show, 10:00PM SCARLET'S COUNTRY DANCE CLUB Open Mic night w/ Sam Warner, 8:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Big Block Dodge, 8:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Block Party w/ DJs Jam, Harry Hippie and Dave & The WRES Crew, 8:00PM THE DUGOUT Fine Line (Southern rock), 8:30PM

COMING SOON wed 5/24

7PM–SOFIA TALVIK

5-9PM–ALL YOU CAN EAT SNOW CRAB LEGS

6:30-9PM–MUSIC ON THE PATIO (FREE) thu 5/25 7PM–ORDINARY ELEPHANT

AND GINA HOLSOPPLE

6:30-9PM–MUSIC ON THE PATIO (FREE) fri 5/26 – 6:30-9PM FRIDAYS ON THE LAWN MAGENTA SUNSHINE & HANNAH KAMINER 7PM–MIDNIGHT PLOWBOYS 9PM–SARAH SHOOK & THE DISARMERS

WITH VALLEY QUEEN

7PM–BRIDGE 19 WITH BRIE CAPONE 9PM–RBTS WIN WITH SPACEMAN

THE RIDGE AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Levitation Jones w/ Ludge & Orchestrobe (dance, electronic), 9:00PM

sun 5/28 5:30PM–JUSTIN RAY AND

THE SUMMIT AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL SOL Vibes, 9:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE Bass Therapy w/ Your Allure, 5:00PM TOWN PUMP Morbids, 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES The King Zeros (blues, delta blues), 7:00PM Ryan R&B Barber (r&b, soul), 10:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Bill Mattocks Band, 7:30PM

ONE WORLD BREWING Roots & Friends, 9:00PM

WILD WING CAFE Andalyn Lewis Band (Southern rock, Americana), 9:00PM

ORANGE PEEL Franz Ferdinand w/ Omni (indie, rock, grarage rock), 9:00PM

WILD WING CAFE SOUTH A Social Function (acoustic), 9:00PM

OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Crystal Fountains (bluegrass), 6:00PM

WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Electric w/ Ben Hovey, 8:00PM

luxury club

w/ just neighbors, subutech

THE MOTHLIGHT Stephanie Morgan w/ Hank and Cupcakes & Abby the Spoon Lady (singer-songwriter), 9:30PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Phantom Pantone Rooftop DJ, 10:00PM

gringo starr

sat 5/27

5/26

fri

stephanie morgan

(formerly stephaniesid)

w/ hank and cupcakes, abby the spoon lady

5/27 sat faun and a pan flute w/manas, cyboman, wyla 5/28 sun vancouver sleep clinic w/brucemont

5/29 mon kikagaku moyo

fr

ee! w/ al lover, acid reign Yoga at the Mothlight

Tues., Thurs., and Sat. 11:30am Details for all shows can be found at

themothlight.com

JONES & THE MOTHERSHIPS AND KING GARBAGE

RICHARD SHULMAN

tue 5/30 7:30PM–TUESDAY BLUEGRASS SESSIONS wed 5/31 – 7PM CRICKET TELL THE WEATHER

5-9PM–ALL YOU CAN EAT SNOW CRAB LEGS

6:30-9PM–MUSIC ON THE PATIO (FREE) thu 6/1 6:30-9PM–MUSIC ON THE PATIO (FREE) fri 6/2 7PM–THE CHEEKSTERS 6:30-9PM–FRIDAYS ON THE LAWN ZAPATO & IN FLIGHT – 9PM FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE PARTY

WITH JIM ARRENDELL sat 6/3

7PM–PARKER GISPERT (THE WHIGS)

North Carolina’s First Cider Bar Family Owned & Operated Seasonal, craft-made hard ciders and tasting-room delights from local farmers & artisans.

k #1 Best Place to Drin Cider in U.S.A. -Food & Wine Magazine

sun 6/4 7:30PM–SETH WALKER

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

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

210 Haywood Road, West Asheville, NC 28806

(828)744-5151

www.urbanorchardcider.com MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

53

C L UB L AND

SATURDAY, MAY 27 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Maureen Renihan Duo (jazz), 6:00PM Matt Walsh (blues, rockabilly), 9:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Rad & James Band (groove), 8:00PM ALTAMONT THEATRE Christopher Paul Stelling (folk), 8:00PM

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Hunter Grigg CD release party, 7:00PM

BOILER ROOM Dance Party & Drag Show, 10:00PM

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Summer Dance Series w/ DJ AVX, 9:00PM

BYWATER Col. Bruce Hampton Tribute Show w/ Tyler Neal & The Madrid Express, 9:00PM

BEN'S TUNE-UP Gypsy Jazz Jam, 3:00PM Special DJ set w/ The Secret B-Sides, 10:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Justin Ray Trio (jazz), 7:30PM

CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Raising Caine, 7:00PM

ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL An evening w/ Bridge 19 & Brie Capone, 7:00PM RBTS WIN w/ Spaceman Jones & the Motherships and King Garbage (psychedelic, soul, R&B), 9:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Misty Mountain String Band, 9:00PM

CORK & KEG Vivian Leva & The Onlies (old-time), 8:30PM

LAZY DIAMOND Sonic Satan Stew w/ DJ Alien Brain, 10:00PM

CROW & QUILL One Leg Up (gypsy jazz), 9:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Sean Mason Trio (jazz), 6:30PM

DOUBLE CROWN Pitter Platter w/ DJ Big Smidge (50's/60's R&B, rock 'n' roll), 10:00PM

ODDITORIUM Mightier Than Me w/ The Spiral & Shadow Show (rock), 9:00PM

FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREWPUB Jordan Okrend Experience (soul, funk), 10:00PM

OLE SHAKEY'S Putt Putt w/ New Belgium, 2:00PM Saturday Night Fever, 10:00PM

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY Hoot & Holler (old-time, Americana), 6:00PM FROG LEVEL BREWERY Bend & Brew, 11:00AM GOOD STUFF Pleasure Chest (blues, rock, soul), 9:00PM

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Demon Waffle (ska, punk, reggae), 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL ABS Fest 11 (Americana, burlesque, sideshow), 8:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Amongst the Trees (bluegrass), 6:00PM

GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN EmiSunshine, 1:00PM EmiSunshine (country), 8:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Kevin Maines & the Volts (soul, R&B, Southern rock), 7:00PM

PURPLE ONION CAFE Gigi Dover & Big Love, 8:00PM

THE SUMMIT AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL 30 & Up Night, 10:00PM

SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Yoga w/ Puppies with Blue Ridge Humane Society, 10:00AM Carolina Catskins, 8:00PM

TIMO'S HOUSE Neon Wonderland, 5:00PM

SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB Dance Club w/ DJ & drag show, 10:00PM SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO. Sierra Nevada AfterNooner Series, 2:00PM SOUTH ROCK BAR AND GRILLE Anthony Mossburg (singer-songwriter), 6:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Carolina Rex, 8:00PM SWEETEN CREEK BREWING First Picnic Party, 11:30AM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Conscious Comedy Night, 7:00PM Latin Rhythms & Salsa Dance w/ DJ Malinalli, 10:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Faun & a Pan Flute w/ MANAS, Cyboman & Wyla (experimental), 9:30PM

PACK'S TAVERN A Social Function (rock, classic covers), 9:30PM

THE RIDGE AT NEW MOUNTAIN AVL Fire (LGBT Fetish Party), 10:00PM

PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Phuncle Sam, 9:00PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Phantom Pantone Rooftop DJ, 10:00PM

TOWN PUMP Big Deal Band (Black Mountain bluegrass), 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Ruby Mayfield & Lenny Pettinelli (live music), 7:30PM Ther King Zeros (delta blues, dance), 10:00PM TWISTED LAUREL Indoor/Outdoor Dance Party, 11:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN The Asheville Jazz Orchestra, 8:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Johnny Blackwell (acoustic), 9:00PM WXYZ LOUNGE AT ALOFT HOTEL WXYZ Live w/ Tom Waits For No Man, 8:00PM

SUNDAY, MAY 28 185 KING STREET Sunday Sessions Open Jam, 4:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Pam Jones Trio (jazz), 7:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Guitar Bar Jam, 3:30PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Sunday Reggae w/ The Dub Kartel, 6:00PM

OPEN MIC

NIGHT EVERY MONDAY 6PM Historic Live Music Venue Located At

185 CLINGMAN AVE • ASHEVILLE WAYNE “THE TRAIN” HANCOCK

TUE SUN SUN SAT

FRI

THU WED

5/24 TAQUERIA 5/25 THE BLASTERS OPEN AT 11AM DAILY AMERICANA BURLESQUE 5/26 & SIDESHOW FESTIVAL COMING SOON 5/27 EMISUNSHINE 5/28 ABSFEST BURLESQUE BRUNCH 5/28 THE STEEL WHEELS 5/30 THE ORBITING HUMAN CIRCUS

54

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

MOUNTAINX.COM

w/ Back South

w/ The Delta Bombers

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT

11TH ANNUAL ABSFEST

HARVEST RECORDS + THEGREYEAGLE.COM

Famiy Show at 1PM 2ND Show at 8PM

Show: 12:30 PM

5/31: Comedian Jon Dore 6/01: Luke Combs show: 6:00pm

6/01: Meatbodies w/ Western Star show: 10:00pm

6/02: Pierce Edens (Album Release Show) w/ Boy Named Banjo

Featuring The Music Tapes

6/03: Comedian Dave Waite w/ Grant Lyon

BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Sunday Jazz Brunch, 11:00AM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Matt Sellars (Americana, blues, roots), 7:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Jody Caroll, 6:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Sweet Soul Sundays w/ DJ Chrissy & Miss Glo, 5:00PM Killer Karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER True Home Open-Mic (music, poetry, comedy), 5:00PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN ABS Burlesque Brunch (Americana, burlesque, sideshow), 12:30PM The Steel Wheels (Americana, folk), 8:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Reggae Sunday w/ Dennis "Chalwa" Berndt, 1:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Justin Ray & Richard Shulman, 5:30PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Traditional Celtic Jam Session, 3:00PM LAZY DIAMOND Unknown Senders & TBA (punk), 10:00PM LOBSTER TRAP Phil Alley, 6:30PM LUELLA'S BAR-B-QUE BILTMORE PARK Gypsy Jazz Brunch w/ Leo Johnson, 12:00PM ODDITORIUM Blue Ridge Roller Girls After Party, 9:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Bluegrass brunch w/ Aaron "Woody" Wood, 11:00AM FrazierBand (bluegrass), 7:00PM ORANGE PEEL Zumba Fitness Party, 5:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Riyen Roots & Kenny Dore (acoustic blues), 3:00PM PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Mtn County Tripel release w/ The Travers Sunday Jam & Nicky Sanders, 6:00PM ROOTS AND FRUITS MARKET Quutopia & Farm Brunch, 10:00AM SANCTUARY

BREWING COMPANY Scott Bianchi, 2:00PM Ben Phan, 6:00PM SCANDALS NIGHTCLUB Dance Club w/ DJ & drag show, 10:00PM SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY BlueSunday w/ Garry Segal & friends, 5:00PM Trio de Janeiro, 8:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE WNC Solidarity Concert Series w/ Jason DeCristofaro, Bill Berg Trio & Daniel Barber Quartet, 3:00PM Los Abrojitos Orchestra (tango), 7:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Dj Lounge Set, 7:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Vancouver Sleep Clinic w/ Brucemont (ambient, electronic, indie), 9:00PM THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bob Zullo (rock, jazz, pop), 7:00PM THE SOCIAL Homeward Bound Music Festival Benefit w/ Joe Lasher Jr., Lyric & more, 12:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE Bring Your Own Vinyl: Open Decks Night, 6:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Giant Jenga Tournament, 12:00PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Abby The Spoon Lady & the Fly By Night Rounders, 7:00PM WICKED WEED Summer Concert Series w/ The Heavy Pets, 4:00PM

MONDAY, MAY 29 185 KING STREET Open Mic Night w/ Chris Whitmire, 6:00PM 5 WALNUT WINE BAR Lyric (acoustic soul), 8:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Classical Guitar Mondays, 7:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP Solo Acoustic w/ Robert Greer, 6:00PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Ben Phan (indie, folk, singer-songwriter), 7:00PM

Where The Blue Ridge Mountains Meet the Celtic Isles

MONDAYS Quizzo – Brainy Trivia • 7:30pm Open Mic Night • 9pm TUESDAYS Cajun/Creole Jam led by Trent Van Blaricom & Joy Moser • 7pm Dancing Encouraged!

WEDNESDAYS Asheville’s Original Old Time Mountain Music Jam • 5pm THURSDAYS Mountain Feist • 7pm Bluegrass Jam • 9:30pm Bourbon Specials

Free Live Music

SHANE PRUITT BAND FRI HIGH GOSPEL, BLUES AND 5/26 ROCK ENERGY & ROLL • 9PM / $5

THU - 5/25 • 6:30PM DAVE DESMELIK

WESTKING STRINGBAND

(FOLK)

7PM

SAT MISTY MOUNTAIN 5/27 STRING BAND OLD-TIME MUSIC, AMERICANA, BLUEGRASS • 9PM / $5

FRI - 5/26 • 8:30PM BIG SKY REVIVAL (BLUEGRASS)

STONE BREWERY TAP

SAT - 5/27 • 8:30 PM

TUE TAKEOVER Free Live Music & very special 5/30 w/ guests – SAMMY GUNS feat.

JOHNNY HUMPHRIES • 9PM FRI 6/2

BULL MOOSE PARTY

BLUEGRASS

• 9PM / $5

IRISH SUNDAYS Irish Food and Drink Specials Traditional Irish Music Session • 3-9pm OPEN MON-THURS AT 3 • FRI-SUN AT NOON CRAFT BEER, SPIRITS & QUALITY PUB FARE SINCE 1996

95 PATTON at COXE • Downtown Asheville

252.5445 • jackofthewood.com

BIG SKY REVIVAL ENCORE (BLUEGRASS)

AVL Beer Week

#headupcountry OPEN DAILY 11:30AM UNTIL MIDNIGHT 1042 HAYWOOD RD. ASHEVILLE, NC 28806 828.575.2400 • UPCOUNTRYBREWING.COM

ENJOY $5 OFF

Signature & Sandwiches Coupon Not Valid With Any Other Offer.

Expires 06-14-17

TUESDAY, MAY 30TH West Asheville Brewer’s BBQ 5PM - 7PM Beers on tap from 4 West Asheville guest breweries

THURSDAY, JUNE 1ST Special Release: Beginner’s Luck Double IPA $1 from every pour between 6PM - 8PM goes to benefit Just Economics

MOUNTAINX.COM

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C L UB L AND BYWATER Open mic (sign-up @ 6:15 p.m.), 7:00PM Spin Jam (local DJs and firespinning), 9:00PM CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Musicians in the Round Jam, 5:30PM CREEKSIDE TAPHOUSE Trivia night, 7:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Country karaoke w/ KJ Tim O, 10:00PM

GOOD STUFF Songwriter's "open mic", 7:30PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN Open mic night (music & comedy), 6:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Game Night, 4:00PM JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Trivia Night, 7:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Bobby Miller and friends, 6:30PM ODDITORIUM Risque Monday Burlesque w/ Deb Au Nare (burlesque), 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S Honky Tonk Karaoke, 9:00PM OSKAR BLUES BREWERY Mountain Music Mondays (open jam), 6:00PM

THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Monthly Monday Open Jam Rent Party, 6:00PM THE IMPERIAL LIFE Ghost Pipe Trio (jazz), 9:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Trivial trivia w/ Geoffrey & Brody, 8:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Kikagaku Moyo w/ Al Lover & Acid Reign (psychedelic, folk, rock), 9:00PM

THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bob Zullo (rock, jazz, pop), 7:00PM

JUICY LUCY'S BURGER BAR AND GRILL Trivia w/ DJ Cliff, 8:00PM

THE SOCIAL LOUNGE Free Pizza Karaoke, 8:00PM

LOBSTER TRAP Jay Brown, 6:30PM

TIMO'S HOUSE Mystery Flavor Mondays w/ 56k Connection, 6:00PM TOWN PUMP The Sun. The Moon., 9:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Old Time Music Open Jam, 6:30PM

TUESDAY, MAY 30 5 WALNUT WINE BAR The John Henrys (hot jazz), 8:00PM 550 TAVERN & GRILLE Shag night, 6:00PM ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Gypsy Jazz Jam Tuesdays, 7:00PM

THIS WEEK ONLY Wednesday • May 24th

Primus- SOLD OUT show in the Meadow Brewery Closed

Friday • May 26th Hawaiian Lounge Juice Extra IPA Release Party: Tiki Umbrellas, Hawaiian Shirts, live music, food trucks, and more!

Saturday • May 27th Adoption event with Brother Wolf, 12-3pm Live music with Kevin Maines in the Meadow, 7-9pm

EVERY WEEK

Oakley Farmers Market 3:30-6:30pm Every Thursday May-September!

EXTENDED HOURS Monday-Thursday 3-9pm Friday-Saturday 12-10pm Sunday 12-6pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Tuesday night funk jam, 11:00PM BEN'S TUNE-UP A Night of Soul w/ Rodha Weaver & the Soulmates, 5:30PM A Night of Soul w/ Lyric, 8:00PM BLACK MOUNTAIN ALE HOUSE Trivia, 7:30PM BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Mark Bumgarner (Americana, bluegrass), 7:00PM BONFIRE BARBECUE Thunder karaoke w/ Jason Tarr, 8:00PM CROW & QUILL Boogie Woogie Burger Night (burgers & rock n' roll), 9:00PM DOUBLE CROWN Honky-tonk, Western & Cajun night w/ DJ Brody Douglas Hunt, 10:00PM GOOD STUFF Old time-y night, 6:30PM GREY EAGLE MUSIC HALL & TAVERN The Orbiting Human Circus w/ The Music Tapes (immersive theatre & musical show), 9:00PM HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Dr. Brown's Team Trivia, 6:00PM ISIS RESTAURANT AND MUSIC HALL Tuesday bluegrass sessions w/ Unspoken Tradition, 7:30PM

12 Old Charlotte Hwy. Suite 200 Asheville, NC 28803 828-299-3370

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JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Stone Brewing Takeover w/ Sammy Guns & Johnny Humphries (honky-tonk, country), 8:30PM

ODDITORIUM Open Mic Comedy Night w/ Tom Peters, 9:00PM OLE SHAKEY'S Booty Tuesday, 11:00PM ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Turntable Tuesdays, 10:00PM ORANGE PEEL Flux Pavilion w/ Kayzo & Jaykode (dubstep, electronica), 9:00PM SALVAGE STATION Fire Jam (DJs, producers, livetronica), 9:00PM SANCTUARY BREWING COMPANY Taco and Trivia Tuesday, 6:00PM THE BLOCK OFF BILTMORE Jazz-n-Justice Benefit w/ Swing Asheville w/ Wyatt Yurth & The Gold Standard, 9:00PM Swing Asheville's Latenight Vintage Blues Dance, 11:00PM THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Open jam w/ Rob Parks & Chuck Knott, 7:00PM THE MOTHLIGHT Tim Kasher w/ John Bradley & Campdogzz (indie, rock, alternative), 9:00PM THE PHOENIX Anthony Mossberg (singer-songwriter), 7:00PM TIMO'S HOUSE Total Request Live w/ Franco Niño, 6:00PM TOWN PUMP Derek Curtis (Americana, folk), 9:00PM TRESSA'S DOWNTOWN JAZZ AND BLUES Early Jazz & Funk Jam (funk, jazz), 9:00PM TWIN LEAF BREWERY Twin Leaf Trivia Night, 8:00PM UPCOUNTRY BREWING COMPANY Open Mic w/ Chris O'Neill, 6:30PM WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish sessions & open mic, 6:30PM WILD WING CAFE Grandpa's Cough Medicine (bluegrass), 6:00PM WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 6:00PM

MOVIES

REVIEWS & LISTINGS

BY SCOTT DOUGLAS & JUSTIN SOUTHER

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M A X R AT I N G Xpress is shifting some of its movie coverage to online-only as we expand other print sections of the newspaper. Virtually all upcoming movies will still be reviewed online by Xpress film critics Scott Douglas and Justin Souther, with two or three of the most noteworthy appearing in print. You can find online reviews at mountainx.com/movies/reviews.

This week, they include: ALIEN: COVENANT A QUIET PASSION NORMAN

Ridley Scott misses the mark with Alien: Covenant

Alien: Covenant HHH

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott PLAYERS: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, Danny McBride, Demián Bichir, Carmen Ejogo, Jussie Smollett, Callie Hernandez, Amy Seimetz, Nathaniel Dean, Alexander England, Uli Latukefu, Tess Haubrich SCI-FI HORROR RATED R THE STORY: An intergalactic colonization mission is derailed when the crew intercepts a human transmission from an uncharted planet, and what they find at its source is predictably lethal.

THE LOWDOWN: A film thematically rooted in questions of creation that bears precious little creativity of its own.

In space, no one can hear you scream — but it in the theater, everyone can hear you snore. Alien: Covenant may not be a snooze-fest on par with last week’s tepid take on King Arthur, but it certainly doesn’t come anywhere close to living up to its prodigious potential. Equal parts existential navel-gazer and sci-fi slasher flick, Covenant embraces the disparate pitfalls of high-concept and low-brow, packaging them together in one gory bundle.

On paper, everything about Alien: Covenant looks as if it should work — you’ve got a solid premise, a great cast and a complete and total lack of Damon Lindelof that I always find appealing. Those offended by the ponderous pacing and philosophical pomposity of Prometheus will find Covenant closer to a return to form for director Ridley Scott, doubling

down on the carnage while still managing to shoehorn in some of the solipsistic underpinnings that seem to be the cornerstone of his revitalized franchise. But while this all sounds great in theory, nothing functions quite the way that it should.

Picking up 10 years after the events of Prometheus, Covenant follows an ill-fated colonization mission that finds itself waylaid by an unexpected space storm of some sort — the science isn’t particularly important — this is all just an excuse to kill off Captain Daniels (James Franco) and leave the rest of the crew in moderate disarray. Now headed by a “person of faith” with literally no faith in himself (Billy Crudup), the skeleton crew responsible for delivering the Covenant’s cargo of colonists to their new home

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world sets off on a highly questionable side trip to uncover the source of a transmission featuring the universe’s worst karaoke cover of John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads. Why, you might reasonably ask? Because none of them wants to go back into hypersleep — and the bad decisions just get worse from there.

The first act trudges along with a sense of inevitability rather than intrigue, and by the time the second act rolls around, the audience is forced to wonder if people in 2104 have forgotten that horror movies were ever a thing, so profoundly boneheaded are the choices made by the central cast.

But despite the obvious flaws in story logic, the second act is a vast improvement over the first, descending into a gothic “old dark house” story in the mode of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, complete with a postmodern mad scientist in the form of android David (Michael Fassbender, reprising his role from Prometheus). Fassbender also plays Walter, the new and improved model built on David’s original design, and the interaction between dueling Fassbenders is easily the film’s strongest selling point.

As both Walter and David, Fassbender’s performance is occasionally virtuosic (although I’m

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Norman:

The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer

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not sure where he was going with Walter’s accent), and Katherine Waterston and Danny McBride are both outstanding in their roles. The set design is every bit as lush and atmospheric as that of Prometheus, and the action sequences are (generally) well-executed, if highly derivative. So what went wrong? It’s the little things. Elements of JudeoChristian, Zoroastrian and Egyptian religious iconography are introduced but never explored; the xenomorphs are awkward CGI marionettes rather than the lube-dripping monstrosity barely glimpsed in the shadows of the original Alien; the third-act “twist” is so predictable that perceptive viewers will see it coming an hour early; the list goes on and on. If Covenant is any indication of Scott’s intentions for future films in the Alien universe, I for one would be just fine with him stopping at three prequels rather than the proposed six. Rated R for sci-fi violence, bloody images, language and some sexuality/ nudity. Now Playing at AMC Classic River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville.

REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

DIRECTOR: Joseph Cedar PLAYERS: Richard Gere, Lior Ashkenazi, Michael Sheen, Steve Buscemi, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Dan Stevens, Hank Azaria DRAMA RATED R THE STORY: A minor player in New York’s Jewish political and financial scene ingratiates himself to a man who becomes the prime minister of Israel, but their friendship becomes central to a significant international incident.

THE LOWDOWN: Neither Norman — the film nor its eponymous protagonist — are as clever as they think they are.

When I realized I would be reviewing two Richard Gere movies in one month, I thought statistics alone would ensure that at least one of them might be good. I was mistaken. Much like its title, Norman is an overlong digression into ideas that seem superficially cute but lack any substance to warrant their expression. Israeli writer/ director Joseph Cedar may well have had a purpose in mind when he conceived this tale of a nebbishy New York con artist with a heart of gold, but I’ll be damned if I can figure out what it was.

Gere’s character, Norman Oppenheimer, remains something of an enigma throughout the film — though not enigmatic in any sense of that term that would suggest something interesting. The story is rooted in its protagonist’s occupation, which even the character struggles to define when questioned. Norman seems to be driven by a desire for recognition, forcibly insinuating himself into the spheres of powerful New York elites through a combination of fraud and some light stalking, but his goals in doing so are never elucidated. Instead, we’re left to ponder the motivations of a quasi-

SCREEN SCENE

REVIEWED BY SCOTT DOUGLAS JSDOUGLAS22@GMAIL.COM

FILM FLOOD GALLERY FINE ART CENTER 2160 US Highway 70, Swannanoa, 273-3332, floodgallery.org/ • FR (5/26), 8pm - Classic World Cinema: The Wild Child, by François Truffaut. Free to attend.

THE COLLIDER 1 Haywood St. Ste 401 Asheville, +1 828 CLIMATE, thecollider.org/ • TU (5/30), 6:30-9pm - Wings of Life, documentary film screening hosted by Oskar Blues. $5.

by Edwin Arnaudin | edwinarnaudin@gmail.com

2017

homeless swindler who seems capable of little more than sowing the seeds of chaos and dissent. While I guess that may sound appealing to some, I’ll have to admit that the allure was lost on me.

Beyond the problems inherent to a protagonist of questionable relatability, Cedar’s film is hamstrung by stylistic missteps too jarring to be overlooked. A painfully boring second act is punctuated by a truly bizarre fantasy sequence full of floating heads and business cards and a recurring motif of computer-spliced split-screen phone calls that place characters from different locations into the same frame — attempts to create visual engagement that feel distinctly ill-suited to the film’s tone and atmosphere. Rather than pictorially exploring his characters’ uniquely Jewish perspective on New York, Cedar falls prey to regressive visual stereotypes and tropes worn thinner than Norman’s shoe soles.

Cedar’s directorial shortcomings are particularly unfortunate in light of the dynamic supporting performances delivered by Steve Buscemi as Norman’s beleaguered rabbi and Lior Ashkenazi as the embattled prime minister. Even Gere’s overzealous Woody Allen impersonation might have been palatable had it been reined in more assiduously. But the script drifts aimlessly before arriving at a climax that feels like a foregone conclusion, landing with a dull thud of meaninglessness in the film’s final moments.

As a narrative, Norman fails to deliver any significant catharsis, and as a character study, it somehow manages to avoid any depth of characterization.

There might have been a story here if Cedar had been prescient enough to recognize that his protagonist’s inner drama was infinitely more interesting than the contrived geopolitical mishegas he chose to focus on — but as a film, Norman needs a fixer of a higher caliber than its title character. Rated R for some language. Now Playing at Grail Moviehouse

WNC’s fun way to give!

Now accepting applications from area nonprofits to participate in our annual fundraising effort.

PLANTS’ BEST FRIEND: Butterflies’ vital role in nature will be celebrated throughout June as part of National Pollinator Month. The Collider kicks off the festivities with a screening of the documentary Wings of Life on May 30. Photo

by Kathi Petersen • Mechanical Eye Microcinema offers a Cellphone StopMotion course on Wednesday, May 24, from 6-8 p.m.

Students are invited to bring their smartphones or iPads and, under the guidance of Charlotte Taylor, learn how to create a short stop-motion animation with the everyday devices, as well as clay or paper cutouts. No experience is necessary. Tuition is $30, payable via cash or check on the day of class. Pre-register online. avl.mx/3qo • The Friends of the WNC Nature Center present Wild on Film, a new series created for the Nature Center, on Thursday, May 25, at 6 p.m. at Highland Brewing Co. In addition to the premiere of the new promotional films Seasons at the Nature Center and Animal Voices, admission to the fundraiser includes heavy appetizers from Homegrown and a popcorn bar from Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn, live music by Ben Wilson, live painting

by Ryan O’Sullivan, a silent auction, a photo booth and a meet-and-greet with several “VIP” educational animals. Tickets are $20 for adults and $16 for youths ages 3-16 and available online or by calling 828-259-8092. wildwnc.org/event/wild-on-film

For more information, go to avl.mx/3g5

• World Peas Animations and Mechanical Eye Microcinema present a morning of movies made by a total of 46 local kids on Saturday, May 27, from 10 a.m.-noon at Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co. The program includes live action and stop-motion animated films. $2. ashevillebrewing.com • The Collider’s monthly movie night, featuring films related to climate change and the environment, continues on Tuesday, May 30, at 7 p.m. with a screening of Wings of Life. Narrated by Meryl Streep, the DisneyNature documentary also helps kick off the local celebration of June as National Pollinator Month.

Beekeepers and representatives of Bee City USA Asheville will be on hand for a brief discussion before the movie. Afterward, attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a variety of milkweed plants — necessary for pollinators’ survival — in pots and gallon-sized containers from Madison County’s Wildbud Natives. Popcorn and a selection of beers from movie night sponsor Oskar Blues Brewery will be provided. Free. thecollider.org X

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Baywatch Action/comedy reboot of the popular 90s television series of the same name, directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses, Identity Thief) starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. No early reviews.(R)

S PECIAL SCR E E N IN GS

Eraserhead HHHHH DIRECTOR: David Lynch PLAYERS: Jack Nance, Charlotte Stewart, Allen Joseph, Jeanne Bates, Judith Anna Roberts SURREALIST HORROR Rated R In honor of the return of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, the Asheville Film Society will be celebrating with the writer/director’s first feature, Eraserhead. The film had a difficult birth, with principal photography taking years and audience reactions icy prior to its resurrection as a midnight movie on the cult arthouse circuit. A surrealist masterpiece exploring masculinity, fatherhood and spirituality through a lens that is pure Lynch, Eraserhead is

Chasing Trane Biographical documentary detailing the life and influence of legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, written and directed by John Scheinfeld (Who is Harry Nilsson?, The U.S. vs. John Lennon) with narration by Denzel Washington. Early reviews are positive.(NR)

unquestionably one of the strangest and most powerful films ever made — simultaneously beautiful and repulsive, ecstatic and nihilistic. This was my second-date “test” movie for years, which may go a long way to explaining why I’m single. At any rate, it’s an example of a true auteur at work and still easily ranks amongst Lynch’s best films, with much of the distinctive aesthetic that would come to define his subsequent oeuvre already in place. If you’ve never seen it on the big screen, you haven’t really seen it — bring a date at your own risk. The Asheville Film Society is showing Eraserhead on Tuesday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. at The Grail Moviehouse as part of the Budget Big Screen series. Admission is $6 for AFS members and $8 for the general public. Xpress movie critic Scott Douglas will introduce the film.

Pirates of the Caribean: Dead Men Tell No Tales The fifth installment in Disney’s Pirates series, starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Kaya Scodelario, Brenton Thwaites.

According to the studio: “The riproaring adventure finds down-on-hisluck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea—notably Jack. Jack’s only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.” Early reviews are negative.(PG-13)

The Iron Mask HHHH DIRECTOR: Allan Dwan PLAYERS: Douglas Fairbanks, Léon Bary, Tiny Sandford, Gino Corrado, Belle Bennett, Marguerite De La Motte, Dorothy Revier, Nigel De Brulier ACTION/ADVENTURE Rated NR Douglas Fairbanks’ final silent film, a follow-up to his highly successful The Three Musketeers (1921), is everything you’d expect — a fun, light-hearted adventure film with plenty of swashbuckling action and a solid performance from one of the silent cinema’s biggest stars. Frequent Fairbanks collaborator Allan Dwan, a ridiculously prolific director with 125 films to his credit, knew enough to get out of the way and let Fairbanks do his thing. The Iron Mask (1929) marks an interesting transition in film history, as a late-silent/early-talkie hybrid that would foreshadow things to come — namely, the ascendancy of sound in cinema and the decline in Fairbanks acting career. The Hendersonville Film Society will show The Iron Mask on Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. in the Smoky Mountain Theater at Lake Pointe Landing Retirement Community, 333 Thompson St., Hendersonville.

The Wild Child HHHHS DIRECTOR: Francois Truffaut PLAYERS: Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Jean Dasté, Françoise Seigner, Paul Ville, Claude Miler DRAMA Rated NR While not generally as well known as films like The 400 Blows, François Truffaut’s loose adaptation of a true story of a feral child struggling to reintegrate into eighteenth century French

Raw 2016 Cannes FIPRESCI prize-winning Franco-Belgian horror written and directed by Julia Ducournau, starring Garance Marillier as an adolescent vegetarian who develops a need to consume human flesh after eating raw meat for the first time.

Early reviews are positive.(R)

society after growing up in the woods bears all the hallmarks of the director’s best works. Themes of challenging adolescence and the social isolation inherent to modernity pervade The Wild Child just as deeply as any of the director’s semi-autobiographical Antoine Doinel films, but this film finds Truffaut in a more subdued and pensive mode than his early New Wave freneticism would suggest. Probably not the best film Truffaut ever made, but easily among the most accessible and cohesive. Classic World Cinema

by Courtyard Gallery will present The Wild Child on Friday, May 26, at 8 p.m. at Flood Gallery Fine Art Center, 2160 U.S. 70, Swannanoa.

MARKETPLACE

2017

R EAL ES TAT E | RE NTA L S | R O O M M AT E S | SERV ICES JOBS | ANNO U N C E M E N T S | M IN D , B ODY, SPIRIT CLAS S E S & W O RK S HO P S | M U S IC IA N S’ SERV ICES PETS | AUT OM OT IVE | X C HA N GE | A DU LT Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 x111 tnavaille@mountainx.com • mountainx.com/classifieds If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Remember the Russian proverb: “Doveryai, no proveryai,” trust but verify. When answering classified ads, always err on the side of caution. Especially beware of any party asking you to give them financial or identification information. The Mountain Xpress cannot be responsible for ensuring that each advertising client is legitimate. Please report scams to ads@mountainx.com REAL ESTATE MOBILE HOMES FOR SALE 3/2 WITH 11 ACRES MARS HILL $147,500 Online Description Coming soon- available June 20, 2017. Only 30 min from Asheville - beautiful drive up I26 to exit 3. 2245 Roaring Fork Rd Mars Hill, NC 28754. 1460 sq ft. High-ceiling living room with fireplace. Big house surrounded by deck, gorgeous view. Split bedroom plan. Master Bath with Sunken tub. 11 acres (mostly mountain). Own for far less than rent. Quiet cul de sac.

Backs to Pisgah Forest area. Drive by to check it out. Charlotte (828) 298-2274 kassabc@bellsouth.net

RENTALS APARTMENTS FOR RENT CHARMING • WEST ASHEVILLE 2BR, 1BA, hardwood floors, covered porch, clawfoot tub. Wooded setting. Pets ok. • Available July 1. • 76 Oakwood, off Haywood Road. $1400/month, water included, shared WD, storage. (828) 230-1845.

LEICESTER Unfurnished 2BR, 1BA, central air/heat. Appliances, trash, water, sewer, yard included. Rent, deposit $800. • No pets, smoking, section 8. • References, credit check, lease required. 828-6832794 or 828-273-0499.

HOMES FOR RENT 3BR 2BA LOG HOME With basement, cathedral ceilings, hardwood floors and open floor plan. • Great views on front porch. Internet available. 25 minutes from Asheville. $1250/month with deposit. Call 828-649-1170.

ROOMMATES ROOMMATES ALL AREAS Free Roommate Service @ RentMates.com. Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at RentMates.com! (AAN CAN)

EMPLOYMENT GENERAL TROLLEY TOUR GUIDES If you are a "people person," love Asheville, have a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and clean driving record you could be a great TOUR GUIDE, FULL-TIME and seasonal part-time positions available. Training provided. Contact us today! www.GrayLineAsheville.com; Info@GrayLineAsheville.com; 828-2518687.

SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES BIOCHAR AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST Living Web Farms Biochar is seeking full time applicants to join our production and sustainable technology development team. More information available through LWFBiochar@ gmail.com. livingwebfarms.org

ADMINISTRATIVE/ OFFICE RECEPTIONIST Receptionist: Full Time $11.00 per hour plus benefits in small downtown law firm. Greet public, answer phone, general clerical duties, provide support for office staff. Submit cover letter and resume to Attn: Receptionist Application, One Rankin Avenue, 3rd Floor, Asheville 28801 or dksapplications@gmail.com.

SALES/ MARKETING SALES PROFESSIONAL If you are an enthusiastic, persuasive, confident, persistent, and driven professional, comfortable talking with business owners and executives; then you might be the sales person we are looking for. Check out this video for more info: https://youtu.be/ MsBa_0l1in0. Please call 1-828-351-3000, listen to the recorded message and follow the directions. In addition, please send your resume to williamgilliland@ actioncoach.com

RESTAURANT/ FOOD ASIAN RESTAURANT KITCHEN POSITION Full time prep/line cook. Position requires intuition/flexibility. Must be able to work in fast paced, high volume small kitchen. Night/weekend availability. 1+yr knife/prep experience required. Pay negotiable on experience b.austin.tart@gmail.com BREVARD SUMMER CAMP Girls summer camp now hiring an evening cook/ chef and a kitchen assistant for season (May 28 - Aug 11). Must have references and clear background check. laurie@ campillahee.com www.campillahee.com EXPERIENCED CHEF Established, family owned restaurant is seeking a chef. This is a full-time position for an experienced professional. Responsibilities include kitchen management, scheduling, ordering and menu design. Please email resume to: thestoneyknobcafe@hotmail.com UPSCALE STAR DINER - MARSHALL, NC - HIRING Hiring experienced servers and line cooks. Wed-Sat night and Sunday noon-3PM. Please apply in person WedFri 12pm-4pm, or call for appointment.

115 N. Main Street, Marshall 28753. 828649-9900

MEDICAL/ HEALTH CARE

REGISTERED NURSES NEEDED! Eliada Homes is seeking full-time Registered Nurses to work with children and adolescents. This is a unique opportunity to work in a beautiful setting supporting six residential cottages to ensure a healthy therapeutic environment that promotes learning and growth for the students in our care.

Guided by excellence, integrity, teamwork and compassion, our nursing staff works closely with the entire treatment team. Enjoy some of the best views in town as you walk between the cottages (rain or shine) providing care. A generous benefits package is offered to all full-time employees including comprehensive health and dental insurance,

paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

All RN positions require valid NC RN licensure. Experience working with children preferred. Evening shifts and night shifts available. For more information or to apply, visit www.eliada.org/ employment/current-openings.

WNC’s fun way to give!

Now accepting applications from area nonprofits to participate in our annual fundraising effort.

For more information, go to avl.mx/3g5

SENIOR LIVING JOBS Are you looking for a job with a great company and a good working environment? Do you enjoy spending time with seniors? The Crossings at Reynolds Mountain, Asheville's premier Senior Living Community, is looking for experienced and customer service oriented team members for our community located in north Asheville. Positions Available: • Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) • Medication Aide/Med Tech • Personal Care Assistant (PCA) • Licensed Practical Nurse/ Supervisor (LPN) • Server/Wait staff • Utility/Prep Aide/Dishwasher We offer competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits program. Apply online: www.thecrossingsatreynoldsmountain. com/about/careers/ or in person at: The Crossings at Reynolds Mountain, 41 Cobblers Way, Asheville, NC 28804.

Apply Today! EOE 828-575-0627 Dproctor@harmonyseniorservices.com

HUMAN SERVICES CYBERPALS COORDINATOR DisAbility Partners, Asheville office has an immediate opening for a CyberPals Coordinator. This is a part-time exempt position, approximately 25 hours/week. The CyberPals Program places affordable donated, refurbished computers in homes of people with disabilities. • The Cyberpals Coordinator manages the Cyberpals program including responding to consumer requests for computers, soliciting computer donations, coordinating the delivery of computers to consumers in the 7 county service area of the Asheville office, outreach for the CyberPals program, and coordinating computer training sessions.

• No phone calls please. For application packet please stop by our offices at 108 New Leicester Hwy, Asheville NC 28806 or email Kelly to request a packet: krowe@disabilitypartners.org ELDER CLUB PROGRAM FACILITATOR At Jewish Family Services of WNC. Facilitate a non-medical, structured group program for older adults. Requires work experience with: Group programs; elders with dementia and physical challenges; organization, communication and computer skills; activity planning; volunteer management. • Preferred: Degree in Human Services; knowledge of Jewish culture. • 20 hours/week: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am-3pm in Asheville; Wednesdays, 9am-3pm in Hendersonville. • Submit resume by June 3 to: info@ jfswnc.org • No phone calls! To view the full job description, go to: http://www. jfswnc.org/employment-opportunities/

ALDI is as much about being smart with money, as it is saving our customers money. Being smart with money means paying great people great wages. Plus providing terrific benefits and offering plenty of opportunities to advance their career. If shopping at ALDI means your money works harder, working at ALDI means your hard work gets you more. Great pay, terrific benefits and advancement opportunities — you’ll be more and get more with ALDI.

If you're ready for more, pick up an application from the store manager or visit aldistorejobs.com for more info.

Store Manager Trainees - $54,000* with an opportunity to earn $70,000–$75,000/yr as a Store Manager *$22.00/hour (average 45 hrs/week)

Store Associates - $11.00/hour (20-40 hrs/wk) Requirements: Be a team player - Be able to lift 45 lbs - Must have a flexible schedule - High School diploma or G.E.D. preferred - Be able to work in a fast-paced environment - Must pass drug test as well as background check - Excellent customer service skills Time: 7am–2pm & 4pm–6pm

Date: Tuesday 05/30/17

Aldi, Inc. – 58 Weaverville Blvd., Weaverville NC 28787

HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE® OF WNC Is seeking compassionate individuals to provide non-medical care to aging adults in our community. Learn more about the rewards of caregiving and what the positions entail here: https://www. homeinstead.com/159/home-care-jobs

ALDI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Sin” is a puerile concept in my eyes, so I don’t normally use it to discuss grown-up concerns. But if you give me permission to invoke it in a jokey, ironic way, I’ll recommend that you cultivate more surprising, interesting and original sins. In other words, Aries, it’s high time to get bored with your predictable ways of stirring up a ruckus. Ask God or Life to bring you some really evocative mischief that will show you what you’ve been missing and lead you to your next robust learning experience.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Attention, smart shoppers!

Here’s a special spring fling offer! For a limited time only, you can get five cutesy oracles for the price of one! And you don’t have to pay a penny unless they all come true!

Check ’em out! Oracle #1: Should you wait patiently until all the conditions are absolutely perfect? No! Success comes from loving the mess. Oracle #2: Don’t try to stop a sideshow you’re opposed to. Stage a bigger, better show that overwhelms it. Oracle #3: Please, master, don’t be a slave to the things you control. Oracle #4: Unto your own self be true? Yes! Unto your own hype be true?

No! Oracle #5: The tortoise will beat the hare as long as the tortoise doesn’t envy or try to emulate the hare.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Generation Kill is an HBO miniseries based on the experiences of a reporter embedded with American Marines fighting in Iraq.

Early on, before the troops have been exposed to any serious combat, they’re overflowing with trash talk. A commanding officer scolds them: “Gentlemen, from now on we’re going to have to earn our stories.” Although you are in a much less volatile situation right now, Gemini, my advice to you is the same: In the coming weeks, you’ll have to earn your stories. You can’t afford to talk big unless you’re geared up to act big, too. You shouldn’t make promises and entertain dares and issue challenges unless you’re fully prepared to be a hero.

Now here’s my prophecy: I think you will be a hero.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In your mind’s eye, drift back in time to a turning point in your past that didn’t go the way you’d hoped. But don’t dwell on the disappointment. Instead, change the memory. Visualize yourself then and there, but imagine you’re in possession of all the wisdom you have gathered since then. Next, picture an alternative ending to the old story — a finale in which you manage to pull off a much better result.

Bask in this transformed state of mind for five minutes.

Repeat the whole exercise at least once a day for the next two weeks. It will generate good medicine that will produce a creative breakthrough no later than mid-June.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): You’re being invited to boost your commitment to life and become a more vivid version of yourself. If you refuse the invitation, it will later return as a challenge. If you avoid that challenge, it will eventually circle back around to you as a demand. So I encourage you to respond now, while it’s still an invitation. To gather the information you’ll need, ask yourself these questions: What types of self-development are you “saving for later”? Are you harboring any mediocre goals or desires that dampen your lust for life? Do you tone down or hold back your ambitions for fear they would hurt or offend people you care about?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Dear Dream Doctor: I dreamed that a crowd of people had decided to break through a locked door using a long, thick wooden plank as a battering ram. The only problem was, I was lying on top of the plank, half-asleep. By the time I realized what was up, the agitated crowd was already at work smashing at the door. Luckily for me, it went well. The door got bashed in and I wasn’t hurt. What does my dream mean? -Nervous Virgo.” Dear Virgo: Here’s my interpretation: It’s time to knock down a barrier, but you’re not convinced you’re ready or can do it all by yourself. Luckily, there are forces in your life that are conspiring to help make sure you do it.

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MAY 24 - 30, 2017

BY ROB BREZSNY

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As long as you keep Syria, South Sudan and North Korea off your itinerary, traveling would be food for your soul during the next 28 days.

It would also be balm for your primal worries and medicine for your outworn dogmas and an antidote for your comfortable illusions. Do you have the time and money necessary to make a pilgrimage to a place you regard as holy? How about a jaunt to a rousing sanctuary? Or an excursion to an exotic refuge that will shock you in friendly, healing ways? I hope that you will at least read a book about the territory that you may one day call your home away from home.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): By now I’m sure you have tuned in to the rumblings in your deep self. Should you be concerned? Maybe a little, but I think the more reasonable attitude is curiosity. Even though the shaking is getting stronger and louder, it’s also becoming more melodic. The power that’s being unleashed will almost certainly turn out to be far more curative than destructive. The light it emits may at first look murky but will eventually bloom like a thousand moons.

Maintain your sweet poise. Keep the graceful faith.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Life is inviting you to decode riddles about togetherness that could boost your emotional intelligence and earn you the right to enjoy lyrical new expressions of intimacy.

Will you accept the invitation? Are you willing to transcend your habitual responses for the sake of your growth-inducing relationships? Are you interested in developing a greater capacity for collaboration and synergy? Would you be open to making a vulnerable fool of yourself if it helped your important alliances to fulfill their dormant potential? Be brave and empathetic, Sagittarius. Be creative and humble and affectionate.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “In youth we feel richer for every new illusion,” wrote author Anne Sophie Swetchine. “In maturer years, for every one we lose.”

While that may be generally true, I think that even twenty-something Capricorns are likely to fall into the latter category in the coming weeks. Whatever your age, I foresee you shouting something akin to “Hallelujah!” or “Thank God!” or “Boomshakalaka flashbang!” as you purge disempowering fantasies that have kept you in bondage and naive beliefs that have led you astray.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “There are no green thumbs or black thumbs,” wrote horticulturalist Henry Mitchell in a message you were destined to hear at this exact moment. “There are only gardeners and non-gardeners. Gardeners are the ones who get on with the high defiance of nature herself, creating, in the very face of her chaos and tornado, the bower of roses and the pride of irises. It sounds very well to garden a ’natural way.’ You may see the natural way in any desert, any swamp, any leech-filled laurel hell. Defiance, on the other hand, is what makes gardeners.” Happy Defiance Time to you, Aquarius!

In the coming weeks, I hope you will express the most determined and disciplined fertility ever!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I believe it may be the right time to tinker with or repair a foundation; to dig down to the bottom of an old resource and consider transforming it at its roots. Why? After all this time, that foundation or resource needs your fresh attention. It could be lacking a nutrient that has gradually disappeared. Maybe it would flourish better if it got the benefit of the wisdom you have gained since it first became useful for you.

Only you have the power to discern the real reasons, Pisces — and they may not be immediately apparent.

Be tender and patient and candid as you explore.

MOUNTAINX.COM

WHETSTONE ACADEMY Immediate need for Residential Life Staff evening/night/weekend/Live in. Seeking qualified RL Coordinator. 864-638-6005 jholcomb@whetstoneacademy.com www.whetstoneacademy.com

Date: 08/01/2017. Salary Range: $30.75 per contact hour. • To complete the online application: abtcc.peopleadmin. com/postings/4233

PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR The Asheville City Schools Foundation seeks a Development Director to lead our fundraising team to ensure our organization has adequate funding to achieve our mission. Full description at www.acsf.org HR MANAGER Community Action Opportunities, Asheville, NC. We are an anti-poverty agency looking for a seasoned, HR professional to be our HR Manager. Along with a personnel analyst, this hands-on position supports the HR needs of 130 FTEs. • Our HR Manager ensures that we comply with relevant employment law is responsible for HR-related policies, programs and systems including but not limited to job analysis, pay and classification, recruitment, screening and selection, employee benefits and electronic and hardcopy HR records. • The HR Manager must also know and apply federal and state HR laws and regulations, be able to communicate clearly, exercise sound judgment, meet repeated deadlines, work on teams, facilitate small groups, demonstrate best-practice supervision and counsel others on lawful employment and behaviorally-based discipline practices. Requires a Master’s degree in HR Management, Public Administration or Business Administration with an emphasis in HR, or a related field and, at least, eight (8) years as an assistant or HR Manager/ Director in a small public or medium-sized non-profit organization. SHRM-SCP also required. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be acceptable. • Prefer bi-lingual in Spanish. This position is exempt under FLSA and is not eligible for overtime pay Compensation: $60,770 to $85,079 (DOQ) plus competitive benefits including 401(k) • CAO shall exclude applicants who fail to comply with the following submittal requirements: Send resume, cover letter and three (3) professional work references with complete contact information to: Ms. Vicki Heidinger, Executive Director, 25 Gaston Street, Asheville NC, 28801 • Or Email to: admin@communityactionopportunities. org • Or (828) 253-6319 (Fax) EOE & DFWP. Open until filled. Interviews begin in late May. See the full job description at: www.communityactionopportunities.org

TEACHING/ EDUCATION ACADEMIC ASSISTANT Black Mountain Academy is seeking an innovative and passionate Academic Assistant to work at our therapeutic boarding school supporting adolescent males age 14-18 with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) or who have social challenges, anxiety, and difficulty in traditional academic settings. • This position is currently seasonal for the summer with the potential to become a full-time year-round role.

• Duties include, but are not limited to, assisting with lessons, identifying and assisting students that need individualized Academic or behavioral support, attending student day trips, and assisting with Lunch set up and coverage. • The ideal candidate has academic experience with this population of students and has assisted or taught in special education, is student-centered in their approach, and naturally utilizes behavioral and academic interventions that promote student autonomy. • A Bachelor’s degree in Education or Special Education is preferred. All candidates must by 21 years old or older. • Please see our website for more information about the school, www.theblackmountainacademy.com.

Interested candidates, please email resume and cover letter to jobs@ theblackmountainacademy.com

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR • ECONOMICS Expected Work Schedule: Variable. Anticipated Days: Varies within Monday - Friday. Anticipated Hours: Varies: 8am-8pm.

Anticipated Hours per Week: 3 to 6.

Application Review: 06/15/2017. Start

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR A-B Tech is currently taking applications for an Early Childhood Education Instructor position. For more details and to apply: abtcc.peopleadmin. com/postings/4238

internet-connection, email and internal network hardware/software); (2) database systems (Filemaker-based, requiring scripting and some development) and (3) website (WordPress CMS, requiring skills in mySql, PHP, HTML, CSS and Javascript).

Send cover letter, resume and references to: employment@mountainx.com

HOTEL/ HOSPITALITY NAVITAT CANOPY ADVENTURES - HIRING CANOPY GUIDES Are you looking for a thrilling, educational and inspirational summer opportunity?

Spend your summer outside in the beautiful WNC mountains on our world class tours! avlemployment@navitat.com www.navitat.com

SALON/ SPA HUMAN SERVICES TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR A-B Tech is currently taking applications for a Human Services Technology Instructor position. For more details and to apply: abtcc.peopleadmin. com/postings/4228 SPECIAL EDUCATION AND CORE CURRICULUM TEACHER Full or part-time.

Are you interested in making a difference? Come join our team where you can have a positive, lasting impact on youth from across the country. • Our programs are steadily growing and we continue to seek qualified a FT or PT Teacher with experience in direct instruction in high school curricula and licensed as a special educator. • Bachelor’s degree and two year teaching experience required. This position is for a year-round school with small class sizes and includes both direct instruction in a core subject area as well as administrative support with special education. • Our beautiful 145-acre campus provides a safe setting for our students to transform their lives. Equinox is a residential treatment center for boys ages 14-18.

• Check out our websites for more information: www.equinoxrtc.com Benefits are offered to full-time employees and include health, dental, vision and life insurance as well as holiday pay, vacation and sick leave. • Please send a resume and cover letter to the link above. Equinox is an Equal Opportunity Employer. • No phone calls or walk-ins please. Candidates must be able to pass a drug screen and background check. Non-smoking campus.

THE NEW CLASSICAL ACADEMY IS SEARCHING FOR A DYNAMIC TEACHER TO JOIN OUR STAFF. We are searching for someone with a diverse background of working with children, a love of learning, and a desire to work in alt-education. Please send resume to tncaschool@gmail.com www.thenewclassicalacademy.org

ARTS/MEDIA

NOW HIRING MASSAGE THERAPIST AT THE SPA AT ESEEOLA LODGE IN LINVILLE, NC The Spa at Eseeola Lodge is currently looking for an exceptional therapist to join us. All candidates must be dedicated to providing the highest level of customer service. We require a minimum of 3 years experience in the spa industry. All candidates must have and maintain their professional licensure. 828964-1560 eseeolaspajobs@gmail.com https://www.eseeolaspa.com/

SERVICES HOME KILL BED BUGS AND THEIR EGGS! Buy Harris Bed Bug Killers/KIT Complete Treatment System. Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot. com (AAN CAN)

HOME IMPROVEMENT GENERAL SERVICES DRIVEWAY SEAL COATING By Mark DeLude. • Protects and preserves. • Over 30+ years experience. Hand applied commercial grade sealer. • Free estimates. • Also interior/exterior painting services.

Call Mark: (828) 299-0447.

HANDY MAN HIRE A HUSBAND • HANDYMAN SERVICES Since 1993. Multiple skill sets.

Reliable, trustworthy, quality results. $1 million liability insurance. References and estimates available. Stephen Houpis, (828) 280-2254.

ANNOUNCEMENTS ANNOUNCEMENTS WANTED: Mountain Xpress is seeking an experienced editor with a commitment to the values of fair, balanced and multi-sourced news reporting, a passion for local journalism and a love of good writing. Candidates should have a demonstrated ability to handle tight deadlines and be comfortable working with both inexperienced and nonprofessional writers as well as staff reporters. Ideally, applicants will bring a deep knowledge of the local community and its history to the position; otherwise, they must be willing to educate themselves in ways that will strengthen their ability to place current events in perspective. A solid grounding in AP style, or a willingness to learn it, is essential. Freelance or possible staff position. Email cover letter, resume to editor@mountainx.com

COMPUTER/ TECHNICAL

KILL ROACHES - GUARANTEED! Buy Harris Roach Tablets. Odorless, Long Lasting. Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot.com (AAN CAN) KILL SCORPIONS! Buy Harris Odorless Scorpion Spray. Effective Results Begin After Spray Dries. Available: Hardware Stores, The Home Depot, homedepot. com (AAN CAN) MAKE THE CALL TO START GETTING CLEAN TODAY Free 24/7 Helpline for alcohol & drug addiction treatment. Get help! It is time to take your life back! Call Now: 855-732-4139. (AAN CAN) PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Call us first. Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7. 877-362-2401.

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LOST & FOUND IT/DATABASE/WEB ASSISTANT Mountain Xpress seeks a part-time person to assist with administration, development and day-to-day support of the company's (1) IT systems (Macintosh workstations and servers; printers, phones,

FOUND IN PARKING LOT In front of Favilla's Pizza, Merrimon Avenue: A silver key chain attachment with someone of value embedded in it. Name it, claim it!

Call Angela at (828) 544-9860.

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT BODYWORK

MAY SPECIAL -15% OFF ANY SERVICE for Mom from our team of highly skilled massage therapists! Gift Certificates included. Deep Tissue, Prenatal, Couples, Reflexology, Aromatherapy. $60/hour.

Complimentary tea room.

Beautifully appointed facility.

947 Haywood Road, West Asheville. Free parking in lot, handicap accessible. (828)5523003 ebbandflowavl@charter. net ebbandflowavl.com

COUNSELING SERVICES

HYPNOSIS | EFT | NLP Michelle Payton, M.A., D.C.H., Author | 828-681-1728 | www.

MichellePayton.com | Dr. Payton’s mind over matter solutions include: Hypnosis, SelfHypnosis, Emotional Freedom Technique, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Acupressure Hypnosis, Past Life Regression, Mindful Writing Coaching. Find Michelle’s books, audio and video, sessions and workshops on her website.

RETREATS SHOJI SPA & LODGE * 7 DAYS A WEEK Day & Night passes, cold plunge, sauna, hot tubs, lodging, 8 minutes from town, bring a friend or two, stay the day or all evening, escape & renew! Best massages in Asheville 828299-0999.

FOR MUSICIANS MUSICAL SERVICES NOW ACCEPTING STUDENTS IN JAZZ PIANO, COMPOSITION, AND IMPROVISATION (ALL INSTRUMENTS).

Michael Jefry Stevens, “WNC Best Composer 2016” and “Steinway Artist”, now accepting students in jazz piano, composition, and improvisation (all instruments). 35 years experience. M.A. from Queens College (NYC). Over 90 cds released. 9179161363. michaeljefrystevens.com WHITEWATER RECORDING Mixing • Mastering • Recording. (828) 684-8284 www. whitewaterrecording.com

PETS PET SERVICES ASHEVILLE PET SITTERS Dependable, loving care while you're away. Reasonable rates.

Call Sandy (828) 215-7232.

AUTOMOTIVE

T H E N E W Y OR K TI M ES CR OSSWOR D PU ZZLE

AUTOS FOR SALE

1995 CHEVROLET IMPALA only 39,500 miles, 5.7L, 8 Cylinders, Automatic, $ 2500. call: 9107457391

RECREATIONAL VEHICLES FOR SALE 2007 WILDCAT 5TH WHEEL CAMPER 30LSBS. 3 slides.

On seasonal site, Lake Hartwell RV park. Boat and dock access. Too many extras to list! Reduced: $13,000 or best offer. 802-892-6658. hydel27@gmail.com

TRUCKS/ VANS/ SUVS FOR SALE CHEVY FIBERGLASS CAMPER COVER Chevy fiberglass camper cover (red) fits 61/2 foot short wheelbase truck.

Sliding Windows ,good condition. $300. Call 828-645-5698 or 828-776-5698.

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES WE'LL FIX IT AUTOMOTIVE • Honda and Acura repair. Half price repair and service. ASE and factory trained. Located in the Weaverville area, off exit 15. Please call (828) 275-6063 for appointment. www.wellfixitautomotive. com

No. 0419

CELEBRITY CROSSWORD

To mark the 75th anniversary of the New York Times crossword, which debuted in 1942, we are publishing a series of puzzles co-created by famous people who solve the Times crossword, working together with regular Times puzzle contributors.

This collaboration is by the Grammy-winning classical pianist Emanuel Ax, who also teaches at the Juilliard School, working with Brad Wilber, a reference librarian at Houghton College in upstate New York. This is Brad’s 50th puzzle for The Times.

The celebrity collaborations will continue periodically through the year.

More information about the making of today’s puzzle appears in the Times’s daily crossword column (nytimes.com/column/wordplay).

ACROSS

2012 MITSUBISHI i-MiEV • ALL ELECTRIC Go totally Green at a fraction of new!

Only 39K, auto, air, Navigation, backup camera and heated seat. Seriously, do the environment a favor and go totally electric. Who needs gas around Asheville? We bought these at a great discount and passing it on. Mitsubishi quality. Plenty of charging stations around town. Just $5800. Call me for a look: 828 388-0744.

edited by Will Shortz

1 BBQ platter side 5 Two-faced god 10 Shade of blue 14 Low-___ 15 “___ the Law” (Steven Seagal picture) 16 Worries for Great Depression banks 17 “Fly ___ spurn thee …”: Shelley 18 Gymnast Strug 19 ___ Dillon, lead role on “Gunsmoke” 20 Classic song with the lyric “Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?”

23 Gold in a pond?

24 Early capital of Alaska 25 Troubling reverie 27 Landscaping tool 29 Flips through, as TV channels 32 What the keys are to a pianist?

35 Trattoria order?

36 Hamilton biographer Chernow and others 37 Suffix with acetyl 38 Negates 39 Just make

41 Holder of encumbered property 42 Andean animal with expensive wool 43 Mo. of Thomas Jefferson’s birthday 44 “La Cage aux Folles” enterprise 48 One side of a longstanding feud 52 Prefix with classical 54 Like some magicians’ assistants, apparently 56 Feedbag bits 58 Eight-year Clinton cabinet member 59 Eyelashes 60 1917 dethronee 61 Mystery writer Nevada ___ 62 Shoelace tip 63 Slippery swimmers 64 Soulful Redding 65 ___ Island Red (fowl type)

DOWN

1 Comes (from) 2 One who was wished a long life, in old French cheers 3 F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Two for ___”

ANSWER TO CURRENT PUZZLE XPRESS (PAGE 23 OF BEER WEEK PULL-OUT GUIDE)

4 Drink often garnished with a cherry 5 Hunky-dory 6 Scottish city that lent its name to a cattle breed 7 Best Picture loser to “Kramer vs.

Kramer” 8 Tanning element, informally 9 It’s measured by the Richter scale 10 What a radius is part of 11 Log painted deceptively to look like a cannon 12 “Do ___ others …”

13 Italian wine town 21 Cry before curtsying or taking a bow 22 Tipples circumspectly 26 Exercise-induced euphoria 28 Famously reclusive Hollywood legend 30 “___ and Forget” (classic humor piece by James Thurber) 31 Autograph collector’s enclosure, for short 32 Earlier: Abbr.

33 Shape-shifter of Norse mythology

PUZZLE BY EMANUEL AX AND BRAD WILBER

34 Not 52 Word that can 53 What pros handle statistically things with follow the ends based, as 55 Nascar Hall of evidence of 20- and Fame locale: Abbr.

35 Nyasaland, 54-Across and 57 Some SAT takers: today Abbr.

4- and 26-Down 40 Some, in Seville 45 Worry about, informally 46 Artist ___ de ToulouseLautrec Furniture Magician 47 They could be represented • Cabinet Refacing by a cartoonist’s wavy lines • Furniture Repair 49 Salutation • Seat Caning among Winnie-the• Antique Restoration Pooh and friends • Custom Furniture & Cabinetry 50 Words before “so sue me” 51 ___ worse (828) 669-4625 • Black Mountain than death

Paul Caron

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS NY TIMES PUZZLE

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MOUNTAINX.COM

MAY 24 - 30, 2017

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