Mountain Xpress 06.07.23

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE URSINE KIND

As bear and human populations rise in Western North Carolina, their paths cross more often — and the interactions don’t always go well. An increasing number of area residents are discovering the hard way that bears, bird feeders and dogs don’t mix.

PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes

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Question the priorities of APD and DA’s office

We’ve all read about the shortage of officers in the Asheville Police Department.

However, four police cars arrived at a legal downtown-bridge banner action by four elders (in their 70s) on April 13. Two officers remained and approached each elder for their name and some personal information.

Juxtapose this with: An armed robber attacked a couple leaving a downtown restaurant on April 11, two days before the bridge action [avl.mx/cqp].

There is much media coverage, and concern regarding downtown crime. So why dispatch four APD vehicles to an elderly event?

Turnover results in a staff shortage in the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office.

However, how many scarce resources are being used to prosecute the Aston Park defendants? (Sixteen people were arrested Christmas week 2021 for bringing food and supplies to the homeless encamped in a city park after hours, charged with felony littering.)

Key evidence was possibly mishandled by an APD officer who also, during testimony, discussed evidence not provided to the defense during discovery [avl.mx/cqq]. (Please read this article in its entirety to see that the defendants may have had plans to clean the park after giving food to the homeless. It seems this was not disclosed in earlier media reports.)

Juxtapose this with: The DA’s office has a backlog of 40 murder cases [avl.mx/cqr].

Priorities? The purpose of this letter is not to motivate support for or attack against either situation and/or those involved but to motivate city/ county residents to question the priorities of the APD and the DA in these times of staff shortages and increased

serious crime, along with the dire situation of homelessness in Asheville.

— Cynthia Heil Asheville

Editor’s note: Xpress contacted APD and the DA’s office for a response to the writer’s points. We received the following response from APD spokesperson Samantha Booth: “Officers did respond to the Montford Avenue bridge over Interstate 240 to investigate a report of a group of people with signs blocking pedestrian traffic. Historically, this has been a location where banners have been illegally hung off the bridge. Four officers who were in the nearby area due to the city of Asheville’s 60-day downtown initiative responded to assist in case there was a large group. However, only one of those officers made contact with the group. The officer making contact introduced herself to the group and explained why officers were responding and warned the group about block-

ing pedestrian traffic (city ordinance 16-2). In addition, the officer reminded the group that it is illegal to hang signs on the bridge. Not only is it a violation of city ordinance Sec. 11-1 (Advertisements — Posting on public or semipublic property), it is a dangerous distraction for drivers commuting through an already congested area.”

Xpress also received the following response from District Attorney Todd Williams: “It’s true that the reduction in court operations during the pandemic resulted in case backlogs statewide across all pending criminal case types due to social distancing and other precautions taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. That said, it remains the duty of the district attorney’s office to seek justice in each case, and it is incorrect to assume that a general amnesty or immunity should be extended in criminal matters occurring during the pandemic or during a period of case-processing

backlog due to the pandemic. Our duty as prosecutors is unchanged. The DA’s office is fully staffed in excess of the apportioned number of assistant district attorneys allotted to this office by the North Carolina State Legislature. A ruling from the court is expected and likely forthcoming this week in regard to evidentiary issues involving APD.”

The problem with highway banners

While hanging a banner over a highway may seem trivial to some, the hazard created could be quite serious. Imagine if the banner wasn’t securely affixed or was freed by high winds and dropped onto a moving car, obstructing the driver’s view. Imagine if this happened during rush-hour traffic.

Those responsible for hanging that banner could face some very serious charges. No one wants that. There are better and safer ways to communicate a message.

— David J. Zack Chief of Police City of Asheville Police Department

How can instructional gaps be closed at Asheville High?

My child is a student at Asheville High School, where we are dealing with a bizarre situation. He is in an elective class, and the original teacher left school employment on March 30, having given notice so the administration had time to plan. Since his departure, the students have had substitutes who have provided no instruction. There were a couple of PowerPoints provided that crashed when the kids tried to open them. On Wednesday, May 10, they were sent links by another staff member, who indicated that the links had information on the exam

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CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

for the class. Practice tests were provided, but the information in the links did not line up with the practice tests. We are not sure if this indicates anything, but it sure looks like the links are not addressing the coursework. This whole time, AHS has been aware that students are not being instructed during class time.

I am also a public servant. I know how stretched all agencies are. I feel that many otherwise suboptimal coping methods might be appropriate here. Give the kids a list of topics to research and present to each other. The sub could oversee that, even having no training in the topic. Give the kids access to the lesson plans that I presume were approved by the administration at the beginning of the year and have them do reading on the topics, even if hands-on activity is not possible. But don’t leave them idle.

I wrote to the principal on May 14, but as of May 18, parents had not been contacted at all by the school about the situation.

I don’t know how we as a town deal with this. We are hemorrhaging teachers, and I know the administration is in a hard spot, but leaving kids uninstructed is unacceptable. I want rich people to pay some taxes so we can properly fund public services, but that is a long-term solution. I want teachers and students to have a positive work environment, respect

and care, which is also a long-term issue. Where do we start as a society to properly support our schools? Even if you don’t have a kid, these kids are our future nurses, and you want them well-educated.

— Claire Dima Ellington Asheville

Editor’s note: Xpress contacted Asheville City Schools with the letter writer’s points, and we received the following response from April Dockery, ACS executive director of operations, on behalf of the Asheville High administration: “We apologize for any disruptions caused by the absence of the original teacher at Asheville High. We have been trying to provide instructional continuity by providing a substitute each day. Additionally, we’ve had another staff member take on the additional duty of providing materials and resources. We acknowledge the challenges faced and are actively working on alternative teaching methods to ensure continued learning. We appreciate the suggestion of assigning research topics for peer learning and will improve our communication channels. Rest assured, we are committed to resolving this issue and providing the best possible education for our students. While we regret that we could not find a qualified instructor this semester, we have hired one who will take over these courses for the fall semester.”

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

Close encounters of the ursine kind

Bear-human conflicts are getting more intense

BY STORMS REBACK

stormsreback@gmail.com

When a small bear appeared on their porch April 3, Stacey Crowley and her wife, Babs Burlingame, were initially thrilled. After all, they’d moved from Chicago to a quiet neighborhood north of Weaverville in 2011 “specifically for more nature.” When the yearling cub made off with the 20-pound bag of birdseed they’d just purchased, Crowley and Burlingame’s enthusiasm waned, and after they spotted another cub eating from their birdfeeder, it vanished altogether.

Crowley and Burlingame had always viewed bear sightings as moments to savor. Previously, they’d filmed bears eating from their bird feeder and playing with their hose. Being on the other side of a window from the bears made them feel at ease. But their house, and the sense of infallibility it provided, had a weak point — the dog door —

and they watched in horror as their dog, Ruby Biscuits, ran through it.

Crowley chased after Ruby out the front door, through the gate a fleeing cub had kicked open, and down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, she found the cub’s mother mauling her dog.

Humans tend to fight, flee or freeze in such situations. Crowley fought. She picked up a large piece of driftwood as if it were nothing and lifted it above her head. That’s the last moment she remembers until a car horn snapped her out of her stupor. Her neighbors were backing out of their driveway when they saw the bear stand on its hind legs and swipe at Crowley with its paws. After they honked, the bears scattered, and Crowley ran up the stairs, let Ruby onto the porch through the back gate and crumpled onto her kitchen floor.

The entire incident, from the moment Ruby Biscuits and Crowley

ran out of the house to the moment the neighbors honked, lasted less than 20 seconds. In that time, Ruby suffered a broken rib, two puncture wounds and internal bleeding. Crowley came away with four long scratches on her left shoulder and four deep cuts on her scalp that had to be closed with staples.

The psychological toll would cut even deeper.

PREDATORY OR DEFENSIVE?

Asheville residents share photos and videos of bears on social media much as tourists in Paris post selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. Bear mania reached a fever pitch here after the April 11 footage of local photographer David Oppenheimer coming face to face with a bear in his carport went viral. But not every human-bear encounter ends with heart emojis.

Just as Asheville’s population continues to grow, so has the number of bears in the area. At its low point in the 1970s, fewer than 1,000 black bears lived in Western North Carolina, but the management plan created by the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission in 1981 helped the bear population recover — and then some. There are now an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 bears in the region, and the number has been increasing by about 5% each year.

Asheville’s bears have grown comfortable — some would say too comfortable — with city life, making frequent daytime visits to people’s backyards and becoming especially active on trash days. Like other black bear hot spots such as Aspen, Colo., and Tahoe, Calif., Asheville has started distributing bear-resistant garbage cans, but despite an ongoing rollout, only 4% of Waste Management customers have one.

Associating humans with easily obtained food, local bears have grown bolder, and the reports of bears damaging property or injuring people have soared. In 2017, the state’s Wildlife Helpline received 400 bear-related calls from Buncombe County. Last year, that number jumped to more than 700.

Fortunately, we’re starting to get a better picture of the local bear population, thanks to the N.C. Urban/Suburban Bear Study, which N.C. State University researchers started in 2014. They’ve found that Asheville’s bears are much bigger

than bears living outside the city and females are breeding at a younger age and producing more cubs.

One of the main drivers of these changes is the bears’ dependence on “anthropogenic food sources,” such as birdseed and garbage. Justin McVey, the NCWRC’s wildlife management biologist for District 9, explained life in Asheville from the bears’ perspective. “They think, ‘Hey, wherever these two-legged creatures are is a great place to get food.’”

McVey’s job is to study “charismatic megafauna” such as bears, bison and elk, and at 6-foot-6, he likes to joke that he fits in that category as well. When an encounter with a bear sends someone to a local hospital, McVey investigates the incident. On April 4, he visited Crowley, listened to her story, studied the scene and determined that the bear’s behavior was defensive.

While McVey did point out the mistakes Crowley had made — “birdseed, dog off leash, going after her dog” — he spent more time offering support, an unexpected dose of empathy that Crowley calls his “special sauce.”

“This has been a trauma,” he told her. “I recommend you get some help. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.”

McVey returned two days later to install electric fencing around the deck. He also left her with an outdoor camera and some bear spray. But perhaps the most effective thing he did for her was introduce her to Jenny Camp.

BEAR MARKS: Stacey Crowley calls for help right after being clawed by a bear. Photo courtesy of Crowley

A DATE TO REMEMBER

During the three years she’d lived on the outskirts of Hendersonville, Jenny Camp had never seen a bear. That didn’t mean they weren’t around. She had three bird feeders in her front yard, and one of them got taken down and dragged into the woods one night. Like Crowley, Camp failed to see the disappearance of the bird feeder as a sign to change her behavior. She simply replaced it with a new one, and why not? Beyond losing that one feeder, she’d never had a problem with bears.

Until May 4, 2021. It’s easy for her to recall the date because it was Star Wars Day, and she’s a huge fan. An early riser, Camp woke before sunrise to let her dogs outside to do their business. Pepper went to the right of the house, Lulu to the left. Camp stood in the driveway so she could keep an eye on them, and in the faint light from the streetlight at the end of the driveway, she saw a bear charging at Lulu.

Camp started running toward her house but only made it as far as the porch steps before the bear knocked her down. As Camp rolled onto her back, she thought, “I wonder if they’re like cats? If I wiggle my feet, is it going to bite them?” Her next, more rational, thought was, “Get big, get loud.” Using every bit of her 5-foot-8-inch frame, she got up on her elbows and started screaming until the bear left.

Camp had landed hard on her right shoulder, but once inside the house, she noticed her left butt cheek hurt more. When she touched it, her hand came away with blood.

She called her husband, who was jogging in a church parking lot up the road, and he took her to the hospital. When they got home several hours later, McVey was already there. After hearing Camp’s story, he determined that the bear’s behavior wasn’t predatory. “Justin describes it as an exploratory bite,” Camp explained, “because if it had meant to do harm, it would’ve taken a chunk out of me.”

Worse than the bite was the psychological trauma. “For a long time, I wouldn’t go out the front door without sticking my arm out first and ringing a bear bell,” she said. “I used to go hiking but don’t anymore. I keep saying I’m going to but ...” Her voice trailed off.

Hoping to prevent others from getting hurt, Camp posted about the incident on Hendersonville’s Facebook page. The post received the usual amount of social media bile as well as a large amount of vitriol specific to her encounter: “It’s your fault.” “You shouldn’t have been outside.” “Why wasn’t your dog on a leash?”

“There were over 200 comments, and 90% of them were awful,” she

said. “To have that much hate poured on me was almost as traumatic as the bear incident.”

Perhaps if people had listened to Camp instead of yelling at her, another incident could have been prevented. On April 27, John Koerber had to use a walking stick to fight off a bear that lunged at his dog during a 4 a.m. bathroom trip. Koerber lives less than a mile, as the crow flies, from where Camp was mauled.

THE DOG COMPONENT

What can be done to alleviate this growing problem? Relocation is not considered a viable option because true wilderness no longer exists near Asheville and relocated bears often return to the area where they were trapped — if they can avoid getting hit by a car.

One tried-and-true way of keeping the bear population in check is hunting. To that end, on Feb. 4, 2022, the NCWRC approved changing the name of the state’s 22 bear sanctuaries to “bear management units” and allowed bears to be hunted in three of them.

Another method is education. The second phase of the N.C. Urban/ Suburban Bear Study is focusing on human-bear interactions and working with Asheville residents to prevent them. As part of this effort, the NCWRC is trying to educate the public through its BearWise program, which encourages people to limit activities that attract bears. Ashley Hobbs, NCWRC’s special projects biologist, is giving a BearWise talk at the East Asheville Library at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 13.

In February, Asheville City Council passed an ordinance that empowers animal control officers to

issue fines of up to $150 to those who feed bears, and yet people still do it.

To reduce dangerous bear encounters, Asheville residents need to take responsibility for their role in creating the problem.

Stacey Crowley has had no problem doing this. In the time between Justin McVey’s first visit and his second two days later, she came to see her encounter with the bear differently.

“The bear didn’t ambush me,” she told McVey. “It wasn’t a ‘bear attack.’ It was a ‘bear encounter that escalated due to provocation by a dog.’”

“That’s exactly right,” he said.

It was important to Crowley that she take ownership of her role in the incident. As a speech pathologist, literacy specialist and communicologist, a key component of the social-emotional learning skills Crowley teaches kids is the importance of taking responsibility for the choices they make. She found the story framework she uses with children to be especially helpful for her own recovery.

“I had to teach a 6-year-old about the bear attack because her mom told her, and I was like, ‘We wanted to watch the birds, but birdseed attracts bears, so we need to take the bird feeder down, and at last we’ll be safe.’”

Despite the electric fencing around her deck, Crowley found herself alternately crippled with fear and stuck in a daze for weeks after the incident. “It’s like a fog,” she said. “I couldn’t concentrate. Couldn’t focus. Couldn’t be motivated to do anything.”

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy helped. Finally, nearly a month later, the fog lifted. Now she’s slowly getting used to the new normal. For years, she and Burlingame would leave their doors open to let in a breeze. No longer. Their dog door remains permanently shut. And in a decision Crowley calls “heartbreaking,” they take down their bird feeder once the bears emerge from hibernation.

Of the six tips suggested by BearWise, people seem to find taking down their bird feeders the most difficult. The bears aren’t complaining. “A bird feeder can provide 12,000 calories of food,” said McVey. “It’s one-stop shopping for a bear.”

Crowley giving up her bird feeder half the year will only be effective if a critical mass of her neighbors follow suit. The same all-hands-on-deck approach is needed when it comes to garbage. “It only works if you have a bearproof garbage can, your neighbor has one, and their neighbor has one,” said McVey. “So, the question is ‘How can you convince everybody to do the right thing?’”

Storms Reback is an author and frequent contributor to the Mountain Xpress. He lives in East Asheville. X

LUCKY DOG: Ruby Biscuits recovers after a run-in with a bear. Photo courtesy of Stacey Crowley

BEAR HUG: Justin McVey studies a bear during the N.C. Urban/Suburban Bear Study. Photo courtesy of McVey

Community cross-section

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

jwakeman@mountainx.com

Shared concerns about crime and an understaffed Asheville Police Department fostered an unusual alliance in today’s partisan times. An advocacy group called Asheville Coalition for Public Safety formed in October, bringing together community members of all political stripes who are concerned about crime, mental health, drug use and the unhoused population.

Step one to solving these issues, the group believes, is to entice more people to become Asheville police officers.

ACPS says higher pay and appreciation from the community are the carrots needed to attract new hires to start their careers in Asheville and keep current officers from leaving for other municipalities. The group doesn’t have a mission statement, says co-chair Honor Moor, but its goal is to “support the Asheville police force and other first responders.”

APD has 96 open positions, which is 40% below its capacity, according to spokesperson Samantha Booth The department has 142 sworn officers and four recruits in basic law enforcement training, Booth says.

In a 2021 Xpress article on APD staffing woes, starting salary was one reason cited for shortages. Two former APD officers also cited a lack of public-facing support from APD Chief David Zack and City Manager Debra Campbell during incidents when the APD was under scrutiny and reassigning officers with specialized training to lower-level beat positions to compensate for the diminished force. [See, “Exit Strategy: Why Are Officers Leaving APD?” July 7, 2021, Xpress, avl.mx/cpt]

Other high-profile incidents that have led to tension among some Asheville residents and the APD include the destruction of water bottles in a medic station by officers during a 2020 protest, and disputes surrounding a demonstration in Aston Park in 2021 where several people were arrested. The latter incident in particular galvanized some ACPS members.

“We could see that the police department had taken a lot of negative publicity,” says Moor. “There was a lot of negativity surrounding the police department and lack of support from the public in the past two and a half years.”

In September, Fox News alleged that Asheville had experienced a large increase in violent crime in the

Citizen group coalesces around police support

previous five years, but data published by Xpress counters its claim. Nevertheless, the perception persists that crime and litter in Asheville, especially downtown, has increased, prompting a 60-day downtown safety initiative on May 1 that includes assigning more law enforcement downtown and adding more cleanups of litter, syringes and biological waste.

Karen Ramshaw, who has spent three decades overseeing property management for Public Interest Projects, a real estate developer behind numerous downtown venues including The Orange Peel and Malaprops, says, “I think we’re having a community come-to-Jesus [moment]. At some point, you have to pay for what you say you value.”

‘ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM’

Moor describes herself as a longtime Democrat and started the Facebook groups The North Report,

for North Asheville, and WNC Common Ground, which seeks to unite individuals of similar beliefs. Co-chair Bailey Stockwell, who describes herself as an independent, runs a conservative-leaning Facebook group East Asheville for Safety and Truth, or E.A.S.T., and has participated in the Oakley Neighborhood Association. She has also appeared as a guest on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” discussing Asheville’s crime.

The two women met during the 2022 campaign season; they also knew each other through Facebook. Stockwell says she’s been advocating for APD on E.A.S.T., which she created for East Asheville residents. But the group’s focus continually landed on the temporary homeless shelter at the Ramada Inn River Ridge Plaza. Stockwell and Moor discussed creating ACPS to “be the louder voice than the ones who are always up [speaking during public comment at City Council meetings] talking negatively about APD,” Stockwell says.

They arranged a meeting at Green Sage Cafe on Merrimon Avenue and invited residents who had similar concerns about crime. The 15 people who came to its first meeting “felt like there was a proverbial elephant in the living room in Asheville with the growing vagrancy problem that we could all see no matter what neighborhood we lived in,” Moor says.

According to its email list, ACPS supporters include residents, downtown business owners, former Buncombe County Tourism Development Advisory Board member Himanshu Karvir, real estate broker and former 2022 City Council candidate Alex Cobb, Joe Brumit of Brumit Restaurant Group, which operates Arby’s restaurants in the Southeast, and Clarissa Hyatt-Zack, a real estate broker and wife of the police chief.

“This was not a group of people who are what you would call typical activists,” Moor explains. The group usually has 15-17 attendees at each of its

HAVING A PRESENCE: Asheville Police Department vehicles are seen more frequently downtown, particularly around Pritchard Park, amid a 60-day downtown safety initiative that began May 1. Photo by Jessica Wakeman

quarterly meetings, Moor says noting a recent meeting attracted 50 people.

APD’s Community Engagement Division Capt. Mike Lamb has attended several of ACPS’ meetings at its invitation. He tells Xpress that attendees inquire about crime trends, staffing and recruitment.

“Their questions are not unlike a lot of the other questions we get from community groups and stakeholder groups,” Lamb says. “They’re concerned about police presence and a lack thereof.”

In addition to speaking with law enforcement, members of ACPS also met with the leader of a local harm reduction group, which seeks to minimize harm caused by substance use, such as distributing clean syringes and the overdose reversal drug Narcan. Steady Collective Executive Director Peyton O’Connor says she met five ACPS members at a coffee shop in Weaverville to answer questions.

“One of the concerns that came up during the conversation was about the syringe litter all around town,” O’Connor explained. She shared with ACPS members how Steady Collective’s syringe exchange works and about syringe disposal units. “One of the things I was able to talk about is that it’s not necessarily malicious when people find a syringe on the ground.”

She adds, “I was really touched that they were receptive to hearing about the work that we do.”

‘SUPPORT THEM, HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE’

Gary Woods, an Asheville resident since 1979, believes criminals are aware that APD’s staffing is lower than usual. And they’re taking advantage of it.

Woods regularly watches City Council meetings on YouTube, and says he became aware of ACPS when its members advocated for the APD during a public comment session. “Their beliefs aligned with mine,” Woods says. He and his husband have “a few friends on the police department,” and he describes those friends as feeling frustrated with their jobs. “They say ‘we’re being held by the sins of my father,’” Woods says, “In a way, it’s true.”

Woods is concerned about crime in Asheville, which he thinks has increased. Woods says he has “noticed a significant increase in vandalism, a significant increase in aggressive behavior by panhandlers and a significant increase in vandalism out here in the Biltmore Park area.”

He’s attended ACPS meetings attended by Western Carolina Rescue Mission executive director Michael Woods (no relation) and City Councilmember Maggie Ullman. He also attended a

City Council meeting to speak in support of those “willing to risk their life for the protection of mine.”

Woods from ACPS is AfricanAmerican. “Have I had bad experiences with law enforcement? Absolutely. But that’s not all law enforcement,” he says. Woods recalls the sensitivity responding APD officers showed him when his mother died unexpectedly.

“They brought along the chaplain, and they could not have been more comforting,” he says.

Woods continues that he’d like to see an emphasis on accountability for the officers who are abusive. “The popular misconception is APD can do no wrong with [ACPS] and that’s not the case,” he explains. “We’re all about accountability. But support them and hold them accountable.”

‘STANDING IN SUPPORT OF POLICE’

Throughout the 2023-24 budget season, ACPS members attended City Council and Environment & Safety Committee meetings to show support of APD, according to Moor. (The Environment & Safety Committee was named the Public Safety Committee; the name changed in January.) The goal was to show “increased support from citizens,” Stockwell writes in an email.

The group recently expressed disappointment in the APD budget increase proposed by Campbell, the city manager. The 2023-24 budget proposal to Asheville City Council would allocate an additional $3.7 million to the Asheville Police Department, including a 6% increase for new officers. In an email to Xpress, Moor called the 6% proposed wage increase “pathetic.”

Moor also wrote to City Council members: “We thought you all would at least get to $50,000 entry level,” Moor wrote. “It is our hope you all consider returning to the budget to give an increase that will move the needle in hiring back the missing APD officers.”

She described the salary increase as “not enough to incentivize people to work in one of the most expensive places to live in N.C.”

ACPS also pushes back against what it sees as unfair or unhelpful criticism of the department in the media. “Our hope is to encourage better rhetoric towards policing locally, to support pay raises for police and first responders therefore improving recruitment and retainment, and encouraging local leaders to feel comfortable standing in support of police and the job they do for the city every day,” Stockwell writes in an email.

In April, Stockwell wrote a letter to the editor at Xpress criticizing the city of Asheville for sponsoring 103.3

Asheville FM — “a station that promotes a ‘weekly anarchist show’ with what appears to be a very anti-police agenda. … We believe the city of Asheville should avoid sponsoring a show that attacks another very important city staff department,” she wrote. [Read more at avl.mx/cpw]

Stockwell also wrote on behalf of ACPS to Asheville Citizen-Times executive editor Karen Chávez and reporter Joel Burgess, criticizing what the group perceives was biased reporting on the arrest of Devon Whitmire, a

Black man, by white police officers. “I have posted your article on several platforms and pages asking people to cancel their subscription,” Stockwell wrote. “You owe this city an apology for the article you put out and are in constant journalism ethics violation.”

‘BE PART OF THE CHANGE’

Woods, from the faith-based Western Carolina Rescue Mission on Patton Avenue, spoke at an ACPS meeting in April. He spoke to the ACPS because “I am very pro-law enforcement,” he tells Xpress, and believes Asheville has “a minority of our population talking about defunding the police and talking about law enforcement in a negative way [and] their voice is the prevailing voice.”

Woods says he spoke to the group about crime downtown, how trauma impacts behavioral health and his thoughts on ending homelessness. He has been fielding questions over email from community members since speaking at the ACPS meeting, he says.

“I came away from it feeling hopeful because of the number of people there that realize there is an issue and want to be part of the change,” Woods says. “We have to want to be the change.”

Force, fraud or coercion

Fighting sex trafficking takes multipronged approach

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

jwakeman@mountainx.com

Sex trafficking doesn’t look like the plot of the 2008 film “Taken” starring Liam Neeson as a father who dramatically rescues his daughter from Albanian gangsters.

“Trafficking occurs when there’s an act — whether it’s sexual or labor — and there’s force, fraud or coercion and a third party gets something of value,” explains Jenn Hegna, program director of Our VOICE, an Asheville nonprofit that supports survivors of sexual violence and sex trafficking. Sex trafficking can occur in businesses — in plain sight, so to speak — or out of view in private homes.

Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Alfred Rice writes in an email that sex trafficking “is literal human slavery that impacts communities of all races, genders and

ages.” Yet, he says, it “is difficult to quantify here in Buncombe County,” explaining how North Carolina didn’t have a clear-cut definition of human trafficking until 2013 legislation specified the crime meant the perpetrator “recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides or obtains by any means another person with the intent that the other person be held in involuntary servitude or sexual servitude.”

This means the full picture of sex trafficking is unclear, not just in Western North Carolina but nationwide. Not every survivor seeks support through a hotline or organization like Our VOICE. Not everyone chooses to press charges or even file a report with law enforcement. And still others don’t share their experience of being trafficked out of shame or fear.

Our VOICE Executive Director Rita Sneider-Cotter says public attention on preventing sex trafficking and supporting its survivors is a

“young movement” compared with other anti-violence movements.

“Domestic violence, for example, had a major prevention push throughout the ’90s and 2000s that has led to extensive study, documentation and community outreach,” writes Rice in an email. “Human trafficking needs a similar push.”

The first nationwide legislation to directly address trafficking — as opposed to prosecuting it as indentured servitude or slavery — became law in 2000. Although the commodification of humans for sex always existed, only in recent decades has public policy disentangled it from other forms of abuse and treated it as its own unique societal scourge.

TRAFFICKERS AND TRAFFICKED PEOPLE

Sex traffickers exploit vulnerability — whether that be needing food, a place to sleep, diapers, drugs or money. Traffickers can range from individuals in a person’s life to potential employers to strangers met over social media to family members. (According to data from the Washington, D.C.,based Polaris Project, one-third of sex trafficking survivors are trafficked by family members or caregivers.)

Forced or coerced sex isn’t necessarily what compels survivors to seek out Our VOICE. They get in touch when the trafficker becomes violent. “Often we’re seeing victims come in talking about domestic violence first,” Sneider-Cotter says. “Then as the conversation proceeds, there’s talk of ‘Well, sometimes he would make me have sex with people, and then he would take the money.’”

The manipulation and control inherent in sex trafficking can make it difficult for a survivor to recognize the exploitation is happening. Some traffickers “genuinely are in an intimate partnership with the survivor — unhealthily, to be clear,” SneiderCotter explains.

Capt. Joseph Silberman of the Asheville Police Department says traffickers tend to have “soft skills,” like charm and charisma. “They are good at grooming people and they’re good at controlling people,” he explains. “The power and control that an abuser uses over somebody in a domestic violence situation is the same toolkit that a trafficker would use over their victim.” Adds Rice of BCSO,

LIFELINE: “Often we’re seeing victims come in talking about domestic violence first,” says Our VOICE Executive Director Rita Sneider-Cotter. “Then, as the conversation proceeds, there’s talk of ‘Well, sometimes he would make me have sex with people, and then he would take the money.’”

Photo courtesy of Our VOICE

“Perpetrators are manipulators and convince victims that they aren’t victims. It takes time and effort to help pull victims from that mindset.”

Immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, are particularly vulnerable, says Silberman. “Their status could be abused by a perpetrator to make them afraid to go to the police and they can be controlled in that way,” he says.

Women in their late 20s to early 50s are the clients Our VOICE sees the most, Hegna explains. Clients range from “somebody actively fleeing their trafficker to somebody who was trafficked as a child, just realized [that] and needs support.”

‘FAWN’ RESPONSE

One myth surrounding sex trafficking is that the person being abused could just escape if they really wanted. In actuality, the survivor has usually been cut off from other support systems, their communications may be monitored, and they are dependent

on the trafficker for money and transportation. To escape the relationship may mean to forgo a safe place to sleep or food or diapers for a child.

“It’s so hard for people to get away because traffickers are really good at keeping people isolated and under their control,” Sneider-Cotter says.

For this reason, individuals who work with sex trafficking survivors encounter a psychological reaction called the fawning response. “For trauma responses, we often talk about fight or flight or freeze,” explains SneiderCotter. Fawning is a common trauma response for survivors of sex trafficking and domestic violence, she says.

“Fawning means your brain is doing a very quick assessment,” SneiderCotter says. “It’s very good at making decisions to keep you alive, and if you are with somebody who’s harming you, your brain may very well decide that appeasing them is the best way to keep you alive.” Rice calls the fawn response a “defense mechanism” to appease the perpetrator and potentially lessen any violence

Fawning “would present itself to law enforcement as an uncooperative victim,” explains Rice. Organizations like Our VOICE work to educate the public, including health care providers and law enforcement, about the psychological reasons behind a fawning response.

Everyone from the general public to law enforcement can have the misconception that “if somebody finds a trafficking survivor, they’re going to be so grateful to be rescued,” SneiderCotter explains. “But the reality is probably a lot more complicated, and the reality probably looks like they feel a conflicted loyalty to their trafficker. Because again, that person has helped provide shelter and food.”

LAW ENFORCEMENT

Sex trafficking often “spans multiple jurisdictions and states that require multiple agencies to work together,” writes Rice. BCSO works closely with the State Bureau of Investigation and federal agencies like the FBI.

Before there were national and state laws specific to trafficking, law enforcement often used prostitution as a charge for both traffickers and their victims. That’s not a strategy local law enforcement uses anymore.

“I’m not weighing in on whether [sex work] should or shouldn’t be on the books, but [as] the focus of limited resources targeting the principal perpetrators of prostitution, it is not a good use of resources,” Silberman explains. “Targeting traffickers is. Targeting people who exploit other people for financial or sexual gain is.”

However, Silberman says, APD “might use [a prostitution charge]

as a way to communicate with somebody we may suspect to be the victim of human trafficking. … But generally, we don’t pursue it.”

Lt. Russell Crisp, who works under Silberman, concurs that sex work is “not a crime that we are targeting. I’m trying to think of the last time that we actually had somebody charged with prostitution-related crime.”

Silberman says human trafficking “is a much more serious charge,” and the department has levied it in the past during his time as a supervisor.

APD most recently pursued an operation on purported sex trafficking in August, alongside federal agencies because it involved multiple states, explains Crisp. Silberman called it “a large-scale operation — we had a lot of staff dedicated to that over two days.”

Over two evenings, the operation was “trying to identify persons who are involved in the sex working trade, to see if any of them may be victims of human trafficking,” Crisp explains. “But none of them gave us

any indication or any information that they were being trafficked.”

The individuals were approached by law enforcement and two victim advocates with its Victims’ Services Unit, who don’t wear a badge or carry a gun. Explains Crisp, “We try to have enough people there to maybe have somebody they would feel comfortable talking with.”

Although the August operation “didn’t yield any results locally,” says Silberman, police did make “contact with a number of sex workers.”

Crisp explains that law enforcement interacted with the sex workers and let them know their victims services personnel had resources and information that may be beneficial. Officers would then step aside, and individuals have a conversation and workers could potentially accept information or resources, including care packages.

A COMMUNITY ISSUE

Preventing sex trafficking and supporting survivors needs to be addressed by whole communities, not just law enforcement. “If we as a community don’t know what to look for trafficking, then we won’t identify and we’re going to keep missing it,” says Sneider-Cotter. “The folks working at the hotels, the folks working at Catholic Charities [the local organization tasked with resettling refugees] — all of these people need to know what trafficking really looks like, and not the ‘Taken’ version.” Education for young people is crucial, too, Sneider-Cotter says. She notes that state law requires sex trafficking awareness and prevention to be taught in public schools. “As this movement grows, we’re going to get better at getting more information to people when they’re younger,” she says. “So that they know when something starts to feel not right, they know how to get help.”

X

SAFE PLACE: The Buncombe County Family Justice Center houses Our VOICE, a nonprofit helping survivors of sexual violence, and Helpmate, a nonprofit helping survivors of domestic violence and intimate partner violence, among law enforcement and many other services. Photo by Jessica Wakeman

Look around

BY ANDREW R. JONES, SALLY KESTIN AND JOHN BOYLE AN ASHEVILLE WATCHDOG REPORT

bark@avlwatchdog.org

This is a condensed version of Asheville Watchdog’s “Down Town, Part 10: Looking to Other Cities for Possible Solutions” For the full version, visit avlwatchdog.org.

Asheville is certainly not unique in facing the challenges we’ve explored in our “Down Town” series. The deterioration of Asheville’s downtown area has its roots in problems familiar to other cities: a shortage of affordable housing, inadequate treatment for mental illness, an increase in pervasive drug use and a failure of local government to address the problems in a timely or effective manner.

As we conclude the “Down Town” series, our Watchdog reporters turn their attention to other cities that have had some success in addressing the challenges we have in common.

INEFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN ASHEVILLE, HIAC

Homelessness in Asheville is among the most vexing and polarizing problems — and one that draws on an extraordinarily vast and costly response involving multiple city and county departments, hospitals, the court system, at least a half dozen nonprofits and countless volunteers.

In charge of overseeing it all is the Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee, whose members are appointed by the Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners. HIAC’s mission is to create policies and evaluate strategies “to most effectively end homelessness in Asheville and Buncombe County.”

But the committee does not even know how much money is being spent on homeless services, has limited say in the overall direction of those services and lacks clear measures that the public can use to evaluate what’s working.

What do other cities’ approaches to homelessness reveal about Asheville?

and adopting strategies that other cities have found successful.

ALEXANDRIA’S CENTRALIZED ENTRY SYSTEM

Alexandria, Va., has about 60,000 more people than Asheville but a homeless population that is about one-fourth of Buncombe County’s.

Alexandria’s most recent unsheltered count — those living on the streets, in tents or vehicles — was just 10, compared with 171 in Asheville/Buncombe.

Alexandria coordinates all of its continuum of care services for unsheltered people — or people at risk of becoming homeless — through a single coordinating agency, the Partnership to Prevent & End Homelessness. The purpose of the partnership, a collaboration of public and private entities, is “to ensure the planning, coordination and implementation of an effective and efficient systemwide response to homelessness within the city of Alexandria.”

The first step on the continuum is a comprehensive assessment at the city’s Homeless Services Assessment Center.

The committee governs policy, strategy and federal resource allocation for Buncombe’s “continuum of care,” or point organization for homelessness, and includes representation from many of the agencies involved in the homeless response. But for years, those organizations often have operated independently, raising money and developing their own projects and programs.

“A lot of effort has been happening for a long time, but it’s been in this very kind of disjointed way,” said Emily Ball, Asheville’s homeless strategy manager. “We don’t have a cohesive system that’s clear, that works together, that has a common goal where … providers are working in unison with transparency and clarity and a real outcome orientation around ending homelessness.”

Thanks for Voting!

Buncombe receives about $2 million in federal funding for homelessness, and private organizations raise millions more, but the committee has not calculated the total spent on homeless services. Asheville Watchdog reviewed the most recent annual financial statements for the six largest nonprofit providers and found they spent a combined total of more than $19 million.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness, a Washington, D.C.based consultancy brought in by Asheville and Buncombe County earlier this year, recommended a stronger, more effective leadership structure, along with better methods for tracking total spending and allocating resources. The Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee is analyzing how to incorporate those and other recommendations from the consultant.

“We haven’t been thinking strategically as a system and we haven’t been collaborating as a system,” Ball said. “We’ve had all these pockets of agencies doing their own work with their own vision and mission and dollars.”

The lack of a coordinated system has kept Asheville from filling gaps

Workers interview clients to explore housing options — staying with a friend or relative or tapping rental assistance funds to prevent an eviction, “doing anything and everything we can to keep people out of shelter,” said Stefan Caine, the continuum of care lead.

“Definitely something that we use, and that does work for us, is trying to coordinate with folks that are coming into services that are not necessarily long-term Alexandria residents, trying to connect them back with their jurisdiction of origin,” Caine said. “You’ve got to kind of stem the tide of folks coming in and try to stretch your resources as far as you can.”

Asheville’s efforts to keep people out of the homeless services system — diversion — are not as extensive as Alexandria’s, Ball said. “Diversion at that depth is not happening,” she said, “and is one of our opportunities.”

Asheville also has no central point for assessments. Each of the agencies engaged in homeless services conducts its own assessment using a common tool, Ball said.

“We have a handful of access points that are generally doing the same thing and are funneling into a common pool the people seeking services ... and then from that pool people through a clear process are

COLLABORATIVE SOLUTION: Two nonprofits converted this building in Alexandria, Va., into a 60-bed shelter with 97 affordable housing units, including 10 for chronically homeless people. Photo courtesy of Alexandria Housing Development Corp.

getting connected with housing,” Ball said. “But we definitely don’t have a coordinated entry system.”

Asheville’s Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee is currently exploring a centralized entry system like Alexandria’s, Ball said.

’FUNCTIONAL ZERO’ HOMELESSNESS IN ROCKFORD, ILL.

Rockford, Ill., keeps a list — a very detailed, extensive list of every single homeless person in the city.

A former furniture manufacturing hub of 150,000 people about 90 miles northwest of Chicago, Rockford struggled with a homeless problem similar to many other American cities. But it’s also taken an approach to curbing homelessness that has gained the city national attention.

The list played a key role in the city reaching milestones of “functional zero” for its veteran and chronically homeless populations — the first city in the U.S. to do so, Angie Walker, Rockford’s homeless program coordinator, told Asheville Watchdog.

Rockford uses what it calls a “by-name list” that includes everyone in the area they know is homeless.

“We actually go name by name,” Walker said. “And I think the benefit of that is that a lot of places just talk about the homeless as one big group, right? Not necessarily a face, not necessarily a name, but just a giant group of people that are in many cases just a nuisance. We don’t talk about people that way.”

Instead, they’ll discuss where “ John Smith ” is staying, who’s addressing his needs, if he’s still drinking a lot, if he got a job, she said.

“So, we actually talk about them as individuals, and we help them as individuals, based on what they need,” Walker said. “We might know that John has a criminal record, so he can go to a certain landlord. But we also might know that he’s eligible for something else. Our system is very personalized.”

“Functional zero” does not mean a community has zero homeless people. Rockford contracts with Community Solutions, a nonprofit based in New York City that works toward ending homelessness through a Housing First model. “Functional zero,” according to Community Solutions, is a measure that means “the number

CONTINUES ON PAGE 14

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The insider’s guide

of people experiencing homelessness at any time does not exceed the community’s proven record of housing at least that many people in a month.”

Asheville has a by-name list for homeless veterans — about one-third of the homeless population — but not for nonveterans, Ball said. “Every agency has kind of its own client list.”

Asheville’s Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee is working to devise a more “comprehensive realtime picture of who’s experiencing homelessness, where they are, who’s on point for them and what housing intervention they need,” Ball said.

Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said his city struggles with the same problems many do, including violent crime. But Rockford has gained attention for its success in addressing homelessness.

“You know, everyone calls us about homelessness, and I would say it’s not all that difficult,” McNamara told Asheville Watchdog. “It’s, ‘Is it a priority to you or not?’ And if it is, are you willing to allocate some resources and staff resources, and time and energy and come at it from a collaborative form?’ And if you are, it’s really not that hard.”

LOW-BARRIER SHELTER IN FLAGSTAFF

Sitting at nearly 7,000 feet elevation in the mountains of northern Arizona, Flagstaff shares similarities with Asheville: a tight housing market with few available rentals and an affordability gap.

Flagstaff’s homeless population, fluctuating between 450 and 650, is also comparable to Asheville’s. But Flagstaff has fewer people sleeping outside in part because of a large shelter with an open-door policy.

The nonprofit Flagstaff Shelter Services operates a 200-bed shelter that has counseling, a health clinic, case managers to help with housing

and resources to deal withdomestic violence, substance abuse and debt management. It’s also “low barrier.”

“We take anybody if they show up; we don’t turn people away,” Ross Schaefer, executive director, told The Watchdog. “And that means that we take sex offenders, we take people that are intoxicated. … We don’t require people to be sober, which is different than the other shelter in our community that’s a faith-based organization.”

That Christian shelter, located downtown, “has been compassionately serving all in Jesus’s name since 1957,” according to its website.

The low-barrier shelter Schaefer runs is outside the city core.

Flagstaff, like Asheville, has had complaints from downtown businesses about crime and cleanliness related to the homeless population, Schaefer said.

“Working with the downtown business alliance here has been, I think, something that has been incredibly effective,” she said.

Surveys of Buncombe County residents, conducted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness last year, found that “respondents reported overwhelming concerns of mental health and substance use-induced crises within the unsheltered population — and reported that they do not know what to do about it or whom to call.”

Schaefer said Flagstaff created a document that listed resources and phone numbers and distributed it to business owners who “had questions and wanted to handle things in a way that weren’t just like calling the police every time somebody was sitting on their stoop.”

Homeless people in Asheville told consultants that the city’s existing shelters, operated by faith organizations, were too restrictive. “People using the system and community members expressed concerns that shelter is not accessible or easy to stay in for those who need and want it,” the consultant’s report said.

Flagstaff’s low-barrier shelter has some restrictions. Pets are allowed with rules: “If your animal is in here, it has to be on a leash; if it’s fighting with other people or animals, then it can’t stay,” Schaefer said.

Drug and alcohol use are not permitted in the shelter, “but that doesn’t mean that they’re not putting down their bottle before they come in,” she said. “It leads to challenges, for sure. … I think it’s really important to be able to access the services that your community can offer, regardless of who you are, what you look like, what you worship.”

Following a recommendation from its consultant, Asheville’s homeless committee has issued a “request for partnership” for organizations to add 95 shelter beds in Buncombe — 60 for single adults, 25 for people with medical, mental health or substance abuse needs, and 10 for families. The beds must be “inviting and accessible” to all in need and have no requirements for sobriety or upfront identification, the request says.

There’s been some interest in adding shelter beds for families and individuals with needs, but not yet for the 60 single adults, said David Nash, chairman of the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee who also is executive director of the Asheville Housing Authority.

“I know that city and county leadership are both interested if we need to look into building a new facility,” Nash said. That could take two to three years, he said, but the committee hopes some shelter beds will be available by October.

A low-barrier shelter with minimal restrictions like the one in Flagstaff is “lifesaving,” Schaeffer said. “Honestly, people aren’t going to come into shelter if they have to be sober.”

Asheville Watchdog is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and surrounding communities. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Email skestin@avlwatchdog.org. John Boyle has been covering news in western North Carolina since the 20th century. Email: jboyle@avlwatchdog.org To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/donate.

SEEKING A STRATEGY: Emily Ball, Asheville’s homeless strategy manager, speaks to the Asheville City Council in May. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville

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Buncombe schools board opposes proposed change in district lines

The Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously opposed a bill in the N.C. General Assembly that would change how its body is elected at its meeting June 1.

House Bill 66 would change how boards of education in four North Carolina counties are elected, including Buncombe, changing representation from being tied to school attendance zones to new population-based districts.

“It’s frustrating. I feel like, you know, we show up, we put together a legislative agenda that is a request for needs, for what our students need and what our teachers need. We’re basically walking through the desert knocking on the door saying, ‘Hey, we need a glass of water.’ And what we get back is a glass of sand,” said board member Rob Elliot, who represents the Reynolds district.

Since 1975, Buncombe has elected one school board member to represent each of the county’s six attendance zones — Enka, Erwin, Owen, North Buncombe, Reynolds and Roberson — and one at-large member. Candidates must live in the district they represent, and residents can vote for all school board representatives, who run on a nonpartisan basis, regardless of their address, according to the resolution passed by the board.

If the proposed bill passes, some of the smaller districts will likely have to expand to account for their lower population, meaning they could potentially be represented by someone who lives in a different attendance zone, said Dean Shatley, Buncombe school board attorney. It would also limit whom residents could vote for to the newly drawn population-based district in which they live.

For example, the Owen district would have to be redrawn to include parts of East Asheville and Fairview, currently in the Reynolds district, which would mean someone whose children attend schools in Reynolds could be elected to represent the students and parents of Black Mountain, Shatley said.

Board members Elliot and Amy Churchill said the current representation of each attendance zone and accountability to voters countywide keep students’ needs in the forefront.

“I know that there has been some discussion that communities should have representatives that share their community’s values, traditions, etc. But when I actually read this bill, it’s

going to do the exact opposite. I feel like at some point, at least one of our traditional districts is not going to have representation,” said Churchill, who represents the Roberson district.

It’s not immediately clear where the bill — originally sponsored by Reps. Mitchell Setzer and Jay Adams of Catawba County — got its Buncombe language.

Churchill said Sen. Warren Daniel, who represents McDowell, parts of Burke and the eastern part of Buncombe is responsible for the added language about Buncombe districts after it passed through the House and arrived in the Senate.

Supporters of the bill, while not present at the June 1 meeting, have said in public Facebook posts that voters should only be able to elect representatives in their own community, not on the other side of the county, which waters down their accountability.

Current board members disagree.

“We are a cross-section of beliefs up here. We are not all registered in the same party. And it’s worked since at least 1975 to grow the great program that we have here,” Elliot said.

If the bill passes, Shatley said the burden would be on the local school board to redraw districts, which could cost $20,000 to $25,000, he said.

Shatley said new districts that are split based on equal population would be complicated by the existence of the Asheville City Schools district in the core of the county. Some census blocks in North Asheville and Woodfin contain both school districts within them, and the district would have to parse out who lives where and what school district they live within before drawing lines, he said.

Elliot said spending that money would take away from resources for students.

“I think about our classroom teachers, the ones that cannot afford art supplies, and have to rely on the PTAs of the world to sell cookies and brownies to raise money… to pay for art supplies for our kids,” he said.

The bill will be reviewed on the floor of the state Senate the week of June 12 before potentially going back to the House floor for a vote, Shatley said.

In other news

Buncombe County schools will provide breakfast and lunch free of charge nearly districtwide in 2023-24 after the school board adopted a nonpricing meal service option June 1.

The Community Eligibility Provision, part of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, provides reimbursement from federal funds to feed students in school districts in low-income areas based on the percentage of students who qualify for free and/ or reduced-price meals. The provision will eliminate the need for collecting household applications from parents in order to qualify.

More than 55% of students in Buncombe County schools qualify for free or reduced-cost meals, high enough to qualify for the program, according to a presentation by Lisa Payne, BCS’ nutrition director.

Only 28% of students at Nesbitt Discovery Academy qualify for the program, meaning the parents of eligible students at that school will still have to submit an electronic application for free or reduced-price lunch.

Buncombe County School Nutrition Association has agreed to cover the cost of one student’s lunch at Nesbitt Discovery Academy for the school year, and BCS will seek other sponsors for students at that school, Payne said.

The program operates on a fouryear cycle, so BCS will have to reapply in 2027.

— Greg Parlier X

FREE FOOD: The Buncombe County Board of Education listens as staff members present an initiative to provide free meals to almost every student in the Buncombe system. Photo by Frances O’Connor

Service industry workers petition for affordable housing funding from BCTDA

Approximately 25 people gathered outside Explore Asheville offices armed with coffee, pastries and signs early May 31 to advocate for using occupancy tax dollars to fund affordable housing projects for service industry workers.

Representatives from Buncombe Decides, Asheville Food and Beverage United and the Asheville Democratic Socialists of America presented a petition signed by 2,000 workers and supporters asking the board to consider using the Legacy Investment From Tourism fund to increase subsidized housing for tourism industry workers.

“The 2,000 signatures on this petition represent the people of the city getting organized to fight for better living conditions. Using this money for housing is what the people of Asheville want, and we’re going to keep fighting for it and organize to win changes in how Asheville treats working-class people and the most vulnerable among us. Using the LIFT fund to alleviate the housing crisis is an easy step in the right direction,” Rosemary Dodd, an Asheville bartender and member of AFBU told Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority board members at the May 31 meeting.

Jen Hampton, chair of Asheville Food and Beverage United, told the TDA board that small-business owners are telling her the burgeoning housing crisis is forcing workers to live too far from the city’s core to afford working in it.

“I can’t find people, and it’s not the adage that people just don’t want to work anymore; it’s that people just can’t afford to live here anymore,” she said restaurant owners tell her.

The BCTDA has begun the process of putting together a committee to govern the LIFT fund created by 2022 legislation for “tourism-related capital projects” and “benefit the community at large in Buncombe County.”

This new fund differs from the existing Tourism Project Development Fund, which is earmarked to fund “major tourism capital projects” and to“further economic development” in Buncombe. Past projects funded by the TPDF include upgrades to the Asheville Community Theatre, the John B. Lewis soccer complex at Azalea Park and the Asheville Municipal Golf Course.

The funds share one-third of the TDA’s occupancy tax revenue equally. The other two-thirds is slated for marketing and promoting Asheville as a

tourist destination. Explore Asheville staff projected $6.3 million each in revenues for the LIFT and TPDF in fiscal year 2023-24, according to a staff presentation. That would mean $12.1 million is available for LIFT grants after the fund balance from current fiscal year revenues and administrative costs are considered.

Advocates argued that a representative for the workers in tourism industries should have a seat on the LIFT committee.

“Their perspectives will enrich your decision-making process… and increase public confidence in the equitable distribution of TDA funds. These would not be token appointments but a true recognition that service, creative and environmental workers are vital participants in making Asheville and Buncombe County a global destination,” said Nina Tovish during public comment.

BCTDA board Chair Kathleen Mosher announced the LIFT nominating committee at Wednesday’s meeting, which is scheduled to be filled by the end of August.

The nominating committee is:

• Brenda Durden, BCTDA vice chair

• Ken Stamps, co-founder of Navitat Canopy Adventures and TPDF vice chair

• Fielding Lowe, vice president of Park National Bank and TPDF member

Five members of the committee must be owners or operators of hotels, motels or bed-and-breakfasts, according to legislation, and the remain-

der of the nine-member committee should have a background in tourism, legal, financial, economic development, architecture or engineering.

LIFT committee applications are due July 7, and recommendations by the nominating committee will be made at the Aug. 30 BCTDA board meeting. The project application window opens in October, and applicants will be chosen in April 2024.

Hampton said authors of the legislation that created the LIFT fund, including Sens. Julie Mayfield and Chuck Edwards, have expressed support for proceeds to be used for direct community needs.

“We know you don’t control who applies to be on the committee or which projects ask to be funded. And while LIFT allows you to fund project types that have never been supported by tourism taxes before in our state, there may be uncertainty about taking those steps. But elected leaders we talked to support LIFT funds being used for housing and not as another TPDF,” Hampton said.

McCormick Field upgrades move closer to funding

Funding for upgrades to McCormick Field, owned by the city of Asheville, appears increasingly likely after the BCTDA took its first public step toward joining the team with a unanimous vote Wednesday.

The TPDF committee will review the city’s application before a final vote on the matter comes before the board at its June 28 meeting.

In the proposal, the BCTDA would provide $23 million — including $1.4 million annually over the next 15 years — to the project, making up 44% of total funding.

The city has agreed to contribute $28 million over 20 years, and Buncombe County is pitching in $5 million over 20 years.

As a part of the reworked 23-year lease, the Asheville Tourists would pay $469,000 a year in rent to play at McCormick Field, and in the unlikely event Major League Baseball pulled its affiliation with the Tourists, owner Dewine Seeds Silver Dollar Baseball would be required to provide professional baseball in the space through the end of the lease.

If approved, renovations would include $16.5 million for upgraded visitor amenities like expansion of the existing concourse, an entrance plaza, scoreboard updates and an expanded press box. Enhancements to each clubhouse, new LED sport lighting and video surveillance systems are also included in the upgrades.

Chris Corl, Asheville’s director of community and regional entertainment facilities, said the city plans to use the space to host concerts, craft fairs and possibly winter ice skating to diversify the offerings at McCormick Field once renovations are complete.

— Greg Parlier

WORKER HOUSING: Ben Williamson of Buncombe Decides asks the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority board to consider funding worker housing projects with its new LIFT fund at its May 31 meeting. Photo by Frances O’Connor

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

JUNE 7 - JUNE 15, 2023

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

 Online-only events

 Feature, page 28

 More info, page 30

 More info, page 32-33

WELLNESS

Narcotics Anonymous

Meetings

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

Sparkle Time Holistic

Exercise

Aerobic, strengthening, balance and flexibility.

WE (6/7, 14), MO (6/12), 10:30am, Avery’s Creek Community Center, 899 Glennbridge Rd SE

Arden

Tai Chi for Balance

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

WE (6/7, 14), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Free Zumba Gold Fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance.  Free, but donations for the instructor are appreciated. For more information please call (828) 350-2058.

WE (6/7, 14), noon Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Dharma & Discuss

People coming together in friendship to meditate, learn and discuss the Dharma. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

TH (6/8, 15), 7pm, Swannanoa Valley Friends Meetinghouse, 137 Center Ave, Black Mountain

Asheville Aphasia

Support Group

Every Friday in Rm 345. No RSVP needed.

FR (6/9), 10am, WCU at Biltmore Park, 28 Schenck Pkwy, Ste 300

Get

Wave on the Edge:

LGBTQ Sweat Your Prayers

Body Liberation space, safe space for queer people to move in a sober environment. No dance experience necessary.

SA (6/10), 9:30am, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd

Yoga For Everyone

For all ages and abilities. Instructors are trained to facilitate classes for people standing, or in a chair. Bring your own mat, water bottle and mask. Registration required.

SA (6/10), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Goat Yoga on the Farm

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

SA (6/10), 10am, Round Mountain Creamery, 2203 Old Fort Rd, Black Mountain

Silent Walking Meditation & Tea

A short walk with meditation instructions around Lake Tomahawk with moments of walking in silence. Afterwards, there will be iced tea, hot tea and snacks.

SA (6/10), 10am, Lake Tomahawk Park, 401 S Laurel Circle Dr, Black Mountain

Therapeutic Slow Flow

Yoga

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

SA (6/10), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd, Ste 103

SHAPES OF SUMMER: The Village Potters Clay Center hosts a pottery pop-up in the River Arts District Saturday, June 10, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. This exhibition and market will feature the work of 13 artists, each with a unique style and approach to ceramic art.

Guided Meditation

Exploring a variety of traditions, tools and practices that have been known to inspire peace and insight. This program is for adults and no registration is required.

SA (6/10), 10:15am, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Yoga in the Park

Each class is unique, intertwining movement and breath, with a different focus of strength and release.

All-levels welcomed, but bring your own props and mat.

SA (6/10), SU (6/11) 11am, 220 Amboy Rd

Magnetic Minds: Depressionn & Bipolar Support Group

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

for more info.

Text 828.777.6787 to request digital program

SA (6/10), 2pm, 1316

Ste C Parkwood Rd

Free Yoga

Free yoga session outdoors.

SA (6/10), 5pm, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave

Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class

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

SU (6/11), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard

Spring Flow w/Jamie

Designed to release heat stored in the body, release excess kapha, and prepare the body for summer. Class is held outside. Bring your mat.

SU (6/11), 11am, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks

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

individuals.

SU (6/11), 1:30pm, West Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

NCMTR Bent Creek Trail Run

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

MO (6/12), 6:30pm, Hard Times Trailhead, 375 Wesley Branch Rd

Wild Sacred Yogic Moon Gathering

Participate in breathwork, somatic release movements, song, dance, meditation and elemental healing practices to connect you back to yourself, your community and the Earth.

MO (6/12), 7pm, The Outpost, 521 Amboy Rd

Zumba

Mask and social distancing required. Registration not necessary. Por Favor usa tu cubre bocas antes de la clase.

TU (6/13), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain Free Zumba Class will focus on health and fitness with local Zumba instructor, Lynn T. All fitness levels are welcome.

TH (6/15), 4:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

ART

Wildflower Drawing

Stephanie will guide you through step-by-step drawing and coloring techniques. There will be a handout of photographs of the flower to use as visual references. Each flower will be observed closely to learn more about their parts and unique characteristics.

WE (6/7, 14), 10am, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

Izzy Losskarn: There’s Plenty for Everyone

Features large scale pastel drawings which

invite the viewers into an imagined household space full of hyperbolic, absurdly manipulated products that are familiar to contemporary domesticity. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 9am, closed on Sunday. Exhibition through June 28.

Revolve Studio, 821 Riverside Dr, Ste 179

Year of the Rabbit: Solo Exhibition for Hunt Slonem

Slonem’s opulent textural paintings of his iconic birds and butterflies and his wildly popular rabbits, as well as unique sculptural works, give us a glimpse into Slonem’s colorful maximalist world and artistic empire. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, Sunday, noon. Exhibition through June 30.

Bender Gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave

Altruistic Genius: Buckminster Fuller’s Plans to Save the Planet This exhibition brings the inventions

and designs of R. Buckminster Fuller to Western North Carolina and introduces visitors to Fuller’s strategies for the sustainability of humans and the planet relating to housing, transportation, mathematics, and engineering. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through August 21. Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

SOJOURN: Phil Garrett Paintings & Monotypes

Phil Garrett's work is informed by nature. The power of storms, the spiritual quality of the elements, the beauty, grace and ferocity of plants and animals. Painting and making monotypes is his search for the mystery within the subject, within himself. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, Sunday, noon. Exhibition through June 11. Pink Dog Creative Gallery, 348 Depot St

Photo by Kristen Rush

Art in Bloom: Regional Artists Gallery Exhibit

The gallery features selected pieces from regional artists. The works featured will be inspiration for the arrangements created by our floral designers. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 10am.

Exhibition through June 14.

Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain Black Mountain College & Mexico Exhibition

The exhibition includes original visual works and sound installations by prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside vintage works by BMC artists and relevant archival materials.

Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am, closed Sunday.

Exhibition through September 9. Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Natura a Colori

Exhibition

This exhibit explores the wide range of expressive possibilities using various techniques from slumping to "painting" with glass powders. The goal of this show is to share the unexpected ways in which kiln-formed glass can make a creative statement. Gallery open Friday through Sunday, 10 am. Exhibition through July 2. North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St, Ste B Eidolon: Opening Reception

This opening reception

Features Jacqueline Shatz’s small sculptures of ambiguous and hybridized figures as well as Margaret Thompson’s paintings which are inspired by elements of the symbolist movement and magical realism.

Exhibition through July 23.

FR (6/9), 5pm, Tyger Tyger Gallery, 191 Lyman St, Ste 144

Clay Day

Members of the Southern Highland Craft Guild showcase the elements and craft processes of clay, demonstrating a range of techniques, each with their own distinct touch and style. See p33

SA (6/10), 10am, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy

Daily Craft Demonstrations

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

Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy

Shapes of Summer: Pottery Pop-Up

This exhibition and market will feature the work of 13 artists, each with a unique style and approach to ceramic art. Highlights include gorgeously glazed functional pieces like mugs, platters, and bowls, as well as artistic display pieces like vases, carved boxes, and bas relief panels.

SA (6/10), 11am, The Village Potters, 191 Lyman St, Ste 180

Community Day:

Altruistic Genius

Celebrate the Altruistic Genius: Buckminster Fuller’s Plans to Save the Planet exhibition with an afternoon of creativity and community engagement featuring programming that highlights Buckminster Fuller’s inventions and designs.

SA (6/10), noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Bizarre Sábado

Inspired by Mexico City’s Bazaar Sábado, the innovative gathering place and crafts market first organized in 1960 by BMC alum Cynthia Sargent and her husband Wendell Riggs.

SA (6/10), 2pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Pulp Potential: Works in Handmade Paper

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

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Artist Reception: Jerrie Settles

Jerrie’s art is an expression of being blessed, by God through her family, beyond measure. There will be an artist reception and refreshments at the Gallery. SU (6/11), noon, First Congregational Church, 20 Oak St

Lisa Clague: A Solo Exhibition

Renowned figurative ceramist Lisa Clague presents new sculptural work in a range of scale, from oversized heads to diminutive busts.

Clague’s chimeric forms are often an amalgamation of human and animal imagery. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through June 24.

Momentum Gallery, 24

N Lexington Ave

Artist Talk: Bill Hall Bill Hall will be giving a talk about his recent works on paper by combining printmaking, painting, and collage elements to render graphic, abstract compositions with spatial

dynamics.

SU (6/11), 2pm, Momentum Gallery, 24

N Lexington Ave

Art in Bloom: Preview Party

Browse the floral interpretations at their freshest and meet the floral designers. There will be drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and live music to celebrate this series.

TH (6/15), 5pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

The Art of Food:

Member-Only Preview

All museum members are invited to attend the exclusive opening of the upcoming exhibition: The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer.

TH (6/15), 5pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

COMMUNITY

MUSIC

Pritchard Park Songwriter Series

Each week will feature two songwriters from our community playing songs about life.

TH (6/8, 15), 5:45pm, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

Jazz Jam

An open jam session. Drop-ins are welcome so bring your instruments.

TH (6/8, 15), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St

Ray DeSilvis, Peter Tart & John Keck

A singer songwriter showcase with acoustic music from Ray DeSilvis, Peter Tart & John Keck.

TH (6/8), 8pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

Concert Series on the Creek: Andrew Thelston Band Free concert series for the community with the Andrew Thelston Band providing the music this week. These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome. There will be food trucks available on most nights.

FR (6/9), 7pm, Bridge Park Gazebo, 76 Railroad Ave, Sylva

Summer Tracks Concerts: Sol Driven Train

Summer Tracks concert series kicksoff with American pop and folk band, Sol Driven Train. Alcohol consumption is allowed in the park but is not for sale.

FR (6/9), 7pm, Rogers Park, 55 W Howard St, Tryon

An Evening with Illuminati Congo & Zondo

A double bill evening of music with Hip Hop Rapper Illuminati Congo & Asheville-based Liberian Singer-Songwriter, Zondo.

FR (6/9), 7:30pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

Summer Concert Series: Gypsy & Me Americana and folk duo, Gypsy & Me will be performing at the series this week. This free event will take place at the library’s amphitheater or an indoor location in the event of rain.

FR (6/9), 7:30pm, Transylvania County Library, 212 S Gaston St, Brevard

Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet

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

SU (6/11), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

The Sea The Sea w/ Rebecca Loebe Upstate New York based indie folk-pop duo, The Sea The Sea will be headlining this month's Sundays on the River. Austin-based singer, Rebecca Loebe will be providing support.

SU (6/11), 4pm, Olivette Riverside Community and Farm, 1069 Olivette Rd

Carolina Celtic Series: Robin Bullock & Josh Goforth

A monthly concert series which showcases Irish and Scottish musical traditions and often explores their commonality with the Appalachian ballads and stories of the Carolina mountains.

MO (6/12), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Sirens of Hominy Series

A collaborative in-the-round, featuring a different set of Asheville songstresses every week. Hosted by CaroMia, genres ranging from soul, R&B, pop, jazz, to country.

TU (6/13), 6pm, FBO Hominy Creek, 230 Hominy Creek Rd

The Orchard Sessions w/Erick Baker

Erick Baker is an Emmy Award-winning writer, TV show host, and singer-songwriter. His music blends a divergent set of American roots influences, country, rock, folk, soul, and blues into one seamless sound.

TH (6/15), 6pm, The Farm at Old Edwards, 336 Arnold Rd, Highlands

The Asheville Gay Men's Chorus: 25 Years of LGBTQ+ Voices in the Mountains Celebrate this historic milestone with these brave gay men and their voices. See p32 TH (6/15), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St

LITERARY

Fierce Poise: Helen Frankenthaler & 1950s New York

A book conversation followed by a gallery talk featuring Frankenthaler's painting Book of Clouds. A biography of one of the twentieth-century’s most respected painters, Helen Frankenthaler, as she came of age as both an artist and a woman in the vibrant art world of 1950s New York.

WE (6/7), noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Joke Writing Workshop

Hosted by Disclaimer

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

WE (6/7, 14), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Poetry Open Mic Hendo

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

18+

TH (6/8, 15), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave E, Hendersonville

The World Beyond the Redbud Tree: Book Reading & Discussion

This event will feature an interview with the author, a Q&A with the audience, a performance of an extract from the book by local actors, local musicians and a book signing by the author.

FR (6/9), 7pm, Lake Louise Community Center, Weaverville

Danita Dodson: The Medicine Woods Dodson’s new poetry collection is a graceful and soul-stirring meditation on how our planet's future lies in the ability to embrace the oneness of life and practice nonviolence toward each other, the trees, the seas, and all

beings.

SA (6/10), 3pm, City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St, Sylva Teen Poetry Writing & Slam

Explore styles, work with prompts, flex your voice and share your prose. Unique lesson plans every Tuesday.

TU (6/13), 2pm, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Virtual Story Time: Cinda Meets Ella w/ Wallace West

This is a live streamed virtual story time event with author Wallace West who will be reading his book, Cinda Meets Ella. Free, but registration is required. Register at avl.mx/cr8

WE (6/14), 10am, Online

THEATER & FILM

Da Classroom Ain't Enuf

An exploration of the intersection of Black and Brown communities, particularly in and around the American educational system, featuring an ensemble of four actors who play teachers, students and their families. A mix of poetry, prose and music, with original tracks by composer Richard Jones.

TH (6/8, 15), FR (6/9). SA (6/10) 7:30pm, SU (6/11), 4pm. The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St

Big Fish

A musical comedy filled with fantasy creatures, large dance numbers, music, and a tale about growing from child to adult to parent.

TH (6/8), FR (6/9), SA (6/10), 7:30pm, SU (6/11), 2pm Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

My Way

A musical tribute to Frank Sinatra. My Way celebrates the mystique of Ol’ Blue Eyes and the unforgettable music and wit that made him famous.

TH (6/8), FR (6/9), SA (6/10), 7:30pm, SU (6/11), 2pm

Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, 44 College St, Mars Hill

Stories for a Summer Evening

Featuring storytellers from the Asheville Storytelling Circle, Chuck Fink, Kyra Freeman, and Zane Chait with Kirsten Mitchell as EmCee. See p32-33 FR (6/9), 7pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain

UNMET: Two Developmental Disability Crises

A film showing the real-life situations of individuals with developmental disabilities and what it looks like when their needs are unmet. An open discussion will follow the screening. Free and open to the public. Pre-registration is required at avl.mx/cqc FR (6/9), 7pm, MAHEC Education Center, 121 Hendersonville Rd

Born This Way:

An Amateur Drag Celebration

An opportunity for new, “baby” drag performers to come together and celebrate their art and their community. Born This Way will be hosted by Hendersonville’s own Margot Wilde. FR (6/9), 7:30pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 South Washington St, Hendersonville

Movies in the Park

All movies are free and begin at dusk in Pack Square Park. This month's movie is Disney's Cruella. Bring blankets and folding chairs for comfort. There will also be food and treats from local vendors.

FR (6/9), 8pm, 1 South Pack Square Park Rodgers & Hammerstein's: Cinderella Enchanted

The Award-winning Broadway musical from the creators of The King and I and The Sound of Music comes

to Flat Rock Playhouse. Multiple showings Wednesday through Sunday. Visit avl.mx/crb for the full schedule and showings.

Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Hwy 225, Flat Rock

New Works Series

Script-in-hand readings of new plays by emerging local playwrights. A short discussion will follow each reading to provide feedback to the playwright about their script. SA (6/10), 3pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 South Washington St, Hendersonville Electric Jesus

The Polk County Film Initiative (PCFI) will host the Tryon premier of Electric Jesus as a fundraiser for the Tryon International Film Festival (TRIFF).

SU (6/11), 6pm, Tyron Fine Arts Center, 34 Melrose Ave, Tryon Music Movie Mondays: Monterey Pop

Showcasing the best in new, classic and cult films about music, these special screenings feature an introduction by music by journalist Bill Kopp, followed by a screening of the film and then a moderated discussion about what we've just seen and heard.

MO (6/12), 7pm, Grail Moviehouse, 17 Foundy St

Free Odd Movie Night: Black Roses

Free heavy metal-themed horror movie released at the height of the Satanic panic of the late ‘80s. Free popcorn. WE (6/14), 9pm, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Lewis Creek Preserve Nature Walk Bob Gale, MountainTrue’s Ecologist & Public Lands Director, will lead a slow hike along the nature trail and boardwalk,

interpreting plant life, wildflowers, a rare Southern Appalachian Bog ecosystem, and the value of pollinators on this property.

WE (6/7), 9am, Edneyville Community Center, 15 Ida Rogers Dr, Hendersonville Competitive Duplicate Bridge Check bridgeweb.com/ avl for dates, times and special announcements. All are welcome.

WE (6/7, 14), FR (6/9), MO (6/12), noon, Congregation Beth Israel, 229 Murdock Ave

Great Southeast Pollinator Census Learn about the Census, how to participate in the Census, and how to bring the Census to your community or organizations. Register at avl.mx/cqz

WE (6/7), 1:30pm

Tenant Rights Workshop

The goal of this workshop is to educate tenants about their rights as renters in North Carolina and begin connecting tenants to resources and to each other. There will be a presentation and Q&A session with Pisgah Legal Services followed by a discussion with Just Economics about the Tenants' Network. Register at avl.mx/cq5

WE (6/7), 4pm, West Asheville Public Library, 942 Haywood Rd

Pritchard Park Series: Summer of Science

Explore hands on activities and experiments while we learn about the Science of Bubbles or the Science of Sound. Every other week we will play and learn together using a variety of tools, instruments, and toys.

WE (6/7, 14), 5:30pm, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

Rhythm of Women

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

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

WE (6/7, 14), 7pm, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Spanish Club

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

WE (6/7, 14), 6pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

Music To Your Ears: Bill Kopp w/Bob Hinkle

A monthly discussion series for music enthusiasts to gather and discuss important albums, artists or musical movements. A discussion of Rock of Ages will serve as the starting point for a lively conversation with Bob

Hinkle.

WE (6/7), 7pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

Butts & Boots: Line Dancing

Beginner line dance and two-step lessons, every Thursday. No cover. No partner or experience needed.

TH (6/8, 15), 6pm, Banks Ave., 32 Banks Ave

Introduction to Medicare: Understanding the Puzzle

The class will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money. To register, visit the coabc.org or call (828) 277-8288.

TH (6/8), 2pm, Online, coabc.org

AmeriHealth Caritas

Asheville: Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

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

TH (6/8), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Voter Registration Training

Learn about important changes to the process in 2023, and you’ll be qualified to volunteer at registration events.

TH (6/8), 5:30pm, N Asheville Library, 1030 Merrimon Ave

A Narrative From the Inside: Hendersonville’s 9th Avenue School

The presentation will share information from both the students and teachers perspective about: busing from surrounding counties, education expectations and what has been learned from the teachers’ perspective, their education qualifications, where they were from and where they resided while teaching at the 9th Ave School, and what happened after integration.

TH (6/8), 6pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd Energy Efficiency & Sustainable Renovations for Houses of Worship

A free webinar about energy efficiency improvements and renovations that align with your moral values and lower your building’s energy costs. Register at avl.mx/cr1

TH (6/8), 7pm, Online Swing Dance Lesson & Dance

Swing dancing lesson and dance, every Thursday.

TH (6/8, 15), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd

Walk & Talk Fridays

Stroll through the pollinator trail, then stay to explore the

woodland nature trail, Sally’s Garden, horticultural therapy gardens, as well as the Fairy Trail. Suitable for all ages; children must be accompanied by an adult.

FR (6/9), 10am, Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville Brews & Bears

An after-hours summer event series where you can enjoy the WNC Nature Center in the evening with a beer, cider, or wine in hand. There are also food vendors and educational programming, along with popsicle enrichment for black bears Uno and Ursa. See p30 FR (6/9), 5:30pm, WNC Nature Center, 75 Gashes Creek Rd

Petals, Pulps & Paper

In this class you will create beautiful handmade paper with a focus on natural elements; flower petals, grasses, and even seeds. This class is a great option for a beginner or anyone curious about the art of paper-making. All materials will be provided.

FR (6/9), 6pm, Haywood Handmade Gallery, 86 N Main St, Waynesville

Late Spring Nature Ramble

A ramble through nature with experienced guide and naturalist, Luke Cannon, founder, director and teacher at Astounding Earth.

SA (6/10), 9am, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W State St, Black Mountain

Hemlock Educational Hike

Learn about hemlock trees and their importance to streams that feed Mills River on this educational hike. Pre-registration is required. Contact Thom Green with the Hemlock Restoration Initiative at info@savehemlocksnc. org or (828) 252-4783 to sign up.

SA (6/10), 9:45am, Foster Creek Trail, Mills River

Family Discovery Day

A free opportunity to explore the 25-acre forest, ninja course, pine play, chicken field, and other exciting areas of the Farmstead.

SA (6/10), 10am, Asheville Farmstead School, 218 Morgan Cove Rd, Candler

Arise Into Self: 5Rhythms Waves Workshop

Dance workshop with Tata Leban, certified 5rhythms Teacher. This 3 day workshop offers movement, meditation, medicine, metaphor, and performance art. There is the option to attend all classes or Friday only.

SA (6/10), 11am, Haw Creek Commons, 315 Old Haw Creek Rd

Night at Lake Julian Park

This overnight campout includes dinner, breakfast and other activities to complete a camping experience.

Attendees should bring their own tents and sleeping bags but don’t need to have prior camping experience to participate.

SA (6/10), noon, Lake Julian Park, 37 Lake Julian Rd, Arden

Intro to Tarot

Learn the cards, the history, various techniques for reading for yourself and others. Cards provided or you can bring your own.

SA (6/10), 1pm, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Painted Glass Workshop

Create a whimsical glass vase for your cut flowers or dry floral arrangements. Glass mason jars will be used to embellish using chalk paint and acrylics. Also learn the technique of applying stamps to a curved surface.

SA (6/10), 1pm, Red House Studios and Gallery, 310 W State St, Black Mountain

Past Life Journeying

w/Bobby B

A guided meditation to reconnect to an experience in a previous existence. Participation and sharing afterward is optional; this can be a private experience if desired.

SA (6/10), 2pm, Aligned Alchemy Center Asheville, 1095 Hendersonville Rd

Pride Tie Dye Event

Choose between four Highland Brewing Company designs to have them screen printed in front of you and tie-dyed by HBC staff.

SU (6/11), noon, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Game Day: Perspective Café

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

SU (6/11), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Explore Srividya: Experience the Divine Feminine Within

Learn about Srividya, the ancient spiritual knowledge to experience the Divine Feminine within. For anyone interested in self-knowledge, truth and seeking to understand the purpose and meaning of life.

SU (6/11), 6pm, Weaverville Yoga, 3 Florida Ave, Weaverville

Summer of Science

Camp Hands-on learning for children that will keep them entertained and engaged this summer.

Option of signing up all week or individual days, with full and half-day options offered. It's going to be a fun-filled, educational, and experiential science adventure.

MO (6/12), 9am, Asheville Museum of Science, 43 Patton Ave

AmeriHealth Asheville: Computer Lab & Wi-Fi Hours

Each Monday, offering computer hours with two workspaces.

MO (6/12), 11am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Sew Co./Rite of Passage Factory Tour

On this 30 minute micro-tour, learn about sustainable and transparent business practices and hear about production processes and client collaborations.

MO (6/12), 11am, Rite of Passage Clothing & Sew Co, 240 Clingman Ave Ext

Stitches of Love

A small group of stitchers who create a variety of handmade items which are donated to local charities. The group meets monthly and has donated over 32,000 items (quilts, lap robes, knitted and crocheted items) over the past 18 years. New members are always welcome to join. For more info contact Janet at (828) 575-919.

MO (6/12), 3pm, Panera Bread, 1843 Hendersonville Rd

Chess Club

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

MO (6/12), 4pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain Asheville Guitar League

There is a local artist as the presenter for the 1st hour and then everyone breaks into groups and plays together.

MO (6/12), 6pm, Groce United Methodist Church, 954 Tunnel Rd

How To Know What You Want

A discussion about how to ask yourself the kinds of questions that will help you uncover your desires. We’ll also talk about how to deal with the growth edges that inevitably come up with diving into your panacea of pleasure.

Anonymous Q&A to follow. 18+

MO (6/12), 7pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

The Blood Connection

Blood Drive

With an urgent need for blood donations, The Blood Connection and Highland Brewing Co. are partnering to host this blood drive. Visit avl.mx/crc to schedule a

donation appointment.

TU (6/13), 1pm, The Meadow at Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Lees-McRae College: Wildlife Rehabilitation w/Live Animals

Children will explore ecological concepts, human impacts and relationships and the importance of wildlife rehabilitation in our world today. Visit buncombecounty.org/ library or call (828) 250-4758 for more information.

TU (6/13), 1:30pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Taste & Talk Series:

Art & Wine

Ciao Asheville and Metro Wines team up with Sarah Newman, art historian and Certified Sommelier with Volio Imports, to discuss the symbiosis between art and wine.

TU (6/13), 5:30pm, Engaged Asheville, 41 North Merrimon Ave, Ste 107

Astrology: Through The Cosmos

In this 9 series workshop, you will learn to cultivate rich relationships with the planets using the language of astrology ease-fully, invoking the planetary guides with ritual and learning how to translate their guidance intuitively.

TU (6/13), 6pm, Mountain Magic Studio, 3 Louisiana Ave

Pritchard Park Summer Series: Hoop & Flow Arts Jam Asheville Hoops provides jammin’ tunes, demo props for all to use and a positive event that promotes movement, creativity, dance and fun.

TU (6/13), 6pm, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

The Western Carolina Botanical Club: Prospecting for Plants

Speakers will discuss its history, mission, and the tremendous amount of data they’ve collected on local plant species. Learn about weekly field trips to some of the most interesting local biodiversity hotspots, illustrated with photos of favorite wildflowers, woody plants and mosses.

TU (6/13), 7pm, OLLI/ Reuter Center, UNCA, 300 Campus View Rd

Walk Through History: Lake Tomahawk

A guided walking tour around Lake Tomahawke that will discuss the creation of the lake and its history from its inception in 1936 to the present with attendees. WE (6/14), 10:30am, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W State St, Black Mountain

Tenant Rights Workshop

The goal of this virtual workshop is to educate tenants about their rights as renters in North Carolina and begin connecting tenants to resources and to each other. There will be a presentation and Q&A session with Pisgah Legal Services followed by a discussion with Just Economics about the Tenants' Network. Register at avl.mx/cq6

WE (6/14), 5:30pm, Online

Children's Week

A week of free cultural activities for children and their caregivers. The week will feature a robust schedule with hands-on experiences and demonstrations from Museum staff and EBCI craftspeople, cultural leaders, and community members. All activities are free of charge, and registration is not required.

TH (6/15), noon, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, 589 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee

Meet Gracie: Read to a Therapy Dog

Meet Gracie, a certified therapy dog who’s the perfect friend for anyone in need of comfort or support.

TH (6/15), 4pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Third Thirsty Thursday

A social event for people interested in being a coach, or a business person wanting to network with coaches in a fun, social environment, Curated by Western Carolinas Coaches (ICF subchapter).

TH (6/15), 5pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Money Visioning & Goal Setting

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

Register at avl.mx/cr0

TH (6/15), 5:30pm, Online

LOCAL MARKETS

Etowah Lions Club

Farmers Market

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

WE (6/7), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

Leicester Farmers Market

Farmers Market with over 30 vendors. Locally grown and sourced selection of meats, produce, eggs, plants

and flowers, baked goods, cheese, honey, sauces, crafts, art, and more. Every Wednesday through Oct. 25.

WE (6/7, 14), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

RAD Farmers Market

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

WE (6/7, 14), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr

Weaverville Tailgate Market

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

Open year round.

WE (6/7, 14), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville

Enka-Candler Tailgate Market

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

Every Thursday through October.

TH (6/8), 3pm, A-B

Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Flat Rock Farmers Market

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

Every Thursday through Oct. 26.

TH (6/8), 3pm, Pinecrest ARP Church, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

Pack Square Artisan Market

This market will showcase local handcrafted goods in the heart of downtown Asheville.

Every Friday through Oct. 27.

FR (6/9), 1pm, 1 South Pack Square Park

East Asheville Tailgate Market

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

FR (6/9), 3pm, Grose UMC, 954 Tunnel Rd

Saluda Tailgate Market

With over a dozen vendors, this agriculture-only market

features an assortment of homegrown produce, meat, and eggs within a 25 mile radius.

FR (6/9), 4:30pm, W Main St, Saluda

Henderson County Tailgate Market

Seasonal fruits, fresh mushrooms, vegetables, local honey, meat, eggs, garden plant starts, perennials and much more. Every Saturday through Oct. 28.

SA (6/10), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville Hendersonville

Farmers Market

A vibrant community gathering space with produce, meat, eggs, baked goods, coffee, crafts, food trucks, live music, kids' activities and more. Every Saturday through Oct. 28.

SA (6/10), 8am, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville

Lake Junaluska Flea Market

The flea market features one-of-a-kind teasures. Areas of the flea market include furniture, plants, arts and crafts, women’s clothing, luggage, electronics, kitchen items, linens, toys, games/recreation, home décor, tools, holiday items, books and baked goods.

SA (6/10), 8am, Nanci Weldon Memorial Gym, Lake Junaluska, Waynesville

Mills River Farmers Market

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

Saturdays through Oct. 28.

SA (6/10), 8am, Mills River Elementary School, 94 Schoolhouse Rd, Mills River

North Asheville Tailgate Market

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

SA (6/10), 8am, 3300

University Heights

Asheville City Market

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

SA (6/10), 9am, 52 N

Market St

Black Mountain Tailgate Market

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

through November.

SA (6/10), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Bullington Gardens

Daylily Market: A Colorful Celebration of Nature's Beauty

This event will showcase a collection of 100 different varieties of daylilies, meticulously curated by Bullington's Daylily Manager, Nancy Rigsby. Visitors will have the opportunity to browse and purchase from an impressive selection of daylilies.

SA (6/10), 9am, Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville

53rd Annual AAUW Book Market

The Brevard Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is sponsoring its 53rd Annual Book Market at Brevard College. Proceeds will support scholarships for local girls and young women.

SA (6/10), MO (6/12), TU (6/13), WE (6/14) 10am, SU (6/11), noon. Brevard College Boshamer Gym, 1 Brevard College Dr, Brevard

Mars Hill Farmers & Artisans Market

A producer-only tailgate market located on the campus of Mars Hill University on College Street. We offer fresh local produce, herbs, garden and landscape plants, cut flowers, cheeses, meats, eggs, baked goods, jams, honey, soaps, tinctures, crafts & more.

SA (6/10), 10am, College Street, College St, Mars Hill

WNC Farmers Market

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

SU (6/11), 8am, 570 Brevard Rd

Meadow Market

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

SU (6/11), 1pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy, Ste 200

Tuesday Creative Market

Browse the wares from local makers and creatives.

TU (6/13), 4pm, Different Wrld, 701 Haywood Rd

Biltmore Park Farmers Market

A wide array of farmfresh seasonal produce, eggs, honey, locally-grown flowers, artisan baked goods, foraged mushrooms, handmade soaps, and more from

local farmers, specialty food producers, and crafters. Every Thursday through July 20.

TH (6/15), 3pm, Biltmore Park Town Square, Town Square Blvd

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

26th Annual Bluff Mountain Festival

A free community event with foot-tapping bluegrass and old-time music, a silent auction of regional items, an artists’ market, good food and more. The festival is a fundraiser for the Madison County Arts Council. See p32 SA (6/10), 10am, Hot Springs Spa & Resort, 315 Bridge St, Hot Springs

Bus Down The River: Art Market Music Fest

Featuring local vendors, foods, drinks and enjoy performances by Safety Coffin, Paprika, Indelible Sauce, DJ Cole and more. SA (6/10), noon, Fallout Art Space, 475 Fletcher Martin Rd, Alexander Carolina Muse: Arts

Jam

This immersive arts event features local musicians, dancers, writers, and visual

artists all in one show. Browse art pieces, crafts made by local artists and enjoy performances and readings from creators of several styles and genres.

SA (6/10), noon, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

5th Annual Weaverville Music on Main Main Street will be closed to traffic between Brown Street and Merrimon Ave with the music stage located in front of Weaverville Town Hall. Headlining the festival this year is eclectic Americana and folk quartet, Dangermuffin. Also joining the line up will be Datrian Johnson & The Jamie Hendrickson Quartet. SA (6/10), 4pm, Main St, Weaverville The Big Secret Festival

All profits from this family-friendly musical benefit will go directly to BeLoved Asheville. This is gonna be a celebration of giving and getting down with feature performances from The Secret Agency, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, and Firecracker Jazz Band. See p33 SU (6/11), 2:30pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr

Art in Bloom 2023

This multifaceted event, celebrating nature and art, combines two gallery exhibits, live floral arrangements, and a local garden tour featuring working artists. This unique exhibition that also serves as a fundraiser for the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.

TH (6/15), 5pm, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain Rhythm & Brews Concert Series: Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights w/Carolina Drifters

Free outdoor shows with a variety of established acts as well as up-and-coming artists from around the nation. This week, blues & Southern-rock band Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights will be performing alongside the Carolina Drifters.

TH (6/15), 5:30pm, Downtown Hendersonville South Main St

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

Verbal Purple Domestic Violence Awareness Benefit

A Domestic Violence Awareness event to

honor the strength and courage of Survivors. Additionally, the event will provide resources that can help survivors and victims and educate the public. There will also be musical performances, a fashion show, a silent auction, a food truck, and more. Various items will be available to purchase, with proceeds gong to Helpmate and Our VOICE. See p28 FR (6/9), 7pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Yoga & Benefit

This is an all-levels yoga flow class. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Bounty & Soul, a community based non-profit organization that provides access to fresh produce and wellness education for everyone.

SA (6/10), 3pm, Pisgah Brewing Co., 150 E Side Dr, Black Mountain Smash The Cistem: Car Smash Benefit

Release your rage for a good cause. every ticket helps the nonbinary, transgender and gender variant folks of wnc live better lives. SU (6/11), noon, The Odd, 1045 Haywood Rd

Making the most of the time left

Asheville woman writes a guide for terminally ill and their loved ones

BY KAY WEST

The advice Kae Heckerman Mance has for the loved ones of someone who is terminally ill is almost humorously obvious: “Don’t send get well cards to terminally ill patients.” Instead, she says, write a note to let recipients know they’re in one’s thoughts. As a person who is living with terminal stage 4 breast cancer, Mance knows of what she speaks.

This suggestion, and many others, are in Mance’s self-published book Living Well to Die Well: A Guide to Terminally Ill People and Their Loved Ones.

Mance says she never intended to write a book, but a bout of insomnia in November led her there. “I woke up one morning at 4 a.m., and my mind was racing,” she recalls. “I felt like I needed to write those thoughts down, so I went to my office and started typing for about three hours. The same thing happened multiple nights.”

Mance, a retired special education teacher, reached out to her former principal who had written a book and asked for guidance; he assured her she had the makings of one. She collected notes, made outlines, wrote for two months and found a cover image of a sunset on Isle of Palms, S.C., where her family had vacationed for years. By Christmas 2022, the writing was completed, she edited it in January, and the book became available for sale on Amazon at the end of that month. Mance hopes the final product helps individuals facing terminal illnesses and those close to them.

NOT WASTING A SINGLE DAY

Before her life-shattering diagnosis in July 2022, Mance had years of experience with other medical challenges.

“I have been through a lot,” she says. “I had an aneurysm that burst in

the middle of my brain and was given just a 50-50 chance of surviving to get to surgery, then a 50-50 chance of surviving surgery. I’ve had a heart attack, multiple abdominal surgeries and breast cancer in 2009 that required a double-mastectomy, chemo, radiation and reconstruction.”

She also has intimate connections with terminal illnesses in loved ones. Her sister Marti died at age 47 years old in 1996, only 11 months after a diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. Her brother Bill died in 2020 at age 70 after a four-year battle with rare spindle cell sarcoma.

“All three of us were raised to accept that death was part of life, but my sister and brother handled their own terminal diagnosis so differently,” Mance explains. “[My sister] was inexplicably in denial and as a result, didn’t make peace or say goodbye to anyone. My brother fought so hard, but when he knew there was nothing else he could do, he was relieved. He was so tired. But he still insisted on laughing and finding joy and not wasting a single day.”

These experiences have all informed Living Well to Die Well.

INITIAL SHOCK AND THEN DETERMINATION

Mance’s own life is full of family. She and her husband, Andy Mance, moved from Charleston, S.C., to Asheville in January 2021. One son lives in Asheville, and another lives in Durham. She recently became a grandmother for the first time.

In the summer of 2022, Mance experienced worsening back pain, further aggravated by a hard landing from a zip line at an Asheville adventure park with her late sister’s granddaughter in July. After a CT scan at an imaging center revealed lesions on her spine, Mance was hospitalized for more tests. During five days of hospitalization, additional

A GOOD DEATH: Kae Heckerman Mance, pictured here with her husband, Andy, self-published a book, Living Well to Die Well, in January about living with terminal illness. Photo courtesy of Mance

scans showed more lesions on her spine, two on her liver and multiple bone lesions throughout her body.

Mance’s oncologist, Dr. Rachel Raab, shared the diagnosis: triple-negative breast cancer, stage 4. She had been in remission for 14 years, doing well overall and seeing an oncologist regularly. “I told Dr. Raab I wanted to know everything — that’s how I combat fear,” Mance says. “I asked her if there was any chance of remission, and she said no.”

Mance immediately determined she was not willing to endure terminal cancer being constantly ill. She had undergone intravenous chemotherapy previously, but at 69 years old, she knew she wouldn’t endure it again to extend her life by months instead of years. “There is a point when the treatment is worse than the disease,” she explains. Mance did have radiation for about two weeks on her spine, which was helpful, and she currently receives a monthly shot to strengthen her bones. She started oral chemotherapy in September, but it made her feel sick, so she stopped. She adopted advice she received from longtime friend Dr. Rob Pennington, whose doctorate was in psychology. Diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Pennington never lost his positive attitude, even facing his inevitable death, Mance says. Upon her own diagnosis, he shared two bits of wisdom: “You can’t control what is happening to you, but you can control your response to it” and “When you find yourself in a perfectly miserable situation, why make it worse by being perfectly miserable?”

Mance determined to take those statements as her mantras. “The first time I had cancer I was so scared — I felt like I had no control and just did whatever I was told to do,” she explains. “Now, knowing what the outcome will be, I determined I would be involved in my care and make the decisions. Dr. Raab could not give me a timeline but said, ‘Let’s get you to

your 70th birthday.’” Mance and her family celebrated her 70th in April.

WRITING A BOOK

Facing her terminal illness, Mance revived what she calls the Mance Medical Updates; they’re similar to the holiday card letters people send but with medical news and family photos. She writes and emails those updates to about 150 people. Mance created an end-of-life binder for her family with every kind of information they would need for her death and end-of-life preparations. She has written her obituary, chosen the photo she wants used, planned her end-of-life service and enlisted a group of friends who will take responsibility for setting up the reception at the house and cleaning up afterward.

Those tasks and talks with her minister, the Rev. Sara Wilcox at Land of the Sky United Church of Christ in Asheville, led Mance to partner with Wilcox for a six-week course last fall, which they called “Living to Die Well.” About two dozen people attended in person and via Zoom. And all of this information — the course, her Mance Medical Updates, her end-of-life binder — was incorporated into Living Well to Die Well the book.

Mance says she knows she doesn’t have a long time left. She and her husband visited The Center for Conscious Living & Dying in Swannanoa and researched palliative care and hospice. They’re hopeful she can have those experiences at home.

“Dying is a big thing, and I want the details of it to be as easy as possible on my family as it can be,” Mance says. “I want us to spend the remaining time I have laughing and living, being together and saying goodbye, and then I want them to have time to grieve. There is no perfect death, but we can have a good death.” X

Empty promises

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

earnaudin@mountainx.com

Three years is typically the point in an undertaking when significant changes should be evident. For example, after that amount of time, a U.S. president’s policies have had time to take effect; similarly, a college junior is well on his or her way to setting up their post-studies life.

But after three trips around the sun following the death of George Floyd and the waves of Black Lives Matter protests that — along with the COVID-19 pandemic — defined the summer of 2020, local arts leaders of color say little progress has occurred in Asheville’s creative sector.

“I think, at best, it would be about the same as [it was] prior to COVID and George Floyd,” says Sekou Coleman, executive director of youth arts, social justice and racial equity nonprofit Artéria Collective. “It was always challenging for local artists of any ethnicity. That’s always been the refrain. With this being such a tourist town, it’s such a challenge for people who live here and try and work here.”

Quoting Malcolm X — “When white America catches a cold, Black America catches pneumonia” — Coleman elaborates that when conditions are subpar for the general population, they’re always far more challenging for people of color. That disparity for minorities is likewise evident in the creative sector, and in 2023, those difficulties have not subsided, despite promise after promise within the arts to enact lasting change.

“It feels as though there was a lot of performative talk and activity, particularly in the wake of George Floyd’s death. We saw a lot of Black Lives Matter signs in people’s lawns and people talking about wanting to do this and that and so forth,” Coleman says. “But the reality is, for us, it’s still a challenge.”

GROUNDHOG DAY

On the plus side, Artéria Collective has what Coleman calls “a great contract situation” with Buncombe County’s Community Engagement team whereby a youth documentation group is following the Community Reparations Commission process. Meanwhile, Artéria’s artists of color are also engaged in several activities with Asheville Parks and Recreation.

Creatives of color see little change in arts equity efforts since 2020

However, Coleman says grant programs overseen by city and county entities are failing arts organizations like his. After receiving a strategic partnership grant from the county for the 2023 fiscal year (under the group’s former name, Asheville Writers in the Schools and Community), the nonprofit did not receive funding for 2024. Artéria was also denied strategic partnership funding from the city the past two years and was the highest-rated unfunded group both times, barely missing out on receiving grants.

As described on the city’s grant page, the “current scope of the SPG program is to address the impacts of the opportunity gap by supporting school-aged children from low- to moderate-income households in and outside of the classroom.” Coleman notes that each group that received funding is focused on academic performance, not arts equity.

Rachel Taylor , economic development specialist for the city, confirms that the programs funded since the the SPG program launched last summer have not had a specific or sole focus on the arts. She adds that the organizations that were awarded in this round of funding featured proposals and

activities that overlap across the program’s three focused categories: providing access to educational opportunities; building networks and readiness for success; and providing access to support services and resources. Grant recipients include The Arc of Buncombe County; Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective; and Read to Succeed Asheville.

Though Coleman does not take issue with the work and current focus of these programs, he believes there is a lack of understanding about the value of the arts, “particularly as it relates to supporting the overall development of youth and of the community.”

According to Coleman, support from local venues and arts organizations is also lacking, despite numerous conversations he was part of in 2020 when arts leaders were “falling all over themselves to talk about how they wanted to do things differently.”

Last November, he contacted a local performance venue about hosting Artéria Collective’s annual spring fundraiser but says the request was denied because the booking agent was more interested in turning a profit by hiring a touring artist for a gig.

“Here’s the opportunity for you to support local artists and local arts equity, and instead you’re doing more of the same,” Coleman laments. “The local community is still perpetuating the same narrative of saying that they want diversity and to do things differently. And in reality, they’re just going to keep on doing the same thing that they’ve always done because that’s what’s easy. It’s what’s familiar, it’s what’s accessible.”

Even the majority of funders and organizations that support Artéria Collective are only willing to do so in a limited capacity, he continues. Coleman stresses a need for benefactors “to think differently and to be more bold in their actions,” but finds that they typically wind up making commitments that don’t impact the organization’s normal operations.

“It’s imperative that those folks who have the resources and recognize how they came into their privilege and are choosing and desiring to do something different, genuinely step up and do something that is different,” he says. “This situation that we’re in is one that was created over

WE GOT THE BEAT: Local hip-hop artist Davaion “Spaceman Jones” Bristol mentors an Artéria Collective youth in the ways of music production. Photo by Alpha Cardenas

Veterans ISSUE Coming

June 28th!

generations and through billions of dollars of investments and intentional policies and practices and systems. So, it’s going to take a considerably similar level of attention and intention to redress the situation.”

MAKING MOVES

Unwilling to wait for opportunities to materialize, Coleman’s colleague Lau Malintzin — program coordinator for the nonprofit’s Word on the Street/Voz de les Jóvenes efforts, and who also works as a DJ and cultural event organizer — helped form the OYE Collective in early summer 2020. The group creates spaces that are exclusively for artists of color in the Asheville area.

“No one else was going to do it. We started finding out that every time we knocked on a door, whether that was at a venue or a restaurant, we were always turned away because people were scared of the [racial equity] conversations,” Malintzin says. “And then slowly it has shifted somewhat. I think that people are trying to be more inclusive, not only for the BIPOC community but the queer community — but on a very superficial level.”

That surface commitment has similarly plagued Jenny Pickens. Though the initial flurry of interest in artists of color three years ago resulted in significantly increased exposure for the visual artist and dollmaker — an Asheville native and longtime creator who was largely unknown prior to 2020 — the lack of a visible space to cultivate that attention has hampered her progress.

In addition to the increased work, Pickens was featured on the PBS travel show “Samantha Brown’s Places to Love” and Raleigh-based WRAL-TV ’s “Tar Heel Traveler,” and has been the subject of articles in Black Enterprise and Business North Carolina magazines. Then in early May, The New York Times mentioned her in its latest “36 Hours in Asheville” article, highlighting her “oversized portrait of the author James Baldwin” that hangs in local restaurant Benne on Eagle. And yet, she continues to work from her home studio, her search for an affordable public space in Asheville remaining open-ended.

“I’m not bragging or anything, but my name is out there enough, and I’m doing enough stuff to where you don’t even have to second-guess — you can Google it now and see all these different things I’ve done,” Pickens says. “I’m definitely active. I’m doing what I should do. So why aren’t the options here locally opening up for me? It’s really weird.”

Having her own space is important to the artist on multiple levels. With her name receiving attention in statewide and national media outlets, she says tourists are visiting Asheville to interact with Pickens and her work but are unable to easily locate her. Though she has work on display in Noir Collective, which exclusively features arts, crafts and other items made by Black creators, it’s not a space where she can develop new works, store art supplies or teach art to children — one of her great passions. And so, the quest continues for a studio that fits her budget and is compatible with her mind and soul.

“Places say, ‘I’ve got this space. Come check it out.’ But when I get there, I don’t feel that sense of ‘I’m really here to support you.’ Instead, it’s ‘I’m really here because of your name and I need to market off of that,’” Pickens says. “If that doesn’t feel right, I’m not going to do it. I know some people are like, ‘You’re being picky.’ Yes, I am being picky! Because as an artist, the environment, the feeling — everything’s got to be right for me.”

Pickens adds that she’s not looking for a huge “$20,000 per month” space, or even her own gallery. Just something decent that shows her worth and reflects the time she’s invested in the community. But without generational wealth, an issue for numerous other local Black artists, the necessary funds for even a modest space are proving elusive.

‘A LIFETIME COMMITMENT’

Within this bleak environment, some organizations and venues have nevertheless stepped up. Artéria Collective has received immense support from the N.C. Arts Council and eventually found a welcoming partner for its spring fundraiser in Devil’s Foot Beverage Co., which hosted the event May 21 in its The Mule space. Arts AVL has also helped the nonprofit network and connect with others, and Malintzin points to The Odd as a white-owned business that’s expanded its inclusion to artists of color.

Meanwhile, Pickens has found continued support and opportunities from Rae Geoffrey, managing director at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, whose courtyard is adorned with a mural that Pickens painted in spring 2021. Explore Asheville has also recruited her to record voice-overs for its advertising campaigns.

But while organizational and institutional paradigm shifts would be welcome developments, Coleman, Pickens and Malintzin agree that enacting change and creating oppor-

tunities for underserved communities is most effective on the grassroots level.

“One thing about this community here, somebody knows somebody that

has something,” Pickens says. “You may know a real estate person who has a friend who has this building that’s empty or has this space that they’re not doing anything with. It’s

that connection — it’s the people you know, pretty much.”

A key part of that person-to-person community building, Malintzin notes, is recognizing organizations led by people of color that were doing arts equity work long before Floyd’s murder and the BLM protests brought greater attention to these issues. She highlights such groups as the Racial Justice Coalition, the Center for Participatory Change, PODER Emma Community Ownership, Slay the Mic, Asheville for Justice, the Southside Community Farm and the AVL Community Bail Fund that are involved in what she calls “a lifetime commitment to change the systems,” not merely efforts that only last a few years.

“2020 brought to light that we cannot rely on any private entities. For many people, it was a trend — something hip or simply just something to do during quarantine, but for people of color it has been the struggle of hundreds of years of systemic oppression and racism,” Malintzin says. “[Alliance] goes way beyond a Black Lives Matter sign on your yard or your business. It’s a daily commitment to hold yourself accountable, to relearn history, to be open to teach others about this process and to make daily reparations.” X

FINDING THE GROOVE: DJ Malintzin spins at The Pinhook in Durham this March. By co-founding the OYE Collective, the Asheville-based artist has helped create more opportunities for fellow creatives of color. Photo by Gianina Callejas

Power of purple

BY BILL KOPP

Local singer and producer Allison “A.G.” Hammond knows what it’s like to need help.

“When I first came back to Asheville after getting away from an abusive ex, I was very alone,” she recalls. “I felt like I didn’t have a voice; I had no one to go to.”

One day, a friend told her about Helpmate, which provides emergency shelter, counseling and support for domestic violence survivors.

“I hadn’t realized that they were there to help,” she says.

Now, Hammond is looking to give back to Helpmate, as well as Our VOICE, another local agency that offers similar aid to victims of sexual abuse. On Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m., she is hosting Verbal Purple at One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Road. The fundraiser will feature live music, a fashion show, a silent auction and local art.

“Verbal Purple is not really an organization,” she explains. “It’s more of an autonomous awareness promotional engine.”

Assisting Hammond with the project is her friend, local artist and former Our VOICE volunteer Jenna Jaffe

Verbal Purple, Hammond says, provides the pair with a more structured way to turn inspiration into action.

PURPLE AND TEAL

The name of the initiative ties in with its mission. “Purple is the color of the domestic violence ribbon,” Hammond explains. “And in my experience, I view purple as an uplifting color.”

Though absent in the name, teal — associated with sexual violence awareness — is another prominent color featured in the event’s design. “All of the fashion designs I’m creating [for the event] are purple and teal,” says Jaffe. Describing herself as a survivor of sexual abuse, Jaffe notes that some of the models who will showcase those designs are survivors as well.

Both organizers stress that Verbal Purple is an action-oriented entity designed to give survivors and victims a voice. “Because when you have action, that shows victims and survivors that they’re supported, they’re not alone.”

As reported by Xpress on Jan. 13, “the number of callers referred to the county’s lethality assessment program, which screens for domestic violence

Local artists raise awareness about domestic and sexual abuse

risk, has increased steadily since fiscal year 2018-19.” The news item also noted an increase in the severity of those calls. Meanwhile, “The number of callers saying their abuser had threatened to kill or use a weapon against them was at an all-time high in fiscal year 2021-22, the most recent period for which data is available.”

During Verbal Purple, several speakers will share their personal experiences. “Just today I’ve heard from two friends,” Jaffe says. “They both said, ‘I want to speak at this event. I want to talk about my story.’ And that’s why Verbal Purple isn’t just an event: It’s a blanket for awareness.”

FEEL-GOOD TUNES

Live music will be a key feature of the event. The entertainment lineup includes well-known local and regional artists: Marisa Blake, Kim Butler, Reggie Headen, Kim Jade, John Allen Keck, Landers & Borthwick, Melissa McKinney and Ashli Rose

Meanwhile, a house band will back up many of these performances. The group includes members of Empire Strikes Brass, JLloyd MashUp and Rahm Squad.

“It will be very empowering and uplifting music,” says Jaffe. “Feelgood, singalongs featuring covers and original music.” Jaffe notes that both she and Hammond will perform, too. In addition, comedian Christian Lee Villanueva will offer standup in between music sets, and Leeda “Lyric” Jones will DJ at the turntables. Drag performer Ganymede will serve as host.

“When a survivor walks in,” Hammond says, “they’re going to see the community there. They’ll realize, ‘Hey, they’re here for me.’”

FUTURE INITIATIVES

Though Verbal Purple’s inaugural event is just days away, Hammond and Jaffe are already at work planning their next happening. “We’re working on an event for October,” Hammond says. “It’s going to be more of a forum for the survivors to speak about their experience.” They’re also beginning the search for sponsorship, funding and volunteers.

Hammond says she has no plans to formalize Verbal Purple as nonprofit. Instead, her “promotional engine” concept will continue to be applied to

support the work of existing organizations. “We’re not experts,” Hammond says, adding that anyone in need of help should reach out directly to Our VOICE and/or Helpmate.

“I want people to know that they have a community, that they have resources,” says Hammond. She emphasizes that domestic violence and sexual abuse are not directed only at women in heterosexual relationships: “It’s all across the board: Men are abused by their male partners, women are abused by female partners, people abuse each other, incest happens, and people are abused by priests.”

Hammond hopes that Verbal Purple will empower people. “They cannot only survive,” she says, “but thrive, move on and heal.” X

SPEAKING OUT: Jenna Jaffe, left, and Allison “A.G.” Hammond team up to raise awareness about sexual abuse. Photo of Jaffe by Hammond; photo of Hammond by Sarah Garland

Fresh Dish

BY ANDY HALL

The following chat with chef Katie Button, co-founder and CEO of Katie Button Restaurants, kicks off the first in a new monthly column spotlighting seasonal dishes and cooking tips. As part of the series, we will ask each featured guest to nominate the following month’s chef.

Xpress joined Button inside La Bodega de Cúrate, her latest business, which features a Spanish-style market downstairs and a full-service restaurant on the second floor. A familiar face in the local culinary scene, Button’s revered Cúrate earned the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality. Additionally, Button is a founding member of Chow Chow: An Asheville Culinary Event, a member of the leadership team for the Asheville Independent Restaurant Association and the host of “From the Source,” an original series on the Magnolia Network.

Xpress: What’s a good seasonal ingredient underrepresented in home cooking?

I would say ramp tops — the green part. They are sustainable and have a lot of flavor. And it’s this unique flavor that’s like shallot meets garlic. One thing about ramp tops is you can puree and then freeze them in portions and have them for the rest of the year. So, it’s not just about enjoying them in the moment.

I also love to grill and sauté them. That was a tip I’d share with people back when we had [Button & Co. Bagels]. We used to fold that ramp puree into cream cheese — that’s how we made our ramp cream cheese. But on that point, you could fold it into

Katie Button on ramps, Spanish pastries and raw oysters

Outside of your own restaurants, what’s a local dish that you’ve tried in the last month that completely blew you away, and why?

I went to Neng Jr.’s recently. I had the adobo oyster — it’s a raw oyster on the half shell with this adobo sauce on it, topped with a loosely cured quailed egg yolk. It was incredible how unique the flavor combinations were. I would’ve never put the egg yolk right with an oyster like that. But it works because of the texture. And then that brings out that fatty richness of the egg yolk, along with the brininess of the oyster and the flavor and spices in the adobo sauce.

What cuisine would you like to see represented more in Asheville?

I like what chef J Chong is doing, introducing our region to really wellmade Cantonese food. And I would love to see that develop. Right now, you can only experience her Cantonese cuisine in pop-ups or her dumplings at the market. And I’m dying to have it, and I just wish that there was more.

What’s a favorite food destination within driving distance of Asheville that readers should add to their list?

just about anything; it can go in soups or sauces or pasta. It’s a flavor bomb.

I would recommend freezing them in ice-cube trays. That’s my favorite. What is a current dish on one of your restaurants’ menus that you feel is not getting the attention that it deserves?

I would say the xuixo. That’s Catalan, pronounced chu-cho. It’s the most incredible Spanish pastry. It’s available at La Bodega in the morning, but you can also order

it through lunch upstairs. It’s like croissant dough filled with pastry cream, deep fried and rolled in sugar. Basically, it’s as if you merged a croissant, an eclair and a doughnut.

I wonder why people aren’t paying attention to that. Do you have any theories?

I think because it’s new and the name xuixo is unusual, right? It’ll take someone recommending it or being in the know to know that that’s a thing that you should get.

We go to the Charleston area a lot. What I love about it is you’ve got the full range. I mean the culinary scene is similar to Asheville, but there are more options and more variety. You’ve got the casual seafood-shack-style restaurant where you can eat fried seafood and drink a beer with your toes almost in the sand. But then you can also go downtown and just have a really incredible meal at The Ordinary or FIG or The Obstinate Daughter. That’s what I love most about it — you can go in the city and eat great food, or you can head closer to the coast for a great meal. There are amazing restaurants in each and every pocket of Charleston. Who would you like to see us dish with next month?

I would love to nominate chef Iris Rodriguez at Little Chango. Oh, it is so good. Great for lunch and I really love their bites there. It’s one of my favorite lunch spots in town. X

COFFEE TALK: Chef and restaurateur Katie Button enjoys a cafe con leche and Catalan pastry xuixo at her restaurant La Bodega. Photo by Andy Hall

What’s new in food

Mother expands to South Slope

Mother, after establishing its first bread and wine retail shop in February 2022, has just opened its second location: a community market and café concept on the South Slope at 244 Short Coxe Ave.

Over 17 times larger than the original 200-square-foot shop at 20 Artful Way in the River Arts District, Mother’s new South Slope location will allow owners Heidi Bass and Brett Watson to provide even more of the sourdough bread and wine offerings early Mother adopters have come to love and expect, as well as a broader café menu featuring sandwiches, toasts, larger plated meals and sweets.

“The South Slope café has a brandnew kitchen that allows us to bake more bread in both volume and variety,” says Bass. “We’ve installed new high-capacity deck ovens, which are steam-injected and meant specifically for bread baking. Along with chef

Aleksander Kubicki, we’ve developed a casual menu to highlight our sourdough bread offerings, and there will be a larger variety of retail wines to take home or open on-site and enjoy.”

Mother’s new European-inspired café space is designed as an open layout with communal tables that encourage conversation and connection. “The space itself is very romantic and open,” says Bass. “We hope to host community events, tastings and workshops in the near future. We’re open to using the space in whatever way it naturally leans.”

Bread and wine lovers in the River Arts District need not worry: Mother’s South Slope location is an expansion, not a replacement of the original location.

“We really wanted to create a space for people to gather, see people they know and maybe meet people they didn’t know before,” explains Bass.

“If that can happen in the name of sourdough bread and wine, we would be greatly honored.”

Visit avl.mx/atg for additional information.

Beat the heat with Brews and Bears

Brews and Bears, the WNC Nature Center’s annual after-hours event series, returns for the summer months every second Friday from 5:30-8 p.m.

Each summer since 2016, Bears & Brews has allowed nature lovers to visit the wildlife park in the cooler evening hours, view the exhibits with a drink in hand and support the WNC Nature Center’s mission of education and conservation. One hundred percent of proceeds from Brews & Bears ($15 per person for members, $20 for nonmembers) funds Friends of the WNC Nature Center, the nonprofit organization supporting the wildlife park in providing veterinary care, food and enrichment, new exhibits and more.

“If you’re working Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, and you don’t get a chance to come here on your weekend, you don’t get to experience us,” says Kate Frost, development and marketing director for Friends of the WNC Nature Center, regarding why Brews and Bears is an important, fun event for locals and tourists alike.

“Guests can safely watch a black bear up close, learn from BearWise about

how to live around bears and see our animals who are more active in the evening without the summer heat.”

The education programs and conservation initiatives of the WNC Nature Center will also be highlighted with the arrival of several new red wolf pups. “People have the chance to see a critically endangered species try to make a comeback and learn how they can help it happen,” says Frost.

The WNC Nature Center is at 75 Gashes Creek Road. To purchase tickets and learn more, visit avl.mx/9iq.

Tall John’s sets up for summer

Tall John’s Neighborhood Tavern has opened a new, 36-seat outdoor dining patio and weekend brunch menu.

The new patio is open for both brunch and dinner service, offering sunny and shady seating options. With the addition of the 36 outdoor seats, Tall John’s General Manager Jasper Adams says he hopes to avoid long lines and wait times.

“Waiting in line to eat weekend brunch is a bummer,” says Adams in a news release. “There are some incredible daytime spots in Asheville,

but it’s common to wait 30 minutes or more, even at some of our favorite counter-service places. We anticipate minimal wait times and a relaxed atmosphere.”

Highlights from the new brunch menu include a brunch burger, eggs Florentine, buttermilk pancakes, brûléed grapefruit, a Pimm’s Cup cocktail and more. A variety of small plates, traditional brunch entrees, a la carte sides, cocktails and espresso drinks round out the new offerings.

Tall John’s is at 152 Montford Ave. For a full menu and additional information, visit avl.mx/c45.

Two new openings at the Asheville Outlets

Shoppers in need of a caffeine pickme-up or quick meal while perusing deals at the Asheville Outlets have two new options, with the recent openings of Overlook Coffee Collective and Cedeno Food & Mac Bar.

Locally owned and operated by founder Carrie Prado, Overlook Coffee Collective offers a large selection of coffee beans from various roasters and origins, locally sourced tea blends, smoothies, pastries and nutrition bars,

MOTHER RISES AGAIN: Mother owners Heidi Bass and Brett Watson have expanded to the South Slope with the bread and wine shop’s second location.

Photo courtesy Angela Wilhelm

as well as home goods and art. “I want our customers to experience a sense of community when stopping by our shop,” says Prado in a news release. “My goal is Southern hospitality to the fullest. Customers will be greeted with smiles and provided with an amazing drink crafted by well-trained baristas, and they’ll enjoy coffee beans from some of the finest roasters around.”

Cedeno Food & Mac Bar, named after owner Tracy Cedeno, brings a menu of quick bites such as hot dogs, chicken tenders and fries to the center’s food court. A build-your-own mac and cheese bowl encourages creative diners to customize the classic comfort food dish with toppings like bacon, broccoli, kielbasa, ham and more. “Cedeno Mac is excited to join the Asheville Outlets,” says Cedeno in a news release. “The food is fast and warm and brings a new twist to graband-go options.”

The Asheville Outlets are at 800 Brevard Road. Visit avl.mx/cq2 for hours, menus and additional information.

Nonalcoholic options at McCormick Field

McCormick Field, home of the Asheville Tourists minor league baseball team, has added two nonalcoholic beers to the beer lineup for the 2023 season. Accommodating thirsty, sober patrons and establishing an inclusive refreshment environment was a priority for McCormick Field’s concession offerings, says Tyler Holt, chief operating officer of Asheville Moonshiners Concessions. “We want to be a place where any family in WNC can come out to a baseball game and enjoy themselves. Our wide selection of beer is something we boast about regularly; now we can add our nonalcoholic options to that list.”

Both beers are supplied by Athletic Brewing Co., one of the nation’s leading breweries specializing in only nonalcoholic beer. “Our fans requested some nonalcoholic beverages to enjoy alongside their friends, and Athletic Brewing Co. is a leader on that front,” says Holt. “They have a very recognizable brand that our fans can easily identify with.”

The Upside Dawn Golden Ale and the Free Wave Hazy IPA nonalcoholic beers are now available for sober baseball fans to enjoy at McCormick Field. McCormick Field is at 30 Buchanan Place. Visit avl.mx/cq3 for Tourists tickets and additional information.

AMB buys back

Appalachian Mountain Brewery founders Nathan Kelischek and

Chris Zieber, cousins and Asheville natives, have become the first craft brewers to ever buy themselves back from Anheuser-Busch.

Founded in 2011, Appalachian Mountain Brewery partnered with the Craft Brew Alliance in 2014 to increase production and expand distribution across the Carolinas. The Craft Brew Alliance then fully acquired the brewery in 2018, and when the alliance expanded a partnership with Anheuser-Busch, Appalachian Mountain Brewery joined AnheuserBusch’s craft portfolio.

Now the original owners are back in the driver’s seat and ready to move forward again as independent business owners. “We will be shifting our focus immediately toward growing our local team, opening our new taproom in Mills River and continuing our investment in sustainability and philanthropy efforts that make a difference in our North Carolina communities,” say Kelischek and Zieber in a release.

“This all hinges on producing the highest-quality products and delivering a unique experience for our customers.”

Appalachian Mountain Brewery is at 163 Boone Creek Drive, Boone. The new Mills River location opens this summer at 46 N. Mills River Road. To learn more about this historic announcement, visit avl.mx/cq1.

North Carolina represents at Beer Cup Awards

North Carolina brought home a total of 13 medals from the Brewers Association’s 2023 World Beer Cup Competition, recently held in Nashville, Tenn. This year’s competition welcomed a total of 10,213 beer entries from 2,376 breweries across 51 countries. Entries were judged in Nashville by 272 judges from 26 countries.

Asheville’s Hi-Wire Brewing (one silver) and New Belgium Brewing (one bronze) were responsible for two of the 13 medals. Boone’s Appalachian Mountain Brewery was awarded one gold and one silver medal as well.

“In addition to producing incredible world-class beer, North Carolina’s breweries are reinvigorating our rural downtowns, driving tourism across the state and creating thousands of jobs,” says Lisa Parker, executive director of the N.C. Craft Brewers Guild in a news release. “Our small businesses provide neighborhoods and communities with a welcoming space to gather.”

Visit avl.mx/cq4 for additional information.

— Blake Becker X

Around Town

Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates 25 years

The Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus will celebrate 25 years at an anniversary concert at Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre on Thursday, June 15, at 7:30 p.m. During the event, City Council member Kim Roney will announce a city proclamation declaring June 15 as Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus Day.

Dr. Will Jones, a member of the chorus since the beginning, reflects on the anniversary in an email exchange with Xpress. “Seeing the changes through the years has been gratifying,” he writes. “Remember, when we started, there was maybe one state (Massachusetts) that had full marriage equality, and ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ (the U.S. military’s ban on gay and lesbian service members) was in full force. We incorporated with ‘Cantaria’ as the moniker, as ‘gay men’s chorus’ would have prohibited many men from being involved. About 10 years in, we started going by ‘Cantaria — the gay men’s chorus of Asheville,’ and finally in about 2018 became the Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus.”

Jones adds that community support has helped the chorus through the years. “Honestly for a city of this size to even have a gay choral organization, much less one that has performed across the country and even internationally, is an indication of just the kind of wonderful, diverse city we live in,” he writes.

Jones adds that he’d like to see the chorus grow in terms of membership, diversity of membership and sphere of influence. After the anniversary concert, the chorus will participate in local Pride performances in September and will be working toward its annual holiday show as well as the GALA Choruses 2024 Festival, an international convention of LGBTQ choruses.

“Through it all, the joy of making beautiful music with my friends, connecting with the audience, knowing that we are making a difference in people’s lives ... I can’t wait to see what the next 25 years brings,” says Jones.

Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre is at 92 Gay St. For more information, visit avl.mx/cq8.

Hot Springs ’homecoming’

The Madison County Arts Council will present the 26th annual Bluff Mountain Festival on Saturday, June

10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa in Hot Springs.

The free, family-friendly event will feature entertainment from local bluegrass and old-time musicians such as Whitewater Bluegrass Company, Dangerous Curves and the Madison County Ballad Singers. There will also be a performance by the Green Grass Cloggers, an artists market, food vendors and a silent auction of regional items.

“The festival began as a fundraiser to fight for the protection of Bluff Mountain from clear-cutting, and 26 years later the mountain has been zoned as an ecological interest area,” says Laura Boosinger, executive director of the Madison County Arts Council. “The festival heightened awareness of this special place.”

Boosinger adds that the setting of the festival, held under a “massive” magnolia tree on the banks of a spring creek, is a highlight but that the traditional music is the big draw. “Madison County is known for its centuries-old, unbroken, ballad-singing tradition. ... Our traditional old-time and bluegrass music is performed by the best in the region,” she says. “And the dance floor stays full of dancers throughout the day.”

Boosinger adds: “Our festival is really a homecoming. Friends and neighbors look forward to the event every year.”

Hot Springs Resort and Spa is at 315 Bridge St., Hot Springs. For more information, visit avl.mx/cq9.

Tell us a story

Asheville Storytelling Circle will present Stories for a Summer Evening at the Black Mountain Center for the Arts on Friday, June 9, at 7 p.m. The program, which will consist of personal narratives, is geared toward adults and children older than 12.

Storytellers include former middle school teacher Zane Chait, whose stories range from family to folk tales; Chuck Fink, who dived into the art of storytelling at 63 after taking a class at UNC Asheville’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute; and poet and storyteller Kyra Freeman, who grew up in Vermont with her “no TV” parents telling her bedtime stories.

The Asheville Storytelling Circle, which welcomes new members, meets monthly on the third Monday at 7 p.m. in the Asheville Chamber of Commerce second-floor boardroom, 36 Montford Ave.

“The mission of the Asheville Storytelling Circle is to affirm our various cultures, nourish the development of emerging and established artists, and promote excellence in the oral traditions,” says Larry Pearlman, president. “We have been active in the Asheville area since 1995 and include members from neophytes who never plan to appear on stage to internationally known artists such as Connie Regan-Blake and Michael Reno Harrell. Our motto is, ‘If you have a life, you have a story.’”

Black Mountain Center for the Arts is at 225 W. State St., Black Mountain. For more information, visit avl.mx/cqa.

What’s the secret?

The Big Secret Family Festival is returning for a second year. The event, which is a fundraiser for the nonprofit BeLoved Asheville, will take place outdoors at Salvage Station on Sunday, June 11, at 2:30 p.m.

The lineup features funk, hip-hop, jazz, circus acts and Cherokee storytelling. Live bands include Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band, Firecracker Jazz Band and Secret Agent 23 Skidoo.

“Unlike last year, we will also have Cherokee storytelling by John Grant and taekwondo exhibitions by Asheville Sun Soo Martial Arts,” says Cactus, founding member of Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. “Plus, there’s a feature film about Asheville being shot partially at the festival.”

He adds, “The Big Secret is all about community collaboration. One of the ways we spread that message is by having each of the bands perform a collaboration set with each of the other bands.”

Cactus says the festival was created with three ideas in mind. “[We

wanted] to create a day of family fun so mind-blowing that no one will ever forget it, pay the local performers fairly for their work and combine the profits from sponsorships from local businesses and ticket sales to make a bunch of money for a local organization that does good in the community,” he says. “Last year, the festival generated $23,000 for My Daddy Taught Me That, a mentorship organization for underresourced youths. This year, we want to keep that number growing.”

This year’s beneficiary, BeLoved Asheville, is an organization that works to help Asheville’s unhoused and working poor communities, with a focus on racial equity.

Cactus says organizers hope to grow the community celebration annually.

“Asheville is a multifaceted city,” he says. “It’s a place where the wealth gap widens every day, where some people are displaced while others thrive. People are drawn here for many reasons, especially the beauty, the art and the music. By creating a situation where people can gather in a beautiful spot and dance to local, collaborative music, be amazed by stories and circus acts, employ local artists and also generate funds for the members of our community that need a little help, my hope is that we can unite disparate elements of Asheville for the common good. Put more simply, it’s a festival of giving ... and getting down!”

Salvage Station is at 468 Riverside Drive. For more information, visit avl.mx/cqe.

A day for clay

Clay Day, an educational event sponsored by the Southern Highland Craft Guild, will celebrate one of the oldest craft mediums in the audito-

rium of the Folk Art Center from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 10. Guild members will volunteer their time to provide hands-on projects and live demonstrations of techniques such as turning on the clay wheel, coil building and decoration.

Folk potter, historian and author Rodney Leftwich will be in the Folk Art Center lobby throughout the day to talk to visitors about pottery traditions, as well as demonstrate his own techniques.

“Traditional pottery had a large role in the lives of earlier residents of the southern Appalachians,” says Janet Wiseman , guild executive director. “Items such as pitchers, mugs and containers were useful and functional to everyday living.”

The family-friendly event is free.

The Folk Art Center is at Milepost 382 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information, visit avl.mx/cqb.

— Andy Hall X

MOVIE REVIEWS

Local reviewers’ critiques of new films include:

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE: Animated creativity abounds in this fun but overstuffed adventure. Grade: B —

101 w/ Jasper Joy 4-5pm 6/18: NEW MOON in Gemini Reader: Pamela 1-4:30pm

Circle w/ David Taliesin 4:30-6pm

A QUARTER-CENTURY: The Asheville Gay Men’s Chorus, pictured here in the early part of this century, is celebrating 25 years with an anniversary concert. Photo courtesy of Nancy Banks

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

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

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

FLEETWOOD'S Open Mic Wednesday Night, 7pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

ATLiens Comedy Showcase & Live Comedy Special Taping, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO. Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

• FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm • Pride Trivia, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

SHAKEY'S Sexy Tunes w/DJ Ek Balam & Mad Mike, 10pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, JUNE

8

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Ashley Heath (blues, rock'n'roll), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Firecracker Jazz Band, 8pm

FLOOD GALLERY

FINE ART CENTER

True Home Open Mic, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

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

GREEN MAN BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Seth & Sara (Americana), 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

George Trouble (folkpunk, rock, blues), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Baked Shrimp (funk, rock), 8pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Django Jazz Jam, 7pm

ILLUMINATING SOUNDS: Acoustic pop and funk group Acoustic Light Brigade will rock the Roadmaster Stage in Black Mountain on Saturday, June 10. Shades and your best shiny party attire are suggested (but not required) for the 7:30 p.m. show. Photo courtesy of Rob Estrada

THE DFR LOUNGE

Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz (Latin, jazz), 7pm

THE ODD

The Welcoming, Super Runaway, 6 Speed & Acklen Walker (indie-rock, rock), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

THE OUTPOST Pocket Strange w/Drew Foust (Southern-rock, psych, indie), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR Kendra & Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

VOTED WNC #1 KAVA BAR

SUN: Aaron “Woody” Wood & Friends 7pm

MON: Ping-Pong Tournament 7pm

TUE: Open Jam w/ house band the Lactones 8pm

WED: Poetry Open Mic AVL 8:30pm/8pm signup

6/8: Django Jazz Jam, 7pm Hot Club-Style Jazz 6/9: Lexi Weege & JJ Slater, 9pm Folk, Rock, Soul

6/10: DJ Uncle Ralph’s Music Box, 8pm

URBAN ORCHARD Trivia Thursday, 7pm URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH

SLOPE

Social Bachata, 8:30pm

WICKED WEED BREWING Beer & Loathing (rock), 6pm

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

12 BONES BREWERY J.C. Tokes (Americana, folk, blues), 5pm

27 CLUB

Sacrilege Goth Dance Party, 10pm

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY

Venus House Party, 10pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

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

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Cool Cool Cool (funk, house, R&B), 10:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

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

CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

• Comedy at Catawba: Hannah Jones, 7pm

• Hot & Horny Comedy Showcase, 9:30pm

CORK & KEG

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

FLEETWOOD'S Rocky Mtn Roller, Sweat & Burned (punk, sludge, metal), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

The Freeway Jubilee (Southern-rock, bluegrass, psychedelic), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

The Blushin’ Roulettes (folk), 7pm

IMPERIÁL DJ James Nasty, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

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

• The Knotty G's (Americana), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Bobby Bare Jr. (Americana, alt-country), 9pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Electro Lust (funk, electronic, Latin), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

5J Barrow Friday Nights (folk), 8pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade w/ Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew (rock, progressive-metal), 6pm

SHAKEY'S

The Discs (pop, rock'n'roll), 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Ghost in the Graveyard w/Garret Andrews, Alex Bazemore, Ian Taylor, Slappy & Keith Snyder (rock'n'roll), 9pm

SILVERADOS

David Cook w/The Swear, Ashes & Arrows (pop, rock), 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Lexi Weege & JJ Slater Band (funk, jazz, rock), 7pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Vince Junior Band (soul, blues, funk), 6pm

• The Ballroom Thieves w/The High Divers (rock), 9pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Mojo on Max (blues, funk, rock'n'roll), 7pm

THE ODD

Cardboard Box Colony, Plastic Flamingos & Bad Sleeper (punk, rock), 9pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Declan Mckenna w/ Oracle Sisters (alt-indie, pop), 8pm

THE OUTPOST

Sirius.B (funk, Gypsy-folk, punk), 7pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN

The Lads Avl (classic-rock, blues), 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD

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

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

StomperKitty (rock, country, blues), 7pm

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

Gentlemen Callers (R&B, soul, blues), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Andrew Scotchie (rock'n'roll, blues, soul), 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Seth & Sara (modern-western), 6pm

BLUE GHOST BREWING CO.

Mr Jimmy (blues), 3:30pm

CORK & KEG

The Uptown Hillbillies (honk'n'tonk, country), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Orange Doors, Powder-

horns & Aubrey Keys (indie, psych), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

Mike Hollon (funk, Americana, blues), 4pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Modern Mammals (rock, blues), 7pm

IMPERIÁL

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

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Crystal Fountains (bluegrass, folk, Americana), 9pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Karaoke Night, 9pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

The Freeway Jubilee (Alt Country), 8pm

ONE STOP AT

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

After Ours (jazz, grunge, experimental), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

• Eleanor Underhill & Friends (jazz, rock, soul), 4pm

• The Circuitbreakers (rock), 9pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Live DJ & Silent Disco, 6pm

ROADMASTER STAGE

Acoustic Light Brigade

w/Gin

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Craze, Rohaan, Yellow Fever & Oneiric (electronic, hip-hop), 9pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Dark City Kings (garage-rock, country, pop), 2pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba: Jessica Michelle

Singleton, 6pm

CORK & KEG Neon Trad (old-time), 4pm

CUMMING’S COVE

GOLF & COUNTRY

CLUB

Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 5:30pm

FLEETWOOD'S Gold Light, Gosh

Diggity & Homemade Haircuts (indie), 8pm

HIGHLAND

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Mr Jimmy Duo (blues), 1pm

IMPERIÁL DJ Mad Mike, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Moonshine State (Americana), 3pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Patio: Country Brunch w/Hearts Gone South, 12pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

After Ours (jazz, grunge, experimental), 2pm

THE OUTPOST

Drip A Silver (Grateful Dead tribute), 4pm

TWIN LEAF BREWERY

Sunday Bluegrass Jam w/The Hillclimbers, 4pm

MONDAY, JUNE 12

5 WALNUT WINE BAR

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

GREEN MAN BREWERY

Traditonal Old Time Jam, 5:30pm

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

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Short Stop (soul, latin, dance), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm

NOBLE CIDER

DOWNTOWN

Freshen Up Comedy

Open Mic, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

It Takes All Kinds

Open Mic Nights, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Open Mic Downtown, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Mashup Mondays w/ The JLloyd Mashup Band, 8pm

SHAKEY'S

Latinx Night w/DJ Mtn Vibes, 9pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

THE MONTE VISTA

HOTEL Music Mondays, 6pm

WRONG WAY CAMPGROUND

Don't Tell Comedy: West Asheville, 7pm

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY

ACADEMY • Trivia w/Drag Queens, 8pm

• Karaoke w/Ganymede, 10pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Feeling Bad Tuesday Night w/Trash Police (experimental, postpunk, rock), 9pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Mad Mike, 9pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

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

SHAKEY'S

Booty Tuesday w/DJ LC Tamagatchi, 9pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

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

STATIC AGE RECORDS Stuck w/Tongues of Fire & Pool Holograph (indie, post-punk), 8pm

THE BURGER BAR

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

THE GREY EAGLE

DEHD (indie-rock), 8pm

THE ODD Open Mic Comedy, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy

Open Mic, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

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

FLEETWOOD'S Open Mic Wednesday Night, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST Latin Night w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8:30pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Sylvan Esso (alt-indie, electronic, pop), 7pm

SHAKEY'S

Sexy Tunes w/DJ Ek Balam & Mad Mike, 10pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Lauren Calve (blues, Americana), 5pm

• Chris Duarte Group (punk-blues), 8pm

THOMAS WOLFE

AUDITORIUM

An Evening w/Larry the Cable Guy, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY

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

ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR

The MGB's, 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL Sold Out: YOB w/Pallbearer (doom-metal), 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Ryan Furstenberg (indie, folk), 6pm

CORK & KEG

The Daiquiri Queens (honky-tonk, rock'n'roll, jazz), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

Sweet Megg (hot-jazz), 8pm

EURISKO BEER COMPANY

Modelface Comedy: Aaron Naylor, 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Call the Next Witness, Skunk Ruckus & Hi Helens (punk), 9pm

FLOOD GALLERY FINE

ART CENTER

True Home Open Mic, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER

BREWERY

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

GREEN MAN BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

LEAF GLOBAL ARTS Jazz Jam, 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Kid Billy (Americana, blues, ragtime), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

In Flight (progressive-rock, jazz), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

The Free Flow Band (funk), 8pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Sylvan Esso (alt-indie, electronic, pop), 7pm

SHAKEY’S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

Steve Simon & The Kings of Jazz (Latin, jazz), 7pm

THE GETAWAY TIKI BAR

Karaoke w/Terraoke, 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE

The Goddamn Gallows, IV & The Strange Band w/Volk (country, rockabilly, punk), 8pm

THE ODD

Elvis Depressedly, Convalescent, Ever

After (indie-rock), 8pm

THE OUTPOST

Chloe Kimes w/Jackson

Grimm (alt-country, folk, Appalachian), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra and Friends, 6pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH

SLOPE

Social Bachata, 8:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road (bluegrass, old-time, Americana), 7:30pm

WICKED WEED

BREWING

Stephen Evans (folk, rock), 6pm

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves,” said psychologist Carl Jung. What was he implying? That we may sometimes engage in the same behavior that bothers us about others? And we should examine whether we are similarly annoying? That’s one possible explanation, and I encourage you to meditate on it. Here’s a second theory: When people irritate us, it may signify that we are at risk of being hurt or violated by them — and we should take measures to protect ourselves. Maybe there are other theories you could come up with, as well, Aries. Now here’s your assignment: Identify two people who irritate you. What lessons or blessings could you garner from your relationships with them?

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1886, a wealthy woman named Sarah Winchester moved into a two-story, eight-room farmhouse in San Jose, California. She was an amateur architect. During the next 20 years, she oversaw continuous reconstruction of her property, adding new elements and revising existing structures. At one point, the house had 500 rooms. Her workers built and then tore down a seven-story tower on 16 occasions. When she died at age 83, her beloved domicile had 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, and six kitchens. While Sarah Winchester was extreme in her devotion to endless transformation, I do recommend a more measured version of her strategy for you — especially in the coming months. Continual creative growth and rearrangement will be healthy and fun!

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “All the things I wanted to do and didn’t do took so long. It was years of not doing.” So writes Gemini poet Lee Upton in her book Undid in the Land of Undone Most of us could make a similar statement. But I have good news for you, Gemini. I suspect that during the rest of 2023, you will find the willpower and the means to finally accomplish intentions that have been long postponed or unfeasible. I’m excited for you! To prepare the way, decide which two undone things you would most love to dive into and complete.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Denis Johnson had a rough life in his twenties. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Years later, he wrote a poem expressing gratitude to the people who didn’t abandon him. “You saw me when I was invisible,” he wrote, “you spoke to me when I was deaf, you thanked me when I was a secret.” Now would be an excellent time for you to deliver similar appreciation to those who have steadfastly beheld and supported your beauty when you were going through hard times.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t make a wish upon a star. Instead, make a wish upon a scar. By that I mean, visualize in vivid detail how you might summon dormant reserves of ingenuity to heal one of your wounds. Come up with a brilliant plan to at least partially heal the wound. And then use that same creative energy to launch a new dream or relaunch a stalled old dream. In other words, Leo, figure out how to turn a liability into an asset. Capitalize on a loss to engender a gain. Convert sadness into power and disappointment into joy.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): At age nine, I was distraught when my parents told me we were moving away from the small town in Michigan where I had grown up. I felt devastated to lose the wonderful friends I had made and leave the land I loved. But in retrospect, I am glad I got uprooted. It was the beginning of a new destiny that taught me how to thrive on change. It was my introduction to the pleasures of knowing a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I think the next 12 months will be full of comparable opportunities

ROB BREZSNY

for you. You don’t have to relocate to take advantage, of course. There are numerous ways to expand and diversify your world. Your homework right now is to identify three.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Most of us continuously absorb information that is of little or questionable value. We are awash in an endless tsunami of trivia and babble. But in accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you to remove yourself from this blather as much as possible during the next three weeks. Focus on exposing yourself to fine thinkers, deep feelers and exquisite art and music. Nurture yourself with the wit and wisdom of compassionate geniuses and brilliant servants of the greater good. Treat yourself to a break from the blah-blah-blah and immerse yourself in the smartest joie de vivre you can find.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Over 25 countries have created coats of arms that feature an eagle. Why is that? Maybe it’s because the Roman Empire, the foundation of so much culture in the Western world, regarded the eagle as the ruler of the skies. It’s a symbol of courage, strength and alertness. When associated with people, it also denotes high spirits, ingenuity and sharp wits. In astrology, the eagle is the emblem of the ripe Scorpio: someone who bravely transmutes suffering and strives to develop a sublimely soulful perspective. With these thoughts in mind, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I invite you Scorpios to draw extra intense influence from your eagle-like aspects in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “When I paint, my goal is to show what I found, not what I was looking for.” So said artist Pablo Picasso. I recommend you adopt some version of that as your motto in the coming weeks. Yours could be, “When I make love, my goal is to rejoice in what I find, not what I am looking for.” Or perhaps, “When I do the work I care about, my goal is to celebrate what I find, not what I am looking for.” Or maybe, “When I decide to transform myself, my goal is to be alert for what I find, not what I am looking for.”

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Vincent van Gogh painted Wheatfield with a Reaper, showing a man harvesting lush yellow grain under a glowing sun. Van Gogh said the figure was “fighting like the devil in the midst of the heat to get to the end of his task.” And yet, this was also true: “The sun was flooding everything with a light of pure gold.” I see your life in the coming weeks as resonating with this scene, Capricorn. Though you may grapple with challenging tasks, you will be surrounded by beauty and vitality.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I suspect that your homing signals will be extra strong and clear during the next 12 months. Everywhere you go, in everything you do, you will receive clues about where you truly belong and how to fully inhabit the situations where you truly belong. From all directions, life will offer you revelations about how to love yourself for who you are and be at peace with your destiny. Start tuning in immediately, dear Aquarius. The hints are already trickling in.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The renowned Mexican painter Diego Rivera (1886–1957) told this story about himself: When he was born, he was so frail and ill that the midwife gave up on him, casting him into a bucket of dung. Rivera’s grandmother would not accept the situation so easily, however. She caught and killed some pigeons and wrapped her newborn grandson in the birds’ guts. The seemingly crazy fix worked. Rivera survived and lived for many decades, creating an epic body of artistic work. I bring this wild tale to your attention, Pisces, with the hope that it will inspire you to keep going and be persistent in the face of a problematic beginning or challenging birth pang. Don’t give up!

MARKETPLACE

ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES

Want to advertise in Marketplace? 828-251-1333 advertise@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 advertise@mountainx.com

RENTALS

HOMES FOR RENT

MODERN WEST ASHEVILLE 3BR/2.5 BATH HOUSE FOR RENT FOR JULY 1 ($3200 FURNISHED/$3000 UNFURNISHED) 2100 sf. Beautiful open plan. 10-minute walk to French Broad River. Open house June 10 & 17, 10am-1pm. Background check. Pets welcome, Email for information or come to open house. Jonesina039@ gmail.com

EMPLOYMENT

SKILLED LABOR/ TRADES

MAKE NOISE IS HIRING - PRODUCTION BUILDER - $18/HR + BENEFITS! Make Noise is looking for a Production Builder to join our crew of artists and musicians here in West Asheville. Full details at makenoisemusic.com/ careers !

SERVICES

AUDIO/VIDEO

DISH TV SPECIAL $64.99 for 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/21/23. 1-866-566-1815 (AAN CAN)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR, RUNNING OR NOT! Fast free pickup. Maximum tax deduction. Support Patriotic Hearts. Your car donation helps Vets! 1-866559-9123

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months!  Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 1-866-370-2939. (AAN CAN)

BCI WALK-IN TUBS ARE ON SALE Be one of the first 50 callers and save $1,500! Call 844-514-0123 for a free in-home consultation. (AAN CAN)

BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME WITH ENERGY EFFICIENT NEW WINDOWS They will increase your home’s value & decrease your energy bills. Replace all or a few! Call now to get your free, no-obligation quote. 844-335-2217

DENIED SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY? Appeal! If you're 50+, filed SSD and denied, our attorneys can help get you approved! No money out of pocket! Call 1-877-707-5707. (AAN CAN)

DIAGNOSED WITH LUNG CANCER? You may qualify for a substantial cash awardeven with smoking history. No obligation! We've recovered millions. Let us help! Call 24/7. 1-866-553-5089. (AAN CAN)

DIRECTV SATELLITE TV SERVICE STARTING AT $59.99/ MONTH 1 Year Price Lock! 155+ Channels available. Call Now to get the Most Sports on TV! 844-719-8927

DON'T PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS AGAIN! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100OFF POPULAR PLANS Call 877707-5518 Monday-Friday 8:30am to 8:00pm EST. (AAN CAN)

MEN'S SPORTS WATCHES WANTED Advertiser is looking to buy men's sport watches. Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Here, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. The advertiser pays cash for qualified watches. Call 888-320-1052 (AAN CAN)

NEED NEW FLOORING? Call Empire Today® to schedule a FREE in-home estimate on Carpeting & Flooring. Call Today! 855721-3269

SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modification? Threatened with FORECLOSURE? Call the Homeowner's Relief Line now for Help! 855-721-3269

UNCLAIMED/RECEIVED

FIREARMS The following is a list of Unclaimed / Received firearms currently in possession of the Asheville Police Department: Sil Arminius Titan Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Sil Arminius, Titan Revolver .38 cal Rusted, GY NEF Inc. Revolver Rusted, GY Arminius Titan Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Rossi Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Rossi Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Taurus Revolver .38 cal Rusted, Blk Taurus Revolver .38 cal Rusted, GY H&R Revolver .22 cal Rusted, Blk H&R Revolver .22 cal Rusted, Blk Rohm RG10 Revolver Rusted, Blk Rusted .22 cal Revolver, Blk/Brn RG Revolver .22 cal Rusted, Blk/Brn RG Revolver .22 cal Rusted. Anyone with a legitimate claim or interest in this property must contact the Asheville Police Department within 30 days from the date of this publication. Any items not claimed within 30 days will be disposed of in accordance with all applicable laws. For further information, or to file

a claim, contact the Asheville Police Department Property & Evidence Section at 828232-4576.

MIND, BODY, SPIRIT

NATURAL ALTERNATIVES

FOOD & SUPPLEMENT

TESTING, LIVE BLOOD MICROSCOPY, & HOLISTIC HEALTH COACHING Lose Weight, Have More Energy, better Habits, Strengthen Your Immune System, Detox/Heal Your Body and so much more! Healing & Vitality is Possible! I can help! Call Now! 8287792293 Natureinhealth@gmail.com

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! NEWER MODELS too! Call 866-535-9689. (AAN CAN)

NC DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE & CONSUMER SERVICES is Hiring!

The Cooperative Grading Service is recruiting a seasonal apple grader (Laborer or General Utility Worker) in Henderson County. Position will be temporary with full-time hours during harvest season, beginning in August (August – Oct/Nov).

Donate your car. Change a

life.

Do you have an extra car that needs a new home? Your donated car can open the doors to independence, increased income, and higher education for a hardworking member of our community. Vehicles of all types and conditions are welcomed and appreciated!

The donation is tax-deductible. The process is simple. The impact is real.

Education and/or experience in the performance of a variety of manual tasks, normal color vision, basic math, and basic computer skills.

Laborer salary hourly rate at $15.75. General Utility Worker hourly rate at $16.00. Paid training provided; mileage paid at state rate. A PD-107 (NC State application) is required. EOE.

For more information, call Melissa (252) 792-1672 or 252-333-5042

ACROSS

1 Beer pong needs

5 Part of a Halloween costume, maybe

10 French wine cocktail

13 Mythological meanie

14 Underway, to Sherlock Holmes

15 Medical fluids

16 Vicious pet handler’s query?

19 Barnyard male

20

47 “So much for my theory that the universe has no end”?

51 Nickname that might drop -han

52 Sex columnist Savage

53 Language in which “Nebraska” means “flat river”

54 Summer coat?

55 Seize hastily

58 Target of an uppercut punch

60 Britney Spears classic ... or a confession applicable to three answers in this puzzle?

65 Pre-calc course

66 Cuts out

67 Requests

68 The Kraken, on scoreboards

69 Look after

70 Seehorn of “Better Call Saul”

DOWN

1 Intimidate

2 “Not this again!”

3 Some occupations?

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

JUNE 17 - 18, 2023

CROWNE PLAZA RESORT ASHEVILLE, NC

4 Dry, as vino

5 Pamphlet or palm leaf, in a pinch

6 “100 Years ... 100 Movies” org.

7 Composer’s mark

8 Lose one’s shirt, say

9 Adds to the mix

10 Skywalker mentor

11 Attach, as a patch

12 Common topping for steak tartare

15 Declares, informally

17 Bestie, in Bolivia

18 Dessert that sounds like a cause for a lawsuit

21 Peloton equipment

22 Abbr. at the end of a series

24 Comic-___

25 Skywalker mentor

29 Floor

30 Bygone

Venetian coin

31 Invitation to a hitchhiker

36 “Are not” retort

38 Treatment for some jeans

39 Figure of interest?

40 Had no doubt

42 “Me too,” stiffly

43 Tic-tac-toe marks

45 Newbie newt

46 Popular Spanish wine

47 Metal bars

48 In abundance

49 Sweet spot?

ANSWER

50 Eventually

56 Certain umami source, for short

57 Garfield’s pal in the funnies

59 Vegan substitute for gelatin

61 “The Addams

Family” cousin

62 General associated with Chinese food

63 Mike’s partner in candy

64 D.C. group engaged in [REDACTED]

PAST IS PROLOGUE

Millions worldwide believe there is more to recent earth and human history than recognized by our gatekeepers. By bringing together Scientists and Speculators the Cosmic Summit will tell the whole story the best we can.

The heterodox subjects addressed at The Summit will include the well-published Younger Dryas Impact Event, More Recent Cosmic Impacts, A Suspected Precursor Civilization, Clovis People, The Black Mat, Megafaunal Extinctions, Gobekli Tepe, Forgotten Ancient Technologies, Controversial Archaeology, Atlantis, Megalithic Monument Building, The Knights Templar, Egyptian Mysteries, and Catastrophic Geology.

The event will be streamed worldwide through howtube.com. But for those who come to beautiful Asheville, NC, the gathering will be a unique opportunity to eat, drink and think with others who ponder ages past.

cosmicsummit.com

JAHANNAH JAMES RANDALL CARLSON SCOTT WOLTER BEN VAN KERKWYK

Luke Caverns • Micah Hanks • Chris Cottrell • Russ Allen • Dr. Allen West Dr. Kenneth Barnett Tankersley • Dr. Andrew MT Moore • Dr. Steven Collins Mr. Marc Young • Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe, MBE