Mountain Xpress 07.24.24

FEATURES PAGE 6 BID BACKLASH

Local leaders, downtown business owners and activists do not agree on every detail concerning the formation of a business improvement district (BID). But after two volunteers who serve on the BID’s steering committee had their cars vandalized, members of all three groups agree opposition to the program has gone too far. And for some, such as Mayor Esther Manheimer, additional concerns have grown out of the recent events: Will the vandalism have a chilling effect on people who are considering applying for volunteer positions on government committees and boards?

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PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes

ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson

MANAGING EDITOR: Thomas Calder

EDITORS:

Lisa Allen, Gina Smith, Jessica Wakeman

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OPINION EDITOR: Tracy Rose

STAFF REPORTERS: Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Justin McGuire, Patrick Moran, Greg Parlier, Brooke Randle, Gina Smith, Jessica Wakeman

COMMUNITY CALENDAR & CLUBLAND: Braulio Pescador-Martinez

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Jon Elliston, Mindi Friedwald, Peter Gregutt, Rob Mikulak

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS:

Oby Arnold, Mark Barrett, Eric Brown, Carmela Caruso, Cayla Clark, Kristin D’Agostino, Brionna Dallara, Kiesa Kay, Storms Reback, Kay West

PHOTOGRAPHERS:

Staff: Cindy Kunst Intern: Caleb Johnson

ADVERTISING, ART & DESIGN MANAGER: Susan Hutchinson

LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Tina Gaafary, Olivia Urban

MARKETING ASSOCIATES: Sara Brecht, Ralph Day, Scott Mermel, Geoffrey Warren

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: Hinton Edgerton, Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick

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DISTRIBUTION: Susan Hutchinson, Cindy Kunst

DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Ashley Alms, Corey Biskind, Tracy Houston, John McKay, Henry Mitchell, Courtney Israel Nash, Joey Nash, Carl & Debbie Schweiger, Gary Selnick, Noah Tanner

Neighborhood takes hit from errant disc golfers

We live behind Highland Brewing Co. and have lived here before Highland existed. We understand that Highland Brewing has provided jobs and an environment for people to enjoy the outdoors. However, the neighborhood has been affected by the expansion of Highland’s volleyball and disc golf courts.

I have had to put no parking signs up (which have not worked, as Highland’s patrons still proceed to park on our street). I have seen disc golfers’ private parts off of my front porch as they urinate on the disc golf course; the disc golfers are on our and our neighbors’ properties looking for their discs; their discs are flying across the street, which is a danger to our neighbors who walk the street with their children, and it’s a danger to neighborhood traffic; and Highland’s patrons are stepping off their property with alcohol.

These situations have been going on for several years, and I have reached out to Highland numerous times with

Word of the week

blinkered

(adj.) limited in scope or understanding; narrow-minded

In last week’s Opinion section, Marshall resident Peter Robbins used the word in his letter to the editor. We enjoyed the line, so we’ve decided to spotlight it here. Robbins wrote: “In its entirety, the piece amounted to one long rationalization for resistance to change, peppered with throwaway aspersions cast on anyone with the blinkered cupidity to think that it’s morally acceptable to make money from building homes.” We should note, “cupidity” placed a close second for this week’s word of the week. X

some solutions about what to do to fix the problems and have been brushed off and told they couldn’t afford it.

I believe that a fence or some sort of permanent barrier needs to be put up around the affected areas to keep Highland Brewing’s patrons from being able to go into our neighborhood.

I have also had to call animal control because the dogs of people drinking and hanging out at Highland were off leash (which in the city is prohibited and usually comes with a fine) and ended up in our front yard several times, aggravating my dogs, which are in a fenced-in area. I have photo documentation, email documentation and phone records of the issues I have and continue to face.

— Brittany Howard Asheville

Editor’s note: Xpress reached out to Highland Brewing Co. with the letter writer’s points and received the following response from Leah Ashburn, family owner and president/CEO of the company: “Highland’s guests have seen us commit deeply to this neglected

property over time. Before we built the disc golf course and volleyball courts, we removed piles of used needles, hundreds of glass bottles and trailers of trash. The activated property is infinitely safer and creates much joy. Our guests are overwhelmingly kind and thoughtful. Unacceptable behavior in public settings happens but is rare at Highland. Signage at each disc golf tee pad states clear policies about leashed dogs and alcohol. In addition, a barrier plan for a property of Highland’s size and unique terrain takes careful planning and is in development.”

Despite block, we can still reduce plastic use

For many Asheville citizens, our waterways and mountain vistas are a source of great pride in our community. However, over the years our French Broad River has seen a great deal of fluctuation in its levels of pollution.

at curbing further pollution but was stopped by the N.C. General Assembly through a provision to House Bill 259, which banned North Carolina cities from putting plastic regulations into effect. This bill targeted blue cities across the state and has put huge legal roadblocks in the fight against plastic pollution.

I urge the the N.C. GOP General Assembly to reconsider this provision with the health of our cities and natural environments in mind. Regulations on plastic bags could significantly reduce plastic pollution in our communities and ecosystems.

In the absence of legislative support, it is imperative to remember that individual action is collective action. Each of us can make a difference and pledge to reduce our own plastic consumption by using reusable bags and diligently recycling single-use plastics as you can. Though it can feel like an overwhelming task, together we can change the impact of plastics on our environment until our city is able to install its own official plastic ban.

— Asher McKinney-Ring Weaverville

The mystery of WNC’s drivers

I wonder … why do people visiting and oftentimes living in Western North Carolina insist on driving in the left-hand passing lane when the right-hand driving lane is open?

— Tim Holloran Sylva

Can we find the political will to address gun violence?

A recent study by Plastic-Free WNC found as much as 40 or 50 pieces of microplastics per liter of water collected from the French Broad. This level of contamination poses serious threats to the diverse ecosystems that depend on our rivers, as well as the aesthetic and recreational value of our waterways.

Last year, Asheville came close to implementing a plastic bag ban aimed

Just two days after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, I pulled behind a white pickup truck at a local carwash. Emblazoned on his bumper was a direct and disturbing message: “Heavily Armed & Easily Pissed.” The bumper sticker seemed to encapsulate the mood of the country. It may also explain why road rage shootings have surged more than 400% during the last decade, according to the Gun Violence Archive. We are a divided nation on a political collision

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

course, and for many, we have lost our sense of direction.

A study published in The American Journal of Medicine found that among 23 high-income countries, the U.S. accounted for 82% of all firearm deaths. We are easily the most armed nation in the world, with an estimated 393 million privately owned firearms. The AR-15 is the best-selling rifle in the United States, but it is more than just a deadly weapon used in mass shootings at Newtown, Conn., Parkland, Fla., Las Vegas, Aurora, Colo., and Uvalde, Texas. The AR-15 has become an iconic symbol of the gun rights movement illustrated on T-shirts, hats and bumper stickers. Trump ally Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama even introduced a bill in February to declare the AR-15 the “National Gun of America.”

Not surprisingly, the National Gun of America was used in the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, critically injuring two rally attendees and killing a volunteer firefighter who was protecting his family. We know the shooter at the rally was heavily armed, purchasing 50 rounds of ammunition on the day of the attack. At the time of this writing, the FBI hasn’t uncovered why the 20-year-old shooter was so pissed off to carry out such a terrifying assault. It is doubtful the latest assassination attempt will lead to any new legislation or change anyone’s position concerning gun violence prevention — especially

Donald Trump. He has too much political capital invested in the NRA and the Second Amendment extremists in the Republican Party.

As a volunteer for Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in Hendersonville, I see the problem much like Mark Barden — whose son Daniel was killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. Barden recently wrote, “Gun violence doesn’t care about your political affiliation. It doesn’t care about party lines. It doesn’t care whether you’re a public figurehead or an ordinary person going about your day, whether at the grocery store, ballpark or a concert. This epidemic touches every single one of our lives, and we must come together as a nation to support bipartisan policy solutions that can save lives.”

Much to my amazement, Donald Trump and I now share something in common. We are two of more than an estimated 200 people a day in America injured as a result of gun violence. I deplore the attack on the former president, as well as the daily gun violence that shatters families and communities. The question remains: Does our divided nation have the political will to try to solve one of its most enduring problems? I still hold out hope, but I also see the bumper sticker right in front of me: “Heavily Armed & Easily Pissed.”

— John Owens Hendersonville X

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

BID backlash

Vandalism highlights lingering opposition

BY PATRICK MORAN

Last month two local business owners felt the sting of the backlash against a plan to add a downtown tax.

Larry Crosby was running late on the morning of June 6. In the sun’s glare, he didn’t see the words and the symbol spray-painted on his car, so he jumped in and drove off.

“Then my car started to act funny, my tires went completely flat … and I realized my car was unstable,” says Crosby, who is general manager of the Foundry Hotel in downtown Asheville. He pulled over, got out and surveyed the damage. His tires had been slashed; the words “No BID” were emblazoned on the car’s passenger side and a spray-painted letter A inside a circle — an anarchist symbol — adorned the hood.

“It was a very jarring experience,” Crosby says.

The vandalism referred to the business improvement district (BID). It will create an independent board to oversee additional services such as litter removal, landscaping, beautification efforts and a staff of downtown ambassadors or community stewards. The BID will add 9 cents per $100 valuation for downtown property owners — about $360 more per year for a property assessed at $400,000. The estimated annual budget for the BID could reach $1.25 million.

Spearheaded by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce and the

Asheville Downtown Association, the BID was approved by Asheville City Council on June 11 by a 6-1 vote, with Council member Kim Roney voting in opposition.

Twelve days after Crosby’s incident — and after the City Council approved the BID — Eva-Michelle Spicer, co-owner of Spicer Greene Jewelers who was eight months pregnant at the time, was attending a baby shower with her husband, Elliott, and his family.

“I was out of town, celebrating this very joyous occasion. And my best friend, who had come to put some packages inside my house [texted the message], ‘I need you to see this. I need to know what to do,’” Spicer remembers.

The friend had discovered Spicer’s vehicle spray-painted with an anarchist symbol as well as the words, “Eat S—t.”

Crosby and Spicer both hold volunteer positions on the BID’s steering committee.

On June 18, anonymous anarchists released a statement on Abolition Media, a self-described “news site for revolutionary movements,” and claimed responsibility for the acts of vandalism against Crosby and Spicer.

“This action was carried out in response to the above individuals’ affiliation with the proposal of, and advocacy for a ‘business improvement district’ in so-called Asheville, North Carolina,” the statement reads.

“The proposal of this business improvement district seeks to position wealthy property owners in absolute positions of power to assist the state and capital in tightening their grip of social control by ‘cleansing’ the streets of ‘antisocial-behaviors’ and ‘anything deemed out of the ordinary’ via increased surveillance and private security,” the statement continues, quoting language from the initial BID proposal.

“The individuals seeking to implement the business improvement district have names and addresses,” the anonymous statement concludes. “The only way to dissipate fear and tyranny is to transfer it to the enemies (sic) backyard.”

Emails to Abolition Media to contact the authors of the statement have gone unanswered.

For Kit Cramer, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, the most disturbing aspect of the post is the threat that concludes it.

“It says, ‘This is the way we’re going to do things from now on, we’re going to take it to people’s backyard,” Cramer tells Xpress. “That is so fundamentally wrong to attack people on the basis of their thought process — to attack their homes, their possessions and maybe even themselves. Where does it stop?”

On June 25 at City Hall, Mayor Esther Manheimer spoke about the actions before the City Council’s consent agenda.

“I find it very sad and disheartening,” Manheimer said. “We have a couple of folks that have decided to use intimidation tactics to target folks … that are volunteering their time because they genuinely believe that they’re trying to help make our communities better.”

Manheimer tells Xpress she believes the vandalism has had a chilling effect on people considering applying for voluntary positions like the steering committee that Crosby and Spicer serve on.

“I think people are asking themselves, ‘Can I go into this and take that risk?’” Manheimer says.

While Crosby knows some people opposed the BID, he thought the discussion would remain civil.

“I have worked with community volunteers on the steering committee,” Crosby says. “I have gone to the Council meeting and have spoken twice and I’ve gone to the vote. I’m out here face to face. We can talk like human beings. But vandalism — going to slash my tires — it’s very cowardly.”

ANARCHISTS STRIKE: The car of Larry Crosby, a local business owner and supporter of a business improvement district, was vandalized with an anarchy symbol. Photo courtesy of Asheville Police Department

BID SKEPTIC: Business owner Evar Hecht has lingering concerns about the BID. Photo by Patrick Moran

Downtown business owners and residents contacted by Xpress were unanimous in condemning the vandalism.

“Those are direct acts of vandalism about a situation that some people rightfully feel like they were not listened to,” says Evar Hecht, who co-owns handcrafted leather store Shining Rock Goods on Wall Street with his wife, Rebecca Hecht. “The tactics are not the way you go about changing anything. It’s lashing out … and there’s always going to be a few bad actors.”

“I do not think that vandalism or violence is beneficial,” says Petra Buan, a manager at Rosetta’s Kitchen on Lexington Avenue. “It seems like somebody is stupid. I think that we should use our voices and we should have a proper discussion.”

“Regarding the vandalism and threats to the board members, we oppose this behavior,” writes Jen Hampton, lead organizer for the Asheville Food and Beverage United collective, in response to an Xpress email.

“It was a rash act,” says Clare Hanrahan, coordinator of Elder & Sage Community Gardens in downtown Asheville. “It certainly wouldn’t be a tactic I would use. But people are feeling unheard.”

“Community members concerned about public safety” are now offering a reward of $6,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for vandalizing the two vehicles, an Asheville Police

NO TO VANDALISM AND THE BID: Petra Buan, front row at far right, and her staff at Rosetta’s Kitchen, often feed people in need and oppose the BID. Also featured, starting left, Sabrina Pace, Kiah Dale, Perra Pool and Buddha Buan. Photo by Patrick Moran

Department press release states. APD encourages anyone with information to contact 828-271-6128.

While downtown business owners and stakeholders say that vandalism is going too far, opposition to the BID lingers, much of it centered on the role and mission of the ambassadors.

Buan believes the ambassadors will move members of downtown’s unhoused community out of sight from visitors and tourists.

“We feed a lot of the houseless people in downtown Asheville,” Buan says. “We’re learning [that the city is] going to be putting up more fences, keeping the houseless people out and restricting access to … our courtyard and our restaurant.” Buan says the restaurant staff frequently gives unhoused people a cup of water and a plate of food.

In an email to Xpress, the Asheville Community Bail Fund, a volunteer-run organization that posts bail for people incarcerated in the Buncombe County Jail, writes that the BID is “an anti-democratic structure that will harm the most vulnerable members of our community.”

City Council has not engaged with BID opponents in any meaningful way, writes Hannah Gibbons, the marketing and communications manager of heirloom and organic seed shop Sow True Seed in reply to an Xpress email.

In her comments, Gibbons references a nonbinding resolution drafted by Council member Maggie Ullman, with input from other Council members and community stakeholders, in response to community members’ concerns about the BID.

It describes the ambassadors as highly visible agents who would “engage … with the public, provide directions and assistance … and connect members of the unhoused community to resources like the Community Responders, Community Paramedics [and] homeless service providers.”

“The discussed values statement (which is not legally binding) is of very little comfort to me,” Gibbons writes. “It is not enough to make us feel heard, valued, or respected as voters and residents.”

Hecht also questions the effectiveness of the ambassadors, who will call on partners, like community paramedics and homeless service providers.

“If those things were actually active and running well, we would be calling them already, we wouldn’t need a third party to [mediate] for us,” Hecht says. “The only call they’re going to be able to make to get an immediate result is going to be to the police,” he states. He says that could result in overpolicing

ONWARD AND UPWARD: Kit Cramer says the BID is ready for the next step. Photo courtesy of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce

those with mental health and addiction issues.

THE BID MOVES AHEAD

The city will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to deliver the BID’s services.

“The RFP will be aimed at that gulf between what the requested services are and what the city is providing as baseline services — with the incorporation of some of the elements of the resolution,” Manheimer says.

On June 15, the City of Asheville released an online survey, asking the public to weigh in on the sup-

plemental services that will fall under three categories: safety and hospitality; enhanced cleaning; and special projects which will include “initiatives that enhance the downtown experience.”

“It’s going to take a ton of work in order to get [the BID] functioning to a level where people can feel it,” Cramer says. “I believe that the proof will be in the pudding. And that pudding is going to taste good.”

But for some local businesses and organizations, the idea of an outside provider calling the shots downtown, even with oversight from the City Council, is leaving a bitter taste.

“Downtown businesses and properties will pay an extra tax that is managed by a board that the community has no say in,” Hampton writes. “This board has been made public on the city’s website and then taken down.”

“I think that instead of the BID being a private conglomeration that is taxing people, we should have local businesses pay a little extra to the city coffers,” says Hanrahan. “I think this is the work of the city. It’s a municipal responsibility to keep the streets clean and safe.”

Hecht says he and his wife are considering trying to get on the BID’s board, to steer its direction, or to ensure that there’s transparency.

“You can say, ‘I’m against it,’” Hecht says. “But at some point, you have to say, ‘This is the system that we have now, we’re going to have to work with it.’”

Why the 2012 BID failed

The current business improvement district is not Asheville’s first attempt to launch an organization that would improve conditions downtown, Evar Hecht, co-owner of handcrafted leather store Shining Rock Goods on Wall Street, tells Xpress. In fact, he and his wife and business partner Rebecca Hecht supported a BID initiative in 2012.

“Downtown just needed a little attention [then],” Hecht says, adding that stakeholders, including downtown businesses and residents, were focused primarily on increasing police presence downtown.

“Just the sight of the police will deter a lot of the stuff that we have issues with now,” Hecht says.

“It was a pretty small effort by a handful of people to try to create [the BID],” says Mayor Esther Manheimer, who was vice mayor then. “There wasn’t a steering committee; there wasn’t community engagement.”

The lack of community engagement fueled confusion about the BID, Manheimer remembers.

“There was some pretty vocal opposition, but it was hard to know, is

SECOND COMING: Mayor Esther Manheimer was vice mayor when a BID was proposed in 2012. Photo courtesy of the City of Asheville

Meanwhile, Roney, the lone Council member to vote down the BID, says she remains concerned about aspects of the project but is ready to move forward.

“It is now our responsibility to provide accountability and oversight and to engage the public as we secure equitable representation on the board, including both commercial and residential renters most impacted by the new tax,” she writes in an email to Xpress. “The city survey is an opportunity for the community to speak to the priorities on what a third party management company that will run the BID will be contracted to provide.”  X

this widespread or is it just a handful of people,” Manheimer says. “It was hard to wrap your arms around [it].”

The Council voted to create the boundaries of the BID, but never voted for a tax or anything further to implement it, Manheimer continues.

“That initial BID was approved by the City Council; it just was never funded,” says Kit Cramer, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. “What killed the first [BID], in my opinion, was that the city was trying to exert control over how the BID would operate.”

— Patrick Moran X

Work in progress

BY BROOKE RANDLE

brandle@mountainx.com

After several work sessions, hours of public comment and the clock ticking down on a 100-day pause, Buncombe County commissioners said at their July 16 briefing meeting that they planned to create an ad hoc committee to address sticking points in a proposed short-term rentals (STR) ordinance.

“It seemed like everyone was supportive of that idea when the commission discussed it, but there may have been a lack of clarity on what was the next step to go forward,” Board of Commissioners Chair Brownie Newman said during the meeting.

The county’s nine-member Planning Board released a draft of the proposed changes to the ordinance in December, which was met with both praise and criticism, sparking months of debate. During a public hearing April 22, the county Planning Board voted to table the issue for 100 days after board Chair Nancy Waldrop and others said that the process had moved too quickly. Several board members also said that they supported creating a task force that would bring together community stakeholders on both sides of the issue to work through disagreements.

The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is now accepting applications for the ad hoc committee and is looking for representation from Realtors, community groups, shortterm rental (STR) operators, affordable housing advocates and other interested parties, through Wednesday, July 31. To apply, visit avl.mx/dy8.

REACHING AN IMPASSE

Few issues are more contentious in Buncombe County than shortterm rentals, says county Planning

Laws of the land

The City of Asheville implemented restrictions on short-term rentals (STR) in 2015, which allowed residents to rent up to two rooms on a short-term basis while living in the same house. Simultaneously, the city banned whole-house rentals of less than 30 days in residential areas, with exceptions for operators renting prior to the ordinance’s adoption or who received conditional zoning approval. Asheville City Council

County commissioners to create STR ad hoc committee

HOUSE RULES: Applications are being accepted for an ad hoc committee that aims to bring together real estate agents, community groups, short-term rental operators, affordable housing advocates and other interested parties to bridge some of the debate around the county’s STR ordinance. Photo courtesy of GreyBeard Realty

Director Nathan Pennington. Since it began in 2008, the STR business has grown exponentially both within the U.S. and abroad, with an estimated 7.7 million listings worldwide, according to Business of Apps, a media

further tightened the rules in 2018, outlawing new whole-house STRs in most commercial districts. Violators face a $500-per-day fine.

STR operators in Buncombe County and outside city limits, however, have enjoyed few restrictions when renting their properties. Operators must apply for a one-time permit but otherwise have the option to rent out entire homes and are not required to live on the property or even within the state.

The latest version of the ordinance laid out in April would have banned

and information research company. A consulting firm hired by the county identified 5,268 STRs in Buncombe as of 2022, representing roughly 4.5% of the county’s housing stock. Local proponents of STRs dispute this fig-

future short-term rentals, including both whole-house and rentals within the owner’s primary residence throughout Buncombe County unless they were located within commercial zones or in an open-use district.

Short-term rentals would be prohibited in all mobile home parks and within attached dwelling units, such as duplexes, townhomes or multifamily units. Travel trailers, recreational vehicles, sheds, vehicles and tents would also be banned from short-term rental use. A full list of the draft proposal can be found at avl.mx/dy0. X

ure, saying there are 3,250 short-term rentals which account for 2.42% of the county’s total housing stock.

Using either figure, the explosive growth has led to impassioned sentiments both for and against the business model.

“Having worked in multiple communities where this is a predominant issue, I can tell you it’s probably one of the most controversial topics I can think of in the planning field these days,” Pennington says. “The hardest thing about planning sometimes is that people want the black and white, but there’s so much gray. It’s just a very, very emotional topic for a lot of people.”

Over the last six months, the county Planning Board heard a range of voices on the issue — from personal experiences depicting how short-term rentals negatively affect neighborhoods and contribute to Asheville’s housing crisis to others who said income from shortterm rentals builds generational wealth or keeps people in their homes when experiencing economic hardships.

Dozens of members of the PODER Emma community group attended all of the public meetings and shared the concern that affordable housing, including mobile home parks in the area, were being converted to STRs.

“For many years, our community was able to achieve stability and well-being due to the affordable housing the mobile home parks in our community provide,” said Andrea Golden, co-founder of PODER Emma Community Ownership and a resident owner of Dulce Lomita Mobile Home Cooperative, during the Jan. 22 listening session. “We recognize that short-term rental restrictions alone will not solve the housing crisis, but it is an important piece of the puzzle.” Representatives from PODER Emma did not return several requests for comment before press time.

Meanwhile, Chip Craig, who chairs the short-term rentals advocacy group the NC STR Alliance and owns of Greybeard Realty and Rentals that operates more than 285 vacation rentals across the state, disputes the assertion that a ban on STRs would have a meaningful impact on available housing.

“The whole premise of [STR’s impact on] affordable housing just made no sense to me. And I care about affordable housing — we have a huge affordable housing issue,” Craig explains. “Look at Asheville. They banned short-term rentals and they have among the highest cost of living in the state. So I don’t think banning STRs is a solution.”

Other STR owners and operators emphasize the need for rental income to help afford their homes and question the legality of the proposed restrictions. Craig acknowledges that there were many proposed changes that he and other STR proponents agreed with, including the need for increased fire safety regulations, a ban of STRs in mobile home parks and an enforcement mechanism for quality-of-life issues.

“We agree that there’s some occasional bad actors out there, especially when people try to manage it remotely or are otherwise absent owners. And we would be supportive of regulations that address issues like that,” says Craig. “We agree that there are some issues, which is why we want to be involved.”

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Buncombe County isn’t alone in its struggle. The City of Asheville grappled with its short-term rental laws for more than a year before voting to approve its ordinance in 2015 and has added several amendments in the years to follow, most recently in 2021. The City of Brevard voted to approve short-term rental regulations in 2023 after establishing a task force on the issue in 2021. And, the Weaverville Planning Board narrowly approved STR recommendations after working on the issue for more than a year, according to a report from Blue Ridge Public Radio. The Weaverville Town Council has not yet set a date for a vote on the recommendations.

Buncombe County began working on its short-term rental ordinance long before the proposed text amendments came to the Planning Board, says Chris Joyelle, director of the Healthy Communities program at Asheville-based nonprofit MountainTrue. He served with other stakeholders on the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee, which col-

lected community input on the issue and helped craft recommendations for the Planning Board.

“It would be great if the county were to coordinate with community organizations and stakeholders on whatever provision they’re going to bring forward because it felt like there wasn’t a whole lot of coordination leading up to bringing this provision on STRs,” he explains. “I definitely have a lot of empathy for county staff because I feel like they’re kind of caught in the middle.”

Craig, of the STR Alliance and who was not involved in the Comprehensive Plan Committee discussions, says he would appreciate the opportunity to weigh in and that slowing down the process should help in crafting the best policy possible while hopefully avoiding unforeseen consequences.

While Joyelle says he’s also open to participating in an ad hoc committee on the issue, he maintains that the county’s decision to further delay new restrictions on STRs will only exacerbate the existing housing crisis and displace families.

“All we’re doing right now is ensuring that we’re going to lose even more [housing] units between now and whenever a decision is made. We’re certainly not going to gain more units in the process; we’re only going to lose them,” he says.

In the meantime, Pennington says that staff and the Planning Board will begin to work through other updates to the county’s comprehensive plan related to design standards, missing middle housing, transportation and more. Asked when that process might be completed, Pennington says that remains to be seen.

“You saw how long and drawn out the process was for us to really not get to a conclusion on short-term rentals,” he explains. "I don’t anticipate other text amendments to be controversial. But whenever we are talking about changes, you know, people and change, they don’t always go together. X

For expectant parents, families with young children, and community members.

Saturday, August 3

9 AM – 1 PM Rabbit Rabbit • 75 Coxe Ave • Asheville

Activities

• Community Latch-On (10:30am)

• Face Painting

• Story Time

• Yoga

• Giveaways

• Safe Sleep Demonstration

• Baby-Wearing Class

• Healthy Cooking Demonstration

• PUMP Act Info

Work to do

BY GREG PARLIER

Reparations commission to ask for six-month extension gparlier@mountainx.com

Editor’s note: Due to publication deadline, this story could not be updated in print to reflect actions taken at the July 23 Asheville City Council meeting. Check mountainx.com for updates from that meeting related to the Community Reparations Commission.

In its final meeting July 15, the Community Reparations Commission agreed to request a six-month extension from the Asheville City Council on Tuesday, July 23.

City staff, however, plans to recommend the commission get only another three months to complete its task of finalizing recommendations for how the city and Buncombe County can repair harm caused by generations of systemic racism and produce a final report.

Commission members pointed out the discrepancy in proposed timelines.

“It feels as though there is direct competition between our leadership and the people that represent the city [and] county,” said commission member Dwayne Richardson. “How did you decide that even though you took in what we said, you came to a conclusion that you would recommend something that was in opposition to what we felt?” he asked Sala MenayaMerritt, equity and inclusion director for the City of Asheville.

The commission wants six months to continue community engagement around reparations education, write the commission’s final report, create a nonprofit to accept private funds for reparations, form an accountability council, form a reconciliation task force and finalize additional recommendations, according to its draft presentation for the July 23 Council meeting.

Menaya-Merritt said that several of those elements are implementation pieces that are above and beyond what was laid out for the commission in its establishing resolution. She said staff concluded the commission would be able to complete any recommendations and draft a final report in three months, instead of six.

Commission Chair Dewana Little said she had discussed the discrepancy with Menaya-Merritt previously and disagreed with her decision.

“We’re asking for six months to implement the things that we feel are necessary in order to see reparations truly realized through this process. And no, we have not had the time and capacity to focus on the policies and procedures that maintain this perpetual system of harm to Black people,” added Little.

STILL WORKING: Four years to the week after the City of Asheville passed a resolution acknowledging the need for reparations, the 2022-formed Community Reparations Commission is asking for a little more time to complete its work. The group was scheduled to make the request at an Asheville City Council meeting Tuesday, July 23. Photo by Thomas Calder

Ultimately, Menaya-Merritt said it would be up to the City Council on how it would handle the extension request.

For the county’s part, Assistant County Manager DK Wesley said the county is not considering an extension, and if City Council approves any extension, the county’s support would remain the same as it is now. The county’s Equity and Human Rights Department is providing staff support, and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners has dedicated more than $500,000 to the reparations effort for the current fiscal year, but the county halted legal, data and communications support in June, per its previously set deadline.

As part of its pitch for an extension, Little and Vice Chair Bobbette Mays detailed what the commission has accomplished since an extension was first floated at a December Council meeting.

The reparations commission increased its meeting frequency from once to twice a month, held a fullday retreat in June and organized a community engagement committee to create a plan to reach more members, resulting in more than 3,200 contacts with Black residents in March, April and May, Little said.

Commissioners voted on and passed 39 recommendations in May and June,

and its final report writing team has met biweekly since June 10, she added.

The commission unanimously agreed to request that City Council add a public comment period after its presentation to allow for community members and commissioners other than Little and Mays to speak in support or against the commission’s requested extension.

City Attorney Brad Branham said any agenda change is ultimately up to Mayor Esther Manheimer

FAR FROM OVER

Since it’s possibly the commission’s final meeting, Little gave members the chance to offer some parting words. The work, urged several commission members, is just beginning.

“Whether this is the last meeting or not, [we must] hold government accountable for this process. Moving forward, this is not the end. It is the beginning. It doesn’t end here. Whether we’re back or not, this is ongoing. This has to be a problem-driven, iterative, adaptive process. And if it is not being approached as a problem-driven, iterative, adaptive process, then it will not be successful,” said commission member Keith Young Commission members MZ Yehudah, CiCi Weston, Roy Harris, Norma Baynes and Richardson echoed Young’s sentiment.

“Reparations is a promise that was made to address the harms and were perpetrated on Black people. I believe that was done in good faith. And I hope that the city and county follow through on his promise to address the harms. Because at the end of the day, everyone benefits when that happens,” Yehudah said.

“As our ancestors once said to everyone around them, keep running. And if you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But no matter what you do, keep moving. Let’s keep moving,” Richardson added. X

Emergency beds

BY JESSICA WAKEMAN

jwakeman@mountainx.com

Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) broke ground July 16 on a shelter for women and children.

Safe Haven will be an emergency shelter operating 24/7 and yearround. It will provide 36 beds for single women, women with children and up to two intact families. Safe Haven is on the same property as Transformation Village, ABBCM’s transitional housing shelter that provides beds for up to 100 women and children.

“We just want everybody to come,” ABBCM Executive Director the Rev. Scott Rogers told the crowd assembled for the groundbreaking. “Anybody can come. We don’t need ID — we’ll find out who you are as we go. We need you to be safe, and we will find out how safe you can be. We have the support of everybody to make sure it is safe for everybody.”

The estimated cost for the Safe Haven build will be $500,000, he told Xpress

Several other emergency shelter options exist in Buncombe County, including Helpmate, which provides shelter for individuals fleeing domestic violence, Western Carolina Rescue Ministries and The Salvation Army of Asheville and Buncombe County.

WHAT SAFE HAVEN WILL PROVIDE

Transformation Village has offered transitional housing for women and youths since 2002. Safe Haven would be its first stand-alone emergency shelter, but for several years Transformation Village has provided emergency beds when Code Purple is called.

Code Purple is a communitywide program that temporarily increases shelter beds during freezing temperatures. During Code Purple, shelters waive some of their regulations, such as requiring identification.

ABCCM hopes to open Safe Haven by Oct. 15 so it is available when cold weather arrives, Rogers told Xpress.

Once completed, Safe Haven will be 3,700 square feet, comprising nine bedrooms, six bathrooms, a community room and a dining room. It will provide three meals a day, with hot meals coming from the main kitchen at Transformation Village.

ABCCM breaks ground on Safe Haven shelter

BUILDING ON SOLID GROUND: Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry broke ground on Safe Haven, an emergency shelter for women, July 16. Pictured, from left, are the Rev. Scott Rogers of ABCCM, Transformation Village administrative assistant Laura Foreman, Transformation Village program director Carolyn Cronin, Transformation Village senior volunteer coordinator Shannon Paris and Transformation Village assistant director Beverly Buckner. Photo by Jessica Wakeman

Recent efforts to address homelessness locally have focused on reducing barriers to shelter, such as the inability for families to stay together in one setting. Boys and girls up to age 17 will be accepted into Safe Haven, Rogers says.

Another barrier for homeless people and people fleeing domestic violence seeking shelter is the potential separation from their pets.

There won’t be a kennel on-site at Safe Haven, Rogers tells Xpress He says that ABCCM has relationships with the Asheville Humane Society, Brother Wolf Animal Rescue and local veterinarians who can board animals.

Active substance use can be another barrier — one that can prove fatal in freezing temperatures. In a press release about Safe Haven, ABCCM states, “Persons may enter while intoxicated but may not do drugs or consume alcohol on campus and must not be a threat to others or themselves.”

In addition to Safe Haven, ABCCM has additional shelter plans in the works: a 38-unit apartment building, containing 114 beds, that will provide permanent supportive housing and a 128-bed recovery housing facility. Rogers estimates the total cost of

Safe Haven and two additional facilities will be $10.5 million. It already has $6 million in pledges.

COMMUNITY’S SHELTER PLANS

Safe Haven is one piece of a larger game of Tetris for the community’s plan to address homelessness.

In early 2022, Dogwood Health Trust funded a study by Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit National Alliance to End Homelessness about how Asheville and Buncombe County could reduce homelessness. Its report, which mapped a pathway to reduce homelessness by half, was presented to the community in January 2023.

NAEH recommended Asheville and Buncombe County add 95 beds to its shelter capacity permanently. Its report advised 60 beds for single adults, 25 beds with support for mental health and substance use, and 10 beds for families with children.

In an effort to address an immediate need for emergency shelter, the Homeless Initiative Advisory Committee identified three organizations that could temporarily provide 43 beds: three at Haywood Street Respite, 20 at The Salvation

Army and 20 with Safe Shelter, an initiative among churches. These are temporary solutions because they have been funded for only one year, but they could be extended, says City of Asheville homeless strategy division manager Emily Ball

The NAEH report recommended establishing a low-barrier shelter, also called a high-access shelter, that would provide emergency shelter beds more consistently. A city and county shelter planning team is identifying preferred services for a low-barrier shelter that would have 100 year-round beds with the ability to add 50 beds when needed. Ball notes that the beds could be provided at one shelter location or spread across shelters at multiple locations.

A request for proposals for the low-barrier shelter was issued July 15. Following a review of the proposals, a shelter planning work group will submit its recommendation at the Thursday, Aug. 15, meeting of the Asheville-Buncombe Continuum of Care, a planning body overseeing services to the community’s homeless population, says Ball. If approved, that proposal will head to Buncombe County for funding consideration, she says. X

• Acupuncture

• Electro-Acupuncture

• Fertility Acupuncture

• Sports Medicine Acupuncture

• Facial Rejuvenation Acupuncture

• PEMF (Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Frequencies)

• Massage Therapy

• CranioSacral Therapy

• Rolfing

• NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Techniques)

Dr. Autum Kirgan Licensed Acupuncturist Clinic Director

Trishann Couvillion PEMF Provider

Danielle Krywko, LMBT Licensed Massage Therapist

Dr. Britta Memmesheimer Licensed Acupuncturist

Consultant finds no evidence of bias in the Tax Assessor’s Office

TAX ASSESSMENT BRIEFING: On July 16, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners was presented with the findings of a six-month study concerning the county’s tax assessment practices. Photo by Greg Parlier

After years of public scrutiny over Buncombe County’s tax assessment practices, an independent consulting firm hired by the Tax Assessor’s Office found the county’s appraisal process to be “blind and fair.”

The $60,000 report, authored by Kevin Keene of Keene Mass Appraisal Consulting, concluded that there was “no evidence of systemic racial or income bias,” “no evidence of overt political interference” and “no evidence of bias in the attitudes of the workforce.”

Tax Assessor Keith Miller and Keene presented the findings, gathered over the previous six months, to the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners at its briefing meeting July 16.

“I really want to commend this body. I’m here because there was an allegation that Buncombe County overassesses poor people and communities of color and underassesses primarily white wealthy communities. These allegations are common in the U.S.,” Keene said. “I am here because you pushed back and wanted to see what the actual truth was.”

The conversation surrounding the equity of Buncombe’s property assessments dates back three-plus years. In 2021, Asheville-based urban planning firm Urban3 performed a pro bono analysis of Buncombe’s tax assessment trends suggesting that higher-valued properties tended to be underassessed and lower-valued

properties overassessed, based on market value. Urban3 Principal Joe Minicozzi presented that analysis to county commissioners and tax assessment staff in early 2021, eventually leading to the formation of an ad hoc tax assessment committee later that year.

While Minicozzi and Miller had several heated disagreements throughout the committee’s meetings — and Minicozzi and former Urban3 analyst Ori Baber disputed the way the committee was conducted — its work ultimately concluded with a slew of recommendations in July 2022, many of which have been implemented.

Commission Chair Brownie Newman told Xpress in 2023 that he

was pleased with the recommendations from the committee but remained disappointed that they didn’t directly address the fundamental question of whether inequities exist in the system.

THE KEENE REPORT

In January, Keene was hired to analyze the department’s processes and offer recommendations, as well as provide feedback to commissioners about the findings.

“It is my opinion that the practice of mass appraisal in Buncombe County is fair and not biased in favor of or against any demographically identifiable group,” Keene wrote in

the executive summary. “Reports that have been published alleging or supporting allegations of bias suffer from serious deficiencies … rendering them unreliable as credible sources of information.”

Keene toured Buncombe to understand the county’s properties and geography, did an in-depth review of assessment processes and data, and conducted interviews with county staff and commissioners in the course of his research.

His findings did show some bias is entering the system through data collection, the valuation process, sales validation and neighborhood definitions — things that Keene said can be fixed. Additionally, the assessment office is understaffed, according to Keene.

“They are maximizing the use of technology, but the current level of staffing limits what the office can achieve and needs to be addressed,” he wrote.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Keene made 28 recommendations for adjustments to the department’s workforce, making tweaks to subsystems, data management, training and valuation methods, among others. Keene noted that the county was already working to implement changes in six of those categories.

One short-term recommendation that could affect the county’s 2025 revaluation was to implement a process to identify property sales to non-Buncombe County residents to gain better insight into the local housing market. Another was to create an appraiser position focused on luxury homes to increase the accuracy of those valuations. Miller said he has already implemented both recommendations.

Keene also made several recommendations to help the county increase the accuracy of its data collection and improve its customer service and access to the process for residents.

Longer-term recommendations include creating a dedicated analysis and modeling team, updating market area definitions and partnering with local universities to create assessment internship programs, according to the report.

“I think we have done a good job, and I think Mr. Keene gives us some ideas on how to do an even better job,” Miller said.

Keene will return in November after the county gets close to completing the 2025 revaluation to do a reanalysis of the new figures, Miller added.

— Greg Parlier X

Despite public outcry, FBO at Hominy Creek to close Oct. 15

More than a dozen residents attended the July 16 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, urging commissioners not to force French Broad Outfitters (FBO) at Hominy Creek to close later this year.

“Today we are publicly requesting meetings to hear the voices of the taxpaying citizens of Buncombe County that clearly want FBO at Hominy Creek to remain as it is. We want a solution that preserves this invaluable community asset that brings joy, recreation and conservation stewardship to Asheville and Buncombe County. Save FBO at Hominy Creek,” said Tracy Hawkins, speaking for about 10 other FBO supporters at the meeting.

The outdoor bar and event space, which has been located at the confluence of Hominy Creek and the French Broad River in West Asheville since 2016, is on county-owned land and is being forced to move because of a previously overlooked stipulation in a land conservation easement agreement between the county and RiverLink.

That easement, signed in 2006, prohibits commercial business on the property except for a sand dredging operation that has since been abandoned.

FBO rents boats and kayaks out of the space, runs a bar and music venue, and hosts events such as the popular disc golf putt night run by the Western North Carolina Disc Golf Association.

Dylan Simpson, an employee at FBO, said the staff spends a lot of time picking up trash on and off the property, which abuts a county park. Simpson and others said employees also help clear the area of nefarious activity.

As an example, Simpson shared a story about an individual who previously set up a tent outside FBO’s gate with a sign warning passersby that if they got too close, they would be shot with a crossbow. Simpson called the authorities, who removed the person from the property. Had the site been a passive park, as it is slated to become, the outcome might have been different, he argued.

More than 1,800 people have signed a change.org petition to save FBO’s status on the site.

Despite the robust opposition to its closure, Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus said there’s nothing the county can do because the land conservation easement is written to last “in perpetuity.”

FBO is scheduled to close at the end of its season, Tuesday, Oct. 15.

IN OTHER NEWS

Buncombe’s backup 911 call center and seven other customer-facing county departments are joining the Family Justice Center (FJC) at 35 Woodfin St. after commissioners approved $3.8 million in renovations at its meeting July 16.

The backup 911 call center is relocating from the City of Asheville Municipal building. Tax collections, tax assessment, election services, permits and inspections, planning, air quality and environmental health will also get space in the complex. FJC will retain its current footprint in the building, gain an adjoining secure reception area and add security measures to keep it independent of other departments. Construction is slated to begin in late July.

Buncombe is sending about $1.37 million in expiring federal transit funding to the City of Asheville to support the Asheville Rides Transit (ART) system. The county is sending the funds to the city with the expectation that certain conditions be met. The city should evaluate route changes to its WE2 route to improve the connection between it and the Buncombe County EnkaCandler Trailblazer route and evaluate increasing trip frequency for its S3 and S6 routes serving South Asheville, according to county documents.

Commissioners approved a resolution opposing “unaccountable, taxpayer-funded private school vouchers,” mirroring a similar resolution passed in June by Buncombe County Schools. As part of the resolution, commissioners urged the N.C. General Assembly to substantially increase teacher salaries, allocate significant funding to early childhood education and place a moratorium on private school vouchers until public schools are fully funded.

Out of the woods

Black Mountain residents pull

together to preserve tree’s legacy

BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE

jmcguire@mountainx.com

Nobody in Black Mountain knows exactly how old “Robo Oil Tree” was. Experts believe the white oak emerged some time in the 18th century just feet from what would become the first roads that brought colonial settlers into the Swannanoa Valley.

What’s certain is the tree was beloved by generations of town residents, who were shocked to discover a tornado had knocked it down during the early morning hours of May 9. And while the tree is gone, its legacy will be preserved, thanks to the efforts of a small group of local residents.

“It had seen the development of the valley, the settlement of the valley, and that’s why people were really into it,” says LeAnne Johnson, executive director of the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center. “Plus, a lot of people have fond childhood memories of it because it was right across from the Black Mountain Elementary School. But mostly it’s because it had just been here for a very, very long time.”

The tree — which earned its nickname because it stood next to the Robo Oil Co. gas station on State Street — was among the first trees designated a Treasured Tree of the Valley by the Swannanoa Valley Tree Alliance in 2019. It was the oldest tree identified by the group.

As a member of the alliance, Faith Butterfield had grown to love the white oak. When she heard the news that it had been knocked down, she was determined to make sure the remains of the tree didn’t end up in a sawmill.

“There was just a lot of sadness, but then there was a lot of concern,” she says. “We all wondered, ‘What is going to happen to this tree? What can we do to save the legacy?’”

TEAMING UP

After N.C. Department of Transportation crews removed the tree’s branches, which were blocking U.S. 70, only the trunk remained. Butterfield tracked down the owner of the property on which the tree stood and was told whoever removed the trunk could keep it.

“I thought about who could possibly move this trunk, which was 18 feet long and 18,000 pounds,” she says. She reached out to fellow tree enthusiast Jeff Hall, owner of Hall’s Towing & Recovery. Hall immediately pledged to use his flatbed to move the trunk without having to cut it up.

But move it where?

Butterfield called Black Mountain Town Manager Josh Harrold, who told her the trunk could be stored in the parking lot of the town’s Public Works & Sanitation Services building until a plan could be developed for what to do with it.

About the Swannanoa Valley Tree Alliance

The Swannanoa Valley Tree Alliance (SVTA), founded in April 2019, is a partnership of Asheville GreenWorks, the Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, the Black Mountain Parks & Greenways Foundation and other groups. Its goal is to encourage tree stewardship and bring public awareness to valuable and irreplaceable trees throughout Black Mountain and Swannanoa.

The group was formed after Black Mountain residents raised concerns that a 200-year-old white oak had been cut down for the new development Padgett Home Place on Padgettown Road.

Through its Treasured Trees of the Valley program, SVTA has recognized more than 60 trees in the valley based on size, age, beauty or historic significance. That includes trees on public and private land.

Once a tree is designated a treasured tree, volunteers place a brass plaque on it to identify its species, approximate age and who nominated it. A QR code directs people to a website that has more information about the tree.

The group also leads walking tours that highlight various treasured trees.

For more information, go to avl.mx/dwl.X

Harrold met Butterfield and Hall at the site of the tree, where Hall and an employee were able to load the trunk onto the flatbed truck. With a police escort, the truck proceeded to the Public Works & Sanitation Services building.

“Luckily, I was able to get involved, and we had a space where we could put it,” Harrold says. “The tow truck driver got involved, and we made it happen. It was great teamwork, and it happened organically. There really wasn’t a plan, so we just threw things together quickly.”

The trunk will remain in the parking lot at least until it is seasoned, which could take two years. Timber seasoning is the process of reducing moisture content in wood to make it more stable and to prevent splitting or fungal/insect damage.

A committee likely will be formed to determine the fate of the wood. Butterfield would like to use it to make a large bench to be placed in front of the Swannanoa Valley Museum and History Center on State Street, less than a half-mile from where the white oak stood. There’s enough wood to

make smaller benches to be placed throughout the town, she says.

But a lot of ideas are floating around, says the museum’s Johnson.

“Are we going to do a totem pole? Are we going to do a bench?” she says. “Once a committee decides what’s going to happen with the tree, we will display it that way at the museum to represent that tree and the history that it’s seen.”

PLACING THE CHRONOLOGY

Coincidentally, Harrold already had been working to preserve the tree’s legacy before Butterfield reached out.

At a meeting of the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce, the town manager had run into William Forstchen , a professor of history and writing at Montreat College. Like Butterfield, Forstchen didn’t want to see all the remains of the tree destroyed.

Harrold and Fortstchen drove to the site and got permission from the property owner to saw off two cross sections from the base of the tree.

Those sections are now seasoning in the parking lot along with the trunk.

The sections, known as cookies, display the tree’s rings, which appeared each year it was alive. Studying a cookie will allow a dendrochronologist to determine exactly how old the Robo Oil Tree was.

Forstchen’s plan is to mark significant events in history, such as the signing of the U.S. Constitution and World War II, on a cookie, which then would be turned into a plaque to be displayed somewhere in Black Mountain, possibly Town Square.

“We just think that it would be a neat idea for folks to see that this tree has been here for at least 200 years, if not longer,” Harrold says. “And Town Square’s a popular place. I think it would get a lot of exposure there.”

But he explains no decisions have been made yet.

“A lot of this stuff just still has to be decided,” he says. “We haven’t made it that far. I think the biggest thing was getting the tree, which we did, and we can take our time if we need to because it’s ours.”

About the Robo Oil Tree

From the SVTA website:

“This white oak is believed to be one of the oldest trees inside the town limits of Black Mountain, thought to have begun growing here prior to 1800. It could have been a seedling when the land it stands on still belonged to the Cherokee, before the 1776 raids of General Griffith Rutherford who burned 50 to 70 Cherokee towns and villages west of Old Fort. This tree stood tall just feet from the first roads built on what is now Highway 70, which brought colonial settlers into the valley, around 100 years before the Town of Black Mountain was established.”

STRONG AS OAK: Black Mountain resident Faith Butterfield helped lead efforts to preserve the trunk of the Robo Oil Tree after a tornado downed it in May. Photo by Joe Galone

JULY 24 - AUG. 1, 2024

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

WELLNESS & SUPPORT GROUPS

Community Yoga & Mindfulness

A free monthly event with Inspired Change Yoga that will lead you into a morning of breathwork, meditation and yoga. Bring your own mat.

WE (7/24), 11:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Tai Chi for Balance

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

WE (7/24, 31), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Gentle Yoga for Seniors

A yoga class geared to seniors offering gentle stretching and strengthening through accessible yoga poses and modifications.

WE (7/24, 31), 2:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Tai Chi Fan

This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome. Fans will be provided.

WE (7/24, 31), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Innerdance: Altered States of Consciousness w/Soundscapes & Energy Work

A healing journey into altered states of consciousness as we flow through brain wave states with soundscapes & energy work.

WE (7/24), 6pm, The Horse Shoe Farm, 155 Horse Shoe Farm Dr, Hendersonville

Nicotine Anonymous

People share their experience, strength and hope to stop using nicotine. You don’t need to be stopped, just have a desire to attend. No fees or dues.

TH (7/25, 8/1), 4:30pm, Asheville 12-Step Recovery Club, 1 Kenilworth Knolls Unit 4

Chen Style Tai Chi

The original style of Tai Chi known for its continual spiraling movements and great health benefits.

TH (7/25, 8/1), MO (7/9), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Weekly Zumba Classes

Free in-person Zumba classes. No registration required.

TH (7/25, 8/1), TU (7/30), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain Nia Dance Fitness

A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.

TH (7/25, 8/1), 9:30am, TU (7/30), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Rise & Yoga on The Roof

Hot yoga sessions on the roof of the Radical with a special instructor.

SA (7/27), 9am, The Radical, 95 Roberts St Yoga for Everyone

A free-in person yoga class for all ages and abilities that is led by alternating teachers. Bring your own mat and water bottle.

SA (7/27), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Adult Water Aerobics

Gentle water aerobics to improve cardio fitness, build strength, boost mood, and ease joint pain. Free for ages 60 and up.

SA (7/27), 10am, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Yoga in the Park Yoga class alongside the French Broad River, based on Hatha and Vinyasa traditions and led by certified yoga instructors. All experience levels welcome.

SA (7/27), SU (7/28), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd

Magnetic Minds: Depression & Bipolar Support Group

A free weekly peer-led meeting for those living with depression, bipolar, and related mental health challenges. For more information contact (828) 367-7660.

SA (7/27), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd

Wild Souls Authentic Movement

An expressive movement class designed to help you get unstuck, enjoy cardio movement, boost immune health,

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Taking Flight, a benefit for Trillium Arts, on Saturday, July 27, starting at 4 p.m.

This special event celebrating dance, film and barn owls will feature a dance film collaboration between Xavier Núñez and Tim Whalen, art from visual artist Amanda McLenon and Orion, a live barn owl. Photo courtesy of Ryan Fredrick

dissolve anxiety and celebrate community.

SU (7/28), 9:30am, Dunn’s Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard

Mary Magdalene Circle of Sacred Connection

A transformative journey to empower your sacred self-leadership and receive sacred blessings.

SU (7/28), 3pm, Weaverville Yoga, 3 Florida Ave, Weaverville Barn Yoga w/Mary Beth Mary Beth teaches gentle and vinyasa flow for all levels. Variations encouraged, feel free to bring blocks, blankets or straps.

SU (7/28), 9am, Hickory Nut Gap Farm, 57 Sugar Hollow Rd, Fairview

Sunday Morning Meditation Group

Gathering for a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation, facilitated by Worth Bodie.

SU (7/28), 10am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Summer Cooling Yoga w/Jamie Knox

Our practice slows down in the summer to focus on stretching, calming, and cooling the body. We still include strength building but more emphasis is placed on internal calm. No need to pre-register.

SU (7/28), 10:30am, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd

Asheville Kirtan

These ancient mantras, chanted in Sanskrit, help to connect us to our hearts- invoking feelings of well-being, meditation, and joy.

TU (7/30), 7pm, Weaving Rainbows, 62 Wall St

Qigong for Health

A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.

TU (7/30), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

QiGong Class w/Allen Gentle movements that will improve your balance and increase your flow of life force energy. All levels and ages welcome.

TU (7/30), 10am, Asia House Asheville, 119 Coxe Ave

DANCE

Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ Mtn Vibez

A Latin dance social featuring salsa, bachata, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton with dance lessons for all skill levels.

WE (7/24, 31), 8pm, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd

Saturday Night Square

Dancing

Led by Frank Brown, relish in the tradition of Scotch-Irish and English music dancing and the celebratory cakewalk.

SA (7/27), 8pm, Geneva Hall, 86 High Ridge Rd, Little Switzerland

American glass art can be seen in this selection of works. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 16.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Adult Studio: Painting Places from Imagination

Callie Ferraro will guide you through painting destinations that only live in our imagination. In this three-week course you will be guided through painting abstract landscapes on canvas.

TH (7/25, 8/1), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Summer 1-On-1

Pottery Lessons

Private lessons offering individuals 30 minute classes. Walk-ins will be welcome, schedule permitting.

SA (7/27), SU (7/28), 11am, Odyssey Clayworks, 236 Clingman Ave

Adult Studio: Exploring Dualities w/ Photography

COMMUNITY

MUSIC

Wings & Strings: Ryan Furstenberg Duo

This music series at at the Sweeten Creek location will feature local bluegrass-style bands every week. TH (7/25), 6:30pm, Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack S, 3749 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden Ljubinka Kulisic A performance by accordion virtuoso Ljubinka Kulisic, featuring works by John Cage and John Zorn.

TH (7/25), 7pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St Park Rhythms Concert Series w/Colby T. Helms & The Virginia Creepers

This series features many talented artists from across the east coast with Colby T. Helms and The Virginia Creepers providing the tunes this week.

Tango Tuesdays

Tango lessons and social with instructors

Mary Morgan and Mike Eblen. No partner required, and no experience needed for the beginners class.

TU (7/30), 6pm, Urban Orchard Cider Co. S Slope, 24 Buxton Ave

ART

Shifting Perceptions: Photographs from the Collection

A selection of photographs presented in a trio of sections, each featuring seemingly opposing forces: Natural/Unnatural, Together/Apart, and Inside/ Out. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 23.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Lakisha Blount: When We See Us

This new solo exhibition honors the essence of Blount's experiences and generational stories of Black mountain life in Appalachia through her figurative oil paintings. Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, 11am. Exhibition through Aug. 10.

Tyger Tyger Gallery, 191 Lyman St, Ste 144

Gail Drozd: Mystery in the Mist

Embark on a journey of discovery with a captivating exploration of nature's mysteries through Gail Drozd's latest art work. Gallery

open daily, 11am. Exhibition through July 31.

Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave

Counter/Balance: Gifts of John & Robyn Horn

A presentation of important examples of contemporary American craft, including woodworking, metalsmithing, fiber and pottery by renowned American artists. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through July. 29, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Honoring Nature: Early Southern Appalachian Landscape

Painting

This exhibition explores the sublime natural landscapes of the Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina and Tennessee. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Oct. 21.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

The New Salon: A Contemporary View

A modern take on the prestigious tradition of the Parisian Salon with the diversity and innovation of today’s art world. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Aug. 19.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Western North Carolina Glass: Selections from the Collection

A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of

Through a series of weekly assignments, contemplate the themes and create photos that investigate the distinctions, contradictions, and intersections of these dualities.

SA (7/27), noon, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Daily Craft Demonstrations

Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Open daily, 10am. Demonstrations run through Dec. 31. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Pkwy

Robert Chapman Turner: Artist, Teacher, Explorer

The exhibition will include work by some of Turner’s students and colleagues as well as work by contemporary ceramic artists whose work fits within the context of the show. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 7. Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

Aaron Fields: Hidden Colors

This art exhibition presents a story about the perfect summer day in the mountains through the use of mostly acrylic paint, paint markers and spray paint. Gallery open daily, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 1. Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St

TH (7/25), 7pm, Black Mountain Veterans Park, 10 Veterans Park Dr Black Mountain Concert Series on the Creek: PMA Free concert series for the community with PMA bringing their fusion of reggea, roots and dub sounds this week. These events are free with donations encouraged. Everyone is welcome. There will be food trucks available on most nights.

FR (7/26), 7pm, Bridge Park Gazebo, 76 Railroad Ave, Sylva Amy Steinberg & Jenna Jaffe Concert

A night of powerful piano priestess energy with Amy Steinberg and Jenna Jaffe. Both artists are heart centered, joyful expressions of love and look forward to spreading some to you.

FR (7/26), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way Chuck Brodsky His songs celebrate the goodness in people, the eccentric, the holy, the profound and more. FR (7/26), 8pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Scottish Sessions

A session of traditional Scottish tunes with a rotating group of musicians. Not an open jam.

SA (7/27), 4pm, Ginger's Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr Sunsets: Electric Garden Day Parties Experience the eclectic vibes of a music festival through the vibrant energy of the sunset, exotic entertainment, food, drinks and music curated from AVL's top DJs, every Sunday

A BENEFIT SOARÉE: The Red Barn Studio at Odonata Farm in Mars Hill hosts

in July.

SU (7/28), 2pm, Haiku AVL, 26 Sweeten Creek Rd

Mark's House Jam & Sunday Potluck

Bring a potluck dish to share with an amazing community of local musicians from around the globe. Please note that this isn't an open mic.

SU (7/28), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

The Julie McConnell Quartet

A summer concert featuring one of the best jazz singers in the greater area that brings a show that is powerful, moving, poignant, and personal, through her delivery of song.

SU (7/28), 5pm, Blue Ridge Community College, Technology Education & Development Center, 180 W Campus Dr, Flat Rock Rock N Roll Chorus

A showcase of youth talent, delivering high energy rock and roll with no instruments just voices.

SU (7/28), 7:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Pickin' In The Park

Enjoy performances by local singer-songwriters in an intimate and relaxed setting. Experience the rich musical heritage of Asheville as talented musicians share their stories and songs.

MO (7/29), 6pm, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

Beer & Hymns

A night of bringing people together to raise a glass and voice while raising funds for organizations that change the world.

MO (7/29), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Park Rhythms Concert Series

This series features many talented artists from across the east coast with Lyric providing the tunes this week.

TH (8/1), 7pm, Black Mountain Veterans Park, 10 Veterans Park Dr Black Mountain

COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS

Brew & Taste Workshop

Learn with a Specialty Coffee Association

certified brewer about coffee brewing science using only locally roasted coffees.

TH (7/25, 8/1), FR (7/26), SA (7/27), 9:30am, Coffee Curious Workshops, 45 S French Broad Ave

Access to Capital

Learn why businesses borrow money, what lenders are looking for when reviewing your application, and the importance of having cash flow projections. Registration at avl.mx/dwk is required.

TH (7/25), noon, Online

Advanced Energetic & Spiritual Defense

This class is for individuals seeking deeper defense skill sets and who want to delve into more complex defense scenarios.

TH (7/25), 6pm, The Well, 3 Louisiana Ave

Ginger’s Revenge Pride Embroidery Workshop

Featuring two hours of hands on learning of several embroidery stitches and techniques to create your very own needlework piece. No sewing or needlework experience required.

TH (7/25), 6:30pm, Ginger’s Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr Gardenscaping for Pollinators & Predatory Insects

Learn to control common garden pests by supporting abundant diverse insect communities with plantings and other critical components.

SA (7/27), 10am, Reems Creek Nursery, 70 Monticello Rd, Weaverville

Nettle Ink Plant Pigment Workshop w/ Annie Kyla

Learn the basics of plant ink-making in this workshop using methods that can be replicated in the home kitchen with a variety of plants. All supplies will be provided.

SA (7/27), noon, Canopy Gallery in Art Garden, 191 Lyman St, Ste 316

LITERARY

Swannanoa Valley Museum Book Club

Series

This month's book discussion will focus on Family of Earth: A Southern Mountain Childhood by Wilma Dykeman.

FR (7/26), 10am, Black Mountain Library, Black Mountain

Summer Prosperity Book Study

Open yourself up to how abundance is already living in you and how it can be awakened in your life with the help of May McCarthy's book, Path to Wealth.

MO (7/29), 6:30pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Hacks, Leaks & Revelations

Computer security engineer Micah Lee presents his new

book for investigative journalists and amateur researchers interested in finding and analyzing complex datasets.

TH (8/1), 6pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd

Women, Wine & the Divine

An evening of soul-nourishing connection, rosé-tasting, and divine-feminine-inspired poetry read by self-care author Renee Peterson Trudeau.

TH (8/1), 6pm, Wine Sage Merchant + Wine Bar, 416 N Main St, Hendersonville

THEATER & FILM

Story & Arts Residency Night 3: Beyond the Myth

For the final night of the 2024 Residency, artist-in-residence Carolina Quiroga will delve into captivating tales of individuals who have undergone incredible transformations in the face of great challenge.

TH (7/25), 6:30pm, free, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd

Off the Grid Storytelling w/Greg Candle

An interactive performance featuring Greg Candle who will touch on the history of the WNC region.

TH (7/25), 7pm, Leveller Brewing Co, 25 N Main St, Weaverville Footloose

Featuring the exhilarating story of a teenager who challenges the oppressive ban on dancing in a small town, sparking a revolution of youthful rebellion and self-expression.

TH (7/25), FR (7/26), SA (7/27), 7:30pm, SU (7/28), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

Romeo & Juilet

Featuring the most authentic, ridiculous, compelling, romantic, surprising, and possibly even death-defying version of the tale told

to date.

TH (7/25), FR (7/26), SA 7/27), 7:30pm, NC Stage Co., 15 Stage Ln Voice Commands

A dark comedy that follows three interlocking stories. Each piece dives deeper into the murky waters of our current situation, our second guessing, our sure-footedness, and our frailty.

TH (7/25), FR (7/26), 7:30pm, BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St

Before the Scream

An unforgettable experience featuring professional dancers from critically acclaimed companies across the US and abroad.

TH (7/25), FR (7/26), SA (7/27), 8pm, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave

Listen To This: Stories & More on Stage Featuring stories by David Greenson, Carmela Caruso, and a story into a song by Fancy Marie. Plus, music by Hannah Kaminer, and stand-up comedy from Petey Smith McDowell.

TH (7/25), 8pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave Joseph Reed Hayes: Destination Moon

A young woman forms a relationship with a disembodied voice in the night, a veteran late-night radio personality.

FR (7/26), SA (7/27), 7:30pm, SU (7/28), 2;30pm, Asheville Community Theatre, 35 E Walnut St

Legally Blonde The Musical America’s favorite blonde, Elle Woods, is ready to prove who’s in charge in this fabulously fun, award-winning musical based on the adored movie.

FR (7/26), SA (7/27), 7:30pm, SU (7/28), 2:30pm, Hendersonville Theatre, 229 S Washington St, Hendersonville

Movie Premiere: Plot of the Preying Eyes

Artise James, local author & director shares a dramatized life story of gangster turned author who lived through the gritty New York streets and lived to tell his story.

TH (8/1), 7pm, Rezonance Lounge (via The Green Room), 51 College St

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

IBN Biz Lunch: West Asheville

All are invited to attend and promote their business, products, and services, and meet new referral contacts. Bring a big stack of business cards, flyers and invite your business contacts to attend.

WE (7/24), 11:30am, Gemelli by Strada Italiano, 70 Westgate Pkwy

Every Black Voice: AVL's Racial Justice Coalition Lunch & Learn

This event will be discussing reparations and the history of black Asheville. Housing, health and wellness along with community building and education will also be hot topics

of conversation. WE (7/24), 12:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

IBN Biz Lunch: Woodfin

The meeting will consist of introductions by every guest, a discussion of future networking opportunities in the area, a roundtable business needs and solutions segment, and some open networking before and after the meeting.

TH (7/25), 11:30am, The Village Porch, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Woodfin Grove Street Ice Cream Social Celebrate summer with friends, crafts, and more.

TH (7/25), 3pm, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St

The Foxy Chef: A Night of Vegan Cooking Chefs will take us on a culinary journey, explaining health benefits of nature's herbs and spices. This class is open for anyone and everyone.

TH (7/25), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Dharma talk w/John Orr John will give Dharma talk and lead discussion on various topics related to meditation

and Buddhist teachings. TH (7/25), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain Restoring Trust in Our Elections Town Hall: What Conservatives & Liberals Agree On Braver Angels has worked to rebuild election trust by seeking solutions supported by people across the political spectrum.

TH (7/25), 6:30pm, Skyland United Methodist Church, 1984 Hendersonville Rd

IBN Breakfast Club: West Asheville

A breakfast club for some Incredible Business Networking, along with other business people and entrepreneurs like yourself.

FR (7/26), 9am, Regina's Westside, 1400 Patton Ave, Astronomy Club of Asheville: Public Star Gaze

A public star gaze at Grassland Mountain Observatory in Madison County. This event is free and open to everyone, and registration is not necessary to attend.  A temporary gate code, required for entry, will be posted on their website by 5:00

pm on the day of the star gaze. Sunset occurs at 8:38 pm.

FR (7/26), 5pm, Grassland Mountain Observatory, 2890 Grassland Pky, Marshall Farm Tour & Cut Your Own Bouquet

Enjoy tours of the beautiful farm and colorful flower fields and learn a bit about the specialty flowers and sustainable growing methods. Get the chance to cut your own bouquet too.

FR (7/26), 6pm, Bloom WNC Flower Farm, 806 N Fork Rd, Black Mountain

Summer Skate Jam

Show your skating skills and jam to the music. Rent skates for $3 or bring your own.

FR (7/26), 6pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd Pop-Up w/Lululemon & All Women AVL Early Morning Run Club

Start your weekend off right with a refreshing long run or a brisk shorter run, followed by an exclusive private event at the Lululemon store. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow runners, explore new running routes, and more.

SA (7/27), 7am, Lululemon Kitchin Place, 1 Kitchin Place

• Doctor of Ministry from The Candler School of Theology

• M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, B.A. in Religious Studies from Wake Forest University

• Expertise in Pastoral Care, Counseling, and Chaplaincy

• She lives in Asheville with her family

We hope you’ll join us in welcoming her on Sunday mornings at 10:30am . Childcare is available from 10-noon and our building is ADA accessible.

Empowerment

Collective

This event allows you to connect with like-minded women and engage in empowering conversations that will leave you feeling inspired and uplifted.

SA (7/27), 2pm, Ginger's Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside Dr Walking Tour of

Historic Downtown

Black Mountain

Learn the history of Black Mountain and the Swannanoa Valley on this walking tour.

SA (7/27), 2pm,Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 W State St, Black Mountain

Sunday Celebration

A Sunday celebration for the spiritual community.

SU (7/28), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way

Teen Mental Health

First Aid Informative Session

Adults and teens have the opportunity to join separate info sessions to ask questions about the training and understand how it can benefit.

MO (7/29), noon, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Understanding Homelessness Learning Series

A three-part learning series presented by the Homeless Strategy Division of Community & Economic Development.

MO (7/29), 4pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Hoop & Flow Arts Jam

Whether you're a seasoned hooper or a beginner, this vibrant event invites everyone to dance, spin, and groove to the music in a welcoming and energetic atmosphere.

TU (7/30), 5:30pm, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

Kung Fu: Baguazhang

It is the martial arts style that Airbending from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was based on.

TU (7/30), 5:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

This free lunchtime food demonstration is open to all but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/or their caretakers.

WE (7/31), noon, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

NSA-WNC Meeting

Featuring professional keynote speakers, coaches, trainers, facilitators, and consultants who cover a broad range of topics, skills, and knowledge.

TH (8/1), 10am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

IBN Biz Lunch: Hendersonville

Sarah Brice, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones hosts an Incredible business networking, along with other business people and entrepreneurs like yourself.

TH (8/1), 11:30am, Thai Spice, 220 S King St, Hendersonville

Our Deepest Happiness, Relationships & Love

Learn the art of sustainable joy and deeper love with free talks and safe, practical discussion. Open to public every first and third Thursday at downtown YMCA.

TH (8/1), 6pm, Woodfin YMCA, 40 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 101

Relational Mindfulness w/Deborah Eden Tull

It teaches 9 timeless principles for awakening through the beautiful, dynamic, and complex field of human relationship.

TH (8/1), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

GAMES & CLUBS

Downtown Asheville Treasure Hunt

Use your treasure map to follow clues, solve puzzles, and crack codes on this unique walking scavenger hunt through Downtown Asheville.

SA (7/27), SU (7/28), 2pm, Dssolvr, 63 N Lexington Ave

Weekly Sunday Scrabble

Weekly scrabble play where you’ll be paired with players of your skill level. All scrabble gear provided.

SU (7/28), 1:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Music Bingo

Test your music knowledge from the 80’s and 90’s as well as 4 different music themes and 2 possible winners per theme.

TU (7/30), 6:30pm, Asheville Brewing Co., 77 Coxe Ave

KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS

Asheville Museum’s Summer of Science

Dive into a world of discovery with interactive science activities, including bubbles and noise machines. This family-friendly event promises to engage and entertain all ages with hands-on experiments and demonstrations.

WE (7/24, 31), 5pm, Pritchard Park, 4 College St

Kids & Teens Kung Fu Learn fighting skills as well as conflict resolution and mindfulness. First class is free to see

if it’s a good fit for you.

TH (7/25, 8/1), MO (7/29), TU (7/30), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave, Ste 109

Kids Night Out

Leave the kids behind to enjoy goofy games, crafts, and science projects. Advance registration is required, but kids ages 5-12 are welcomed.

FR (7/26), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Teen Takeover: DJ Spin & Swim Pool parties for local teens featuring food, music, and fun surprises. Free for ages 12 to 18.

FR (7/26), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center, 285 Livingston St

Splashing Sprouts

Whether they’re dipping their toes in for the first time or confidently splashing, this promises enriching and memorable water adventures for toddlers. Free for ages 2 to 5 with a parent or guardian.

SA (7/27), 4pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Imagination Monday

Children can enjoy giant building blocks, tunnels, and fun games on this special day of open play geared for ages 1-5 years-old. No advance registration required, adults must accompany children the entire time.

MO (7/29), 10am, West Asheville Park, 11 Vermont Ave

LOCAL MARKETS

Etowah Lions Farmers Market

An array of farm-fresh local produce that features lettuce, collards, kale, mushrooms as well as local artisans, herbal products, plant starts, prepackaged meals and more. Every Wednesday through October.

WE (7/24, 31), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

RAD Farmers Market

Providing year-round access to fresh local foods from over 30 local vendors offering fresh produce, baked goods, pastured meats, cheeses, raw honey, and more. Located right on the Greenway, the market is safely accessible by bike, foot, or rollerblade.

WE (7/24, 31), 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, body care, eclectic handmade goodies, garden and

landscaping plants. Open year round.

WE (7/24, 31), 3pm, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville

Leicester Farmers Market

A community-led farmers market local produce, cheese, meats and crafts, every Wednesday.

WE (7/24, 31), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester Enka-Candler Farmer’s Market

A grand selection of local foods and crafts, everything from produce to pickles, baked goods to body care, and even educational resources. Every Thursday through October 31.

TH (7/25, 8/1), 3:30pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Summer Evening Market

This market will feature over 25 local artisans, Grand Olde Station Express Food Truck, popcorn, face painting, UpCountry Brewing and more.

TH (7/25), 5pm, Brevard Lumberyard, 200 King St, Brevard East Asheville Tailgate Market

Featuring locally grown vegetables, fruits, wild foraged mushrooms, ready made food, handmade body care, bread, pastries, meat, eggs, and more to the East Asheville community since 2007. Every Friday through Nov. 22.

FR (7/26), 3pm, 954 Tunnel Rd

Pack Square Artisan Market

Featuring local handcrafted goods in the heart of downtown Asheville. Browse unique products and meet the folks that produce them. Every Friday through Oct. 25.

FR (7/26), 3pm, 1 S Pack Square Park

East End & Valley Street Community Yard Sale

Rent a table in the Stephens-Lee Community Center parking lot or sell at your home to be put on the bargain hunters' map, but you must live in East End/Valley street neighborhood.

SA (7/27), 8am, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Av

Henderson County Tailgate Market

Featuring Henderson County's finest produce, hand crafts, plant starts, vegetables, Sourwood honey, baked goods, fresh eggs, mushrooms, sausage and more. Every Saturday through Oct.

SA (7/27), 8am, 100 N King St, Hendersonville

North Asheville Tailgate Market

The oldest Saturday morning market in WNC, since 1980. Over 60 rotating vendors providing a full range of local, sustainably produced produce, meats, eggs, cheeses, breads, plants and unique crafts.

SA (7/27), 8am, 3300 University Heights Swannanoa Valley Museum Community Yard Sale

This is the perfect opportunity to discover hidden treasures, find great deals, and connect with your neighbors.

SA (7/27), 8am, Old Bi-Lo Parking Lot, 205, Black Mountain

Asheville City Market

Featuring local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products. Every Saturday through December 21.

SA (7/27), 9am, 52 N Market St

Black Mountain Saturday Tailgate Market

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

SA (7/27), 9am, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Mars Hill Farmers & Artisans Market

A producer-only tailgate market located on the campus of Mars Hill University on College Street. Offering fresh local produce, herbs, cheeses, meats, eggs, baked goods, honey, body care and more. Every Saturday through Oct. 26.

SA (7/27), 10am, College St, Mars Hill

Asheville Moontime Market

A curated market of innovative vendors along comfort food, drink specials and live music from bluegrass band Sun of Stars.

SA (7/27), noon, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

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 (7/28), 8am, 570 Brevard Rd

Junk-O-Rama

Browse vintage clothing vendors, local crafters, antiques and more.

SU (7/28), 11am, Fleetwood's, 496 Haywood Rd

Show & Tell Sunday Market

Browse over 50 vendors featuring housewares, decor, art, jewelry, ceramics, apparel, vintage clothes, candles, plants, and more. This

market is open to the public.

SU (7/28), noon, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave

West Asheville Tailgate Market

Featuring an array of goods including fruits, vegetables, baked goods, bread, eggs, cheese, milk, poultry, and fish to locally made specialty items such as natural beauty products, herbal medicine and locally made art and crafts. Every Tuesday through November 26.

TU (7/30), 3:30pm, 718 Haywood Rd

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

School of Rock: New Mountain Music Festival Supergroups

A gathering house bands from all over creation that will play a week-long festival with the final performance at the Peel.

TH (7/25), 7:30pm, The Orange Peel, 101 Biltmore Ave

Anything Fiber Sale

A fiber yard sale for fiber people with more than 40 vendors offering everything from fiber supplies tool, and looms, to fabric, roving, yarn, books and more.

SA (7/27), 9am, A-B Tech Mission Health Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Dr

American w/Disabilities Act Celebration

A celebration of the signing of the Americans Disability Act, July 26, 1990 with an art reception and panel discussion.

SA (7/27), noon, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St

Burton Street Community Center

A day of community connection and summer fun with live music, ice cream bar, dog-friendly frozen treats, yard games, and water games. Lawn chairs and picnic blankets welcome.

SA (7/27), 1pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St Brews & Barks

Grab your best furry friend, enjoy a beer and shop with more than 20 vendors after letting your pup splash in the splash pads. There will also be adoptable pups, house made dog treats, pup cups and more.

SA (7/27), 4pm, Sweeten Creek Brewing, 1127 Sweeten Creek Rd

Shinding on the Green Bring your instruments, families, friends, lawn chairs and blankets and join the good times while experiencing the beautiful music and dance traditions of Southern Appalachia.

SA (7/27), 7pm, 1 South Pack Square Park

Wizard Fest Asheville

An interactive fantasy themed party that celebrates all things magic, witches & wizards, cosplay along with themed drinks and Wizard Games all spun into one spectacular event.

SA (7/27), 8pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

2024 USA Cycling Gravity Mountain Bike National Championship Spectators are admitted free all five days to watch more than 700 professional and amateur mountain biker compete for national titles in a variety of categories.

WE (7/31), Ride Rock Creek, 298 W Rock Creek Rd, Zirconia

Friends of the Black Mountain Library

Annual Gathering

An evening of music, snacks and social time followed by a short recap of the past year’s Friends of the Library’s activities, announcements of new officers, and recognition of FOL volunteers.

WE (7/31), 5:30pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain 16th Annual Music

Video Asheville Awards

An annual event that showcases the collaborations between filmmakers and musicians. Area bands submit their music videos and the best 90 minutes of videos are selected for a viewing and awards ceremony in Asheville.

WE (7/31), 6:30pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr

AVL Fest

A venue-based music festival returning to the Blue Ridge mountains August 1 through the 4th. One World West is an official venue of AVL Fest.

TH (8/1), One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

AVL Fest

A venue-based music festival returning to the Blue Ridge mountains August 1 through the 4th. Sovereign Kava is an official venue of AVL Fest.

TH (8/1), 2pm, Sovereign Kava, 268 Biltmore Ave

AVL Fest

A venue-based music festival returning to the Blue Ridge mountains August 1 through the 4th. Salvage Station will be featuring Fresh Buzz, Random Animals, Boulevards and Joslyn and the Sweet Compression.

TH (8/1), 5pm, Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Dr

AVL Fest

A venue-based music festival returning to the Blue Ridge mountains

August 1 through the 4th. Featuring exceptional multi-genre lineup of local, regional, and national talent.

TH (8/1), 6pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Mountain Dance & Folk Festival

A multi-day festival with a different performance showcasing the talent and dedication of Appalachian artists each evening. Expect hundreds of musicians, dancers, and storytellers who are preserving the traditions of the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

TH (8/1), 7pm, Kittredge Theatre, Warren Wilson College, 701 Warren Wilson Rd, Swannanoa

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

MANNA Foodbank

All markets are free and open to anyone who needs support with groceries. We've moved to a choice market, meaning folks can choose their own groceries.

WE (7/24), 11am, Fernihurst Mansion, 16 Fernihurst Dr, A-B Tech Cat Trivia: Fundraiser for Binx's Home for Black Cats There will be a variety of feline-centric trivia questions for you and your team to test your knowledge and win prizes.

FR (7/26), 7:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd

Taking Flight

A benefit for Trillium Arts celebrating dance, film and barn owls. Space is limited. Advance purchase advised.

SA (7/27), 4pm, The Red Barn Studio, 5640 Paint Fork Rd, Mars Hill Nurses Benefit Bash A family-friendly benefit concert for nurses at Mission Hospital with performances from Monster Wave and The Rich Nelson Band. There will be raffle prizes as well.

SU (7/28), noon, One World Brewing W, 520 Haywood Rd

United Way's Day of Action Partners

Volunteers

A county-wide morning of service to help local schools get ready for the upcoming academic year. Volunteers of all ages come together at campuses across Henderson Country to contribute time and hands-on-labor to assist school staff as they prepare to receive students.

TH (8/1), 8:30am, Multiple locations in Henderson County, 1214 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville

Rough waters

BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE

Ask a parent about swimming lessons in Asheville and you’re bound to get an earful of complaints. Not enough public pools. Inconvenient class times. A lack of private instructors. Seemingly endless waitlists.

“Everyone is supremely frustrated with the lack of access to swimming pools,” says Amanda Wilde, a West Asheville mother of an 8-year-old girl. “You’re just not able to give your kids any kind of freedom because they don’t have anywhere to learn. It’s important to learn how to swim, and I would love to see more interest in it and not treating it just like it’s some luxury item.”

The issue of access was compounded by two recent pool closures. In February, the City of Asheville announced its outdoor pool in Malvern Hills Park would not open this year so city staff could address maintenance needs. Wilde’s daughter took lessons there in previous summers. And the Asheville chapter of the YWCA, facing major financial woes, has temporarily closed its pool for maintenance and repairs. With one of the few indoor pools in Asheville, the YWCA has offered year-round swimming instruction for children for nearly 50 years.

“There are very few windows in the year where we’re not doing lessons, because we know that the demand is so high,” says Diana Sierra, CEO of the YWCA of Asheville. “There is a significant need for pool access for all members of our community.”

Indeed, the need for an indoor aquatics facility with true public access ranked high when the City of Asheville solicited public input for its updated comprehensive recreation plan, Recreate Asheville, says Christo Bubenik, marketing and

Lack of swimming lesson options leaves Asheville parents frustrated

communications manager for the Parks & Recreation Department. The city got similar input when it developed earlier iterations of the plan in 1998 and 2009, he says.

Health experts and parents say learning to swim can be a matter of life and death. Drowning is the No. 1 cause of death for kids 1-4 years old in the United States, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says formal swimming lessons can reduce that risk. The CDC also

points to the physical and mental health benefits of water-based exercise.

“I am always on high alert if there’s water and there are little kids around,” says Asheville’s Katie Nehling, mother to two daughters, ages 3 and 5. “It’s not like we’re in Florida or at the beach where everybody has a pool. But we are around several bodies of water. There’s the French Broad River, there’s the Swannanoa River, there are creeks, there are lakes.”

Public and private groups that offer swimming lessons are sympathetic to the concerns of parents and are searching for solutions, including training more people to be qualified instructors. But until more public pools — especially indoor pools — are opened in Asheville, the problem isn’t likely to get much better.

YEAR-ROUND OPTIONS LACKING

This summer, the City of Asheville has offered three one-week swimming lesson sessions at its outdoor pools at Recreation Park in East Asheville and the Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center. The free lessons were held twice a day, at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., to children ages 3-10. Despite

the closing of Malvern Hills Pool, the city served 100 children this year, an increase over 2022 and 2023.

“We were able to shift all the water aerobics classes that would have been there [at the Malvern Hills pool], the swim lessons and all that stuff,” Bubenik says. “So everybody still has the same opportunity. We haven’t cut anything.”

But Wilde says those two pools are not as convenient for her as Malvern Hills and lack the community feel her kids got by being around neighbors. And, she adds, one week of lessons over the summer doesn’t make much of an impact.

“Your kids tend to forget everything they learned over the winter,” she says. “And they are starting all over again from scratch every summer.”

Outside city limits, Buncombe County offers summer lessons at five outdoor pools. But it doesn’t make lessons available at the $6.25 million indoor Buncombe County Schools Aquatics Center, which opened at T.C. Roberson High School in 2019. That facility is mostly used by local middle school, high school and private school swim teams and for community rentals. That means year-round lessons in Buncombe County are available only

SPLASH DOWN: The City of Asheville offers summer swimming lessons at Recreation Park. Photo courtesy of Asheville Parks & Recreation

at membership-based locations like the YMCA of Western North Carolina, the Asheville Jewish Community Center, the Country Club of Asheville and two Asheville Racquet Club locations. The YWCA, which was on the list, will not be able to offer swimming lessons again until the beginning of next year at the earliest.

Many of those private swimming lesson options are expensive and require long waits to find slots, parents say. Some parents try to secure lessons for their children with private instructors, but find that can difficult — and pricey as well.

“We ended up being able to book semi-private lessons with a local swim teacher who hosted swim lessons at the Asheville Racquet Club over here in West Asheville,” says Leah Carpenter, a mother of two boys, ages 5 and 3. “That teacher was a great teacher, but then they kind of were just unavailable; it was just hard to get ahold of them. And from what I could gather, it was due to lack of a pool to host lessons in.”

Adds Nehling: “I will pay good money for someone to teach my child how to swim, and I can’t find anyone.”

Nehling’s 5-year-old daughter is about to start kindergarten at Rainbow Community School, where she will have swim instruction over the winter. But Nehling recognizes that not everyone has the ability to send their kids to private school.

“I’m a white, privileged person trying to get my kids to take lessons and I can’t. I can’t even imagine not having the money and the resources to expose my kids to that kind of stuff,” Nehling says.

STAFF SHORTAGES

The YMCA of WNC is by far the biggest provider of swimming lessons in Asheville.

The Y offers instruction for children ages 6 months to 15 years at its indoor pools at two Asheville branches, the Reuter Family YMCA in Biltmore Square Park and the downtown branch on Woodfin Street. Most sessions are once a week for seven weeks, although some twice-a-week sessions are available in the summer. From October 2022 to September 2023, the Reuter branch taught swimming to around 1,050 people, while the downtown branch served about 850.

Y members pay $84 per session while nonmembers pay $130 per session. Students who qualify for financial aid for their Y membership automatically qualify for financial aid for swim lessons.

“We definitely have limitations around availability of classes because we do end up with waitlists pretty often,” say Mallory Ament, aquatic

“I will pay good money for someone to teach my child how to swim, and I can’t find anyone.”

— Katie Nehling, mother of two young daughters

senior program director. “We’re doing a lot of work on our end to problem solve that and come up with creative solutions that we can start offering.”

One of those solutions is cross-training employees to address a shortage of qualified swim instructors.

“It’s a pretty niche job,” Ament says. “You need to be able to not only swim but know how to teach kids in an environment that kids can be really nervous around. So if you are a lifeguard, we’re encouraging you to learn to become a swim instructor. Or if you’re working at our front desk and you like working with kids or in our youth development center, we’re also offering training.”

The Y has had some success so far getting staff interested in the training, particularly at its smaller facilities outside Asheville. “We’re working on getting that at our larger centers as well,” she says.

Ament points out that the YMCA of WNC has locations in Black Mountain, Hendersonville and Marion that offer swimming lessons but typically don’t have long waitlists. People willing to drive a little may have more success finding lessons, she says.

FUNDING NEEDED

The YWCA, meanwhile, typically offers six- to 10-week swimming ses-

sions to about 170 children per year at its South French Broad Avenue center. Prices for each session range from $72-$108 for Y members and $90-$130 for nonmembers.

In 2024, 53 people who took swim lessons were on scholarship due to financial need, according to Catalina Slater, YWCA director of marketing and communications. “We really believe that an important part of our mission is to remove those barriers,” CEO Sierra says.

But the nonprofit will be out of the swimming lesson business until it is able to raise money to make repairs to the ceiling of its indoor pool, which opened in 1975.

“It’s a concrete ceiling system that has been impacted by decades of humidity,” she says. “We have one of the warmest pools in town, and that humidity, having been left unaddressed, has really taken a toll on our ceiling.”

The YWCA estimates the repairs will cost $200,000, though it will not know the final figure until a structural engineer does an estimate. That expense comes at a time when the organization is already facing budget deficits caused by lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation and shifts in funding priorities.

Sierra doesn’t have a firm reopening date for the pool but hopes it will be early 2025.

When the pool reopens, it will be under new leadership. Aquatics director Kitty Schmidt retired after 25 years and will have to be replaced.

“We are eager as an organization to reopen stronger and better than ever,” Sierra says. “We are talking about potentially even creating opportunities for expanded programming and more swim equity and swim scholarships. But none of that can happen until we address the repair.”

Misti Chastain’s 6-year-old son was one of the children who took lessons at the YWCA. She’s not certain what she will do while the pool is closed.

“They [the YWCA] are the reason he learned to swim as well as he did,” she explains. “And if it hadn’t been for the scholarship, he wouldn’t have been able to do swim lessons. As a single parent, now that the Y’s closed, he can’t go swim anywhere because I can’t afford swim lessons.”

It’s a frustration felt by other parents throughout Asheville as they search for swim instruction options.

“Where are all the people who can teach swim lessons?” Carpenter wonders. “Why is that so hard? We have tons of families here. Why isn’t it just a normal part of family’s bringing up children here in Asheville?” X

THANKS FOR VOTING

Beer Scout: Rural wonders

Noblebräu and Homeplace embrace small-town identities

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

earnaudin@mountainx.com

With Asheville dominating Western North Carolina’s craft beverage scene, it’s easy to forget about breweries in more rural areas.

Dialing in from “afar,” the owners of Noblebräu Brewing in Brevard and Homeplace Beer Co. in Burnsville recently spoke with Xpress about the perks and drawbacks of operating in a small town and how they’re navigating the challenges of an ever-shifting industry.

GERMAN-STYLE

A native of Albany, N.Y., Noblebräu co-owner and events coordinator Madeline Magin was recently listening to her father lament that there aren’t neighborhood bars anymore. Within seconds, she had an epiphany about her business and its role in Brevard.

“I was like, ‘That’s what we are,’” she says. “And the community aspect, that’s what made me move here and stay here. The whole town feels like it’s giving you a hug all the time.”

Magin and her husband/co-owner, Cody Noble, who’s also the head brewer, opened Noblebrä u in November 2020. Working with a modest 5-barrel brew house, the operation shares its taproom with the 185 King Street music venue, which brings a steady flow of people to its products. In fact, the attention is starting to become a problem.

“We’re kind of struggling to keep up with beer production,” Magin says. “But that’s a good thing.”

Before starting Noblebräu, her husband would, in Magin’s words, “go around handing out homebrews to people” who encouraged him to keep pursuing the craft. A job then opened up at Boojum Brewing Co., so the couple moved from Brevard to Waynesville. And while Magin says the experience was a positive one, Noble “wound up fixing the canning line more than he was brewing.”

When the opportunity to open their own brewery in Noble’s hometown arose, the couple took the leap of entrepreneurship, prioritizing their own distinct path forward.

“One thing that is unique to us is that we don’t have any standard beers outside of our house beer, which is a German pilsner,” Magin says. “[Noble] is always trying different styles and doing new things and

experimenting and finding new yeast strains. He really enjoys the actual brewing process.”

She adds that Noblebräu is doing its best to stay on a small scale and be profitable so that Noble can continue creating in that fashion rather than be a big production brewery. That approach allows him to follow seasonal styles, such as making a brut IPA this summer and bringing

PUB FOLKS: Noblebräu Brewing co-owners Cody Noble, left, and Madeline Magin provide a neighborhood bar environment in Brevard. Photo courtesy of Noblebräu

back his popular Spruce Tip IPA this winter.

But in addition to potentially running out of beer on an especially busy night, staying small carries other challenges, including staffing. While Magin is satisfied with her current crew and says the employee pool is nearly back to its prepandemic levels, the numbers don’t always work out.

“It still can be hard to know when you’re going to be busy and know when you need enough feet on the floor and make sure everyone’s happy,” she says. “I think that’s our biggest thing is just keeping everyone happy.”

Hosting benefit shows, silent auctions and other fundraisers for worthy local causes likewise helps in the community goodwill department. And quarterly beer dinners featuring food pairings by chef Corie O’Malley offer loyal patrons and curious newcomers more deluxe experiences. Yet continuing to provide these services in Noblebräu’s current location doesn’t feel as secure as its owners would like.

“Cody and I were born in the early ’90s, so we’re that generation where we’re like, ‘Wow, we really wish we had bought some property,’” Magin says, noting that the business is theirs but not the real estate. “Our next steps are figuring out how we can make sure we’re investing in something that’s safe for our future, rather than taking the risk of continuing to develop something that we don’t own.”

THE YANCEY WAY

Community engagement beyond merely making and serving craft beverages has similarly been key to Homeplace’s success.

Founded in 2017 by Burnsville native and veteran brewer John Silver , the brewery significantly expanded its reach with its 2020 move from a humble downtown storefront location to a three-story brewpub around the corner.

“We built a program of steady weekly events of all different kinds to get people interested and to get the community involved in nonprofit events,” Silver says. In addition to hosting different nonprofits once a month and donating a portion of sales to the group, the brewery programs music two or three nights a week on its outdoor stage.

That mentality has also enhanced the business’s annual No Place Like Homeplace street festival, which Silver says has evolved from a fairly traditional beer festival into “more of a culinary/music hybrid with beer” — the new recipe for success with brewcentric events.

“Unless it’s a large metro area, it’s hard to do just a beer fest anymore,”

he says. “Beer itself is just not the draw that it used to be. It seems like people are just more about the overall experience.”

Homeplace remains primarily retail-based with an estimated 85% of sales conducted at the taproom. Silver limits distribution primarily to Asheville, Boone and spots along the way. And even when boom times arise, as they did in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he remains conservative in his dealings.

“I don’t know if food and beverage businesses anytime soon will experience the type of summer we had in 2021 when the [state] restrictions were lifted and everybody had a lot of extra [federal stimulus] money to spend,” Silver says.

“I saw a lot of breweries look at the post-COVID business and expand into

other areas with other taprooms. We considered that at one point, and I’m really glad we didn’t because it would have definitely overextended us. The business everyone was expecting from ’21 forward just never materialized.”

With the same core staff leading the way over the past four years, Homeplace has also been careful to pivot to meet customer preferences. The business recently got a liquor license and began offering cocktails. Wine and cider offerings have grown considerably, too, as have its craft nonalcoholic beverage options.

“The taste of the market has evolved considerably. Five to eight years ago, if you just had good craft beer and a taproom, you were going to be successful, up to a point,” Silver says.

“But younger people are not drinking as much. The younger folks that

are drinking are going more toward other things that aren’t craft beer. And so we have to just acknowledge that and still fight against it.”

Despite being thankful for not expanding Homeplace’s footprint when it seemed the market would support it, Silver will likely take that step in the near future — albeit modestly. He and his family live in nearby Spruce Pine, where a new multiuse facility is being built with a large music venue, culinary school, beautician school, YMCA and a food court.

“We’re discussing the possibility with them of being their craft beverage provider,” Silver says. “It wouldn’t be a huge risk or a lot of extra overhead for us to take on. So we’re thinking about that, and we’ll know more later this year once they get closer to completion.” X

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS: The outdoor stage at Homeplace Brewing Co. hosts live music multiple times each week. Photo by Stephanie Cooper

‘A

gift from my soul’

Emöke B’Racz discusses her latest poetry collection and the early days of Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe

BY THOMAS CALDER

tcalder@mountainx.com

In the “About us” section on Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe’s website, the store’s founder, Emöke B’Racz, stresses the influence of growing up in Hungary and the way her experience influenced her life’s direction.

B’Racz writes: “As a political exile from a communist country, I cannot overemphasize my passion to provide a space where freedom of expression is supported, where important literature — from authors backed by major publishers to those who self-publish — is available to all, where censorship has no place, where respect and service are practiced daily, where women feel safe, where all are welcome, and where books are the stars.”

Born in Budapest, B’Racz was raised by her grandparents after her father was detained and placed in a forced labor camp and her mother worked nights. In 1964, the family reunited in the United States. “I was not that familiar with my father since we were separated for 11 years,” B’Racz tells Xpress. “I was 15 when I got to really meet him. I spoke no English and was enrolled in George Washington High School in New York City. That was not much fun without the language.”

As a young adult, B’Racz worked for Waldenbooks in Stamford, Conn. After nearly a decade, she realized the “corporate world [was] not for me.” Before launching Malaprop’s in 1982, she traveled across South America and dreamed about opening her own bookstore.

Along with her life’s work of supporting and promoting literature, B’Racz is also a poet with several published collections, including her latest, Hopscotch on the Riverbank, While Waiting ...

In Xpress’ latest poetry feature, we speak with B’Racz about her recent publication, her approach to writing and the influence that Western North Carolina has had on her work. In addition to the conversation, readers will also find one of the collection’s poems, “Craggy Gardens, North Carolina.”

Editor’s note: This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

Xpress : Could you speak to the inspiration behind “Craggy Gardens” and how, if at all, your approach to writing this poem differed from others in the collection?

B’Racz: Poetry in my case is a gift from my soul. ... It comes when it is ready to surface and I have no choice but to sit down and write it. It comes in a complete form, and I do not revisit it or correct it or change it. “Craggy Gardens” came a bit later after I hiked up the trail to the top. It was really a divine sight, and I carried that imagery for a while before it was written down. Your response reminds me of another poem from the collection:

“Advice to Young Writers.” In it, you write: “Go live a life before you write about it/The imagination is not enough/To express a life on paper.”

The guidance here seems to be in conversation with your approach to writing. Has this always been your mindset? Or has it changed over time?

I wrote poetry long before knowing it is poetry we are creating here. I use the “we” since all that I experienced is not only by my experience, but some are just my own. ... I was about 45 when I came clean, so to speak, even to my parents that I wrote poetry. My whole childhood was influenced by

poetry from my parents, and it continued into my adulthood. My father’s friends would gather at the house and politics, memories and poetry filled our home. I sat mesmerized and listening to the old boys with a glad heart. My mother lived with me for the last 10 years of her life, and when I would bring morning coffee to her bed, she would get me to sit down beside her and she would read poetry in Hungarian, of course. Words become strong and almost weapons for peace with age and allowing the words to form a string of pearls, so to speak, that are connected to the experience is the essence of writing for me.

Given that you kept your poetry a secret, how did your parents respond and how did it alter the way you thought about your writing, if at all?

I just thought that the writings I did were for myself, only until the poem about them — my parents — came about, and I decided to share it with them. After that, I continued not to share my writing because I did not think I was a poet or anyone would care about what I wrote. But I loved writing in any shape or form. I was already among writers and poets in my bookstore experience and I did feel a bit intimidated about my writing, to tell the truth. My parents received the poem I shared with them with amazement. The amazement coming from them was enough for me to carry on writing even to this day.

Could you speak a little more about owning Malaprop’s and how your exposure to so many great authors and poets influenced your life as a writer?

I would elect to say that Malaprop’s owned me, not the other way around. I founded the store to have the best selection and decided to grow the selection based on my readers and authors. Meeting authors and hearing them give voice to their work always amazed me, as I heard the music in those moments. Malaprop’s was my dream to center the cultures in our place where diversity, quality and honesty were the basic premise, as I believed that every city — small or large — deserved a quality bookstore like ours.

Looking back after 40 years of bookselling, I have no regrets. Is there a local poetry collection that came out within the last year, or is forthcoming this year, that you’re excited to read? If so, why?

Asheville Poetry Review is a good presentation of poets near and far. Who are the four poets on your personal Mount Rushmore?

E.E. Cummings, Adrienne Rich, Carolyn Forch é , Wisława Szymborska. X

What’s new in food

Mamma Mia! Café celebrates Venezuelan fusion flavors

Downtown visitors and locals seeking a sandwich, smoothie, pastries or coffee along with a respite from the summer heat have a new option with the recent opening of Mamma Mia! Café inside the Haywood Park Atrium.

Launched in mid-June by Stephen Herrington, Mamma Mia!’s menu channels the multicultural culinary influences of its owner’s native Venezuela. “We have a fusion between France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece,” says Herrington. “We make everything with fresh ingredients from family recipes — no chemicals, no preservatives. We try to be as healthy as possible.”

His father’s side of the family, he notes, is from Spain, his mother’s side is from France and his ex-wife is Italian. Herrington, who moved to Asheville three years ago after stints in Charlotte and New York City, says the business’s name and bright, European cafélike décor were inspired by the Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, of which he’s a huge fan.

The coffee menu offers hot and iced versions of cortadito, mochaccino and cappuccino, among others. In the tidy pastry case, guests will find options including coconut and mango rice puddings, filled croissants, profiteroles and

guava and cheese pastelitos, all made by Herrington from family recipes.

The succinct sandwich list features such choices as the pressed vegetarian Mediterranean with gouda and Swiss cheese, avocado and tomato as well as meaty offerings, including one with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, arugula, balsamic vinegar and rosemary olive oil. There’s also house-made lasagna for two, which — like the baked goods — Herrington premakes in a commercial kitchen, then reheats in an oven to order at the café

Guests looking to cool off will find vanilla and chocolate milkshakes plus a robust selection of fresh fruit smoothies. Herrington, who previously worked in health care supply chain management and operated a Latin fusion restaurant in Miami, says he plans to add specials once he gets a feel for what might be popular with guests.

A former nail salon, Mamma Mia!’s location can be a bit tricky to find. But once inside the glass doors of the atrium entrance (between The Chocolate Fetish and Charmed Boutique on Haywood Street), the large, sunlit, air-conditioned space welcomes diners with a patiolike arrangement of café-style tables. Inside the shop, just past the huge photograph-

ic mural of a Greek seaside town, there is a cozy little downstairs nook with comfortable seating.

“When I found this place, I thought, ‘OK, I can do something good here,’” says Herrington.

Mamma Mia! Café is at 46 Haywood St., inside the Haywood Park Hotel building. Hours are 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday and closed Sunday. For more information, visit Instagram at @mammamiacafeusa.

Farewell to Loretta’s Café

After 26 years of serving as one of downtown Asheville’s go-to lunch spots, Loretta’s Café permanently closed on Monday, July 22. The restaurant announced its plans to shutter in a July 10 social media post.

“It’s time to hang up our aprons for new adventures,” reads the statement. “Thank you for supporting us all these fun years. It was an honor to serve you. We hope you stop by to say goodbye. Sandwich worship is never wrong.”

Opened in 1998 by Loretta Woolley, also the former owner of Mayfel’s, the café spent 12 years in a small space on Patton Avenue next door to The Lobster Trap before moving to its three-level Lexington Avenue location in 2011. Loretta’s menu featured salads, a large variety of sandwiches, daily soups and baked goods.

Loretta’s Café was at 114 N. Lexington Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/dx0.

Groceries and dine-in at 12 Baskets Café

Asheville Poverty Initiative has announced that in June, its 12 Baskets Café began offering both free, hot, table-service lunches and free groceries to all community members 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.

When the West Asheville café opened in 2016, a team of volunteers used prepared food salvaged from local restaurants and caterers to offer free, sit-down lunches on weekdays to anyone who showed up hungry. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced 12 Baskets to move to a takeout model for meals complemented with grocery box distribution. As pandemic restrictions eased, it adopted a hybrid schedule of two weekly sit-down meal days and two grocery distribution days.

“We knew we wanted to get back to daily or near-daily meal days at 12 Baskets but were searching for a way to keep distributing groceries, as it is such an economic resource for many in our community,” says API Executive Director Ben Williamson. “After months of planning and some trial and error, we have landed on a system that is working very well.”

Since starting the new schedule, Williamson reports, attendance has been robust. The café, which rescues 10,000 to 20,000 pounds of prepared food each month, is now serving 500-600 hot meals and seeing about 150-200 grocery shoppers weekly.

He invites all community members, regardless of income or need, to stop by for free, sit-down, hot lunches (to-go meals are also available) on 12 Baskets’ operating days. Guests can also sign up to shop for groceries on-site. Volunteers are welcome.

12 Baskets Café is at 610 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/dwr.

Brunch at High Five Coffee

High Five Coffee now offers table-service brunch to complement

COOL CUSTOMERS: Mamma Mia! owner Stephen Herrington has created an air-conditioned, European-style café experience inside the Haywood Park Atrium. Photo by Caleb Johnson

your weekend cup of joe. On June 16, the business’s flagship Broadway shop launched Saturday and Sunday brunch service from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The menu features house-made waffles with fresh fruit and a variety of quiches — both meat and vegetarian options — made fresh each day by West End Bakery. Also on the menu are a special French-press coffee, mimosas, beer and sparkling wine as well as High Five’s usual pastry selection.

This summer marks High Five’s 15th year at the Broadway location and its 15th year of partnership with Counter Culture Coffee, notes owner Jay Weatherly, who also operates High Five shops on Rankin Avenue and Riverside Drive. “[It’s] a way to recognize the location that has been at the heart of Five Points and Montford for over 15 years, and give some fun and delicious options for the neighborhood,” he says.

High Five’s brunch is served at its 190 Broadway location. For more information, visit avl.mx/dxf.

Re-Entrant pinot noir party

Bottle Riot will celebrate two of the latest vintages from winemakers Gwen and Mike Bell of Oregon’s Willamette Valley region with its annual Re-Entrant Pinot Noir Release Party, happening 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26.

The event will include tastings of the Bells’ 2024 rosé of pinot noir and classic pinot noir along with an opportunity to meet and chat with the winemakers. For last year’s party, the Bells hosted a clambake, says Bottle Riot owner Lauri Nichols, but this year, they will provide smoked salmon to pair with the wines.

“Their shared passion as husband and wife is evident in every bottle, with Gwen adding a personal touch by creating the labels,” says Nichols. “The vintage release is always eagerly awaited at Bottle Riot, and their Re-Entrant rosé has become a top seller.”

Tickets are $25. Special pricing on the featured wines will be available to guests during the event.

Bottle Riot is at 37 Paynes Way. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit avl.mx/dwz.

Updates at Rhubarb, The Rhu

Rhubarb executive chef John Fleer and chef de cuisine Davis Taylor will partner with winemaker Stephanie Morton-Small to host The Last Supper, a special iteration of the

restaurant’s annual Finca Decero Wine Dinner, 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, July 31.

Morton-Small will soon leave her 17-year role as chief commercial officer for the Argentina-based Finca Decero to pursue new adventures, and this event will celebrate her decade of wine dinner collaborations in Rhubarb’s event space, according to a press release.

The dinner will begin with a vertical tasting of Finca Decero wines followed by five wine-paired food courses, including dishes such as seared cobia with grilled, compressed watermelon and gnocchi with chanterelles. Tickets are $120 per person.

Rhubarb also recently released a new snack menu that’s available only at the bar 5 p.m.-close daily and on the patio 3-5 p.m. FridaySunday. Highlights include pimento cheese hushpuppies, oysters Benton, the R-Bar smash burger and confit duck wings with Creole spice, Alabama white sauce and candied rhubarb sticks.

This month, sister restaurant The Rhu has rolled out revamped lunch and kids menus featuring more vegetarian items, children’s classics with local ingredients and grab-andgo box lunches. Gluten-free options are available.

Rhubarb is at 7 S.W. Pack Square. For wine dinner tickets, visit avl.mx/dx1. The Rhu is at 10 S. Lexington Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/dx2.

Chai Pani heads to Washington

Earlier this month, Chai Pani Restaurant Group announced plans to open a third Chai Pani location in Washington, D.C. Chai Pani has signed a lease with developer Edens for a space in the city’s trendy Union Market District neighborhood with a projected launch in spring 2025, says publicist Kelsey Burrow. Winner of the 2022 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, Chai Pani opened in 2009 in a small space on Battery Park Avenue. A second location followed in Decatur, Ga., in 2013. In May, the flagship Asheville eatery moved to the 10,000-squarefoot South Slope location that previously housed Buxton Hall Barbecue. For more on Chai Pani, visit avl.mx/ch4.

Cannabis café channels inner child

Café Canna will host Inner Child Fun Day on Saturday, July 27, noon2 a.m.

Café Canna is an Amsterdamstyle cannabis café founded by Beau Ballard, a local hemp activist and owner of the cannabis company MariFairy. The café serves kava, kratom, cannabis-infused cocktails, smokables, coffee, food and more.

Inner Child Fun Day will feature live music, mermaids, bubbles, cotton candy, funnel cakes, face painting, a massage chair with Iridesza Qilin and a water slide. “We all got that inner kid in us, and it’s really important to me to just create a place of community and relaxation,” says Ballard. “There’s not a lot of ways to do that without a lot of money. So it’s really nice to get everybody together, to let go and just have fun.”

Children of all ages are invited to attend the event. Depending on turnout, Café Canna plans to continue holding Inner Child Fun Days on the last Saturday of every month until the weather is too cold.

Café Canna is at 487 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/dxa.

This week’s food news includes additional reporting by Oby Arnold.

— Gina Smith  X

Around Town

Buncombe County Special Collections has released a new book titled Buncombe Origins: The Making of Asheville and Buncombe County. Co-edited by public historian Emily Cadmus and Buncombe County Special Collections manager Katherine Cutshall, the book spans from the first Colonial contacts with Native Americans in this area to the present day but focuses largely on the 19th and 20th centuries and on the establishment and development of Asheville and Buncombe County at the end of the 18th century.

The original intention for the project was to create an informative pamphlet that could offer historical context about Pack Square for the Pack Square Revisioning Committee, the council overseeing the replacement of the Vance Monument. In the course of their research, Cadmus

Magical Offerings

and Cutshall realized that to do a thorough job, they needed to view the square’s history less as an isolated space and more as a reflection of the emerging society in which it was developed. Ultimately, this meant more research, more contributors and more content until the pamphlet became a 133-page chronicle.

The collection examines what it means to live in a place whose image is constantly being repackaged and consolidated to appeal to tourists and outsiders, and how that impacts Buncombe County residents’ self-conception and their relationship to the past. “In an attempt to try and move past that consumer-focused narrative of our city,” says Cadmus, “Katherine and I worked to ground this local history in solid historical contexts rather than unique or exceptional portrayals. We also sought the opinions of a vast cross section of residents, both through previously recorded oral histories, as well as asking community members about the value of historical memory and what they view as key events in our shared past.”

The book contains contributions from Cadmus, Cutshall, Ashley McGhee Whittle, Andrew Denson, Sarah Mercer Judson, Alvis Dunn, Catherine Amos and Robert Hunt Ferguson. It is available for free on the internet archive, and physical copies are available for purchase in Special Collections on the ground floor of Pack Memorial Library.

For more information, visit avl.mx/dx8.

Asheville Symphony renews music director

The Asheville Symphony has renewed music director Darko Butorac ’s contract for three more years.

The unanimous decision comes after the symphony was forced to relocate from its nearly 50-year home at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium due to long-term closure for repairs. Butorac oversaw the symphony’s transition to First Baptist Church of Asheville. “The phenomenal acoustics of the First Baptist Church of Asheville have transformed our orchestra in the last year,” says Butorac in a press release. “The audience experience is extraordinary — it is incredibly intimate, and every seat feels connected with the performer.”

Since Butorac’s appointment in 2018, the Asheville Symphony has expanded its Masterworks and popular music programming. The recently added ALT ASO series, a traveling ensemble that plays jazz, folk, heavy metal and more, was awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts and debuted a Hip Hop Folktale Project curriculum for local schools in collaboration with local Grammy Award winner Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. The organization has also expanded the biennial Asheville Amadeus Festival and last year added a new biennial initiative, Asheville Symphony’s Artist Residency.

“Darko is an incredible artistic partner on every level,” says Asheville Symphony Executive Director Daniel Crupi in the release. “He is dynamic, engaging, creative, a brilliant musician, and excels no matter the repertoire. … Darko and I have already been planning major initiatives out into 2027 — so we certainly have some exciting plans in the works.”

First Baptist Church of Asheville is at 5 Oak St. For more information, visit avl.mx/b3a.

Asheville’s Gallery of the Mountains turns 40

Gallery of the Mountains in the Omni Grove Park Inn will celebrate 40 years in business with a customer appreciation weekend Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The celebration will feature several local artists demonstrating their work, complimentary wine (while supplies last) and discounts on unique items throughout the store. Local painter Bryan Koontz will be working on his paintings, which often begin as plein air pieces that honor mountain culture, heritage and the scenery of Western North Carolina. His portfolio includes pen-and-ink drawings for Mast General Store and book illustrations for Nadia Dean. He was also chosen to design the Biltmore Estate’s Christmas wine labels in 2018 and did the recent artwork for the Biltmore Masterpiece Collection white and rosé wines.

HOMETOWN HISTORY: Emily Cadmus, left, and Katherine Cutshall unveil a new collection exploring the history of Buncombe County and the Vance Monument. Photo by Oby Arnold

Jeweler and metalsmith Kathleen Doyle will also be demonstrating her craft throughout the weekend. Doyle and her artistic partner, Tom Reardon, have operated out of their studio in Grovewood Village since 1995. The couple are known for their unique artisan jewelry that marries gold, sterling, mixed metals and gemstones.

Gallery of the Mountains was founded in 1984 by Jim and Jane LaFerla to showcase the artistic spirit of the Southern Appalachian region. The LaFerlas retired in 2004, passing ownership to Asheville natives Barbara Blomberg, Marilyn Blomberg Patton and S.M. Patton. The gallery currently hosts over 70 artists and craftspeople, including makers of jewelry, ceramic tableware, baskets, blown glass, handwoven scarves and more.

The Omni Grove Park Inn is at 290 Macon Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/dx9

ACT announces 78th season

Asheville Community Theatre, the oldest continuously operating community theater in Asheville and

one of the oldest in the country, has announced its 78th mainstage season.

The upcoming season includes The Sound of Music, running Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Oct. 13; A Christmas Carol: The Musical, running Friday, Dec. 6-Sunday, Dec. 22; The Play That Goes Wrong, running Friday, Feb. 7-Sunday, Feb. 23; Into the Woods, running Friday, April 11-Sunday, May 4; and Disney’s The Little Mermaid, running Friday, June 13-Sunday, July 6.

The theater will also host several upcoming 35below Community Producing Partnerships. These partnerships offer a platform for community members to produce their own works in a 40-seat black box theater. The next 35below production, Destination Moon, tells the story of “Two people in two little rooms,” along with “a bed, an unseen voice, music in the night, hope out of darkness,” and focuses on themes of normalcy, recovery and hope. Destination Moon is an original work by local playwright Joseph Hayes, starring Evan Brooks, Corey Harper and Teso McDonald. Asheville Community Theatre is at 35 E. Walnut St. For more information, visit avl.mx/b38.

Oby Arnold  X

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO.

Trivia Trivia!, 6:30pm

BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA

Trivia Night w/ PartyGrampa, 7pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

• Bless Your Heart

Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm

• Afton Wolfe & K.M

Fuller (alt-country, Americana), 8pm

EULOGY

Friendship w/Colin

Miller & Natalie Jane Hill (indie-rock), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Tennis Courts, Yesterdays Clothes & Elijah Johnston (indie-rock), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Saylor Brothers & Friends (jamgrass), 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Otto Maddox (soul, funk), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Bluegrass Jam w/Derek McCoy & Friends, 6pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Freshlocals Organ Trio (jazz), 10pm

SALVAGE STATION

Iration & Pepper w/ DENM & Artikal Sound System (rock, reggae), 5:30pm

SHAKEY'S Sexy Service Industry Night, 10pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Trivia Wednesdays, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Vincent Neil Emerson (folk, country), 8pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Well Crafted Music Series w/Hannah Kaminer & Matt Smith, 6pm

THE ODD

Vanishing Kids, Insomniac & The Jesus Casino (psych-rock, doom-metal, shoegaze), 8pm

THE OUTPOST

Bluegrass Jam w/Sam Wharton, 6pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN

Dan's Jam (bluegrass), 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD

CIDER CO. SOUTH

SLOPE

Trivia Wednesday, 6:30pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Session, 7pm

THURSDAY, JULY 25

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

The Tallboys (rock, reggae), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Airshow (Americana, bluegrass), 10pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK

EXCHANGE

Mike Kenton & Jim Tanner (jazz), 5:30pm

CROW & QUILL

Naomie April & The Moments (soul, pop & jazz), 8pm

CULTURA

Vinyl Night w/DJ Lil Meow Meow, 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Karaoke Night w/KJ Marcula, 8pm

EULOGY

Pictures of Vernon w/ Big Girl, Aunt Vicki & Mary Metal (indie-rock, emo, dream-pop), 8pm

CLUBLAND

FLEETWOOD'S

Big Lonesome, Polly Panic & Crooked Ghost (indie, punk, alt-rock), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

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

IMPERIÁL

DJ Dayowulf (afrohouse, electronic, soul), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7pm

LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA

YIKES: Dating Disaster Comedy, 8:30pm

LEVELLER BREWING CO.

The Candleers (country), 7pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

SUMSUN (synth, edm), 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Brushfire Stankgrass (bluegrass), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

81 Drifters (bluegrass, Americana, blues), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Zoso (Led Zeppelin tribute), 7pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Stand Up Comedy for Your Health, 8pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Auto-Tune Karaoke w/ Who Gave This B*tch A Mic, 10pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Yasu Cub, Feeling Format, Trust Blinks & Dish (pop, indie-folk), 8:30pm

BRITISH ROOTS REGGAE: On Saturday, July 27, England-based band Steel Pulse will be bring its reggae roots to the Salvage Station. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. with acclaimed singer/ songwriter and performer Jesse Royal from Kingston, Jamaica, starting the night. Photo courtesy of Steel Pulse

THE GREY EAGLE

The Last Revel (folk, indie-rock, old-time), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Knotty G's (Americana), 7pm

THE OUTPOST Sari Jordan & Julie Odell (alt-jazz, folk), 7pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN

The Lazy J's (acoustic), 7pm

THE ROOT BAR

Peter Stone & Liliana Hudgens (rock, alt-country, indie), 5:30pm

WICKED WEED

BREWING

Andy Ferrell (folk, blues, bluegrass), 6pm

FRIDAY, JULY 26

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Bloodkin Night One (rock, alt-country), 10pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

• Comedy at Catawba: Ryan Beck, 7pm

• Air Conditioning: A Cool Comedy Showcase, 9pm

CORK & KEG

The Uptown Hillbillies (country), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

Firecracker Jazz Band, 7pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Fancy & Friends in Low Places (country), 8pm

EULOGY

Dance Floor Rapture w/DJ Lil Meow Meow, 10pm

FLEETWOOD'S Weight Shift, The Magpie & 4th Horse (metal, doom), 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM Spinach (electronic, funk, R&B), 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Bleu Lallama (hiphop, dancehall, house), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD

PUB

Katie's Randy Cat (Irish, punk), 9pm

MAD CO. BREW

HOUSE

Nick Mac (Southern-rock, country), 6pm

NOBLE CIDER & MEAD TAPROOM AND PRODUCTION

FACILITY

Crisp Comedy w/Tyson Cox, 7pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Ross Osteen Band (rock, blues), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Big Fur (Southern-rock, country, bluegrass), 10pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING

C.J. Brewer (multigenre), 8pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

• Boukou Groove & Friends w/Waker Beer Release (funk, soul), 4pm

• Clouds of Delusion (Grateful Dead tribute), 9pm

RABBIT RABBIT

Silent Disco: Leo Party, 9pm

SALVAGE STATION

Doom Flamingo (synthrock), 11:30pm

SHAKEY'S

Big Blue Jams Band (mult-genre), 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Parker Zelter McCown (Americana, bluegrass), 9pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

Night Moves w/Brandon Manitoba, 9pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

DirtBike, Secret Guest, Lawndry & Lion Country Ferrari (punk), 8:30pm

THE GREY EAGLE

• Patio: Kyshona (pop, folk), 5:30pm

• Asheville After Dark: Perversions, 9pm

THE JOINT NEXT

DOOR

The Loudes (punk, folk, rock'n'roll), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Truphonic (hip-hop, funk, blues), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Steve Hofstetter (comedy), 8pm

THE OUTPOST Fruit Bats (indie-rock), 7pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN

Lange & Sarah of The Feels Band (soul, Americana), 7pm

THE WHITE RABBIT AT WATER STREET

Neon Dreams (disco dance party), 8pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

Owen Walsh (folk), 7pm

WICKED WEED WEST

Paul Edelman (folk, rock'n'roll), 6pm

SATURDAY, JULY 27

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 6pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

The Vince Junior Band (blues, Appalachian-soul), 8pm

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Bloodkin Night Two (rock, alt-country), 10pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 6pm

CORK & KEG

Zydeco Ya Ya (Cajun, Zydeco), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

Meschiya Lake & The Moodswingers, 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Hearts Gone South (country), 8pm

EULOGY

Wide Spread Panic Afterparty w/Josh Blake's Jukebox & After Ours (multi-genre), 9pm

FLEETWOOD'S Zillicoah, Oberlin & East Ritual (indie, postpunk), 9pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM

Dan Clare (bluegrass), 6pm

IMPERIÁL

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

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Saturday Music Matinee w/Swamptooth (bluegrass), 12pm

• Nobody’s Darling String Band, 4pm

• Jacksonn Grimm & The Bull Moose Party (Appalachian, folkgrass), 9pm

LAZOOM ROOM

Karaoke w/ KJ

Beanspice, 8:30pm

NEW BELGIUM BREWING CO.

Sunset Sessions: House Music w/In Plain Sight, 4pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

TrancEnd (prog-rock), 8pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC

HALL

Frute (funk, psych), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

• Rossdafareye (Appalachian, space-funk), 3pm

• Jerry's Dead Solo Elecric (Grateful Dead tribute), 7pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

• Josh Daniel (rock'n'roll, bluegrass, funk), 3pm

• Spaceman Jones & the Motherships, SK

The Novelist & Colston (hip-hop), 8:30pm

RIVERSIDE

RHAPSODY BEER CO.

Andrew Wakefield (bluegrass, folk, Americana), 6pm

SALVAGE STATION

• Steel Pulse w/Jesse Royal (reggae), 6:30pm

• Fireside Collective Late Night Show (bluegrass, country, folk), 11:55pm

SHAKEY'S

• Friday Late Nights w/

DJ Ek Balam, 12am

• Partyland Sessions w/ DJ GrimmJoi, 10pm

SHILOH & GAINES 4th Horse (rock), 9pm

SIERRA NEVADA

BREWING CO.

Darren Nicholson Band (Americana, bluegrass), 2pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Pipsqueak, Warmones & Formless (metal, punk, grunge), 9pm

SWEETEN CREEK

BREWING

The Candleers (country), 6pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER

BAR

Your Allure Presents:

Mindex & 5AM (electronic, bass), 5pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Laron Huntley & Friends (rock, country), 7pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Muskrat Flats (Americana, bluegrass), 6pm

THE ODD Party Foul Drag, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Sold Out: Gavin Adcock (country), 8pm THE OUTPOST

Julianna Jade w/Washer Dryer & Kassidy Blount (folk-rock, jazz, psych), 7:30pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Blue Streak (rock, blues), 7pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

DJ Molly Parti, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Comedy Night, 8pm

SUNDAY, JULY 28

ARCHETYPE BREWING

Sunday Funday w/DJs, 1pm

ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Slice of Life Comedy, 6:30pm

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SPACE

4,000 Sq Ft taproom & Live Music On Our Outdoor Stage

Wed. 7/24, 7-9pm

Dan 's Jam –Open Bluegrass jam

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba: Amber Autry, 6:30pm EULOGY

Mary Timony w/Speedy Ortiz (garage-pop, indie-rock), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

The Deviled Eggs & Friends (Cajun), 7pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM

Jazz Sunday's, 2pm

IMPERIÁL

CATAWBA BREWING CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE Musicians in the Round: Monday Open Mic, 5:45pm

FLEETWOOD'S Best Ever Karaoke w/KJ Chels, 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo! Pub Trivia w/ Jason Mencer, 7:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

Takes All Kinds Open Mic Nights, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING Open Mic Night, 7:30pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

The LADS (rock, blues), 6pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, JULY 31

ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm

ASHEVILLE PIZZA & BREWING CO. Trivia Trivia!, 6:30pm

THE JOINT NEXT

DOOR

Knotty G's (Americana), 7pm

THE ODD Elixir Magic Burlesque, 9pm

THE OUTPOST Bluegrass Jam w/Sam Wharton, 6pm

THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN Dan's Jam (bluegrass), 7pm

URBAN ORCHARD CIDER CO. SOUTH SLOPE Trivia Wednesday, 6:30pm

Thur. 7/25, 7-9pm

The Lazy J 's

Acoustic duo Jay White and John Rogers playing tunes from their vast multi-genre repertoire. Or as famed music critic Richard Harvey said, “A couple of old guys playing covers for their friends.”

DJ Mad Mike (hip-hop, indie, funk), 9pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch w/ Bluegrass Brunch Boys, 12pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Fresh Buzz (rock, funk, indie), 3pm

ONE WORLD

BREWING WEST

One Love Sundays (reggae), 6pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

BARLEY'S TAPROOM & PIZZERIA Trivia Night w/ PartyGrampa, 7pm

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1

Mashup Mondays w/ JLloyd, 8pm

STATIC AGE LOFT

The Hot Seat, 7pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

THE RIVER ARTS DISTRICT BREWING CO. Trivia w/Billy, 7pm

TUESDAY, JULY 30

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY

Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

Saylor Brothers & Friends (jamgrass), 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Well Crafted Music Series w/Ed Jurdi & Matt Smith, 6pm

IMPERIÁL

DJ Otto Maddox (soul, funk), 9pm

ARCHETYPE BREWING Drag Queen Karaoke, 7pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

MGBs (Americana), 8pm

CROW & QUILL

The Sawtooth Troubadours (blues), 8pm

EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY Karaoke Night w/KJ Marcula, 8pm

Every Wednesday! Come jam with us – all levels are welcome. Asheville-based 5-piece rock ensemble playing originals plus covers from Tom Petty, ZZ Top, Grateful Dead & more.

Fri. 7/26, 7-9pm Lange & Sarah Sat. 7/27, 7-9pm Bluestreak Details, food menus and more at railyardblkmtn.com

S&W MARKET

Mr Jimmy (blues), 1pm

SIERRA NEVADA

BREWING CO.

Lange Eve & Sarah Roberts are a harmonious duo who front 6-piece Asheville-based band The Feels. Their style ranges from neo-soul to soulful Americana.

Nik Par & The Selfless Lovers (rock'n'roll), 2pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Cosmic Appalachian Soul Sundays, 7pm

TACO BOY BILTMORE PARK

Acoustic Sunday Brunch, 12pm

THE GREY EAGLE

Sons of the East (indiefolk), 8pm

THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Fo Daniels (rock'n'roll), 2pm

THE ODD

Chaos Theory Neon Nightmare, 8pm

THE ORANGE PEEL Boys Like Girls w/ Grayscale (rock), 8pm

THE OUTPOST Fee Fi PHaux fISH (Phish tribute), 4pm

MONDAY, JULY 29

27 CLUB Monday Karaoke, 9pm

ARCHETYPE BREWING Trivia Tuesday, 6:30pm FUNKATORIUM Trivia w/Billy, 7pm IMPERIÁL

DJ Mad Mike (hip-hop, indie, funk), 9pm

LOOKOUT BREWING CO.

Team Trivia Tuesday's, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Team Trivia, 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Tuesday Night Funk Jam, 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

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

RABBIT RABBIT Chevelle w/Tigercub & Return to Dust (rock, metal), 6:30pm

SHILOH & GAINES Open Mic, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Tuesday Night Open Jam, 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE Fiddlehead w/Gel, Milly & Gumm (rock, hardcore, emo), 8pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Old Time Jam, 5pm

LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA

Everybody But You Bro Open Mic, 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Bluegrass Jam w/Derek McCoy & Friends, 6pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

Team Awesome (electronic, punk, rock), 10pm

PULP

Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 7pm

SHAKEY'S Sexy Service Industry Night, 10pm

SHILOH & GAINES Trivia Wednesdays, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Druid Stone, Divorce Papers Vs. Cultleader. global, An Invitation & Curbside Loveseat (doom-metal, deathpunk, hardcore), 9pm

THE GREY EAGLE River & Rail w/Thomas Kozak & Liliana Hudgens (folk, Americana), 8pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm

IMPERIÁL

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

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• AVL Fest, 7pm

• Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7pm

ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL

The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 10pm

ONE WORLD BREWING Eric Sommer (folk), 8pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

The Family Tree: Datrian Johnson, Mike Rhodes, Woody Wood & Tony Black (soul, Americana), 6:30pm

SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm

SHILOH & GAINES Karaoke Night, 8pm

STATIC AGE LOFT Karaoke Night, 10pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS Kuh-Leeb, Cold Pizza, Kyle 34k, Salt & Natural Blk Invention (experimental, hip-hop), 8:30pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Bill Altman (blues), 7pm

20 taps + full bar + in-house restaurant + 15 tvs + private event space + ice cream sammies + fun for the family 141 RICHARDSON BLVD BLACK MOUNTAIN

FREEWILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries singer-songwriter Lady Gaga has written many songs, both for herself and other artists. She has famously declared that some of her most successful songs took her just 10 minutes to compose. They include “Just Dance,” “Poker Face,” and “Born This Way.” According to my interpretation of the astrological omens, you could be rising to Lady Gaga levels of creativity in your own sphere during the coming weeks. And I won’t be surprised if your imaginative innovations flow with expeditious clarity, like Gaga at her most efficient.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): During the winter, some animals hibernate. They enter a state of dormancy, slowing their metabolism, breathing and heart rate. Other animals enter a similar state during the summer, conserving energy when the weather is hot and dry. It’s called estivation. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, many of you Tauruses would benefit from a modified version of estivation in the next couple of weeks. You’re in prime time to recharge your energy through deep relaxation and rest.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The English word “amphibian” is derived from the Greek term amphibios, which means “living a double life.” The original meaning of the English word was “combining two qualities; having two modes of life,” though eventually it came to be used primarily to describe animals that function well on both land and in water. You Geminis are of course the most amphibious of all the astrological tribes. You can feel at home in a variety of situations. This may sometimes stir up confusion, but I see it as one of your greatest potential strengths. In the coming weeks, I hope you enjoy it to the maximum. It should serve you well. Wield it to take advantage of the sweet perks of versatility.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I dreamed that a young elephant appeared on the back deck of my house and stuck its trunk through the open sliding glass door. I got up from my chair and gently pushed the animal away, then closed the door. But after I woke up, I was sorry I had done that in my dream. What was I afraid of? The elephant posed no danger — and may have been a good omen. In some cultures, elephants in dreams and visions are symbols of good luck, vitality, long life, and the removal of obstacles. So here’s what I did. I dropped into a deep meditative state and reimagined the dream. This time, I welcomed the creature into my home. I gave her the name Beatrice. We wrestled playfully and had fun playing with a red rubber ball. Amazingly, later that day, a certain obstacle in my actual waking life magically disappeared. The moral of the story, my fellow Cancerian: Welcome the elephant.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Some bamboo species grow very quickly — as much as 36 inches per day. I suspect your capacity to burgeon and blossom will display a similar vigor in the coming weeks. You may be surprised at how dramatic your development is. I’m hoping, of course, that you will be acutely focused on channeling your fertility in positive ways. Don’t feed an urge to recklessly gamble, for instance. Don’t pursue connections with influences that are no damn good for you. Instead, decide right now what areas of your life you want to be the beneficiaries of your growth spurt. Choose the beauty and power you will encourage to ripen.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): For months, we heard and saw crows pecking on the roof of our rental house. Why? Were they grubbing for food? It was mildly annoying, but seemingly no big deal. Then one night, their small, regular acts of mayhem climaxed in an unexpected event. Rain began to fall around 8 p.m. It was constant, though not heavy. At 9, the ceilings in five rooms began to leak. By 10:30, our house was flooded. We managed to rescue most of our precious items, but the house was damaged. We had to find a new place to live. I don’t expect anything nearly this drastic to befall you,

dear Virgo. But I do encourage you to check to see if any small problem is gradually growing bigger. Now is a favorable time to intervene and forestall an unfavorable development.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Two Scottish veterinarians researched the health of rhesus monkeys that are compelled by human handlers to dance on the streets of Islamabad, Pakistan. When I first learned about this, my response was, “Wow! Don’t those doctors have anything better to do? That is the most obscure research I have ever heard of.” But later, I decided I admired the doctors because they were motivated primarily by compassion. They found the monkeys were under severe stress, and they publicized the fact as a public service. Their work will ultimately lead to better treatment of the monkeys. In accordance with astrological omens, Libra, I advise you to seek out comparable ways to express altruism in the coming weeks. By engaging in noble and idealistic acts, you will attract good fortune into your sphere both for yourself and others.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Do you place any limits on how deep and expansive you allow your yearnings to be? Are you ever worried that maybe you desire too much and are at risk of asking for too much? If you answered yes to those questions, Scorpio, I will give you a temporary license to rebel against your wariness. In accordance with astrological rhythms, I authorize you to experiment with feeling the biggest, strongest, wildest longings you have ever felt. Please note that I am not advising you to immediately go out and actually express those longings to the hilt. For now, I’d like you to simply have the experience of entertaining their full intensity. This will be a healing experience.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You will never guess the identity of the strongest animal on the planet. It’s not the gorilla, tiger, or elephant. It’s the dung beetle, which can lug loads that weigh 1,141 times as much as it does. The equivalent for you would be to pull six double-decker buses crammed with people. I’m happy to inform you that although you won’t be able to accomplish that feat in the coming weeks, your emotional and spiritual strength will be formidable. You may be surprised at how robust and mighty you are. What do you plan to do with all that power?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): By age 35, you have already shed over 50 pounds of skin. The flesh that covers you is in a constant state of renewal. In the coming weeks, I expect your rate of regeneration to be even higher than usual — not only in regard to your skin, but everything else in your life, as well. Here’s a proviso: Renewal and regeneration are always preceded by withering or dwindling. To enjoy the thrill of revitalization, you must allow the loss of what was once vital but is no longer.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Among people who go hiking a lot, “death march” is a term that refers to a long trudge through boring scenery in bad weather. Let’s use this as a metaphor for your life. I believe you have recently finished your own metaphorical version of a “death march.” Any minute now, you will begin a far more enjoyable series of experiences. Get ready for an entertaining meander through interesting terrains in fine weather. Be alert for unpredictable encounters with inspiration and education.

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PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Alex Larenty gives massages to lions at the Lion Park near Johannesburg, South Africa. They especially love foot rubs. Even Jamu, king of the local beasts, rolls onto his back so Larenty can get a good angle while caressing and kneading his paws. I bring this to your attention, Pisces, because it’s a good metaphor for the unique power you will have in the coming days: a knack for dealing successfully with wild influences and elemental powers

the

1 Captain’s position

5 Person of the year, for short?

9 Degs. from Northwestern’s Kellogg School

13 “Never get involved in a land war in ___” (advice in “The Princess Bride”)

14 Common provider of free Wi-Fi

15 Animal life

16 Wait + see

18 Top-flight destination?

19 Title for a crime boss

20 Items often stored in plastic protectors

21 Touch of color

23 Early-age garment

25 Give + take

28 Prudent

29 Sport that takes place in an octagon, for short

31 Abolitionist senator Charles

32 Org. with the Artemis program

33 Where Captain Kirk was born and raised

35 Moves gingerly

36 Kiss + tell

39 Evening stroll, from the Spanish

42 Drummers’ collections

43 Blows it

47 Symbols of humble beginnings

49 Dropped behind?

50 Gather

51 Hit + run

53 “Fiddler on the Roof” setting

55 Actor Reeves

56 Miranda rights reader

57 What a fixerupper home needs, casually

58 Like Rudolph’s nose

60 Cut + paste

63 Big name in ketchup

64 Gorilla who was said to have developed the vocabulary level of a three-yearold human

65 Ultrafastidious

66 No-no for vegans

67 “No ___” (airplane wing warning)

68 Enemy of Hopo’-My-Thumb DOWN

1 Knows by heart

2 What’s opposite Finland on the Gulf of Finland

3 Cubs manager?

4 Common encyclopedia graphic

5 Professor’s realm

6 Targets of pulldown exercises, in brief

7 29-Across org.

8 Conductor Zubin

9 Fixer-uppers, of a sort

10 Remote possibilities?

11 Good guess for a single letter in a cryptogram

12 Alveolus, e.g.

15 Big name in sports betting

17 Console with a sensor bar

22 Entrees

24 Creatures that kill Laocoön in the “Aeneid”

25 Aggressively pro-war

26 “To Kill a Mockingbird” writer

27 Rx writers: Abbr.

30 Imitation

34 “___ boy!”

37 Times to get back to work

38 Rocket-shaped frozen treat

39 Faux ___

40 Wounded knee site, for short

41 Very wet

44 Not in motion

45 Caboose, e.g.

46 Gap filler

48 The “S” of U.C.S.D.

52 Uses a straw

54 FedEx competitor

56 Popular pop

58 “Steady as ___ goes!”

59 Keep close to

61 Between 90 and 100, say

62 Confucian philosophy