In recent years, a number of local movie buffs have helped build community through a variety of monthly film series at Grail Moviehouse. Xpress caught up with some of the organizers to discuss the types of genres they explore and the conversations these events inspire. This week’s cover features Bill Kopp, right, host of Music Movie Mondays, and Michael Wheeler, host of Masterpiece Mondays and co-host of Cinemania.
PUBLISHER & EDITOR: Jeff Fobes
ASSISTANT PUBLISHER: Susan Hutchinson
MANAGING
EDITOR: Thomas Calder
EDITORS:
Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Gina Smith, Jessica Wakeman
ARTS & CULTURE
EDITOR: Thomas Calder
OPINION
EDITOR: Tracy Rose
STAFF REPORTERS: Lisa Allen, Edwin Arnaudin, Thomas Calder, Justin McGuire, Pat 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
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LEAD DESIGNER: Scott Southwick
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Tina Gaafary, Olivia Urban
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES: Hinton Edgerton, Jeff Fobes, Mark Murphy, Scott Southwick WEB: Brandon Tilley
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DISTRIBUTION DRIVERS: Ashley Alms, Corey Biskind, Tracy Houston, John McKay, Henry Mitchell, Courtney Israel Nash, Joey Nash, Carl & Debbie Schweiger, Gary Selnick, Noah Tanner
The failure of the conditional zoning process
Having just suffered through the frustrating conditional zoning process for the 767 New Haw Creek Road project, I feel compelled to summarize the key lessons learned by someone who’s not in the development business. Most importantly, I wanted to share these lessons for other residential neighborhoods that are very likely to face similar challenges sooner than you’d like.
For those who missed it, the conditional zoning request for Kevin Jackson’s project, the Meadows at New Haw Creek, was approved at the July 24 City Council meeting to allow 84 new homes, rather than the 49 allowed under the original zoning. Originally, Mr. Jackson requested a total of 95 units, but thanks to hundreds of hours of effort by Haw Creek residents and assistance from Mayor Esther Manheimer to force the developer to negotiate, the project was reduced in density by 11 homes. Ultimately, the project was improved but certainly not at the density that most Haw Creek residents wanted. So how can this happen, and what can city residents do to protect their families, homes and quality of life? First, don’t rely on the 2018 comprehensive plan as a guideline for how development will occur in your area. We were told flatly by the city planning staff that the comprehensive plan is simply “aspirational” and is not a definitive framework for development. Similarly, existing zoning should not be considered as definitive — essentially, all zoning can be changed if a developer and/or city planner asks for it and completes the conditional zoning process. You must ask yourself then, “Why do we go through the comprehensive planning process?”
Second, it’s the requirements in the Unified Development Ordinance
(UDO) that really define exactly what a developer must include: building setbacks, stormwater management and tree canopy requirements, among others. Limited changes have been made to the UDO through text amendments; however, the UDO does not reflect the vision of the city’s comprehensive plan nor defining aspirations of a livable city. A rewrite is currently being discussed, and Asheville citizens will need to make sure that the revised UDO aligns with the comprehensive plan. While we all recognize the need for additional, and especially affordable housing, in Asheville, we cannot ignore the rights of existing homeowners. Fortunately, the mayor and City Council helped facilitate the negotiations with Mr. Jackson to reduce the impacts on our community. But not without significant pressure from Haw Creek residents.
ASHEVILLE’S
The process shouldn’t work this way. Negotiations and changes should occur during and immediately following the required neighborhood meeting without having to resort to extreme measures. Most importantly, the existing residents deserve to know what the future of their community will really be. We should be able to have confidence that the comprehensive plans for future growth will be followed and that our property investments and quality of life will be protected. So, heads up Asheville residents, until the UDO gets revised and/or the state’s conditional zoning law is rewritten, you must be diligent and prepared to work collaboratively to ensure quality new development in your communities. Rest assured, the development community does not have your best interests in mind. — Doug Baughman Asheville
CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON
This is no way to build a city
Last month, the Asheville City Council voted 5-1 to approve the conditional rezoning of the property located at 767 New Haw Creek Road. The vote signals the latest tortured step in this unpopular 84-home development.
During the meeting, no meaningful questions were asked by the Council. Details went by unchallenged. Assertions were made and left as fact. Revelations came to light and left in darkness. The outcome was predetermined.
Community concerns about bridge viability, infrastructure improvements, road safety and stormwater runoff were all dismissed. Residents were left to wonder who lived in the affected area, so off base were some comments by Council members.
Precisely how access to the property will be granted remains unresolved. For months, Mr. Kevin Jackson has circled the land searching for a cheaper way to enter the property after his profitability numbers took a hit following the need to build a pricier bridge over the wetlands.
When all seemed lost, the Haw Creek Community Association (HCCA) stepped in to save the day. The HCCA offered entry via a property in an adjoining neighborhood. Like so much in this sad saga, just how they planned to accomplish this remained unsaid.
What is certain, however, is that there is currently no legal right to build a road through this property. Every party involved is aware, but the vote happened anyway.
Yet, one thing is for sure. The HCCA will not be part of the campaign moving forward. They ceded any right to continue by the secretive way they negotiated with Mr. Jackson. The final plan promoted by the HCCA had no broad support or mandate from the community they claim to represent.
To be clear, the residents surrounding this property would have supported Mr. Jackson’s right to build houses. If only the Council had taken the time to find out how out of touch the HCCA was with its residents.
The approval process is broken. If saner heads had taken responsibility much earlier in the process, a better solution would have been derived. The Council twists all of its strategic plans in knots to justify an outcome that leads to more houses.
The mayor summed up the meeting by saying she voted for the development even though she doesn’t
believe it will ever get built. This is no way to build a city.
— John Appleby Asheville Editor’s note: Xpress reached out to the Haw Creek Community Association with the letter writer’s points, and we received the following response from HCCA President Chris Pelly: “I agree with the writer that the development campaign in Haw Creek has divided some within our community. Most residents, however, understood this was a complex issue that sought to balance neighbors’ concerns with the demands of a growing city. Ultimately, most residents considered the outcome a reasonable compromise.
“When details of the proposed development were first revealed in late 2023, HCCA convened a working group open to any interested residents. Many chose to participate, and four conditions were identified to achieve community buy-in. With leadership from Mayor Manheimer over multiple negotiating sessions, developer Kevin Jackson finally agreed to the community’s conditions.
“Late in the game, a small group of neighbors, some of whom declined participation in the working group, demanded additional negotiations and called for delaying the City Council vote a fourth time. As negotiating conditions had already been met, the City Council chose to proceed. For more details, please visit our website [avl.mx/e16].”
Liberal arts cuts at UNCA hurt community
A perennial crisis in higher education has become more acute over the last few years due to soaring costs, public distrust and declining enrollment. Now, the crisis has come to Asheville.
Last month, under the direction of Chancellor Kimberly van Noort, the UNC System Board of Governors accepted the proposal to eliminate the drama, philosophy, religion and ancient Mediterranean studies (classics) programs and to reduce languages and literature classes at UNC Asheville, the only liberal arts college in the UNC System. Van Noort suggests that these changes will not affect the liberal arts identity at UNCA. But the liberal arts aren’t cultivated by osmosis. It requires departments, people, positions and intention to teach them well. The virtues of liberal arts can’t be assumed in an otherwise pragmatic curriculum oriented
toward making money. An economic lens will not tolerate a liberal ideal. I teach at Montreat College, which is about as conservative as UNCA is liberal. You may think I’m celebrating these changes as the downfall of the progressive agenda or some other stereotype of a religious conservative in your head. But I’m not. I mourn these changes. Asheville is worse off as a community for gutting the foundation of a liberal arts core. Liberal, after all, stands for liberating or freeing. The liberal arts cultivate a free citizenship — an ever-present need, but especially so when fear, power and resentment rage. These are the arts that are for a liberated people, to help students become thoughtful, engaged and charitable. I may have a different aim or goal for a liberal arts core than UNCA, but we’re both trying to develop a similar type of person — regardless of the convictions.
Underneath these changes is not liberation, but economics. These changes are based on quantitative measure because we’ve lost any idea of qualitative concerns. The liberal arts teach students what is qualitatively different or better: What makes a good life? What is a good education? What is beautiful? What makes a life worth living? These changes aren’t due to UNCA being liberal; these changes are due to a culture
obsessed with the market. There is no other rationale. Unsurprisingly (as is so often the case), no science, technology, engineering or mathematics programs were cut. Those “make sense.” Professional majors go on undisturbed — designed not about how to reason or how to live but how to make money.
Higher education has lost the crisis if changes like these continue to be made. One imagines the finance gurus of TikTok or Instagram saying young people shouldn’t go to college. (I’m self-aware enough to know that social media are the main teacher of students in my classroom.) If education is a degree factory or credentialing service, then they would be right. Changes like these prove that a college education offers nothing that a YouTube lecture couldn’t provide. Life is about money. Time is measured by your hourly rate. It’s a waste to spend your time on children or appreciating beauty or pleasure. Everything is a dollar sign adding to the proverbial bottom line. Without any counterbalance to the logic of the market, our students will be adrift, purposeless and hopeless. These changes show us leaders of institutions aren’t much different from social media influencers. They’re operating by the same economic logic but with advanced degrees. It’s an education that’s
bankrupt — even if they remain financially solvent.
Those who have ears, let them hear. — Alex Sosler Asheville
Editor’s note: A longer version of this letter will appear at mountainx. com.
Paradise lost at Hominy Creek
Realistically, it appears that the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and RiverLink have written the obituary for French Broad Outfitters’ operation at Hominy Creek. FBO is a fantastic caretaker of this small strip of land where Hominy Creek joins the French Broad River. It is an incredible example of a successful business enterprise sharing its work ethic and creative efforts with the public.
This location has become a place that brings the best of old and new Asheville together. It may be the absolute best eclectic safe space in our community. Everyone is welcome. And if it is necessary, you can experience your time there without spending a penny. Lots of sights and lots of sounds, including some great music. You can bring a picnic basket or you can order some simple eats on-site. People coming together to have a
good time. It is a simple place for a simple pleasure. No gentrification.
I’ve been here long enough to know what this space used to be. Come November, you still may see kayakers and canoeists getting in and out of the water. You might catch a few people going for a swim in warmer weather. That space will also have to be shared with drug dealers, drug users, prostitutes and emotionally challenged individuals. They will return. Of course, there will also be hours of time spent there by law enforcement officials and emergency services.
When there is a death, it is often common to say, “Rest in peace.” But come November, peace will only be intermittent on this little piece of land. The synergy created by FBO where the natural world and human experience merged will be gone. Paradise lost. It saddens me.
— Richard Boyum Candler X
Word of the week
cinephile
(n.) a devotee of motion pictures
Given our cover story, this week’s vocabulary choice felt like a no-brainer. Read more about some of our city’s local cinephiles on page 24. X
CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN
Budget business
BY JESSICA WAKEMAN
jwakeman@mountainx.com
The candidates for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners sparred over a recent tax increase, the budget and regulation of short-term rentals (STRs) at an Aug. 2 Council of Independent Business Owners meeting. The forum was hosted at UNC Asheville’s Sherrill Center.
Commissioner Amanda Edwards, a Democrat who currently represents District 3, is running against Van Duncan, who is unaffiliated, for chair, a post now held by Brownie Newman
Commissioner Terri Wells , a Democrat who represents District 1, is running against Bruce O’Connell, who is unaffiliated.
BUDGET BLAST
The candidates outlined their stances concerning the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners’ June 18 vote approving a $440 million budget, which included a property tax increase. The expenditures that made it into the budget — and whether there was room for more budget cuts — was a theme of the forum.
Edwards and Wells defended the budget, noting repeatedly that the largest expense was education: $126 million, or nearly 30% of the budget, is shared among Buncombe County Schools, Asheville City Schools and A-B Tech.
Edwards blamed the lack of state public school funding as the reason the county had to try to shore up support. “You are being taxed twice for public education,” Edwards told the audience. “And it’s because our legislators in Raleigh are not doing
County Commission candidates make pitches at CIBO forum
RUNNING FOR OFFICE: The Council of Independent Business Owners hosted a candidate forum for Buncombe County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 2. From left, Van Duncan, Amanda Edwards, Bruce O’Connell and Terri Wells. Photo by Jessica Wakeman
what they are constitutionally mandated to do, which is to provide a fully funded K-12 system across the state of North Carolina.”
“You should be angry that Buncombe County continues to have to increase our support for our two K-12 districts. They are phenomenal districts, and I am proud that we support them,” Edwards continued.
“We do need to look at effective and efficient ways of better working with our two K-12 districts.” (Edwards noted at the forum that she is the spouse of Asheville High School principal Derek Edwards.)
Wells pointed out that funding for education and public safety
were the only two increases in the FY25 budget.
O’Connell, who is the owner of the Pisgah Inn in Canton, criticized Buncombe County for having a “spending disease” and argued that if one looks closely at the budget, “the waste is there.” He proposed capping taxes for local residents and supported “look[ing] for alternative sources of revenue.”
Duncan, who was Buncombe County Sheriff from 2006-18, voiced his support for education, and he also said he supported budget cuts. “Outof-control spending is unsustainable, so we’re going to have to look hard,” he said.
LISTING PRIORITIES
CIBO President Buzzy Cannady asked each candidate to list what they consider to be the top three issues facing the county.
Edwards, who is executive director of A-B Tech’s office of college advancement, cited her top priorities as the economy and sustaining highwage jobs, affordable housing, education, and supporting the community paramedics and co-responders within Emergency Medical Services (EMS).
Wells, who is a ninth-generation farmer, cited adapting to growth as the top issue, highlighting her efforts to increase access to high-
speed broadband internet in rural communities. She then listed public safety (particularly support for EMS), education and the ability to earn a decent wage as priorities.
Duncan cited education as the top issue. “As was pointed out, education is a huge part of our budget,” he said. “So we’re going to have to make tough decisions around education to make sure that it’s sustainable moving forward and we give our kids the best education we can possibly fund.”
Duncan’s other priorities for the county include addressing homelessness, particularly homeless people who “refuse to go into shelter and live on the street,” he said. “We’re going to have to come to grips with a strategy that effectively deals with that population and moves them to a better place while we restore the ability of businesses to run and the ability of people to feel safe when they go downtown.”
As his third priority, Duncan cited budget cuts. “Where are we going to make the tough decisions to reduce that budget so we’re sustainable?”
O’Connell cited affordability and taxes, crime and security, infrastructure and education as the top issues. “Those things need to be dealt with first before we spend money on DEI, Pride parades and transgender bathrooms,” he said. “We can have those kinds of things once we take care of what matters most.”
According Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus, the county is sponsoring a booth at Blue Ridge Pride Festival 2024 for $2,500 to promote public health education. Additionally, the county allocated $17,175 in a block grant to the nonprofit Blue Ridge Pride to support its Generation Plus program, which is for LGBTQ+ individuals over 60 to build social networks as part of an age-friendly action plan.
Buncombe County has paid for signage for gender-inclusive bathrooms and to cover up gaps in stalls, Govus says. That expense was “really a nominal cost” that was not substantial
enough to require a line item in the general fund budget, she continued.
Buncombe County also allocated $520,200 for reparations in the FY25 budget.
REGULATING SHORT TERM RENTALS
Cannady asked the candidates if they would favor restricting STRs.
Wells said, based on her conversations with residents, the community supports some regulation of STRs. “But we want to make sure there’s no unintended consequences,” Wells continued. “So we’re looking at it very carefully. … There’s many people who utilize [operating STRs] to help provide them [with] some income to be able to afford to still live here.”
Duncan concurred that some regulation of STRs is needed. “The way to go about regulation, in my opinion, is do things that do not restrict people from being able to create some income to stay in their houses,” he said. “But at the same time, we want to make sure that we don’t have corporate interests that come in here, buy all our available housing and use it for short-term rentals.”
Edwards shared that she and her husband once relied on income from an apartment they rented in their home.
“It is what paid our child care costs for five years,” she told the audience. “So when I hear from residents struggling, I understand, personally, that situation.”
She called STR operators “entrepreneurs” and lauded STR operators who offer “affordable, long-term rentals” to ease the housing burden. She voiced her support of improving “safety of those short-term rentals and ensuring the safety for the neighbors who are impacted by the comings and goings of short-term renters.”
The county established an ad hoc committee Aug. 6 to review STR regulations after a county Planning Board didn’t reach a consensus on the matter earlier this year. X
County greenlights proposed redesign of West Asheville school
A new EMS base and library could be coming to the corner of Haywood Road and Interstate 240 in West Asheville if the Buncombe County officials can figure out how to pay for its plans on land owned by Asheville City Schools.
The county Board of Commissioners voted 6-0 on Aug. 6 to instruct staff to move forward with finalized architectural plans, seek a partnership with Asheville City Schools (ACS) and research how to fund renovations. Commissioner Martin Moore was absent.
The former site of Asheville Primary School, which closed in 2022, would also house an upgraded maintenance facility for ACS near the back of the 4.77-acre property, according to the plans. ACS would like to move its school nutrition administration to the site, which is now housed at the ACS administration building at 85 Mountain St.
For the county, the top priority is an Emergency Medical Services base. Plans show a two-story, 16,800-squarefoot EMS station would be located on the corner of Argyle Lane and Haywood Road, with five truck bays, sleeping quarters for 14 responders and a triage room for walk-up emergencies.
The base would be attached to a two-story, 25,000-square-foot library at the corner of Haywood and the I-240 on-ramp. The library would be similar in size to the new East Asheville Library, rebuilt in 2021, said Robert Brown, general services director for the county, and would replace the existing West Asheville Library at 942 Haywood Road.
Renovation costs
These preliminary cost estimates, prepared by Robert Brown, Buncombe County general services director, include demolition costs and are subject to change as design and construction phases move forward. County and school officials have yet to determine a funding source for the proposed projects.
At 441 Haywood Road
• Regional EMS station:
$11.1 million
• Library: $19 million
• Asheville City Schools maintenance and operations center: $13.1 million
At Hall Fletcher Elementary
• Pre-K facility: $20.4 million X
“To me, the EMS facility is nonnegotiable. As we look at our response rates and we look to improve those and as West Asheville continues to grow, we absolutely cannot take our foot off the gas pedal on moving forward on that,” said Commissioner Amanda Edwards
At a work session Aug. 5, Asheville City Board of Education members expressed some reservations about allowing county facilities on the site without getting anything in return. The school board was scheduled to vote on whether it supports the county’s plan at its meeting Monday, Aug. 12, after press time.
“We can’t give away something for nothing. So if what we have is property … for EMS to be put there, that means destruction of property that is now housing services for us,” said school board member Amy Ray at the Aug. 5 work session.
“I thought that if we were giving up a portion of our property so that the county could build something on that site, there would be a quid pro quo, and we would be receiving something in return. If what we are receiving in return is designs [for maintenance and prekindergarten facilities] but no funding to implement those designs, that’s not a return,” she added.
County Manager Avril Pinder assured the ACS board that the funding details have yet to be explored, and county staff simply wanted to be sure both the school board and county commission were on board with the concepts before negotiating a funding plan.
Commissioner Al Whitesides took issue with Ray’s stance that the county owes the school district for use of the property.
“Everything we’re doing is for the taxpayers of Buncombe County. Right?
RAISING QUESTIONS: At the Aug. 6 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Parker Sloan raised several questions about the logistics of adding an EMS station and library at the former Asheville Primary School location. Photo by Greg Parlier
We paid for it. They want to sell it to us? That makes no sense to me as a taxpayer. I’ve got a problem with that,” he said.
PRE-K HUB AT HALL FLETCHER ELEMENTARY
Another major part of the negotiations is establishing a prekindergarten “hub.” After discussing that possibility with ACS Superintendent Maggie Fehrman and her team, Pinder said it was more feasible to locate a pre-K
school at Hall Fletcher Elementary, less than a mile away.
Pre-K plans call for a one-story, 29,000-square-foot building on the field along Wellington Street that would house 18 classrooms for 268 students.
While ACS board members had doubts about building a brand-new facility when the district’s other schools had space amid declining enrollment, the plan was well-liked by county commissioners.
Commissioner Jasmine BeachFerrara, who serves on the county’s Early Childhood Committee, said the county has been talking about a large pre-K hub for years.
“I think this represents the most concrete vision of how that could come to pass,” she said.
“If we’re ever going to get universal pre-K — and we need that for the workforce — it’s going to start with a hub,” Whitesides added.
It is unclear how a hub would be funded and operated if built on ACS property with county dollars, but those details could be worked out, Pinder said.
Commission Chair Brownie Newman suggested that any significant progress on the pre-K building should await the school district consolidation study, scheduled to be completed in January.
If the N.C. General Assembly forces the school districts to consolidate, there might be lots of empty classroom space that could be repurposed, Newman noted.
“Can we repurpose an existing elementary school? If the answer is no for really good reasons, then I’d say this is a really good thing,” he said.
— Greg Parlier X
County establishes short-term rental committee
More than 100 people answered Buncombe County’s call to join an ad hoc committee reviewing short-term rental (STR) regulations that were put on hold by the Buncombe County Planning Board in May.
Commissioners, who established the committee at their Aug. 6 meeting, narrowed the list of potential candidates from 113 to 17, including two members of the Planning Board — Chair Nancy Waldrop and member Ken Kahn. The committee
could consist of between seven and 11 members, according to the establishing resolution.
Newman was grateful there was so much interest in the committee and thanked everyone for applying.
“We know this is an important issue in the community and an issue a lot of people are very interested in. As outlined in the resolution language, we wanted to have different perspectives of various stakeholders participating in this process,” Newman said.
Newman sorted his nominations for the committee into real estate professionals, short-term rental owners and community members interested in how STRs affect the supply of housing stock in Buncombe County. Commissioners are scheduled to interview the 15 non-Planning Board candidates before the commission meeting Tuesday, Aug. 20, when final decisions will be announced.
— Greg Parlier X
City program offers ‘carrot’ to hotel developers
There’s a saying that you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Hotel developers in Asheville have been utilizing that philosophy since a 2021 city ordinance allows applicants to contribute to city-supported causes, such the city’s reparations or affordable housing funds, offering a living wage to hotel employees or making neighborhood improvements. The by-right process, as it’s known, allows developers to skirt Asheville City Council review, choosing instead to seek staff approval.
That option was made possible when Council voted 6-1 in 2021 to adopt new development guidelines and establish a Hotel Overlay zoning district. The new regulations allow new hotel projects within the district with 115 rooms or fewer to avoid a Council vote if they meet a series of design requirements and contribute to equity-related public efforts.
Since then, 13 hotel projects have gone through the by-right process, with 11 committing more than $2.7 million toward city priorities, according to a newly released City of Asheville public dashboard. In the latest edition of WTF — short for “Want the Facts?” — Xpress took a look at the city’s hotel approval process, what community benefits developers have pledged and what tools the local government has to enforce the law.
PUSHING BACK ON GROWTH
In response to vocal community concern about a glut of new hotels, Asheville City Council voted in 2017 to require more hotel projects to come before the Council for approval. Whereas most projects up to 175,000 square feet and 145 feet tall had been approved by the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, projects of more than 20 rooms and any building over 100,000 square feet were now required to come before Council for approval.
But Council members, developers and some members of the public expressed frustration with that method as well, noting that hotel approvals or denials seemed inconsistent and unpredictable. Dissatisfaction with the process reached a fever pitch after a contentious 4-3 vote to allow converting the iconic Flatiron building from offices to a 70-room boutique hotel in 2019.
The decision spurred a communitywide conversation about hotel
DONATIONS ARE WELCOME: Moxy Hotel, left, and Elevation Hotel, both located in downtown Asheville, made the most of current regulations that allow developers to donate funds to city-supported causes as a way to avoid an otherwise mandatory City Council review and vote on new development projects. Photos by Thomas Calder
growth and the impact on the character of the city, and an eventual 17-month moratorium on hotel development that included public engagement and a study aimed at slowing hotel construction and developing a standardized process for hotel approval.
SCORING POINTS
The public input led to the 2021 ordinance that tried to steer toward a middle ground. The ordinance created a public benefits table. Using it, developers have to score at least 100-220 points, depending on their project’s size and location. At least half of those points must come from a payment to the city’s Housing Trust Fund or Reparations Fund or building permanently affordable housing for residents making 80% or less of the area median income ($52,350 for an individual, $74,800 for a family of four).
For example, a new 100-room hotel in downtown Asheville would need to contribute at least $400,000 to the reparations or housing fund or build 10 affordable housing units. The remainder of a project’s required points could come from a broader menu of options, including investing in companies with a strong
social and environmental track record, as certified by the nonprofit B Lab, (120 points), offering a living wage (60 points) or contracting with minority- or women-owned businesses (10 points).
However, if a hotel project contains more than 115 rooms or is located outside of the Hotel Overlay zone, applicants must still come before City Council to receive conditional zoning approval. So far, three projects have been required to use the city’s conditional zoning process. Two of those projects have been approved while one project is still awaiting a Council vote.
PAYING IT FORWARD
According to the City of Asheville’s dashboard, the city has received $562,000 in contributions through the by-right process: the Elevation Hotel at 52 Broadway contributed $15,000 to the city’s Reparations Fund, $15,000 for Housing Trust Fund and $3,000 for public art. Meanwhile, the Moxy Hotel at 61 Biltmore Ave. contributed $230,000 to the Housing Trust Fund, $230,000 toward the Reparations Fund, $34,500 for neighborhood improvements and $34,500 for public art.
The city expects $1.5 million in public benefit contributions from eight more by-right hotel projects that are under review or in construction. Of those monetary donations, $1.4 million will be contributed to the city’s affordable housing or reparations funds (developers currently don’t need to state which program they are donating to until they apply for a certificate of occupancy).
Two hotel projects approved through the by-right process, Create 72 Broadway Boutique Hotel and Tribute Hotel, have not yet set their commitment amounts. According to the city’s memo, developers do not need to make a final commitment to the public benefit options until the hotel is ready to receive its certificate of occupancy. Until then, the contribution amount is estimated by the applicant. Final amounts and to where may change.
And if developers don’t follow through with those payments? City Attorney Brad Branham explains that the city can withhold a project’s certificate of occupancy if developers do not follow through with the agreement. “This would be our primary enforcement tool,” he adds.
LEGALLY SPEAKING
Branham says that there have been no legal challenges to Asheville’s Hotel Overlay zoning or the accompanying public benefits table since its adoption. He notes that the contributions are not a requirement and that developers could instead choose to apply through the city’s conditional zoning process if they did not want to make donations or other commitments.
While Branham says that he’s not aware of another local government using the exact same process, he notes that many cities across the state offer voluntary development bonuses in exchange for some form of community benefit. For example, the City of Charlotte allows greater density developments if the developers include affordable housing.
“Programs of this nature are quite common,” says Branham. “In all cases, this is purely elective, and these types of voluntary, incentive-based development options are used frequently throughout North Carolina, the legality of which has been well established in our state.”
— Brooke Randle X
Homeowner grant applications now open
Owning a home has its perks, including building wealth, stable housing costs and the freedom to make a space your own. But, owning a home has some nonnegotiable costs: the mortgage, home insurance and property taxes.
Buncombe County’s Homeowner Grant Program can help with those costs that cannot be put off. The program gives qualified homeowners within the county a grant of up to $300, and those living within the City of Asheville could receive up to $500. Grantees may choose to have funds applied to their property tax bill and/or directly to mortgage or homeowner’s insurance.
To qualify, residents must own residential property in Buncombe County that they have lived in as their primary residence for at least five years and earn at or less than 80% of the area median income ($52,350 for an individual, $74,800 for a household of four). This year, the program was made available to mobile home owners. Eligible households cannot already be receiving tax deferment assistance
available for the elderly, disabled or veterans and must not have more than $60,000 in liquid resources, such as cash on hand or funds available in checking and savings accounts combined.
“If you think you may qualify, but you aren’t sure, please give our team a call,” Economic Services Director Phillip Hardin said in a July 15 press release. “We know there are a number of unique circumstances, and our staff will work with homeowners to help find solutions.”
To apply, visit avl.mx/e12 or call 828250-5500. Applications will be received through Monday, Sept. 30. Applicants who received grants last year will need to reapply to the program.
Dogwood welcomes new executive
Following a national search, Dogwood Health Trust announced last month that Rebecca Noricks joined the organization as the vice
president of communications. Noricks, who most recently served as a communications officer with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich., where she led communications strategies in support of the foundation’s mission and commitments to racial equity, is responsible for developing and implementing internal and external communication strategies that advance Dogwood’s purpose, vision, values and culture.
Kids hair salon opens
Pigtails & Crewcuts: Haircuts for Kids is now open at 11 Crispin Court, Suite E-104, in South Asheville in the Gerber Village plaza. The children’s salon features bright colors, whimsical decor-themed vehicle chairs and offers sensory-safe services and a variety of other toys children can enjoy before, during and after their haircuts. Pigtails & Crewcuts Asheville is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, visit avl.mx/e11.
Warren Wilson gains Division III status
Warren Wilson College was awarded membership in the NCAA Division
III effective Sunday, Sept. 1 for its leadership and steady growth in athletics. To achieve Division III status, the college added men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s rugby, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s triathlon. The college also added a fulltime sports information director and strength and conditioning coach. The additional teams have contributed to a growth in student-athletes, which have made up 40% of new students for the last two years.
Global grant
The Asheville Breakfast Rotary Club was awarded a $39,000 Global Grant from Rotary International for a sanitation project to serve the community of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico. The grant will be used to provide environmentally friendly sanitation facilities and waterless toilets and is the start of a longer-term goal to expand access to sanitary facilities throughout the area. The club’s global grant-writing committee is led by Asheville resident Bill Biddle, whose role is to find and coordinate service projects abroad that benefit indigent people in one of Rotary’s areas of focus.
Airport adds security check lane
To meet growing demand, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at Asheville Regional Airport opened a fourth security screening lane last month. According to the airport, Asheville is surpassing last year’s passenger numbers this peak travel season, which runs from the summer through October. The TSA security checkpoint opens at 4 a.m. each day and closes after the last scheduled departure of the day. Flight delays could cause the TSA to close before departure, so airport officials advise that passengers arrive at least two hours before a flight’s boarding time.
Aston Park’s Galsim honored
Nancy Galsim, a certified nursing assistant at Lutheran Services Carolinas’ (LCS) Aston Park senior care community, received the organization’s Loyal Service Award for 2024. The peer-nominated award recognizes teammates who fulfill LSC’s mission by serving clients and residents in an extraordinary way. Only seven out of 2,500-plus teammates from across the Carolinas are honored each year.
OUR HOUSE: The Homeowner Grant Program gives qualified homeowners a grant of up to $300, and those living within the city of Asheville could receive up to $500. Photo by iStock
Galsim has been with LSC since 2000 and was nominated by Aston Park Executive Director Marsha McClure.
Changing of the guard at Pisgah Legal
Pisgah Legal Services, which provides free legal advice, pro bono lawyers and other services to underserved populations in Western North Carolina, said last month that Jim Barrett would retire after serving as executive director of the organization for 41 years. Barrett celebrated the occasion at Highland Brewing Co. on July 18. Jaclyn Kiger, who joined Pisgah Legal Services in 2010, began serving as the nonprofit’s executive director Aug. 3
Take it to the (green) bank
Asheville-based solar energy company Sugar Hollow Solar announced a partnership with the N.C. Clean Energy Fund to launch a solar lending program. This partnership aims to make solar energy accessible and
affordable for more North Carolinians by offering financing solutions with below-market rates and no dealer fees. The N.C. Clean Energy Fund operates on the “Green Bank” model, successfully pioneered in other states, with a mission to accelerate investment in clean energy solutions and increase climate resilience in North Carolina, particularly benefiting underserved populations. More information at avl.mx/dgd.
Nina Simone home restoration begins
Work began last month to preserve Nina Simone’s childhood home in Tryon. The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Historic Trust for Preservation, hired Every Angle Inc. as the general contractor for the work in which the home will be restored as an interpretative historic site dedicated to telling the story of the iconic singer’s early life. The first phase entails installing an exterior accessibility ramp, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and installing interpretative landscape elements. The project is expected to be completed this fall.
Curwen joins TDA team
Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority announced Jay Curwen as director of sports, film and entertainment effective Aug. 12. According to a press release, Curwen is an Asheville native and veteran sales executive and brings extensive experience in outdoor recreation, event management and film production to the role.
Be weird, give back
Asheville Cat Weirdos, a local nonprofit helping cat owners with emergency veterinarian bills, spay-and-neuter vouchers, cat food and supplies, is hosting a food drive Sunday, Aug. 18 at Pet Supermarket at 244 Tunnel Road, U.S. 70, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. The nonprofit will collect donations of cat food, litter, treats and toys, and offer raffle tickets for a basket of pet supplies. Asheville-based animal rescue nonprofit FurEver Friends will host an on-site adoption event during the food drive.
— Brooke Randle X
Natural growth
Communities throughout WNC embrace outdoor recreation projects
BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
jmcguire@mountainx.com
The future of Woodfin, like its past, is tied to the town’s location along a stretch of the French Broad River.
But unlike previous decades, when the river brought manufacturing plants and mill villages to the northern Buncombe County town, it now promises to draw kayakers, surfers and others seeking outdoor recreation opportunities.
In June, Woodfin broke ground on an artificial whitewater river wave that could make the town a destination for people with intermediate and advanced water skills. The wave will be created from an engineered ledge made of natural rock and concrete and installed in the riverbed.
The wave, along with an expansion of Riverside Park, is a key component of the ambitious $34 million Woodfin Greenway & Blueway project, which officials hope will rebrand the town, once home to the Old Craggy Prison, as a mecca for outdoor recreation.
“In the past, the town’s identity was a prison and a lot of public dumps, and we’re going to do a 180 on that image,” says Mayor Jim McAllister “We think Woodfin’s going to be a very happening place someday.”
And Woodfin is not the only Western North Carolina community embracing outdoor recreation as a way to drive economic growth and provide recreational opportunities for residents.
door recreation and tourism in the wake of the closure of the Pactiv Evergreen paper mill after 115 years. The Pigeon River flows through the middle of Canton to East Tennessee.
Matt Godfrey, executive director of the Outdoor Business Alliance (OBA), isn’t surprised to see smaller communities embracing outdoor recreation by transforming old industrial sites and railroads and taking advantage of proximity to rivers and mountains.
“The outdoor industry has been in Western North Carolina as long as people have been coming here, really,” Godfrey says. “It’s just that a lot of economic developers and institutions are just now realizing how big the industry is and how much the economic driver it is. A lot of rural segments have tremendous assets and [outdoor recreation is] a way to leverage those resources to have dollars flow into those communities and provide jobs.”
THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING
How big a draw is outdoor recreation regionally?
In Buncombe County, to take one example, 11% of visitors cite the outdoors as a primary motivator for visiting, says Vic Isley, Tourism Development Authority (TDA) president and CEO of Explore Asheville. The average for the United States is 7%, she adds.
Brewing Thurs Aug 29, 5-9pm
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FOOD TRUCKS: Melt Your Heart • The Smokin’ Onion • & more
Henderson County recently started work on the Ecusta Trail, a 19.4-mile greenway that will eventually connect Hendersonville and Brevard via an abandoned rail line. In Swannanoa, plans are underway to transform the 40-acre former Beacon Manufacturing Co. site into a mixed-use complex with a 4.7-acre bike park and pedestrian trail.
The 3-mile Lower Heartbreak Ridge Trail recently opened for mountain biking and hiking in the McDowell County town of Old Fort. The trail is part of a planned 42-mile expansion that will connect the town to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak in mainland North America east of the Mississippi River.
And in the Haywood County town of Canton, officials are looking toward a future geared to out-
“And when you look at activities that visitors take part in during their trip to Asheville and Buncombe County, nearly 60% include an outdoor activity, like hiking and backpacking, visiting national and state parks or taking part in nature tours,” Isley says.
Godfrey says the area’s topography and environment make it a natural destination for outdoor lovers.
“They’re paddlers, they’re mountain bikers, they’re climbers, they hike, they backpack,” he says. “And we have the Appalachian Trail that goes right through our area. We have the tallest mountain in the eastern United States. We have some of the best fly-fishing in the world.”
Because of so much activity, WNC has a large number of gear manufacturers, outdoor adventure companies, nonprofits, retailers, tour guides and outfitters.
“It wouldn’t be hard to argue that we have the highest concentration anywhere in the East Coast, so call ourselves the outdoor industry hub of the East,” Godfrey says.
The nonprofit OBA was founded in 2013 by a small group of gear manufacturers under the name Outdoor Gear Builders. Eventually, it rebranded itself and took on a broader mission to represent all segments of the industry. Over the last two years, the organization has more than doubled its membership to 150 groups, companies and individuals, Godfrey says.
The group primarily covers the counties of WNC but has one member from eastern Tennessee and is open to adding members from South Carolina, Georgia or West Virginia.
A 2023 survey by Made by Mountains — a collaboration of the OBA, Mountain BizWorks and the state Outdoor Recreation Industry Office — estimated that the total economic output from outdoor recreation tourism spending in WNC was $4.9 billion over a 12-month period. The study, which looked at 25 counties plus the Qualla Boundary, was done in conjunction with Appalachian State University’s Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis.
BENEFITING LOCALS
But while that survey focused on overnight trips from out of state, officials emphasize that outdoor recreation projects are designed for res-
idents as well as tourists. Greenways — like those being developed in Woodfin, Hendersonville, Brevard and Old Fort — are particularly beneficial for locals, Godfrey says.
Others agree.
“It just encourages better public health by people getting exercise,” McAllister says of the Woodfin Greenway & Blueway project. “I also think that it attracts a special kind of new resident that really enjoys nature and is environmentally aware and wants a little bit higher quality of life by having outdoor activities available to them.”
Mark Tooley, president of the nonprofit Friends of the Ecusta Trail, says the pathway will be ideal for families with small children and older people. It is designed for walking, running or biking.
“It’s pretty flat; there’s only about a 12-foot elevation difference from Brevard to Hendersonville,” he explains. “We have a lot of trails in this area that are good for experienced riders, but nothing that is family-oriented, so it will be an asset for the local residents.”
Paving is underway in Henderson County on the first 6-mile stretch of the path, which runs from downtown Hendersonville to the Horse Shoe community. That stretch is expected to be completed by the end of the year, and officials hope the remainder will be completed by the end of 2027.
In Brevard, the Ecusta Trail will link up with the Estatoe Trail, which
will connect it to Pisgah National Forest. The City of Hendersonville hopes to connect the trail to its 3.5mile Oklawaha Greenway eventually.
In the long term, the trail could be linked to existing and proposed trails in Buncombe and Haywood counties and as far south as Landrum, S.C., via the Saluda Grade Trail.
“Transylvania County, with its public lands, draws a lot of tourists already, and I think this is a natural addition to that,” Tooley says.
RIDING TAYLOR’S WAVE
In addition to the river wave and the expansion of Riverside Park, the Woodfin Greenway & Blueway includes 5 miles of greenway along the French Broad River and Beaverdam Creek, new river access sites and Silver-Line Park, which opened in 2022.
The greenway trails will connect to the larger greenway system being developed in the City of Asheville and beyond, eventually creating a network of more than 25 miles.
In 2016, Woodfin voters approved a referendum for $4.5 million in general obligation bonds to support the project. Additional funding has come from the Buncombe County TDA as well as the county, state and federal governments.
Work is now underway to double the size of Riverside Park, built in 1998 on a 4-acre site donated to the town.
“The first thing that’s happening is we’re removing 26,000 cubic yards of compressed junk cars, appliances and construction waste that was allowed to be dumped there [on the additional 4 acres],” McAllister says. “One of the reasons the town got behind it was it would really clean up a terrible site. It will mimic what we did at SilverLine Park by creating wetlands that literally will stop the riverbank from eroding. That’s been a huge problem with the French Broad River.”
The crown jewel of the Greenway & Blueway, and the thing that is expected to bring out-of-town tourism, is the world-class whitewater river wave. It will officially be known as Taylor’s Wave in honor of Taylor Hunt, an expert paddler who died in a 2015 whitewater accident in Ecuador. Hunt’s father, former Asheville City Council member Marc Hunt, and other family members were instrumental in bringing the wave to Woodfin and have provided financial support.
Officials hope it will be open by next summer and expect it to draw thousands of experienced canoeists, kayakers and others to the French Broad River.
“This is not going to be for modest whitewater people, so unless they have experience, people will be discouraged,” McAllister says. “But it’ll have a calm area on the other side where we think more people will come up on inner tubes and rafts and kayaks, and they’ll be able to float beside it.”
McAllister says the international whitewater community already has taken note of the wave and is asking when it will be open. Eventually, the town expects to host sanctioned competitions at the site.
“And of all places, it’s going to be in little Woodfin, North Carolina,” McAllister continues. “We’re so proud we’re about to burst.”
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE: Woodfin has begun construction on Taylor’s Wave, an artificial whitewater wave in the French Broad River. Rendering courtesy of the Town of Woodfin
Questions of currency
While some local businesses go cashless, others discourage credit cards
BY JUSTIN M c GUIRE
jmcguire@mountainx.com
Tyler Kotch’s South Slope pizza shop, PIE.ZAA, doesn’t accept cash. He says the decision to be a credit-card-only business has made life easier for him and his employees.
Terri Fisher’s two dive bars, the Root Bar and Town Pump Tavern, don’t accept credit cards. She says the decision to go cash-only has made life easier for her and her employees.
In both cases, the owners say some customers get frustrated at their limited payment options. But neither is rethinking those policies.
“People might get a little upset, but it doesn’t really cause you any problems,” Kotch says. “Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. That’s the beauty of life. But ultimately they’ll say their piece, and then they put their card in the machine and we all move on.”
Kotch’s no cash policy, which he enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic when people were wary of handling paper money, is more in keeping with national trends. The number of cashless businesses more than doubled from early 2020 to early 2021, according to AARP. And a 2023 survey by Visa found more than half of small-business owners anticipated going to digital payments only in the next two years.
No one keeps track of how many local businesses don’t accept cash, though anecdotally the number seems to be increasing, with newer South Slope businesses like TRVE Brewing Co. and music venue Eulogy being credit only.
U.S. currency contains the words “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.” But there is no federal law requiring a business or anyone else to accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services, according to the Federal Reserve Board.
Last year, state Rep. Brenden Jones, R-Columbus County, introduced the “Cash Commitment Act,” which would have required all North Carolina retail businesses to accept cash. “While this new trend might work well for the more financially privileged or up-to-date, it absolutely discriminates against whole portions of North Carolina citizens who have not embraced or do not have access to credit cards or banks in general,” he told WCNC in 2023.
The bill passed the House but died in the Senate. That means businesses
CHARGE IT: PIE.ZAA pizza parlor on the South Slope only accepts credit cards. Owner Tyler Kotch says: “99.999 percent of people have a credit card, a debit card or something they can put in that machine.” Photo by Caleb Johnson
in the state have no legal barriers preventing them from refusing cash.
But some consumers don’t like the way things are heading. Among issues, they cite less privacy, more exposure to hacking and increased economic inequality as downsides to credit card reliance.
As one Reddit user posted in response to an inquiry from Xpress: “I do not support cashless businesses. Cash is king.”
KEEPING BETTER TRACK
When Kotch first opened his latenight pizza shop on Millard Avenue in 2020, he accepted cash payments along with credit cards. But within six months, he went to credit only, partially because of health concerns about handling money during the pandemic. But just as important, he says, he found electronic payments provided a more efficient way of accounting.
“I was getting a discrepancy every single night with my cash count,” he
explains. “I just didn’t know where the money was going, whether it was getting lost in counting, if it was getting lost when it goes to the bank, if it was getting lost when an employee was counting it.”
Discrepancies could run to as much as $100 a day, he says, a problem that has been eliminated by relying on a digital point-of-sale system that enables him to keep track of revenue, inventory, customers and more. He estimates eliminating cash shortfalls saves him as much as $30,000 a year, more than making up for credit card processing fees he has to pay.
“People don’t understand it’s not just fees that come to the customer,” he says. “The restaurants are getting dinged with those fees as well. But it’s worth it to be able to track it and know where all that money’s going.”
Additionally, he says, the lack of cash makes PIE.ZAA, which stays open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, a less tempting target for robbers.
“If people started realizing that you have that much money sitting around, especially with all the homeless people jumping up in Asheville, they’ll come in and take it from you,” he says. “Our employees, they don’t get paid to deal with that kind of stuff. My employees just need to focus on the task at hand, whether that’s making pizza or giving great customer service.”
When customers complain, it’s because they don’t understand his rationale for refusing cash, he says. And almost everyone has a credit card or debit card, so the complaints don’t result in lost business.
CASH ON HAND?
Flavio Hees and his family had one question as they arrived at the distinctive red bus that houses Double D’s Coffee & Desserts on Biltmore Avenue on a recent afternoon: Do we have any cash?
Fortunately, the family that had stopped in Asheville for the day as
part of a two-week trip from Quebec had enough to pay for three coffees, but that’s not always the case.
“I would prefer they accept credit because not every time I’m out do we have cash,” he says. “Normally, we don’t have much with us. Sometimes it is a problem [if a business doesn’t accept credit or debit cards.]”
Missy Norris of Gatlinburg, Tenn., who was in town for a Rotary Club meeting, similarly prefers to use credit cards, particularly because it makes it easier for her to keep track of business expenses when she’s traveling. Paying with cash requires getting a paper receipt and keeping up with it.
“I usually travel with very little cash,” she says.
Fisher’s two bars, Asheville’s Root Bar and Black Mountain’s Town Pump Tavern, sometimes get complaints from customers about their cash-only policy, but they tend to come from regulars rather than tourists passing through town.
“At the neighborhood bar, everyone knows everyone, and they’re just happy to yell at me when they see me walking through,” she says with a laugh. But she says most customers are fine with the policy, in part because both bars have ATMs. Because Fisher owns the machines, she sets the fee, and she says she tries to keep it reasonable.
After years of a $2 fee per transaction, she raised the fee to $2.50.
Fisher doesn’t recall exactly when she went to cash only, but it has been well over a decade in both cases. She first made the decision because customers would often get confused by their credit card bills and mistakenly complain they had been charged twice.
“I remember being very frustrated when other people were frustrated with me about the credit card process,” she says. “I didn’t like that I was having to explain all this to people the next day [who were] upset, and it just got to a point where, hey, if everyone’s getting cash, we have a lot less problems.”
In the past, it was not unusual for customers who were running a tab to forget to close out and get their credit cards back on the way out.
“On a really, really busy night, you might have three or four cards left over,” Fisher says. “Or somehow, accidentally, somebody gets the wrong card back. It’s human error, but these are things I don’t have to deal with now.”
Fisher’s employees, especially the bartenders, love the cash-only policy. Some have told her they work at her bar because of it.
“A lot of employers in the service industry end up pooling all the tips from credit cards, and they end up
having to make that employee come back for that money a different day. We don’t have any of those things because they can settle out their cash at the end of the night every night.”
She says her bars have been robbed, but she doesn’t think that was a result of the cash-only policy. “A lot of other bars have gotten robbed too. It’s just an occupational hazard.”
CASH PREFERRED
Unlike Kotch and Fisher, Devin Walsh accepts both cash and credit cards at BattleCat Beverly Hills, the Tunnel Road coffee shop he opened in June with Amber Arthur, owner of the original BattleCat Coffee in West Asheville (which accepts cash and credit). But he tries to incentivize customers to use cash by adding a 7% surcharge to credit card payments.
“It’s definitely at least in part self-interest,” he says. “Square is a wonderfully convenient point-of sale system, but they do charge 3.5%, plus 10 cents for every swipe of the card, so it’s not inexpensive. And we try to keep our prices low.”
Some of the money from the 7% surcharge goes to paying those fees to Square, but Walsh is putting the rest of it away to give to teachers at nearby Haw Creek Elementary School. His goal is to accumulate $8,000 by next school year so that he can give the school $200 for each of its 40 classrooms.
The coffee shop has a sign at checkout letting people know about the surcharge and how the money will be used.
“I feel like it’s a little bit more palatable to charge for the merchant fees if there’s also a charitable aspect to it,” he explains. “A public school teacher spends about $200 out of their own pocket to equip that classroom over the course of the year, and I have long felt that it’s just shameful that this is the situation. It’s crazy that this isn’t being handled by taxpayers and by governing bodies and taxing bodies.”
Walsh plans to implement the surcharge at his other business, Fairview’s Daymoon Coffeebar & Books, in October. That money will be earmarked for OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling, an Asheville nonprofit.
So far, Walsh admits, the surcharge hasn’t discouraged credit card use.
“We’ve had at least one person mention that 7% is pretty steep,” he says. “But on the whole, seemingly no one has a problem with it, or if they do, they’re keeping it to themselves. This is a brand-new initiative, and I’m not married to it being 7% for the foreseeable future. But I want to give it a chance and see how it feels.” X
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AUG. 14 - AUG. 22, 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
More info, page 32-33
WELLNESS & SUPPORT GROUPS
Community Yoga & Mindfulness
Free monthly event with Inspired Change Yoga that will lead you into a morning of breathwork, meditation and yoga. Bring your own mat.
WE (8/14), 10:30am, free, 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 (8/14), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
Nia Dance Fitness
A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts.
TH (8/15), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
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.
Ditch the treadmill, strap on your virtual backpack, and launch yourself into an epic fitness adventure through virtual worlds.
FR (8/16), 7pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave
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 (8/17), 2pm, 1316 Parkwood Rd, Ste C
Rise & Yoga on The Roof
Hot yoga sessions on the roof of the Radical.
SA (8/17), 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. Registration required.
SA (8/17), 9:30am, Black Mountain Presbyterian, 117 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
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 (8/17), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd
Sunday Morning Meditation Group Gathering for a combination of silent sitting and walking meditation, facilitated by Worth Bodie.
SU (8/18), 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. Walk-ins welcome.
SU (8/18), 10:30am, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd Wild Souls Authentic Movement
An expressive movement class designed to help you get unstuck, enjoy cardio movement, boost immune health, dissolve anxiety and celebrate community.
SU (8/18), 9:30am, Dunn’s Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard
Reconstruct Support Group
Weekly support group for those who have experienced trauma from their religious or spiritual life.
MO (8/19), 6:30pm, Full Circle Community Wellness, 1915 George St, Hendersonville Asheville Kirtan
These ancient mantras, chanted in Sanskrit, help to connect us to our hearts- invoking feelings of well-being, meditation, and joy.
TU (8/20), 7pm, Weaving Rainbows, 62 Wall St
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
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 (8/20), Asia House Asheville, 119 Coxe Ave
Qigong for Health
A part of traditional Chinese medicine that involves using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.
TU (8/20), 2:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #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 (8/21), 6pm, The Horse Shoe Farm, Horse Shoe Farm Drive, HendersonvilleYoga & Coffee
An hour long hatha yoga class on the covered deck, with the option to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, tea or pastry afterwards.
WE (8/21), 9:30am, free, Cooperative Coffee Shop, 210 Haywood Rd
Tai Chi Fan
This class helps build balance and whole body awareness. All ages and ability levels welcome. Fans will be provided.
WE (8/21), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
Gentle Yoga for Seniors
A yoga class geared to seniors offering gentle stretching and strengthening through accessible yoga poses and modifications.
WE (8/21), 2:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
Kitten Yoga Bring your yoga mat and recharge your energy while being assaulted by adorable, adoptable kittens.
WE (8/21), 6pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Chen Style Tai Chi
The original style of Tai Chi known for its continual spiraling movements and great health benefits.
TH (8/22), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
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 (8/14), 8pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd
COURTROOM DRAMA: Hart Theatre presents Inherit the Wind, a gripping courtroom drama that delves into the historic 1925 Scopes trial, when a Tennessee science teacher was put on trial for violating the Butler Act, a state law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in place of creationism. The production continues Friday, Aug. 16, at 7:30 p.m. through Sunday, Aug. 25, at 2 p.m. with multiple shows through the month. Photo courtesy of Hart Theatre
Weekly Zumba Classes
Free in-person Zumba classes. No registration required.
TH (8/15), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W. State St, Black Mountain
Saturday Night Square
Dancing
Led by Frank Brown, relish in the tradition of Scotch-Irish and English music dancing and the celebratory cakewalk.
SA (8/17), 8pm, Geneva Hall, 86 High Ridge Rd, Little Switzerland
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 (8/20), 6pm, Urban Orchard Cider Co. South Slope, 24 Buxton Ave
ART
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.
WE (8/14), 11am, 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 American glass art can be seen in this selection of works. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through September 16.
WE (8/14), 11am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square
Rachel Clegg: Trees of the Blue Ridge
An exhibition featuring a new series focused on the trees of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Celebrating their timeless majesty as the towering sentinels of the region's landscape. Gallery open Monday through Friday, 10am. Exhibition through Aug. 30.
TH (8/15), 10:30am, Black Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 W State St, Black Mountain
Max Adrian: RIPSTOP Opening Reception of Max Adrian's solo exhibition, RIPSTOP, which celebrates queer material culture and history through the lens of craft by the Ohio-based fiber artist and recipient of the prestigious 2015 Center for Craft Windgate-Lamar Fellowship. TH (8/15), 5pm, free, Center for Craft, 67 Broadway
Daily Craft Demonstrations
Two artists of different media will explain and demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Open daily, 10am. Demonstrations run through Dec. 31. FR (8/16), 10am, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway
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.
FR (8/16), 11am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square
Union: Reception for New Exhibition
This exhibition represents a collaboration between On the Wing’s entomological artists, David Trophia, Sam Trophia and Shane Hall, and jeweler Deb Karash. See pg FR (8/16), 5pm, Wing Gallery, 20 Artful Way, #105
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.
SA (8/17), 11am, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St
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.
SA (8/17), 11am, 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 (8/17), 11am, Odyssey Clayworks, 236 Clingman Ave
LaZoom Kids' Comedy Bus Tour
Aaron Fields: Hidden Colors
From a misty green morning hike to a burning pink evening drive. 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. MO (8/19), 11am, Marquee Asheville, 36 Foundy St
This educational and entertaining tour features a perfect blend of Asheville’s history and comedy with jokes for kids of all ages. Open daily, noon. SU (8/18), 12pm, LaZoom Room, 76 Biltmore Ave
Lou Ella Tucker: Story/ Place Tucker's exhibition showcases her curiosity of how spaces influence us and how we influence them, has led her to record their unique stories of humanity around the world. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am, and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through September 22. TH (8/22), 10am, Pink Dog Gallery, 348 Depot St
Randy Shull: Black & White
An exhibition of abstract work by artist Randy Shull that will feature his unique ability to evoke both gravity
and weightlessness within a single artwork, pouring thick layers of paint around the loose weave of handmade hammocks. Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 21.
TH (8/22), 11am, Tracey Morgan Gallery, 22 London Rd
COMMUNITY
MUSIC
Beatles Hymn Sing:
An All-Inclusive Sing
Along House of Mercy presents a family friendly Beatles sing along with a live band. See pg33
TH (8/15), 6pm, The Mule at Devil’s Foot, 131 Sweeten Creek Rd
Jazzville
Experience an emotionally engaging synchronization as Jazzville majestically weaves yin and yang into balanced harmony. This dynamic jazz quartet will ignite your imagination with its boundless and transformational creativity.
TH (8/15), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square
Wings & Strings: Tina & Her Pony
This music series at at the Sweeten Creek location will feature local bluegrass-style bands every week.
TH (8/15), 6:30pm, Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack South, 3749 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden
Park Rhythms Concert Series: Pink Beds
This series features many talented artists from across the east coast with Pink Beds providing the music for this week.
TH (8/15), 7pm, Black Mountain Veterans Park, 10 Veterans Park Dr Black Mountain
John McEuen & The Circle Band
Grammy award winning artist John McEuen brings with him 45+ years of worldwide performing with his banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin.
FR (8/16), 8pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Mark's House Jam & Sunday Potluck
Bring a potluck dish to share with an a community of local musicians from around the globe. Please note that this isn't an open mic.
SU (8/18), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr
Local Live w/ Jay Brown
Jay Brown hosts this showcase of local musicians.
MO (8/19), 7pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Jazz Jam
Come as you are or bring an instrument.
Open jam starts at 8 after a House Band set guaranteed to fill your soul with groove and joy.
TH (8/22), 7pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Tarot w/Cats
This 1-hour workshop will be held in the cat lounge, and will include a brief history of the tarot, and how to incorporate a one- and three-card pull for daily guidance.
FR (8/16), 5:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Yala Cultural Tour
This weekly cultural exchange with Adama Dembele includes drumming, dancing, and stories from the Ivory Coast. Drums are provided and families are welcome.
SA (8/17), 12pm, LEAF Global Arts, 19 Eagle St
How to Join the Guild: Virtual Application Workshops
The Guild application workshops take you step-by-step through the process. After the workshop, participants have the option of requesting someone to assist with and review their Guild application or a Guild member mentor in their craft medium.
SA (8/17), 1pm, Online, avl.mx/e1h
How to Create Instagram Reels for Your Small Business
Social media expert
Sarah Benoit gives you the foundational skills you need to build a useful content bank, post more impactful Reels, and Dr more engagement. Visit avl.mx/e10 to register.
WE (8/21), 2pm, Online, avl.mx/e10
Managing Relationships & Family Lineage
Join this workshop centered on the process of comprehending and addressing unseen wounds within relationships and family history.
TH (8/22), 6pm, The Well, 3 Louisiana Ave Free Intro to Short Form Improv
A laid-back opportunity to tap into your creativity, build confidence, and improve communication skills, all while enjoying a good time. Space is limited so registration is required.
A reading and book-signing by Frances Mayes in celebration of her new novel, A Great Marriage. See pg32
WE (8/14), 5:30pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O'Henry Ave
Asheville Storyslam: Hot Mess
Prepare a five-minute story about spectacular chaos. Faux pas and flamboyant fails. Calamitous confusion.
Wearing two different shoes to work, butt dialing an ex, or tanking the interview.
TH (8/15), 7:30pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
Antique & Collectible Book Sale
The Friends of the Black Mountain Library will be selling antique books, ephemera, and other related items at the Antiques and Collectibles Sale sponsored by the Swannanoa Valley Museum.
SA (8/17), 9am, Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St, Black Mountain
God & Liberation
We'll be reading books by Black, Womanist, Mujerista, Latino, Palestinian, Indigenous, LGBQIA+, and disabled authors to deconstruct what we've been taught about who God is and build something new.
MO (8/19), 7pm, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 10 North Liberty St
Dark City Poets Society Open Mic Night
Everyone is welcome to share a few poem. Signups to share will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the event.
TU (8/20), 6pm, Oak and Grist Distilling Company, 1556 Grovestone Rd, Black Mountain
Wise Words Open Mic
Welcoming beginners and fellow artists to a creative space to express ourselves poetically.
TU (8/20), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St
THEATER & FILM
Love From Appalachia:
An Evening of Storytelling
Local storytellers Charlie St Clair, Catherine Yael Serota, Sandra Gudger and Pete Koschnick will present stories that will touch your heart and tickle your funny bone.
TH (8/15), 7pm, Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Dr, Weaverville
The Campfireball: The Nevers
A one-of-a-kind live experience inspired by the lives and stories of the people in the audience. This date's theme explores the things we never thought we’d do, the people we never thought we would become and the stories we fear might never come true. See pg 33
TH (8/15), 7:30pm, Story Parlor, 227 Haywood Rd
Southside Family Movie Night
Enjoy family-friendly blockbusters in the Grant Southside Center auditorium with freshly popped popcorn and drinks.
FR (8/16), 6pm, Dr Wesley Grant, Sr. Southside Center, 285 Livingston St
Storytelling
A night of storytelling were you can come to share your best stories. We have prompts if you need them. We may even create a progressive, collaborative story.
FR (8/16), 7pm, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Inherit the Wind
A gripping courtroom drama that delves into the historic 1925 Scopes trial with a battle of wits, exploring the clash between tradition and progress in a small-town that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
SU (8/18), 2pm, Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville
Fringe Summer Nights Vol. 2!
Have a cold beverage with Fringe Fest affiliates and find out how to apply to the 2025 festival. Featuring pop up performances by Anam Cara Theatre Company, Michael Figueroa, and Bryant Perez. All donations go to the artists.
WE (8/21), 6pm, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd
Into the Woods Jr
A new take on Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s groundbreaking musical fairytale featuring all of your favorite characters: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack (and his beanstalk) and the Witch.
TH (8/22), 7pm, Wortham Center for the Performing Arts, 18 Biltmore Ave
Paddling Film Festival
World Tour Screening
Brought to you by Paddling Magazine, Rapid Media, and Headwaters Outfitters, this showcase of paddling films will benefit MountainTrue and French Broad Riverkeeper. Email jack@mountaintrue.org for more info.
TH (8/22), 6:30pm, New Belgium Brewing Co., 21 Craven St
MEETINGS & PROGRAMS
The "Hot" Seat
A conversation with local industry professionals and economic stakeholders on one of Asheville's biggest exports and industries, Food and Bev. This event is free and open to the public.
WE (8/14), 12pm, YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market St
The Power of Words to Feed the Soul
Connie Matisse, writer and co-founder of East Fork Pottery, and David Gate, a poet, writer, and visual artist, are teaming up for a laid-back chat about the magic of words.
WE (8/14), 5pm, YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market St
Backyard Herbalism
Summer Series
This class will meet weekly and will cover topics including: the wise woman tradition of healing, summer skin care, herbal support for stress, the medicinal uses of popular garden plants, and even a introduction both essential oils and flower essences.
WE (8/14), 6pm, Art Garden AVL, 191 Lyman St #316
NSA-WNC Meeting
Featuring professional keynote speakers, coaches, trainers, facilitators, and consultants who cover a broad range of topics, skills, and knowledge.
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, food and more.
TH (8/15), 11:30am, Southern Porch, 449 Main St, Canton
Historic Asheville Sessions Project Information Session
The public is invited to learn about the project, which presents, interprets, and celebrates recordings made by OKeh General Phonograph Corporation in the summer of 1925 in Western North Carolina.
See pg33
TH (8/15), 5pm, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave
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.
Two James Beard award-winning legends will explore their unique journeys, the intersections of food, culture, and history, and the power of storytelling in bridging communities and preserving heritage.
TH (8/15), 6pm, YMI Cultural Center, 39 S. Market St
Dharma & Discuss Meditation instructions will be given during a sitting which will last 15to 20 mins. This will be followed by a talk and an opportunity to ask Roger questions afterwards.
TH (8/15), 6:30pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
Industrial Hemp Morning
We invite growers, industry professionals, academics, government agencies, NGOs, and all interested participants to an event focused on “Broadening Research, Industrial Development and Global Education” (BRIDGE) in Hemp Engineered Materials Production (HEMP). Hosted by NC State University’s Colleges of Natural Resources, and Agriculture and Life Sciences. Free
registration.
FR (8/16), 8am, Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, 455 Research Dr, Mills River
Cooking Competition
This thrilling event will feature four talented chefs—Nick Abbott, Ryan Kline, Rakim Gaines, and Suji May— battling it out over two intense rounds followed by a final face-off.
FR (8/16), 10am, AB Tech Culinary Arts & Hospitality School, 30 Tech Dr
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions: Education & Action Session
Learn what the BDS Movement is and how it works to support Palestinian liberation. Masks required.
SA (8/17), 1pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd
Inman Chapel Homecoming Cemetery decoration and covered dish dinner. Donations for upkeep and maintenance of the Chapel and cemetery are appreciated.
SU (8/18), 10:30am, Inman Chapel, 9 Hightower Rd, Canton
Sunday Celebration
A Sunday celebration for the spiritual community.
SU (8/18), 11am, Center for Spiritual Living Asheville, 2 Science Mind Way
Coloring w/Cats: Teens & Adults
Set time for yourself and cuddle with the panthers, meet other cat-lovers, and color a beautiful picture of a cat from our adult coloring books.
SU (8/18), 2pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Chinese Tea & Tai Chi Foundations
Settle your Qi with Chinese tea while learning the fundementals of Tai Chi to imorive your health. Beginner friendly so all levels are wecome.
MO (8/19), 9:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
IBN Biz Lunch: Arden
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 more.
TU (8/20), 11:30am, Wild Wing Cafe South, 65 Long Shoals Rd, Arden
– Michele Bryan
Kung Fu: Baguazhang
It is the martial arts style that Airbending from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was based on.
TU (8/20), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
Kung Fu: Baguazhang
It is the martial arts style that Airbending from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was based on.
TU (8/20), 5:30pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
River Snorkeling
A fast-growing hobby to see a world just under the surface of the mountain rivers. Participants receive wetsuits, wetsuit socks, snorkels, and masks.
WE (8/21), 9:30am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd
IBN Biz Lunch –Woodfin
This meeting of business owners will consist of 1 minute introductions by every guest, a discussion of future networking opportunities in the area, a roundtable business needs and solutions segment, a time for gratitude and testimonials, door prizes, and some open networking before and after the meeting.
TH (8/22), 11:30am, The Village Porch, 51 North Merrimon Ave #suite 113, Woodfin
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 (8/22), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
GAMES & CLUBS
Bridge for Fun Mid-level bridge group—not meant for beginners. Contact Tom Fehsenfeld at tom. fehsenfeld@gmail.com for more info.
WE (8/14), 2pm, North Asheville Recreation Center, 37 E. Larchmont Rd
Dungeons & Drafts
An evening of adventure, drinks and company to play D&D. There will be premade characters for you to choose from and join the action.
WE (8/14), 6pm, Ginger’s Revenge Craft Brewery & Tasting Room, 829 Riverside De
Murder Mystery: Murder at Stiletto Heights
An ultimate ‘80s-themed immersive murder mystery extravaganza with a scrumptious dinner, and a full blast of nostalgia. Pull on those legwarmers and tease your biggest hair and get ready to plunge into a universe of neon lights, synth beats, and bold shoulder pads.
TH (8/15), 6pm, Events at The Hideaway, 49 Broadway St
Weekly Sunday Scrabble Weekly scrabble play where you’ll be paired with players of your skill level. All scrabble gear provided.
SU (8/18), 1:30pm, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
KID-FRIENDLY PROGRAMS
LaZoom Kids’ Comedy
Bus Tour
This educational and entertaining tour features a perfect blend of Asheville’s history and comedy with jokes for kids of all ages.
WE (8/14), 12pm, LaZoom Room, 76 Biltmore Ave
LaZoom Kids’ Comedy Bus Tour
This educational and entertaining tour features a perfect blend of Asheville’s history and comedy with jokes for kids of all ages.
An artistic session with coloring books and markers for children ages 13 and under to relax by coloring as they pet cats to reduce stress and anxiety.
SA (8/17), 1:30pm, House of Black Cat Magic, Co., 841 Haywood Rd
Back 2 School Bash
Food, music, games, and more await at this school year prepping event. School supply donations are accepted. For more info, call Crump Shiloh Center at 828-274-7739.
SU (8/18), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd
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.
TU (8/20), 4pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 North Merrimon Ave #109
LaZoom Kids’ Comedy Bus Tour
This educational and entertaining tour features a perfect blend of Asheville’s history and comedy with jokes for kids of all ages.
Open daily, noon. WE (8/21), 12pm, LaZoom Room, 76 Biltmore Ave
LOCAL MARKETS
Leicester Farmers Market
A community-led farmers market local produce, cheese, meats and crafts, every Wednesday.
WE (8/14), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester 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 (8/14), 3pm, Weaverville Tailgate Market, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville 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 (8/16), 3pm, East Asheville Tailgate Market, 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 (8/16), 3pm, Pack Square Park, 1 South Pack Square Park
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 (8/17), 8am, Henderson County Tailgate Market, 100 N King St, Hendersonville
Hendersonville Farmers Market
Featuring fresh produce, meats, baked goods, crafts, live entertainment, food trucks, and more.
SA (8/17), 8am, Historic Depot on Maple St in Downtown Hendersonville’s 7th Ave District
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 (8/17), 8am, UNC-Asheville, 1 University Heights
Asheville City Market
Featuring local food products, including fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, pastries, and other artisan products.
SA (8/17), 9am, Black Mountain Tailgate Market, 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 (8/17), 10am, College Street, College St, Mars Hill Plant Club Pop-Up Market
Featuring 6-10 different growers and makers
offering a wide array of products; from rare tropicals to native medicinals, handmade pots and trellises to botanical watercolor paintings, cut flower bouquets and more.
SA (8/17), 11am, Canopy Gallery in Art Garden, 191 Lyman St, Ste 316
Afternoon of Agave Patio Party
Craft your perfect margaritas and palomas at our build-your-own stations. Non-alcoholic options will also be available. Featuring a live DJ. Dogs are welcome.
SA (8/17), 3pm, District 42, 7 Patton 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 (8/18), 8am, WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Rd
Show & Tell Sunday Market
Shop local + indie craft, design, and vintage at this monthly Sunday Market hosted by Show & Tell Pop Up Shop. No dogs allowed.
SU (8/18), 12pm, 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 (8/20), 3:30pm, West Asheville Tailgate Market, 718 Haywood Rd
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 (8/21), 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 (8/21), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr 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 (8/22), 3:30pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler
Karaoke w/DJ Franco
TH (8/22), 9pm, Shakey's, 38 N French Broad Ave
FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS
Keep The Creek Rally
This gathering for the preservation of FBO at Hominy Creek will feature live music from Peggy Ratusz and Reggie Headen..
WE (8/14), 6pm, Hi-Wire Brewing (RAD), 284 Lyman St
Lake Julian Park Picnic
A beautiful picnic in picturesque Lake Julian Park. Enjoy music, crafts, games, dancing, and more. Registration is required to help plan food and activities.
TH (8/15), 11am, Lake Julian Park, 37 Lake Julian Rd, Arden
2024 Rhythm & Brews: Empire Strikes Bass & Zydeco Ya Ya
Free outdoor shows with a variety of established acts as well as up-and-coming artists from around the region. This week, Empire Strikes Brass brings their funk and rock sounds alongside Cajun band Zydeco Ya Ya.
TH (8/15), 5:30pm, Downtown Hendersonville South Main St, Hendersonville
Downtown After 5 Experience the 36th annual DTA5: a free monthly St festival with live music, food, drinks, and craft market. This month's event is a collaboration with LEAF Global Arts and will feature Tito Puente Jr. and the LEAF Kono Band.
FR (8/16), 5pm, Downtown After 5, 100 Block N. Lexington Ave (at Hiawassee St.)
Swannanoa Valley Museum Annual Antique & Collectible Sale
Peruse one-of-a-kind antiques, connect with fellow collectors, and support the Swannanoa Valley Museum at this annual sale event. Free admission to the public. For vendors: $50 for 8x8 feet space rental, $10 for table rental. SA (8/17), 9am, Monte Vista Hotel, 308 W. State St, Black Mountain Cherokee Siege on Davidson's Fort Experience the reenactment of a Revolutionary War battle, featuring various workshops and demonstrations of colonial crafts, hands-on toys and games, rug makers, and Native
American pottery.
SA (8/17), 10am, Davidson's Fort Historic Park, 140 Bud Hogan Dr, Old Fort Come to Leicester Studio Tour
Artists will open their studios to the public at the annual Come to Leicester Artist Studio Tour. This free, self-guided event lets visitors choose their own tour stops using a printed brochure with a full-color map of the area, and bold signs direct to the individual studios.
SA (8/17), 10am, free, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester Island Nights Marshall w/Pleasure Chest
Island Nights is a new music concert series in Downtown Marshall that will feature amazing bands, food trucks, and market vendors. The festivities kicks off with Pleasure Chest Band that plays blues, soul, and rock and roll.
SA (8/17), 7pm, Blannahassett Island, 115 Blannahasset Island Marshall
Come to Leicester Studio Tour
Artists will open their studios to the public at the annual Come to Leicester Artist Studio Tour. This free, self-guided event lets visitors choose their own tour stops using a printed brochure with a full-color map of the area, and bold signs direct to the individual studios.
SU (8/18), free, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester
Day of Rock 2
Presented by Tru Rock Revival, the largest multi-genre rock music festival in the Carolinas will feature 28 bands, including Tennessee-based heavy metal band Citizen Kane and Virginia-based metalcore act Dying Oath. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit the Chris and Vicky Cornell Foundation. One- and two-day passes available.
SU (8/18), The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave
Bite Me AVL
A unique celebration of Asheville's vibrant food culture with a diverse range of experiences, including cooking classes, gourmet dinners, interactive workshops, engaging conversations, and late-night events. Visit avl.mx/dzz for the full schedule of events and times,.
SU (8/18), 10am, Rabbit Rabbit, 75 Coxe Ave
Cultural Event & Film
Screening
The event will feature an art market, Cherokee dances, a panel of special guests, and a screening of the film "Nature's Wisdom Thru Native Eyes," featuring Cherokee cultural experts. MO (8/19), 8pm, Mountainside Theatre, 688 Drama Rd, Cherokee
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
City of Asheville Design Review Committee TH (8/15), 12:30pm, Online, avl.mx/anr Dharma & Discuss with David McKay David McKay leads a conversation with the group on the dharma, with many opportunities to ask questions, share insights, or listen and learn. There make also be meditation. Donations encouraged. MO (8/19), 7pm, free, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain
BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING
Become a R2S Reading Tutor
Support unlocking a student's potential. Volunteer as a Read to Succeed tutor with training included. Work one-to-one or in small groups during and after school.
WE (8/14, 21), 6pm, Online, avl.mx/bto Haunted History Tour of Downtown Black Mountain
Take a walking tour through downtown Black Mountain’s historic district and learn about the history of the Swannanoa Valley while being visited by some of its most famous spirits. This is a fundraising event for the museum. Ages 13 and up recommended. FR (8/16), 7pm, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 West State St, Black Mountain
Disney-Themed Drag Brunch
Step into a whole new world with a Disney-themed while indulging in a mouthwatering brunch provided by the culinary wizards at Biscuit Head South. Proceeds will benefit Pisgah Legal Services. SA (8/17), 11am, Banks Ave., 32 Banks Ave Hot August Night Dance Party Come dressed in your favorite Disco or dancing costume while DJ Joshua EZ Boogie Cummings plays tunes. There will also be a raffle and silent auction for Aura Home Women Vets.
SA (8/17), 6pm, Scandals Nightclub, 11 Grove St
‘Not budging’
BY GERARD ALBERT III BLUE RIDGE PUBLIC RADIO
news@bpr.org
Hundreds of health care workers and their supporters rallied Aug. 6 outside Asheville’s Mission Hospital as the nurses union said negotiations with HCA Healthcare for more staffing, holiday pay and a safer workplace remain stagnant.
The rally was part of a push from the union to pressure HCA, a for-profit that purchased Mission in 2019, for better working conditions. The event was the latest in a long line of actions by local and state officials against the company.
Among the union’s demands were calls for more staffing and better pay to retain nurses.
Kerri Wilson, a registered nurse at the hospital for nearly nine years, serves on the 11-member Mission Nurses United bargaining team. She said the group started negotiations with HCA in April, but progress has been slow.
“HCA really isn’t moving at all. They’re not truly bargaining with us,” she said. “They’ve given us nothing on staffing. We’re trying to find a way to actually enforce our patient ratios so that we can give the care that our community needs, and HCA is not budging.”
Wilson came to the rally on her day off but still donning a pair of dark blue scrubs and her hospital ID badge. Her 8-year-old son, Wyatt, joined her on the picket line, holding a sign that read, “Safe Staffing Saves Lives.”
For Wilson, the issue can’t be overstated.
“Staffing is always our No. 1 [issue] because so many issues inside the hospital could be fixed just by giving us the appropriate staff,” she said. Adding even one extra patient to a nurse’s rotation can impede on the ability to eat lunch or go to the bathroom comfortably, she said.
Nurses stood out in the crowd of about 200 rallygoers who ranged in age from 8-80. Most wore dark blue or bright teal scrubs. Others in the crowd and drivers whisking by on Biltmore Avenue yelled out their appreciation.
Wearing a bright red shirt with the union logo and a matching headband, bargaining team member Molly Zenker held a sign that read, “Patients Over Profits.” She said inadequate staffing affects patient care.
“I think the biggest thing is having a safe staffing ratio. It makes or breaks your quality of care, and it literally makes or breaks your patient’s life,”
Hundreds rally at Mission to support nurses in contract battle
she said. “We want our nurses to have teams that they can manage safely, and we want our nurses to take breaks so that they’re not worn out, and they can actually do a job that takes a lot of mental and physical and emotional strain.”
The rally marked the latest in a series of tumultuous happenings for the country’s largest for-profit hospital company. After the union’s contract expired on July 3 without a new contract, HCA faced findings by the independent monitor that the company was potentially out of compliance with the original purchase agreement.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate and state Attorney General Josh Stein filed suit against the health care company late last year, alleging noncompliance with the terms of the 2019 sale.
Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare issued an “immediate jeopardy” designation, citing multiple incidents of patient harm and death. HCA took corrective action to avoid potential funding losses from CMS.
Last month a new group, Reclaim Healthcare WNC, composed of local elected officials, health care professionals and others called for HCA to sell Mission Health System.
Both Wilson and Zenker said they felt hopeful about the next bargaining session with the health care giant. Wilson said the outpouring of community support at the rally shows how bad the hospital’s reputation has become. As they inch closer to a possible strike, nurses need that support, she said.
“It’s really exciting and empowering to see everybody coming together, and it really shows us that we do
have the support of not only all of our nurses but our community to keep fighting against HCA until we get a good contract,” Wilson said.
“So we’ll go back to the bargaining table, and hopefully they will see that nurses are serious about this in our community,” she said.“And they’ll actually give us something that we can work with.”
HCA did not respond to requests for comment before publication. X
HITTING THE PAVEMENT: Nurses were among hundreds of rallygoers outside Mission Hospital in Asheville Aug. 6.
Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Public Radio
AVLFest 2024
Music fans came from near and far to celebrate the second annual AVLFest, Aug. 1-4. The multivenue gathering included hundreds of local and touring acts, with headlining performances by Papadosio and Washed Out — both of which drew massive crowds.
The following images were taken during the Saturday portion of the four-day festival.
Highland Brewing
Thurs Aug 29, 5-9pm
FREE EVENT
MUSIC:
• Hope Griffin
• Leeda “Lyric” Jones (full band)
• DJ Molly Parti
FOOD TRUCKS:
• Melt Your Heart
• The Smokin’ Onion
• & more
LOOK FOR THE BEST OF WNC WINNER RESULTS IN
PUBLISHING AUG. 21 & 28
TO ADVERTISE, RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY! ADVERTISE@MOUNTAINX.COM
— Caleb Johnson X
PSYCHEDELIC CEREMONY: Asheville-based headliner, Papadosio, brought its blend of prog rock, livetronica, jazz and jam to the main stage at Salvage Station. Photo by Caleb Johnson
NEW THEORY: Washed Out turned The Orange Peel into a chillwave soundscape, set to a mesmerizing backdrop. Photo by Caleb Johnson
ATTENDEES: Papadosio drew a large crowd at Salvage Station during its performance. Photo by Caleb Johnson
BACK IN TIME:
the
EULOGIZED: Asheville psych-rock group The Silver Doors took the stage at Eulogy. Photo by Caleb Johnson
OUTPOST SPARKS: Beachwood Sparks, a Los Angeles-based country band, performed at The Outpost. Photo by Caleb Johnson
SMOOTH SAILING: Local band Boat Command performed its post-lo-fi yacht hop at The One Stop at Asheville Music Hall. Photo by Caleb Johnson
LOVE AND MUSIC: Yesterday’s Clothes performed at Fleetwood’s Rock-N-Roll Wedding Chapel in West Asheville. Photo by Caleb Johnson
LazrLuvr surveyed
’80s pop landscape at Asheville Music Hall. Photo by Caleb Johnson
FUSION: Atlanta-based Trap Jazz brought its blend of hip-hop and jazz to Salvage Station. Photo by Caleb Johnson
Fellowship of the screen
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
earnaudin@mountainx.com
Filmgoers can see new releases at Grail Moviehouse each week, but in late 2022, owners Davida Horwitz and Steve White felt as if something was missing from their programming.
Around that same time, local music journalist (and Xpress contributor) Bill Kopp also sensed a void in his life.
“What I discovered during the [COVID-19] pandemic is similar to what a lot of other people discovered: Community is a whole lot more important than we might have realized,” Kopp says. “We kind of took it for granted because it was always there if we wanted it. And then suddenly, when it wasn’t, you miss it.”
Kopp chatted with the Grail team about collaborating on a monthly music film series; they liked the idea, and Music Movie Mondays was born. A little over a year later, it was joined by Masterpiece Mondays, featuring classic films with an introduction and postscreening Q&A by Grail employee Michael Wheeler, and the genre/cult-film series Cinemania, co-hosted by Wheeler and Tye Krebs
The Grail owners, as well as Kopp and Wheeler, recently spoke with Xpress about building community through these series and the joys of experiencing movies with a captivated audience.
ROCK STEADY
Music Movie Mondays launched in December 2022 with the documentary In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50. Kopp, Horwitz and White set modest expectations for the initial screening — and were pleasantly surprised when all three screens at Grail sold out.
The three collaborators quickly worked to capitalize on this success and keep the momentum going.
“My series combines their expertise of knowing about movies and the [film] industry with my fanatical interest in music. It dovetails nicely,” Kopp says. “Their expertise is really, really critical because figuring out what [films] we can get and what things we can’t get, it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Since its launch, Kopp has hosted roughly 20 installments, including the most recent screening of Aretha
RED ROOM CONVERSATIONS: Grail Moviehouse employee Michael Wheeler, left, and local music journalist Bill Kopp have organized a number of monthly film series at the theater. In addition to screening classic films, the gatherings also feature postscreening Q&As. Photo by Edwin Arnaudin
Franklin ’s concert documentary
Amazing Grace
Before each film begins, Kopp asks how many people have been to a previous event. He says it’s normal for half of the crowd to raise their hands. Once the film concludes, anyone from the three screens who wants to stay around for a Q&A and discussion with Kopp convene
Building community one film at a time
ists involved in it. He also is sure to contextualize the movie so that attendees can more fully appreciate and understand the material. For example, with the fictional This Is Spinal Tap, he noted that only one other “mockumentary” had been made before Rob Reiner’s 1984 comedy: the 1978 Beatles parody All You Need Is Cash
When the film is about a historical band or artist, Kopp asks the audience if anyone has seen the featured acts live. If someone has, he asks them to briefly recount their experience and what they remember most from the performance.
“I just light up when people share that and the other people there love that, too,” he says. “It lights a fire: When one person says, ‘Oh, I saw this’ or ‘I remember the first time I saw this film,’ then other people are like, ‘Oh, I remember, too!’ It’s certainly not a lecture — it’s a conversation. I’m a moderator. My job is to spark conversation, and that’s what these have turned into.”
Helping him on a few occasions are notable guest speakers. Legendary Asheville-based soul vocalist Sidney Barnes lent his expertise to the discussion on Wattstax, a documentary about Stax Records’ 1972 benefit concert in honor of the seventh anniversary of the riots in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood. For the documentary What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?, Kopp recruited the band’s founding bassist, Jim Fielder. And after the screening of Stand by for Failure: A Documentary About Negativland, he was joined by band members Mark Hosler and Jon Leidecker.
“It’s an endless assortment of things to choose from. And it’s not all rock ‘n’ roll,” says Kopp, who’s now planning screenings nearly six months in advance. “The momentum is there, and it just keeps building and building.”
THE WHEEL(ER)HOUSE
in Screen 1, which seats 60 people.
“The only thing more fulfilling than interviewing people and writing about the music and stuff that I’m really into is having conversations with people about it,” he says.
In Kopp’s research about each film for the postscreening dialogue, he strives to include interesting trivia about the production and the art-
With Asheville being such a music-centric city, the Grail team wasn’t sure if other types of film series would prove successful. So they started with such classic Universal Classic Monsters films as Bride of Frankenstein and Creature from the Black Lagoon in October 2023.
“And that’s when we realized that we could stick Michael on at the end with that little extra feature,” says
White, who found a willing participant in the knowledgable Wheeler. “People really appreciate that because they like that perspective.”
Masterpiece Mondays debuted in January with Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, and Cinemania also launched that month on a Monday (the lone day each week when the Grail is closed for regular operations) with the 1977 Japanese film House Despite these films’ widespread availability, the turnout for each screening was encouraging.
“The majority of the titles we show, people can watch at home — and that still doesn’t deter them to come out to watch them,” Wheeler says.
Additional Masterpiece Mondays selections have included The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity, Sullivan’s Travels, Magnolia and The Night of the Hunter Wong Kar Wai’s Chungking Express is slated for Monday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m.
Cinemania has continued with Re-Animator, Deep Red, Django, Lady Snowblood and Sleepaway Camp. And on Sunday, Aug. 18, and Monday, Aug. 19, Grail hosts multiple screenings of the “so bad it’s good” cult classic The Room with the film’s star, Greg Sestero. As of press time, tickets have already sold out for some of the screenings.
“We tried pretty hard to not be like a film course at school,” Wheeler says. “We try to pick stuff that’s appealing, that you want to see and that you maybe have not seen. And then also not be pedantic about it.”
White says the crowds for Cinemania skew younger because the titles are “more provocative and out there” but notes that Masterpiece Mondays is beginning to attract a greater number of Gen Z viewers.
“It’s presented in a way of, ‘Maybe you’re going to love it and maybe it won’t be your total thing, but it’s something you’ve got to see and you’re going to learn a little something,’” Horwitz says.
Adds Wheeler, “As long as we can keep it balanced with old Hollywood and new stuff, I think that’s appealing because we’re not just showing the same few things over and over again.”
Wheeler begins conducting research on each film approximate-
ly three weeks in advance of the screening. He starts with available literature, then moves on to reading old reviews, criticism published over the years about the films and mining what he calls “the depths of Wikipedia.”
“Luckily, a lot of it’s general knowledge that I’ve somehow retained over the years,” he says.
And even the new information that he gleans in the process sticks — and he’s able to recall it all without the aid of notes. So far, attendees have responded most enthusiastically to behind-thescenes anecdotes and stories about the making of the films but are also proving adventurous about other production aspects.
“They’re very interested in the technical side of it, to a degree,” Wheeler says. “If you can explain how [the filmmakers] did certain scenes on a layman’s level, that appeals to a lot of people.”
Like Kopp, Wheeler makes sure to include historical context, such as the impacts of filmmaking during World War II and the conditions that led to so many memorable movies being released in 1999.
In turn, their series are helping fill the void left by late Xpress film critic Ken Hanke’s Asheville Film Society screenings each Tuesday, and his weekly Thursday Horror Picture Show, both of which featured insightful introductions by the encyclopedic scholar. And the postscreening discussions carry on the tradition of the Asheville Movie Guys conversations at the Fine Arts Theatre with Bruce Steele and this writer, which have been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic.
With Masterpiece Mondays and Cinemania, attendance has steadily grown to the point that, as with Music Movie Mondays, multiple Grail auditoriums are necessary to meet demand. And with each film, Wheeler is reminded why it’s important to offer such opportunities.
“The screenings that we had of Rear Window and Night of the Hunter, when you have people who haven’t seen it before and you hear their gasps and their reactions and laughs in a packed house — there’s nothing better than that,” he says.
To learn more, visit avl.mx/dbl. X
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Come dressed in your favorite disco/dancing costume! Raffle and silent auction. Win wine tasting party, horseback riding lessons, goat yoga & more! Corn hole outside for cooling down in between dances!
‘Suitable successor’ A new chapter for Asheville Brewers Supply
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
There’s a new face behind the counter at Asheville Brewers Supply. But for customers who’ve frequented the Merrimon Avenue homebrew shop in recent years, it’s a face they’ve become familiar with.
On June 1, JW Jones officially purchased the business from Tedd Clevenger, who took over in 2015 from original owner Andy Dahm, also the former owner of French Broad River Brewing. The shop turned 30 on April 1, right around the time that Clevenger earned his master’s degree in accounting and opted for a career change. But he’d been searching for someone to buy the business for a few years.
“Given the legacy of ABS, it was very important to me to find a suitable successor that was knowledgeable, passionate and customer-focused,” Clevenger said in his farewell email on June 20. “I wanted someone that would not only be able to sustain the level of service that we strive for, but to exceed it.”
Both sides believe Jones is that person. The former solar technician and recent Asheville transplant has been homebrewing off and on since 1997 and has been in the homebrewing business since 2018. Seeing an opportunity to help his fellow hobbyists in Tampa, Fla., he acquired a warehouse and began selling grain, malt and hops supplies.
In addition to his industry knowledge and passion, Jones is also a longtime admirerer of Asheville. He first visited the city in 1993 and quickly became enamored with it — despite numerous downtown storefronts being boarded up and the general lack of activity.
Jones’ wife is from Charlotte, and the couple maintained regular visits to Western North Carolina over the years, during which Jones frequented Asheville Brewers Supply. Their interest in moving to Asheville gradually grew, and they followed through in June 2022. The warehouse business was relocated to Woodfin, and in November 2022, Clevenger floated the idea to Jones about him buying the shop.
“It takes a passionate person. The problem is that that passion doesn’t always line up with business skills,” Jones says. “It’s a lot of moving parts. It’s not just knowing how to
brew beer or knowing how to help people make their beer better.”
DOUBLING DOWN
Jones calls Asheville Brewers Supply “a rare bird, even compared to other [homebrew] shops” in the U.S. Though he says it “looks like somebody’s dusty basement that they put their hobby in,” its three decades of continuous operation speaks volumes to past ownership as well as local craft beverage makers.
“The amount of talent in the brewing community here is incredible. It’s very passionate,” Jones says. “Obviously, Asheville is, if not the No. 1 destination for beer in this country, in the top three at least. And I felt like it deserved to have a world-class homebrew shop. And so that’s my challenge. I have to make that happen.”
The new owner doesn’t want to change much about Asheville Brewers Supply but is excited to work with as many area creators as possible and strengthen the shop’s
already strong ties with local industry providers.
Jones is working on offering Riverbend Malt House’s complete catalog instead of the approximately 20 items that are currently carried and can use his other business’s warehouse for storage so that the shop’s modest square footage isn’t overrun. He’s also looking forward to teaming up more with White Labs, whose PurePitch pouches are used by many of his customers.
“They have the best yeast and bacteria bank Stateside, easily,” Jones says. “And it’s so nice that you can literally just drive down the street. You don’t have to ship it. It’s impeccably fresh and well-handled.”
Western North Carolina’s moist climate makes it difficult for hops to grow well in the region, but access to high-quality cones is also becoming easier for the shop.
“Because of the proliferation of craft, hops industries have popped up in other places that also have the right climate,” Jones says. “So it’s not just all Yakima Valley — Washington, Oregon. Michigan is a huge producer. Minnesota now is
getting into some production, and New York state. Hey, that’s close enough for me.”
INDUSTRY PIPELINE
By providing such core items to local makers, Jones notes that businesses like Asheville Brewers Supply help homebrewers in ways that a nationwide shipping service like Northern Brewer can’t.
“When you have a [local] shop, it strengthens the hobby,” he says. “Everybody knows Northern Brewer. Yeah, they’ll keep you brewing. But you can’t go down the street and talk to people or even run into town if you happen to be out and about.”
Jones feels that the community is simpatico with his vision and wants to celebrate and help homebrewers of all kinds — including makers of wine and mead. The more experimental people want to get, the better.
“They can go to a college and learn how to operate the machinery. But until they’ve dabbled with 5 gallons to see what happens if we put honeycomb into this beer or this fruit or this yeast, you’re just not going to get innovation,” Jones says. It’s that very creativity that Jones feels elevates Asheville’s homebrewers among those of many other cities, and the shop’s track record of helping makers achieve their goals of opening a brewery speaks for itself. A trio of brewers/co-owners — David Ackley (Ginger’s Revenge), Tom Miceli (Whistle Hop Brewing Co.) and Dave Byer (Diatribe Brewing Co.) — are longtime Asheville Brewers Supply costumers and attendees at its socials on the first Friday of each month.
Jones hopes to continue that tradition but is upfront that, while he’s here to help, he may take a little getting used to.
“Tedd’s amazing. People love Tedd,” Jones says. “People are not going to love me as much. I’m kind of brash. I have bad jokes. He has better hair than me. And he’s also very worldly with music.”
He continues, “I couldn’t get the speaker to fire up. I do like music and I do like to play it, but the difference between us is Tedd would have stopped the world to get the speaker working and then the vibes would be right.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/e0x. X
EXPERIENCE COUNTS: New Asheville Brewers Supply owner JW Jones has been homebrewing off and on since 1997, and has been in the homebrewing business since 2018. Photo by Edwin Arnaudin
People persons
Tin Roof Echo and Joshua Carpenter release new albums
BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN
earnaudin@mountainx.com
The name Tin Roof Echo comes from a time when Asheville-based singer-songwriter Joe Hooten was a teenager hiking the Appalachian Trail. One night, he sought refuge from the rain in an open shelter with three walls and a metal roof, and the sensory overload of water pinging above and the smell of summer in the mountains stuck with him.
“It was such a memory for me,” Hooten says. “When I started the process of coming up with a name for this musical project, I realized that most of the songs I was writing, and still do, are about memories that incorporate experiences and feelings I’ve had, so the name Tin Roof Echo was quite fitting.”
The latest incarnation of this ethos is Flowers Falling, slated for a Friday, Aug. 16, release. Hooten describes the album as “essentially 10 love letters written to and about places, things and people that I’ve called home.
“To that effect, ‘home’ is a constant premise I write about and a theme that is fairly dominant in this album,” he continues. “But I challenged myself to expand that definition and explore how ‘home’ can shift with time and circumstances.”
The version that arises in “The Land of Apathy” captures the current political climate in the U.S. and contains such personally relevant lines as “Now here we are on the eve of election/God knows we failed all the test corrections/ so why does it feel like we’ve got another chance?”
“[I’m] still hanging on hope, always the eternal optimist — even in the darkest of moments,” he says of his most overtly political track. “That song wasn’t written out of convenience; it was written out of necessity.”
Helping flesh out Hooten’s Americana sound to new rich heights in an all-star group of collaborators. Graham Sharp (Steep Canyon Rangers) contributes what Hooten calls “this spooky banjo riff” for “Everything That’s Green.” And Matt Smith (Amanda Anne Platt &
The Honeycutters; Amy Ray Band) lends pedal steel to multiple tracks as well as dobro on “Sick About It.”
Elsewhere, legendary North Carolina singer-songwriter David Childers offers up his auditory talents, and Hooten’s longtime friend Dulci Ellenberger wrote what Hooten calls “some amazing vocal pieces” that appear on several cuts. Also in the mix is Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers, who plays Hammond B3 organ throughout Flowers Falling and even performs on a saw on “The Land of Apathy.”
“I’m telling y’all — it never hurts to ask. What’s the worst someone’s going to say? ‘No?’” Hooten posits.
“I’m glad I can handle ‘no.’ I’ve been told that a lot. My timing sucks, but sometimes it pays off, and I believe it really does on Flowers Falling.”
Tying it all together is producer/ engineer Kevin Boggs — whose mere presence marks a deviation from Hooten’s usual self-recorded approach. He says choosing to work with Boggs was “the easiest decision” he made while bringing Flowers Falling to fruition. But that “letting go of the reins” was the most difficult aspect.
“With music, there has to be a level of trust there or I can’t do it,” Hooten says. “I’ve had to move away from situations where trust was an issue, but with Kevin, it just felt like the logical step for me. He helped ease that uncertainty I had when I decided to break from that self-imposed DIY code I’ve been following for years. Kevin’s an incredible player, a true creative force and an all-around awesome guy. I’m thankful for all his attention to this project.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/e0q.
BIRD BY BIRD
Joshua Carpenter and Asheville go way back.
The Charlotte native moved west in 1999 and became a regular at Vincent’s Ear, the modest-sized music venue on North Lexington Avenue, that featured a wealth of local talent as well as touring acts like The White Stripes and Cat Power before they outgrew such spaces. While that business is
Photography by:
gone, Carpenter is still friends with musicians he connected with at that artistic haven 20-plus years ago and privy to numerous reminiscences as they pine for the past.
“Vincent’s closed in 2004 and, it’s kind of crazy — like, everybody who used to go there is still talking about this, essentially, coffeehouse. It seems like old people sh*t,” says Carpenter, who moved to Marshall in 2023. “That was my introduction to the Asheville music scene, and it kind of hadn’t felt the same since.”
In the years that followed, the multi-instrumentalist played in Floating Action for over a decade,
has been a member of multiple bands based in the Triangle region of North Carolina and continues to lend his talents to groups led by such local friends as Emily Easterly , Wayne Robbins and Jeremy Boger
As the 2010s rolled on, Carpenter says he “started to do the solo thing a little more earnestly.” And though the COVID-19 pandemic “derailed that for a while,” he’s back on track after releasing albums in 2022 and 2023, as well as a new duo group with Finn Maguire Cohen, his former bandmate in the Triangle-based ensemble The Nein from 2006-10.
“We just remained friends, and he decided he wanted to try to put something together,” Carpenter says. “We had some songs laying around, and we wrote some songs together, and that’s what that record is.”
The result is Carpenter / Cohen, whose self-titled debut collection of dreamy indie rock was released on June 28. Between the two collaborators, they play every instrument on the album — an impressive showcase of their musical prowess, but also somewhat out of necessity due to availability and budget restraints.
“He just had a kid, and I have a little girl. Everything is crazy — nobody has any time anymore,” Carpenter says. “We’re all getting older and being more responsible, so all the recording sessions are spread out.”
The friends spent a weekend writing in December 2022, and the following weekend — with Carpenter’s new recording rig in tow — they met up at a house in Boone owned by one of Cohen’s friends. Nestled among inspirational natural beauty, the duo had a productive couple of days. And while follow-ups were rare and difficult to schedule, they managed to get their desired results in a mere two additional sessions.
“We would [write and record] things here and there on our own, in between, but not too much,” Carpenter says. “We wanted to be in the same room for doing most of the stuff.”
Track highlights include “Flying Fish,” which Carpenter wrote about young right-wing politicians, and “Barstool Variations,” whose imagery of a bar being placed on a barstool appeared to Cohen in a dream. Upon telling Carpenter about it, he was encouraged by his bandmate to build a song around the oddball visual.
Overall, the collaboration proved fruitful for both artists, and Carpenter says they’ve already started plotting out their next batch of songs. But first, the Asheville debut of Carpenter / Cohen takes place Saturday, Aug. 17, at 8:30 p.m. with a record release show at Citizen Vinyl.
“We’re focusing on getting some live stuff together,” he says. “It’s such an ordeal to put a band together when you live, like, three hours apart. Just logistically, it’s kind of a nightmare. But we’re doing it.”
To learn more, visit avl.mx/e0s. X
GETTING PERSONAL: Tin Roof Echo, left, and Carpenter / Cohen explore new musical horizons on their latest records. Tin Roof Echo photo by Scott Sturdy; Carpenter / Cohen photo by Ben Spiker
What’s new in food
Bonito at The Hound brings international cuisine to East Asheville
TOP DOG: After five years of serving up Hawaiian-inspired dishes at RosaBees in the River Arts District, chef Christopher “Cookie” Hadley has headed east to Tunnel Road, where he is now running the food program at Bonito at The Hound — a globally inspired kitchen. Photo by Caleb Johnson
Posts on social media about new menus don’t always make news in a town that prides itself on creative, free-thinking, independent restaurants. But when an announcement tags someone who, until recently, was the highly regarded founding chef of another restaurant — well, stop the presses.
Christopher “Cookie” Hadley has served as executive chef at the Hawaiian-inspired RosaBees in the River Arts District since its launch in 2019. But in July, he bade farewell to the space and owner Melissa Gray and aloha to The Hound, a bar and lounge that opened in 2023 in the former Greyhound bus station in East Asheville.
Hadley — who has been cooking for nearly 30 years — grew up in Kansas City, Kan. “So I know barbecue and smoked meats,” he says. “But we spent summers in Hawaii [where his stepfather was born and raised], and I took Spam musubi to school in my lunchbox. That food was my wheelhouse.”
Despite the success he and Gray had working together at RosaBees (the restaurant garnered national press and local love), Hadley says he began feeling restless. Having once owned his own restaurant — Morning Glory Caf é in Black Mountain — the itch for more agency persisted.
Serendipitously, a query appeared on a local industry-centric Facebook page about an Asheville bar and lounge looking for a chef to take over its small kitchen and run the food program. Hadley connected with the venue’s owners — Peter Montague and Adam Bannasch , who also own Zambra. (Bannasch and his wife, Kate, founded Copper Crown in East Asheville as well.)
When Montague and Bannasch opened The Hound, their goal was a gathering place with drinks; they tried food truck residencies and then pop-ups but ultimately decided they wanted to wash their hands of culinary. Hadley recalls an early meeting with the two about their
vision for the space moving forward. “They said they were looking for someone with experience who had proven themselves and they could literally say, ‘Here’s the kitchen. Have at it,’” he says with a laugh.
On July 31, Hadley launched Bonito with a one-page menu of snacks, tacos, sandwiches and poke. Among the standouts are the Cubano sandwich, street corn salad, shrimp ceviche, ono taegu (a Korean dish of rehydrated dried squid in a sesame honey-gochujang glaze) and an addictive bar snack of buttered popcorn with kakimochi. “It’s like an Asian Chex Mix,” Hadley says.
When the installation of a hood is completed in a few weeks, Hadley will expand the menu; the team also intends to add a smoker outside the kitchen where he can indulge his Kansas City barbecue chops. “I’m a big fan of these foods I grew up with and excited to share my enthusiasm.”
Bonito at The Hound is at 2 Tunnel Road. For hours and additional information, visit avl.mx/cs7
Smokin’ Onion fires up dinner menu
In September, Keems and Parker Schultz will mark three years since rolling out The Smokin’ Onion food truck, which has built a fervent following with its 100% plant-based menu. In February, the business took up residence in a 36-seat brick-and-mortar shop on Haywood Road in West Asheville at the foot of the small shopping center that’s also home to Botiwalla, Bad Manners Coffee and Purna Yoga 828.
“Opening the store for breakfast and lunch, we saw that we were filling a need for a great vegan breakfast,” Keems says. “Lunch is always great, but the food truck is busiest for dinner, so customers kept asking when we would do dinner in the restaurant.”
Consider it done. The Smokin’ Onion has added dinner service Fridays, noon-8 p.m. and Saturdays 3-8 p.m. Menu highlights include the town gyro, the cluckin’ good sandwich, the yippee kai-yay burger, red curry and the cauli chop with mashed potatoes and the restaurant’s signature brussels sprout.
The food truck still parks at New Belgium Brewery, 21 Craven St., Tuesdays, noon-8 p.m.
The Smokin’ Onion is at 697 Haywood Road, Suite E. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0j.
FroZen Monkey adds fruit ice cream
Since 2017, Mike Closson has been setting up his FroZen Monkey kiosk at festivals, Asheville City Soccer Club games and school events in and around Asheville, offering shaved ice — a kinder, gentler version of the snow cone — to Western North Carolina residents.
“A snow cone is crushed ice, chunky and crunchy,” he explains. “Shaved ice ... is soft and fluffy.”
On July 26, Closson opened the window to a teardrop camper parked alongside Ovenbird Kitchen in Swannanoa to introduce his new frozen treat — New Zealand-style fruit ice cream.
He discovered it while scrolling through the internet last fall looking for a product to serve in the shaved ice and festival offseason. “It’s handscooped vanilla ice cream mixed with frozen fruit and turned into a soft swirl,” he explains. “I was surprised it wasn’t a thing here in the States,” Closson says.
Currently, he serves cups and cones of fruit ice cream — blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and blackberry — with plans to add tropical flavors like mango, papaya, pineapple and banana. He also offers the shaved ice that made FroZen Monkey popular from the camper; the kiosk and its accompanying 10-flavor fountain will continue to pop up at festivals and events throughout the region.
FroZen Monkey is at 131 South Ave., Swannanoa. For additional information, visit avl.mx/e0k.
Golden Pony serves smoked fare
When chef Joey Woll was cooking at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., some of his co-workers dubbed him “the golden pony.”
“I think it was a jab at first, but it became funny,” he says.
Now, Golden Pony is the name for the pop-ups he’s introduced at Eda’s Hide-A-Way in Weaverville, the second location of Eda Rhyne Distilling Co. Woll developed the concept while at his current post as executive chef for the Weaver House special events venue.
“I’m friends with Eda Rhyne’s founders, Chris [Bower] and Rett [Murphy] , and when they were opening the Hide-A-Way they talked to me about doing food. I wanted to stay with my job here, so pop-ups let me flex and keep the solid job. Weaver House has been great about letting me use kitchen space here for prep.”
The magic happens on his 250-gallon offset smoker, Peggy Sue, named for his grandmothers. He hauls it to the Hide-A-Way, sets up a table under a tent and loads up plates with smoked meats, including a recent hot Italian sausage sandwich with piperade on a roll.
“I’m from the Northeast, so I have that affinity for that carnival kind of fare, but I’ll be putting beef on the smoker too. We’ll be doing chopped brisket on a bun, Buc-ees style, for Honky Tonk Flea,” the venue’s recurring flea market that takes place on the third Sunday of each month, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Eda’s Hide-A-Way is at 1098 New Stock Road. For more information about Honky Tonk Flea, visit avl.mx/e0m. To follow Golden Pony, visit avl.mx/e0l.
Sunday Supper +
Noodle Wednesday
Gan Shan West is the go-to place six days a week (closed Monday) for chef Ray Hui’s contemporary take on the food he grew up with in his Chinese immigrant parents’ restaurant in Fort Myers, Fla.
But Wednesdays and Sundays offer a little extra. Noodle Wednesdays rotate three noodle dishes weekly — phat si ew (flank steak with wide rice noodles), Singapore mei fun (with vermicelli rice noodles) and lo mein (the classic dish with egg noodles). Sunday Supper presents one special menu item weekly.
Gan Shan West is at 285 Haywood Road, Suite 20. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0n.
Feeling crabby?
Cheer up by diving into Cultura’s newest tongue-in-cheek Cease & Desist menu — Jane’s Crab Shanty — which may or may not be a play on a seafood-themed national chain that starts with Joe and ends with Shack. Every Sunday through September from 5-10 p.m., the restaurant will serve a five-course dinner of fresh oysters,
lobster dip, lobster bisque, crab legs and shark pie. Reservations are recommended; $60 per person, $30 for kids.
Cultura is at 147 Coxe Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0o.
Summer Celebration
Let country roads take you home to Jamie Swofford and Keia Mastrianni ’s Old North Farm in Shelby for Trial to Table’s Summer Celebration on Saturday, Aug. 17, 4:30-7 p.m. Presented by Utopian Seed Project, the popular series showcases crop varieties from farm trials via the talent of local chefs. Tickets, which are a suggested price of $50, include eight small plates (half of which are vegetarian), alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, and ice cream from Jessica Weismann of Found Ice Cream. Featured chefs include John Fleer , Sera Cuni , Greg Collier and Mastrianni.
Old North Farm is at 3458 Crowder Ridge Road, Shelby. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0r.
Kay West X
Around Town
New gallery opens butterfly art exhibition
On the Wing Gallery is hosting a reception for its new exhibition, Union, on Friday, Aug. 16, 5-8 p.m.
On the Wing, located in in the River Arts District, is known for artfully arranging farm-raised butterflies and preserving them in pilot cases. Union represents a collaboration between On the Wing’s entomological artists, David Trophia , Sam Trophia and Shane Hall, and jeweler Deb Karash , who layers color onto copper pieces using colored pencils.
“We’ve really scoured the internet and we haven’t seen anything out there remotely like this,” David says. “We designed the exhibit to be cash and carry: small pieces that are not too expensive so that people can afford them, but each piece is completely unique.”
Bee City USA, a nonprofit that promotes pollinator gardens, will have a table at the event and will be accepting donations for the Asheville Butterfly Trail project and several other initiatives to encourage pollinators across the city. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibit will also support this work. The Sam and Christine Trophia Butterfly Research and Education Center, a butterfly conservatory in Key West, Fla., will donate to the project. “We’re trying to connect with local organizations to promote ethical and sustainable treatment of butterflies and bees,” David says. “It’s so important to this area, and I think this art pays tribute to that.”
The reception will offer light fare and drinks and an opportunity to speak directly with the artists. The gallery also offers a variety of other artwork inspired by winged insects.
On the Wing Gallery is at 20 Artful Way, No. 105. For more information, visit avl.mx/dnx.
Concert series comes to Madison County
ReClaim Madison Salvage & Thrift will host a monthly livestream concert series from August to January to support the mission of the Community Housing Coalition of Madison County.
The concerts will be livestreamed on ReClaim Madison’s Instagram
and Facebook accounts and broadcast live on wART FM Radio in Madison County. The concerts will also be archived on ReClaim’s YouTube channel. There will be no live audience, but the store will be open to customers during the concerts.
“The series was inspired by the NPR Tiny Desk Concert series and also by musicians who livestreamed during the COVID epidemic,” says Community Housing Coalition Executive Director Sarah Pike . “We started with asking musicians in Madison County that we know have a fan base here and beyond. We are also speaking to some other groups in the area and hope to offer a variety of styles and genres.”
All concerts will take place at 3 p.m. The first will be performed by Madison-based Americana musician Pierce Edens on Friday, Aug. 16. The next concerts include 75 Singlewide on Friday, Sept. 20, Pleasure Chest on Friday, Oct. 11, and Mountain, Mountain, Mountain Boys on Friday, Nov. 22. December and January concerts will be announced later.
All participating musicians are donating their time to support the Community Housing Coalition of Madison County. For over 20 years, the nonprofit has provided new affordable home construction and improvements to residents in need, such as roofs and flooring, accessibility, and electrical, heating and septic systems. The coalition also operates ReClaim Madison Salvage & Thrift, which sells used furniture, appliances and building materials. These relief efforts rely heavily on volunteers and direct public contributions.
ReClaim Madison Salvage & Thrift is at 798 Walnut Creek Road, Marshall. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0t.
Bestselling author reads at Citizen Vinyl
Citizen Vinyl will host a reading and book signing with Frances Mayes on Wednesday, Aug. 14, 5 p.m., in partnership with Malaprop’s Bookstore and Café and Blue Ridge Public Radio.
Mayes’ new novel, A Great Marriage, is about a perfect wedding that is called off days before the event, sending the two families reeling. Mayes is a New York Times bestselling author whose work has been translated into over 50 languages. She is best known for her novel Under the Tuscan Sun, which was made into a movie starring Diane Lane. Her other books include, among others, the internationally bestselling Bella Tuscany, Every Day in Tuscany, A Year in the World and three illustrated books: In Tuscany, Bring Tuscany Home and The Tuscan Sun Cookbook. The event costs $38, which includes a copy of the book. Doors open at 5 p.m. for a meet-and-greet with cocktails at 5:30 p.m., followed by a reading and book signing at 7 p.m.
Citizen Vinyl is at 14 O. Henry Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0u.
Celebrating Appalachian music
The Blue Ridge Music Center and N.C. Arts Foundation will host an information session about the Historic Asheville Sessions Project at Citizen Vinyl on Thursday, Aug. 15, 5-7 p.m.
The project was developed to present, interpret and celebrate a series of recordings made in Asheville by the OKeh General Phonograph Corp. in the summer of 1925. The recordings have never
been reissued, though they were the first performances of traditional Southern Appalachian music recorded for commercial sale for a broader American audience. The presentation will explore the historical significance of these recordings as both proto-country music and a touchpoint for the cultural vernacular of the region.
After Ted Olson and Wayne Martin outline the nature of the project, guests will hear a sampling of the songs recorded at the sessions.
Olson is a professor in the department of Appalachian studies at East Tennessee State University and a cultural historian, record producer, editor, poet, photographer and musician. Martin is the executive director of the N.C. Arts Foundation. He led the team that created Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina in 2003, which was used to advocate for the creation of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. Both men have a long history of exploring and honoring the musical history of the region.
Citizen Vinyl is at 14 O. Henry Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0v.
Tell us a story
Story Parlor will host a show called The Campfireball on Friday, Aug. 15, 7:30 p.m.
The event is part game show, part talk show and part improvisation, inspired by the lives and stories of
people in the audience. The theme of this month’s The Campfireball is “The Nevers: things we thought we’d never do, the people we swore we’d never become, what we hope never happens, and what we’re afraid might never come true.”
The show is spontaneous, but its structure was workshopped and developed by its presenter, Moth Grand Slam winner Cory Howard, over two years in the master’s degree program for storytelling at East Tennessee State University.
Anyone over the age of 16 is welcome, and participation in the storytelling is completely voluntary. Tickets cost $15 and doors open at 7 p.m.
Story Parlor is at 227 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/dit.
The Mule hosts Beatles singalong
The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage Co. is hosting “Beatles Hymn Sing: An All-Inclusive Sing Along with House of Mercy” on Friday, Aug. 15, 6-8 p.m.
The House of Mercy band will be playing live Beatles songs for participants to sing along with. The event is free, and no singing experience is required. The event intends to bring people together to jam along with one of the most recognizable discographies of all time.
House of Mercy is a Christian community that meets each week for service at The Mule’s warehouse. The church self-describes as being made up of people who have felt isolated or wounded by more traditional faith communities.
The Mule at Devil’s Foot Beverage Co. is at 131 Sweeten Creek Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/e0w.
8/17: Reader: Edward 12-6
Aura Photography 1-6
8/18: Reader: Andrea 12-5
Aura Photography 12-3 Welcoming Circle 4:30-6
PAINTED POLLINATORS : David Trophia of On the Wing Gallery will release a new exhibition of painted butterfly art. Photo courtesy of David Trophia
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 14
12 BONES BREWERY
Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
27 CLUB
Halloween in July (dance party), 8pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm
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 w/ Matt Smith, 6pm
IMPERIÁL
DJ Otto Maddox (soul, funk), 9pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
Old Time Jam, 5pm
LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA
THEM: A Queer/ Femme Comedy Showcase, 8:30pm
OKLAWAHA
BREWING CO.
Bluegrass Jam w/Derek McCoy & Friends, 6pm
RABBIT RABBIT
Still Woozy (alt-indie, bedroom-pop), 7pm
SHAKEY'S Sexy Service Industry Night, 10pm
SHILOH & GAINES
Trivia Wednesdays, 7pm
SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR
Company Swing (swing, jazz, blues), 7pm
THE ODD
My Gal Monday, North by North & tinyTVS (garage-pop, punk), 7pm
THE ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC
HALL
Dayowulf (Afropop, Afrohouse, bass music), 10pm
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
THURSDAY, AUG. 15
ASHEVILLE GUITAR
BAR
John Allen Keck & Above Ground (rock'n'roll, Americana), 8pm
SETTING SAIL: Asheville-based fusion quartet Boat Command brings their signature brand of psychedelic lo-fi yacht hop to One World Brewing West on Friday, August 16th, starting at 9 p.m. Photo courtesy of Joanna Guy
MAD CO. BREW HOUSE
Wayne Buckner (Southern-rock, Americana, country), 6pm
OKLAWAHA
BREWING CO. West End String Band (bluegrass,country, roots), 7pm
ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 10pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST
Fee Fi Phaux Fish (Phish tribute), 8pm
OUTSIDER BREWING
Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
PULP
Slice of Life Comedy Open Mic, 7pm
PISGAH BREWING CO. Auragami (rock), 6:30pm
SHAKEY'S Karaoke w/DJ Franco, 9pm
SHILOH & GAINES Karaoke Night, 8pm
STATIC AGE LOFT Auto-Tune Karaoke Night, 10pm
STATIC AGE RECORDS Funeral Chant, Paezor, & All Hell (black metal), 9pm
THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR Karaoke w/Terraoke, 7pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Moonshine State (Americana, alt-country), 7pm
THE OUTPOST Sister Ivy (neo-soul, jazz, R&B), 7pm
THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN
Brian Ashley Jones & Melanie Jean (multigenre), 7pm
WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Dirty Logic (Steely Dan tribute), 7:30pm WICKED WEED BREWING Andy Ferrell (folk, blues, bluegrass), 6pm
Vision Video w/Forrest Isn't Dead (goth, post punk, alt pop), 8pm
WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Open Mic, 7pm
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 21
12 BONES BREWERY
Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm
DSSOLVR Blowin' Smoke Comedy Showcase, 9pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Bless Your Heart Trivia w/Harmon, 7pm
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 WORLD BREWING WEST
Latin Night Wednesday w/DJ Mtn Vibez, 8pm
SHAKEY'S Sexy Service Industry Night, 10pm
SHILOH & GAINES
Trivia Wednesdays, 7pm
SOVEREIGN KAVA
Poetry Open Mic, 8pm
STATIC AGE
RECORDS
Dogs on Shady Lane, State Park Ranger, Hemlock, & trust blinks. (indie rock, indie folk), 8:30pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR
Rod Sphere (soul, rock), 7pm
THE MEADOW AT HIGHLAND BREWING CO.
Well-Crafted Music w/ Matt Smith, 6pm
THE ORANGE PEEL
Sarah Squirm: Live & in the Flesh (comedy), 8pm
THE OUTPOST
Bluegrass Jam w/ Sam Wharton, 6pm
THE RAILYARD
BLACK MOUNTAIN Dan's Jam (bluegrass), 7pm
FIRST KAVA BAR IN NORTH CAROLINA
URBAN ORCHARD
CIDER CO. SOUTH
SLOPE
Trivia Wednesday, 6:30pm
THURSDAY, AUG. 22
ASHEVILLE GUITAR
BAR
Virginia Rabbit Trio (blues, swing), 8pm
BATTERY PARK
BOOK EXCHANGE
Mike Kenton & Jim Tanner (jazz), 5:30pm
EDA'S HIDE-A-WAY
Karaoke Night w/KJ Marcula, 8pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY
Jerry's Dead (Grateful Dead & JGB Tribute), 6pm
IMPERIÁL
DJ Roselle (multigenre), 9pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB
Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7pm
LAZOOM ROOM BAR & GORILLA
Buffoonery: A Super Silly Comedy Showcase, 8:30pm
ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL
The Lumpy Heads (Phish tribute), 10pm
OUTSIDER BREWING
Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm
PULP
The Hit Dogs w/Lost Torpedo (hard rock, alt rock), 8pm
SHAKEY'S Comedy Showcase, 8pm
SHILOH & GAINES
Karaoke Night, 8pm
STATIC AGE LOFT
Auto-Tune Karaoke Night, 10pm
THE BURGER BAR
Mike Jones & Andrew Broschart (acoustic), 9:30pm
THE GETAWAY RIVER BAR
Karaoke w/Terraoke, 7pm
THE GREY EAGLE
• Doc Robinson (pop rock, alt rock, soul), 5:30pm
• CMT Next Women of Country: Kimberly Perry & Jenna Paulette (country), 8pm
THE RAILYARD BLACK MOUNTAIN
Smoky Mountain Rhythm (bluegrass), 7pm
WICKED WEED BREWING
Beer & Loathing (rock), 6pm
4,000 Sq Ft taproom & Live Music On Our Outdoor Stage
Wed. 8/14, 7-9pm
Dan ’s Bluegrass Jam
Open Jam — everyone welcome!
Thur. 8/15, 7-9pm
Brian Ashley Jones & Melanie Jean
Guitar-driven blues and country tunes. Brian was nominated for Best Guitar Player in the 2023 Mississippi Music Awards.
Fri. 8/16, 7-9pm The Bradley Bacci Band Sat. 8/17, 7-9pm Sam Wilson Morris Duo
Psychedelic rock combined with blues, bluegrass, Americana, folk, and reggae, in the tradition of the Grateful Dead, Phish, Billy Strings, John Mayer and more.
Psychedelic folk by way of Rock Hill, SC.
Details, food menus and more at railyardblkmtn.com
15 Screens of sports + 20 taps + full bar + in-house restaurant + 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): Years ago, when I worked as a postal delivery person in Santa Cruz, California, I mastered my route quickly. The time allotted to complete it was six hours, but I could easily finish in four. Soon I began to goof off two hours a day, six days a week. Many great works of literature and music entertained me during that time. I joined a softball team and was able to play an entire game each Saturday while officially on the job. Was what I did unethical? I don’t think so, since I always did my work thoroughly and precisely. Is there any comparable possibility in your life, Aries? An ethical loophole? A workaround that has full integrity? An escape clause that causes no harm?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From an astronomer’s perspective, Uranus is huge. Sixty-three Earths could fit inside of it. It’s also weirdly unique because it rotates sideways compared to the other planets. From an astrologer’s point of view, Uranus symbolizes the talents and gifts we possess that can be beneficial to others. If we fully develop these potentials, they will express our unique genius and be useful to our fellow humans. It so happens that Uranus has been cruising through Taurus since 2018 and will mostly continue there until 2026. I regard these years as your best chance in this lifetime to fulfill the opportunities I described. The coming weeks will be especially pregnant with possibilities.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Mountaineer Edmund Hillary is renowned as the first person to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest. It happened in 1953. Less famous was his companion in the ascent, Gemini mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. Why did Hillary get more acclaim than Norgay, even though they were equal partners in the monumental accomplishment? Was it because one was a white New Zealander and the other a brown Nepalese? In any case, I’m happy to speculate that if there’s a situation in your life that resembles Norgay’s, you will get remediation in the coming months. You will receive more of the credit you deserve. You will garner the acknowledgment and recognition that had previously been unavailable. And it all starts soon.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): As an American, I’m embarrassed by the fact that my fellow citizens and I comprise just 4% of the world’s population but generate 20% of its garbage. How is that possible? In any case, I vow that during the next five weeks, I will decrease the volume of trash I produce and increase the amount of dross I recycle. I encourage you, my fellow Cancerians, to make a similar promise. In ways that may not be immediately imaginable, attending to these matters will improve your mental health and maybe even inspire you to generate an array of fresh insights about how to live your life with flair and joy.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The coming weeks will be a wonderful time to waste time on the internet. If you are properly aligned with cosmic rhythms, you will spend long hours watching silly videos, interacting with friends and strangers on social media and shopping for products you don’t really need. JUST KIDDING!! Everything I just said was a dirty lie. It was designed to test your power to resist distracting influences and mediocre advice. Here’s my authentic counsel, Leo. The coming weeks will be a fantastic phase to waste as little time as possible as you intensify your focus on the few things that matter to you most.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Scientific research suggests that brushing and flossing your teeth not only boosts the health of your gums, but also protects your heart’s health. Other studies show that if you maintain robust microbiota in your gut, you’re more likely to avoid anxiety and depression as you nurture your mental health. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to focus on big-picture thoughts like these, Virgo. You will be wise to meditate on how each part of your life affects every other part. You will generate good fortune as you become more
vividly aware and appreciative of the intimate interconnectedness that underlies all you do.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The official term for the shape of a single piece of M&M candy is “oblate spheroid.” It’s rounded but not perfectly round. It looks like a partially squashed sphere. An Iraqi man named Ibrahim Sadeq decided to try the difficult task of arranging as many M&M’s as possible in a vertical stack. He is now the world’s record holder in that art, with seven M&M’s. I am imagining that sometime soon, Libra, you could achieve a comparable feat in your own domain. What’s challenging but not impossible?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’ve heard many people brag about their hangovers. The stories they tell are often entertaining and humorous. One of my best laughs emerged in response to two friends describing the time they jumped on the roof a parked Mercedes Benz at 3 a.m. and sang songs from Verdi’s opera Falstaff until the cops came and threw them in a jail cell with nothing to eat or drink for 10 hours. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, I ask you to not get a hangover in the coming weeks, even an amusing one. Instead, I encourage you to studiously pursue extreme amounts of pleasurable experiences that have only good side effects.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Most famous musicians demand that their dressing rooms be furnished with specific amenities. Beyoncé needs rose-scented candles. Rihanna expects her preparatory sanctuary to have dark blue or black drapes topped with icy blue chiffon. Eminem insists on a set of 25-pound dumbbells, and the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd wants Super Soaker water guns. Since the coming weeks may be as close to a rock star phase of your cycle as you’ve ever had, I recommend you create a list of your required luxuries. This imaginative exercise will hopefully get you in the mood to ask for exactly what you need everywhere you go.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sleep deprivation is widespread. I see it as a pandemic. According to some studies, over half the people in the world suffer from insomnia, don’t get enough sleep or have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Most research on this subject doesn’t mention an equally important problem: that many people aren’t dreaming enough. And the fact is that dreaming is key to our psychological well-being. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time to enhance your relationship with sleep and dreams. I encourage you to learn all you can and do all you can to make your time in bed deeply rejuvenating.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Only 47 people live on the volcanic Pitcairn Islands, which are located in the middle of nowhere in the South Pacific Ocean. Pollution is virtually non-existent, which is why the honey made by local bees is the purest on the planet. In accordance with astrological omens, I’d love for you to get honey like that in the coming weeks. I hope you will also seek the best and purest of everything. More than ever, you need to associate with influences that are potent, clear, genuine, raw, vibrant, natural, and full-strength.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Many Indigenous people in North America picked and ate wild cranberries. But farm-grown cranberries available for commercial use didn’t appear until 1816. Here’s how it happened. In Cape Cod, Massachusetts, a farmer discovered a secret about the wild cranberry bog on his land. Whenever big storms dumped sand on the bog, the fruit grew with more lush vigor. He tinkered with this revelation from nature and figured out how to cultivate cranberries. I recommend this as a teaching story, Pisces. Your assignment is to harness the power and wisdom provided by a metaphorical storm or disturbance. Use it to generate a practical innovation in your life.
MARKETPLACE
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HOME IMPROVEMENT
HANDY MAN
HANDY MAN Ex Professional Brewer has 25+ years experience in the trades, with every skill/tool imaginable for all trades with the exception of HVAC. $35 an hour. Carl (828) 551-6000 electricblustudio@gmail.com
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MUSICIANS’ BULLETIN
WANTED: BANDMATES FOR ROCK/METAL Possible limited practice space. Bass, drums, other. Equipment necessary. Chevelle, Tool, Måneskin, Clutch, Paramore, Pantera, not Ghost. Text Lee W. (828) 335-0930
1 Warts and all
5 Drug that’s “dropped”
8 Baking abbr.
11 Long, easy stride
12 Formally reject
13 Many stuffed cat toys
14 Like much Cajun chicken
16 Literature Nobelist born in French Algeria
17 Sprinkle in
18 Like a quarter moon tide
19 Most reserved 20 Thoughtprovoking
22 Tuscan red wines
24 Take in, as a breath
25 Hoosegow
26 Some whiskeys
27 React like a startled horse
28 Scottish “John”
31 What memories are recounted in
33 “Cum On Feel the Noize” band, 1973
35 Rx writers
36 Food, informally
37 Caught some congers
38 Wound stinger
39 In the manner of
40 Hard patterns to break ... or a punny description of the climbs up the circled letters
46 “Tony n’ ___ Wedding” (Off Broadway hit)
47 Mourned a death, in Judaism
Hot ___ (winter quaff)
55 How to become a whole new hue
56 Little twerp DOWN 1 Duchess of ___ (Goya subject) 2 “You’ve convinced me!” 3 Device identifier, in computing
Moment, informally
Singer/activist Horne
Aerobic exercise option
Pentagon org.
Segment of this puzzle’s race
“Pardon me,” in Pisa
Nuisances
Prez’s proxy
Where many Penobscot
48 Three-week bike race, such as the one featured in this puzzle 50 Fire remnant 51 Dug up 52 Fraction of a joule 53 Brings in
