Mountain Xpress 08.16.23

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VAPE DEBATE

Vaping, initially designed as a means to quit smoking, is gaining significant popularity among teens and young adults. This trend can be attributed to the wide range of flavors available, fascinating vapor tricks, and a surge in social media popularity. However, with the increased visibility of vaping in the community, health officials and vape enthusiasts alike have concerns about its unknown risks and health impacts.

COVER PHOTO

Frances O’Connor

16

COVER

Reporter

Braulio

COVER

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COPYRIGHT

Let’s be strong for public schools

As the children in my neighborhood prepare to go back to school, I remember how much our local public schools meant to my now-grown children. But I’m worried that by the time my grandchildren start school, the picture will be very different. North Carolina politicians are close to passing a private school voucher bill that could drain substantial funding from Buncombe County’s public schools [“Public Money for Private Schools: N.C. Legislature Prioritizes Private Education,” Aug. 9, Xpress].

What hard budget choices will Superintendent Rob Jackson and school board members need to make next year? Will first grade classrooms hold 45 6-year-olds instead of 30 (already too many!)? Will budget cuts cause more stress on teachers, increasing teacher turnover? Will sports, arts and music be eliminated, while academics suffer? How will this affect my grandchildren when they enter school?

But the future is not written in stone. If we all come together, we can not only protect but improve our schools. And make them the inspiring and supportive places of learning all North Carolina children deserve. This is why I volunteer my time as a member of Public School Strong and the HEAL Together NC coalition.

In September, I will be joining the September Surge for Public Schools.

We are coming together in larger and larger numbers for honest, accurate, safe, equitable and fully funded public schools, not manufactured controversies.

Join us by going to the HEAL Together NC page on Facebook to learn how to join Public School Strong. Or just come to the next school board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 7, and look for me in my

blue Public School Strong shirt and let’s chat!

— Sharon Broussard Asheville

Live in the present and create a better future

Slavery was certainly one of the most reprehensible institutions in

the history of humankind. Others include what whites did to Native Americans right here where we live, as well as what Nazis did to Jewish people (including some of my ancestors). There are still horrific things going on all over the world at varying levels of atrociousness (and more to come should a certain orange-tinted white nationalist be elected president in 2024, or if orange-haired white hamburger salesman Chuck Edwards puts more AR-15s into the hands of the mentally ill).

At what point do we give up the oxygen-sucking activity of railing against the past and focus on the battles before us here and now? I’m not offended by faceless monuments representing the many failures of our forefathers, but I’m appalled by the actions of inept, greedy, angry, current-day self-serving politicians, just as I’m appalled by domestic terrorists pummeling one another with the American flag — a misunderstood symbol that I have the right to kneel before (or even burn) in peaceful protest if I so desire.

Here in Asheville, we have grocery stores owned by wealthy white capitalists paying below the living wage, and (as I witnessed last weekend) we have multitudes of rats running around parts of lower Broadway downtown, perhaps chewing the toes of inebriated tourists or disadvantaged folks lacking basic needs.

Let’s stop wasting so much time and energy on what was; let’s focus on what is and what’s to be

— Robert McGee Asheville

CARTOON BY RANDY MOLTON

CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN

The many faces of prejudice

BY JERRY STERNBERG

I grew up in Asheville, where segregation at all levels was just a way of life. In retrospect, I think that in many ways, the Jim Crow laws were almost as cruel as slavery had been. Yet at the time, I heard little or no concern from either the white or Black community about the obvious indignity of these laws.

But we were mired in a brutal Depression, and I assume that open public defiance could have meant the loss of precious jobs, physical violence or worse. Besides, in those days it did not seem strange that, in the South, Blacks were segregated from whites. Everyone on both sides seemed to accept this situation as normal.

MIXING IT UP

One of the most popular radio series back then was the Amos ’n’ Andy show. Written, produced and acted by two white men, it humorously portrayed a pair of all-too-human African Americans. Everyone — including, I assume, many Blacks — found this comedy entertaining and just yukked it up. There were few complaints until, decades later, the NAACP protested that the newly launched TV version, which debuted in 1951 and featured Black actors, reinforced stereotypes that probably helped delay the repeal of Jim Crow.

A COMPLEX EQUATION

It might seem incongruous that, sometime in the late 1940s, our local Jewish youths group staged one or more minstrel shows as fundraisers at the Jewish Community Center. For the most part, however, the relationship between the Jewish and Black communities during this period was comfortable. Jews did not share the level of hatred for Blacks that was prevalent in the general population.

I think there were several reasons for this.

The first was that both Jews and Blacks suffered due to white Christian bigotry, and this led to a certain amount of bonding. Once Southern whites regained control after Reconstruction ended, they displayed a vengeful hatred toward the Black population that persists to this day. Many whites felt threatened by the possibility that Blacks would take their jobs — and God forbid that a Black man might sexually accost their women. Being better educated, however, the Jewish families who settled in this area weren’t worried about economic competition from Blacks.

And finally, most of the Jews who moved here in the ’30s and ’40s were either immigrants or first-generation Americans. At that time, in Europe and particularly the Slavic nations, Blacks were scarce and thus something of a novelty, which made them seem less threatening.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Growing up, we were never allowed to disrespect Black people. Quite often the Black maid was the most respected person in the house. In addition to handling the cooking, cleaning and laundry, she ministered to the sick, disciplined the children and broke up family arguments.

We were never allowed to use the N-word. Interestingly, many Jews did use the term “schvartze,” a Yiddish/ German word meaning Black person; some also might say “colored” or “darky.” But while these were certainly less-than-affirming appellations, I never sensed that they expressed the same level of hatred and venom associated with the N-word. I did not hear or see racial slurs or disparagement from other Jews I met, nor ever in a synagogue or at the Jewish Community Center. This was also true when I traveled to other Southern communities to take part in events sponsored by Jewish organizations.

MAKING DUE

Over many years, Jews were denied the right to work in a wide variety of businesses and industries. It is therefore not surprising that many Jews became scavengers. Although the work was often hard, dirty and considered undesirable, it required great skill to efficiently collect and process many discarded items for reuse. Jews developed entrepreneurial and innovative expertise in order to become highly

A Jew in Asheville

JERRY STERNBERG

“In many ways, the Jim Crow laws were almost as cruel as slavery had been.”

successful in this trade, which is now known as “recycling.” It was interesting that when I accompanied my dad to conventions for dealers in scrap metals as well as paper and textile waste, it was with some good-natured amusement that the gentile dealers often found themselves to be a very small minority.

Many of the Jews who came to Asheville went into the recycling business, and in the ’40s and ’50s, this area became a major player in processing textile and synthetic waste. Accelerating the trend, American Enka, which had been producing rayon in Enka-Candler since the 1920s, built a nylon plant here in 1953. Soon after, the huge company moved its headquarters from New York to Asheville.

In addition to our abundant water supply, textile manufacturers such as Beacon Manufacturing Co., SaylesBiltmore Bleacheries and the Asheville Cotton Mill came here to avoid having to pay union wages. And since cotton was mainly grown in the South, textile companies that moved here were also closer to their primary raw material.

Because the recycling business required large numbers of unskilled laborers, Jews in Asheville were among the largest local employers of Black men and women. The men liked the stability of a steady paycheck. Most of the women liked the fact that it was an 8-to-5 job with weekends off, which meant more time to be with their children compared with the much longer hours and low pay that domestic jobs entailed.

A BITTER LEGACY

When my peers and I reached our teenage years, socializing became quite challenging. While we all had non-Jewish friends, we were discouraged from dating people who didn’t share our faith. The great fear among our parents and community leaders was that we would just be absorbed into other cultures, thereby losing our identity and

the political leverage that enabled us to survive. The next time some pharaoh, king or dictator decided to scapegoat and marginalize our bloodline, Jews could once again be expelled, enslaved or murdered outright in order to destroy our religion and our culture.

I remember an Orthodox family in town whose son married out of the faith. Following an ancient Jewish tradition, they sat shiva (the traditional period of mourning) as if their son were dead. And when the tables were turned and a non-Jewish young person brought home a Jewish bride or groom, there was no great enthusiasm either.

Our Jewish Community Center was a big help, not only by bringing local teenagers together but also by pulling in Jewish youngsters who lived in the outlying counties to the west. In addition, we attended programs for Jewish teens sponsored by the B’nai B’rith organization in many Southern cities. Those were wonderful weekends, and decades later, I still know Jewish people or family members of folks I met at such gatherings.

Final note: As in the previous pieces in this series, I want to stress that I am simply trying to report the historical facts of my life as a Jew growing up and living here. In that spirit, I am deliberately refraining from editorializing or making philosophical judgments. I encourage readers to share their own observations in the online comments section, for all of us to read and consider.

Look for “The Moshe Cohen Laws,” the next installment in this series, in an upcoming issue of Xpress. Asheville native Jerry Sternberg, a longtime observer of the local scene, can be reached at jvsternberg@gmail. com. An anthology of his columns is available from Pisgah Legal Services for a donation of $25 or more. To order your copy, visit pisgahlegal.org/jerry, or send a check labeled “Jerry’s book” to: PLS, P.O. Box 2276, Asheville, NC 28802. All proceeds support the nonprofit’s work. X

Bands: Ashley Heath, Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow

Sept 7, 5-9pm The Meadow at Highland Brewing

Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion

Vape debate

BY CHASE DAVIS

Michael Scott takes a drag off his vape, and it crackles as the coil heats the liquid inside. After a couple of seconds, he cocks his head to the side and exhales. Pressing his mouth into an oval, he forms a vapor ring before raising his left hand and pushing it from behind. The ring floats up into the air until it dissipates.

“I can do a jellyfish as well,” he says. “You blow an ‘O’ and keep a bit of vape in your mouth, and then blow that out into a little cloud, which looks like a ghost. Then it goes into the ‘O’ and wraps around it to look like a jellyfish. People can do really cool stuff.”

Between vapor tricks, an array of candy-like flavors and a surge in social media popularity, vaping grows more and more ubiquitous among teens and young adults, far exceeding its original intention as a cigarette cessation tool.

That concerns health professionals — and even vape shop owners.

E-CIGARETTES CATCH ON

“I can remember 10 years ago, talking with my brother about some sort of ‘future cigarette,’” says Jeremy Ridgeway.

A smoker for more than 15 years, Ridgeway switched to vapor products in 2012 after repeatedly trying to quit. “My father passed away from a smoking-related disease, so it was a big deal for me.”

Ridgeway and business partner

Michael Cotellese opened the first of five Asheville Vapor locations in 2013.

“I didn’t get into this business to get more people addicted to nicotine; I got into the business to provide people

The clash between a budding culture and a dangerous addiction

with a nicotine addiction with a safer alternative to cigarettes,” Ridgeway says. “If a young person comes into my store that has never smoked before but is looking to get into vaping, I will turn them away. That’s not why we are here.

“Let me be totally clear — vaping is not safe. You are still inhaling a foreign substance into your lungs,” he says. “The best thing for smokers and non-smokers alike would be to just avoid it altogether. However, I know for some people, especially people who have been smoking cigarettes their whole lives, that transition can be difficult, and vaping can at least help to reduce the damage and risks associated with smoking.”

A pressing concern is the alarming rise of vape use among adolescents. According to the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, over 2.5 million U.S. middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2022. From 2017-19, e-cigarette use among high school students more than doubled to 27.5%, prompting the U.S. Surgeon General to label it an “epidemic.”

Many critics attribute the popularity of vaping among adolescents to predatory marketing tactics aimed at children. A study by Truth Initiative, a national anti-smoking advocacy group, found that 31% of children ages 13-18 who vape reported that brightly colored packaging and the availability of flavors such as candy, fruit or chocolate contributed to them trying e-cigarettes.

In early 2020, the FDA restricted flavors in cartridge-based reusable e-cigarettes like Juul to just menthol and tobacco, which are more popular with adults. But the flavor restriction didn’t apply to disposable e-cigarettes. While cartridge vapes are still the predominant form of e-cigarette, Ridgeway says that some smaller vape companies began to shift their focus to disposables in an effort to maintain their appeal with the younger audience.

In North Carolina, one must be 21 to buy any tobacco or vapor products, including e-liquids and vaporizers.

“When you tell a teenager that they can’t have something, they are

going to try everything they can to get a hold of it. It was cigarettes, now it’s vapes,” Ridgeway says. “It is up to shop owners like myself to be extremely cautious when it comes to what we sell and who we sell it to. In our stores, we don’t sell any products that have cartoon characters or really bright colors that appeal to kids. We also take ID’ing our customers very seriously and will card people under 30 as soon as they walk into the store.”

THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS?

For most people, vaping serves a utilitarian purpose: a smoking cessation aid. David Tavich, an Asheville native, began vaping to try to end his cigarette habit that began when he was 13 and grew to two or three packs per day. At 19, he was diagnosed with restrictive lung disease, which restricts his lungs from fully expanding and can send him into dangerous coughing fits that often require hospitalization.

Vaping helped Tavich quit smoking cigarettes over the course of a year when nicotine patches, pills and going cold turkey didn’t work. Vaping allows Tavich to relax without causing as much damage to his lungs.

“When I picked up vaping, a lot of my episodes of coughing fits or having trouble breathing cut down immensely, from every morning to once a month,”

COOL TRICKS: Asheville resident and vaping enthusiast

Michael Scott shows off his vapor jellyfish trick.

Photo by Chase Davis

Tavich says. “Obviously, it would have been better for me to cut out nicotine altogether, but every time I have tried, it really puts me in a bad place, mentally.”

Vaping offers a similar physical and social experience to smoking. According to a study from the National Institutes of Health, the hand-to-mouth action, inhaling and exhaling vapor, and the social aspect of vaping can help alleviate the psychological cravings associated with smoking without the harmful effects of combustion, tar and many of the chemicals found in traditional tobacco cigarettes.

“I think that a big reason that nicotine patches and gum don’t really work is because you don’t have the same motion that comes with smoking,” Tavich says. “Nicotine isn’t the only part of a smoking addiction; a lot of it is the movement and social aspect that comes with it.”

Vapers can gradually reduce nicotine intake over time, making it easier to wean themselves off the addictive substance.

“The great thing about vaping as a cessation tool is that it can be customized exactly how a person needs,” says Ridgeway. “For someone who is trying to quit smoking, we can gradually lower the nicotine concentration until they are nicotine free.”

Dr. Letlhogonolo Tlhabano, a local pulmonologist with the Asheville Pulmonary and Critical Care Associates, thinks that more research is needed to determine the true effects of vaping.

“As a pulmonary physician, I wince when I hear about people voluntarily inhaling any foreign substance. We are already exposed to more environmental toxins than we realize, adding something else seems unwise,” Tlhabano said. “Vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, but multiple studies have already shown that it can have devastating effects, not only on the respiratory system but also on cognitive development.”

THE RISE OF VAPE CULTURE

While vaping was initially created as a smoking cessation tool, other aspects have ignited its popularity. Scott, a newcomer to Asheville, has been vaping for eight years and is a part of the niche subculture known as “cloud chasing,” in which he uses his vape to create billowing cloud designs.

“I never even smoked cigarettes,” Scott says. “My mom and dad both smoked, and I hated the smell. But then I saw vaping and thought, ‘Yeah, I can get on board with that.’ I like the hobby side of it — building my coils, trying to get the biggest cloud.”

The ability to create new flavors and turn vape pens into works of art

is spawning a new vaping culture promoted on social media. Vapers soon noticed that they could blend flavors, juice smoke output, adjust temperatures and customize their pens. Enter the “mods,” or modifications.

Tavich notes that users can install different coils, adjust wattage or tinker with airflow systems to get bigger clouds, new flavors or longer battery life. He has custom-built over 20 vapes since he made the shift from cigarettes.

“Sometimes, I want to do tricks with the smoke so I will use one of my vapes with a higher coil count so that the clouds are bigger,” Tavich says. “Other times, I am really having a strong nicotine crave, so I will use a vape with a higher wattage output. It’s all up to personal preference.”

As for appearances, some change the device casing, add intricate designs or colored panels or incorporate LED lights.

“It really is an art form in its own right,” says Tavich.

Cloud chasers modify their devices by building custom electric coils, using high-powered batteries and selecting e-liquids with high levels of vegetable glycerin, which produces thicker vapor. Scott can create vapor clouds in the shapes of waterfalls, tornadoes and even a skull.

“There are some really talented cloud chasers in the vaping community that can do so much more than I can,” Scott says. “I know someone who is able to create a massive dragon that looks like it is flying through the air. With enough practice, the sky’s the limit.

“I love being a part of the vaping community, and when I go to the expos, I get to see other cloud chasers and the new tricks that they have created. It’s a surreal experience, and I would encourage anyone even remotely interested in cloud chasing to attend one.”

VAPING GOES VIRAL

Danielle Ridder, an Asheville resident and avid member of the “DIY

e-juice” Reddit page, notes that she got into DIY vaping, another popular vaping subculture, through TikTok.

“I saw a TikTok of someone making their own vape juice and I thought it looked really simple,” Ridder says. “I went online and purchased all of the ingredients, and from there, it is as simple as making a cocktail.”

During an interview with Xpress, Ridder went through the steps needed to make a custom e-liquid. The recipe she chose is flavored like the popular candy, Nerds.

“Some of the recipes are a little more challenging,” Ridder says, as she consults the Nerd Lyfe recipe, which calls for a mix of five flavors: Dragonfruit, Marshmallow, Rainbow Drops, Red Licorice, and Sweet and Tart. She opens each bottle and carefully squeezes out a few droplets at a time.

Next comes the nicotine, which resembles a doll-sized plastic jug of gasoline. As she peels off the seal, she gets a little of it on her fingers. But that does not worry her: “This is the same as what comes in a normal vape cartridge, and I get that on my fingers all the time.”

The whole process takes Ridder about 15 minutes. After the vapor cloud evaporates, Ridder notes the benefits of homemade e-liquid. “Overall, it’s a lot cheaper to make your own e-juice than to have to buy it from a store every week, plus you can make whatever you want,” Ridder says. “All it takes is getting over the learning curve.”

But Ridgeway says that there are several safety factors that need to be considered.

“Making e-liquid requires you to have a really good understanding on how the chemicals mix together as well as the ratios that are needed,” Ridgeway says. “If someone doesn’t know what they are doing, they could accidentally be vaping toxic amounts of nicotine. Or, if they were not sanitary during the process, they could have gotten bacteria into the liquid and then get really sick.”

REINING IN VAPING

Regulating vaping varies by location. Buncombe County and the city of Asheville banned vapes in municipal buildings, public parks, recreation areas and in government vehicles. “I understand not vaping inside buildings or in vehicles, but it is frustrating that it also includes parks and other public areas,” Tavich says. “The vapors do not have a smell and they don’t cause secondhand highs. Why is it so regulated?”

Regardless of warnings or restrictions, for some people like Scott, vaping is here to stay, “I don’t think I will ever leave the vaping community; it’s just too fun to quit!” X

NOT FOR NEW SMOKERS: Asheville Vapor owner Jeremy Ridgeway notes that his store is designed for people who want to stop smoking cigarettes, not for those looking to experiment with nicotine. Photo courtesy of Asheville Vapor

MIXING FLAVORS: Asheville resident Danielle Ridder has been making her own custom e-liquid to create new flavors and effects. Photo by Chase Davis

Spare change

BY BROOKE RANDLE

brandle@mountainx.com

Most days, rain or shine, 57-yearold Ken Putnam stands at the corner of Regent Park Boulevard and Patton Avenue to ask for money.

After working as a stone layer for most of his life, Putnam says that an injury and other misfortunes caused him to not only lose his livelihood but prevented him from finding work. Within a few years, Putnam was homeless.

“I’m having to start over again. I’ve filed for housing, but there’s so many people here wanting housing,” says Putnam, who has lived in Asheville since 2016.

Today, he survives on disability payments and the kindness of strangers.

Some days, Putnam explains, he will stand in the same location for hours only to walk away with $1 or less. On a good day, he may receive as much as $50, which he says covers his basic needs.

“I’ve got three priorities: water, food and clothing every day. Those are my essentials,” Putnam explains.

Asking for money, otherwise known as panhandling or flying a sign, is illegal in Asheville in most circumstances. But in spite of the city’s laws, the practice has become a common feature along roadways and on traffic medians in Asheville.

Today, city leaders are considering tightening Asheville’s ordinances — including adding regulations as to how and when drivers can give to roadside solicitors — in an effort to reduce panhandling.

A CITY DIVIDED

Giving money to panhandlers has been hotly debated among residents, homelessness services providers, business owners and city leaders in Asheville for decades. And an agreement doesn’t seem any closer.

Those who oppose panhandling question the legitimacy of some of the people who are asking, noting that some solicitors seem to work in shifts. Others maintain that they feel genuine concern for homeless residents but that handing over cash might fuel drug and alcohol addiction and ultimately endanger the lives of those whom they are trying to help.

“I have a huge soft spot for those struggling with addiction, but under no circumstances will I give them money to kill themselves with,” says Asheville resident Brian Ingle, who

Council to consider tightening panhandling laws

help that,” says Putnam. “Not all of us are criminals.”

“The Council, or mayor or whoever has a problem with all this, they’re not willing to come out and talk to the homeless,” adds one homeless woman who wishes to remain anonymous to preserve future housing or employment opportunities. “[People] are gonna do what they need to do to support themselves. If it ain’t panhandling or flying a sign, they’re gonna find something else to do. It might be robbing somebody. It might be breaking in places. They got to do what they got to do to [take care of] themselves.”

LAW OF THE LAND

While panhandling is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution, local governments can regulate it in order to ensure the safety of the general public as well as the individuals engaging in the activity.

HELP OUT OR HANDOUT? Panhandling is protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution. But local governments are allowed to regulate the practice in order to ensure the safety of the general public and individuals engaging in the activity.

answered an Xpress call for comment on the topic. “It furthermore complicates things to where it’s almost impossible to discern who’s really down on their luck and needs help versus those funding addiction.”

Those who support giving panhandlers cash or other resources say criminalizing the practice further degrades some of Asheville’s most vulnerable residents.

“In recent years the City of Asheville has seemed to focus less and less on helping the homeless and more on eliminating them from the view of tourists,” says former Hendersonville resident Sophie Tanker, who also responded to an Xpress appeal for comment. “The city makes its money through tourism campaigns that act like this city is a sanctuary for bleeding-heart liberals that want to change the world and save the planet. Then act like it. Put your money and effort into helping the homeless instead of criminalizing them.”

David Nash, interim executive director at Homeward Bound, says that the nonprofit doesn’t have a stance on pan-

handling but maintains that concerned residents and leaders should focus on housing as a solution to homelessness.

“I think it is pretty dangerous for somebody to be standing in a median on Tunnel Road or on I-240 in West Asheville on those tiny little raised areas and collecting money. So, I agree with the safety concern,” says Nash. “I think what we can all do as a community is invest more in permanent housing solutions so that people don’t have to be standing in the middle of the highway trying to raise money.”

Some homeless residents who spoke with Xpress feel that they are left out of the conversation around panhandling, even though they are most directly affected by the ordinances. Putnam acknowledges that some of those asking for money are overly aggressive toward drivers or leave behind trash. Still, he says that mental illness, injuries or substance abuse issues often keep panhandlers from finding stable employment, leaving them few options.

“Most of these people have had a very hard life. Most of them can’t

Sections 11-5 and 11-14 of the Asheville city code prohibit people from soliciting for money or accepting contributions from medians or roadways unless they obtain a permit issued by the city. City Attorney Brad Branham notes that the permitting process is managed collaboratively by Asheville’s Transportation Department and the Asheville Police Department, though permits are rarely requested.

Residents can solicit money and other resources from the sidewalk without a permit, but must remain at least 6 feet from people and refrain from using threatening language or profanity when asking. Solicitors cannot ask for money in an outdoor dining area, while riding or waiting for public transit, when under the influence of illegal drugs or alcohol or after dark, and must be at least 20 feet away from a financial institution or ATM.

Asheville’s law also prohibits panhandling in “high-traffic zones.” Those areas currently include all of Biltmore Village and a roughly 0.3-square-mile section of downtown covering most streets east of French Broad Avenue and north of Hilliard Avenue.

Violations are misdemeanors, meaning officers can issue a warning or a citation up to $50 or make an arrest.

But having a law on the books is one thing, while enforcement is another. Asheville Police Department spokesperson Samantha Booth says that increased panhandling is a symptom

Photo by Cindy Kunst

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of APD’s diminished workforce, now about 40% below full capacity. Officers have to prioritize more serious matters.

“With already low staffing levels, an arrest for panhandling would take an officer off the street for an extended amount of time,” says Booth. “Officers have less discretionary time to conduct proactive enforcement due to low staffing levels. When a critical incident like a shooting occurs, this (type of) incident typically ties up all officers working that day.”

Booth says that in 2022, APD issued 223 citations for panhandling and made 14 arrests when panhandling was associated with other charges. In the first seven months of 2023, 106 citations were issued and eight people were arrested in conjunction with other charges.

MAKING CHANGE

The city’s panhandling laws were discussed during the July 25 meeting of the Environment and Safety Committee, which consists of Council members Maggie Ullman, Sandra Kilgore and Sheneika Smith

City Attorney Branham said during the meeting that Asheville’s solicitation ordinances haven’t been updated in more than two decades and the changes proposed would “further clarify and simplify the language around the who, what and when of solicitation.”

But discussion among the committee members led to additional proposed amendments, including adding regulations around drivers giving money or other resources from their vehicles. Branham noted that Charleston, S.C., has had a similar law on the books since 2015 in which violators caught giving money or goods from a car on a city street may be fined up to $1,092 or spend 30 days in jail. Local reporting suggests that the law has reduced panhandling in that city.

Other changes would increase the distance that solicitors must be from those they are asking from 6 feet to 10 feet and expand the high traffic zones to include Haywood Road in West Asheville and the River Arts District.

“I know that sometimes the folks who are panhandling are in really dire straits, and the acts that they’re taking are uncomfortable and in many places unlawful and infringing on other citizen’s rights,” Ullman said during the meeting. “This well-intended generosity — it’s coming from a really good place. But I don’t know if it’s helping address the root cause, and it might be reinforcing these what I think are dangerous activities.”

Ullman said she would like to see a citywide information cam-

paign to redirect charitable efforts toward area nonprofits that work with homeless residents. All three committee members approved the changes during the meeting. Those amendments will now come before the full Council for approval later this month.

Branham told Xpress after the meeting that while giving money is constitutionally protected, he says other cities have found ways to place limits when safety concerns are at issue.

“Until we have completed that analysis, I can’t yet say for certain what specific proposals will be made to the City Council. However, there are no plans to outright ban giving, from vehicles or otherwise,” he explained. “The city’s considerations are strictly focused on the potential need to impose rules around this activity in order to enhance the safety of both drivers and pedestrians.”

Asheville once had a Spare Change for Real Change program, led by the Asheville Downtown Association, which directed donations away from panhandlers and toward local organizations working on behalf of the homeless. The ADA placed small black boxes around downtown that people could put money into instead of giving it to a panhandler. The initiative began in 2007, but representatives from the ADA did not respond to questions about when or why the program ended.

NEXT STEPS

Branham says that the city is reviewing data to determine whether expanded regulations around roadside panhandling are needed.

Some members of Council appeared divided over the issue.

“The suggestion to expand the solicitation ordinance to criminalize giving attempts to regulate the spirit of generosity, which not only risks severing our shared humanity during times of crises, but also distracts from goals to reduce homelessness,” Council member Kim Roney tells Xpress

“Let’s not get distracted making busy work; let’s do the hard work of reducing homelessness and improving the quality of life for all of us,” Roney adds.

Mayor Esther Manheimer echoed concerns she has heard from some residents.

“Some folks are concerned about [the] safety of those panhandling and drivers, or they are concerned it’s leading to the deteriorated state of the city,” Manheimer says. “Regardless of the perspective, there seems to be agreement that panhandling needs to be reduced or eliminated either due to enforcement and/or because people’s needs are being met and there is not a need to panhandle.”

Council members Kilgore, Smith, Antanette Mosley and Sage Turner did not return requests for comment.

Meanwhile, Council member Ullman has been seeking comment

from the public via social media and has received both praise and criticism.

On Aug. 10, Ullman and four other Council members shared an open letter on the city’s efforts around public safety and Asheville’s homeless population. The letter, which did not mention updates to the city’s panhandling ordinance specifically, was signed by all members of Council except Roney and Mosley.

On Aug. 11, Ullman announced in a widely shared social media post that the windows of her car had been broken and her tires slashed while parked at her home.

“This act of intimidation came just hours after I cosigned a letter requesting an open dialogue on violence, poverty, addiction, fear and hope for Asheville,” Ullman wrote about the incident.

“This experience has deepened my resolve,” Ullman went on to write.“We must ensure open dialogue about issues that matter to us. We deserve a community that is inclusive, safe and compassionate.

Targeting people with malicious acts is never the way.”

The issue of panhandling is expected to come before Asheville City Council at its Tuesday, Aug. 22, meeting. Council members will participate in an agenda briefing work session ahead of the formal meeting at 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 17. Public comment is not accepted at city work sessions. X

LEFT OUT: Some homeless residents who spoke with Xpress feel that they are often excluded from conversations around panhandling, even though they are most directly affected by the ordinances. Photo by Cindy Kunst

Turn the pile

BY GREG PARLIER

gparlier@mountainx.com

There would be no bananas without their peel, carrots without their top or grapes without their vine. But home cooks often have little use for the organic packaging vital to the existence of a fruit or vegetable. The soil where the food originated, however, could use the nutrients that many people send to the landfill as trash.

Fortunately for the worms and microbes working hard to break down organic matter into soil, the popularity of composting is growing in Buncombe County, and government-sponsored food-scrap collection programs are helping some residents divert food waste from landfills.

Composting has a full circle of benefits, from limiting the volume of trash sent to the landfill and curbing methane emissions to feeding the soil in local farms and gardens, says Christine Wittmeier , the organics and recycling specialist for the Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service, part of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality.

“Food production is a very resource-intensive industry. It takes water, fertilizer, land and energy to grow it, water it, harvest it, transport it and package it. And then for all of that to go to waste, because you know, someone didn’t eat it, that’s definitely also wasting all those resources that you use to get it there,” she says.

As Buncombe County and the City of Asheville cement their partnership to collect and divert food scraps and private haulers say business is booming, there’s still a long way to go to limit our residential organic trash print.

Approximately 800 tons of waste a day is deposited at the Buncombe County landfill, on average. A 2021 audit of the City of Asheville’s waste stream found that about 48% of waste from city facilities is compostable organic materials. For comparison, Danny’s Dumpster, the only compost processing facility that accepts food scraps from the public in Buncombe County, received about 1,200 tons of organic waste in all of 2021, according to data from the Department of Environmental Quality.

“When organics get buried in a landfill, it’s an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, and they release meth-

Residential composting programs heat up across Buncombe County

ane, which is a very powerful greenhouse gas,” Wittmeier says.

Any time organic material breaks down, it releases carbon dioxide and methane, but in a managed composting environment, unlike a landfill, the right mixture of material, moisture and rotation oxygenate the pile, limiting methane production.

GETTING STARTED

Composting was on Asheville’s radar early after volunteer-led WNC Food Waste Solutions Summits in 2017 and 2019 inspired the city to enter the National Resources Defense Council’s Food Matters Southeast cohort — joining Atlanta, Nashville, Tenn. and Orlando, Fla.

— which came with about $33,000 of grant money.

A two-site pilot food scrap collection program launched in 2019 and has expanded to eight sites around Buncombe County, including five libraries.

“We’ve seen a really big success with this program in terms of participation and diversion. And we’ve gotten really good feedback from the residents,” says Casi Lohmeyer, recycling coordinator for Buncombe County’s Solid Waste Division.

She said about 6,000 people have signed up for the food scrap program, diverting 209 tons of food waste from the landfill so far.

While it’s fairly easy to compost plant material in the backyard, it

takes more work to make sure animal products don’t attract scavengers, like rats and ants. The county’s program accepts meat and dairy products along with paper and plantbased items.

On the commercial side, Corner Kitchen and Chestnut have been composting for several years, says owner Joe Scully. As soon as he started a composting program, the weight of his restaurants’ trash decreased 30%, he says.

He estimates he sets aside about half a ton a week of compostable material for the compost processor.

“Our company has always been sensitive to the amount of waste that restaurants produce. And in the end, we really want to have a positive

BACK TO THE EARTH: Participants in the Buncombe County-City of Asheville food scrap drop-off program can get a complimentary container to store their scraps, as shown above by Casi Lohmeyer at the West Asheville Library’s dropoff location. Photo by Greg Parlier

effect. So that’s why we started recycling and composting,” Scully says.

WHERE TO COMPOST

After the food scrap collection program got off the ground in 2021 at the city’s Stephens-Lee Recreation Center and the Buncombe County landfill, the city received $22,500 in a Community Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant from the Department of Environmental Quality, leading to an expansion in 2022.

Residents can take compost material to the following locations:

• Stephens-Lee Recreation Center

• Murphy-Oakley Community Center and Library

• West Asheville Library

• Skyland/South Buncombe Library

• East Asheville Library

• Leicester Library

• Transfer station on Hominy Creek Road

• Buncombe County Landfill

“We decided to partner with libraries, because they’re such central and integral community locations within neighborhoods, and they’re convenient to the public,” Lohmeyer says.

Each location, except StephensLee, which had an enclosed shed, has wood compost structures built around three to four trash cans. The lids are locked with a padlock, each with the same code given out to participants when they sign up for the program.

Residents receive a free bin for food scraps to keep in their home that has a latching lid to limit odors, Lohmeyer says.

Pending a final contract with Danny’s Dumpster, the county expects to pay about $30,000 per year for the compost to be transported to the composting center.

Wittmeier says drop-off programs fill a gap for those that don’t have space or time for a garden but want to dispose of food scraps responsibly.

“I’m really glad to see food waste being mentioned more as a way that we can really make a big difference,” Wittmeier says. “We need to not only compost commercially, but we also need to get more homeowners to do it in their backyard. And I think that’s one great thing about this drop-off program. Not everyone has a yard. This allows people in apartments to compost easier.”

PRIVATE PICKUP SERVICES EXPAND SERVICES

Compost Now, based in Raleigh, has been picking up food scraps from homes in Buncombe County

since 2013, and recently expanded to Swannanoa and Black Mountain.

Kat Nigro, chief experience officer for Compost Now, says they seek to make it as easy as possible for people to keep their organic waste out of the landfill.

“Early on, we recognized that there was a large percentage of people who wanted to compost, or who were compost curious, but faced barriers that prevented them

from composting. They either didn’t have the space to compost at home themselves, the time to commit to maintaining a composting system, or the experience and knowledge to compost effectively,” she says.

Hans Hegge says bears drove him to start Compost AVL in 2020 with his wife, Jessica. An active bear population around their Fairview home made a backyard compost pile risky. But it was important to them to limit what their family of five sent to the landfill.

“Jessica is proud that we only produce one bag of garbage in a week because of recycling and composting. She loved being able to filter food waste and paper products out of the landfill,” he says.

Compost AVL focuses on the more rural parts of Buncombe County and soon Haywood County.

COMPOSTING AT THE LARGEST RESIDENCE

The Biltmore Estate is also getting its hands dirty. It opened an in-house compost processing facility in March.

The facility, designed by Advanced Composting Technologies, which also designed a facility at Warren Wilson College, processed almost 13,000 pounds of food waste and about 36,000 pounds of manure in its first month, producing nearly 25 tons of finished compost which can be used as fertilizer for its crop fields and pastures, says Biltmore public relations manager Marissa Jamison

“Composting is a vital part of the estate’s long-term sustainability vision. The composting program is part of our waste-reduction strategy to reduce Biltmore’s waste stream and the amount of material sent to the landfill,” she says.

Neither Biltmore nor Warren Wilson College’s compost programs are open to the public. Wittmeier believes this movement is just getting started, and she is hopeful compost bins will soon be commonplace in offices, homes and restaurants everywhere.

“I like to think composting is where recycling was 20 years ago. Now everybody’s very familiar with it in all of our offices, but that was not the case. [In 20 years] I think, hopefully, composting will be where recycling is now.”

FINISHED PRODUCT: Kimber Jones, Biltmore’s agriculture and natural resources coordinator, shows off some finished compost in the estate’s new in-house composting facility. Photo courtesy of The Biltmore Co.

COMPOST MIXER: Advanced Composting Technologies’ “compost special” mixer helps the natural resources team at the Biltmore Estate break down organic matter into finished compost faster. Photo courtesy of The Biltmore Co.

Reporter on the Street

Most of us have opinions, but we don’t all have the time, energy or access to share our thoughts beyond our immediate network. In an effort to hear from more of our community members, we’ve launched “Reporter on the Street,” a new monthly feature where we hit the streets to speak with local residents about a variety of topics, big and small.

What do you love about Asheville?

What are the pros and cons of living in Asheville?

For our inaugural outing, we caught up with people in West and North Asheville, as well as the River Arts District. Below are the questions we asked and some of the highlights.

Be on the look out for us in the future, in a neighborhood near you.

— Interviews by Jessica Wakeman, photographs by Frances O’Connor  X

What’s your biggest concern about Asheville right now?

“Some of the best Thai food I ever had outside of Thailand is right on French Broad Avenue — Little Bee Thai.”

— Gary Krieger, part-time resident

“People are easier to talk to. I really like the Southern hospitality culture. You can wave to your neighbors. People will wave back.”

— Ashley VanderHeide Tisdale, Weaverville resident

“There’s a lot of trash everywhere. Most people don’t really clean up after themselves and place their trash where it belongs.”

— Zailey Tegge, model

“The cost of living has gone up tremendously, and there aren’t jobs here that pay enough for most people to make that work.”

— Drayton Aldridge, musician

“I like that (my daughter’s) elementary school has small class sizes. They have great extracurriculars, and everybody who works there seems really motivated to make a difference.”

— Ashley Mosley, psychologist

“I just love it the way it is.”

— Alyce Mosley, 7-year-old

“It is very gay- and trans-friendly. And that’s a huge, huge plus.”

— Frank Lothschuetz, homestay

operator

“The city could do more for affordable housing. The same thing that made real estate a good investment here priced some people out of the market. They need to be accommodated, because so often they’re the people that work in the restaurants and make this such a cool place.”

— Peter Phillips, homestay operator

“Homeless people are an issue because they cause problems everywhere. I have to deal with them at work, trying to come in doors they’re not supposed to, breaking into cars in the parking lot. (The city and county) weren’t really doing anything about the homeless during COVID, so it went more wild. More drug use. I was going to work downtown and watching people right there in Aston Park shooting up drugs.”

— Joseph Kimrey, chef, formerly homeless

Come to Leicester during the third weekend of August when Leicester artists welcome visitors to thier studios, homes and community. Get off the beaten path to discover unique pieces, and purchase handmade art and crafts directly from the creators. Leicester is a rural community with a proud farming heritage and love of functional and decorative art. We are located just 15 minutes northwest of downtown Asheville, NC.

Flat Iron Hotel slated to open in the fall

The Flat Iron Hotel at 20 Battery Park Ave. in downtown Asheville is slated to open this fall, according to the Indigo Road Hospitality Group, a Charleston, S.C. property management company.

Originally constructed in 1927, the Flat Iron Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is considered one of Asheville’s most iconic buildings. The hotel project received both criticism and praise after members of Asheville City Council narrowly approved a rezoning that would convert the use of the space from commercial and office space into a boutique hotel.

Following the approval of the hotel project, Council voted to approve a 17-month ban on new hotel construction in Asheville that lasted until September 2020. In 2021, Council revised its rules for approving new hotel projects by allowing developers to build hotels with up to 115 rooms without Council approval if they contribute community benefits such as public parking or funding for affordable housing or reparations.

The Flat Iron Hotel will comprise 71 guest rooms and six suites, and feature a rooftop bar, a speakeasy cocktail bar and an upscale Italian eatery offering dishes made from local ingredients. Details on the opening will be announced at a later date. More information at avl.mx/ct3.

OnTrack gets new executive director

OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling announced that Melinda Bullen has joined the agency as executive director at OnTrack WNC effec-

tive Aug. 1. Bullen holds an executive master’s degree of public administration from Portland State University and a bachelor’s of fine arts from

UNC Asheville and previously served in roles at the Portland Water Bureau, Mount Hood Community College in Oregon, and UNC Asheville. Bullen

assumes the role as OnTrack’s former executive director, Celeste Collins, retires later this month.

Lowe’s expands farm offerings

Home improvement company Lowe’s is expanding its farm, ranch and other outdoor products across seven locations in Asheville and Western North Carolina. The new products, such as livestock supplies, trailers, fencing, utility vehicles and specialized hardware, are aimed at those living in rural areas and will be available through the summer.

Heat assistance

The Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry’s Relief from the Heat, which aims to provide air conditioning units, fans and other cooling assistance for families in need to prevent heat-related deaths, began last month. Last year, 267 families with 554 household members were provided cooling assistance, but ABCCM Executive Director, Rev. Scott Rogers, says the rising temperatures this year are expected to increase the need for assistance. More information at avl.mx/cw5.

Blind Tiger guesthouse now open

The Blind Tiger, a guesthouse and gathering space at 173 E. Chestnut St., opened last month. The property will feature 14 unique rooms and host works from local artists. Amenities will include a complimentary artisanal toast bar and yogurt bar, off-street parking and personalized concierge services. The Asheville location joins other Blind Tiger properties in Portland, Maine, and Burlington, Vt., which are managed by the Lark Hotels group. More information at avl.mx/ct4.

New manager for Waste Pro

Waste management service Waste Pro has selected Troy Hibbs for the role of division manager of its Asheville Division. Hibbs has two decades of management experience and has worked for two of the largest solid waste companies in the Midwest for the last 10 years.

As Waste Pro’s division manager, Hibbs will oversee 75 employees who operate 50 collection vehicles and serve approximately 44,000 custom-

COMING SOON: Asheville City Council approved a rezoning that converted the use of the Flat Iron building from office space into a boutique hotel in 2019. Photo by Thomas Calder

ers throughout Buncombe County, Laurel Park, Biltmore Lake and Black Mountain.

Employee of the year

Manufacturer IFB Solutions, which employs the largest number of people who are blind in the U.S. and has locations in Asheville, Winston-Salem, Durham and Little Rock, Ark., recently recognized several individuals through the nonprofit’s 2023 Employee Awards, including Asheville Facility Employee of the Year Tony Brake Brake, who is visually impaired, has worked in assembly and packaging at IFB Solutions’ Asheville manufacturing facility since 2018.

Explore Asheville exec to retire

Marla Tambellini, senior vice president of marketing at Explore Asheville, will retire in the first quarter of 2024 after 30 years. Tambellini was recognized in the 2020 Visit NC Winners Circle by Visit NC and guided several campaigns that helped reflect and project Asheville as “Foodtopia,” Beer City and the next great live music scene, among other accomplishments.

In anticipation of her departure, Explore Asheville has launched a search for a vice president of marketing. More information at avl.mx/ct5.

Kaplan leaves CFO Solutions

Ken Kaplan , co-founder of Asheville-based CFO Solutions has stepped down from his role after 15 years. It provides senior-level chief financial officers to companies on a contract basis. Kaplan CFO equity partner Mark Majewski will assume day-to-day leadership of the firm.

Majewski joined Kaplan in 2019 and became an equity partner in 2021. Prior to joining Kaplan CFO, Majewski worked primarily in the food industry, where he held leadership positions in general management, sales and marketing, and finance.

WNCSource wins safety award

The N.C. Public Transportation Association recognized WNCSource Transportation, which operates Apple Country Public Transit in Hendersonville, with the NCPTA 2023 Safety Award for urban/regional/small fixed routes under 1 million miles.

This is the third consecutive year that the transportation service has won the statewide award, which applauds public transit operators that demonstrate a commitment to safe transportation.

WNCSource Transportation employs nine drivers and six busses and is contracted by Henderson County which operates Apple Country Transit’s three hourly public transit routes, paratransit service and rural routes, medical transportation, shopping routes, and community transportation for elderly and disabled residents.

Downtown Association picks leader

The Asheville Downtown Association appointed Hayden Plemmons as executive director last month. Prior to joining the ADA, Plemmons served as the senior director of operations at the Downtown Denver Partnership, a member-based organization and Business Improvement District for downtown Denver.

Biltmore Co. to match donations at MHO

The Biltmore Co., which owns and operates Biltmore Estate, is offering a $35,000 matching gift challenge in celebration of Mountain Housing Opportunities’ 35th anniversary. The fundraising initiative, which began in June, will match all donations made to MHO on a dollar-for-dollar basis, up to $35,000, resulting in at least $70,000 raised. MHO, which aims to develop and preserve affordable housing in Buncombe County and Western North Carolina, celebrated the occasion at Highland Brewing Co. on July 27.

$400,000 given for innovation

The Asheville Merchants Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina recently awarded a total of $400,000 to eight Buncombe County nonprofit organizations to support innovative projects that strengthen community and stimulate economic growth.

Among the awards and recipients are $50,000 over two years to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina; $50,000 over two years to Black Wall Street AVL; $50,000 over two years to Center for Agricultural and Food Entrepreneurship; and $50,000 over two years to Eblen Charities. See the full list of recipients at avl.mx/ct9.

AUG.

-

 Online-only events

 More info, pages 32-33

WELLNESS

Tai Chi for Balance

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

WE (8/16, 23), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

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

WE (8/16, 23), noon, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Tai Chi Fan

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

WE (8/16, 23), 1pm, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Community Yoga & Mindfulness

An evening of breathwork, meditation and yoga with Lauren Catalano. Bring your own mat.

WE (8/16), 6pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Sunset Herbal Therapy

Yoga

With freshly picked herbs from the farm's garden. Bring a yoga mat and/or towel.

WE (8/16), 7pm, Well

Seasoned Table Farm, 9 Glady Knoll, Candler

Morning Meditation

A grounding meditation experience with a silent group sit.

FR (8/18), 7:30am, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Qigong for Health

Using exercises to optimize energy within the body, mind and spirit.

FR (8/18), 9am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Experience Shiva -Shakti Within Awakening the wisdom of Divine Feminine for self healing transformation.

FR (8/18), 6pm, Asia

House Asheville, 119 Coxe Ave

Therapeutic Slow Flow

Yoga

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

SA (8/19), 10am, Mount Inspiration Apparel, 444 Haywood Rd

Magnetic Minds: Depression/Bipolar Support Group

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

SA (8/19), 2pm, 1316 Ste C Parkwood Rd

Ladies Sunday Cycles

Routes will be posted on the Ride My GPS app under WNC Outdoor Collective.

SU (8/20), 7:30am, WNC Outdoor Collective, 110 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain

Wild Souls Authentic Movement Class

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

SU (8/20), 9:30am, Dunn's Rock Community Center, 461 Connestee Rd, Brevard

Walking Meditation

To reduce stress, anxiety and increase health and well being.

Meditation instructions provided.

SU (8/20), 10am, Walk Jones Wildlife Sanctuary, Montreat

Summer Flow w/Jamie

This level 1+ class is designed to cool the body during the summer months. Expect a slow flow with long cool downs. Class is held outside. Bring a mat.

SU (8/20), 10:30am, One World Brewing West, 520 Haywood Rd

Yoga in the Park

Each class is unique, All-levels welcomed, but bring your own props and mat. Pre-register at avl.mx/9n6 SU (8/20), 11am, 220 Amboy Rd

Gentle Yoga for Queer & GNC Folks

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

individuals.

SU (8/20), 1:30pm, West Asheville Yoga, 602 Haywood Rd

Skinny Beats Sound Healing

Attune your body to new frequencies as a cacophony of sounds and music slow your brainwaves to a restorative state, leaving you feeling restored and centered.

SU (8/20), 2pm, The Restoration Hotel, 68 Patton Ave

Free Zumba No experience required, all fitness levels are welcome. Bring a towel and

dancing shoes. MO (8/21), 11:30am, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Tai Chi for Beginners

Build balance as well as body awareness.

MO (8/21), 11:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Mett Meditation

In-person guided meditation focused on benevolence and loving-kindness. Beginners and experienced practitioners are welcome.

MO (8/21), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Nia Dance Fitness

A sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts and healing arts. It empowers people of all shapes and sizes by connecting the body, mind, emotions and spirit.

TU (8/22), 10:30am, Dragon Phoenix, 51 N Merrimon Ave

Weekly Group Run

No-pressure run club that is open to all ages and experience levels.

TU (8/22), 6pm, Weaverville Yoga, 7 Florida Ave, Weaverville

Zumba

Mask and social distancing required. Registration not

necessary. Por favor usa tu cubre bocas antes de la clase.

TU (8/22), 6:30pm, St. James Episcopal Church, 424 W State St, Black Mountain

Beginners Aerial Silks

Learn a new skill and be part of a supportive community. All bodies are welcome. Space is limited, registration is required.

WE (8/23), 5:30pm, Amethyst Realm, 244 Short Coxe Ave

Beginner Full Body Workout

Free workout for those looking to jump start their fitness. Drop-ins welcome, but advance registration helps with

planning.

TH (8/24), 6pm, Burton Street Community Center, 134 Burton St

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

TH (8/24), 7pm, Quietude Micro-retreat Center, 1130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

ART

Daily Craft Demonstrations

Two artists of different media will explain and

demonstrate their craft with informative materials displayed at their booths, daily. These free and educational opportunities are open to the public. Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway

Romare Bearden: Ways of Working

This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores many of the artist’s most frequently used mediums. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through Jan. 22, 2024.

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 the medium can be seen in this selection of works. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed Tuesday. Exhibition through April 15, 2024.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

David Sheldon: We Are The Mountains

This exhibition is a celebration of the people, animals and natural wonders of Western North Carolina. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am. Exhibition runs through Aug. 26.

Mark Bettis Studio & Gallery, 123 Roberts St

Arts-N-Scraps

Bring your creativity and interest in craft.

All the supplies will be provided for you. The Burger Bar, 1 Craven

Public Tour: Intersections in American Art Docent-led tours of the museum's collection and special exhibitions. No reservations required.

TH (8/17), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Bizarre Sábado

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

TH (8/17), 8pm, Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St

18th Annual Come to Leicester Artist Studio

Tour

A free, self-guided tour through the rural countryside of Leicester visiting artists in their studios. Featuring a variety of arts and crafts including brooms, pottery, paintings, iron work, wood, jewelry, fiber, mosaic, enamel and mixed media. See p33

SA (8/19)-SU (8/20), Multiple locations in Leicester

Rachel Meginnes: Snapshot Exhibition

A collection of deconstructed quilts and discarded textiles woven on a digital loom, utilizing images sourced from the artist’s surrounding environment. Gallery open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am. Exhibition through Sept. 9.

Tracey Morgan Gallery, 188 Coxe Ave

Geometry of Nature

This show brings together 18 glass artists to create representations of the geometry of nature and its symmetry that both thrill and mystify artists, scientists, and laymen

alike.

SU (8/20), 10am, North Carolina Glass Center, 140 Roberts St

My Soul: Mexican Surrealism with a Japanese Heart Japanese-Mexican artist, Yui Sakamoto paints large, colorful and highly detailed dreamlike works, carrying forward the rich history of Surrealism in Mexico.

Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10am and Sunday, noon. Exhibition runs through Aug. 26.

SU (8/20), 12pm, Bender Gallery, 29 Biltmore Ave

The Art of Food: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

This exhibition explores the many identities of food in daily life: whether a source of pleasure, a reason for gathering, a mass-produced commodity, or a reflection of social ideologies and divisions. Gallery open daily, 11am, closed on Tuesday. Exhibition through Oct. 22.

Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Black Mountain College & Mexico Exhibition

The exhibition includes original visual works and sound installations by prominent contemporary Mexican artists alongside vintage works by BMC artists and relevant archival materials. Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 11am, closed Sunday. Exhibition through September 9.

Black Mountain College Museum & Arts Center, 120 College St, Black Mountain

Transient Bodies

This exhibition will expound upon the fragmented, damaged, and repaired body to demonstrate ideas of transience and resilience despite limitations, pain and trauma.

Gallery open Monday through Friday, 9 am. Exhibition through August 30.

Revolve, 821 Riverside

Dr

Cast Iron Bluegrass

An evening of high energy bluegrass. Bring chairs and bug spray. No dogs or smoking.

FR (8/18), 6pm, $20, Bloom WNC Flower Farm, 806 North Fork Rd, Black Mountain

Summer Music Series

With music from Billy Presnell.

FR (8/18), 6pm, Oak and Grist Distilling Company, 1556 Grovestone Rd, Black Mountain

Concert Series on the Creek: The Get Right Band Free concert series for the community with psychedelic indie rock group. Donations encouraged.

FR (8/18), 7pm, Bridge Park Gazebo, 76 Railroad Ave, Sylva

Flacktastic: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Roberta Flack

The Swannanoa Valley Museum and White

Horse Black Mountain have teamed up to celebrate Roberta Flack and her music. Regional favorite Kat Williams will be the featured vocalist.

FR (8/18), 8pm, White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Songs & Stories from the Mountains

An afternoon of singing and storytelling with Josh Goforth. This event is free and open to the public.

SA (8/19), 4pm, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 10 N Liberty St

An Evening w/Marya Stark

A mystical and enchanted evening with vocalist, composer, performer and multi-instrumentalist, Marya Stark.

SA (8/19), 7:30pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

Sunday Live: Steve Lapointe

Live performance by pianist-in-residence who brings artworks and special exhibitions to life.

SU (8/20), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

An Evening of Kirtan

w/Nina Rao & Aditi

Sethi

A joyful evening of welcoming and traditional Kirtan, calland-response chanting, with Nina Rao and Aditi Sethi.

TU (8/22), 7pm, AyurPrana Listening Room, 312 Haywood Rd

Michael Jefry Stevens

Quartet

Michael Jefry Stevens on keyboard, Rick Dilling on drums, Bryan McConnell on bass and Will Boyd on saxophone.

TH (8/24), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Outdoor Jazz Concert Series

A live jazz series.

TH (8/24), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Wings & Strings: Carver & Carmody

This music series at at the Sweeten Creek location will feature local bluegrass-style bands every Wednesday.

TH (8/24), 6:30pm, Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack South, 3749 Sweeten Creek Rd, Arden

Singer Songwriter Showcase: Ken Horgan, Robert Thomas & Tim Williams

This showcase features local musicians such as Ken Horgan, Robert Thomas and Tim Williams.

TH (8/24), 8pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

LITERARY

Asheville Storyslam: Back To School Prepare a five minute story about hitting the books. Classroom antics and lunchtime hierarchies, dentention delinquent or teacher’s pet.

TH (8/17), 7:30pm, The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave

Meagan Lucas: In Conversation w/Dale Neal & Matthew Fiander

COMMUNITY MUSIC

The Songwriter Sessions w/Mare Carmody, Tom Fisch & Brodie Porterfield

An evening of original songs with local musicians

WE (8/16), 7pm, The Brandy Bar, 504 7th Ave E, Hendersonville

Thursday Night Live: Jessie Meltz Harp

An evening of live music in the museum’s Windgate Foundation

Atrium featuring Jessie Meltz and her harp.

TH (8/17), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Mark's House Jam & Beggar's Banquet

Weekly Sunday potluck and musician's jam with acoustic and plug in players. Bring a dish to share.

SU (8/20), 3pm, Asheville Guitar Bar, 122 Riverside Dr

Sirens of Hominy Series

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

TU (8/22), 6pm, FBO Hominy Creek, 230 Hominy Creek Rd

90 seconds of material that isn't working.

WE (8/16, 23), 6:30pm, Asheville Music Hall, 31 Patton Ave

Poetry Open Mic

Hendo

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

18+

TH (8/24), 7:30pm, Shakedown Lounge, 706 Seventh Ave East, Hendersonville

THEATER & FILM

Every Brilliant Thing

This is a one woman show about the brilliant things in life that make it worth living for. Various dates and times through Aug. 20.

Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville

Treasure Island

A new take on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of buccaneers and buried gold, from local playwright Honor Moor.

FR (8/18), SA (8/19), SU (8/20), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St

The Miraculously Inventive Machine of Charlie Mean

This all ages show is about bullies and how one small child deals with them.

Toybox's Monthly Puppetry Series

This new series will feature original works by acclaimed award-winning puppeteer and clown Toybox, with special guests.

SA (8/19), 11am, The Magnetic Theatre, 375 Depot St

Accordion Time Machine Presents: Back in the Habit

A journey of existential oddity, culinary experimentation, parental quandries, botanical brutality, psychotherapeutic silliness and geriatric sex appeal.

FR (8/18), SA (8/19), 7:30pm, Attic Salt Theatre, The Mills at Riverside, 2002 Riverside Dr

Fringe Summer Nights Vol. 3: Strange

Daughters Butoh, The Accidentals & Justin Evans

Pop-up performances, Asheville Fringe announcements, cold beverages and weirdo

camaraderie. SU (8/20), 6pm, The Wedge at Foundation, 5 Foundy St

MEETINGS & PROGRAMS

Adult River Snorkeling

Each participant will be given a wetsuit and wetsuit socks. Water shoes, snorkels, masks, and life jackets can also be provided if requested before the program date.

WE (8/16), 9am, Asheville Recreation Park, 65 Gashes Creek Rd

Money Visioning & Goal Setting

In this live and interactive online class, you will get a clear picture of your money goals through an interactive visioning exercise.

Register at avl.mx/cr0

WE (8/16), noon, Online

Bikes-N-Brews

A weekly group ride that takes in the views of Black Mountain and Old Fort and concludes at the WNC Outdoor Collectivea.

WE (8/16), 5:30pm, WNC Outdoor Collective, 110 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain

Farm to Fabric Summer Camp

Local Cloth's initiative to reach out to the youth in our area to spread the love of these arts is highlighted with the debut of this summer camp.

TH (8/17), 9am, Local Cloth, 408 Depot St Gardening In The Mountains Presents: Update on Oaks & Trees in Transition Learn from plant pathologist and oak decline expert Ryan Blaedow about the health and status of oaks in WNC. Registration is required.

TH (8/17), 10am, Online, buncombemastergardener.org/ upcoming-events/ Women First Representatives from three local leading services for women and children will share information about their services, critical needs in our community and what we can do to help.

TH (8/17), noon, The Art Space, 2021 Asheville Hwy, Hendersonville

All Aboard for Asheville & The Swannanoa Valley: A Vintage Postcard Journey by Rail, 1880-1930 Based on The Bun-

A conversation with three NC fiction writers. Celebrating the release of Meagan’s new short story collection, Here in the Dark SA (8/19), 3pm, City Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St, Sylva Teen Poetry Writing & Slam

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

TU (8/22), 2pm, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Joke Writing Workshop

Hosted by Disclaimer Stand Up Lounge and moderated by Cody Hughes, weekly. Bring

Sept 7, 5-9pm

Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion

Bands: Ashley Heath, Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow Free community event

combe County Name

Game Book by Mary McPhail Standaert, PhD.

TH (8/17), 6pm, Black Mountain Public Library, 105 N Dougherty St, Black Mountain

Butts & Boots: Line Dancing

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

TH (8/17), 6pm, Banks Ave, 32 Banks Ave

Change Your Palate Cooking Demo

This free food demonstration is open to everyone but tailored towards those with type 2 diabetes or hypertension and/or their caretakers. With host Shaniqua Simuel.

FR (8/18), 5:30pm, AmeriHealth Caritas, 216 Asheland Ave

Montford Gaming Night

Video game night for ages 12 to 15. Advance registration required, space limited. Snacks and drinks provided.

FR (8/18), 6:30pm, Tempie Avery Montford Community Center, 34 Pearson Ave

Plant Clinic

Master Gardener volunteers will be available to answers your gardening questions and address your related concerns.

SA (8/19), 9am, Asheville City Market - Downtown, 52 N Market St

History Hour: The Untold Stories of PARI

Author Craig Gralley will share the history of the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute which has served NASA, the Department of Defense and now a nonprofit education group for 60 years.

SA (8/19), 10am, Pack Memorial Library, 67 Haywood St

Siege on Davidson's Fort A re-enactment of the siege on Davidson's Fort. With craft demonstrations, cooking, Native American pottery, rug makers and more.

SA (8/19), 10am, Davidson's Fort Historic Park, 140 Bud Hogan Dr, Old Fort

AMCHC Health Fair

An afternoon of entertainment, education and food. Free health screenings and back to school supplies will be provided.

SA (8/19), 11am, Appalachian Mountain Community Health Centers at Dale Fell, 77 McDowell St

Free Intro to On-camera Auditions

Learn the ropes of self-submitting for TV, film, and commercials - even if you're a total

newbie.

SA (8/19), 2pm, Misfit Improv & Acting School, 573 Fairview Rd

Walking Tour of Historic Downtown

Black Mountain

Museum staff will relay the history of several buildings and discussing topics including the building of the Swannanoa Tunnel and the disastrous downtown fire of 1912.

SA (8/19), 2pm, Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center, 223 West State St, Black Mountain

Write Your Values

Workshop

Author Misha Lazzara reveals how our beliefs, ideals and spiritual or material interests can guide storytelling to greater depths. See p33

SA (8/19), 3pm, Firestorm Books, 1022 Haywood Rd

Tantra Speed Date

Spend the night meeting singles and play fun relationship skill-building games.

SA (8/19), 5:30pm, WellSpring Wellness Center, 960 Tunnel Rd

Weekly Sunday Scrabble Club

Tournament-style scrabble. All levels of play.

SU (8/20), 12:15pm, Stephens Lee

Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave

Fast and Loose:

Femme & Queer

Comedy Workshop

Open to all femme and non-binary identifying people. Ages 18+

SU (8/20), 1:30pm, Catawba Brewing South Slope, 32 Banks Ave

Game Day: Perspective Café

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

SU (8/20), 2pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S Pack Square

Guided Walk of Hendersonville's Garden & Arboretum

Arborist Bill Leatherwood will lead a walk to identify the trees and discuss the special care and maintenance that helps the plants and trees thrive in the landscaped, restrictive areas of the beds and containers on Main Street.

SU (8/20), 2pm, Downtown Hendersonville South Main Street

Ethical Culture’s Unique Role in the World

Don Montagna, retired Ethical Culture Leader of the Washington Ethical Society, will reflect on Ethical Culture’s unique role in the world.

SU (8/20), 2:30pm, Ethical Humanist Society, 227 Edgewood Rd

Sew Co./Rite of Passage Factory Tour

On this 30 minute micro-tour, learn about sustainable and transparent business practices and hear about production processes and client collaborations. Preregister at avl.mx/cec

MO (8/21), 11am, Rite of Passage Clothing & SewCo, 240 Clingman Ave Ext

ArtsAVL Town Hall: Thomas Wolfe Auditorium

A panel and discussion that will focus on the current state and possible futures of Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

MO (8/21), 3pm, Harrah's Cherokee Center, 87 Haywood St

Chess Club

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

MO (8/21), 4pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

Free E-Bike Rental

A free one hour bike adventure to experience Asheville's historic River Arts District, French Broad River Greenway, local breweries, restaurants and more.

WE (8/23), 10am, ACE Bikes, 342 Depot St

Choosing the Correct Business Entity

The free online seminar will review the four main business entity choices and help you choose the one right for your business today, and in the future.

WE (8/23), 11:30am, Online, facebook.com/ events/1731895917271313

Homemade Health & Wellness Series w/ Ashley English

A class series focusing on homemade health and wellness items with author, teacher, and homesteader.

WE (8/23), 6pm, Enka-Candler Library, 1404 Sandhill Rd, Candler

Spanish Club

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

WE (8/23), 6pm, Black Mountain Brewing, 131 NC-9, Black Mountain

The Learning Garden

Presents: Printing w/ Leaves & Flowers

Learn how tannin and pigments in plants allow us to make amazing prints on fabric.

TH (8/24), 10am, Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center, 49 Mount Carmel Rd

InvestHER Asheville Chapter

This second meetup will feature information about InvestHER and what to expect when you join this group and reviewing the commitment expectations.

TH (8/24), 6pm, Harmony Interiors AVL, 936 Tunnel Rd

Swing Dance Lesson & Dance

Every Thursday.

TH (8/17, 24), 7pm, Alley Cat Social Club, 797 Haywood Rd

LOCAL MARKETS

Etowah Lions Club

Farmers Market

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

WE (8/16, 23), 3pm, Etowah Lions Club, 447 Etowah School Rd, Hendersonville

RAD Farmers Market

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

WE (8/16, 23), 3pm, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Weaverville Tailgate Market

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

WE (8/16), 3pm, Weaverville Tailgate Market, 60 Lake Shore Dr Weaverville, NC

Biltmore Park Farmers Market

A wide array of farm-fresh seasonal produce, eggs, honey, locally-grown flowers, artisan baked goods, foraged mushrooms, handmade soaps, and more from local farmers, specialty food producers and crafters. Every Thursday through Aug. 17.

TH (8/17, 24), 3pm, Biltmore Park Town Square, Town Square Blvd

Pack Square Artisan Market

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

Every Friday through Oct. 27.

FR (8/18), 1pm, Pack Square Park

Saluda Tailgate Market

Over a dozen vendors every Friday May - Oct.

The agriculture-only market features an assortment of homegrown produce, meat and eggs within a 25-mile radius.

FR (8/18), 4:30pm, Saluda Tailgate Market, W Main St, Saluda

Henderson County Tailgate Market

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

SA (8/19), 8am, Henderson County Tailgate Market, 100 N King St, Hendersonville

Hendersonville Farmers Market

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

SA (8/19), 8am, Hendersonville Farmers Market, 650 Maple St, Hendersonville

North Asheville Tailgate Market

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

SA (8/19), 8am, North Asheville Tailgate Market, 3300 University Heights

Asheville City Market

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

SA (8/19), 9am, Asheville City Market - Downtown, 52 N Market St

Black Mountain Tailgate Market

Featuring organic and sustainably grown produce, plants, cut flowers, herbs, locally raised meats, seafood, breads, pastries, cheeses, eggs and local arts and handcrafted items. Every Saturday through Nov. 18.

SA (8/19), 9am, Black Mountain Tailgate Market, 130 Montreat Rd, Black Mountain

Grove Street Pop-Up Market

For people who like to sell the best for less. Items include gently worn clothes, sweets and treats, handmade crafts, pottery and more, SA (8/19), 9am, Grove St Community Center, 36 Grove St

Dalton's Garage Sale Distillery will open at noon for drinks and bottle sales.

SA (8/19), 10am, Dalton Distillery, 251 Biltmore Ave

Makers Market

Featuring a different combination of weekly vendors alongside resident studio artists.

SA (8/19), 12pm, The Elephant Door, 126 Swannanoa River Rd

Makers Market

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

SA (8/19), noon, Atelier Maison & Co., 121 Sweeten Creek Rd

Night Markets

Discover handcrafted wonders, artisanal delights and treasures at this community market with local vendors and makers. SA (8/19), 5pm, The Railyard Black Mountain, 141 Richardson Ave, Black Mountain

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.

WNC Farmers Market, 570 Brevard Rd

Meadow Market

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

SU (8/20), 1pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy

Leicester Farmers Market

With over 30 vendors. Locally grown and sourced selection of meats, produce, eggs, plants and flowers, baked goods, cheese, honey, sauces, crafts, art and more. Every Wednesday through Oct. 25.

WE (8/16, 23), 3pm, Leicester Community Center, 2979 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester

Enka-Candler Tailgate Market

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

TH (8/17, 24), 3pm, A-B Tech Small Business Center, 1465 Sand Hill Rd, Candler

Flat Rock Farmers Market

A diverse group of local produce and fruit farmers, craft-food makers, bread bakers,

wild crafters, art-crafters, and merrymakers.

Every Thursday through Oct. 26.

TH (8/17, 24), 3pm, Pinecrest ARP Church, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Flat Rock

FESTIVALS & SPECIAL EVENTS

United for Youth Block Party

Celebrate the youth and families of the community with this free block party filled with youth performers, a DJ, free food, agency booths, a youth career fair and more.

TH (8/17), 3pm, Pack Square Park

Rhythm & Brews

Concert Series: Fireside Collective & The Roving Progressive bluegrass and Americana.

TH (8/17), 5:30pm, Downtown Hendersonville South Main Street Park Rhythms Summer Concert Series w/ Ashley Heath

Featuring the “velvet soul” singer.

TH (8/17), 7pm, Black Mountain Veterans Park, 10 Veterans Park Dr Black Mountain

Get off the Grid Fest '23

This solar-powered music festival is designed to educate, entertain and empower with live music, yoga, ecstatic dance, herbalism, a speaker series, roving performers, local craft vendors, artisanal food and beverages, hands-on workshops, and a robust lineup of amazing musicians and educators. Featured performers include Darrell Scott's Electrifying Trio, Strung Like a Horse, Sol Driven Train, Amanda Platt & The Honeycutters, the Abbey Elmore Band, Sol Dance and many more.

FR (8/18)-SU (8/20), The Music Camp, 600 Bruckner Rd, Spartanburg, SC

Downtown After 5 With Asheville All Stars playing originals and covers from rock to hip hop. Students from Asheville Rock Academy to open.

FR (8/18), 5pm, Downtown After 5, 100 Block N Lexington Ave

Hot Nights Cool Rides: Kick Off

A free cruise-in and concert to kick of the 31st Hot Nights Cool Rides car show. Come early and register your car for Saturday's car show. For more information contact Amy Bridges at (828) 447-1730.

FR (8/18), 6pm, Forest City Pavilion On Park Square, 153 Park Square Cir, Forest City

BMCC's Concert For Mental Health

The concert will feature local singer-songwriters Brian Hilligoss and Zachary Warren Briggs, and will also include a silent auction and refreshments. All concert proceeds go towards funding crucial mental health services in Western North Carolina.

FR (8/18), 6:30pm, Anderson Auditorium, Lookout Rd, Montreat 17th Annual Franklin Area Folk Festival

Come learn about the culture and folkways of Southern Appalachian Mountains by engaging in one of the many living history experiences, a trademark of the Franklin Area Folk Festival.

SA (8/19), 10am, Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center, 51 Cowee School Dr Harvest Records 19th Anniversary

With DJs, fresh beer, food, raffles and many records to browse from.

SA (8/19), 10am, Harvest Records, 415-B Haywood Rd

Shiloh Back 2 School

Bash

Stocked book bags, music, games and summer fun to celebrate the start of another school year for Asheville's students.

SA (8/19), 1pm, Linwood Crump Shiloh Community Center, 121 Shiloh Rd

Canna Con Bazaar

Dress up as your favorite character and enjoy a comic con themed event that is fun for the whole family. With music, food, mocktails and vendors.

SA (8/19), 3pm, Franny's Farmacy South Slope, 231 Biltmore Ave Shindig on the Green Bring a blanket, chair, dancing shoes, and family for this dose of regional music, dance and storytelling. With Bear's Smokehouse BBQ food truck and The Hop Ice Cream onsite. No pets or alcohol.

SA (8/19), 7pm, Pack Square Park, 121 College St

BENEFITS & VOLUNTEERING

Zoe & Cloyd's Klezgrass Concert on the Lawn

This unique concert blends tunes from Klezmer and the Appalachian Mountains. Part of an annual fundraiser for the Asheville Jewish Community Center. SU (8/20), 4pm, Jewish Community Center, 236 Charlotte St

From setback to comeback

ABCCM’s dental clinic seeks to reopen after 3-year closure

SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT: In April, Dr. Perry Stamatiades provided free dental care to 104 patients, including fillings, cleanings, extractions, radiographs and examinations. Photo courtesy of Stamatiades

BY CORY THOMPSON

email@mountainx.com

For nearly three decades, the Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Medical Ministry has provided free and low-cost medical care for people who are uninsured or underinsured. During that time, the ministry expanded to include two pharmacies and a dental clinic. Nearly all these services are located at the ABCCM Doctors’ Medical Clinic at 155 Livingston Street in Asheville.

Like nonprofits everywhere, COVID-19 caused the Medical Ministry’s work to scale back the breadth of care from their all-volunteer health care providers. “We had to shut down many of our services, and we were left with a core group of physicians seeing patients three mornings a week,” explains ABCCM Medical Ministry Director Dr. Daniel Frayne.

However, the dental clinic, which provided fillings and cleanings, stopped operating entirely due to the pandemic. “The nature of dental care made it an unnecessary risk for non-essential procedures,” Frayne explains. Three years later, the den-

tal care program is still closed, which he calls a significant setback for the populations it served. “We refer away 10 people a day who call looking for dental care,” he tells Xpress

The Minnie Jones Health Center, a clinic of the Western North Carolina Community Health Services, offers another option for free and reducedcost dental work. WNCCHS is a federally-qualified health center, which provides income-based, sliding scale care. However, the demand for accessible dental care remains high in Western North Carolina.

Now, a dedicated group of health care providers and community members have joined together to resurrect ABCCM’s dental clinic. On August 25 at 6:30 p.m., The Rock Church in Candler will host a fundraiser, with an eye toward acquiring equipment needed to reopen the dental clinic.

ABCCM set a funding target of $80,000 toward startup costs and the purchase of two digital X-ray machines, which Frayne says are essential to providing care. The dental clinic has other equipment and tools in its Livingston Street facility that have “been waiting to be used for the past three years,” he says.

ABCCM Executive Director Rev. Scott Rogers hopes the dental clinic can reopen in the fall, although that is contingent upon health care providers volunteering their services. The hope is for one dentist and one dental hygienist to volunteer for five hours on Saturday afternoons at first.

SERVANTS OF SMILES

Asheville’s dental community will also appear on the big screen as part of the fundraiser for ABCCM’s dental clinic.

In April, local documentary producer Caleb Owolabi filmed Dr. Perry Stamatiades, an Asheville dentist who has volunteered at ABCCM’s dental clinic since 1996, for a docuseries called “Servants of Smiles.”

Owolabi named the docuseries after an annual day of service initiated by Stamatiades. Ten years ago, family obligations interfered with Stamatiades’ ability to staff the ABCCM dental clinic during evening hours. To mitigate the loss, he started an annual event at his practice, Zoe Dental, to see underserved patients over the course of one day.

During this year’s April 23 Servants of Smiles event, Stamatiades provided free dental care to 104 patients, including fillings, cleanings, extractions, radiographs and examinations. Employees of his practice sacrificed a day off to help their boss give back, Stamatiades says.

Owolabi’s docuseries “Servants of Smiles” will highlight Stamatiades’ charitableness and parts of it will be shown at the upcoming fundraiser for ABCCM’s dental clinic, where Stamatiades will speak. “I thought spotlighting this act of service might encourage other practitioners to do their own pro bono work,” Owolabi says.

The docuseries will also be available on Amazon Prime in the fall.

’FOCUS ON BEING DOCTORS’

ABCCM leaders hope the docuseries will attract more dentists and other health care professionals to volunteer for low-cost and income-adjusted services within the Medical Ministry. Rogers called it “an opportunity to show any medical providers moving to Asheville now that this community has a shared value of caring for the poor, the sick, the hungry.”

Frayne notes that volunteering can allow health care providers to follow their passion without some of the headaches that come from working in a conventional medical setting. “Interestingly, one of the major causes of physician burnout is the burden of dealing with electronic medical records,” Frayne says. “When our providers work here, it’s a sigh of relief for them to not have to interact with a computer. They can simply focus on being doctors.”

Being a free clinic also allows the ministry to accept donations of working medical equipment and medical supplies, as well as prescription medications and over-the-counter

AN EMPTY

Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry’s dental clinic, which provided fillings and cleanings, stopped operating entirely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The nature of dental care made it an unnecessary risk for nonessential procedures,” says ABCCM Medical Ministry Director Dr. Daniel Frayne. Photo courtesy of ABCCM

medications that are in the manufacturer’s container and not past their expiration date. The Medical Ministry is legally allowed to redistribute such items to people in need, Frayne says.

The Medical Ministry is actively seeking health care providers to volunteer. To join them, email volunteer@abccm.org, or contact kevin. ray@abccm.org or call 828-259-5339.

“We need volunteer dentists, hygienists and assistants, but also volunteer receptionists, medical record-keepers,” says Frayne. Anyone who wants “to be a part of bringing hope and healing to others.”

CHAIR:

Blissful Chiropractic

Experience a 45 minute adjustment that starts with a cranial sacral massage to relax the nerves followed by a gentle hands-on chiropractic adjustment. Sacral Occipital, Applied Kinesiology, and traditional adjustments also available

Three’s company

BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN

earnaudin@mountainx.com

If you’ve stepped inside Archetype Brewing’s latest location at 39 Banks Ave., you might notice a particularly pleasing aroma that only fresh-baked dough and cheese creates. In June, owners Corina and Brad Casanova partnered with Jon Leu, launching the brewery’s latest spot inside the former home of Harvest Pizzeria.

Leu, who co-owned the pizzeria before its closure, points out that the pizza ovens have remained, inspiring Archetype’s executive chef, Chris Burns, to keep pies on the menu. “[Burns’ family] hails from Italy, and his recipes are actually from his grandparents,” Leu says.

In addition, the menu features Smash burgers, a Power Green Bowl, Asian cuisine and, for kids, cornflake-crusted chicken fingers.

“He’s just a really talented guy,” Leu adds.

Magical Offerings

The kitchen is a first for the brewery. Its other two locations have relied on neighboring restaurants to supply their patrons. The new space also makes Archetype only the third brewery in town — joining Hi-Wire Brewing and Wicked Weed Brewing — to launch a third location.

The culinary feature, notes Leu, is part of a broader plan to offer distinct experiences at each of Archetype’s three locations.

FOOD AND DRINK

Archetype West patrons have long been able to get food from neighboring Beecham’s Curve restaurants Gan Shan West, Pizza Mind and Taco Billy. And Archetype North customers are likewise welcome to bring in outside food from surrounding restaurants.

“But now to have it in-house is even more special, so that we can really shine with that and bring our own flavors that complement Belgian-style beers and American beers as well,” says Julie Stransky, Archetype’s marketing director.

Archetype South Slope is led by General Manager Donny Whitcomb, whom Stransky says has opened numerous restaurants, most recently La Petit Frite in Cincinnati. Aiding him is assistant manager Heather Siler, who brings extensive industry experience, including three years in Manhattan at the acclaimed Parisianstyle restaurant Pastis.

“That’s what I consider fundamental to my experience in the industry,” Siler says. “That place functioned like a machine.”

Together, the management team looks to take advantage of the new location’s potential, particularly the rooftop space, which had a repu-

Archetype Brewing adds South Slope location

tation during the Harvest days for hosting appealing activities.

“We’re having fun playing with different events and also trying to bring back some of the music,” Stransky says. “Harvest Pizzeria used to do a lot of DJs and live music on the rooftop, and we definitely want to do that as well — but also be respectful and cater to a bunch of different, diverse cultures and backgrounds so that it doesn’t get too niche.”

GROWING PAINS (AND GAINS)

Though the brewing system Archetype has in place at its West Asheville facility is large enough to meet the demands of the company’s latest expansion, Stransky notes adding a new venue still required a significant amount of planning and thought.

“We’ve seen this dip in the restaurant and the brewing industries because of a bunch of different variables, so we’re making sure that we’re balancing [increased production] in the best possible way,” she says.

“That’s also why we’ve stepped back a little bit from some of the larger events,” Stransky continues. “Just to ensure that we can supply for our first three locations and make sure that we’re really taking care of our customers.”

Despite Archetype’s trio of taprooms located within a few miles of each other, Stransky is confident that the clientele and environment of each location are different enough to sustain all three spots. She describes Archetype North as catering more toward private events, while the other two are geared to their own populations.

“In West Asheville, we have a lot of neighborhood locals that just want to come in with their dogs and hang out for a bit. And then [South Slope] is an

BREWS WITH A VIEW: Allyson Smith delivers a beer to Archetype Brewing South Slope’s rooftop dining area.

Photo courtesy of Archetype Brewing

elevated experience,” she says. “It’s a little classier.”

In South Slope, Archetype also has a greater opportunity to be in front of out-of-towners, as well as be part of a community of breweries and restaurants that’s ripe with partnership potential. But with the new location still in its early stage, collaboration beers with street-mates such as Catawba Brewing Co. and Twin Leaf Brewery have yet to occur.

“I think as we get into the fall, it will happen,” says Stransky. “But summer is always kind of [hectic].”

Unlike Hi-Wire and Burial Beer Co., which have expanded to additional taprooms outside Asheville, the Archetype team is content to grow within the city where the business was launched. Stransky notes that the brewery is still a relatively small one and that other important factors currently keep them rooted in Buncombe County.

“For now, we cater to Asheville because this is what we know and this is what we love,” she says. “It makes more sense to continue our growth here in a place where we have that foundation already in lieu of branching outside of that.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/cwn. X

Survival in the Valley

William Forstchen’s ’Five Years After’ concludes post-apocalyptic saga

In summer 2009, Montreat College history professor William R. Forstchen was enjoying the success of his latest novel, One Second After, a post-apocalyptic thriller about an electromagnetic pulse attack on the U.S. that cripples the nation’s electrical grid and sends its citizens into a panic. Set in Black Mountain, where Forstchen has lived for 30 years, and featuring numerous locations and characters inspired by his surroundings, the book resonated with area readers in unexpected ways.

The author remembers an event shortly after the book’s release. He and his daughter, Meghan, were sitting out on his deck, enjoying what he calls “a magnificent view to the west.” A thunderstorm was approaching, and though the rain was still miles away, the whole Swannanoa Valley suddenly went dark. His daughter turned to him, fearful her father’s story was coming to fruition.

“I said, ‘Honey, as long as your cellphone’s working, everything’s cool,’” Forstchen recalls. “A couple of minutes later, my phone rings, and it was an administrator at the college ... who suddenly goes, ‘My God, Bill! Don’t tell me this is for real.’”

Unable to resist, Forstchen told his friend, “Yeah, we’re screwed,” before calming him down.

Over the subsequent years, Forstchen has expanded One Second After into a series. And with the Tuesday, Aug. 22, publication of saga closer Five Years After, he’s comforted by the ever-increasing number of people he’s exposed to the very real possibility of an EMP incident. He also holds out hope that his books have played a part in elevating the importance of replacing the country’s fragile electrical grid so that the nation can avoid the future described in his novels.

CONCERNED CITIZEN

The idea for One Second After came to Forstchen during Montreat’s 2005 spring graduation. Over the previous two years, he’d started working on a

SWAN SONG: On Tuesday, Aug. 22, local author William R. Forstchen will celebrate the release of his latest book, Five Years After. It is the fourth and final novel in his One Second After series, which is set in Black Mountain. Author photo by Mindy Clinard

novel about an EMP attack but hadn’t progressed very far.

“I was stuck in the Tom Clancy model — (an enemy has) three weapons, they detonate one, our hero saves us from the others. It just wasn’t working,” he says.

On that 90-degree day, wearing heavy academic regalia and sweating profusely while wondering when the commencement speaker would wrap up, Forstchen had what he calls a “God slapped me’ moment.”

“The book came to me literally in one second,” he says. “I’m looking at the graduates. I’m looking at the people in the audience. A good friend who was a D-Day veteran was in the front row. And I thought, ‘I’m going to write about us. I’ll write about what happens in my hometown of Black Mountain for one year after an EMP strike.”

Inspired, Forstchen says he couldn’t stop writing and churned out 6,000 to 7,000 words a day. Within a couple of weeks, he’d finished the first draft of John Matherson’s heroic efforts to keep his community safe in the wake of

the attack, followed by plentiful editing before the novel’s publication in 2009.

After finishing the bleak, plausible tale, Forstchen says he never wanted to revisit the topic. But One Second After exceeded his and publisher Forge Books’ expectations, becoming a New York Times bestseller the week after its release. Before long, the idea for a series was floated.

“As they say in The Godfather, ’They made me an offer I couldn’t refuse,’” Forstchen says with a laugh. “And then they came back, and they made another offer I couldn’t refuse.”

But with Five Years After, the fourth in the series, Forstchen says he’s ready to wrap it up.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Five Years After finds the Republic of New America struggling to remain stable in a post-EMP world. After a few years of trying to carry on his quiet existence in Black Mountain, John Matherson receives word that the president is near death from a possible assassination attempt and is asked to step in and negotiate with a potential new military power.

While the previous three novels focused on Black Mountain’s recovery following an EMP attack, Forstchen says the new story is heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, he explores what might happen if a plague were to break out in a society already recovering from an unthinkable attack.

With his latest book, Forstchen’s primary focus has also shifted away from simply raising awareness about EMPs to the country’s outdated electrical grid. Though he notes that EMPs remain a concern, cyberattacks and the grid overloading and shutting down are even more plausible.

Forstchen believes replacing the grid should be a key issue for voters in the 2024 election. He also notes that tapping into an array of energy sources is critical for the future.

“I do like green energy. But green energy is not the total answer — it only works part of the day,” he says “We need plain old nuts-and-bolts, electrical generating systems. One could even be nuclear. It’s been 40 years since we built a nuclear plant. They’re a hell of a lot safer today. We should be looking at things like that.”

LOCAL LEGACY

Though there’s plenty of gloom and doom in the John Matherson saga, there’s also a generous dose of optimism regarding the resilience of the human spirit and the willingness of a small town to work together for the greater good in the wake of a tragedy. And while Forstchen himself acknowledges the subject matter’s depressing aspects, his goal all along has been to raise awareness and get people thinking about a very real threat.

“Some people go to an extreme and prep for years,” he says. “But even if a person just keeps a couple of months’ worth of food and water and medication in their home in times of emergency, I’m happy.”

His neighbors also haven’t minded seeing themselves and their town represented in literary form. Forstchen’s friend Lee Robinson has a character named after him in the series. Montreat College also plays a major role in each chronicle. And students, says Forstchen, have regularly requested cameos, noting they’re fine with their characters being killed off — a conceit the author is happy to oblige. Interest has even been high enough for Europa, a local gift shop, to produce maps of the books’ key sites.

With the EMP series now behind him, Forstchen notes he may return his focus to the Civil War for his next project. But for now, he’s taking it easy and waiting for inspiration to strike.

“I’m enjoying summer,” he says.

“The book’s in — I don’t have any worries for a while. There’s nothing worse than a deadline staring you in the face.”

To learn more, visit avl.mx/cwd.

— Edwin Arnaudin X

“Local news is so important for the community. I want to make sure it keeps happening for me, my neighbors, my students and all.”

– Sandra Pyeatt

What’s new in food

MANNA FoodBank celebrates 40 years

MANNA FoodBank marks four decades of “setting the table together” in Western North Carolina at its 40th anniversary celebration at The Orange Peel on Thursday, Aug. 24, 5-9 p.m.

Local DJ Molly Parti will spin tunes for a “MANNA-through-the-decades dance party,” celebrating community partnerships and people who have played roles in shaping what has become the largest hunger relief organization in Western North Carolina.

MANNA, which has distributed over 300 million pounds of food — equal to 250 million meals — since 1983, is also lauding the return of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort as a premier platinum partner for this year’s signature events and The Biltmore Co. as the anniversary party’s presenting sponsor. The $40,000 sponsorship provides approximately 1.2 million meals, says Mary Nesbitt, MANNA chief development officer, in a press release.

“At a time when the need for food across our mountains is at an all-time high, this vital support ... is something for which we are extremely honored and deeply grateful to receive.”

Last month MANNA and its 200 partner organizations provided emergency food support to over 150,000 people, including in the Qualla Boundary.

“One thing that has been so striking about reflecting on the last 40 years … is that our community shows up,” says Kara Irani, MANNA’s marketing and communications director. “Right now, our volunteers and partners are moving over 50,000 pounds of food every single day to serve this need.”

Tickets to the anniversary are $40 and include handcrafted popsicles from Buggy Pops, as well as a snack bar with WNC brands such as Poppy’s Handmade Popcorn, Asheville Pretzel Company and Hickory Nut Gap. Each ticket provides around 160 meals to those in need.

The Orange Peel is at 101 Biltmore Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/cwy.

Suppertime

Not Another Supper Club’s first dinner party at Mother’s, scheduled for Monday, Aug. 21, sold out quickly. The monthly dinner — which has been held at a private, undisclosed location for over a year — is now hosted at Mother’s newest location on the South Slope because founders Jack Sweeney, Will Warmath and Grey Sigmon wanted to make it accessible to the broader community.

“The impression we want to make for this event is not one of exclusivity, and it certainly isn’t a fine dining tasting menu,” says Sigmon.

“We all have a lot of fun preparing and serving dishes that are creative and approachable, with ingredients ... that people may not be familiar with. All of the courses are shareable plates meant to be passed around the table and enjoyed together with your closest friends — and total strangers. We have a real good time when we go out to eat together, and our goal is to foster an environment that does the same for the rest of our community.”

The menu, which is not released before the event, is composed of dishes made from local and seasonal ingredients — this month’s will feature chanterelle mushrooms, sweet

summer peppers, okra and tomatoes. Dishes are explained as they are served to attendees.

Some dishes that have been served at recent suppers include stinging nettle spaghetti and agretti, burnt toast ice cream with rhubarb and asparagus, country ham and pea shoot sabayon.

Mother is at 244 Short Coxe Ave. For more information on Not Another Supper Club, visit avl.mx/cx2.

Harvesting community

The second annual HarvestFest — a celebration of farmers, music and community — will be held at Olivette Riverside Park on Sunday, Aug. 27, 3-6 p.m. The event will benefit the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project’s Double SNAP for Fruits and Vegetables, an incentive program for SNAP customers at farmers markets.

“HarvestFest is one way our community addresses food insecurity in our area while supporting our local farmers,” says Ron Simblist, founder and CEO of Chatt Hills Music, who is partnering with Olivette Riverside Community and Farm on the event.

All wine and beer proceeds from Wicked Weed Brewing and Vīdl Winery will also go toward the Double SNAP program. Frios Gourmet pops will offer popsicles, and Asheville Plays! Snack Wagon

will have “munchies” such as popcorn available for purchase. Event organizers will honor local food growers and raisers by giving free entry to farmers and their families. Farmers will also receive a gift bag, drink ticket and free doughnuts at the VIF, or “Very Important Farmers,” section.

Bluegrass music that integrates blues, rock, pop and country will be provided by The Barefoot Movement — who does perform barefoot. Olivette Riverside Park is at 172 Old Macedonia Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/by6.

Using your noodles

West Asheville is home to a new Asian restaurant. Mizu Noodle opened earlier this month, offering an extensive menu of noodle dishes, poke bowls, burritos, ramen, curries and dim sum.

Mizu is next to and owned by the proprietors of YZ Asian Market, and is open daily from 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., with Friday and Saturday hours extending to 10 p.m. While the restaurant does not currently offer delivery, online ordering is available for pickup meals.

Mizu Noodle is at 22 New Leicester Highway. For more information, visit avl.mx/cxb.

— Andy Hall

DANCE PARTY: : MANNA FoodBank’s 40-year anniversary celebration will include a “through-the-decades dance party” with music by DJ Molly Parti.

Photo by Scott Duncan

Party

Sept 7, 5-9pm The Meadow at Highland Brewing

Food Trucks: The Hop, El Kimchi, Melt Your Heart, The Smokin’ Onion Free community event

Bands: Ashley Heath, Firecracker Jazz Band, DJ Lil Meow Meow

Asheville resident Marcy Gallagher was not a playwright, but after seeing the movie “The Greatest Showman” in 2019, she told her husband she wanted to write a musical.

On Friday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m., Gallagher’s dream will become reality as “At the Café” debuts at The Wortham Center for Performing Arts.

Both Gallagher and her husband, Tom, who owned Kilwins Chocolates, Fudge & Ice Cream Asheville from 2008-2020, have writing experience — during the pandemic, they wrote personalized romance novels for YourNovel.com.

But Marcy Gallagher had a different subject in mind for the musical: the stories of four middle-aged women. At 67 years old, she says she wanted to counter the stigma of being an older woman in a youth-oriented society.

She wrote the lyrics out as poetry and was confident she would find a songwriter in Asheville to do the score. She says serendipity and mutual friend Blaine Greenfield connected her with Sarah Kohrs of the local musical duo Tumo Kohrs. Two weeks later, Kohrs asked Gallagher to a meeting. “I was nervous,” says Gallagher. “Would she give the script back and say, ’No thanks’? Instead, she brought out a laptop and handed me a pair of headphones. I listened to the melodies she had written for the first two songs. ... I was so excited I felt like jumping up and down.”

The show, which runs for two weekends, will feature 13 original songs and six local actors. Gallagher, a breast cancer survivor, chose to donate a portion of ticket sales to Hope Chest for Women, a local nonprofit that provides financial assistance to Western North Carolina women with breast or gynecological cancer.

Although Gallagher co-owned Kilwins for over 10 years, none of the inspiration for the play came from those experiences. She says one of the main goals for writing it was to bring joy to people and to make them

laugh. “There’s a positive message in the story, and it was important to me to bring that message to the audience.

“I believe that in middle age and beyond, women and men have so many rich experiences to draw upon to pursue their dreams or begin new adventures. ... We older folks can tap into those experiences and have the self-assurance to try something new. We have nothing to lose by igniting our passions at this age.”

The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is at 18 Biltmore Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/cx3.

A dating game

Blind Date Live — a real-time, in-person dating show — will take place at The Grey Eagle on Friday, Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. Attendees are invited to a pre-show mixer at 7 p.m., “during which people can mix, mingle, make connections and potentially meet someone special,” says creator Cayla Clark. A post-show dance party will feature tunes by DJ Lil Meow Meow.

At 8 p.m., three couples will go on a real first blind date. Blindfolded participants will be guided onstage to either side of a partition. Once seated, they’ll remove the blindfolds. Co-hosts Clark and Donnie Rex Bishop will prompt conversation from “menus” that feature a range of questions broken into three categories — appetizers, mains and desserts — mingled with audience questions collected prior to the show. At the end of the “meal,” contestants will have the option of passing or going on a second date — which is then paid for by Blind Date Live. Several local restaurants and ice cream and coffee shops have donated gift cards for this purpose.

Clark says she developed the event from personal experience. “I’m a single woman in recovery, celebrating one year sober Aug. 14, who is entirely sick of dating apps,” she says.

“Hitting the bars lost its luster, and I found that a lot of the social events in town geared toward developing new connections also revolved around drinking. I figured there might be a need for a fun alternative.”

The show debuted on May 20 at Story Parlor and was so popular that, after the first two shows, Clark decided to move it to a larger venue.

Clark, who considers herself a natural matchmaker, personally chooses participants weeks in advance. “I’ve got a little yenta in my blood for sure,” she says. “I speak with potential applicants and work on finding them a match who has similar interests, similar life goals and a similar vibe overall. I trust my gut instinct, which has been pretty effective so far. Several of the couples from our first show are still seeing each other.”

Additional shows are slated at The Grey Eagle for Tuesday, Sept. 26, and Monday, Oct. 23.

The Grey Eagle is at 185 Clingman Ave. For more information, visit avl.mx/cx9.

One person’s trash ...

Harvest Ganong’s environmentally focused “trash art” will be on display at River Arts District wine bar Bottle Riot this month through Thursday, Oct. 12. The artist uses nonrecyclable and single-use plastics to create detailed, three-dimensional collage portraits of her favorite musical artists.

Ganong, a graduate of Western Carolina University in welding and sculpture, was inspired to create art from trash when she noticed the

amount of waste she produced as a mother of two children. “I found myself disposing of product packaging, household items and toys at an astounding rate,” she says in a press release. “I saw an opportunity to make an impact in my community and bring awareness to this global crisis through my creative outlet as an artist.”

Ten percent of sales will benefit RiverLink, a local nonprofit focused on conservation of the French Broad River and its watersheds.

Bottle Riot is at 37 Paynes Way. For more information, visit avl.mx/cx7.

Visit with artists

Over 30 artists will participate at 23 studios and art spaces in the 18th annual Come to Leicester Studio

MOVIE REVIEWS

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER: This adaptation of the seafaring chapter of Dracula is high on atmosphere and low on substance. Grade: C-minus

Edwin Arnaudin

Tour on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Attendees will follow a self-guided route at their own leisure to visit artists showcasing a variety of mediums — including painting, iron work,

woodwork, glass, textiles, pottery, jewelry and brooms.

The tour map, available online and in print at each stop, highlights places to recharge with refreshments along the route, including Grateful Roots Market & Deli, Gossett Grocery and Addison Farms Vineyard.

For more information, visit avl.mx/cx6.

Writing workshop

Misha Lazzara, local author of the novel Manmade Constellations, will hold “Write Your Values,” a free writing workshop for teens and adults, on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 3 p.m. at Firestorm Books.

The workshop, designed for writers of all levels, will focus on exploring personal values and learning how to incorporate them into writing to develop a story’s deeper meaning. The class is part of a current book tour in conjunction with the paperback launch of Lazzara’s novel.

Firestorm Books is at 1022 Haywood Road. For more information, visit avl.mx/cx5.

— Andy Hall

COFFEE TALK: The new musical At the Café, written by Ashevillean Marcy Gallagher, will premiere at The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Aug. 18. Photo courtesy of Gallagher

—

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16

12 BONES BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ALLEYCATAVL

Karaoke Dance Party, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

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

FLEETWOOD'S

Ken Mujo, Seismic

Sutra & Half Blind Eyes (noise, Japanese), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam w/The Saylor Brothers, 6:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Bike Night w/Connor Hunt (Appalachian, country), 6pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

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

RABBIT RABBIT

Queens of the Stone

Age w/Phantogram & The Armed (rock), 6pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Trivia Night, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Chepang w/Decultivate, Bandit, Manas & Falling

Behind (grindcore, hardcore), 8pm

THE GREY EAGLE

David Childers & The Serpents w/Tin Roof

Echo (folk, punk), 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Rod Sphere (rock, pop), 6pm

THE ODD

Overgrown Throne, DShK & Burning

Question (punk), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Queens of the Stone

Age, 6pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, AUGUST 17

AMAZING PUBCYCLE

The Office Trivia Night, 6pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

The MGB's (acoustic), 8pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE

Mike Kenton & Jim

Tanner (jazz), 5:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

The Blushin' Roulettes (folk), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Queen Bee & The Honeylovers (swing, jazz, Latin), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Totally Slow, Small Doses & Night Night (hardcore, punk), 9pm

FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY

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

HIGHLAND BREWING DOWNTOWN TAPROOM

Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew

Matulich, 7:30pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Ashes & Arrows (country, Americana), 7pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

Kid Billy (roots, blues, ragtime), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Patrick French (Americana, bluegrass, blues), 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Lee Allen, Isaac Hadden & Thommy Knoles (multiple genres), 8pm

OUTSIDER BREWING

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Saylor Brothers (bluegrass), 6:30pm

SALVAGE STATION

Matisyahu, G. Love & Special Sauce w/

Cydeways (hip hop, reggae, blues), 6pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

STATIC AGE RECORDS

Havoc & Open (garagepunk), 8pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

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

THE ODD Hiding Places, Just Married & Mary Metal (indie, rock), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Red Not Chili Peppers (Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute), 8pm

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra & Friends, 6pm

THE STATION BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

URBAN ORCHARD Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WNC OUTDOOR

COLLECTIVE Trivia, 6:30pm

WRONG WAY

CAMPGROUND

Ashevillians Comedy Showcase, 7pm

FRIDAY,

AUGUST

18

12 BONES BREWERY

Andy Ferrell (folk, roots, Appalachian), 6pm

ASHEVILLE GUITAR

BAR

Mr Jimmy's Friday Night Blues, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

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

CATAWBA BREWING

COMPANY SOUTH

SLOPE ASHEVILLE

• Comedy at Catawba: Lace Larrabee, 7pm

• Don't Tell Comedy: South Slope, 9:30pm

CITIZEN VINYL

Molly Parden w/Andrew Goldring (folk, pop), 7pm

CROW & QUILL

Meschiya Lake’s Nola Sextet (jazz), 8pm

FLEETWOOD'S

Pinkeye w/Bad Vibes & Rhinestone Pickup Truck (punk, indie), 9pm

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE LOUNGE

Conner Law Jazz Duo, 6pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

We Have Ignition , 7pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Honky-Tonk Fridays w/ Jackson Grimm, 4pm

LA TAPA LOUNGE

Open Mic Night w/ Hamza, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

5J Barrow Friday Nights (folk), 8pm

SALVAGE STATION

Darrell Scott's Electrifying Trio w/Jeff Sipe & Bryn Davies (country, folk), 7pm

THE GETAWAY RIVER

BAR

Bad Gurls Club: All Villains, All Night, 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

The Breakfast Club (80s tribute), 8pm

URBAN ORCHARD

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

SATURDAY, AUGUST 19

ALLEYCATAVL

Karaoke Dance Party, 8pm

ASHEVILLE CLUB

Mr Jimmy (blues), 7pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK

EXCHANGE

Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5:30pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING

Stephen Evans (folk, rock), 6pm

CORK & KEG

Zaydeco Ya Ya (Cajun, Zaydeco), 8pm

ETOWAH VALLEY

GOLF AND RESORT

Geriatric Jukebox (oldies), 6pm

FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON Comedy Hypnosis w/ Jon Dee, 8am

GINGER'S REVENGE

SOUTH SLOPE

LOUNGE

• Jody Carroll (blues, folks, roots), 4pm

• Modelface Comedy Presents: Eitan Levine, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

The HeadTones, 6pm LA TAPA LOUNGE

Karaoke Night, 9pm SILVERADOS

The Steel Woods w/ Brent Cobb, 7pm

PANIC BY THE RIVER: Charleston-based Widespread Panic tribute band 54 Bicycles will play at The Outpost on Saturday, Aug. 19, at 7 p.m. The all-ages, outdoor show is standing room only and will occur rain or shine. Photo courtesy of 54 Bicycles

THE BURGER BAR

Best Worst Karaoke, 9pm

THE RAD BREW CO.

Dirty Bird (funk, blues, rock), 7pm

THE ORANGE PEEL

Magic City Hippies, 9pm

THE OUTPOST

54 Bicycles (WSP tribute), 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Polly O’Keary and The Rhythm Method, 8pm

WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT

• Livin’ on the Ledge Series w/Phantom

Pantone, 2pm

• Asheville AV Club, 7pm

SUNDAY, AUGUST 20

ALLEY CAT SOCIAL

CLUB

Jesse Daniel Edwards (alt-rock), 8pm

CATAWBA BREWING

CO. SOUTH SLOPE

ASHEVILLE

Comedy at Catawba:

Dave Waite, 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Reggae Sunday w/ Chalwa, 3pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

• Queen Bee & The Honeylovers, 1pm

• Buffalo Wabs & The Price Hill Hustle, 4pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

• Bluegrass Brunch, 1pm

• Traditional Irish Jam, 3:30pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Sunday Jazz Jam, 1:30pm

PISGAH BREWING CO.

Pisgah Sunday Jam, 6:30pm

S&W MARKET

Mr Jimmy (blues), 1pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

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

TACO BOY WEST ASHEVILLE

Daytime Disco Sundays, 10am

THE ORANGE PEEL

Please Don’t Destroy Live, 7pm

PLĒB URBAN WINERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 4pm

MONDAY, AUGUST 21

27 CLUB

Karaoke Monday, 10pm

DSSOLVR

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

HIGHLAND BREWING CO.

Totally Rad Trivia w/ Mitch Fortune, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

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

NOBLE CIDER

DOWNTOWN Freshen Up Comedy Open Mic, 6:30pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO.

It Takes All Kinds Open Mic Nights, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING

Open Mic Downtown, 8pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

Mashup Mondays w/ The JLloyd Mashup Band, 8pm

THE JOINT NEXT DOOR

Mr Jimmy & Friends (blues), 7pm

THE MONTE VISTA HOTEL

Music Mondays, 5pm

THE RAD BREW CO. Trivia w/Billy, 7pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN

Local Live Series: Jay Brown, 7pm

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22

FRENCH BROAD BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm

ONE WORLD BREWING WEST

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

SHILOH & GAINES

Songwriters Night, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA

Weekly Open Jam

hosted by Chris Cooper & Friends, 6:30pm

THE BURGER BAR

C U Next Tuesday Trivia, 9pm

THE ODD

Open Mic Comedy, 8pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN

White Horse Open Mic, 7pm

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23

12 BONES BREWERY

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

ALLEYCATAVL

Karaoke Dance Party, 8pm

BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots, blues, jazz), 6pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

Bluegrass Jam w/The Saylor Brothers, 6:30pm

HIGHLAND BREWING

CO.

Songwriter Series w/ Matt Smith, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Old Time Jam, 5pm

OKLAWAHA

BREWING CO.

FBVMA: Mountain Music Jam, 6pm

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

SHILOH & GAINES Trivia Night, 7pm

SOVEREIGN KAVA Poetry Open Mic, 8pm

THE OUTPOST

Phuncle Sam ( Grateful Dead tribute), 4pm

WHITE HORSE BLACK

MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm

THURSDAY, AUGUST 24

AMAZING PUBCYCLE

The Office Trivia Night, 6pm

BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE

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

BLACK MOUNTAIN

BREWING

Ryan Furstenberg (indie, folk), 6pm

CROW & QUILL

Firecracker Jazz Band, 8pm

FRENCH BROAD

RIVER BREWERY

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

HIGHLAND BREWING

DOWNTOWN

TAPROOM Not Rocket Science Trivia, 6pm

JACK OF THE WOOD PUB

Bluegrass Jam w/Drew Matulich, 7:30pm

OUTSIDER BREWING

Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm

SALVAGE STATION

The Menzingers w/ Prince Daddy & the Hyena & Mercy Union (punk, rock), 7pm

SHILOH & GAINES

Karaoke Night, 8pm

SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.

Becky Robinson, 7pm

THE DFR LOUNGE

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

THE ROOT BAR

Kendra and Friends (multiple genres), 6pm

THE STATION BLACK

MOUNTAIN

Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm

URBAN ORCHARD

Trivia Thursday, 7pm

WNC OUTDOOR

COLLECTIVE Trivia, 6:30pm

WRONG WAY CAMPGROUND Don't Tell Comedy, 7pm

ARIES (March 21-April 19): The Lincoln Calibration Sphere 1 is a hollow globe of aluminum launched into Earth orbit in 1965. Fifty-eight years later, it continues to circle the planet — and is still doing the job it was designed to do. It enables ground-based radar devices to perform necessary calibrations. I propose we celebrate and honor the faithfulness of this magic sphere. May it serve as an inspiring symbol for you in the coming months. More than ever before, you have the potential to do what you were made to do — and with exceptional steadiness and potency. I hope you will be a pillar of inspiring stability for those you care about.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Live as though you’re living a second time and as though the first time you lived, you did it wrong, and now you’re trying to do things right.” Holocaust survivor and author Viktor Frankl offered this advice. I wouldn’t want to adhere to such a demanding practice every day of my life. But I think it can be an especially worthwhile exercise for you in the coming weeks. You will have a substantial capacity to learn from your past; to prevent mediocre histories from repeating themselves; to escape the ruts of your habit mind and instigate fresh trends.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author Jamie Zafron wrote an article titled “To Anyone Who Thinks They’re Falling Behind in Life.” She says, “Sometimes you need two more years of life experience before you can make your masterpiece into something that will feel real and true and raw. Sometimes you’re not falling in love because whatever you need to know about yourself is only knowable through solitude. Sometimes you haven’t met your next collaborator. Sometimes your sadness encircles you because, one day, it will be the opus upon which you build your life.” This is excellent advice for you in the coming months, dear Gemini. You’ll be in a phase of incubation, preparing the way for your Next Big Thing. Honor the gritty, unspectacular work you have ahead! It will pay off.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You’re entering a phase when you will generate maximum luck if you favor what’s short and sweet instead of what’s long and complicated. You will attract the resources you need if you identify what they are with crisp precision and do not indulge in fuzzy indecision. The world will conspire in your favor to the degree that you avoid equivocating. So please say precisely what you mean! Be a beacon of clear, relaxed focus!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Unless you are French, chances are you have never heard of Saint-John Perse (1887–1975). He was a renowned diplomat for the French government and a poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Now he’s virtually unknown outside of his home country. Can we draw useful lessons for your use, Leo? Well, I suspect that in the coming months, you may very well come into greater prominence and wield more clout. But it’s crucial for the long-term health of your soul that during this building time, you are in service to nurturing your soul as much as your ego. The worldly power and pride you achieve will ultimately fade like Perse’s. But the spiritual growth you accomplish will endure forever.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “Life is not so bad if you have plenty of luck, a good physique and not too much imagination.” Virgo author Christopher Isherwood said that. I’m offering his thought because I believe life will be spectacularly not bad for you in the coming weeks — whether or not you have a good physique. In fact, I’m guessing life will be downright enjoyable, creative and fruitful. In part, that’s because you will be the beneficiary of a stream of luck. And in part, your gentle triumphs and graceful productiveness will unfold because you will be exceptionally imaginative.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “You know how crazy love can make you,” write Mary D. Esselman and Elizabeth Ash Vélez in their book Love Poems

for Real Life. “On any given day, you’re insanely happy, maniacally miserable, kooky with contentment, or bonkers with boredom — and that’s in a good relationship.” They add, “You have to be a little nuts to commit yourself, body and soul, to one other person — one wonderful, goofy, fallible person — in the hope that happily-ever-after really does exist.” The authors make good points, but their view of togetherness will be less than fully applicable to you in the coming months. I suspect life will bring you boons as you focus your intelligence on creating well-grounded, nourishing, non-melodramatic bonds with trustworthy allies.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “I don’t adopt anyone’s ideas — I have my own.” So proclaimed Scorpio author Ivan Turgenev (1818–1883). Really, Ivan? Were you never influenced by someone else’s concepts, principles, art, or opinions? The fact is that all of us live in a world created and shaped by the ideas of others. We should celebrate that wondrous privilege! We should be pleased we don’t have to produce everything from scratch under our own power. As for you Scorpios reading this oracle, I urge you to be the anti-Turgenev in the coming weeks. Rejoice at how interconnected you are — and take full advantage of it. Treasure the teachings that have made you who you are. Sing your gratitude for those who have forged the world you love to live in. You now have the power to be an extraordinary networker.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Tibetan term lenchak is often translated as “karmic debt.” It refers to the unconscious conditioning and bad old habits that attract us to people we would be better off not engaging. I will be bold and declare that sometime soon, you will have fully paid off a lenchak that has caused you relationship problems. Congrats! You are almost free of a long-running delusion. You don’t actually need an influence you thought you needed.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you’re like many of us, you have a set bathing routine. In the shower or bath, you start your cleansing process with one particular action, like washing your face, and go on to other tasks in the same sequence every time. Some people live most of their lives this way: following well-established patterns in all they do. I’m not criticizing that approach, though it doesn’t work for me. I need more unpredictability and variety. Anyway, Capricorn, I suspect that in the coming weeks, you will benefit from trying my practice. Have fun creating variations on your standard patterns. Enjoy being a novelty freak with the daily details.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In July 1812, composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote a 10-page love letter to a woman he called “My Angel” and “Immortal Beloved.” He never sent it, and scholars are still unsure of the addressee’s identity. The message included lines like “you — my everything, my happiness . . . my solace — my everything” and “forever thine, forever mine, forever us.” I hope you will soon have sound reasons for composing your own version of an “Immortal Beloved” letter. According to my astrological analysis, it’s time for your tender passion to fully bloom. If there’s not a specific person who warrants such a message, write it to an imaginary lover.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): At age 32, artist Peter Milton realized the colors he thought he used in his paintings were different from what his viewers saw. He got his eyes tested and discovered he had color blindness. For example, what he regarded as gray with a hint of yellow, others perceived as green. Shocked, he launched an unexpected adjustment. For the next 40 years, all his paintings were black and white only. They made him famous and have been exhibited in major museums. I love how he capitalized on an apparent disability and made it his strength. I invite you to consider a comparable move in the coming months.

Thanks for Voting!

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ACROSS

1 About 85%-90% of Muslims, globally [1st of 7]

6 *shrug*

9 Weight

13 Conjecture’s lack

14 Reddit Q&A session

15 Jacqueline du Pré’s instrument

16 Scottish cattle breed

17 Hollywood’s Ricardo or Paolo [2nd of 7]

19 Go here and there

21 Spiky fruits with a noxious odor

22 Sch. in Troy, N.Y.

24 Place for garage sale receipts

26 French for “You are beautiful!” [3rd of 7]

28 Requests kibble, say

32 End result

33 Rocky Mountain National Park sight

35 About 10%-15% of Muslims, globally

36 Flutter, as eyelashes

37 “Yippee for us!”

[4th of 7]

60 Government program heads, informally

64 Come from behind

65 Heaven knows where, for short

66 Brings home

67 Symbols of wisdom

68 Suffer the consequences

23 Mortar’s partner in food prep and chemistry

25 Some December lawn decorations

26 Oom-pah-pah boomers

27 Stick for a 15-Across player

29 Buckeye

45 Subject of the 2008 documentary “The Black Candle”

47 Deflect, as an insult or a sword

49 “Er … I suppose that works” 51 Lunar New Year 53 Natural hairstyle

3-month 5.25

Bank-issued, FDIC-insured % APY* % APY* % APY*

6-month 5.25 1-year 5.3

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Financial Advisor

84 Coxe Avenue Suite 100 Asheville, NC 28801 828-252-2032

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40 English suffix equivalent to Spanish’s -ando and -iendo

41 Word in a traditional New Year’s Eve song

43 Bother and bother

44 People for whom two states are named

46 Goal of a bedtime story reading

48 Digital confrontations?

[5th of 7]

50 ___ Bedingfield, pop star with the hits “Unwritten” and “Pocketful of Sunshine”

52 This, that or whichever

53 Looked up to

56 “Come ___!”

58 One of Robin Hood’s Merry Men [6th of 7]

69 One with horns [7th of 7]

DOWN

1 Place to unplug

2 Archaeologist’s find

3 Holiday quaff

4 Give sustenance

5 In that case

6 Warm-blooded sort

7 Punk subculture

8 Like some drills and vacuums

9 Scary roller coaster twists

10 Actor Idris

11 Cousin of a tres leches cake

12 Oodles

15 Ricochet

18 Setting for a “Rubber Duckie” singalong

20 Winning blackjack combo

22 “Queen of Drag” with 12 Emmys

30 Like a snow globe scene

31 Major ordeals

34 “Big Little Lies” actress Nicole

38 Load of information all at once

39 What Ctrl+T might open

42 “Nope,” “I’m innocent” and “Huh-uh”

Tie 55 Structure historically found by a river

Frosts 59 Surveillance org.

Word with fine or folk 62 Modern vaccine base

Application info, often