OUR 28TH YEAR OF WEEKLY INDEPENDENT NEWS, ARTS & EVENTS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VOL. 28 NO. 4 AUGUST 25-31, 2021
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C ONTENT S
FEATURES
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WELLNESS
FEATURE
NEWS
NEWS
CONCRETE LOVE 6 CHANGING CLASSROOMS Alternatives to public education are on the rise in Buncombe County
8 RUNNING ON EMPTY City equity office struggles amid staffing issues
14 Q&A WITH LIZ HARPER Xpress speaks with city of Asheville’s public records officer
LEAF Downtown returns FridaySaturday, Aug. 27-28, after a year’s hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme is “concrete love.” COVER PHOTO Steve Atkins, foxcovephotography.com COVER DESIGN Scott Southwick
4 LETTERS 4 CARTOON: MOLTON 5 CARTOON: BRENT BROWN 5 CARTOON: IRENE OLDS
18 HEALTH ROUNDUP Lawsuit alleges Mission Hospital monopoly
6 NEWS 12 BUNCOMBE BEAT
A&C
16 COMMUNITY CALENDAR 22 FUNNY BECAUSE IT’S TRUE Ritch Shynder explores the history of stand-up comedy
18 WELLNESS 20 ARTS & CULTURE 26 CLUBLAND
A&C
30 FREEWILL ASTROLOGY 25 WHAT’S NEW IN FOOD Asheville Cider Crawl expands
30 CLASSIFIEDS 31 NY TIMES CROSSWORD
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OPI N I ON
Send your letters to the editor to letters@mountainx.com.
C AR T O O N B Y RA N D Y MO L TO N
Act now to quell violent crime
El Paso bests Asheville on transportation, crime
As someone who has dabbled in criminology and who previously lived in a much more violent region (Oakland, Calif.), a warning: The city of Asheville and Buncombe County have about one year to quell their growing violent crime and nascent street gang problem before it becomes self-sustaining and its growth is unstoppable. — Guy Smith Asheville
Having spent time in El Paso, Texas, I am struck by interesting comparisons to Asheville. El Paso has a much larger population and block area, but virtually no traffic. … How could a larger population be less congested? Cars seem to coast through unimpeded. Though downtown has some nice restaurants. The bus system in El Paso is much better. It has numerous transit centers: [avl.mx/a6z].
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CRIME DATA: Letter writer Guy Smith shared a version of this chart, showing all violent crime reported by the Asheville Police Department 2009-19. Image from the FBI’s online Crime Data Explorer
CARTOON BY BRENT BROWN These transit centers are extremely clean and efficient, unlike the single downtown transit center in Asheville, which is extremely dirty and boasts little indoor seating. El Paso transit centers rely on a large, indoor seating area and well-designed bus-loading islands. In addition, police or security regularly do sweeps of buses at transit centers like Five Points; a security professional boards and walks through the bus. Another comparison: No jaywalking. Locals in El Paso seem afraid of jaywalking, standing at a corner to wait for a light to change even if there is no traffic. Though the population is much larger, there is rarely any crowding, and when there are crowds, such as at the Christmas festival at San Jacinto Plaza, the crowd is nearly all local Latin Americans, and it’s fun. They put lights everywhere and set up an outdoor ice-skating rink for children. In addition, the people dress better in El Paso. … Even adults in Asheville appear dressed for Little League.
Finally, El Paso rates the lowest crime of any major American city. Comparing the two, you are left wondering, are these [people] not doing things better? … — J.M. Snyder Asheville
Support needed for environmental justice bill
sentatives in Washington to address this crisis. I live in Asheville and have seen the impacts of climate change firsthand. The winters are starting to feel like mild summers now. I remember my first semester at Warren Wilson College back in 2018 so vividly; it was a winter wonderland. The snow brought me the tranquility and peace I needed to make it through the
semester. Sadly, that was the last time in my three years living in Asheville I ever experienced such weather. I hope Rep. Madison Cawthorn will support the Environmental Justice for All Act that would ensure resources are directed to those most impacted by this crisis. — Madison Sings Swannanoa
Western North Carolina will soon experience environmental degradation because of our legislators’ inability to act on climate policy. Our beautiful mountains that attract millions of tourists every year are at risk of being destroyed because of our political leaders’ delayed action on critical climate policy. The local economy will be at risk if we do not do everything in our power to protect our beautiful mountains. I hope we can all call on our elected repre-
Editor’s note Due to changing health recommendations related to COVID-19, readers are encouraged to check with individual businesses for the latest updates concerning upcoming events.
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NEWS
Changing classrooms
Buncombe County Schools enrollment drops as nontraditional options grow BY CARMELA CARUSO carmela.caruso@yahoo.com A hike through the woods, a backyard fort, a sewing machine positioned beneath alphabet wall hangings, a community table where children ages 2-11 read and sing together: All look more like play than class. But Andrea Olson believes learning can take place in each of those settings. The Asheville mother of five switched to home schooling during the 2020-21 school year and says she’ll never send her kids back to public school. “Home schooling has simplified things for me,” says Olson, whose children previously attended both Asheville city and Buncombe County schools. “I wouldn’t trade this peaceful lifestyle for the hustle-bustle of public school — waking up early, dealing with teachers and grades and conferences
OUT OF THE BOX: Carolina Day School teacher Jeremy Braketa leads a discussion with eighth grade students in a woodland classroom, one of the approaches the private school took to resume in-person instruction before the Buncombe County system. Photo courtesy of Carolina Day School and schools being shut down and opened up — ever.” Enrollment in home schooling and other alternatives to public education, such as private, parochial and charter schools, has been on the rise in Buncombe County over the past decade. According to the N.C. Department of Administration, 1,829 home schools served approximately 2,920 Buncombe students in the 2011-12 school term; 3,997 county home schools with roughly 6,013 students were recorded for the 2020-21 school year, an enrollment increase of nearly 106%. Enrollment in Buncombe’s charter schools has similarly boomed, rising over 233% from 680 in 201112 to 2,270 in 2019-20 (the latest year for which data is available). The county’s private and parochial schools, which are combined in state statistics, increased enrollment by a more gradual 19% over the same period, from 3,139 to 3,752. The rate of change in county home schooling was particularly sharp last school year, as schools adopted virtual learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and many 6
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parents had to work from home. NCDOA data shows that Buncombe home school students increased by nearly 21% from 2019-20 to 2020-21. And last school year, Buncombe County Schools saw an average daily membership drop of over 1,500 students, about 6.4% from its 201920 figure of 23,712, with nearly 450 students moving to home schools. (ADM at Asheville City Schools increased by 25 students, or roughly 0.6%, from 2019-20 to 2020-21.) “The pandemic disruptions affected families in different ways, and they made schooling choices based on their child’s needs at the time,” says BCS spokesperson Stacia Harris.
SCREENED OUT
All public school classes met 100% virtually at the start of the pandemic. David Thompson, BCS director of student services, says that the system used numerous strategies to keep students engaged when they weren’t coming to the classroom. School staff made home visits to provide packets of work from teach-
ers, internet hot spots and wellness checks. Teachers and counselors offered virtual social-emotional skills lessons and personal sessions. Students checked in through social media and regular virtual club meetings, while families were connected with community organizations that could provide basic needs such as food and clothing. But although BCS eventually transitioned to a hybrid model (two days of in-person instruction and three days of remote) in September 2020 and returned to full-time, in-person instruction in March, Thompson acknowledges that the disruption harmed many children. “Financial difficulty, unemployment, isolation in remote parts of the county and lack of social interaction and community support systems,” he says, led some students to engage minimally in virtual learning. The U.S. Department of Education reports that over 600 BCS students are homeless, and over 5,000 live in poverty. Early return to full-time, in-person instruction, with practices in place to protect students and staff,
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BACK AT IT: Buncombe County Schools resumed in-person instruction with mandatory masking in March, an approach the system continues to take for the 2021-22 school year. Photo courtesy of BCS motivated some parents to transfer their students out of public schools. “What we’re hearing from many families who come to us is that they want their children to be in school, but they want to know that the school also cares about the health and well-being of their children and their children’s teachers,” says Sarah Goldstein, director of marketing communications at the private Carolina Day School. CDS students in grades pre-K8 returned to full-time, in-person instruction in August 2020, while
SCHOOL YARD: The children of home-schooling Asheville mother Andrea Olson get time for free outdoor play in addition to structured lessons. Photo courtesy of Olson
high school students transitioned from hybrid instruction to full-time, in-person classes in April. Many other area private and parochial schools, including Asheville Catholic School and The New Classical Academy, also gave students a fulltime, in-person option before public schools did. To make in-person learning possible at CDS, Goldstein explains, “We developed a stringent health and safety plan that included masks, increased ventilation and distancing, as well as protocols for parent communication and quarantine when exposures did occur.” With an average student-to-teacher ratio of 7-to-1 — less than half of the average for BCS — and a campus surrounded by forest land, the school was also able to convert outdoor spaces into classrooms, further reducing the risk of coronavirus transmission. Olson similarly says her decision to home-school was driven by a desire to avoid virtual learning. “When COVID hit, and my daughter came home from kindergarten only seven months after beginning, our household simply couldn’t take the iPad’s presence,” she says. Now, Olson says, her children’s learning is more grounded in the physical world, with regular activities including hikes, crafts and free outdoor play. “We are all more deeply connected,” she says. “And they’re learning things I wish I’d known when I graduated, like how to use a sewing machine, how to build and fix things, and how to cook. The biggest benefit is that they all have that spark for learning that children are born with that public school tends to stifle out of them.” X
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NEWS
Running on empty
City equity office struggles amid staffing issues
BY BROOKE RANDLE brandle@mountainx.com Asheville’s Office of Equity and Inclusion once appeared to be at the forefront of a national movement, remembers former Asheville City Council member Keith Young. “Other folks from around the country looked at us as a North Star,” says Young, who spearheaded the creation of the department in 2017. As of September 2020, according to the City Mayors Foundation, only 32 U.S. municipalities had equity offices, primarily larger cities such as Atlanta, Boston and New York City. The office, tasked with identifying and eliminating racial and other social disparities in government practices, quickly became central to high-profile city issues such as police reform, reparations and discrimination against LGBTQ community members. But today, the department finds itself without any permanent staff and has no public process for hiring new employees. The vacancies come after a wave of resignations from the office, as well as public criticism from former employees and elected leaders about a lack of support and accountability for equity work. When asked whether Asheville was considering closing the office, city spokesperson Polly McDaniel told Xpress the question was “out of line and offensive.” She referenced a July 28 press release, which noted that the positions would be filled under interim Director Brenda Mills. Yet the city did not respond to three separate requests for information regarding the hiring process for a new permanent director, and no job listings for Equity and Inclusion staff were posted on the city’s website as of press
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CALLS FOR CHANGE: As demands for racial justice in Asheville grew after spring 2020’s protests over the police murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd, all four members of the city’s Office of Equity and Inclusion Office quit, with former director Kimberlee Archie citing a lack of support from city leaders. Photo by Brooke Randle time. McDaniel also did not disclose whether the city was working with a consulting firm to aid in the process or when the department expects to fill the positions. Xpress has filed a public records request with the city in an attempt to answer these questions. In the meantime, former employees, city leaders and community activists shared their thoughts on the history of the office and why it has struggled to retain staff.
HIGH HOPES
“Equity became the No. 1 issue not even two months into my first term as a Council member,” Young remembers.
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After his election in 2015, Young participated with other Council members during their yearly retreat in January 2016, when equity was listed as a top focus area. At the time, Young pointed out that, without continuous effort and review, racial equity “is not just autonomously there.” That same year, Council created a 20-year plan for the city, Vision 2036, which listed “an equitable and diverse community” as a strategic priority. Young also began working with thenCity Manager Gary Jackson to examine rates of contracting with minority and women-owned businesses over the last several years. The person overseeing that work was Mills, who had
worked for roughly 10 years as the city’s minority business coordinator. Sensing that Mills and the city had failed to make progress on the issue, Young, with the help of Jackson and others, created the Office of Equity and Inclusion in July 2017. Jackson hired Asheville’s first equity and inclusion manager, Kimberlee Archie. But as the city seemed poised to make strides in equity and racial justice, Asheville was rocked by footage, published by the Citizen Times in February 2018, showing the arrest and beating of Asheville resident Johnnie Rush, a Black man, by former white Asheville Police Department officer Christopher Hickman. Jackson was abruptly fired
BREAKING POINT
licly pressed Campbell on her lack of involvement with the department and called for an immediate review of the city manager during Sept. 22 Council meeting. “What I’m about to say next pains me because I have so much respect for someone in this position, as a Black woman who has done a remarkable job for us on many levels so far. But I have an obligation to be objective,” Young said during the meeting. “Over an extended period of time, it’s become abundantly clear to me — disregarding all my own personal feelings and likability for our city manager — that the Department of Equity and Inclusion is not part of the culture in city government, nor is it being supported from a managerial standpoint to help facilitate the culture that helps brings folks in line on the course set out by Council.” Young went on to say that he had asked for the equity manager to participate in Council briefings and that an equity lens be applied to everything the city did, but to no avail from Campbell. “Why did our equity manager depart in the manner that she did?” he asked. “We cannot use equity to check a box and then speak as though we are addressing cultural change when it appears to be merely window dressing, from my vantage point.” Campbell did not respond to Young’s remarks during the meeting, and his colleagues on Council defended the city manager. After Young spoke, former Council member Julie Mayfield said during the meeting that “in light of some comments earlier, Debra I trust your judgment implicitly, and I trust you to continue to lead our equity efforts in a way that will get our city to where we want to go.” Council member Gwen Wisler echoed Mayfield comments, saying she continued to be amazed by Campbell’s work within the city. “I can’t say thank you enough,” she said.
A month after Archie’s resignation, former Council member Young pub-
CONTINUES ON PAGE 10
less than a month after the video came to light. Despite that shakeup, by 2019 the equity and inclusion department had been fully staffed with three other employees. A new citizen board, the Human Relations Commission of Asheville, was also convened in June 2018 to complement the department’s work and make recommendations to city leaders. “It is our expectation to make sure that everyone knows what equity really is about and how to operationalize it on a daily basis in our work as a city,” Archie told Xpress in 2019.
CALLING IT QUITS
Debra Campbell was hired in January 2019 to fill the vacancy left by Jackson, becoming Asheville’s first Black city manager and the first woman to hold the position on a permanent basis. But as she settled into her role, Young says that staff members at the Office of Equity and Inclusion began mentioning that they did not feel supported by city leaders, including Campbell. “I would check in and have conversations with folks, and those conversations led to, ‘She’s not paying attention to us. I haven’t talked to her in a year. She hasn’t checked in,’” Young says. He notes that staff’s frustrations grew further in the aftermath of Asheville’s spring 2020 racial justice protests following the police murder of Black Minneapolis resident George Floyd. Tensions finally boiled over between the office’s employees and city leaders when Archie claimed in an Aug. 5, 2020, letter addressed to Campbell and shared with the Citizen-Times that Asheville lacked “accountability and in many cases the inability for self-reflection and motivation for change” on racial equity issues. “This is not new information for you, Debra, as I have shared my perspective and many of my experiences with you over the last year and a half,” Archie wrote. The director subsequently resigned on Aug. 28, 2020. Archie, who now works as an independent anti-racism consultant in Charlotte, told Xpress on Aug. 11 that she was “not interested in discussing the city of Asheville and the decisions they are making regarding racial equity.” Campbell told Xpress in a statement that Archie had been “instrumental in raising awareness and beginning the work of equity and inclusion” culture change at the city, and that Asheville had made significant progress under her leadership. “But we also recognize that culture change is hard, it takes time, and this is not an easy task,” Campbell continued.
CHANGE IT OR LEAVE IT: Asheville hired its first equity and inclusion manager, Kimberlee Archie, in 2017. Archie resigned in August 2020 after stating publicly that city staff “lacked accountability” and “motivation for change” on racial equity issues. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville “I agree that more work needs to be done, and we are committed to continuing to grow and to fully incorporate this value into everything that we do.” “Part of the role that she was in was to bring attention to these issues, and I think she did experience some frustration that they were not being addressed quickly enough or to her satisfaction. And part of that is culture change takes time,” Mayor Esther Manheimer says of Archie’s departure. “I think it is very frustrating to work in an organization like a city or a county or a state — any kind of institution where you walk around and see, plain as day, issues that need to be addressed — and you point them out and people don’t immediately address them. That’s valid, and I share that frustration.”
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NE W S In recent comments to Xpress, Manheimer said that she also did not support Young’s criticisms, which she called “quite harmful to the city manager.” She added that Young “received a lot of backlash from that”; he went on to lose reelection in November 2020.
PARTY OF ONE
The three staff members at the Equity and Inclusion Department remaining after Archie’s resignation left their posts over the following year, with the last leaving in July. Only one was willing to provide a statement to Xpress about her departure. “My hope is that city leadership will encourage and support staff doing equity and inclusion work and take the feedback that I and my previous colleagues have offered,” says former Equity and Inclusion training consultant Paulina Mendez, who now works as the Family Justice Division manager for Buncombe County. “The road to achieving equity can be difficult at times, and in the long run, it’s worth it.” And former Assistant City Manager Richard White, who had also filled the role of interim director at the equity and inclusion office since fall 2020, announced on July 13 that he would leave the city — having been hired in July 2019 — to become Carrboro’s city manager, a move that resulted in a lower salary. The city announced on July 28 that Mills, who had worked on city contracting with minority and women-owned businesses prior to the equity and
TAKING THE REINS: The city announced on July 28 that Brenda Mills, who had worked on city contracting with minority and women-owned businesses prior to the equity and inclusion office’s creation, would serve as its interim director for the office. Her first priority, according to a press release, is to fill all of the positions at the department. Photo courtesy of the city of Asheville inclusion office’s creation, would serve as its interim director. Mills had changed departments in 2017 to serve as a community engagement manager for Asheville’s Communication and Public Engagement Department. According to a press release, Mills helped the Equity and Inclusion Department complete a 2018 study on disparity in city contracting with minority and women-owned businesses. She has also been active in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity, a national network of govern-
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ments working to achieve racial equity, through trainings and meetings. “[Mills] is well connected throughout our city departments and the community. People have confidence in her, and they like to see her coming because they know she gets things done,” says Campbell. The interim director will also be tasked with filling the office’s vacant positions, a duty that former Council member Young says would be better managed by a permanent director. “You don’t usually get the opportunity as a new director to hire your own staff. I would ask that they defer to the new director to hire the new director first and then let them craft the staff around it based on what they see,” Young says. “This is one of those moments that you don’t get often, so when you get it, you should allow them to do that.”
UNCERTAIN FUTURE
No information about those jobs was listed on the city’s website as of Aug. 23. While Campbell says that hiring for the vacancies will be Mills’ first priority, initiatives such as reparations, reimagining public safety and more continue without the support of a fully staffed equity and inclusion office. Community activist Rob Thomas says a lack of guidance from the department is taking a particular toll on the city’s reparations process. Campbell had promised to create a commission on the issue with up to 25 members, half of whom would represent areas impacted by city policies that had created economic disparities, by July. That deadline has passed without a reparations commission being formed. Thomas says that the city and some community members have hit disagreements on the process, leading to delays that might have been avoided by advice from equity and inclusion professionals. “I don’t think we’d even be having the issues that we’re having to debate with the city, such as appointing commission members to the commission instead of allowing residents to pick their own representatives and liaisons,” Thomas explains. “That is extremely inequitable, and it makes it exclusive when the city then cherry-picks who it wants. It’s the opposite of inclusivity.” Asheville resident Melanie Noyes, who sits on the Human Relations Commission, says that the department’s staffing issues may reflect frustrated employees who feel that their efforts to draw attention to inequities fall on deaf ears. “It’s not hard to see why [city leaders would] have trouble staffing the very department meant to heal our
racial disparities if they prove over and over again that they just don’t want to listen,” Noyes says. Commission member Veronica Coit, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, resigned from their seat during an Aug. 19 meeting of the HRC after saying that the citizen board had been given no real power to shape policy within the city. They called the committee “a distraction in an attempt to silence real change... to make complacency appear as progress.” “I believe the loss of the department heads for the equity and inclusion department shows evidence of this as well. The fact that leaders of that department chose to leave under the circumstances that they did speaks to the true nature of both City Council and city staff’s real desire to change for the better,” Coit said during the meeting. “Very simply, Asheville’s city government doesn’t care about equity or inclusion in any way that matters.” City Council member Kim Roney says that she is hearing community calls for an outside equity audit of the city, a move that she supports. Such an audit, she says, may show the need for the Office of Equity and Inclusion to report directly to Council. “We have a moral obligation to ensure our budget, plans and policies do not continue to perpetuate harm while we move towards the healing, repair and collective liberation from white supremacy culture that the people of Asheville sorely need and deserve, and the work should not fall on any one person or office within City Hall,” Roney tells Xpress. Mayor Manheimer adds that while resignations over the past year have created setbacks within the department, the city is still committed to making the office work and making adjustments as needed. “There aren’t many cities in the United States that even have an Office of Equity and Inclusion or something similar. That, in itself, is somewhat novel,” Manheimer says. “So I think we’re kind of learning about what is the best way to organize and empower an Office of Equity and Inclusion so that it is a meaningful function within the city.” For her part, Campbell also says that Asheville plans to continue its equity and inclusion work. Whoever eventually becomes the permanent director of the department, she adds, will play a vital role in the city’s efforts. “More work needs to be done, and we are committed to continuing to grow and to fully incorporate [equity] into everything that we do,” Campbell says. “To do that, the Equity and Inclusion director position is pivotal going forward.” X
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N EWS
BUNCOMBE BEAT
Buncombe reinstates COVID emergency, indoor mask mandate Buncombe County is going through a bit of a rough patch. Its Board of Commissioners canceled an Aug. 17 meeting at which they had planned to consider a new COVID-19 state of emergency — because of the flooding associated with Tropical Depression Fred, which caused the county’s heaviest two-day rain event in over 50 years. The board proceeded to convene an emergency meeting on Aug. 18 regarding Buncombe’s COVID-19 response. And in a 6-1 decision, its members voted to declare a renewed emergency due to the coronavirus, as well as reinstate a mask mandate for all public indoor facilities in Asheville, Montreat, Woodfin, Weaverville and unincorporated county areas. Robert Pressley, the
board’s lone Republican, was the sole vote against the measure. The requirement covers all “business establishments, offices and workplaces, public transportation facilities and vehicles, and any indoor place the public is invited or allowed to enter and gather,” with the exception of weddings, funerals, religious gatherings and “other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.” Following the meeting, Fletcher Tove, Buncombe’s emergency preparedness director, said the county was not planning any enforcement measures and that the order contained no language specifying penalties for violations. The mandate was recommended by Stacie Saunders, Buncombe’s public health director, who noted
EMERGENCY MEASURES: Buncombe County’s reinstated mask mandate applies to “business establishments, offices and workplaces, public transportation facilities and vehicles, and any indoor place the public is invited or allowed to enter and gather,” with the exception of weddings, funerals, religious gatherings and “other activities constituting the exercise of First Amendment rights.” Graphic courtesy of Buncombe County that COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents, test positivity rate and virus-related deaths per 100,000 had all exceeded the county’s established metrics for enacting stronger measures to control the coronavirus. She said that mask wearing, together with continued vaccination efforts, would slow transmission of the virus’s delta variant, which the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said is over twice as infectious as previous strains. “In this time of substantial or high transmission, it’s really important that it’s not an ‘or’ anymore: It’s an ‘and,’” Saunders said about combining masks and vaccinations to reduce viral spread. Although the measured benefits of masking have varied across available research studies, according to the CDC, the widespread use of face coverings in a community has generally been associated with lower infection rates. None of the 22 public commenters at the meeting expressed support for the mask requirement, although Commissioner Al Whitesides told the Citizen Times that over 80% of the many emails he’d received on the topic as of Aug. 17 were in favor. Those who spoke on Aug. 18 shared a wide range of concerns about mandated masking, saying it represented an infringement on personal freedom, an enforcement headache for businesses, a cause of deleterious health effects and an unnecessary
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burden for those who have already been vaccinated against COVID-19. “This was supposed to be a twoweek flatten the curve, and right now we’re going on to two years,” said Resa Johnson, an Asheville-based chiropractor, about the continuation of mask requirements. “Children are becoming claustrophobic. They are having trouble breathing. … I think that this has gone on for quite a substantial amount of time and I think it’s really dangerous to our youth.” Prior to voting against the mandate, Pressley alleged that his Democratic colleagues had already made up their minds before hearing public comment. (Newman had made a Facebook post on Aug. 12 stating that the board “will vote to reinstate a mask requirement.”) “This is both sides. We need to listen,” Pressley said. “I have never decided on a motion until we make the motion,” Whitesides countered. He said that he’d listened to all of the commenters but that the preponderance of evidence justified required masking. “This virus — we do know this — it is contagious. And it’s unfortunate that we have to police and wear masks for the people who don’t want to wear them, because they affect all of us,” Whitesides said. “That’s the concern that I have, and that’s why I will vote for this.”
— Daniel Walton X
BUNCOMBE BEAT
Zack and Edwards offer contrasting views of crime, policing Some people see the glass as half full while others see it as half empty. The Council of Independent Business Owners got an earful of both perspectives during its Aug. 20 meeting when Asheville Police Chief David Zack and Republican state Sen. Chuck Edwards offered contrasting interpretations of the state of policing and crime in Asheville. Chief Zack noted that while APD is still dealing with the loss of 84 police officers since January 2020, which he said leaves the department operating with a 25%-40% staffing deficit on any given day, operations at APD have started to level out. “After going through an initial tough phase, we’ve really gotten our footing. Things have very much stabilized,” Zack said. He noted that the department recently swore in four new officers and that 10 other recruits are in the process of completing the APD’s law enforcement basic training. “Interestingly, we are getting some applicants from outside the Asheville area and from out of state. We appreciate that, but still I think it’s really important that we try and grab some homegrown talent as well,” Zack explained. “We are definitely looking at maybe some unconventional or new strategies with recruitment. That’s going to take a significant effort, but we certainly have to be more creative than we have in the past.” Zack also said that while the Asheville Police Department had been hit particularly hard by resignations, the situation is not unique. Departments around the country continue to experience low recruitment numbers, with many officers leaving the profession altogether. He also said officer morale is also rising in part due to recent actions like Asheville City Council voting 6-1 to raise Asheville’s starting police officer pay by more than 20%, and local business group AVL Business Owners funding a billboard on Patton Avenue that thanks local police officers. “When you think the whole world’s against you, really all you need to bolster your spirit and to bolster your morale is just somebody to say, ‘Hey we appreciate the job you’re doing,’” he said. Zack also responded to a national report on Fox News that named Asheville as one of the nation’s top-10 violent cities. Verifying the
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE? Asheville Police Chief David Zack, right, and Republican state Sen. Chuck Edwards offered their thoughts on the state of crime and policing in Asheville during an Aug. 20 meeting of the Council of Independent Business Owners. Photos courtesy of Edwards and the city of Asheville report would require a deep dive into its ranking methodology, he said, but he pointed to recent APD statistics that show violent crime in Asheville has risen steadily over the last five years. “To say that we have a violent crime problem, yes, we do. I would be disingenuous if I said otherwise,” Zack said. “With that being said, if we look at today’s numbers in comparison ... it seems to be leveling. I wouldn’t say it’s going down by a statistically significant number; we have to see where we’re at at the end of summer and moving into fall, but I think we’ve stabilized somewhat. “I think sometimes there’s a thought that this is solely an Asheville problem when it’s really not. We’re seeing, especially in major cities, rising violent crime,” he continued. “Our violent crime has not gone through the roof as it has in some communities. It has stayed pretty level, pretty consistent from where we’ve been over the last year or so.”
“I think we need to show up at City Council meetings and demand that they show support. I think that we ought to insist that City Council show up in a meeting with ‘Back the Blue’ T-shirts on. I think we should insist that the City Council pass resolutions in support of police officers. I think we should insist that City Council call officers in at every single meeting and recognize them for their personal contribution,” Edwards said. And while he didn’t object to Zack’s assertion that police staffing issues and rising crime rates were not unique to Asheville, he maintained that the problems were out of proportion for a city of its size and culture, calling them “inexcusable.” “We’re better than that. We’re different than that. We are mountain people. We have different values,” Edwards said. “It is simply inexcusable that Asheville is 10th in this nation in violent crime.”
— Brooke Randle X
Sen. Edwards, however, painted a less promising picture of policing in Asheville. He said he appreciated Zack’s reassuring view of the situation but added, “I’m not as optimistic.” Edwards said that Zack had provided a diplomatic analysis of Asheville’s policing and crime, but the issues are more extensive and distressing than the chief had described. “That word stabilization bothered me in a number of ways,” he said. “I can get away with saying this where maybe he can’t: What we’ve done is established where the bottom is. We’ve established that the bottom is losing nearly 90 officers and we’ve established that the bottom is the decay that we’ve seen in police officer morale.” Edwards praised local businesses that are providing support to officers but encouraged members of the public to put pressure on City Council and other leaders to stand in solidarity with police.
Mountain Xpress 27th Annual
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2021
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AUG. 25-31, 2021
13
FEA T U RE
Q&A with Liz Harper, city of Asheville public records officer Asheville city government’s decision-making should happen in the sunlight. At least, that’s the principle Liz Harper brings to her work as city’s public records officer. Anyone who has asked for public information about permit violations, purchase orders or police reports since October 2020 has been assisted by Harper. Until recently, Harper kept track of records requests through a spreadsheet and meticulously labeled email inbox. “I’m a very detail-oriented person, so it works well,” she says of her organizational prowess. Harper earned a Master of Science in Information from the University of Michigan School of Information, and she says her background in archives and records management is ideal for locating and sharing city documents. But under Harper’s guidance, Asheville debuted a new public records request portal this summer. Not only does the software consolidate the city’s workflow, she says, but it provides easier access for citizens requesting open data. (On Sept. 1, Harper will return to her previous role as special and digital collections librarian at Western Carolina University, which she held from 2016-20. Asheville’s job posting for the public records officer position is available at avl.mx/a9v.) This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity and length. What does a public records officer do? The North Carolina General Statutes spell out 20 different things that constitute what a public record is: maps, documents, whatever. But I describe public records as anything that’s created in the transaction of
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public business: documents people write, meeting minutes, emails, text messages that employees send that are conducting public business. Really, it’s any kind of tangible document that is created by a city employee. My job is to take the request, see where best to fulfill it, get the records if they exist and then give them back to the requester. Are people allowed to see any public records they want? Or are there limits on what’s available? There’s only some information of a personnel record that’s publicly available. Criminal investigations or sensitive things like that are not public record. But by and large, if it exists as a document of record, it is requestable. We’re not required to create new records in response to a request, although we often do, because we want to share that information. I imagine you working while surrounded by musty, old boxes and mold. No, no, no. I certainly have! But not here, thank God. Most everything I work with is in Google Docs. Are all of Asheville’s public records digitized? We have not retroactively digitized everything. For example, if somebody wants City Council minutes from the ‘70s, we’ve got a vault with all of the minutes, all of the resolutions. But at this point, I would say 99% of record requests are for recent documents, so they’re digital. In your experience, which public records are the most frequently requested? If someone is interested in developing or purchasing a property, I get requests like “At this address, are there open fire code violations?
MOUNTAINX.COM
Are there building code permit violations?” I do a lot of that working with the Development Services Department and Fire Department. We get a lot of records requests for emails around the City Council — basically, anything newsworthy. The Police Department gets a lot of requests as well. Those can be anything from personnel records to emails. A lot of what people request isn’t public record, in that case. Most often, these records contain both public and not-public information, and the city has tools in place to easily access the public portions. For example, emails that discuss the specifics of an investigation would not be public record. But any information that is public record about that case is available using the Police to Citizen tool. Similarly, use-of-force reports that are submitted internally are not public record, as they are considered personnel records. However, the department does put the public portion of these reports to the open data portal. In July, the Legal Services Department introduced a new public records requesting portal. How will that make information more accessible? We moved to a software system called NextRequest. People will be able to go to the portal and see what public records requests have already been made. Previously, that information was public record, but we didn’t have a software system organizing it. I just had a really elaborate Excel spreadsheet. Anyone who would like to see that, I sent it to them. But with the new software, people will be able to see what’s been
SEARCH PARTY: Liz Harper, the public records officer for the city of Asheville, hunts down records by request. Image courtesy of Liz Harper requested and see any of the records that have been supplied in response. It will also be easier to make requests, and people will be able to make requests anonymously. How would you rank Asheville when it comes to government transparency? Asheville is definitely a leader in some of our open data. We have an open data portal where we make a lot of stuff freely and publicly available: Salary information is there, all of the Development Services permit things, a lot of police incident reports. Oftentimes, I’m directing people to resources that exist where they can look and download stuff on their own. We’re continually having conversations about what sort of data sets can be added to the portal to facilitate that self-service and remove some of the barriers to getting access.
— Jessica Wakeman X
MOUNTAINX.COM
AUG. 25-31, 2021
15
COMMUNITY CALENDAR AUG. 25-SEPT. 2, 2021 For a full list of community calendar guidelines, please visit mountainx.com/calendar. For questions about free listings, call 828-251-1333, opt. 4. For questions about paid calendar listings, please call 828-251-1333, opt. 1.
Online Events = Shaded WELLNESS
ART
Zumba Gold Low-impact dance, multiple styles. Suggested donation. WE (8/25, 9/1), 12pm, $5, Stephens Lee Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver Ave
The Nature of Summer Group art show featuring 21 artists. WE (8/25), TH (8/26, 9/2), FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), MO (8/30), 11am, Asheville Gallery of Art, 82 Patton Ave
Yoga in the Park Outdoor yoga group meets every Saturday and Sunday. SA (8/28), SU (8/29), 1:30pm, Carrier Park, 220 Amboy Rd
Swinging the Pendulum: From Patriarchy to Empowerment Multi-medium exhibition featuring works of local artist Jenna Jaffe. WE (8/25, 9/1), TH (8/26, 9/2), FR (8/27), MO (8/30), 10am, SA (8/28), SU 8/29) 12pm Free, The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave
Steady Collective Syringe Access Outreach Free naloxone, syringes and educational material on harm reduction. TU (8/31), 2pm, Firestorm Books & Coffee, 610 Haywood Rd
Connections with Asheville Art Museum: Childhood Arts-based program serving community-dwelling adults
with mild to moderate memory loss and their care partners. Doris Potash, master docent, leads a conversation about four artworks. WE (8/25), 1pm, Free, Registration required, avl.mx/a97 Olympics-themed Art Exhibitions Three exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s Collection in conjunction with the 2021 Summer Olympics. WE (8/25, 9/1), TH (8/26, 9/2), FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), MO (8/30) 11am, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Unearthing Our Forgotten Past Exhibit exploring the Spanish occupation of Fort San Juan and the native people who lived in the Joara area of WNC. Sponsored by the Western NC Historical Association. TH (8/26), FR (8/27), SA (8/28), 10:30am, Smith-McDowell House Museum, 283 Victoria Rd Artificial/Art Official Solo exhibition of paintings and sculptures by contemporary artist James Love. FR (8/27), SA (8/28), 11am, Pink Dog Creative, 348 Depot St
PLACES OF THE PAST: The Glenville Area Historical Society will hold its annual meeting Thursday, Aug. 26, at 6 p.m., at the Glenville Community Center. The featured topic will be Remembering Glenville Historic Buildings and Homes. Attendees are encouraged to share stories and recollections about family homes and other local buildings. Pictured is the historic Oscar Lanning home on Lakeside Circle. Photo courtesy of the Glenville Area Historical Society Art of Emil Holzhauer A selection of work by noted German-American artist, and one-time
Asheville resident. WE (9/1), TH (9/2), BlackBird Frame & Art, 365 Merrimon Ave
ART/CRAFT STROLLS & FAIRS The Black Wall St MarketPlace Supporting Blackowned businesses in Asheville. SA (8/28), 10am, Grind AVL, 346 Depot St
COMMUNITY MUSIC Shannon Hoover Trio (jazz) Shannon Hoover, co-founder of the Greenville Jazz Collective, plays electric and acoustic bass, piano and brass. TH (8/26), 6pm, $20, The Center for Art & Entertainment, 125 S Main St, Hendersonville Thursday Night Live w/Marilynn Seits Jazz Duo Marilynn Seits and Sean McAusland provide musical background as patrons stroll through the gallery. TH (8/26), 6pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square
SPOKEN & WRITTEN WORD Miss Malaprop's Storytime Children's event. Recommended for ages 3-9. WE (8/25), 10am, avl.mx/a8m
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Hybrid Event: John Ross presents Through the Mountains: The French Broad River and Time Event will be live-streamed from Malaprop's and there also will be limited in-store seating. WE (8/25), 6pm, Registration required. avl.mx/a8n Lora Beth Johnson Launches Devil in the Device in conversation with Andrea Tang and Emily Suvada The authors discuss Johnson's latest work of Y.A. fiction. TH (8/26), 6pm, Registration required, avl.mx/a8o Science Fiction Book Club Monthly event hosted by Malaprop's. Participants will discuss This is How You Lose the Time War, by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. MO (8/30), 7pm, Registration required. avl.mx/7on Stephanie Perkins Launches The Woods Are Always Watching Livestream event with the author. TU (8/31), 6pm, Registration required. avl.mx/aa0 Steven Petrow presents Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old, in conversation with Jill McCorkle The authors discuss Petrow's new book. WE (9/1), 6pm, avl.mx/aa1
Malaprop's Book Club Monthly event hosted by Malaprop's. Participants will discuss A Gentleman in Moscow: A Novel by Amor Towles. WE (9/1), 7pm, Registration required. avl.mx/aa2 Crime and Politics Book Club Monthly event hosted by Malaprop's. Readers will discuss What the Eyes Don't See, by Mona Hanna-Attisha. TH (9/2), 7pm, Registration required, avl.mx/a3t
THEATER Fringe Summer Night #2 Featuring performances by Toybox Theater, Alli Marshall and Amanda Levesque and Tom Kilby. 21+. WE (8/25), 7pm, Sly Grog Lounge, 271 Haywood St Inside, Not Out Three-piece performance by the Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre. Limited seating. FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), 7:30pm, BeBe Theatre, 20 Commerce St Dark Horse Theatre & The Magnetic Theatre present: Shadow Ballads Ghost stories, folktales and more. FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), 7pm, $23, Hominy Creek Greenway, 130 Shelburne Rd
The Sword in the Stone Local production of King Arthur legend. FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), 7:30pm, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, 92 Gay St Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The HART Theatre presents the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice comedy. SU (8/29), FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), TH (9/2), Hart Theatre, 250 Pigeon St, Waynesville Magnetic in the (Smoky) Park Outdoor variety show. TU (8/31), 7pm, $15-20, Smoky Park Supper Club, 350 Riverside Dr Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective Presents Oxalis TH (9/2), 7:30pm, $18-21, Diana Wortham Theatre, 18 Biltmore Ave Two Jews, Talking Two-act show performed by television legends Ed Asner (Lou Grant, the Mary Tyler Moore Show) and Jamie Farr (M*A*S*H). TH (9/2), 7:30pm,FR (9/3), SA (9/4), 8pm, SA (9/4). 2 pm, $35-60, Flat Rock Playhouse, 2661 Hwy 225, Flat Rock
CLASSES, MEETINGS & EVENTS Fairy Trail Stroll the Fairy Trail, which extends about 300 yards and includes tiny doors that can be opened and closed to reveal fairy life scenes. WE (8/25, 9/1), TH
(8/26, 9/2), FR (8/27), SA (8/28), SU (8/29), MO (8/30), TU (8/31), 9:30am, Bullington Gardens, 95 Upper Red Oak Trail, Hendersonville Fly Fishing Expo All ages. Call 828-8774423. WE (8/25), 10am, Registration required. Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Rd, Pisgah Forest French Conversation Group Meeting every two weeks. Visit meetup. com, Asheville French Conversation Group or text Eliza, 402-480-2793. WE (8/25), 5:30pm, Ingles, 29 Tunnel Rd Introduction to Medicare - Understanding the Puzzle The class will explain how Medicare works, the enrollment process, how to avoid penalties, and ways to save money. To register, visit the Council on Aging of Buncombe County’s website (www.coabc.org) or call the Council on Aging at 828-277-8288. Class held via Zoom. WE (8/25), 5:30pm, Free, avl.mx/9hz Cooperative Agroforestry and Acorn Donut Tasting Learn about local agroforestry and land stewardship programs from Zev Friedman (Cooperate WNC) and Justin Holt (Nutty Buddy Collective). The address and directions will be emailed to participants upon registering, avl.mx/a8h. WE (8/25), 6pm, $15-20, Register for location. Tie Dying Class Ticket includes one white Catawba tank top, dye, and in-person instructions from Dying Times Dye. WE (8/25), 6:30pm, $25, Catawba Brewing South Slope, 32 Banks Ave Tackle Rigging for Fly Fishing Ages 12 and older. Call 828-877-4423. TH (8/26), 9am, Registration required. Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Rd, Pisgah Forest Arbor Evenings Stroll through the Arboretum’s gardens and experience the Wild Art outdoor sculpture showcase as live music plays. TH (8/26, 9/2), FR (8/27), 5:30pm, $16, NC Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way Glenville Area Historical Society Annual Meeting This year’s topic is "Remembering Glenville’s Historic Buildings and Homes.” TH (8/26), 6pm, Glenville Area Historical Society, Hwy 107, Glenville
History Café: The Negro Motorist Green Book in WNC NCSU doctoral candidate Lisa R. Withers will discuss her research regarding the Negro Motorist Green Book and African American travel in WNC. Via Zoom. TH (8/26), 6:30pm, $8-12, avl.mx/aal Weaverville Center for Creative and Healthy Living listening tour An opportunity for Weaverville residents to share their interests and concerns about health, education, welfare and recreation. TH (8/26), 6:30pm, avl.mx/aaz Afro-Carolinian Tales: Poetry Reading & Discussion NC Poet Laureate Glenis Redmond and Asheville-based painter Julyan Davis discuss their collaboration, The Mermaid Storm, an exhibit made up of 14 artwork stations with accompanying poems. Moderated by Cass Herrington of Citizen Vinyl and Blue Ridge Public Radio. TH (8/26), 7pm, $15-35, Citizen Vinyl, 14 O Henry Ave Nature Nuts: Life Cycles Ages 5-11. Call 828-8774423. FR (8/27), 9am, Registration required. Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Rd, Pisgah Forest Slow Art Friday: Women’s Bodies in a Museum Megan Pyle, touring docent, leads a conversation about three artworks in the Asheville Art Museum’s collection. Suggested donation for non-members. FR (8/27), 12pm, Free$10, avl.mx/a15 Fun Friday for Families: Jewelry-Making Use a variety of materials to create your own unique piece of jewelry. Fridays in August FR (8/27), 1:30pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Aurora Studio & Gallery's Fun on Friday Arts/fundraising activity for Asheville visitors. To register, text Lori Greenberg at 828-335-1038. Suggested donation. FR (8/27), 2:30pm, $20, The Refinery, 207 Coxe Ave Edible Park Community Work Day Mulching, pruning and clearing invasive plants. FR (8/27), 2:30pm, Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park, 30 George Washington Carver Ave Backyard Writers' Group Bring a covered dish and a beverage the last
Friday of each month. FR (8/27), 5pm, Free, The Writers' Workshop, 387 Beaucatcher Rd Fridays at the Folk Art Center: Creatures of the Night Join a Parkway Ranger to learn about animals that come out after dark. Outdoors, bring a chair or blanket. Call 828-2985330, ext. 302 for more information. FR (8/27), 7:30pm, Folk Art Center, MP 382, Blue Ridge Parkway Art Dash 5K A portion of the proceeds to benefit LEAF. SA (8/28), 9am, $35-45, Pack Square Park, 121 College St Church Yard/Moving Sale Toys, books, bookcases, lamps, pianos, pool table, ping pong table, games, antiques and more. Cash only. SA (8/28), 8am-12pm., Biltmore United Methodist Church, 378 Hendersonville Rd Fly Tying for the Beginner Ages 12 and older. Call 828-877-4423. SA (8/28), 9am, Registration required. Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, 1401 Fish Hatchery Rd, Pisgah Forest Fundraiser for Mountain Pet Rescue Asheville MetroWines will donate 10% of every bottle sold to Mountain Pet Rescue Asheville, and the owners will match the store donation to further their shelter and foster work. SA (8/28), 10am, Metro Wines, 169 Charlotte St MakerSpace: Weaving Explore weaving with a variety of materials, including yarn, ribbon, paper and fabric. All ages. SA (8/28), 1pm, Asheville Art Museum, 2 S. Pack Square Online Baha'i Sunday Devotional Virtual gathering with readings, music, prayers, and conversation. All are welcome. A Zoom link will be sent in advance to those who register. SU (8/29), 10am, avl.mx/a9m Social Contract Bridge Group For more info, contact Stefano 727-481-8103. MO (8/30), 12:30pm, free, Senior Opportunity Center, 36 Grove St
Protecting the Lands We Love The WNC Sierra Club presents Jay Leutze, senior board advisor for the Southern Appalachian Highland Conservancy. TH (9/2), 7pm-9pm, avl.mx/ab7 Laurel Chapter of the Embroiderers' Guild of America meeting Second of a two-part class on creating a felted wool needle keeper. Contact Mary Ann Wyatt at (828)681-0572. TH (9/2), 9:30am, Cummings United Methodist Church, 3 Banner Farm Rd, Horse Shoe
FOOD & BEER RAD Farmers Market Weekly farmers market featuring more than 30 local farmers, makers, bakers and craft artisans. WE (8/25, 9/1), 3pm, Pleb Urban Winery, 289 Lyman St Les-ter Farmers Market Weekly event through September. WE (8/25, 9/1), 3:30pm, Leicester Community Center, 711 New Leicester Hwy, Leicester Jus’ Runnin’ Pub Run Rain or shine, all ages and experience levels welcome. WE (8/25, 9/1), 6:15pm, Archetype Brewing, 265 Haywood Rd
Red Seeing
when you open your utility bills? Do you wonder how you’re hoping to pay your heating and cooling bills? Consider having your home weatherized! It could help you save money by making your home more energy efficient.
Flat Rock Farmers Market Weekly local market. TH (8/26, 9/2), 3pm, Flat Rock Farmers Market, 1790 Greenville Hwy, Hendersonville Hendersonville Farmers Market Weekly farmers market. SA (8/28), 8am, Historic Hendersonville Train Depot, 650 Maple St Westside Creative Market Local handmade goods and artwork. SA (8/28), 11am, Haywood Quick Stop, 495 Haywood Rd Jackson Arts Market Weekly event every Saturday through Dec. 18. SA (8/28), 1pm, 533 W Main St, Sylva, Sylva Meadow Market at Highland Brewing A rotation of local bakers, makers, and artisans. SU (8/29), 12pm, Highland Brewing Co., 12 Old Charlotte Hwy
North Carolina’s Weatherization Assitance and Heating/ Air Repair and Replacement Programs are the state’s primary program for delivering energy efficiency services to low-income households.
Families who live on limited incomes and reside in Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties can apply. Services are FREE for qualified families.
Trained staff asses the needs of the home. Services may include: • • • •
Seal air leaks and ductwork Insulate attics and/or floors Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors Repair or replace faulty heating systems
You may qualify and not even know it. To learn more please contact:
THE FEHR PIANO STUDIO Piano Lessons: all ages, experienced artistic teaching fully vaccinated Sand Hill Road: 1 Mile from 1/26 & 1/40 Juncture
25 Gaston Street, Asheville, NC 28801 828-252-2495 or 828-210-0565 Communityactionopportunities.org/weatherization
(828) 777-0061
MOUNTAINX.COM
AUG. 25-31, 2021
17
WELLNESS HEALTH ROUNDUP
by Jessica Wakeman | jwakeman@mountainx.com
Lawsuit alleges Mission Health monopoly
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D!
Six residents of Western North Carolina filed a class-action lawsuit against HCA Healthcare and Mission Health System on Aug. 10, alleging restraint of trade and unlawful monopolization. The plaintiffs say they have paid higher health insurance premiums, copays and deductibles than have residents of surrounding areas due to Mission’s ability to control prices in WNC. Following its purchase of Mission Health System in 2019, HCA Healthcare holds approximately 90% of the market share for general inpatient hospital care in the Buncombe and Madison county markets. The lawsuit alleges the defendants “have monopolized, and continue to monopolize” health care, in violation of the North Carolina Constitution and North Carolina General Statutes. It asks the Buncombe County Superior Court to grant plaintiffs and other members of the class unspecified damages and restitution and for Mission
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NO COMPETITION: Sen. Julie Mayfield of Buncombe County supports the plaintiffs alleging Mission Health has a monopoly. Photo courtesy of Mayfield Health System to provide greater pricing transparency. In a statement to media, Mission Health/HCA North Carolina Division spokesperson Nancy Lindell wrote, “We are committed to caring for Western North Carolina, as demonstrated through more than $330 million in charity care and uninsured discounts we provided in 2020, expansion of hospital services including the opening of the North Tower, a new pediatric ER and securing land for a new 120-bed behavioral health hospital.” The statement continued, “Further, we have invested in our colleagues with onboarding nearly 1,200 new members this year and providing more than $3 million in student loan and tuition reimbursement in 2020. Mission Health is committed to the health and well-being of every person who comes to us for care, and we are proud of our dedicated hospital teams that are facing the many challenges of this pandemic and the exceptional care they have provided to our patients.”
MOUNTAINX.COM
In an Aug. 10 call with the media in response to the filing, Sen. Julie Mayfield and Rep. Brian Turner, Democrats who represent Buncombe County in the N.C. General Assembly, voiced their support of the lawsuit. Sen. Kevin Corbin, a Republican who represents Haywood and six other western counties, also joined an Aug. 10 statement with Mayfield and Turner supporting the filing. “Over the last 2 1/2 years since the purchase of Mission Hospital by HCA, we have heard and seen a deterioration in the staffing and care at the hospital and found an increase in the cost associated with health care at Mission facilities and in general in insurance across the region,” said Mayfield on the call. “This lawsuit is not the be-all, endall, fix-all of the problem, but we do hope it is a strong step in the right direction of addressing many of the issues and concerns that we have heard about.” The full text of the lawsuit is available at avl.mx/a9p.
Ingles to offer third doses of COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised
Ingles Markets is offering third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at pharmacy locations to eligible immunocompromised patients. Ingles pharmacies currently administer both Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 23; both vaccines have been approved by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use in third doses to boost immunity in those with weakened immune systems. (No recommendations have been issued regarding additional doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.) A third dose may be administered starting 28 days after the second dose. In a statement on Aug. 18, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said booster shots for all Americans who have received the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, to be administered eight months after the second dose, should be available beginning the week of Monday, Sept. 20. A booster shot for the J&J vaccine is also being considered. Ingles Pharmacy continues to offer first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for people age 12 and older. All doses of the COVID19 vaccine are free. Appointments are not required, but customers may register for an appointment at avl.mx/aan.
MAHEC president retires Dr. Jeffrey Heck, CEO of the Asheville-based Mountain Area Health Education Center, announced his retirement on Aug. 17. Heck joined MAHEC in 2004 to chair the Department of Family Medicine and support the establishment of a branch campus of the UNC School of Medicine. He became president and CEO in 2012, and during his tenure he oversaw the establishment of UNC Sciences at MAHEC, an interdisciplinary collaboration with area colleges. Following his retirement, Heck will continue to see patients at Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in Asheville. MAHEC’s board of directors is actively seeking Heck’s successor.
Migraine, headache clinic opens in Candler
rent three-floor, 105,000-square-foot hospital opened in March 2018.
Vaccination news
Mission Hospital McDowell to expand Mission Hospital McDowell in Marion, a part of the Mission Health system, is receiving $20 million in funding from HCA Healthcare for a building expansion that will add 11 beds. In an Aug. 13 press release, Mission Hospital McDowell CEO Carol Wolfenbarger said construction of the two-story tower is anticipated to begin in the spring. Along with increasing capacity, the addition will provide space for future health care needs. The cur-
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• Free COVID-19 vaccines, including booster shots for immunocompromised individuals, are available from Buncombe County Health and Human Services Department 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday, at 40 Coxe Ave. Vaccines are available for anyone 12 and older. No appointment is necessary, and no ID is required. More information is available at BuncombeCounty. org/Covid-19. • The Mountain Area Health Education Center is one of 80 vaccine providers in the WNC Vaccine Acceleration Consortium, which is collaborating with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services on a mobile vaccine unit in WNC. No appointment is necessary. The schedule for the mobile vaccine unit is available at MAHEC.net/Covid19Info. • The Department of Veterans Affairs expanded its vaccine mandate on Aug. 13 for Veterans Health Administration employees, contractors and volunteers, including staff at Asheville’s Charles George VA Medical Center. Personnel who come into contact with VA patients have eight weeks to provide proof of vaccination status. VA employees are eligible for vaccination at all facilities. More information is available at VA.gov/ Asheville-Health-Care. X
A clinic dedicated to treating migraines, chronic headaches and light sensitivity has opened in Candler. Soma Vision Center for Migraines and Headaches is operated by Dr. Jamin Quilla, who has seen the prescription of color-filtering eyeglass lenses for migraine patients improve their symptoms. In addition to migraines, the clinic also treats chronic vertigo and post-concussion symptoms. The clinic is at 1427 Smokey Park Highway. More information is available by phone at 828-384-0578 or online at SomaVisionHeadacheCenter.com.
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ARTS & CULTURE
Concrete love
LEAF Downtown returns
BY BILL KOPP bill@musoscribe.com
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A defining feature of Asheville’s modern history is its festivals. From late July through September, the city has been host to a dazzling array of outdoor gatherings celebrating music, arts and community. Some, such as Bele Chere, have come and gone. Yet many remain, including LEAF Downtown, which returns Friday-Saturday, Aug. 27-28, after a year’s hiatus due to the COVID19 pandemic. Launched in 2015, the gathering builds upon the successful foundation of the semiannual LEAF Global Arts Festival at Lake Eden in Black Mountain. Like the original, the Asheville-based edition celebrates the tapestry of cultural traditions that enliven music and the arts. But unlike the Black Mountain occasions, LEAF Downtown is free to attend, embracing even more fully the community component that both happenings promote. Musical highlights for this year’s two-day event include Newcleus and Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers. Meanwhile, Billy Jonas, Roy Harris, Free Planet Radio, West Sound, Kayla Lynn and The Secret Agency with Agent 23 Skidoo & Friends are among the local performers. “Concrete love” is the theme for the 2021 celebration, notes Otto Vazquez, the event’s performing arts coordinator. “We come from our other festivals and retreats at Lake Eden’s natural settings, and now we’re bringing it back to the city of Asheville, to the concrete park,” he says. “And after what we all experienced last year, we want to bring love — a sense of togetherness and community, love you can build on — back to Asheville.”
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STRATEGIC PLANNING
Even beyond the festival, LEAF Global Arts, which puts on the annual event, has long displayed a commitment to bringing those qualities to the city. The pandemic forced the temporary closure of the nonprofit’s new brick-and-mortar center on the corner of Eagle and Market streets shortly after its February 2020 launch. Vazquez says “a lot of strategic planning” went into maintaining the space during the shutdown.
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BACK AT IT: Following last year’s pandemic-related pause, LEAF Downtown returns to Asheville for its sixth annual gathering. Photo courtesy of LEAF Global Arts The organization’s executive director, Jennifer Pickering, Vazquez emphasizes, “made some really smart decisions to prolong the life of the organization. We’re still being cautious, but we’re thriving again.” That caution makes sense, continues Vazquez, as the pandemic isn’t over. With the latest mask mandate in place across Buncombe County, LEAF is requiring all attendees to mask up. Food vendors will also be spread out rather than concentrated at a single location; social distancing is encouraged for festivalgoers, as well. Additionally, there will be sanitation stations and multiple free vaccination sites available at the gathering. “We want people to feel safe, have a good time and continue to enjoy live music,” says Vazquez.
GOING IN A CIRCLE
Acclaimed Asheville storyteller Roy Harris will preside over the festival’s opening ceremony, and his Story Time event on Friday afternoon will be a highlight of the gathering. Harris says that his goal at LEAF Downtown, as well as in his role as a board member of
the Black Storytellers Association, is “to open storytelling up to the next generation.” His credo emphasizes the universality of storytelling and the oral tradition: “My story is your story, your story is their story, and their story is our story,” he says. “We’re going in a circle.” Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Kayla Lynn will be performing with her band The Change as part of Saturday’s entertainment lineup. Lynn has been involved with LEAF since 2016, when she was still in high school. “I was invited to play the festival, and I never left,” she quips. Today she’s a LEAF resident teaching artist. “I hope people come to LEAF Downtown and get exposed to new music, art and ideas,” she says. “I hope it opens their minds and hearts to other people and other cultures.” “Music, dance and entertainment have a healing aspect,” adds Vazquez. “That’s what this event — and all our events — are going to do. They’re going to heal the community, put people back into a state of mind that says, ‘We’re going to get through this. We’re going to have fun, and we’re going to be safe.’” To learn more, visit avl.mx/8eb. X
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AUG. 25-31, 2021
21
ARTS & C U L T U R E
COMEDY
Funny because it’s true
Ritch Shydner explores stand-up comedy history in two-part show BY EDWIN ARNAUDIN earnaudin@mountainx.com With his two-part show, A History of Stand-up Comedy, Ritch Shydner has discovered a magic formula. “I get to go onstage, without being accused of thievery, and do jokes and stories about the greats,” he says. “I’m up there getting laughs, essentially with the greats’ material. It’s just a kick to perform.” The Asheville-based comedian closes out his run of local performances with part one on Friday, Aug. 27, and part two on Saturday, Aug. 28, at Attic Salt Theatre Co. Part one: America’s Reflection in the Funhouse Mirror, begins with tales of Artemus Ward, considered the country’s first stand-up comedian, whose career began amid the Civil War, and goes through the emergence of female comics during Mountain Xpress 27th Annual
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World War II. Part two: PC, Cancel Culture and the Line Dancers, picks up with what Shydner calls “the revolution” that Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl started in the late 1950s and continues to the present day. “It’s an original American art form,” he says. “And it’s a funny show.”
IN PHYLLIS WE TRUST
Shydner began performing standup in Washington, D.C., in the late ’70s; went on to earn spots on “Late Night with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show”; played Luke Ventura, co-worker of Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill) on “Married ... With Children”; and wrote for “Roseanne.” “I didn’t expect to be a professional comedian when I was growing up. And I certainly didn’t think I’d be writing on a big television show,” Shydner says. “I didn’t really have a plan. And, as John Lennon said, I became part of somebody else’s plan.” During that time, he befriended Phyllis Diller, who’d regale him of stories about industry greats, including lesser-known talents. Shydner says Diller wanted him to write a book on the subject, leading him to research and organize his findings into eight chapters. But after writing the first section, he felt that he’d turned this exciting, vibrant history into a dull textbook. At his wife’s suggestion, Shydner began developing the material for the stage to unearth its funniest
parts, then put those elements back in the book. After taking the stories — including significant events and advances in technology that changed the industry — to a live setting, he realized that doing a stand-up show about the history of stand-up was the way to go. “It came to me that this is the most reflective art form. It’s the quickest way to gauge the American zeitgeist,” Shydner says. “But it’s also obviously the most ephemeral. It’s just gone. So it also has the shortest life span of any art form. [Mark] Twain said that, too.”
COMEDIC PERSPECTIVE
Following his Asheville performances, Shydner will film A History of Stand-up Comedy at the Laughing Skull Lounge in Atlanta in hopes of having it picked up by Netflix, Hulu or another major streaming service. Along with the rise in broadcast opportunities for comics, Shydner notes that the industry’s other major change during his career is that the modern comedy scene is peppered with hobbyists. “People used to heckle you and say, ‘Don’t quit your day job!’” Shydner says. “But you say that to a comic onstage today, and they say, ‘Oh, I don’t intend to. I have a good 401(k) and dental and full medical. Why would I do that? This is just for fun.’” Shydner’s connection to Western North Carolina started with his mother, who’s from the town of Newland in Avery County, and he
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JUST THE FACTS: Asheville-based comedian Ritch Shydner covers 160 years of stand-up comedy history in his new show. Photo courtesy of the artist grew up taking trips to the area. By 2019, with his career in television behind him, he and his wife relocated from LA to Fairview. Though he’s only lived in the area for two years, he feels that Asheville has “a good scene” with “some really funny comedians” and thinks fellow Asheville comedian Jess Cooley “could really go all the way if he wanted to.” However, the main impediment Shydner sees to local comics breaking through is getting enough stage time to grow one’s skills. Whereas Asheville comics might perform once a night, when Shydner moved to New York City in 1979, he told jokes at three or four clubs per evening. “It’s all a matter of how much you want it,” Shydner says. “You have to burn for it like it’s the only thing that matters.” X
WHAT A History of Stand-up Comedy WHERE Attic Salt Theatre Co., 2002 Riverside Drive, Studio 42-O. avl.mx/a8s WHEN Friday, Aug. 27, and Saturday, Aug. 28, at 8 p.m. $15 general admission/ $25 weekend package
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AUG. 25-31, 2021
23
ARTS & C U L T U R E
ROUNDUP
Around Town
Cat Fly Film Fest returns with live events Asheville’s reputation as a place to make movies took a hit when state legislators revamped North Carolina’s tax incentives program in 2014. The organizers of the Cat Fly Film Fest hope to remedy that by showcasing the work of local indie filmmakers. “Asheville is still a great place to make movies,” says Brittany Jackson, programming director and co-founder of the festival. “There’s a lot of potential here for Asheville to be a hub of activity for the film industry. What we lack currently is funding and the opportunity to have our needs met as humans.” After last year’s virtual event, the fifth annual indie film festival returns to in-person gatherings, ThursdaySunday, Aug. 26-29. Participating venues include Fleetwood’s, The Orange Peel, Grail Moviehouse and the Asheville School of Film. Masks will be required at all happenings regardless of vaccination status. Cat Fly will include more than 25 short films, two feature films and educational components (including a low-budget monster special-effects class), social mixers and multimedia collaborations by local and regional filmmakers and performers. “I always hope that filmmakers from this area will meet each other and become future collaborators, further strengthening the creative community we have in the Southeast,” says Madeleine Richardson, the festival’s creative director and co-founder. “For general audience members, I hope to share stories that resonate and break apart the stereotypes of the South we often see portrayed in movies made on the West Coast.” The four-day format is a first, expanded from three days in past years, and organizers have scheduled two days of workshops instead of one. Additionally, the fest has added a Bring Your Own Film event, “basically an open mic for filmmakers,” Jackson says. For more information, visit avl.mx/a8t.
Fringe benefits
The next Asheville Fringe Arts Festival won’t be until January, but people can get a sneak preview 24
AUG. 25-31, 2021
of some works in progress during upcoming Fringe Summer Nights. The shows will be Wednesday, Aug. 25, at Sly Grog Lounge, 271 Haywood St., and Wednesday, Sept. 8, at Fleetwood’s, 496 Haywood Road. Doors open at 7:30 both nights. “The series is a chance for fringe performers to try out new ideas, for artists and audience members to reconnect and catch up,” says Alli Marshall, a festival board member and one of the performers at the Aug. 25 show. The Asheville Fringe Arts Festival began in 2003 and includes dance, installation, spoken-word, music, theater, comedy, puppets, film, burlesque and more. “There’s often an element of experimentation or pushing boundaries,” Marshall says. During the Aug. 25 performance, for instance, Marshall will be performing four of the 10 vignettes of The Top Ten Superpowers of All Time with musician Ryan Glass. Marshall wrote the poems; Glass composed the music. “The spoken-word pieces play with the idea of superheroes and superpowers in relation to being human and fallible,” Marshall explains. “So, for example, the theme of invisibility correlates to how many of us feel invisible in our lives. The theme of superstrength correlates to how many of us feel we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders.” Also at the Aug. 25 show, Amanda Levesque and Tom Kilby will perform a movement piece, and Toybox Theatre will be showcasing puppetry. On Sept. 8, Katie Jones will perform her original theater work The Marvelous Martha Monday, which she says is “about my great-great grandmother, who became a family legend after running away with the circus as a teenager.” Asheville Contemporary Dance Theatre also will take the stage. For more information, visit avl.mx/a91.
All that jazz
Greenville, S.C.-based jazz musician Shannon Hoover will provide the soundtrack for Downtown Hendersonville’s Coolest Happier Hour, taking place Thursday, Aug. 26, 6-8 p.m. The Shannon Hoover Trio will perform at the Center for Arts & Entertainment, 125 S. Main St. In addition to live jazz, those who attend can purchase wine, craft beer
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the U.S. and Latin America, notes a press release from UNCA. He will begin his new role on Tuesday, Sept. 7, which will include serving as North Carolina’s state historian, overseeing the N.C. Historical Resources Commission as well as the state’s 27 historical sites, including the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Asheville. “Darin’s experience and expertise in both North Carolina history and community engagement will accelerate our efforts to provide more comprehensive stories of the people, places and events that have shaped the state we live in today,” Wilson stated in a press release. For more information, go to avl.mx/a9d.
CINEMA SHOWCASE: Brittany Jackson, left, and Madeleine Richardson founded the Cat Fly Film Fest in 2017 because “there was no true platform for up-and-coming filmmakers of the area,” Richardson says. The festival returns Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 26-29, at various venues around town. Photo courtesy of the Cat Fly Film Fest and snacks from the event’s charcuterie bar. Hoover is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and the founder of The Greenville Jazz Collective. He plays a variety of styles, including jazz, classical and world music, and has played with such legendary artists as Branford Marsalis, Dionne Warwick, Roy “Futureman” Wooten and Clarence Clemons. For more information, visit avl.mx/a98.
Making history
UNC Asheville’s Darin Waters has been appointed deputy secretary for archives and history at the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The appointment was announced by D. Reid Wilson, secretary of the department. Waters concluded his role as associate professor of history and the executive director of UNCA’s Office of Community Engagement on Aug. 23. Waters taught courses in American, North Carolina, Appalachian, African American and Brazilian history. He also specializes in the history of race relations in
Shows delayed
Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre, which reopened to live audiences in June after more than a year, has postponed its fall production of Milestones until 2022 due to surging COVID-19 numbers. The two-act dramedy by Gale Gooch Alexander was scheduled to run Sept. 30-Oct. 17. “The safety of all patrons and staff is at the forefront of all decisions made when postponing or rescheduling programing,” the Mars Hill theater said in a press release. SART officials have started the process of contacting people who already bought tickets. For more information, go to avl.mx/a9c.
Traditional music boost The Community Foundation of Henderson County recently awarded The Will & Deni McIntyre Foundation a $15,000 grant to help fund the sixth season of “David Holt’s State of Music,” an Emmynominated PBS series. The show features music from emerging and veteran performers in Southern Appalachia. It is shot on location in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina. “The traditional music of this region is a treasure we’re privileged to share,” Asheville’s Holt said in a press release. “Whether it’s bluegrass, gospel, a string band or the blues, the artists we feature are performing at the very highest level. We’re proud to shine a light on these deserving musicians.” For more information, go to avl.mx/a94.
— Justin McGuire X
FOOD ROUNDUP
What’s new in food Asheville Cider Crawl expands
Along with its new name, the Asheville Cider Crawl (formerly known as the West Asheville Cider Crawl) will have a freshly expanded focus for its Saturday, Aug. 28, happening. Established in 2018 by Urban Orchard Cider Co. marketing director Jeff Anderson with help from Lyndon Smith, co-owner of Botanist & Barrel Cidery in Cedar Grove, the original crawl did not spotlight additional local cideries. Instead, the event encouraged West Asheville bars, breweries and restaurants to reimagine how they used the product through pairings, food recipes, cider-based cocktails and canned and bottled cider from more than a dozen North Carolina cideries. “We hit the streets of West Asheville and started inviting people and businesses to join in, and the thing took off,” Smith recalls. Now, with the city’s local cider industry continuing to grow, the event has expanded to a citywide crawl organized by the N.C. Cider Association. Three downtown cider taprooms will be featured — Botanist & Barrel Tasting Bar + Bottle Shop, Urban Orchard Cider Co. - South Slope and Noble Cider Downtown Taproom. Additional stops include Burial Beer Co., Cellarest Beer Project, The Whale, DSSOLVR and Haywood Common. The crawl will run noon-10 p.m. (depending on each venue’s operating hours). As for the crawl’s offerings, Smith says Botanist & Barrel’s featured beverage is a delicious result of serendipity. On a whim, while participating at a recent Chow Chow dinner, Smith combined his blackberry cider with a scoop of The Hop Ice Cream Cafe’s blackberry sorbet. “All the chefs in the staging area loved it, so I knew we had our crawl drink,” he says. For a complete list of participants and featured menu items, visit avl.mx/a8u.
Hair of the dog
On Saturday, Aug. 28, Metro Wines will donate 10% of the price of any bottle of wine purchased in its store to Mountain Pet Rescue Asheville, a pet foster nonprofit founded by Joelle Warren. The store’s owners will also personally match the day’s total with an additional donation. “We are all pet lovers here,” says co-owner Gina Trippi. “Everyone has a four-legged buddy, and we have
a Facebook page for people to post photos of their fur babies. We like Mountain Pet’s approach in fostering pets before being placed in their forever homes. Saturday is our busiest day in the shop, and we’re happy to help them in their mission.” Throughout the day, Metro will be pouring Hogwash rosé for tasting, and Mountain Pet intends to bring several well-behaved dogs available for adoption. Metro Wines is at 169 Charlotte St. To learn more, visit avl.mx/6ob.
In the house
After a virtual exhibition in 2020, the Omni Grove Park Inn has sweet news for fans of the National Gingerbread House Competition. The 29th annual gathering will return this November to its historic home with a hybrid event incorporating virtual elements, an in-person final judging and displays open to the public. In 2020, over 100 photo and video entries were submitted for the first round of judging; the top five in each category — adult, teen, youth and child — made it to round two, where the top three in each field were determined. One was revealed each day on Facebook and Instagram in the 12 Days of Gingerbread presentation. In 2021, the first round of judging will again be done through digital content; the second round will be judged in person in the hotel’s grand ballroom, with the winners announced during an awards ceremony on Monday, Nov. 22. For the first time since 2019, the gingerbread houses will be on display throughout
TOMAHAWK RIBEYE N ow a t WNC Fa rm e rs M a rke t!
DO THE CRAWL: Lyndon Smith and Amie Fields, co-owners of Botanist & Barrel’s Tasting Bar, will be participating in the citywide Asheville Cider Crawl. Photo by Emilie Kapp the hotel for registered guests with specified viewing times available as well for visitors not staying on the property. Houses will be on display Nov. 28-Jan. 2. As in years past, a portion of the parking fees collected on display dates will go to eight local nonprofits, including Asheville Museum of Science, United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County and Asheville City Schools Foundation. For more information on the event, dates and how to enter, visit avl.mx/a8y.
Working up an app-etite
opportunities can be found through the Special Events tab. The mobile app is free. To learn more, visit avl.mx/a90.
Farm aid
Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project has expanded its Appalachian Grown Farmer Relief Fund to assist local farmers impacted by Tropical Storm Fred. To donate funds to the initiative, visit avl.mx/ab0.
— Kay West X
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has developed Visit NC Farms, an app intended to be used as a one-stop shop to find farms, food, drink, farm tours and lodging, local events and more in Buncombe County. The project aims to provide a platform for businesses and events related to agriculture. The Shop Local Food & Drink feature spotlights businesses using local products on their menus, in production and in stores. Agritourism
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MOVIE LISTINGS Bruce Steele’s and Edwin Arnaudin’s latest critiques of new films available to view in local theaters and via popular streaming services include: THE NIGHT HOUSE: Rebecca Hall continues to exhibit terrific taste choosing horror projects with this atmospheric tale of a young widow haunted by what may or may not be the spirit of her late husband. Grade: B-plus. Rated R REMINISCENCE: The rich set-up of people escaping the stresses of a flooded Earth by reliving favorite memories is doomed by one of the year’s worst scripts. Usually reliable stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton should know better. Grade: D. Rated PG-13
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 185 KING STREET Trivia Night, 7pm
SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm
305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm
THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Kelsey Rosen, 7pm • Move On Up: Soul/R&B Night, 9pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm
THE GREY EAGLE Travis Book Happy Hour w/Andy Falco (bluegrass), 7pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm
BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm
THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm
BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm
THE WEAVER HOUSE Mr Jimmy & Patrick Lockett Dance Party (blues), 7pm
CITIZEN VINYL Kathryn O’Shea (Americana), 4pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Old Timey Jam by the River (musical collaboration), 6pm
TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26
HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm
131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm
HIGHLAND BREWING COMPANY Sarah Siskind (singer-songwriter), 6pm
185 KING STREET Aaron Burdett Trio (Americana), 7pm
ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam, 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Blooming Bass w/DJ Ephcto (cultural bass), 6:30pm • Latin Night, 9pm RENDEVOUS Albi Podrizki (jazz), 7pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm
AUG. 25-31, 2021
THE DUGOUT Open Bluegrass Jam w/The Well Drinkers, 8pm
BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm
CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 6pm
26
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm
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305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm ARCHETYPE TAP LOUNGE + VENUE Bluegrass & Brews w/ Knob Creek Incident, 6pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Will Ray & the Space Cooties (rock), 7:30pm ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Radio (cosmic Appalachian hip-hop), 9pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE Drag Show w/Alexis Black, 8pm DOUBLE CROWN The Gospel Keytones, 8pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm
JOIN THE CLUB: Local singer-songwriter Taylor Martin will host Open Mic Night at Haywood Country Club on Monday, Aug. 30, at 7:15 p.m. Participants can sign up at 6:15 p.m. for the weekly event. Martin, originally from Virginia, has called Asheville home since 2004. His current album, Song Dogs, was released in 2018. Photo courtesy of Taylor Martin ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Liz Frame and the Kickers (Americana), 7pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/Drew & the Boys, 7pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Wesley Ganey (blues), 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Phursdays w/Gunslinging Parrots (Phish tribute), 9pm
SLY GROG LOUNGE Augur, Dawn of Dismality (metal), 8pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING • Gin Mill Pickers (Americana, Piedmont blues, ragtime), 4pm • Open Mic, 6pm THE GREY EAGLE Indigo De Souza w/ Ex Gold & DJ Ohh No Honey (R&B, soul, indie), 8pm THE GROCERY Jay Brown (classic country, jazz, ragtime), 6:30pm THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm THE MAGNETIC THEATRE Eyes Up Here Comedy (stand-up), 7:30pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Jesse Barry & The Jam (funk, soul), 6pm
THE ODDITORIUM Destroyer of Light, Witchcryer, Rocky Mtn Roller (metal), 8pm
PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Hunter Begley & Eric Ledford (Americana), 6:30pm
TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm
RABBIT RABBIT Sunset Rooftop Comedy Show, 8pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SILVERADOS Mr Jimmy Power Trio (blues), 7pm
FRIDAY, AUGUST 27 ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Everybody Free Dance Party, 10pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mr Jimmy (blues), 7:30pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Third Eye (Tool tribute), 10pm ATTIC SALT THEATRE Ritch Shydner’s History of Stand-up Comedy, Part 1, 8pm
GUIDON BREWING Just Rick (Americana), 7pm HENDERSONVILLE VISITOR CENTER Music On Main Concert Series, 7pm
BEN'S TUNE UP DJ Kilby Spinning Vinyl (throwback dance party), 10pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB West End String Band (bluegrass, folk, blues), 8pm
BLUE MOUNTAIN PIZZA & BREW PUB Acoustic Swing (acoustic duo), 7pm
MAD CO. BREW HOUSE Jacob Therrien (Americana, rock), 6pm
BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Nick Colavito (acoustic), 5pm CATAWBA BREWING SOUTH SLOPE BadRabbit w/Jon Edwards, Nick Mac & Keith Menguiz (Americana), 7pm CONTINUUM ART HipHop Night, 6pmj CORK & KEG Joe Troop Trio (New Orleans jazz, blues, roots), 8pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. Tricia Ann and the Wolfpack (classic rock, country), 7pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Burnt Reputation (acoustic rock), 6pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Getaway Comedy w/ Carter Deems, 8pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter, fiddle), 8pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Dead Friday w/ Gus & Friends (Grateful Dead tribute), 6:15PM ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Cosmic American Jams w/The 6th Dimension (rock), 6pm Six Deep (Americana, rock), 7pm PACK SQUARE PARK LEAF Downtown, 12am ROGERS PARK Summer Tracks w/ The Get Right Band (psychedelic, indie rock), 7pm
SALVAGE STATION An Evening With Dark Star Orchestra (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm SAWYER SPRINGS VINEYARD Myron Hyman (classic rock, blues), 2:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Andrew Wakefield (outlaw country, rock), 6pm THE DUGOUT Ricky Gunter Band (country), 6pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE The Lads AVLl (rock, folk, blues), 8pm THE ODDITORIUM Arthritisfest w/John Kirby and The New Seniors, The Deathbots, Call the Next Witness (rock), 8pm
BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Ashley Heath (Americana), 6pm BLANNAHASSETT ISLAND Music by the River w/ Middle Cross (gospel), 6pm BRIDGE PARK Greening Up the Mountains Festival (multiple bands), 10am BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK Roots and Dore (blues, roots), 2pm DRY FALLS BREWING CO. 3 Cool Cats (oldies), 7pm FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Snake Oil Medicine Show (reggae, funk, newgrass), 4:30pm
THE ORANGE PEEL Rumours-Fleetwood Mac tribute (rock), 9pm
FLEETWOOD'S Khandroma w/Spectral Habitat (electro), 8pm
WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT Jay Dipaola (Americana), 7pm
ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Tret Fure (singer-songwriter), 7pm • Jake Blount (bluegrass), 8:30pm
WILD WING CAFE SOUTH Commodore Fox (rock, dance), 8:30pm
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28 185 KING STREET Supatight (funk), 8pm ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Beauty Parlor Comedy w/Andy Sandford, 7pm Sean Finnerty (comedy), 7pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Kyle Corbett (acoustic), 6:30pm ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Vince Junior Band (soul, blues), 4:30pm ATTIC SALT THEATRE Ritch Shydner’s History of Stand-up Comedy, Part 2, 8pm BATTERY PARK BOOK EXCHANGE Dinah's Daydream (jazz), 5pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Sons of Ralph (bluegrass), 8pm JIMMY'S ON THE RIVER Lucky James (Americana), 7pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Abby Elmore Band (pop, rock, folk), 8pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Free Flow Band (funk), 6pm Jeb Rogers Band (soul, jam, bluegrass), 6pm
SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY John Lee Hooker Tribute w/Mr Jimmy, Bill Loftus (blues), 7pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Hope Griffin (acoustic, singer-songwriter), 5pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Local Gossip Party Band (rock), 8pm
BEN'S TUNE UP Good Vibes Sunday (reggae), 6pm BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Dark City Kings (rock), 2pm BURNTSHIRT VINYARDS CHIMNEY ROCK J. Stephens (acoustic), 2pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Drag Show, 9pm
THE GREY EAGLE Wednesday w/Chaos Control, Secret Shame & Charli Jasper (electro, synth, pop), 9pm
HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Laura Blackley & The Wild Flowers (Americana, folk), 3pm
THE ODDITORIUM Party Foul Outdoor Drag, 7pm
HI-WIRE BREWING BIG TOP 8th Anniversary Party w/Love Canon (bluegrass, ‘80s), 5-10pm
THOMAS WOLFE AUDITORIUM Primus w/The Sword (funk metal), 7pm TURGUA BREWING CO. Circus Mutt (bluegrass, acoustic), 5pm WXYZ BAR AT ALOFT DJ Phantom Pantone, DJ strongmagnumopus & DJ Molly Parti, 2pm
SUNDAY, AUGUST 29 185 KING STREET Open Electric Jam w/ the King Street House Band ft. Howie Johnson, 6:30pm APPALACHIAN RIDGE ARTISAN CIDERY Sunlight Drive (acoustic duo), 2:30pm ARCHETYPE BREWING Sunday Sessions w/ Jason Daniello (acoustic), 3pm
PACK SQUARE PARK LEAF Downtown, 12am
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY Sunday Dance Party w/ DJ RexxStep, 10pm
RABBIT RABBIT Band of Horses (indie rock, Southern rock, folk rock), 7pm
ASHEVILLE CLUB Vaden Landers (country blues, honky tonk), 3pm
SALVAGE STATION An Evening With Dark Star Orchestra (Grateful Dead tribute), 6pm
ASHEVILLE GUITAR BAR Mark's House Jam, Beggar's Banquet (rock), 3pm
Mountain Xpress 27th Annual
HOME GROUND COFFEE BAR & DELI Bluegrass Brunch Shindig w/Supper Break, 11:30am
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ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 Serene Green (bluegrass), 7pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Brunch, 12pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Don Yelton, Bill Loftus (blues), 4pm
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ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Shakedown Sundays (rock, jam band), 7pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Community Drum Circle, 5pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Drinkin' & Thinkin' Trivia w/Allie & Alex, 5:30pm SALVAGE STATION Michael Franti & Spearhead: A Benefit For MountainTrue & The French Broad Riverkeeper, 7pm
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CLU B LA N D SLY GROG LOUNGE Open Mic with Mike, 6pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Paul Schiro (crooner), 4pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Wild Roots Rising (acoustic, folk), 4pm THE DUGOUT Daisy Chain (country), 3pm THE GREENHOUSE MOTO CAFE Tools on Stools (rock), 3pm THE GREY EAGLE • Random Animals (indie-soul), 5pm • Saint Disruption ft. John Medeski (jazz), 8pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN Bruce Lang (guitar, vocals), 7pm TURGUA BREWING CO. Jay Brown (roots), 4pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Adi the Monk (jazz), 6pm
MONDAY, AUGUST 30 ARCHETYPE BREWING Trivia Mondays w/Jess, 6:30pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Freshen Up (comedy, open mic), 7pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Open Mic Mondays w/ Taylor Martin, 6:30pm HENDERSONVILLE VISITOR CENTER Monday Night Live! w/ The Blake Ellege Band (classic rock), 7pm HIGHLAND BREWING CO. Totally Rad Monday Night Trivia w/Mitch Fortune, 6pm
FRENCH BROAD RIVER BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm GETAWAY RIVER BAR Turntable Tuesday, 10pm HAYWOOD COUNTRY CLUB Grass at the Club (bluegrass), 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. Team Trivia, 7pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Industry Bass Nights 001 w/Chillum, BlackNote, HypnoCat (electronic), 10:30pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Grateful Family Band (Dead tribute), 6pm RIVERSIDE RHAPSODY BEER CO. Two Year Anniversary Celebration • Ionize (reggae, rock), 4pm • Rooster (Americana, folk), 7pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Trivia Tuesdays, 6pm
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 12 BONES BREWERY Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 7pm 305 LOUNGE & EATERY Mark Fisher (solo acoustic), 1pm
OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. House of SYNth (electro), 6:30pm
ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Stand-Up Comedy Open Mic, 8pm
ONE WORLD BREWING WEST Trivia Night, 6pm
BEN'S TUNE UP Big Blue (jam), 8pm
TUESDAY, AUGUST 31 185 KING STREET Travis Book & Friends w/Tim Gardner, Owen Grooms, Bill Kubilius (Americana, bluegrass), 6:30pm
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ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Drag Bingo w/ Calcutta, 8pm • Aquanet: Goth Night, 9pm
JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Quizzo Pub Trivia, 7:30pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Mr Jimmy and Friends (blues), 7pm
AUG. 25-31, 2021
ANTIDOTE The Little Posey Trio (jazz, swing), 6pm
ASHEVILLE BEAUTY ACADEMY • Queer Comedy Party w/Gabbie Watts, 7pm • Move On Up: Soul/R&B Night, 9pm
THE GOLDEN PINEAPPLE Robert's Totally Rad Trivia, 8pm
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305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm
BLACK MOUNTAIN BREWING Jay Brown (roots), 6pm BOLD ROCK HARD CIDER Trivia Night, 6pm CASCADE LOUNGE Open Bluegrass Jam, 12am FBO AT HOMINY CREEK Old Timey Jam by the River (musical collaboration), 6pm FLEETWOOD'S Rickshaw Billie's Burger Patrol w/Night Beers (punk rock), 8pm
HANDLEBAR & GRILL Ladies Night Karaoke, 7pm ICONIC KITCHEN & DRINKS Marc Keller (acoustic), 6pm MYSTIC DOME STUDIO Open Jam in the Dome (open mic), 6:30pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm OKLAWAHA BREWING CO. French Broad Valley Mountain Music Jam w/Carol Rifkin, 6pm ONE STOP AT ASHEVILLE MUSIC HALL Free Anesthesia (psychedelic power trio), 9pm ONE WORLD BREWING WEST • Blooming Bass w/DJ Ephcto (cultural bass), 6:30pm • Latin Night, 9pm RENDEVOUS Albi Podrizki (jazz), 7pm SILVERADOS Open Mic Night, 7pm SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN BREWERY Jazz Night w/Jason DeCristofaro, 5:30pm SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Witty Wednesday Trivia, 6:30pm THE 2ND ACT Round Robin Open Mic w/Letters to Abigail, 6pm THE DUGOUT Open Bluegrass Jam w/The Well Drinkers, 8pm THE GREY EAGLE • Justin Clyde Williams w/Tyler Hatley, 5pm • 49 Winchester w/ Wayne Graham & Nicholas Jamerson (alt-country, soul), 7pm THE ODDITORIUM The 40, 20, 10's w/ Drunken Prayer (Americana, outlaw country), 7pm THE OMNI GROVE PARK INN The B's (jazz, standards), 7pm
305 LOUNGE & EATERY Bob Sherill (singer-songwriter), 1pm AMERICAN VINYL CO. Libby Rodenbough, Trippers and Askers (Americana), 7pm ASHEVILLE CLUB Mr Jimmy (blues), 5pm BEN'S TUNE UP Offended! Open Mic (comedy), 9:30pm CASCADE LOUNGE Team Trivia, 7:30pm GINGER'S REVENGE CRAFT BREWERY & TASTING ROOM Gluten-Free Comedy (open mic), 6pm ISIS MUSIC HALL & KITCHEN 743 • Trae Sheehan (Americana, roots), 7pm • Bill Frisell: HARMONY (Americana), 8:30pm JACK OF THE WOOD PUB Bluegrass Jam w/ Drew & the Boys, 7pm MAGNETIC THEATRE Modelface Comedy w/Emma Wilmann, 7:30pm MILLS RIVER BREWING Funky Ass Trio Jam (funk), 6pm OFF THE WAGON All Request Piano Show, 8pm PISGAH BREWING COMPANY Hunter Begley & Eric Ledford (Americana), 6:30pm RYE KNOT KITCHEN BREWERY DISTILLERY Chris Flanders (acoustic), 6pm SALVAGE STATION The Very Jerry Band (Jerry Garcia Band tribute), 7pm SLY GROG LOUNGE HomeBass (metal), 5pm
THE SOCIAL Karaoke w/DJ Lyric, 8pm
SWEETEN CREEK BREWING Open Mic Night, 6pm
TRISKELION BREWING CO. TriskaTrivia, 7pm
THE JOINT NEXT DOOR Rod Sphere (rock), 5:30pm
WHITE HORSE BLACK MOUNTAIN Irish Music Circle, 7pm
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 131 MAIN Aaron LaFalce (soul, rock, pop), 6pm 185 KING STREET Songwriters in the Round Showcase w/ Hannah Kaminer, Laura Boswell & Kathryn O'Shea (folk, Americana), 7pm
THE ODDITORIUM Black Tusk, US Christmas, Cloud City Caskets (metal), 8pm THE ORANGE PEEL Antoine Scott (comedy), 8pm TRISKELION BREWING CO. Open Mic Night, 7pm WHISTLE HOP BREWING CO. Jazz and Wine Night w/Adi the Monk, 6pm
DQG
September 3 • Asheville, NC • Salvage Station Tickets available at SalvageStation.com MOUNTAINX.COM
AUG. 25-31, 2021
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FREEWILL ASTROLOGY ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries mythologist Joseph Campbell advised us to love our fate. He said we should tell ourselves, “Whatever my fate is, this is what I need.” Even if an event seems inconvenient or disruptive, we treat it as an opportunity, as an interesting challenge. “If you bring love to that moment, not discouragement,” Campbell said, “you will find the strength.” Campbell concludes that any detour or disarray you can learn from “is an improvement in your character, your stature, and your life. What a privilege!” Few signs of the zodiac are inclined to enthusiastically adopt such an approach, but you Aries folks are most likely to do so. Now is an especially favorable time to use it. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The brilliant Taurus dancer and choreographer Martha Graham spoke of “a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action,” adding that “there is only one of you in all time.” She added, “It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.” But even if you do this very well, Graham said, you will nevertheless always feel “a divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest” that will fuel you. This is the perfect message for you Tauruses to embrace in the coming weeks. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There’s growing scientific evidence that we make ourselves stupid by complaining too much — or even by listening to other people complain a lot. Excessive negative thoughts drain energy from our hippocampus, a part of our brain that’s essential to problem-solving. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we should avoid dealing with difficult issues. But it does suggest we should be discerning about how many disturbing and depressing ideas we entertain. According to my reading of the omens, all this will be especially useful advice for you in the coming weeks. CANCER (June 21-July 22): Your brain contains one hundred billion nerve cells. Each cell has the potential to be linked with tens of thousands of others. And they are always busy. Typically, your grey matter makes a million new connections every second. But I suspect your number of connections will increase even beyond that in the coming weeks. Your most complex organ will be working with greater intensity than usual. Will that be a bad thing or a good thing? It depends on whether you formulate an intention to channel your intelligence into wise analysis about important matters — and not waste it in careless fussing about trivial details. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “You should have a sticky soul,” counsels author Elizabeth Berg. “The act of continually taking things in should be as much a part of you as your hair color.” I especially endorse that attitude for you during the next four weeks, Leo. Your task is to make yourself extra magnetic for all the perceptions, experiences, ideas, connections and resources you need most. By September 23, I suspect you will have gained an infusion of extra ballast and gravitas. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “I sing like the nightingale whose melody is crowded in the too narrow passage of her throat,” wrote author Virginia Woolf. That was an insulting curse for her to fling at herself. I disapprove of such behavior — especially for you in the coming weeks. If you hope to be in alignment with cosmic rhythms, don’t you dare say nasty things about yourself, even in the privacy of your own thoughts. In fact, please focus on the exact opposite: flinging praise and appreciation and compliments at yourself. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The blogger at www-wlw.tumblr.com says the following are the top tender actions. 1. Fastening clothes or jewelry for your companion. 2. Letting them rest their head on your shoulder. 3. Idly playing
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with their hands. 4. Brushing a leaf out of their hair. 5. Locking pinkies. 6. Rubbing their back when you embrace. 7. Both of you wearing an item that belongs to the other. Dear Libra, I hope you will employ these tender actions with greater frequency than usual in the coming weeks, Libra. Why? In my astrological opinion, it’s a ripe time to boost your affection quotient with the allies you care for the most. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Naturalist Henry David Thoreau wrote in his journal, “I feel slightly complimented when nature condescends to make use of me without my knowledge — as when I help scatter her seeds in my walk — or carry burs and cockles on my clothes from field to field. I feel as though I had done something for the commonweal.” I mention this, Scorpio, because the coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to carry out good deeds and helpful transformations in nature’s behalf. Your ability to collaborate benevolently with plants and animals and elemental forces will be at a peak. So will your knack for creating interesting connections between yourself and all wild things. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You may have never heard of Sagittarian artist Baya Mahieddine (1931–1998). At age 16, she experienced a splash of acclaim with a show in Paris. Famous artists Pablo Picasso, Henry Matisse and George Braques came. They drew inspiration from Mahieddine’s innovative use of color, elements from her Algerian heritage and her dream-like images. Picasso even invited her to work with him, exulting in the fresh perspectives she ignited. But her art never received the full credit it warranted. In accordance with astrological omens, this horoscope is a small way of providing her with the recognition and appreciation she deserves. It also authorizes you to go out and get the recognition and appreciation you deserve but have not yet fully received. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Who knows what is unfolding on the other side of each hour?” asked Capricorn poet Juan Ramón Jiménez (translated by Capricorn poet Robert Bly). “How many times the sunrise was there, behind a mountain. How many times the brilliant cloud piling up far off was already a golden body full of thunder!” Your assignment, Capricorn, is to imagine what is unfolding just beyond your perception and understanding. But here’s the twist: You must steer your mind away from inclinations to indulge in fear. You must imagine that the events in the works are beautiful, interesting or redemptive. If you’re not willing to do that, skip the exercise altogether. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “Better than any argument is to rise at dawn and pick dew-wet red berries in a cup,” wrote author Wendell Berry. I mostly agree with that sentiment, although I will also put in a good word for certain kinds of arguments. There are moments when it’s crucial for your psychological and spiritual health that you initiate a conversation about delicate issues that might lead to a dispute. However, I don’t think this is one of those times, Aquarius. In my astrological opinion, picking dew-wet red berries is far more sensible than any argument. For further inspiration, read this testimony from actor Natasha Lyonne: “I definitely would rather take a nap than get angry.” PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): For painter Vincent van Gogh, love wasn’t primarily a sentimental feeling. Nor was it an unfocused generalized wish for health and happiness in those he cared for. Rather, he wrote, “You must love with a high, serious, intimate sympathy, with a will, with intelligence.” His love was alert, acute, active and energized. It was animated with a determination to be resourceful and ingenious in nurturing the beloved. For van Gogh, love was always in action, forever moving toward ever-fresh engagement. In service to intimacy, he said, “you must always seek to know more thoroughly, better and more.” I hope you’ll make these meditations a top priority during the next seven weeks.
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REAL ESTATE & RENTALS | ROOMMATES | JOBS | SERVICES ANNOUNCEMENTS | CLASSES & WORKSHOPS | MIND, BODY, SPIRIT MUSICIANS’ SERVICES | PETS | AUTOMOTIVE | XCHANGE | ADULT EMPLOYMENT GENERAL AFG DISTRIBUTION FULL TIME WAREHOUSE ASSOCIATE AFG Distribution is looking for several full-time employees to join our growing shipping departments, 1st and 2nd shifts available. 8:00am-4:00pm Monday-Friday, 4:00pm-12:00am Sunday-Thursday. New hires are responsible for picking and packing to fulfill customer orders. The position does require some lifting, 50 lbs or more as well as being comfortable using tall ladders. We are looking for candidates that are detail oriented, have a positive attitude, are able to keep up a fast pace and have the potential and desire to advance. We offer competitive salary, health benefits, paid holidays, personal days, paid vacation time, and 401k as well as a friendly and comfortable work environment. Must be able to pass background check. Pay: $15.00 - $17.00 per hour To apply email gretac@ afgdistribution.com. ASHEVILLE PARKS & RECREATION PROGRAM LEADER Our Program Leaders are motivated, enthusiastic, and have a passion for providing programs and activities that meet community needs. Pay starts at $21.51/hour + benefits. Join our team today! Apply at www.ashevillenc. gov. Posting closes 8/24/21. LITERACY TOGETHER. PROGRAM ASSOCIATE, ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (ESOL) Half-time position with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. Duties include tutor training and support; student orientation, intake, and assessment; data management; and direct instruction. Must be fully bilingual in English/Spanish. Apply at https://lit-together. org/job-openings/ Lit-together.org
RESTAURANT/ FOOD DISHWASHERS PT AND FT SIERRA NEVADA BREWING $1000 SIGN ON BONUS + BENEFITS The Dishwasher, who reports to the BOH Supervisor, is a member of
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CVOR - RN'S NEEDED $20,000 SIGN ON BONUS AVAILABLE COME BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIG!! Hamilton Medical Center has an exciting opportunity for experienced CVOR RNs to come and be a part of our New Open Heart Program! Competitive Pay/Medical/ Dental/Vision/Paid Annual Leave/Great Work Environment To apply please go to the following web address: https://www.hamiltonhealth. com/job-seeker/careers/
PROFESSIONAL/ MANAGEMENT SEEKING PROPERTY MANAGER Property Manager wanted for three vacation rental units, and possibly two multi-family properties + one house. If you are an experienced PM, please reach out. navihous.com
PREVENTION EDUCATOR Our VOICE is hiring for a Prevention Educator! Please go to www.ourvoicenc.org for more info!
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GRAPHIC DESIGNER NEEDED Temporary Fall Position: Highly skilled designer needed for creating compelling advertising, The ideal candidate has excellent graphic design and layout skills for print publication, has experience working with style guides and adhering to brand structures, understands project management, can thrive in a fast-paced environment, is exceptionally organized and deadline-driven, and has excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, an exceptional creative eye and a desire to ensure high quality output. You must have the proven ability to create original, effective advertising and marketing materials, Candidates must: • Be proficient in Adobe CSC programs (inducing, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Acrobat) • Be able to prepress and troubleshoot a variety of file types and to work interdepartmentally to organize, schedule and maintain workflows. • Be fluent in the Mac OSX platform • Be able to interface with other departments in the company. • Have a minimum of 2-3 years graphic design experience Newspaper, and web-ad design experience a plus. This is a full or part-time time position running from early to mid October through mid November. Email cover letter explaining why you believe you are a good fit, your resume, and either a URL or PDF of your design portfolio to: design@mountainx.com No applications or portfolios by mail, and no phone calls or walk-ins, please.
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TEACHING/ EDUCATION PREVENTION COORDINATOR Our VOICE is hiring for a Prevention Coodinator! Please go to www.ourvoicenc.org for more info!
ARE YOU THE WEBMASTER? WE ARE THE SITE KEEPER. Mountain Xpress is seeking the right person to continue the evolution of our online
presence. You must have: 1) Excellent web development skills (PHP, MySQL, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, RWD) with at least 2 years of professional experience; 2) Strong problem solving skills with the ability to work independently; 3) Ability to manage in-house and outsourced projects; 4) Willingness to be a team player; 5) Commitment to a locally focused, social-media-engaged outlet. The ideal candidate will have WordPress development experience (templating, custom post types, taxonomies, widgets, hooks & actions), the ability to write custom database queries, as well as modify existing custom PHP applications. You will also need experience managing a LAMP infrastructure with high-availability principles. Salary for this part time position is based on experience and skill. Send cover letter (that demonstrates your passions, how those passions would fit with Mountain Xpress’ mission and needs, and why you’d like to work with us) and resume to: xpressjob@mountainx.com
IN NEED OF A GEEK Mountain Xpress offers a part-time position in IT helping administer, develop and provide day-to-day support for the company’s IT systems in a multi-user, server-based Mac environment. This 15-25 hour/week position could be for someone newly entering the job market or taking the next step in an IT career or returning to IT after a hiatus. The successful applicant should be strong on learning new systems and have a desire to contribute to our mission-driven organization. Position will assist with the LAN, database systems (FileMaker-based) and website (WordPress CMS). Actual job description may flex according to skills of strong applicant. Points for experience with Mac OS server admin, database-development and FileMaker server admin, management and configuration of network equipment, web development, network protocols, phone systems, printers, graphics (Adobe Creative Suite) and computer hardware. Send cover letter, resume and references to: xpressjob@mountainx.com
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ACROSS
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1 All-time leading scorer for the Lakers, familiarly
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5 Modern-day horse-and-buggy users 10 Bird with a reduplicative name 14 Old pro 17 Raucous music style similar to boogie-woogie
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20 “Don’t make me eat that!” 21 Bolivian capital 25 Got an A+ on 26 State in Tornado Alley: Abbr. 27 Overhead cost of manufacturing? 28 Drunkard 29 ___ du jour (bistro special) 31 ’50s campaign button name 32 Fanciful ideas 35 Become rusted 37 Seminal punk band, with “the” 39 Potato ___ (appetizer) 40 Nap sack? 41 Well-kept 42 Lowest-ranking G.I. 43 Island WNW of Molokai 45 Wall St. credential 46 Who said “The only difference between me and the Surrealists is that I am a Surrealist” 48 Spaces (out) 49 Globe 50 Studied (up on) 51 ___ Reader 53 The titular Nelsons of a classic sitcom 60 Dish with tomatoes and mozzarella
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18 Big Dance org. 19 Action after a bad golf drive
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61 Animal whose name consists of the postal codes of two states it passes in its migration 62 British meat pie 63 Nest protest
DOWN 1 Cold War inits. 2 Hybrid citrus fruits 3 Native American canoe material 4 Columnist Klein 5 ___-American 6 “That’s not impressing me” 7 Response to “Who wants some?” 8 “Law & Order” spinoff, for short 9 Bucks and bulls 10 Blue state? 11 Speechify 12 Partner of confused 13 This clue number minus deux 15 Passions 16 Large unit of resistance 20 Like some insensitive remarks, for short
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22 Encompassed by
44 Take by force
23 Give a pointer? 24 Info on a dating profile
46 Construction vehicle, informally 47 ___ Day, Down Under holiday
28 Bundle up
50 U2 frontman
30 Super-hoppy craft brew
52 It costs about twice as much if it’s round
33 Make easier to recite, as the Great Lakes via HOMES
54 European peak 55 Actress Vardalos
34 Vodka cocktail with cranberry and grapefruit juice
56 Some N.F.L. linemen: Abbr.
36 Available to watch, in a way 37 Speckled coat
57 It can be tipped … or collect tips 58 Whichever
38 Wild guess 40 Bit of sweet talk
59 Restaurant water choice
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I S A A C
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A T E A T 31